Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

[To prevent some readers from disliking goblin characters, here's a plot hint: the protagonist's summoned units can be upgraded; human summoned units are currently unlocked, so feel free to read on.]

cold.

The biting cold didn't originate from the air, but rather seeped into my bones bit by bit from the hard, uncomfortable wooden bed beneath me.

Matthew suddenly opened his eyes, only to find not the familiar classroom, classmates, or the reminder on the blackboard that there were only 251 days left until the college entrance examination.

Instead, it was a dark room with a roof covered in cobwebs, revealing mottled black rafters, and bare walls.

A whiff of musty, dusty air entered his nostrils, making him cough involuntarily.

With each cough, a sharp, throbbing pain shot through my temples, as if they were about to split open.

Countless unfamiliar fragments of memory rushed into his mind like a flood bursting its banks.

Matthew Augustus, illegitimate son of the king of the Kingdom of Augustus, from Emberstone Territory...

One keyword after another, accompanied by cold images, rained down on him.

Silent contempt in a corner of the royal palace.

The seemingly benevolent yet mocking look in the eyes of the half-brother, the new King Robert, during the ceremony called "the division of fiefdoms," which was actually an exile.

The long and bumpy journey, and the desolate and dilapidated territory that we finally saw, which was almost despairing.

All of this eventually led to a fact that Matthew didn't want to believe—he had traveled through time.

He was studying in the classroom when suddenly a dark purple crystal pendant appeared in front of him.

He initially thought it was a hallucination, but the next second he lost consciousness, and when he regained consciousness, he was already here.

He became Matthew Augustus, the illegitimate son of the former king, who was enfeoffed by the new king to a remote, dilapidated, and dangerous region.

Thinking of this, Matthew subconsciously reached for the cold object hanging on his chest—a dark purple crystal pendant of unknown material, attached to a cheap silver chain.

It was almost exactly the same as what he had seen in the classroom.

This is the only relic left by the original owner's mother, whom he had never met.

The "Matthew Augustus" in his memory had no special feelings for it; it was just a memory.

However, at this moment, the pendant was emitting a barely perceptible soft halo, conveying some kind of strange energy fluctuation.

It is certain that my time travel is related to it.

The moment his fingertips touched the pendant, a feeling of blood connection arose spontaneously, and a piece of information naturally flowed into his consciousness—it was about the pendant's ability, which contained an ancient summoning magic that could summon spirits from other worlds to transform into magical creatures to fight for him.

"Is this my cheat code as a transmigrator?"

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door, and a familiar, soft voice came from outside: "Your Highness, are you awake?"

Upon hearing that voice, a name and associated memories quickly surfaced—Will Blackwood.

Matthew's only friend in the capital, a "fool" who voluntarily gave up his comfortable life in the capital to follow him to this desperate situation.

"Come in, Will." Matthew cleared his hoarse throat, trying to make his voice sound steady and natural.

The door was pushed open, and a fat, pale-faced young man struggled to squeeze in.

He wore a dusty travel robe and clutched a huge, heavy leather ledger tightly in his arms, which made him look even more clumsy.

Will comes from the illustrious Blackwood family of the kingdom, a family renowned for producing powerful mages and royal magic advisors.

His father was the kingdom's court mage, a powerful high-ranking mage.

Will was the eldest son of the family, but unfortunately he was born "magic-immune," unable to sense or control any magic power, and was also obese, which was incompatible with the "magical aura" and "magical demeanor" that the family admired.

Therefore, he was disliked by his father and looked down upon by his siblings.

He often joked with Matthew that he wished he were his father's illegitimate son, so that he wouldn't tarnish the family's honor, bring shame to his father, or be so disliked by him.

Matthew speculated that Will chose to follow the original owner here not only because of their deep friendship, but also to escape the suffocating family he lived in.

But Will was actually very smart. He had an excellent memory and loved reading. The meager luggage he brought to Elmstone Territory consisted mostly of all sorts of books.

"As you can see, it's terrible," Matthew said honestly, rubbing his still-aching temples.

"I thought so too. The bed here must be very uncomfortable for you. Luckily, I'm quite fleshy, so I can serve as a mattress. Knight Conrad said he'll find a way to solve your mattress problem," Will joked.

He immediately walked to the bedside, laboriously placed the account book on the edge of the bed, and his expression became serious: "Sir Conrad went to see that local... well, the nominal old sheriff, early this morning, hoping to bring him to pay his respects to you and personally report on the situation at Emberstone Ridge. However, Conrad and I have actually already done a rough survey and made a summary, which we are now reporting to you."

The Emberstone Territory that Will mentioned was the fiefdom Matthew received, a corner completely forgotten by the heart of the kingdom.

It gets its name from the fact that the local buildings are mostly made of a dark red stone that looks like it has been burned.

This place is remote, barren, and dilapidated, bordering the Misty Mountains where monsters and barbarians roam, making it a truly uncivilized place.

On the kingdom's map, it is marked only once, having paid no taxes for many years and received no military assistance from the kingdom.

A month ago, the old king suddenly passed away, and his eldest son Robert naturally succeeded to the throne, and in accordance with custom, he enfeoffed his sons.

Matthew, the illegitimate son of the late king's philandering, naturally became a thorn in the side of the new king that had to be removed.

For Matthew, this so-called fiefdom was nothing more than a legally justified exile, a humiliation.

Robert never gave him any financial or manpower rewards. The old knight Conrad and Will were the only two who voluntarily followed him into the abyss.

Conrad was once the old king's bodyguard. He retired due to injury and is now nearly sixty years old, with gray hair and a limp in one leg. However, he is extremely loyal to the old king and was also Matthew's former swordsmanship teacher.

Will opened the heavy ledger, his finger tracing the hastily written and despairing numbers on the yellowed paper, and sighed, saying, "Your Highness, the current situation in the territory... is not optimistic."

"First of all, there are people. The vast majority of the people on the register are no longer here. The population loss here is extremely serious. In recent years, countless people have died from floods, famine, and attacks by wild beasts and goblins. But even more people have fled because they could not endure the increasingly cruel environment here. According to our investigation, there are less than a hundred people left in Emberstone Ridge, and most of them are old, weak, sick, or disabled. There are less than twenty able-bodied men, and many of them are injured."

"Secondly, there's the land and the food." Will frowned. "According to the people, the land here is cursed. In recent years, it has become increasingly barren and compacted, making it difficult for crops to survive. Even if they do survive, the harvest is pitifully small. This is one of the reasons why many people have left this place."

"Currently, most of the people living here make a living by hunting, but... while there is indeed a lot of prey on the edge of the Misty Mountains, it is also full of dangers. In addition to wolf packs and wild beasts, there is also a threat from goblin tribes... The casualty rate for hunting in the mountains is very high, and it is impossible to obtain food reliably. Many people in the territory have not even had a full meal in a long time."

"And this morning I learned of an even worse situation." Will pointed to a specially marked spot in the ledger, "The Teardrop Creek water source we rely on also seems to be in trouble. Not only is the water quality getting increasingly murky, but it also seems to be cursed. Many of our people have fallen ill after drinking it."

Matthew listened in silence, each message feeling like a cold stone weighing on his heart.

Population crisis, food crisis, water pollution, external threats... This start is simply hell within hell.

This reminded him of some farming novels he had read before, where the protagonists' minds were like libraries, proficient in everything from cement making and steel forging to soil improvement, composting and pest control, and flood management.

But novels are just novels. In reality, how many people can remember so much? Besides, I'm just a senior high school student. Even if I have a wide range of interests and know a little about everything, I have absolutely no in-depth knowledge or practical experience.

So right now, he was at a loss, his mind a mess. After all, he had just transmigrated and hadn't even accepted reality yet, but he had to face a bunch of cruel problems. It was really tough on him.

Seemingly noticing the worry and bitterness on Matthew's face, Will didn't continue reporting on other troublesome issues. Instead, he changed the subject: "However, Your Highness, you don't need to worry too much. I think we will find a solution. I will go upstream with Sir Conrad to take a look and understand the situation in detail. Perhaps something is polluting the water source. As for the land issue, the book I brought contains information on farming. Give me some time, and perhaps we can find a solution."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Will." Matthew forced a smile, but he was in a state of turmoil and wanted to be alone for a while.

"It's what I should do." When Will decided to follow Matthew here, he said he would be Matthew's assistant and help him manage the territory.

Seemingly sensing Matthew's mood, Will decided not to continue reporting on the territory's situation. Instead, he closed the heavy ledger and said, "Your Highness, it's almost noon. You must be hungry. I'll go and prepare some food for you."

"Okay!" Matthew nodded.

Will, clutching the ledger, squeezed through the door again.

The room fell silent again. Matthew's face was full of worry, and his gaze couldn't help but fall on the magic pendant clutched in his hand, like a drowning man grasping at the only straw.

As it stands, the magic pendant's abilities don't seem to be able to help him solve the many problems within his territory.

But if they could actually summon some powerful magical creature, it would at least solve the threat from the Misty Mountains.

After all, those goblin packs and wolf packs also pose a huge threat to the territory, and a direct threat to lives.

According to the original owner's memories, in this world, goblins are among the lowest humanoid beings, notorious and detestable for their fondness for plundering and pillaging.

However, they are small in size and their individual combat strength is not very strong. If an ordinary person has weapons, they can easily deal with them one-on-one.

However, goblins usually compensate for their lack of individual combat strength with their numerical advantage, which is somewhat similar to wolf packs.

However, goblins would keep their distance from any place where human armies were stationed.

The problem is that the territory of Emberstone Ridge has been forgotten by the kingdom, and even Count Kress, the lord of Ironrock City, which is located nearby, refuses to help.

Before Matthew and his companions arrived at Emberstone Ridge, they first went to Ironrock City to pay their respects to their future "neighbor," only to be turned away at the door. Count Kress made an excuse that he was not there, and they waited for two days without seeing him.

Therefore, Jinshiling is currently completely isolated and helpless, and can only rely on themselves.

As a successor to socialism, Matthew was naturally unwilling to accept his fate.

"I hope my cheat code can create a miracle," Matthew thought to himself. Then, without further ado, he closed his eyes and focused his mind on the pendant.

The next second, the pendant's light became even more dazzling, illuminating the dim room as if it were daytime, and an ancient and complex magic circle appeared.

Matthew felt as if his consciousness had returned to Earth, back to his classroom.

Although the surrounding scenery was unreal and blurry, he was certain that it was his classroom.

The classroom was empty, but people were crowding outside, especially at the door and windows, where countless curious and nervous eyes were peering in their direction.

Just then, Matthew noticed three figures quietly "sneaking" into the classroom; they were his three best buddies.

But just as Matthew's attention was focused on them, a cry of surprise rang out. Matthew was jolted awake, his consciousness returned to his body, and the light of the magic circle in front of him disappeared.

Instead, three green-skinned, pointy-eared, short goblins with animal skins around their waists stood by the bed.

After a brief moment of confusion, the three goblins looked at each other and started shouting.

"W-what happened?"

"Damn it, where did you get here?"

"Holy crap, a goblin?"

Who are you?

"I am Chen Fei!"

"I'm Liu Bin, how did we turn into goblins?"

"Look at that white man! This is a Western fantasy world! Holy crap, have we traveled to another world?"

"Haha, does that mean we don't have to take the college entrance exam?"

"No, I don't want to time travel, I want to go home."

"What the hell? Transmigrators are all chosen ones! Haha, my dream has come true! I'm going to become a general manager, a CEO, and marry a rich and beautiful woman—no, I mean, an elven beauty—and reach the pinnacle of life."

"Yeah, I wonder what my cheat code is?"

"You two have been reading too many novels."

"But seriously, at least let me transmigrate into a rich, handsome, and successful man. What the hell is a goblin?"

The three goblins looked at each other and at Matthew with excitement or fear, chattering away.

If Conrad were here now, he would surely be extremely disappointed, because even he could easily kill those three goblins now.

The creature that was summoned seemed to solve absolutely no real problems.

However, a look of surprise appeared in Matthew's eyes at this moment.

Because he was certain that these three goblins were his three best buddies.

"Chen Fei, Liu Bin, Zhang Ziheng!" Matthew's voice instantly interrupted the three goblins' noisy chatter.

The three goblins looked at the handsome young man with brown hair and black eyes with defined features in surprise. They didn't recognize him, but they felt a kind of instinctive awe, just like ordinary people would feel when they met someone in a superior position.

"You, who are you?"

"I am Matthew."

Matthew's answer shocked the three goblins even more, their eyes widening: "Holy crap, Matthew, it's you! You really time-traveled!"

"Wait, why is the character you transmigrated into so handsome?!"

"Ahem, let's not talk about that. Tell me, what just happened?" Matthew asked with a dry laugh.

……