Ecological Trial Begins

"Let's go. You only have one life; staying alive matters more than anything!" The man comforted the child, as if comforting himself as well.

Figures carrying packs brushed past Lincon one after another. He had even lost track of how many groups there had been.

By the time he returned to the fortress, an even larger crowd had gathered there.

Zhang Rui and the Combat Readiness Team blocked the city gate. Anyone intending to leave had to register with him first.

"You may choose to leave, but I need to tell you this: anyone who leaves will never be allowed to return to Longwind Fortress!

The lord recognizes your contributions to Longwind Fortress, so you are permitted to take some food with you.

But this is not kindness. It is merely fair compensation for the work you did for the fortress!

And I must seriously tell you that if any of you dare reveal what goes on inside the fortress, no matter where you are, I will find you and kill you."

Zhang Rui's voice was colder and more severe than ever before.

As he looked at the people before him who had packed their belongings and were preparing to leave Longwind Fortress, a fury rose within him with nowhere to vent.

The lord had risked his life to save them from the Darknight Expanse.

Yet when the fortress encountered danger, these people mercilessly chose to leave.

Could they not have held on for a few more days?

In his eyes, the lord was still too kind. Those ungrateful people should have had everything they had gained from the fortress confiscated. They should not have been allowed to take anything away.

Zhang Rui's chest heaved as he clenched his fists in rage.

Guan Teng, standing among the Combat Readiness Team, watched the people leave one by one. The smile that often appeared on his face was gone.

As an ordinary person, he could understand their choice to protect themselves in the face of danger.

When Zhang Rui told them that the Black Tide was approaching, Guan Teng himself had been dazed for a moment. One thought rose in his mind: run.

Having personally witnessed the Black Tide surge in like it was blotting out the sky, he knew it was a process even more terrifying than dying silently.

But once he came to his senses, overwhelming shame pressed his head down so hard he could barely lift it.

In the end, he chose to stand with Longwind Fortress.

There were also others who shared Guan Teng's thoughts.

However, compared to those who chose to leave, they were pitifully few.

According to preliminary calculations, more than four hundred people chose to leave on the first day alone.

The moment they received news of the approaching Black Tide, they immediately packed up and left.

Only those who had experienced the Black Tide knew how terrifying it truly was.

Over the next few days, more people would likely leave one after another.

This would shroud Longwind Fortress in invisible pressure, making people's hearts more likely to scatter.

Just then, Zhang Rui caught sight of Lincon returning from outside. He hurried forward to meet him.

"My lord!"

Seeing the exhaustion on Zhang Rui's face, Lincon guessed that he had probably not slept all night. He patted his shoulder.

"You've worked hard."

Zhang Rui shook his head. He could not help glancing in the direction Lincon had come from, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"You saw it all. I explained to them that the fortress had a chance of withstanding the Black Tide, but quite a few still left.

As you instructed, I also distributed enough food and water to sustain those who wanted to leave for a few days."

"You did well. Consider it payment for their contributions to Longwind Fortress's construction. From now on, the fortress and they owe each other nothing."

Zhang Rui could not help frowning, trying to correct the implication in Lincon's words.

"My lord, you saved them from a desperate situation. They should have repaid you. Black Iron City and Flint City turned these people away, yet you took them in and even provided them with food and water.

No matter how you look at it, they are the ones who owe you!"

"I only saved them because I could not get past that hurdle in my heart. As for the choice they have made now, it does not stir any emotion in me."

Lincon looked calm. As he watched those leaving, there was not the slightest hatred in his eyes, only indifference.

At the end of the day, they were merely ordinary people. Unlike ability users, they did not have the right to make more choices. They only wanted to survive.

Lincon said flatly, "For now, leave the fortress's internal affairs to you. Do not stop anyone who wants to leave. Give them a few days' worth of food and water as usual, then let them go."

There was one thing Lincon did not say.

He had never intended to rely on these people to defend the fortress in the first place.

He wanted to use advanced plants to arm the fortress to the teeth in the shortest possible time. It was precisely because he possessed the Seed Mark talent that he had chosen to change classes into the hidden class—Ecological Architect.

Compared with that class, he would not feel bad even if the fortress lost far more people.

"I understand!" Zhang Rui took a deep breath and turned back toward the crowd.

Lincon returned to his small courtyard and used Runes to create as many rune weapons as possible.

He had discovered that while Runes could not be inscribed onto spirit plants, spirit plants could work in conjunction with Runes to produce an effect greater than the sum of their parts.

For example, if an Ancient Maple Guardian wielded a Purification Battleaxe and was thrown into a group of low-level dark creatures, it would certainly slaughter them all.

Thus, over the next day, Lincon searched for advanced plants during the day and went out to hunt dark creatures at night to accumulate Sunlight. He barely rested for a moment.

It was not until a trial countdown appeared on his panel.

[Trial Space Opening Countdown: 6 hours 37 minutes...]

In the solitary courtyard, Lincon set aside his unfinished carving.

Before him stood a Purification Stone nearly three meters tall. It had already taken the rough form of a Sunlight Sunflower, facing the sky as it stretched out its branches and leaves.

Under the sunlight, its surface seemed to be shrouded in a faint glow. An invisible purifying aura spread outward from it in all directions.

This was a new type of stone sculpture Lincon had created by combining a Rune Array with Resonance Runes.

The Sunlight Sunflower Stone Sculpture served as the core of a Rune Array, linking the Purification Shrines standing in the courtyard and greatly enhancing the array's purification effect.

As for why he had used the image of a Sunlight Sunflower, it was mainly for the convenience of carving. Compared with carving an enlarged Shrine, a simple stone sculpture was much faster.

Lincon returned to his small house. He had not slept for two straight days, and the frequent use of his mental power had kept his entire body in a constant state of tension.

Before entering the trial space, he intended to get some proper rest and replenish his mental energy.

Lying on the bed, Lincon quickly fell into a deep sleep. For once, he even had a dream.

In the dream, Longwind Fortress was no longer dilapidated. It had become a vast empire, with a divine tree reaching from earth to heaven. Wherever its branches and leaves extended became Longwind territory.

Darkness was driven into the abyss, and light returned. Bathed in sunlight, he wore golden radiance like a thin veil draped over his body.

But in the next instant, a cold voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

[Ecological Trial has begun. Plant Cultivators, please prepare.]