Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

"Comrade Matthew is here." Li Jianguo, Zhang Hongjian and others greeted Matthew with smiles as he approached.

"Good morning, professors. You're very efficient! The bricks and quicklime have already been fired," Matthew said with a look of delight.

"Haha, territory construction is urgent, and the foundation must be solid!" Cao Hai, the engineer in charge of the clay firing process, said with a smile, then pointed to a pile of cooled blue-red bricks next to him, "With these self-produced bricks and lime mortar, we can build more solid permanent buildings in the next round."

"That's right," added Liu Han, an engineer standing nearby. "We are still continuously adjusting the formula and firing process, and the research and development of refractory bricks has also been put on the agenda. I believe that it won't be long before we have our own blast furnace and achieve self-sufficiency in steel production."

"Great, thank you all for your hard work!" Matthew was thrilled. He walked to the pile of bricks, picked up a brick, and tapped it. The sound was crisp and pleasant.

With these basic building materials, the construction speed will be greatly accelerated, and we can even consider building a city wall belonging to Jinshi Ridge.

However, Cao changed the subject, lowering his voice: "But the biggest bottleneck right now is manpower, especially heavy physical labor. Goblins are indeed a bit physically weak, and their efficiency in mining clay and limestone and transporting fuel is too low. Moreover, there is a shortage of manpower, which seriously restricts the increase in production."

Matthew nodded, looking with deep sympathy at the goblin craftsmen struggling to push wheelbarrows loaded with clay in the distance.

He nodded and said in a deep voice, "I understand. I will resolve the manpower issue as soon as possible."

Matthew knew very well that the territory's development had entered a new stage, and after the initial survival issues were resolved, introducing new inhabitants to supplement the labor force was now a top priority.

"Comrade Matthew, you've come at the right time. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." As if remembering something, Li Jianguo led Matthew to the makeshift wooden table under the thatched shed, where a rough map covered with markings was spread out.

"I have a more specific idea regarding future development."

He pointed to the eastern region of the wind-eroded highlands on the map: "Based on the records in your translated 'Geography Records,' combined with the scattered information provided by Mr. Will, my comprehensive analysis suggests that this area contains large sedimentary rock layers, with a very high probability of coal seams, and possibly even high-quality clay and limonite deposits. If we can find and successfully mine them, our blast furnace project and our steel dream will have a solid resource foundation!"

Matthew's eyes sharpened; coal and iron ore were the food of the Industrial Revolution.

But he quickly calmed down and realized the risks involved: "I understand its strategic significance. But the wind-eroded highlands are far from us, the environment is unfamiliar, and more importantly, it is the traditional activity area of ​​barbarian tribes, so the risks should not be underestimated."

"Yes, the risks are indeed very high," Li Jianguo nodded frankly. "Therefore, we need to assemble a highly capable exploration team. I need a local guide familiar with wilderness survival, and even more so, an experienced and well-equipped armed escort squad. This matter is not urgent; we can wait until the threat to the Misty Mountains is completely eliminated and the military team is free to plan in detail."

Upon hearing this, Matthew turned to Conrad, who was intently studying the bricks, and asked, "Conrad, how much do you know about the wind-eroded highlands?"

Conrad paused for a moment, but then seemed to remember something and nodded, saying, "I know a little, Your Highness. Years ago, I served with the army in the Yaro River Valley on the edge of the wind-eroded highlands and had several dealings with the barbarian tribes there."

He paused, organizing his thoughts: "The environment there is harsh, mostly arid Gobi desert and broken hills, with strong winds and sandstorms, hence the name 'wind-eroded highlands.' Water is vital, and the main oases and valleys are controlled by several large barbarian tribes. They are fierce and skilled in horsemanship and archery, living by nomadic herding and raiding. Your Highness, you asked about this because…"

Matthew didn't hide anything and directly told Li Jianguo about his plan.

"I see." Conrad nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "I remember hearing in Ironrock City that several major tribes inside the Wind-Eroded Highlands are currently embroiled in internal strife and war. They're too busy to help themselves, which might be an opportunity for us. If we don't venture too far into the heartland and stir up trouble, I think the risks should be manageable."

After listening to Conrad's analysis, Matthew pondered for a moment. He thought the risk was worth taking, since finding coal or iron ore would be of great significance to Ember Ridge.

Matthew made up his mind and looked at Li Jianguo, saying, "Professor Li, you should continue to refine the exploration plan and prepare the necessary equipment. Once the military team completes its mission, we will immediately begin preparations for the exploration of the wind-eroded highlands."

"Okay, I'll formulate a work plan as soon as possible," Li Jianguo said with a smile.

For them, who are not facing a life-threatening situation, venturing out to find precious resources is not frightening; on the contrary, it is full of excitement and thrill in exploring the unknown.

Upon returning to the lord's manor after touring the territory, Matthew saw Will discussing something in hushed tones with the language team members, taking notes. The surrounding area was piled high with open books and scraps of paper covered in writing.

Through this period of study, Will has basically mastered everyday spoken English and most common Chinese characters.

Although his pronunciation is still quite poor, he can already understand a lot of Chinese.

The learning speed is truly astonishing.

Without disturbing Will and his team's work, Matthew went straight upstairs.

The sounds of heavy hammering and sawing wood could be heard intermittently; Matthew knew it was old John and his two sons renovating their lord's office.

As a lord, he cannot be without his own office.

Over the past two weeks, old John and his son have renovated the manor.

Many damaged doors, windows, floors, and ceilings have been repaired.

Although their skills cannot compare to those of Guo Shulin's top carpenters, they are more than capable of repairing houses.

Matthew returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, gently held the crystal pendant on his chest with his fingers, and closed his eyes.

Following the instructions given by the mysterious girl "Night Song" last night, I once again immersed my mind into the pendant.

Using it as a platform and guiding light, one can perceive the mana of the surrounding world, and everything will fall into place naturally.

In the air, those previously elusive, fleeting, and faint specks of light became clearer than ever before in his perception.

Moreover, he can clearly distinguish which mana particles he needs, just like his red blood cells can recognize oxygen.

Gradually, Matthew was no longer satisfied with just sensing and recognizing mana, but tried to communicate with and activate mana through the magic pendant.

Will once said that the ultimate goal of meditation practice is to guide these external manas into oneself and build a pool of magic power.

Following the theories and methods in the book, he began to imagine his mental energy as a gentle vortex, softly stirring the surrounding mana particles, trying to draw a small portion of it towards his mental energy vortex.

However, to Matthew's surprise, the free mana particles actually reacted and began to converge towards the pendant as he guided them.

Although the pendant would automatically absorb the surrounding mana particles to replenish its magic power.

But now, guided by his own mental power, the absorption speed and efficiency have greatly increased.

Not only that, Matthew also felt the magic in the pendant begin to flow into his body through his mental power.

What is this? Did it succeed?

……