However, the atmosphere of victory was also permeating. As some soldiers walked down from the city walls, their faces bore the smiles of survivors who had cheated death.

Some were distributing dry rations, while others pulled cherished flasks from their bosoms, took a swig, and passed them to the comrades beside them.

Someone began to sing a folk song from the Annan Kingdom; their voice was hoarse and the tune was wildly off-key, but those around them did not laugh, simply listening in silence.

A young soldier ran down from the city walls clutching a tattered battle flag. The flag was riddled with arrow holes and scorch marks, yet he ran at full speed, shouting, "We won! We won!"

He ran through the streets, through the crowd, and all the way to the steps in front of the Council Hall. He planted the battle flag in the ground, then collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as tears streamed silently down his face.

Lin Feng and his group wove through the crowd, through the streets, and past the fires still burning, heading toward the Council Hall.

No one stopped them, nor did anyone make way for them.

Everyone was busy with their own affairs, all of them slowly recovering from this long, brutal, and seemingly endless defensive battle.

Several people stood on the stone steps of the Council Hall: Annan Kingdom officials, generals from Russia, warriors from the White Elephant Country, and a few civil servants dressed in dark blue robes.

Seeing Lin Feng approach, they stepped aside, clearing a path to the main entrance.

Lin Feng stopped before the steps and looked up at the large characters on the lintel: "Thang Long City Council Chamber."

He then withdrew his gaze, strode up the steps, and walked through the open doors.

The Council Hall was far more spacious than Lin Feng had imagined, capable of holding a hundred people. The vaulted ceiling hung high, supported by eight massive stone pillars, on which the emblem of Thang Long City was carved.

A giant, coiling dragon, its head held high and claws outstretched, looked vivid and lifelike.

The floor was paved with cyan stone slabs, polished smooth as a mirror by the passage of time, reflecting the light from the chandeliers overhead.

At the front of the hall stood a three-foot-high dais. On it sat a dark brown long table, and behind the table was a high-backed chair with the Thang Long City emblem carved into the backrest.

On both sides of the dais were two rows of chairs, thirty on the left and thirty on the right. The backrests were carved with simple patterns, and the cushions were made of dark blue cotton, simple yet solemn.

A man sat in the main seat. He had gray hair, a resolute face, deep-set eyes, and a gaze like a torch.

He wore golden battle armor, with many dents and scratches on the plates; it was clear he had only just come from the battlefield.

A double-edged battle axe leaned against the side of the chair, its blade still stained with dried black blood.

He was none other than the strongest person in the Annan Kingdom, Nguyen Van Hung.

Behind him stood two young generals, also wearing battle armor, their expressions stern and silent.

Seated at the head of the left row was Paul. His gray battle armor was still stained with dried black blood, and the bear-head bronze ornament gleamed coldly in the light.

Beside him sat Ivan, Hamza, and five other experts from Russia.

The five Russian experts sat straight, their gazes steady. Though their faces still bore the exhaustion of battle, none of them leaned back against their chairs.

When Lin Feng and his group walked into the hall, Paul was the first to turn his head. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he nodded at him.

Ivan stood up directly and grinned, saying, "Lord Lin! I saw you kill that Death Lord in the air just now, piercing its neck with one shot. Beautiful!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Hamza also stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly. He didn't speak, but his eyes were very sincere.

Lin Feng returned the salute with cupped hands, his tone indifferent: "You have all worked hard as well."

Nguyen Van Hung stood up from the main seat, cupped his hands, and spoke with a voice that was aged yet powerful: "Lord Lin, you have worked hard. Please take a seat at the head of the right row first. I must trouble you to wait a moment; not everyone has arrived yet."

Lin Feng cupped his hands and said, "General Nguyen is too kind." He then turned and walked to the head of the right row to sit down.

Jiang Yelan sat down beside him, the shadow moon blade leaning against the chair.

Jiang Zhaoyue sat next to Jiang Yelan, her silver-white spear standing beside her, her back held straight.

Zhao Hu, Su Yurou, Feng Qingyan, Deputy City Lord Liu Zhenshan, and Counselor Han Cong took their seats in order.

After waiting for about ten minutes, everyone arrived one after another. Six Third Rank experts from the Annan Kingdom filed in and took their seats in the back row on the right. Each of them was injured, but their eyes held the relief and exhaustion of having survived.

The four from the White Elephant Country, led by General Rajput, sat in the back row on the left.

General Rajput's face was livid; he kept his eyes fixed on the table and did not speak.

The other three White Elephant Country experts also had heavy expressions, and no one spoke.

Nguyen Van Hung swept his gaze over everyone, his voice steady: "Everyone is here."

He paused, then continued, "First, on behalf of the Annan Kingdom, Thang Long City, and our five hundred million citizens across the country, I thank all nations for coming to our aid. Without you, Thang Long City would not have held."

After speaking, he stood up and bowed deeply to everyone.

Paul stood up and cupped his hands: "General Nguyen is too kind. The undead are the enemy of all humanity; helping you is helping ourselves."

General Rajput also stood up, his voice ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) low: "The White Elephant Country and the Annan Kingdom have been friendly neighbors for generations, sharing weal and woe together."

Lin Feng cupped his hands and said: "It is only right that Great Xia and the Annan Kingdom look out for each other."

Hamza added: "The Tieba Kingdom is the same."

Everyone responded one after another.

Nguyen Van Hung nodded, said no more, and sat back down. He folded his hands on the table, and his tone shifted from polite pleasantries to the main topic.

"Very well, the meeting officially begins. First item: distribution of spoils."

He paused, "Please hand over all materials, equipment, and high-level Class Change Books of Purple Quality or higher that were captured this time. They will be distributed later according to battle contributions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the six people from the Annan Kingdom stood up one by one, walked to Nguyen Van Hung, and placed the items they had captured on the table.

There were a few purple crystals, several materials shimmering with a purple luster, three pieces of purple equipment, and two bronze-colored high-level Class Change Books.

On the cover of one was embossed the four characters "Necromancer," and the other was "Bone Guard."

Lin Feng glanced at them, not looking for long.

The people from Russia also stood up. Paul untied a fist-sized purple crystal from his waist and placed it on the table.

Ivan handed over a purple shield, with claw-mark-like cracks on its face.

Hamza handed over a high-level Class Change Book: Shield Mage.

The other five also placed their respective spoils on the table; no one held anything back, and no one dared to play tricks in such a setting.

With over a billion pairs of eyes in the livestream watching, no one could afford to lose face like that.

Lin Feng turned his head to look at Jiang Zhaoyue.

Jiang Zhaoyue understood, stood up, took the pair of purple Swallow-Treading Boots from her pack, walked to Nguyen Van Hung, and placed them gently on the table.

Deputy City Lord Liu Zhenshan also stood up and handed over two purple crystals and a piece of purple ore material.

General Rajput of the White Elephant Country stood up last, walked to the table, took two high-level Class Change Books from his pack, and placed them on the table.

He did not speak; after putting down the books, he turned and sat back down.