Ultimately, Wu Feng did not delve into the existence of the Abyss Gate on Layer 700; after all, nothing had gone wrong in the past hundred years, and it was beyond his current concern.
The most important thing was to perform well tonight when the New Abyss opened!
Half an hour later, Wu Feng returned to his residential building. Although his parents were Lords, all their resources were invested in their own Territory. In the Safe Zone, they lived in a normal three-bedroom apartment.
After Wu Feng entered the corridor, just as he reached his door and inserted the Key, the iron door opposite his suddenly burst open, and a man wearing only underpants rushed out.
Seeing Wu Feng, he stretched out his hand as if seeing a lifeline: "Xiao Feng, quickly save your big brother!"
Looking at the emaciated man before him, Wu Feng hadn't reacted when a lightly dressed figure grabbed the man's hair. This was the wife of the neighbor, Yu Qingxiu.
True to her name, the neighbor's wife was very delicate-looking, but at this moment, the woman was directly pulling the man's short hair, dragging him back into the room.
"Where are you running! Can this kind of thing be delegated? We haven't even given birth to seven children yet! I don't want my welfare benefits reduced."
"Xiao Feng, save me!" The man finally clung desperately to the iron doorframe, but his fingers were pried off one by one. In the end, he was dragged into 'hell,' and the iron door slammed shut with a 'bang.'
The final look of 'despair' in his big brother's eyes was something Wu Feng, who had seen similar things often, still couldn't shake off.
In Wu Feng's eyes, the neighbor's sister-in-law equaled a murderer!
This was the 'fate' of Commoners who lost their Lord status and lived off basic welfare.
According to the Federation's second law, the Fertility Method, couples who were not Lords had to give birth to seven children before they could 'retire.'
This was already the result of Dragon Country implementing a monogamy system; one couldn't even imagine the workload in other countries with polygamy.
If this 'performance' target was not met, welfare benefits would be deducted, potentially leading to homelessness and starvation.
Conversely, if they had more children, they could receive extra benefits, possibly even moving into larger houses. In any case, if parents were unwilling to raise the children, the government would assist with socialized upbringing.
"It's all the fault of the Kobolds for being so prolific. The Fertility Method is the best proof of 'if you can't beat them, join them.' People are Squeezed Dry until they die. Doesn't the Federation know this?"
The reason the Blue Star Federation introduced the insane Fertility Method was precisely because the Kobolds, who were one of the Ten Races, reproduced so rapidly. They birthed every four months, often having twins or multiple births, and actively encouraged reproduction. Decades ago, they nearly overwhelmed Blue Star with sheer population advantage.
Adopting the philosophy of 'if you can't beat them, join them,' the Blue Star Federation decisively implemented a pro-natalist policy. After all, every adult Blue Star Person could enter the Abyss to become an Abyss Lord. With more people, there was bound to be a genius among them.
The saying from that great figure two hundred years ago—that there is strength in numbers—still held true.
Seeing the fate of his neighbor, Wu Feng became even more determined to strive to be a good Lord.
Opening the door and returning home, Wu Feng was surprised to find his parents waiting for him early.
"Wu Feng, come quickly! Your mother made your favorite Braised Pork! This is meat from a special Wild Boar! It's no worse than the native pork from a hundred years ago!" The Old Handsome Guy, Wu Wenjin, beckoned to Wu Feng.
Wu Feng's eyes lit up upon hearing Braised Pork. He quickly went to the dining table. This was his mother's specialty. He had tried to have the cooks in his Territory replicate it using the Recipe in the Simulation Game, but it still didn't taste as fragrant as his mother's cooking.
Perhaps this was the taste of mother's love.
His mother, who assisted his father in managing the Territory, rarely had time to cook for Wu Feng. This was a delicacy he got to eat perhaps once a month.
Watching Wu Feng wolfing down his food at the table, Wu Wenjin patted his head: "You greedy boy, you ate my share too! Do you want a drink today?"
Wu Wenjin had already taken out a bottle of Hundred Flower Brew: "The Hundred Flower Brew in the Safe Zone is ultimately not as good as what's brewed in my Territory. When you can reach my Territory someday, you can drink the Hundred Flower Brew made by the Flower Fairy!"
Wu Feng rolled his eyes: "Old Handsome Guy, have you forgotten what day it is? I need to welcome the first day of the Novice Period in the best condition!"
Chen Jing, wearing an apron, placed a pot of chicken soup on the table. She casually slapped Wu Wenjin's hand: "Are you trying to turn our son into a drunkard like you?"
Wu Wenjin, who possessed the charm of a mature man and was quite dashing, smiled helplessly: "I only drink once a month, and I'm already a drunkard?"
Chen Jing sat down and rolled her eyes: "What? You disagree? If you were allowed to drink freely, you'd consume a significant amount of our Territory's resources in a month!"
"If you really want to drink, then expand your Territory more and achieve drinking freedom sooner..."
Wu Wenjin was speechless; he dared not 'talk back' to the supreme leader of the household. Wu Feng felt the same way; his mother's 'I am the Great Mountain' was an insurmountable peak!
The helpless Old Handsome Guy looked at Wu Feng: "Son, we didn't forget what day it is. Here, these are 20 Summoning Scrolls. Consider them your Newbie Gift Pack, and also your birthday present."
Wu Feng's Right Hand, which was holding a piece of pork belly, suddenly paused. On the table lay a stack of Summoning Scrolls with blue borders—these were Fine Quality Summoning Scrolls. For his father to bring this batch from the Territory to the Safe Zone must have taken great effort!
According to the Rules of the Safe Zone, items materialized from the Territory are reduced a hundredfold. This means Wu Wenjin used 2,000 Fine Quality Summoning Scrolls to exchange for this stack of items.
The Green Crystal given by Thousand Mountains Evening Snow earlier, and the Tower Defense Summoning Card from Su Mu, operated under the same principle.
Perhaps the entire yield from their Territory over the past three or four years was only equivalent to this stack of Summoning Scrolls, as the Alliance his parents belonged to also collected a portion of the Territory's output.
No wonder Dad...
Compared to the Green Crystal and the Tower Defense Summoning Card, the items his parents gave him were the true 'Newbie Gift Pack'...
"Son, although your mom and dad aren't Great Lords, we can still gather resources to prepare a Newbie Gift Pack for you. My son is so Excellent; I can't hold him back."
Wu Wenjin drank the Hundred Flower Brew he was allowed only once a month, feeling quite pleased.
Wu Feng looked at the Summoning Scrolls on the table with complicated feelings. He carefully put them away, then, uncharacteristically, had a cup of Hundred Flower Brew with the Old Handsome Guy.
"This wine is good. Next time, I'll buy two bottles and drink my fill with you!" Wu Feng adopted a mature and steady demeanor, which made Wu Wenjin laugh.
"Son, truly, a tiger father begets no dog son. You've inherited at least eighty percent of your old man's drinking capacity! I'll help you train the rest of your tolerance later."
Just as Wu Feng was about to say something, his stomach churned violently, forcing him to rush into the restroom to unload. This Hundred Flower Brew was easy to drink, but its after-effects were damn strong!
"You fool, the son has to descend into the Territory today! What if he gets drunk later?" Chen Jing's scolding voice also came from the dining room.
Wu Wenjin could only 'quibble' helplessly: "Didn't I also start my Novice Period after drinking a full jin back then? And I turned out fine!"
Chen Jing looked at him with disappointment: "That was liquid courage making you bold; otherwise, you would have been too nervous to know what to do!"
Listening to his parents' nagging, Wu Feng felt dizzy after emptying himself and could only bury his head on his bed.
When the alarm clock rang, Wu Feng woke up quickly. He checked the time: 41:30. There was half an hour until the 'server opened'!
Wu Feng rushed into the restroom to splash cold water on his face. When he returned to the bedroom, he felt genuinely clear-headed and free of nervousness.
Timing it precisely, he summoned the glowing Lord Crystal and stared intently at it: "Whether it's soaring to success or becoming a Birthing Machine depends on this one shot!"
The Lord Crystal is an essential item for everyone entering the Abyss to become an Abyss Lord. This Lord Crystal was a personal item bound to Wu Feng at the moment of his birth.
When the new layer of the Abyss opened at midnight, Wu Feng could use the Lord Crystal to enter the Abyss and establish his Territory.
Before entering the Abyss, Wu Feng took out his 'Newbie Gift Pack': 20 Blue Summoning Scrolls from his parents, 10 Green Resource Crystals from Thousand Mountains Evening Snow, and 1 Green Tower Defense Summoning Card from Senior Sister Su Mu.
Oh, right, and 1 Green Building Summoning Card 'invested' by Deacon Li—that was given to him three days ago.
Deacon Li was an Intermediate Grade cadre in the Prosperous Tang Alliance, one of the Blue Star's Top 500 Alliances, and also a powerful Lord. He was responsible for recruiting and testing newcomers within the Alliance.
Wu Feng had spent two years working his way onto his preliminary selection list.
Of course, this kind of mutual selection process would only be finalized after Wu Feng officially became a Lord in the Abyss, based on his specific performance.
After all, there was a novice trial on the Seventh Day of the Golden Novice Period. Surviving that trial meant a Lord was considered officially established, with only about 30% succeeding.
The resources given by Deacon Li now were purely his personal investment, not something that needed repayment. Wu Feng accepted them with peace of mind; the more prepared he was now, the more stable his start would be.
Compared to many who were born with a silver spoon, his situation was nothing. The fruits of his efforts over the past few years might not even equal the 'pocket money' his parents casually gave away.
But Wu Feng was not discouraged; he had already put forth his greatest effort. Now, it was up to Destiny to decide!
As 0:00 arrived, countless rays of light illuminated the 700th Layer of the Abyss at that moment—the Advent of billions of new-generation Abyss Lords!
Innumerable beams of light pierced through the thick cloud layer and projected onto a vast, boundless expanse of land.
The 799th Layer of the Abyss opens!