Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

On the way to Tieyan City, the slow-moving horse-drawn cart traveled at a steady pace on the slightly bumpy dirt road.

Along the roadside, large tracts of carefully cultivated fields and simple villages gradually appeared, with lush green rice seedlings growing vigorously and swaying in the spring breeze.

However, this area does not belong to Emberstone Ridge, but is the territory of Ironrock City.

Thanks to a stable tributary of the Blood-Weeping River flowing through this area, the farmland has a relatively abundant source of irrigation water. The advantageous geographical location also means that this place is almost unaffected by the Blood-Weeping River's flooding during the rainy season, and it is far away from the most direct monster infestations of the Misty Mountains.

Compared to Ember Ridge, this place can be considered a "safe zone".

That is why Iron Rock City did not give up this fertile land.

After a long time, the dirt road gradually became wider and smoother, and there were more vehicles and pedestrians.

The imposing silhouette of Iron Rock City was already close at hand, and a sense of oppression was overwhelming.

"Your Highness, we're almost there!" Conrad's voice came from the front of the carriage, interrupting Matthew, who was carefully studying the thick "Handbook for Identifying and Dealing with Common Dangerous Creatures in the Kingdom of Augustus".

Matthew looked up from the illustrations depicting all sorts of bizarre creatures on the pages and closed the book.

He took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the last stretch of road ahead and landing on Ironrock City, the only passage and the gateway to the heart of the kingdom.

However, when Matthew faced this enormous castle again, a strange sense of threat suddenly welled up in his heart.

This castle is a fortress guarding the kingdom's borders, a "steel shield" protecting the gateway to the kingdom's western provinces.

But for Matthew, it was also a hand choking him, a behemoth that could devour him at any moment.

He had to be on guard.

After all, the truth will eventually come out. The changes in Emberstone Ridge, especially the presence and increasingly frequent activities of those "goblins," will inevitably attract the attention of Ironrock City sooner or later.

Given Robert's character, he would never sit idly by and watch Ember Ridge flourish and grow stronger in his hands.

He will definitely try every means to obstruct and sabotage, and may even resort to force.

More importantly, Count Kress would not allow a prince capable of summoning an army of goblins to grow uncontrollably behind his territory.

Count Cress would certainly prefer the prince to die in an accident rather than have this thorn stuck in his back.

Therefore, there are only two possible outcomes: either he dies at Ashstone Ridge, or he plants his flag on the walls of Ironrock City, or even ascends the throne of Holy Light Fortress.

"It seems that once we get back, we'll need to set up a secret outpost on the only road to Ironrock City to monitor anyone trying to get close to Emberstone Ridge," Matthew thought to himself. He needed to avoid Ironrock City's watchful eye as much as possible before he became too powerful to fight back.

We should try to delay this time as much as possible to gain more time and space for development.

"Furthermore, I need to establish my own network of informants and intelligence within Ironrock City." Matthew began to think more deeply.

Having grown up in the information age, he deeply understands the importance of information.

To protect himself, and even to one day take over Ironrock City, he needs to know Ironrock City and the Kress family inside and out.

There are many beggars and poor people in Ironrock. Money makes the world go round, and it would be very easy to bribe these people. This task can be left to Conrad.

He wants to take this as a starting point to plan for a city, or even a country.

Because this is not a virtual game, nor is it child's play; this is a war for life and death.

The carriage continued its journey, and after paying the city entrance tax at the city gate, it successfully entered Iron Rock City.

After entering the city, Matthew and Conrad parted ways at a relatively secluded fork in the road, as planned.

Matthew donned his new leather mask and cloak once more, transforming into the traveling merchant "Morpheus," and strolled unhurriedly toward the Black Bear Merchant Guild's main store located near the central square.

His gaze seemed to casually sweep across the shops, pedestrians, and the corners hidden behind the hustle and bustle of the street, observing the pulse of the city and gathering information.

Conrad followed at a distance, deliberately keeping a distance of several tens of meters from Conrad.

The streets were bustling with people. The shouts of vendors, the sound of horses' hooves, the wheels of cars rolling over the stone slabs, and the conversations in various accents all mingled together, creating a vibrant but slightly chaotic symphony of everyday life.

However, as Matthew approached the central square, the most bustling area where the Black Bear Merchant Guild was located, a commotion broke out on the street ahead.

Then it became noisy, as if someone was fighting.

Matthew didn't want to join in the fun, but it was his only way to get there.

The two men fighting were dressed in fine clothes; they were probably rich young masters from the city.

They started by pushing and shoving each other, but eventually they got into a full-blown fight, attracting the attention of passersby.

Not far away, in a "shaded space" next to a bakery, a hooded figure was leisurely leaning against the wall.

She was slender, and even wrapped in an inconspicuous gray travel cloak, her youthful vivacity was still evident.

"Hit him! Yes, punch him in the nose! Ugh, so stupid..." The girl ate the berries she had just "borrowed" while watching the two men fighting with great interest, occasionally making a few comments in a low voice, as if she were enjoying an interesting drama.

In fact, the fight between those two was entirely her doing.

Skilled at navigating shadowy spaces, she used a prank to incite two wealthy young men who already disliked each other to fight, which gave her a great sense of accomplishment and amusement.

On her shoulder, a black cat crouched, almost blending into the shadows.

Its pupils were a pure, deep purple, as if containing the starry sky of another dimension.

It lazily flicked its thick tail and said in a slightly disdainful voice, "Please, Shirin, you're already a 137-year-old woman, can you please stop being so boring?"

"Who are you calling an old woman!" Shirin grabbed the black cat's ear and said through gritted teeth, but she wasn't really angry; she was just expressing her dissatisfaction in this way.

"The Elders have sent you to the Misty Mountains to search for relics, not for you to play around."

"Oh, I know, I know! It's just finding a broken stone door..." she muttered softly, but her tone became much more serious. "We finally managed to sneak out... well, it's for an important mission, so we should experience the local customs and culture. Can we set off this afternoon?"

As she was defending herself, her gaze habitually swept over the crowd of onlookers.

Those bright eyes hidden beneath the hood seemed to have discovered something, and a faint, imperceptible silver gleam flashed deep within their pupils.

Eyes were fixed on a young man wearing a mask and ordinary travel clothes, struggling to squeeze through the crowd of onlookers, seemingly completely uninterested in the "show".

She couldn't see a strong life aura or elemental fluctuations on that man.

However, beneath the collar of his clothes, a powerful energy flow, seemingly containing the essence of life and the laws of space, was emanating from his neck.

The energy was gentle and restrained, pulsating like breath, and in her eyes, it was as dazzling as a lighthouse in the night.

"Uh!" Shirin gasped instinctively, her body tensing instantly, her breath catching in her throat for a moment.

"What's wrong?" The black cat immediately noticed its partner's unusual behavior, its sharp, dark purple eyes scanning the surroundings.

"It's a sacred relic!" Shirin's voice trembled with disbelief. "I think I've discovered a legendary sacred relic! How could it be here? On a human?"

……