Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

After Chen Fei and the others finished recounting what had happened in the classroom, Matthew also began to talk about his experience of time travel.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei, Liu Bin, and Zhang Ziheng became even more certain that they were not dreaming, but had truly traveled through time, and that they had all traveled through time together.

So when Matthew spoke of his perilous situation and his face fell, Chen Fei suddenly slapped Matthew's shoulder and knee hard, a bold expression forming on his dark green face: "Matthew, don't be afraid, we're here! From now on, we four brothers from Blue Star will rely on each other in this alien world. Brothers united, our strength can break metal. Since we can't go back, let's work together to make a name for ourselves in Emberstone Ridge and create a glorious future!"

Chen Fei's voice carried a tragic yet passionate quality, like the line from the poem "The wind howls and the Yi River is cold."

Liu Bin took a deep breath and replied, his tone resolute as if accepting his fate: "That's right, from now on, we brothers will dominate this other world together."

Even the rather timid Zhang Ziheng seemed to have his blood pumping from this collective feat of time travel, weakly chiming in, "Yes, yes, we... time travelers are all protagonists!"

Seeing his three best buddies suddenly become so enthusiastic, Matthew's expression turned a little strange. He touched his nose and interrupted his best buddies' "lofty ambitions" with a hint of apology.

"Um... actually, you didn't really travel through time. Your souls were just temporarily summoned here. Once the magic ends, you can return to Earth."

"..."

The air suddenly became quiet.

Chen Fei's tragic expression of sharing life and death froze on his face, and his hand, which had just patted Matthew's shoulder, remained frozen in mid-air.

Liu Bin's lips twitched, while Zhang Ziheng's eyes widened.

"Huh? So... so you're the only one who actually time-traveled? We're just... just trial cards?" Chen Fei felt like he'd taken his pants off only to find it was a dream. The tragic atmosphere of "starting a business in another world" suddenly seemed incredibly ridiculous.

Liu Binzhen scratched his toes on the ground, gave a dry laugh, and didn't know what to say. It turned out that Matthew was the main character, and they were just extras.

Zhang Ziheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a sense of relief at surviving a disaster welled up within him—thankfully it wasn't a real time travel, he didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place as a savage.

Chen Fei, caught up in his own self-delusion, scratched his bald, green head and chuckled sheepishly, "Ahem... Oh, I see... I got a little too into character just now..."

Although Chen Fei and Liu Bin were somewhat disappointed, they also felt a sense of relief. Although they were excited at first, once their emotions calmed down, reason prevailed, and after hearing what Matthew said about their situation, they actually had second thoughts.

After all, who would willingly leave their comfort zone, leave the modern metropolis, and become a goblin in this desolate wilderness?

"However, I have something very important that I need your help with." Matthew's expression suddenly turned serious.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei felt a renewed sense of mission and straightened his back.

……

Matthew's building is the only two-story building in Emberstone Ridge. It used to be the office and residence of the local administrators, and now it has become a temporary "lord's mansion".

However, the building had been abandoned for many years, with almost all the decent furniture removed, broken windows, and a drafty roof.

When Matthew and his team arrived, they had only managed to clear out three relatively intact rooms as shelter.

In fact, judging from the remaining scale of buildings and ruins, Jinshiling was indeed a relatively prosperous border town.

According to Conrad, at its peak, the area had more than two thousand residents.

But now, all that remains is boundless desolation and deathly silence.

At the end of the town's only decent road, two figures, one tall and one short, walked towards the town with their backs to the Misty Mountains.

The tallest of them was none other than the old knight Conrad.

He wore an old leather armor that was washed until it was faded but still clean, covered by a cloak with a faded Augustan royal insignia.

Although he was nearly sixty years old, with snow-white hair and a slight limp in his left leg due to an old injury, making a unique "thump... clack..." sound when he walked, his spine remained straight, like an old pine tree that had weathered many storms but had deep roots.

The deep wrinkles on his face bore witness to the cruelty of time, but his deep-set eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, constantly scanning his surroundings with vigilance.

Walking in front of him was the current nominal sheriff of Emberstone Ridge, known as Old Sam.

He was not tall, but exceptionally strong, like a hard rock that had collapsed from the mountain.

His face was dark and rough from the ravages of time. He was actually younger than Conrad, but the weight of life made him look just as old.

He was not an official appointed by the kingdom; he had only served in the local security force when he was young.

Later, his sons followed in their fathers' footsteps, but one son died in flood relief efforts and the other was killed by goblins. His daughter-in-law was also kidnapped by goblins and her fate is unknown.

Now, only his twelve-year-old granddaughter remains in the family, and they depend on each other for survival.

Because of his good skills, rich combat experience, and upright and righteous character, Old Sam naturally became the de facto backbone of this group of survivors, having protected the townspeople from goblin and wolf attacks on numerous occasions.

At that moment, Old Sam was holding a plump rabbit in his hand, which he had just hunted in the mountains.

"Mr. Sam, I've come to see you on behalf of His Highness Matthew Augustus, your new lord. His Highness wishes to understand the true situation of Emberstone Ridge and needs someone familiar with this place. I believe you are the most suitable candidate," Conrad said, following closely behind old Sam.

"A new lord?" Old Sam suddenly stopped and turned to look at Conrad, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "The kingdom has long forgotten about us. What use is a prince now? Can he conjure up food, or wipe out all the goblins in the mountains?"

The word "goblin" was practically squeezed out from between his teeth.

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice sounding somewhat angry: "Everyone knows in their hearts that this is just another bloodsucking nobleman. When you came yesterday, no one greeted you, not because we didn't know the rules, but because... we have nothing left to lose, so we are not afraid of offending anyone anymore. We don't need a lord."

These words were blunt and cruel, but Conrad was not angered by the offense. He knew very well that this was human nature and the true thoughts of his people.

Here, the authority of the kingdom has long since vanished; survival is the only rule.

To gain the approval of these people, simply having the title of lord is meaningless; you must come up with a real way to ensure their survival.

And that is one of the reasons why he came to find Old Sam.

Conrad paused for a moment, then continued, his voice steady and sincere: "Mr. Sam, I cannot promise you any miracles. But I swear on my knightly honor that the lord and I came here not to exploit, but to survive, to put down roots. Like you, we were abandoned here by the kingdom. We have no way out; we will fight with everything we have to survive here, to protect those who remain, so that your granddaughter, and all your children, will no longer have to worry about being killed by wild beasts and goblins every day."

Conrad's last words were like a key, precisely unlocking the cracks in old Sam's defenses.

He raised his head, his gaze sharp as he looked at Conrad, but his voice softened considerably: "Easy for you to say. How will you protect him? With the three of you? With those few swords? Do you know how many goblins are in the mountains? Like locusts! They killed my son, they killed his wife… I wish I could chop them all up and feed them to the wolves!"

His voice trembled with excitement, and the grief and indignation he had suppressed for many years finally came out.

"That's why we need to organize those who can still take up arms, equip them with better weapons, set traps, and establish outposts, like hunters hunting, instead of passively waiting for them to ambush us," Conrad said in a deep and firm voice.

Old Sam fell silent. He knew that Emberstone Ridge truly needed someone with extensive combat experience to lead them in dealing with the threat from the Misty Mountains.

Although the old knight before him was old, his battle-hardened aura and scarred body were enough to prove that he had more tactics and experience than anyone else.

Conrad stepped forward, his gaze piercing: "Mr. Sam, we need the strength of everyone, especially yours. We need your experience, your understanding of this land, and your prestige among the people. Helping us is helping yourself, helping those you want to protect."

Upon hearing this, old Sam stared at Conrad for a long time, seemingly trying to find any trace of hypocrisy in the old knight's eyes, but he only saw openness and the same determination.

He finally just sighed heavily and said, "Let's go, let me meet this lord."

After delivering the prey home, old Sam followed Conrad to the "Lord's Mansion".

They happened to run into Will, who was on his way to deliver food to Matthew.

"The lord is in his room," Will said solemnly.

Conrad nodded, walked to the door, knocked, and said, "Conrad requests an audience with the Lord."

"Come in," Matthew's voice came from inside.

Conrad opened the door and led Old Sam inside first, only to immediately spot three goblins in the room.

"Swish!" Conrad instantly drew his longsword from his waist, and Old Sam, who was right behind him, also exclaimed and drew his dagger from his waist. His eyes were bloodshot as if he had seen an enemy, and his weathered face was filled with uncontrollable hatred.

"Stop, Conrad!" Matthew shouted, immediately stepping in front of the three goblins. "Don't worry, they are magical creatures I summoned!"

"Huh?" Conrad was astonished, but seeing the three goblins shrinking their necks in fear and the glowing crystal pendant in Matthew's outstretched palm, he felt a little relieved.

But Old Sam, who already hated the goblin tribe to the core, was still furious, his chest heaving violently, his cloudy eyes bloodshot, and his arm holding the dagger trembling slightly from the extreme force.

He stared intently at the three green-skinned creatures, as if they were the enemies who had murdered his family. His hatred extended even further to Matthew, whom he already disliked. He looked at Matthew and demanded emotionally, "Why does Your Lordship associate with demons?!"

……