Chapter 506: Chapter 2: The Unfair Fourth Stage

The time was 9:00 AM, and the meeting officially began.

Most of the advanced lords had arrived, along with a considerable number of Affiliated Lords. About two-thirds of the seats reserved for the lords were filled.

The row of seats on the platform was also completely full.

Levin Zack walked up to the podium. "The 40,410,086th Lord Competition, Cuiwei Star Tier Four Strategic Deployment Meeting, will now come to order."

"Now, I would like to formally introduce our distinguished guests. They are the Governor of Cuiwei Star, Mr. Feng Wenrui; the commander of the Cuiwei Star Planetary Defense Force..."

Levin Zack introduced everyone on the platform one by one. These individuals were the top brass of Cuiwei Star, representing all its major sectors—all figures of real power.

Moreover, they had all come in person, with no deputies attending in their stead, which was enough to show the importance they placed on this meeting.

’No wonder security at the entrance was so strict,’ Lin Yu thought. ’If something were to happen here, wouldn’t Cuiwei Star’s entire leadership be wiped out in one fell swoop?’

"First, I want to congratulate all of you. A total of 456 lords in your cohort have advanced to Tier Four, setting a new record for Cuiwei Star. You’ve also achieved the top rank among all participating planets in the Empire for this round, even outperforming Central Star."

"To reward your efforts, the Empire has prepared one hundred [Town Recall Talismans] for each of you."

"A [Town Recall Talisman] can be bound to an Interstellar Teleportation Array to set a recall point. Each talisman can transport one thousand members of your territory back to that recall point."

"Additionally, we here on Cuiwei Star have also prepared some rewards for you. Each lord will be issued one [Truce Token (Monthly)]."

"This is a special treasure for Tier Four. After using a [Truce Token (Monthly)], your territory cannot be attacked by enemies for thirty days."

"Of course, if your army actively leaves the territory, thereby breaking the rules of the Truce Token, the token’s effect will be nullified."

"These two items will grant you a certain degree of self-preservation and the ability to explore during the initial phase of Tier Four."

"These items will be distributed to every advanced lord in attendance after the meeting."

A lord in attendance suddenly asked loudly, "President Levin, what about us Affiliated Lords?"

"We struggled and fought hard for so long in the third tier. Even if we were down on our luck, we should at least get credit for our effort, if not for our achievements, right? Aren’t you going to give us any rewards?"

"Besides, once we enter Tier Four, we’ll be fighting alongside those advanced lords, won’t we? It’s not just me saying this, but some of those advanced lords aren’t even as strong as I am! If I hadn’t been fighting Beastmen and had all my territory on the front lines, I wouldn’t have lost most of it to their counterattack."

This Affiliated Lord who spoke was clearly resentful about being eliminated, his heart heavy with bitterness.

However, his words resonated with Li Hua. Standing behind Lin Yu, he nodded repeatedly, in full agreement with what the lord had said.

Levin Zack did not seem annoyed by the interruption. He looked at the lord who had spoken and smiled.

"Bowen Ortiz, if you believe you deserve a reward, I suggest you go home and ask your grandfather whether he received any rewards from the Empire back when he followed our old Governor."

Levin Zack obviously knew the lord who had spoken. The Ortiz family was one of Cuiwei Star’s long-established families; it was said their old patriarch was a founding hero who followed the first Governor in establishing Cuiwei Star.

But from what Levin Zack said, it seemed the old Governor had also been a lord, and the patriarch of the Ortiz family had been an Affiliated Lord who pledged allegiance to him.

With Levin’s remark, Bowen Ortiz didn’t dare say any more. Since Levin had told him to go ask, the answer was already obvious. He couldn’t possibly go back and actually question his grandfather.

Bowen Ortiz could already imagine the punishment he would face when he returned home after the meeting.

"Since the matter of Affiliated Lords has been brought up, let me give a word of warning to all the Affiliated Lords present. From the moment you pledge allegiance to your current lord, your fates are intertwined."

"After entering Tier Four, you have already lost the qualification to become independent lords. You can only pledge allegiance to other Tier Four Lords."

"Although you can leave your main lord and pledge allegiance to a new one, think about it yourselves: would you accept a wandering lord who has a history of betraying their own master?"

"Furthermore, even if it wasn’t a case of active betrayal, would you accept a wandering lord whose main territory was destroyed while they themselves escaped unscathed?"

"Therefore, what you should be doing is strengthening yourselves, strengthening the lord you’ve pledged to, and working together to build up your territory."

Levin Zack had spoken at length. It was clear that, although he hadn’t shown it, he was still rather annoyed by Bowen Ortiz’s behavior, and his tone carried a note of deep disappointment.

"Alright, let’s put that little interruption aside. We’ll continue with the main agenda."

"First, I want to congratulate all the members who have advanced to Tier Four. From this moment on, you are true lords."

"In the subsequent stages of the competition, you will no longer be eliminated by the competition’s mechanics."

"However, that does not mean you can rest easy."

"Although the competition will no longer have rules for elimination, combat between lords will become a regular occurrence."

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