Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Matthew calmed himself down and carefully savored the wonderful connection he had just experienced.

Although it cannot be 100% certain whether the mana that was just guided originated purely from oneself or was obtained through the pendant's "power," one undeniable fact remains—one has successfully guided mana into one's own body.

"In any case, I've taken the first step." He was resolute in his heart, no longer dwelling on the pure source of the power, but decisively continuing to guide mana into his body according to the method in "Introduction to the Fundamentals of Magic".

According to Will, this is also an extremely difficult process, no less so than perceiving and guiding mana.

It is also a chasm that blocks many people from pursuing the path of magic.

Unexpectedly, Matthew's construction of the magic pool progressed very smoothly, as if everything had fallen into place naturally.

Guided by his mental power, he easily constructed a magic pool resembling a spell model, which then operated stably.

This signifies that one has entered the field and, theoretically, is already considered an apprentice-level mage.

Of course, in reality, he would also need to master at least one zero-ring spell and be able to cast it successfully.

But I've already completed the most difficult part, so the rest are not a problem.

"It really worked!" Matthew was overjoyed. He never expected that something that would be impossible for most people would be accomplished so easily by him.

All I can say is that having a cheat code makes all the difference.

Moreover, during the process, Matthew was surprised to find that he seemed to be able to "accelerate" the recovery of magic power within the magic pendant through his mental power.

Although the magic pendant can absorb mana from the world to replenish its "magic pool," the speed is not fast, at least not as efficient as when Matthew just used his mental power to drive it.

"This means that as long as I don't actively channel magic into my body, I can actively and quickly recharge the pendant, greatly increasing its magic recovery speed!" Matthew was overjoyed; this was undoubtedly a strategic discovery.

This will result in a qualitative leap in the number of summoned creatures and their endurance.

To verify this idea, Matthew experimented again, and sure enough, as long as he did not actively guide the magic into his body, he could indeed greatly increase the rate at which the magic pendant absorbed mana and replenished magic by relying on his own mental power.

"Great, it seems I can summon more manpower in the future." Matthew couldn't help but think about the issue of manpower in the territory again.

After the military team wipes out the two goblin tribes tonight, I will obtain a large amount of life essence.

There should be an opportunity to summon another ten or eight goblins to replenish the workforce of Emberstone Ridge.

Furthermore, they could later form a dedicated Expeditions squad to roam the Misty Mountains and continue hunting goblins to replenish their life essence.

They might even try to hunt down more powerful humanoid creatures, or the barbarians on the wind-eroded highlands, to help them unlock more powerful racial gene templates.

Of course, summoned units are ultimately just summoned units; introducing new citizens remains an indispensable approach.

Matthew once again pulled himself together and tried to rely entirely on his own mental power to sense and absorb mana from the outside world.

The result was obvious—the process became extremely difficult, and the efficiency was vastly different compared to when using the pendant.

Faced with this huge difference, Matthew simply smiled calmly, his heart unmoved.

"Since you have a cheat code, why not use it?"

He does not rely on external factors, but rationally chooses the optimal solution.

Tools are an extension of power, and using tools well is a manifestation of wisdom.

He quickly clarified his future cultivation path.

Every day, the pendant acts as a highly efficient "energy gatherer" and "purifier," first quickly absorbing and purifying external mana to replenish its reserves, and then guiding pure and gentle energy from it to safely expand and deepen its own magic pool.

Once he made up his mind, he stopped hesitating and immediately used his mental power to drive the pendant to frantically absorb the surrounding mana to replenish its magic power.

However, before noon, he already felt his mental energy was greatly depleted and he was quite exhausted, so he had to stop.

After a short rest, Matthew began to channel the magic from the pendant into his body, expanding his magic pool.

This internalization process is very easy and does not consume much mental energy.

The magic within the pendant is like refined pure water, gentle and easy to control.

They flowed into the magic pool, expanding its magical reserves while also nourishing his spirit.

This confirms the theory in the book: magic and spiritual power are two sides of the same coin, nourishing each other.

Powerful magic requires a resilient spirit to wield, and the growth of the spirit also needs the nurturing of magic.

During a break to rest and recover his mental energy, Matthew once again immersed himself in the magical tomes provided by Will, focusing on the section on "spell construction".

Through his own practice, he gained a deeper understanding of the principles of spellcasting:

First, there is the energy source. The spellcaster's own mana pool is the core energy source that drives the spell, just like fuel for an engine.

Secondly, there are blueprints, which are spell models.

Every spell, regardless of its rank, has a spell model of varying complexity.

This model is not a physical entity, but rather an "energy circuit" or "formula" constructed in consciousness by spiritual power, describing how magic operates, combines, and resonates with the external mana field.

It determines the spell's final effect, form, range, and power.

When casting a spell, the caster must concentrate and first perfectly visualize the model of the spell in their mind. Then, they must draw magic power from the magic pool and circulate it along the "circuit" of this model.

The moment the model is completed and the magic is fully charged, the spell is "shaped" and released through gestures, language, or pure mental power...

Immersed in the ocean of magical knowledge, Matthew seemed to forget the passage of time.

When he came to his senses again, it was already dusk, and the afterglow of the setting sun had bathed the room in a warm golden light.

"It's already this late!" Matthew stretched his body, but he didn't intend to rest.

Instead, they decided to make their first real attempt at casting the spell.

His chosen target was the most basic zero-ring spell recorded in the scriptures—the Light of Dawn.

The spell's model is relatively simple; its effect is simply to gather light elements and create a small, stable light source at the fingertips for illumination.

He took a deep breath, cleared his mind of distractions, and immersed his consciousness in the magic pool. Then, following the description in the book, he meticulously sketched the model of the shimmering light spell in his mind with his mental power.

It was an extremely simple yet highly precise light energy converging structure.

Just like when he built the magic pool, this process was not difficult for him either, and the spell model for the shimmering light spell was easily constructed.

At the same time, with a thought, he drew a thin stream of magic from the magic pool and precisely injected it into the model.

hum...

A barely audible, faint tremor resounded deep within Matthew's senses.

He subconsciously raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

A faint yet pure white halo, like the gentlest star in the night sky, suddenly lit up at his fingertips.

The halo steadily emitted light, dispelling the gloom in one corner of the room.

It worked!

Matthew gazed at the ball of light he had created at his fingertips, feeling not ecstasy, but a serene enlightenment and a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

This is more than just a lighting spell; it proves that he has truly entered the realm of magic and understood the rules governing the workings of power.

From sensing mana to gathering magic power, to constructing a model, and finally successfully casting the spell—he completed a complete breakthrough from zero to one.

And this only took one day.

This speed is astonishing even in the entire Kingdom of Augustus, and would be considered top genius even in those mage towers.

During dinner, Will brought up the matter of learning magic again: "Your Highness, after I finish tallying the work points of my subjects, I will come to see you, and we will continue our meditation practice!"

"Ahem, well... we might not need it for now, Will. I'm already an apprentice-level mage!" Matthew said truthfully.

……