Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1192: Chapter 403: Small Gathering and the Strength of Great Xia, Arrival of the Six Towns

The eighth year of Great Xia, September 17th, late night

Hongmen City, Ministry Building

A young man dressed in crimson attire, with a silver knife at his waist, slowly walked towards the main gate. He looked to be in his early thirties, standing over two meters tall, his physique much more robust than the average person. His steady steps matched his composed demeanor. Even though he carried a faint smile on his face, an imposing aura radiated from him, offering an inexplicable sense of pressure.

His crimson attire had an embroidered lifelike golden Demon Sheep, with its six sharp horns extending from the right shoulder forward. The aggressive stance of the Demon Sheep added a touch of nobility to the young man’s demeanor.

"Greetings, Lord Yue!"

Dozens of Golden Armored Soldiers stationed at the main door of the government office saw the young man approaching and immediately put on a solemn expression, bowing to him in respect.

"No need for formalities. May I go straight in?"

Yue Feng noticed that most people entering or exiting the main building were being questioned and checked by the guard soldiers. Smiling, he asked casually.

A leading captain quickly stepped forward with a smile, bowing and explaining, "My lord is joking. Recently, spies from other towns have attempted to sneak into the Ministry Building to gather intelligence. These spies aren’t very skilled, but their methods of deception are increasingly clever. To prevent disturbance to the Minister and all dignitaries, our Cloud Dragon Army has set up this checkpoint for inspections."

All the duties at the door were performed by Cloud Dragon Army Soldiers. Recognizing Yue Feng upon approach, the explanation given by the captain made his expression slightly somber.

"Make sure you do a thorough inspection, not allowing any lesser evils to infiltrate."

"Rest assured, my lord. Nowadays, any unfamiliar faces, whether they are from the Great Xia Camp or not, will undergo careful inspection with no exceptions!"

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng nodded, trusting the discipline of the Great Xia Army as both a Longshan Guardian and a Commander of the army.

"By the way, my lord, are you here for the banquet today? I just noticed Directors Qiu and Yuan brought several large jars of fine wine upstairs."

At the soldier’s words, Yue Feng’s face instantly lit up with a smile. After some thought, he took out an azure wine jug from his bosom and tossed it to the captain.

"Since they’ve already brought some, I’ll leave mine. This Qingyang Wine is for you!"

The captain, under the envious gaze of the other soldiers, caught the jug with a smile on his face and chuckled, "Thank you, Lord Yue, for the gift of wine!"

Yue Feng waved his hand in a gesture, walking directly inside.

"Qingyang is mid-grade wine, just one bottle is 25,000 Contribution Value! This one must weigh at least half a kilo!"

"To casually take it out, Lord Yue must have an astounding fortune."

"Nonsense! You do know how formidable the Longshan post is, don’t you? Lord Yue has been presiding over Longshan for six years; his wealth can’t be small."

"That’s right! I almost forgot. I heard Longshan’s economic value ranks first continuously, practically the top station of Great Xia, making Lord Yue as the Longshan Guardian undoubtedly wealthy."

"Being Guardian isn’t much anymore; I’ve heard that over these six years presiding over Longshan, Lord Yue’s accomplishments are remarkable. The Minister is planning to promote him."

"Promoting above Guardian would mean..."

"Director, likely a Deputy Director."

"Captain, don’t keep the Qingyang to yourself. Share a bit with us when we change shifts."

"Off you go! Rarely does one acquire a free bottle, if you want some, switch with me."

"How stingy!"

"Hahaha..."

These soldiers’ banter at the door went unbeknownst to Yue Feng, who, upon entering, proceeded directly upwards along the stairs.

The main building of the government offices at all Great Xia posts shared similar designs, consisting of five levels: the top for post discussions and the lower four divided into eight sections for the eight ministries to manage affairs.

Yue Feng, familiar with the arrangement, ascended to the top floor, walked to a side chamber, and pushed the door open to see five young men of similar age seated around a round table, a smile blooming on his lips.

"Why did it take so long to change clothes?"

"Come quickly, we’ve been waiting for you."

"The six of us haven’t been together for such a long time. It’s rare to gather here in Hongmen, let’s not waste time, hurry up."

...

Seated around the table were Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, Xu Ning, Lu Yang, and Lin Kai.

"Hahaha, sorry for the wait!"

At their urging, Yue Feng hurriedly laughed, took his seat, and glanced around at his five friends, with his smile carrying a hint of nostalgia.

"Since the new policy at Long Mountain in the second year of Great Xia, it’s been indeed a long time since all of us could gather like this, especially after the incident with Xu Ning last year. I feared we’d never have such a chance to drink together again."

At Yue Feng’s sentiment, the six exchanged looks among themselves, all showing some signs of emotion.

The six of them had been following Lord Xia Hong since the Mud Slope days ten years ago, certainly among Great Xia’s founding figures today.

Yet delving deeper, the oldest, Yue Feng, was only 31, with the youngest, Lin Kai, merely 28, making them all relatively young.

At least compared to other high-ranking individuals from the Eight Towns, with ages frequently reaching sixty, seventy, or even eighty and ninety, the six were considered young.

Despite their youth, the experiences of these past ten short years were no less than anyone else’s, especially following Lord Xia Hong from the precarious Mud Slope days as Great Xia grew to today’s over twenty thousand square kilometer territory, overpowering the Eight Towns of Moao South Slope. A single Hongmen opening could attract Cold Resistance from Eight Towns like bees to honey...