In the small dining room on the fifth floor of the camp headquarters, the lights were bright and the table was full. It was the last day of the month — though for Li Wei, Liang Yuzhi, Zhao Xuanxuan, and Thomas, the day had long since lost its special significance.
For so, however, it still mattered greatly.
Zhao Guozhu and Leon were both present, and for the first ti had the privilege of tasting Liang Yuzhi's Three-Star poached fish, pickled fish stew, and braised pork belly.
Even the typically sharp-tongued and imperious Liang Yuzhi wore a genuine smile — the look of a gracious host.
Because Leon was leaving. He had served this territory for nine months.
For nine months he had worked hard. No single mont of glory that turned the tide, but his contributions to the territory were plain for all to see.
"Leon — I raise this glass to you. Nine months ago, when things were at their hardest, you and Thomas and Xuanxuan joining us was like warmth in a blizzard. I won't forget that. If you ever run into trouble in the future, don't hesitate — co find ."
Li Wei stood, glass in hand, and ant every word. Nine months — add his own first month, and it had been ten. Others only saw the dark horse who had gotten lucky, who had coasted on charm and good fortune.
But those who hadn't lived through it couldn't know the weight of it. Li Yue watching like a hawk. Liang Yuzhi circling like a predator. One wrong step and everything would have collapsed.
Li Wei had given everything he had. But Thomas, Leon, and Zhao Xuanxuan's support — was that not equally important?
Thomas, racing against ti before the Freen were fully secured, had worked nearly eighteen hours a day, laying the camp's foundation and steadying the Freen's nerves in one relentless push.
Leon had driven the stone and listone quarrying at the sa frantic pace, supplying the raw materials the walls needed from the very beginning.
Zhao Xuanxuan had hamred iron day and night, seventeen or eighteen hours a day, until she was practically a hamr herself.
Without that kind of relentless support, none of what followed would have been possible.
So Li Wei's gratitude was genuine.
He was even genuinely grateful to Night Owl. What she had sent him might not have been the strongest — but it had been exactly right for him.
Leon stood quickly, raised his glass, and said with real feeling: "Li Wei — working alongside you has been my good fortune. And all of ours. This pioneering mission has made you what you are, and it's made what I am. It's a sha the rules won't let keep following you into battle. Take care of yourself."
He drank it down.
"Co on, Leon — you little rascal. I'll drink with you. You're good. Really good. Go ho and keep sharpening yourself. Eight years from now, when the next pioneering mission opens, you'll be the Ministry of Internal Affairs' top seed. After three Cross-Border Missions, you'll even have a shot at the Chief Internal Officer position. I an it — my eye rarely fails ."
Liang Yuzhi raised her glass too. A rare mont of genuine praise.
"Second Aunt — I'll take those words to heart."
Leon laughed freely and let himself go.
"Leon — I'll drink to you as well."
Zhao Xuanxuan stood and raised her glass with a smile. Nine months of working in sync — even though they had almost never worked directly together or fought side by side more than a handful of tis. That hadn't stopped the friendship from forming. Now an old friend was leaving. Seeing each other again would be difficult. Ending up in the sa mission would be even harder.
This mont, this gathering — it would be hard to recreate.
"Thank you, Xuanxuan."
Leon drank again. He wasn't drunk — but he was.
Li Wei slid 3,000 standard gold coins across the table. Leon's paynt. Not enormous — but considering the Four-Star Enchanted Greatsword Leon was carrying, plus the full set of Three-Star Enchanted Helt, Enchanted Leather Armor, Enchanted Boots, and Enchanted Gloves, he had effectively earned over 10,000 standard gold coins' worth in nine months.
Not to ntion his Executioner title had been enhanced by one level, and both of his Destiny Grids were approaching 50 — the hidden attribute Perception was nearly unlocked.
If word of those gains got out, who wouldn't be envious? This was a transformation from the ground up. His good friend Clyde was going to be left far behind.
"Don't refuse it. You earned it. Brother — think of as your older brother George."
Li Wei smiled gently. That last line nearly broke Leon. He said nothing more, just nodded, turned away, and left with his hand over his face. No formal settlent process needed — the settlent authority rested with Li Wei.
Li Wei turned to Zhao Guozhu and raised a glass to him as well.
"Old Zhao — keep at it. I don't have many virtues, but I keep my word. Even though Night Owl has left the Ministry of Internal Affairs, she'll always be my ntor in my heart. As for you — don't overthink it. You have three months left, right? I promise I won't shortchange you. When you settle, 3,000 standard gold coins plus four pieces of enchanted equipnt. Any issues?"
"No issues. Boss Li, you're the best. I'll drink to that — you do as you like!"
"Ha! Old Zhao, you're just looking for an excuse to drink my wine!" Li Wei laughed. The evening ended in warmth.
After dinner, Li Wei sent Liang Yuzhi off to clear her head. Zhao Guozhu went to take up his role as the territory's hidden sentry.
For the next three months, he wouldn't be given any specific assignnts. Just stay hidden, stay alert. If nothing happened, that was fine. If sothing did, he needed to give the first warning and buy ti for the main force.
Overall, a good arrangent. Zhao Guozhu was a Four-Star player with a 4 4 4 2 attribute spread — no weakling.
Zhao Xuanxuan also wanted to leave, but Li Wei kept her.
"You can sit in. You're an Enchanting Blacksmith — you have a voice in how the city-building goes."
"Sothing this big — why not keep Second Aunt here? She has more experience than us."
"More experience? Experience at what? Let her stay busy in the areas she's actually good at." Li Wei had given up expecting much from Liang Yuzhi in this regard. He never should have expected it in the first place.
Li Yue would have been more useful.
Shortly after, all the key figures of the territory — Nelson, Linus, Grant, Ellen, Jenny, Santiago, Benjamin, Lisa, Isabel, and thirty or forty other Freen — filed into the small dining room, which had been rearranged into a eting room. Xavier and Mark were on duty and couldn't attend.
These were the territory's core Freen.
Beyond the three faction leaders, everyone present was either a team leader, a deputy, a technical specialist, or soone with a specific area of expertise.
Not a single diocre person in the room.
In a word: all elites.
"Please be seated. I've called you here tonight because there are several matters to discuss and announce."
Li Wei spoke calmly. Every Freeman in the room was focused and attentive. Good — this generation of elite Freen had been thoroughly brought into line.
They hadn't been easy to manage. In the early days they had tried to sideline him, causing all manner of trouble. If he hadn't been able to suppress them from the start — and then use the Prestige Card to bring them to heel — once they had accumulated enough authority, military strength, and decision-making power, it would have been Li Wei surrounded by wolves.
You couldn't both rely on people and suppress them indefinitely. The only way was to establish dominance from the beginning, then deliberately cultivate competing factions and interest groups.
With maintaining basic humanitarian principles as the overarching policy — establishing a moral baseline — while giving them enough room to grow and enough benefits to keep them invested, and maintaining sufficient deterrence.
The balance in all of that required real skill.
"The first thing I'm announcing: within three months, we must complete construction of an All-Heavens Temple. The location will be near the underground parking lot of the forr small town, outside the current walls. Nelson, Linus — are the design and construction preparations in order?"
"My Lord — everything has been arranged. The All-Heavens Temple will be completed within three months. We will all give thanks to the gods of all heavens for their grace, and for giving us a second chance at life."
Nelson declared it loudly. The others showed no particular surprise — Li Wei had already laid the groundwork through various hints, and many had arrived at the conclusion themselves. The Profession Cards that made them stronger, the power they wielded — it had to co from sowhere. There had to be a source.
The All-Heavens Temple filled that gap.
The gods were always worth fearing. Your power ca from them — weren't you afraid that if you did sothing wrong, they might take it back?
This was also a thod of keeping the Freen stable.
Though it was presumably also the great Six-Star Lord's thod of keeping players like Li Wei in line.
No need to dwell on that.
In any case, this proposal passed unanimously. All four factions had no objections. Their elite Freen had no objections. So there were no objections.
Li Wei spoke again.
"As the Freeman population grows, people will inevitably clash in daily life. The old rules no longer apply. The territory needs a new legal frawork. I want soone to take responsibility for this work. Everyone may contribute — as long as the reasoning is sound. I'm giving you six months. I want a territory legal code."
"The core of that legal code will always be one sentence: guarantee the most basic humanitarian protections. This is also the will of the gods. Nelson — you'll lead this effort. Linus, Grant — you'll assist."
Li Wei said it with deliberate weight. With that one sentence as the foundation, stability was essentially assured — and it tied the territory's legal frawork to the gods' authority. Territory structure: stability 1, 1.
In truth, as long as no one was trying to exploit and oppress the common people, the rank-and-file Freen were easy enough to manage. The total population was still small. The outside world was brutally harsh. This was the apocalypse — the petty, the self-indulgent, the weak-willed had already been culled long ago.
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