147: Legalism establishes rules, and in a land of order, vassals are drawn in.

The intelligence transmitted by Su Yueyao through the Moon-Glitter Mark was like a pebble thrown into murky water, instantly clarifying Lin Zhou's understanding of the battlefield situation.

Eight hundred kilometers to the northwest, top-tier Examinees had begun "clearing the field and consolidating."

This meant that the indiscriminate, unorganized brawls of the Early Stage were being replaced by more efficient and brutal annexations by powerful factions.

Those who could rapidly stand out among these millions and begin consciously eliminating surrounding threats and consolidating power were all true powerhouses—either possessing astonishing Divine Domain Foundations, having massive factions behind them, or boasting superior personal combat power and tactical ability.

"Clearing the field... It seems the pressure of the safe zone shrinking is arriving faster than expected."

Lin Zhou activated his Divine Spark, rapidly calculating.

Nearly four hours of battlefield time had passed; according to the rules, the first safe zone shrinkage would likely occur after one day (battlefield time).

Those top-tier Examinees clearly wanted to eliminate as many surrounding unstable factors as possible before then, occupy favorable terrain and resources, and even recruit some vassals to prepare for the more intense confrontations within the circle later on.

As for Zhao Hao's situation three hundred kilometers to the southeast... Lin Zhou pondered briefly.

Zhao Hao's Dragon Divine Domain had strong offensive capabilities, but his defensive and sustained combat abilities were relatively weak.

In the Early Stage of the chaos, relying on the powerful frontal assault of his Dragons, he might indeed be able to "fight intensely" and even gain quite a few points.

But as time passed and consumption increased, if he were targeted by opponents skilled in kiting, attrition, or control, he might be in trouble.

"Zhao Hao should still be able to hold on for now. The urgent task is to deal with the potential threat from the northwest and use this relatively 'calm' period to consolidate myself and gain more advantages."

Lin Zhou's thoughts were clear. Blindly moving to find Zhao Hao was unwise and went against his steady and methodical style.

He looked at the projection of his Divine Kingdom beneath his feet, which had withstood seven waves of attacks and whose Order Barrier still emitted a steady glow, and a thought gradually became clear.

"Chaos is both a danger and an opportunity. The vast majority of Examinees have experienced the frenzied slaughter of the Early Stage and are now undoubtedly exhausted in body and mind, their kinfolk depleted, resources scarce, and living in constant fear."

"They crave respite, crave safety, and crave a place where they can temporarily rest and recover their strength."

"And I, possessing the 【Law · Order】 divine office, have a stable Divine Kingdom with a complete defensive system, and have just proven my powerful regional defensive capability... Why not take the initiative to 'create' such a place?"

A bold and highly tempting plan took shape in his mind.

"With my Divine Kingdom as the core, I will designate an 'Order No-Combat Zone'! I will declare that private fighting is prohibited within the area, and violators will be sanctioned by the Net of Law and attacked by my Divine Kingdom."

"At the same time, I will offer limited asylum, allowing other Examinees' Divine Kingdoms to attach and station themselves on the periphery, providing basic Order protection, but they must pay a certain 'protection fee' (resources or intelligence) and accept unified coordination and command when necessary."

The benefits of doing this were obvious:

Rapidly accumulating power and resources: Attracting a large number of low-to-mid-tier Examinees to attach themselves, forming a temporary Alliance with himself at the core, where the advantage of scale could deter many potential attackers.

Obtaining intelligence and vision: The attached Examinees would come from all directions, capable of providing a large amount of real-time battlefield intelligence, compensating for the limitations of Lin Zhou's single perspective.

Practicing and spreading Way of Civilization: Establishing Order and protecting the weak was, in itself, practicing the Legalist concept of "settling disputes" and the Confucian concept of "benevolence towards others," which might contribute to the growth of his divine office and the acquisition of civilization points.

Coping with the pressure of clearing the field: When the clearing forces from the northwest spread over, a large-scale, organized defensive Alliance would be far more resistant than fighting alone.

Risks also existed: It might attract direct targeting from stronger individuals; it would require consuming extra Divine Power to maintain a larger Net of Law; managing the attached parties might cause internal disputes; and if the defense were breached, his reputation would be ruined.

"The risks are controllable, the benefits are huge." Lin Zhou made his decision after quickly weighing the pros and cons.

He was confident that, relying on his solid defenses and the power of his divine office, he could maintain Order in an area. As for management, the Legalist Edicts were born for exactly this!

He acted immediately. Lin Zhou first consumed Divine Power to actively expand and manifest the coverage of the Net of Law from its previous one-kilometer Caution radius outward!

"In the name of 【Law · Order】, I designate this Domain and establish rules here!"

Within the phantom of the Divine Kingdom, the cyan-gold light of the Temple of Law shot into the sky!

Countless fine lines of Law, containing the concepts of "no fighting," "peace," "contract," and "punishment," spread out from the center of the Divine Kingdom like a spider web. Eventually, within a radius of ten li (approximately a 5-kilometer radius), they formed a pale cyan light curtain boundary that was faintly visible to the naked eye and radiated majestic Order!

The 【Order No-Combat Zone · Rule Declaration】 was transmitted in all directions via the Divine Kingdom's amplification, in the form of rule fluctuations:

"This ten-li radius is the territory of the 【Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom】 of Order. All private fighting, looting, and malicious infringement are prohibited. Violators will be considered as provoking the Law and will be sanctioned by the Divine Kingdom, and their Divine Kingdom coordinates will be publicly marked!"

"Those who wish to seek asylum and temporarily lay down their weapons may station themselves at the edge of the area, under the protection of the light of Order. They must abide by basic rules and pay a small amount of resources (or equivalent intelligence) daily as the cost for maintaining Order. Transactions and exchanges within the area are protected by the Law."

"The Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom stands by civilization and establishes Order through Law. I hope we can all strive together."

This declaration was like dropping a depth charge into the noisy battlefield!

Many Examinees who were licking their wounds nearby, hesitating about their next move, or shaken after just repelling a wave of attacks, clearly received this rule fluctuation and information.

They looked with uncertainty and suspicion toward the direction of Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom, seeing that phantom which was more solid than other Divine Kingdom projections, radiating a unique civilization brilliance and Order Barrier, as well as that conspicuous pale cyan Order boundary.

"Territory of Order? No private fighting? Is it real or fake?"

"Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom? Never heard of it... but it looks very stable? It was indeed fighting fiercely over there just now, but it was never breached."

"And I have to pay a 'protection fee'? Tsk... But if it's true, being able to rest in peace for a few hours is worth spending some resources! My Kobolds are almost all dead!"

"Let's go take a look! What if it's a trap? Be careful."

With various thoughts in mind, the first batch of testers appeared.

About half an hour later, three very small (thirty to forty meters in diameter) Divine Kingdom projections with weak auras cautiously approached the edge of the Order boundary.

They stopped outside, not daring to enter without permission, but instead sent a small group of kinfolk (a few scouts) to contact the boundary.

"Entry granted, limited to activities within one li of the edge. Present your list of tradable resources or intelligence." Lin Zhou's Divine Thought was transmitted directly through the Net of Law, and at the same time, the boundary opened a small gap.

Those few scouts entered tremblingly and immediately felt a gentle but unquestionable power of Order enveloping their bodies, as if every move they made was being watched by invisible eyes, and any malicious thoughts were difficult to arise.

Following instructions, they displayed the small amount of resources their deity was carrying: some common virtual wood and stone materials, as well as a piece of intelligence about the discovery of a 【Medium Iron Mine】 resource point (though it had already been occupied by a medium-sized Orc Divine Kingdom) 150 kilometers to the northeast.

"Intelligence verified (the Net of Law has basic lie detection and information verification functions, consuming Divine Power), the value is acceptable. Permission to station for three days is granted; you must provide additional units of kinfolk projections daily to assist with boundary patrols (symbolic)." Lin Zhou gave the conditions.

Those three small deities felt as if they had received a pardon and hurriedly agreed.

Their Divine Kingdom projections slowly moved to the designated edge area and stopped. Once they truly entered the Order boundary, they immediately felt the difference—the sounds of battle and energy explosions from the outside seemed to be cut off, and a long-lost "sense of security" enveloped them.

Their kinfolk projections were no longer in a state of constant combat alert and could truly relax, undergoing simple rest and recovery.

More importantly, when their consciousness, through some permitted "visitation" authority, limitedly "saw" the scene inside Lin Zhou's Divine Kingdom phantom, they were all inexplicably shocked!

They saw the towering and solemn 【Temple of Civilization】, which radiated an all-encompassing aura; merely sensing it from afar felt as if vast knowledge and wisdom were rushing towards them.

They saw that in the 【Jixia Academy】, hundreds of Confucian Scholar Elves were either sitting quietly and studying, radiating an aura of scholarly culture, or practicing archery with uniform movements and an imposing righteous spirit.

They saw that inside the 【Tian Gong Institute】, the Mohist Dwarf craftsmen were busily forging and assembling precise mechanical creations; those turrets with a cold metallic sheen and the unfinished skeletons of 【Floating Bombardment Platforms】 revealed powerful technical strength.

They saw that in front of the 【Temple of Law】, the Law Official Murloc enforcement team was patrolling and drilling with strict discipline; that solemn and cold sense of Order was heart-shaking.

They saw the surging phantom of the 【river of civilization】, the vibrant spiritual fields, and the harmonious and efficient operation inside the solid rule barrier...

How could this be a simple combat Divine Kingdom? This was clearly a "miniature civilization nation" possessing a complete civilization system, powerful productivity, rigorous Order, and deep potential!

"This... what kind of Divine Domain path is this? Never seen it before!"

"Those elves, dwarves, murlocs... they feel completely different from the ordinary ones! Their auras are so special!"

"Those buildings... each one feels like it contains powerful rule strength! How many resources must have been invested, and for how long has it been managed?"

"No wonder he can hold it! This Foundation is too solid!"

After the shock came conviction, and even awe. These three small deities completely let down their guard (and dared not do otherwise), obediently staying at the edge, resting while sending a few kinfolk to assist with the outer perimeter guard as requested, their attitudes even becoming somewhat obsequious.

With the first successful examples, word of mouth began to spread among the Examinees in the nearby area at an astonishing speed.

"It's true! There is a Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom over there that has marked out a piece of territory where fighting is not allowed, and it's very safe inside!"

"Inside that Divine Kingdom, it's practically like a Small World, it's amazing!"

"You can go in and take a breath just by paying a little something, it's worth it!"

Consequently, more low-to-mid-tier Examinees who were in worse condition or simply tired of the endless chaotic fighting began to gather towards Lin Zhou's territory of Order.

Two hours later, more than thirty Divine Kingdom projections of various sizes had attached themselves to the edge of the Order boundary! Although most of them were small in scale and weak in strength, gathered together, they were also a visually undeniable presence and a potential force.

The "popularity" within the area had obviously increased, and even some simple resource transactions (mainly virtual resources) monitored by the Net of Law had begun to appear.

Lin Zhou sat steadily in the center, his Divine Spark efficiently processing the incoming information: reviewing new applicants, assigning stationing locations, handling minor disputes (there had already been two small quarrels due to resource transaction weights, which were automatically adjudicated and quelled by the Net of Law), and integrating the scattered intelligence coming from all sides, sketching a more detailed distribution map of the surrounding forces.

He even discovered two Divine Kingdoms with special auxiliary abilities: one was skilled in basic healing (the kinfolk were 【Light-Healing Slimes】, which, although weak in combat, could slowly restore the status of friendly units), and the other possessed an enhanced 【Eagle Eye Technique】 (the kinfolk were 【Insight Owls】, which could provide a longer reconnaissance vision).

Lin Zhou granted them slightly better stationing positions and lower "protection fee" requirements, and hinted at possible cooperation opportunities in the future, making these two deities extremely grateful.

As the reputation of the territory of Order grew, it also attracted some ill-intentioned gazes and probes.

There was once a 【Gnoll Raider】 projection of about fifty units cruising on the periphery, attempting to assault a small Divine Kingdom that had just moved in and had weak defenses.

As a result, as soon as they entered the Order boundary, they were marked by the Net of Law, followed immediately by a beam of "Judgment" light launched by Snik from several li away (the power attenuated with distance, but it was enough to severely injure the leader), and they were jointly repelled by support troops sent by several other attached Divine Kingdoms nearby, encouraged by the "common defense" rule.

This move further established the authority of the Order rules.

When the battlefield time entered the sixth hour and the afterglow of the sunset (simulated) dyed the sky dark red, Lin Zhou's "territory of Order" had already begun to take shape.

The number of attached Divine Kingdoms reached forty-seven, and the scope of indirect influence far exceeded his own ten-li radius.

Although the daily "protection fees" (resources and intelligence) were scattered, they were quite considerable when accumulated; more importantly, he had gained a relatively stable rear and a budding information network.

The shadow of that clearing force in the northwest still existed, but Lin Zhou was no longer alone.

He stood at the core of the Divine Kingdom, looking at the attached projections of all sizes bathing in the faint light of Order outside the boundary, and then looked toward the dark and unclear depths of the battlefield further away, his eyes calm.

Using Legalist Edicts, establishing a territory of Order, and accepting vassals from all directions.

This first large-scale practice of Way of Civilization seemed... to have good results.

Next, it was how to make this "cornerstone of Order" become indestructible in the greater storm that was about to come.