Lin Feng took the Advanced Class Change Scroll: Iron Wall Guardian, the guardian belt, and the firm rock leather armor out of the box. He stacked the three items neatly together and handed them to Tie Dun.

"These are for you."

Tie Dun reached out both hands to receive the three items, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

His eyes were wide open, his lips quivered several times, and he couldn't say a single word.

He looked down at the Class Change Book with the dark brown cover in his hands, then at the guardian belt that had once belonged to the lord, and finally at the firm rock leather armor that had accompanied the lord through countless tough battles. Tears almost fell from his eyes.

His legs went weak, and he was about to kneel.

Lin Feng was quick-witted and caught his arm, preventing him from kneeling. "Don't kneel."

Lin Feng's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable tone. "Listen to me, the Shield of Comrades on the guardian belt has priority for Yu Rou and President Su. They have the highest priority, remember that?"

Tie Dun nodded vigorously, tears finally spilling down his cheeks.

He sniffled, his voice trembling. "Lord, you are too good to me... My life, Tie Dun's life, is yours! Anyone who wants to harm the Lord must step over my dead body first!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice growing louder. Zhao Hu coughed from behind, and Tie Dun finally stopped, though tears were still flowing.

Lin Feng patted his shoulder. "Alright, remember the 22,000 contribution points."

As soon as Tie Dun heard the words "22,000," his legs went weak again, and he almost knelt down.

His lips trembled, and his voice changed pitch. "Tw- 22,000? I owe 22,000?"

He counted on his fingers for a long time, his face turning green. "How long will I have to pay this off..."

Everyone burst into laughter. Feng Qingyan laughed so hard her shield shook, and she slapped the table. "Brother Tie Dun, you might as well just mortgage yourself to the Lord!"

The corners of Jiang Zhaoyue's mouth curved into a beautiful arc, and even Jiang Yelan's lips moved slightly.

Tie Dun returned to his seat with a silly grin, clutching the equipment. He carefully placed the Class Change Book and the two pieces of equipment on the table in front of him, then picked up the guardian belt, examining it over and over again, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

He looked up at Lin Feng, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time, finally breaking into a smile that looked uglier than crying.

Wang Wu, sitting nearby, glanced over and let out a rare laugh. "22,000, how long do you plan to pay that off?"

Tie Dun froze and counted on his fingers for a long time. "I only get a few hundred contribution points a month... Doesn't that mean it'll take several years to pay off?"

Wang Wu replied slowly. "It's fine, pay it off slowly, there's no rush."

Everyone chuckled again, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Lin Feng shook his head, turned around, and walked back to his seat at the head of the table.

He composed his expression, scanned the group, and spoke in a steady voice. "Third matter: the territory will not be engaging in large-scale combat operations for the time being. The training and integration of the Night Whisper Legion and the New Moon Legion must be expedited. The great war will not be too far away."

Zhao Hu pressed his right fist against his chest and said in a deep voice. "Understood."

Jiang Zhaoyue clasped her hands. "The New Moon Legion will never slack off."

Su Yuehua bowed slightly, Jiang Yelan nodded, and everyone acknowledged the order in unison.

Lin Feng stood up and said. "Alright, Lord Jiang and Ye Lan, stay behind. Meeting adjourned."

Everyone stood up one after another. Tie Dun, clutching his pile of equipment, was grinning from ear to ear as Zhao Hu dragged him out.

The Council Hall quickly quieted down.

Lin Feng picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the two people in front of him.

"My strength shouldn't be able to increase much in the short term."

Lin Feng spoke first, his tone flat.

"In the next ten days or so, I will try to find a way to see if I can get a gold-grade accessory for each of you."

Jiang Zhaoyue's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes, but her expression remained calm. She merely straightened her posture, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

Although Jiang Yelan remained expressionless, her fingers holding the shadow moon blade tightened slightly.

Lin Feng waved his hand, signaling them not to get excited just yet.

"Let's try the first plan first." He looked at Jiang Zhaoyue.

"Lord Jiang, go and find a way to contact Director Zhou to see if we can get White Elephant Country to trade two gold-grade accessories in exchange /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ for the opportunity to become a vassal of Beacon Fire Territory.

If White Elephant Country is willing, have them provide one strength ring and one agility bracelet."

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded slightly, her gaze steady and focused. "Lord Lin, leave this matter to me. The General Bureau has always had communication channels with White Elephant Country; I will go and negotiate."

Lin Feng continued. "You can appropriately reveal that we offered Sakura Country two gold-grade pieces of equipment.

And you can tactfully imply that I am currently hesitating about whether I should also charge White Elephant Country the price of two gold-grade pieces of equipment."

Jiang Zhaoyue smiled, a look of calm confidence in her smile.

She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were clear and bright, her voice crisp. "Rest assured, Lord Lin, White Elephant Country should agree. What they lack most right now isn't gold-grade equipment, but a way out.

After the battle at Thang Long City, which country in the South Pole Region doesn't know the score? Attaching themselves to Beacon Fire Territory is the only way out.

Trading two gold-grade accessories for a chance to save their lives—General Rajput can do that math."

She paused, the corners of her mouth curving up a bit more. "As for the 'hesitating about whether to charge two pieces' part, I will say it very naturally."

Lin Feng nodded and didn't say anything more.

He looked at Jiang Yelan and asked. "You two have been putting your attribute points into constitution after reaching level thirty, right?"

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded. "I added to constitution. I already added enough to agility and strength in the early stages, and constitution was my weak point. After filling it, my survivability has increased a lot."

Jiang Yelan also nodded slightly without speaking, but the meaning was clear: she also added to constitution.

Lin Feng's mouth curved up slightly. "That's good. We are all lord templates, so our future development should also be focused on balancing the three attributes."

He paused. "Alright, you two go ahead and get busy."

Jiang Zhaoyue stood up, the silver moon sky spear on her back, and clasped her hands toward Lin Feng. "Lord Lin, I will go contact Director Zhou now."

She turned and strode out of the Council Hall, her footsteps light and firm.

Jiang Yelan stood up silently, the shadow moon blade swaying slightly at her waist. She nodded slightly at Lin Feng and then followed her out.

The doors of the Council Hall closed slowly behind them.

Sunlight shone in obliquely from the high windows, bathing the empty tables and chairs in a warm orange glow.