Chapter 554: The Nightmare Baron
Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and took out the 【Nightmare Lord's Token】 that Ulysses had dropped from his pocket.
The dark gold token lay quietly in his palm.
Its surface has no dazzling luster or intricate patterns, only a deep, dark gold color that seems to absorb all the light.
With a slight thought, the attribute panel unfolded before his eyes.
【H5-307 Nightmare Lord's Decree】
Quality: Dark Gold
describe:
This order is formed by the intertwining and condensation of the fundamental laws of the H5-307 plane and the deep will of the Nightmare World.
Whoever holds this decree will officially become the ruler of the H5-307 plane, be granted the title of Nightmare Baron, and obtain the qualification for the fifth reincarnation.
The Lord has the right to directly recruit the natives of the H5-307 plane as soldiers under his command. The recruitment does not rely on the random selection mechanism of the Nightmare Rules, but is directly determined by the Lord's will in terms of the recruitment targets and scope.
The holder of this token will become a member of the nobles under the Nightmare Grand Duke, and will enjoy a superior status within the Nightmare Grand Duke's sphere of influence.
obligation:
When the Nightmare Grand Duke issues a mobilization order, the holder must respond to the call and lead their troops into battle.
Those who refuse or delay being conscripted will be considered to be challenging the authority of the Nightmare Grand Duke, who has the right to issue a punitive order and mobilize forces within his sphere of influence to subdue them.
Ultimate Trial:
This trial was personally set up by the Nightmare Duke to determine whether the holder is qualified to bear the authority of a baron.
Time limit: 200 days.
The holder of this order will be marked with a conspicuous mark, and all Awakened in the H5-307 plane (including the deputy lords in their territories) will be able to perceive the location of the mark holder in real time.
The Lord's Token will always drop if you kill the holder.
When the two hundred days have expired, the final holder of this token can use it to complete the fifth transformation and fully activate the Lord's Token's full power.
Lin Feng's gaze swept down the panel instructions, line by line.
When his eyes fell on the words "dark gold", he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. This was the first dark gold quality item he had ever obtained.
However, as he continued reading the description and attributes, that joy was instantly replaced by a sense of absurdity, and he couldn't help but mentally rant and rave.
Grand Duke of Nightmare... Baron of Nightmare?
This is outrageous! After all this time, this massive Nightmare World invasion that nearly wiped out the human race on Earth was just a large-scale selection competition held by the "Nightmare Grand Duke" to choose a "Nightmare Baron"?
Having passed the selection, he not only failed to become a resister, but was instead drawn into the camp of his mortal enemy.
The image of that three-meter-tall, pitch-black figure, the black humanoid apostle that destroyed Elderland, suddenly appeared in his mind.
Am I now considered an ally of that thing?
But then, some previously overlooked doubts began to come together.
He suddenly understood why the Nightmare Clan launched a full-scale war right from the start when they invaded Elderland.
Meanwhile, on Earth, humanity is engaged in a methodical war of lords in the Nightmare World, advancing in layers and gradually eroding each other's power...
From the very beginning, Elderland was the official battlefield, while Blue Star was merely a hunting ground for selecting new blood.
But when he thought of the miserable state of Elderland, and combined with this selection process that treated everything like dirt, Lin Feng frowned deeply.
The Nightmare Clan is definitely no good; this is clearly a case of getting on a pirate ship!
When ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) his gaze finally landed on the "Ultimate Trial" section, Lin Feng's eyes turned completely cold.
"The Nightmare Clan... are definitely no good."
He muttered to himself and casually turned off the panel.
But then, he astutely grasped the key detail in the rules: the consequence of disobeying the mobilization order was "being punished," not "being stripped of his rights."
A campaign means the other party has to send troops to fight him, rather than simply taking back his territory with a flick of his finger.
The difference is huge; at least he still has the initiative.
"It seems that this 'Nightmare Baron' has much more autonomy than I imagined."
He put the 【Nightmare Lord's Token】 back into his pocket, just as the token touched his inner lining...
A cold, mechanical, yet soul-chilling, grand notification suddenly exploded in everyone's mind simultaneously (including the natives and the awakened).
The Ultimate Trial (limited to 200 days) has begun.
【The Nightmare Lord's Token for Dimension H5-307 has appeared. This token can be used to complete the fifth job advancement. The holder has been marked, and the safe zone within the territory is temporarily disabled during trials.】
【Killing the holder will grant you the 【Nightmare Lord's Token】. The ultimate holder of this token will gain ownership of this plane, with a lifespan equal to that of the plane. If the ultimate holder dies, the entire plane will be destroyed.】
【Once you become the Nightmare Lord, the life and death of all creatures in the H5-307 plane rests entirely in your hands.】
The moment the system notification sound ended, a beam of red light suddenly erupted from Lin Feng's body, shooting straight into the sky.
At the same time, all the awakened beings clearly perceived Lin Feng's location in their minds.
The cheers from the city walls ceased abruptly at the same moment.
The cheers of hundreds of thousands of people were abruptly cut off, replaced by a suffocating silence.
The awakened ones looked at each other, at a loss. Some were still in the posture of raising their arms and cheering, their arms frozen in mid-air, forgetting to put them down.
Before the smiles on some people's faces could even fade, their eyes had already changed from ecstasy to bewilderment and fear.
The indigenous Fire Guards, almost instinctively, pointed their weapons at the Awakened the moment the system notification sounded.
There were no commands, no communication, just pure muscle memory. Their lord was marked and became a live target for the entire plane, and any awakened being could potentially attack him.
Meng Yi and Bai Yi simultaneously leaped up from the city tower, followed closely by the ten thousand generals and captains.
Hundreds of purple streaks of light rose from various parts of the city wall, forming an impenetrable protective circle around Lin Feng.
Fengxue let out a deep dragon roar, spread its wings, and took off from beside the city tower.
The enormous silver-white dragon hovered above Lin Feng's head, its icy blue dragon eyes coldly sweeping over the Awakened Ones who had just been fighting side by side.
On the city wall, the crossbows of the Qin warriors turned in unison towards the awakened individuals from various countries.
Zhao Hu, Tiedun, Jianyan, Wang Wu, and other awakened members of the Beacon Fire Territory were surrounded by the elite soldiers of the Great Qin.
The encirclement formed by bronze swords and halberds was tight and silent; not a single person spoke.
Ironclad's shield rested at his feet; he had forgotten to raise it. He simply stared wide-eyed at his former comrades-in-arms, who were now pointing their weapons at him.
"My goodness..." Tie Dun's voice squeezed out from deep in his throat, carrying an undisguised bewilderment, "What are we going to do? Tiger, say something!"
"Don't move! We are the lord's soldiers, awaiting the lord's orders!" Zhao Hu replied in a deep voice.