Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

"Uh... sir, you mean... you want to buy these waste materials?" the shopkeeper asked tentatively, his voice full of uncertainty. "These... these are unwanted things, troublesome to clean up. Only occasionally will poor people buy them to render some oil, or... feed them to their dogs."

When he said the last two words, his voice lowered, tinged with embarrassment.

Conrad put on a stern face, offered no explanation, and continued, "Name your price. Keep it cheap, and I want it long-term."

The butcher blinked, his surprise replaced by shrewdness and calculation.

Long-term clients? You can make a steady income from garbage disposal? This is like a windfall!

So he said with a big smile, "Haha, I suppose you're using it to feed your hunting dogs, sir. Many gentlemen like you have come to buy offal before. At market price, this large bucket costs two silver coins. Since you're a new customer and plan to buy regularly, I'll give you a discount—how about one silver coin?"

Conrad's expression remained unchanged, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Sure enough, no merchant is without guile; this thing that should have been disposed of as garbage actually dared to ask for a silver coin.

Conrad held up five fingers, which made the butcher's eyes light up with delight. He thought the other man was foolish and had too much money, actually wanting to buy five buckets of offal all at once.

The butcher's face, which was full of fat, immediately broke into a wide grin. However, before he could even speak, Conrad said decisively, "Five copper coins a barrel."

The butcher was stunned; he had asked for one silver coin, but the butcher only gave him five copper coins.

One silver coin could be exchanged for approximately one hundred and twenty copper coins.

This bargaining went all the way down to the heels.

However, the butcher knew that the other party was probably an expert, and it seemed impossible to fool him.

"Ten copper coins!" The butcher tried to struggle a bit, but then he saw Conrad turn around and leave.

"Wait, wait, sir, five is fine, let's have a long-term partnership." The butcher hurriedly called out to Conrad.

Conrad counted out fifteen copper coins expressionlessly, placing them clattering on the greasy chopping board: "I'll take all three buckets."

Although fifteen copper coins weren't a lot of money, they were roughly equivalent to the daily wage of a low-level laborer.

He felt it wasn't worth buying so many buckets of waste water, but thinking that His Highness must have a use for it, he stopped worrying about it.

Conrad then went to the horse dealer he had met before, intending to rent a small horse and a wooden cart, and also wanted to take another look at his Nightshade, only to learn that it had already been bought by the Earl's mansion.

Conrad could only drive away in disappointment, then took the three buckets of animals into the water and left Ironrock.

When the rickety cart finally arrived at Jinshi Ridge, the sun had already set behind the Misty Mountains in the west.

The town's outskirts under the setting sun seemed to have a completely different atmosphere than when he left.

The first thing that catches the eye is order and cleanliness.

The clutter and garbage that used to be scattered at the entrance of the town have been cleared away, replaced by a sense of orderly planning.

Several young women were still cleaning up the last bits of trash, their eyes no longer showing the numbness of before, but rather a newfound vitality and radiance.

When they saw Conrad, some people even bowed to him.

Conrad drove his carriage past the lord's manor without stopping, heading straight for the open space to the west.

He knew Matthew would definitely be there directing the goblins.

Sure enough, when he arrived at the open space on the west side, he saw Matthew and Will in the distance, talking to some goblins in the cultivated area, probably discussing soil issues.

The changes on the west side of the town are even greater. What was originally just a conceptual "west side of the town" has now been clearly defined, and the fortifications seem to have taken shape.

Instead of immediately running to report to Matthew, Conrad eagerly headed towards the wall.

At this moment, about 100 meters away from the wall, a newly dug trench, about one person deep, meanders across the landscape. Although it is still short, its direction is precise, clearly indicating that it has been measured and planned.

The soil excavated from the trench was piled on the inside and compacted to form a low earthen mound.

Although rudimentary, it was effective in slowing down the advance and obstructing vision.

Moreover, its main targets are small goblins.

In front of the trench, there were some sharpened wooden chevaux-de-frise scattered about, as well as seemingly random but actually hidden traps.

At several key corners, makeshift firing shelters were built using stones and rough timber, leaving gaps for observation and weapon mounting.

The entire fortification impressed Conrad with just two words: professional!

Extremely professional!

However, what surprised Conrad the most was that at the largest gap in the wall, the collapsed rubble foundation was not simply piled back up, but was completely cleared.

Instead, a frame structure built from sturdy logs, relying on the remaining foundation, was constructed.

These logs were not simply bound together, but rather reinforced using interlocking mortise and tenon joints and diagonal bracing—a method Conrad had never seen before—resulting in an extremely stable structure.

A group of goblins are filling the frame with stones and rammed earth.

Although it is far from finished, its thickness and strength are already evident, far exceeding that of the old wall.

Moreover, on the remaining walls on both sides of the gap, the skeleton of a wooden watchtower, about three meters off the ground, has already been erected.

The tower's structure also employs a complex support system. Although only the skeleton exists at present, one can already imagine the field of vision and crossbow firing platform it will provide once completed.

Conrad also noticed that wooden stakes had been driven into the ground not far from the inside of the wall, seemingly indicating the planning of a second inner wall or a storage area for supplies.

"They even considered in-depth defense and retreat plans!" Conrad exclaimed in surprise. Recalling the perfectly disciplined and orderly goblin formation from before, he couldn't help but exclaim again, "Where did Your Highness summon such a professional goblin army from?"

However, looking at these defensive fortifications at this moment, he was filled with excitement, and his eyes were brimming with surprise.

In just one afternoon, a professional defense system framework with forward alert, main line reinforcement, and in-depth planning had been established here.

Looking at the goblins, they have a clear division of labor: some are responsible for cutting wood, some for transporting stones, and some for building structures.

Their movements were swift and their teamwork seamless, with almost no unnecessary movement or noise, and their efficiency was astonishing.

They had all the necessary tools at their disposal, and it was clear that the goblin blacksmith and Eric had been incredibly efficient that afternoon.

It's not hard to imagine that it won't be long before Ember Ridge is completely transformed.

"Emberstone Ridge has really come back to life!" Conrad thought to himself, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his face.

It even felt like a dream, so unreal. Just two days ago, this place was a scene of utter despair.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, it has become a thriving scene.

He wasn't a sentimental person, but whether it was because he was getting older and becoming more emotional, or because he was touched by the scene, he found himself with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Mrs. Anne must be pleased in heaven."

As for Matthew, after preliminary analysis and diagnosis by Zhao Lanxin and others, the main reason for the soil degradation of Jinshi Ridge was not congenital deficiency, but acquired imbalance.

The long-term monoculture planting pattern, coupled with almost no effective fertilization and crop rotation, has led to a serious loss of soil organic matter and key nutrients, resulting in severe soil compaction.

In addition, the long-term use of insufficiently decomposed animal manure and rainwater leaching may have caused the soil in some plots to become slightly acidic, which is not conducive to the growth of most crops.

Zhao Lanxin also proposed a rectification plan in response.

First, consider adding topsoil and fertilizer. You can consider mixing in fertile silt from the banks of the Weeping Blood River, and at the same time collect wood ash, well-rotted animal manure, and organic waste piled up in the town for composting.

Pour these organic fertilizers evenly into the soil to quickly replenish basic fertility.

Secondly, legumes such as peas and broad beans should be introduced for crop rotation.

Rhizobia in the roots of legumes can fix nitrogen from the air, making them natural nitrogen-fixing fertilizers.

Finally, deep plowing is carried out using animal power or improved agricultural tools to break up the compacted layer and improve the soil structure.

If tools and manpower are sufficient, small-scale water conservancy facilities, such as canals and reservoirs, can be built to achieve controlled irrigation.

"If these measures can be implemented, I am confident that within a year, the fertility of the farmland in Jinshi Ridge will be restored to a medium level, and the grain yield will double or even more," Zhao Lanxin said confidently.

After listening to Zhao Lanxin's soil improvement plan, Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. It really was reassuring to have professionals around.

"I'm relieved to hear that. Let's have a meeting after dark to discuss the details and task assignments." After saying this, Matthew noticed Conrad approaching and went to greet him with Will.

Then he called Zhang Hongjian and others to go and check the "chemical raw materials" that Conrad had bought.

……