He first flew toward the South Gate. To the southeast was the warehouse district, where rows of greyish-white stone warehouses were neatly arranged. In the open space at the entrances, stacks of timber and stone were piled high, and porters carrying burlap sacks moved in and out like a swarm of busy ants.

To the southwest was the workshop district. Black smoke billowed from the chimneys of the blacksmith shops, and the clanging of metal on metal could be heard from hundreds of meters away.

In the courtyard of the crossbow workshop, rows of bow limbs were laid out to dry, and carpenters were planing wood, leaving piles of shavings on the ground.

Directly to the south was the bustling commercial district. This area perfectly connected the output of the workshops with the supplies in the warehouses, serving as the busiest trading hub in the entire fortress city.

Stalls were packed densely from one end of the street to the other, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The place was teeming with noise; the sounds of hawking, bargaining, and laughter mingled together like a pot of boiling porridge.

Vendors shouted at the top of their lungs, each trying to outdo the other in volume.

Adventurers and Awakened jostled through the stalls. Some held up newly purchased weapons to inspect them against the light, while others squatted on the ground, sifting through medicinal herbs as if they were performing archaeology.

Lin Feng's gaze was drawn to one particular stall.

The stall owner was a chubby man in his forties, wearing a faded blue cloth shirt; he looked like a seasoned old fox who had run over from the Annan Kingdom.

On the table in front of him sat a row of blue-and-white porcelain bowls filled with a translucent, pale green jelly that shimmered crystal-clearly in the sunlight.

Hanging above the stall was a banner with black ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) characters on a red background that read: "Annan Kingdom specialty, Green Ivy Jelly, refreshing and cooling, one copper coin a bowl! If it's not sweet, it's free! If it is sweet, the price doesn't go up!"

A few young Adventurers gathered around the stall, each holding a bowl of Green Ivy Jelly, slurping it down with great enjoyment.

A female Adventurer with a ponytail finished her bowl, set it down, wiped her mouth, and said loudly: "Boss, another bowl! This stuff is even more refreshing than Blue Star ice cream!"

The chubby boss smiled until his eyes were just two slits. As he scooped, he yelled at the top of his lungs: "Coming right up! You have a good eye, miss! This is a tribute to the Annan Kingdom royal palace!"

A male Adventurer beside him, holding a spoon in his mouth, rolled his eyes: "Does the Annan Kingdom even have an emperor?"

The chubby boss didn't change his expression, his hands never stopping: "Then it's the City Lord! The City Lord eats this in the summer too! She can't sleep without it!"

The crowd burst into laughter, and another Adventurer jeered: "Does the City Lord get diarrhea after eating it?"

The boss was dead serious: "Our Green Ivy Jelly is specifically for curing diarrhea!"

Lin Feng's mouth twitched slightly, and he shook his head, shifting his gaze to outside the South Gate.

On the main road outside the South Gate, squads of County Soldiers and supply wagons were entering the city one after another. The County Soldiers in grey leather armor marched in columns; their pace wasn't very uniform, but their morale was high.

Every one of them had the weariness of a long journey on their face.

The carts were loaded with bundles of arrows, sacks of grain, and crates of potions. The wheels crunched and creaked against the stone road, and the ruts from the carts extended all the way from the road to the city gate.

A middle-aged County Soldier was pushing a cart piled with three sacks of grain. The rope wasn't tied tightly, and with a jolt, the top sack slid off and slammed onto the ground.

The mouth of the sack burst open, and golden wheat grains poured out like a waterfall, scattering all over the ground.

The procession behind was blocked. Some people helped pick up the grain, others jeered, and the whole scene turned into a mess.

The Centurion in charge of the transport walked over with a dark face. The County Soldier hurriedly used his hat to scoop up the wheat grains, muttering: "It's over, it's over, they're going to deduct my pay."

An old soldier next to him squatted on the ground to help him pick it up, saying: "Stop muttering and hurry up and pick it up. I'll put in a good word with the Centurion later."

The County Soldier was on the verge of tears: "Big brother, you really are a living Bodhisattva..."

The old soldier didn't even look up: "Less talk, just pick."

Lin Feng shook his head and turned to fly toward the north. In the northwest direction was the military training grounds.

On the training grounds, a massive sea of people—over seven thousand of them—were lined up in a dozen phalanxes, stretching from the east end to the west.

This was the first full-regiment training for the New Moon Legion's First Regiment after its formation.

The ranks weren't very orderly; after all, many people had just been drafted and were not yet familiar with one another. However, morale was not low. Everyone stood straight; no one was looking around, and no one was whispering to their neighbor.

On the Point General platform at the north end of the training grounds, four figures stood side by side.

Jiang Zhaoyue stood in the very center. Her silver-blue armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, a silver-white spear strapped to her back. Her ponytail was tied high, and she looked heroic and dashing.

Feng Qingyan stood behind her, her staff resting on the ground. The flames on the Fire Crystal flickered, and a translucent pale blue shield surrounded her body.

She tried hard to strike a dignified pose, but her eyes kept darting to the phalanxes below, clearly looking for someone she knew.

Jiang Zhaoyue began her address. Her voice was not loud, but every word was clearly delivered to every corner of the training grounds: "The New Moon Legion's First Regiment is officially formed as of today. You come from different places; some are veterans from the Moonflower Guild, some are key personnel transferred from various affiliated territories, and some are Adventurers who have just descended from Blue Star."

"From today on, you have only one identity: soldiers of the Beacon Fire Territory. I do not demand that every one of you be a master fighter, but I do require you to hold your positions. On the battlefield, wherever the command flag points, that is where you strike. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" The voices of over seven thousand people merged into a rumble of thunder that rolled across the training grounds.

Feng Qingyan struck while the iron was hot, raising her staff and shouting: "Everyone train hard! Train well and there will be meat to eat!"

The crowd below went quiet for a moment.

Jiang Zhaoyue turned back to look at her expressionlessly. Feng Qingyan sheepishly retreated to the back, muttering softly: "It's true, though..."

Lin Feng hovered in the air, unable to suppress the curve of his lips.

Just as he was finding it amusing, he suddenly felt a disturbance in the air behind him.

He turned his head to look and saw that Jiang Yelan had also flown up at some point. She hovered three meters behind him, her cloak hood lowered to reveal her cold, elegant face.

"Why did you come up here?" Lin Feng asked.

Jiang Yelan drifted closer, her gaze sweeping over the training grounds below: "I saw you fly up, so I followed to take a look."

Lin Feng smiled, his gaze returning to the massive dark phalanxes on the training grounds. His tone carried an indescribable sense of satisfaction: "The Night Whisper Legion must have plenty of work too. You've been working hard lately."

Jiang Yelan shook her head slightly, her voice very soft: "Zhao Hu works harder and worries more. I just stay up late occasionally; it's fine."

Lin Feng nodded: "Mm, delegate more power to the people below. We just need to handle the overall direction; don't overwork yourself."

Jiang Yelan nodded slightly, not speaking, but her gaze lingered on Lin Feng's face for a moment.

"Let's go," Lin Feng said. "The eight thousand Beacon Guards should be arriving soon."

The two turned simultaneously and flew toward the East Gate.

Outside the East Gate, a massive force was slowly entering the city. The eight thousand Beacon Guards were arranged in eight phalanxes; their black armor was like iron, their halberds like a forest, and their pace was as uniform as a single person.

Looking down from the air, the eight phalanxes resembled eight black Iron Ingots, entering the East Gate one after another in a continuous stream.

Between the phalanxes, Bai San, Bai Si, and Bai Wu each rode on a Great-Horned Deer with their halberds slung over their shoulders, their gazes sweeping across the flanks of the formation like hawks.

In the open space inside the East Gate, Li Yuan was busy registering the troops with a dozen clerical staff. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

He held a roster in his hands, his voice not loud but clear and organized: "First Battalion, full strength, enter the northeast camp area. Second Battalion, full strength, enter the east side of the northeast camp area. Third Battalion..."

Behind him, several young scribes were recording rapidly on the roster. Their foreheads were covered in sweat, yet not a single one stopped to wipe it away.

Jiang Yelan hovered beside Lin Feng, watching the black-armored phalanxes stream in, and suddenly spoke: "Eight thousand Beacon Guards, plus the previous ones, we've already surpassed ten thousand. Hangu Pass is also ten thousand times larger than Black Wind Camp."

Lin Feng glanced at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly: "Yes, the place is ten thousand times larger, and the things to worry about have increased ten thousand times as well."

The two remained silent in the air for a moment, then descended simultaneously, landing at the entrance of the Council Hall.

The door of the Council Hall was wide open, and a person stood on the steps before it.

She wore a dark blue uniform, her ponytail tied meticulously, and she held a stack of documents in her hands.

Seeing Lin Feng and Jiang Yelan land, Liu Zhaowan hurried to greet them, bowing slightly. Her voice was crisp: "Lord Lin, the General Bureau has an urgent intelligence report for your review."

Lin Feng took the documents but didn't open them immediately, glancing at her: "Director Liu, how long have you been waiting?"

Liu Zhaowan gave a faint smile: "Not long."

Lin Feng's mouth curved, and he turned to push open the door of the Council Hall, striding inside.

Jiang Yelan followed behind him, and Liu Zhaowan walked in last.