Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Matthew's words stunned Will for a moment, and he even wondered if he had misheard.

"Your Highness, you said you've already become an apprentice-level mage?"

Matthew didn't answer, but simply smiled, extended his right hand, and cast the shimmering light spell.

The soft, steady light shone on Will's wide-eyed stare and his face, which was filled with surprise.

"Great God of Light!" Will murmured unconsciously, his breath catching in his throat.

He suddenly stood up, somewhat flustered, grabbed Matthew's hand, leaned closer, and stared intently at the ball of light, as if trying to confirm whether he was dreaming.

"Zero-ring spell—Twilight! Your Highness, you've truly become an apprentice-level mage! This is unbelievable!"

He looked up at Matthew, his eyes filled with extreme shock, having temporarily forgotten all manners.

"You only started meditating yesterday evening, in just one day... no, half a day! This... even those geniuses hailed as once-in-a-century talents in the Mage Tower could never achieve this!"

Of course, besides being shocked, Will was mostly happy for Matthew. He took a deep breath, tried to calm his excited emotions, sat down again, and showed a genuine smile on his face.

"Your Highness, please forgive my lapse in composure. I should have realized it sooner... To be able to wield such a wondrous magical pendant, you are destined for greatness. But this speed still exceeds even my wildest imagination." His tone was full of emotion.

"I am truly happy for you; you are destined to become a great magician and a great lord."

Matthew dispelled the spell, the light at his fingertips fading. He smiled gently, his tone calm and candid: "Will, there's no need to be so surprised. To be honest, it's not entirely my own talent. As you guessed before, it was this pendant that helped me. It was like a top-tier mentor, greatly accelerating my process of sensing mana and building my magic pool."

His decision to be honest was both a sign of his trust in Will and a way to avoid potential misunderstandings in the future.

"Your Highness, you are too modest. Perhaps your magic pendant is extraordinary, but the fact that you can wield it is proof of your exceptional talent." Will looked at Matthew with envy and admiration, but even more so with joy and anticipation. He believed that he might witness the birth of a legend.

Matthew smiled, no longer dwelling on the matter, and instead said, "However, this is only the first step. There is still so much I need to learn about the deeper principles of spell models, the application of runes, the arrangement of magic circles, and so on. In this regard, you remain my most important mentor."

Upon hearing this, Will immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and felt a heavy sense of mission and honor in addition to his joy: "Your Highness, you flatter me. It is my greatest honor to be able to offer you some small assistance. I swear to the God of Light that I will do my utmost to help you master the power of magic more quickly."

After dinner, Matthew summoned the "reinforcements" as agreed, consisting of 61 combatants led by Wu Ronghui.

Upon their arrival, they immediately and spontaneously assembled in small teams, moving swiftly and in perfect unison.

Just then, Wu Ronghui, the goblin leader, walked out of the lord's mansion. He first listened to the squad leaders report their numbers, then turned to face Matthew, gave a standard military salute, and said, "Comrade Matthew, the reinforcements have all arrived. Please give your instructions!"

"Team Leader Wu, the rest is up to you." Matthew nodded in return and said in a deep voice, "Proceed according to the plan, be careful, and I'll be waiting for your good news."

"Yes! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Wu Ronghui's voice was firm and powerful.

He turned again to face the assembled team, and without any further mobilization, gave the order directly. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears: "Everyone, collect your equipment and prepare for action."

The six squads sprang into action, entering the lord's armory in an orderly fashion to collect their respective weapons and equipment.

Then, led by Wu Ronghui, they quickly ran towards the Misty Mountains.

The locals they encountered along the way all looked at them with respect, and a few boys even gave the warrior squad a standard military salute—a salute they had imitated by observing the goblin warriors' words and actions over the past few days.

After Wu Ronghui and the others left, Matthew held a meeting with the non-military group leaders, followed by a call for personnel rotation.

After finishing all this, Matthew returned to his room, picked up the book "Spell Models and Practical Rune Quick Reference" again, and glanced at the Light Spell he had already mastered, as well as the Cleanse Spell that he wasn't particularly interested in.

Finally, they settled on the next highly attractive spell—Mage Hand.

The book explains that the mage's hand is not a physical hand, but an invisible "force field" hand constructed from magic and mental power, similar to a kind of telekinesis.

It can be seen as an extension of spirit and energy, without a fixed form, and is not afraid of fire, cold, or ordinary corrosion. It is the basis for mages to handle materials and perform precise operations.

Many advanced force field spells are evolved from this.

The model for Mage's Hand is also the most difficult of all zero-ring spells, even comparable to first-ring spells.

It is listed as a zero-ring spell because it is indispensable for various activities such as potion making, scroll copying, alchemy, and enchanting.

It is far more than just a simple trick of "retrieving objects from a distance"; its core lies in "an invisible force field" and "precise operation".

It is no exaggeration to say that this is the cornerstone of the path to becoming a mage.

That's why it was forcibly included in the zero-ring spell category, serving as a "required course" for all apprentice-level mages.

After reading the introduction to the Wizard's Hand, Matthew suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and an idea came to mind.

He had previously discussed steam engines with Professor Zhang Hongjian and others, as they were a crucial power source for initiating industrialization.

However, the outcome of the exchange was a cold shower for him.

Realizing a practical steam engine was far more difficult than he had imagined; it was nothing like the romantic stories in novels where a few blacksmiths could easily make it happen by hammering and forging.

Whether it's material strength, sealing performance, or the near-obsessive machining precision required for core components like cylinders, each challenge presents formidable obstacles.

Firstly, in terms of materials, the boiler and cylinder of a steam engine require high-strength metals that can withstand high temperatures and pressures.

Ordinary smelted pig iron is too brittle and is prone to bursting under repeated steam impacts, causing catastrophic accidents.

Secondly, airtightness is required, necessitating a material that can maintain elasticity, wear resistance, and resistance to aging under high temperature and high pressure.

The above two points are not the most difficult; the blast furnace that is about to be built and some monster hides can solve the above problems.

The most difficult part is still the issue of accuracy.

The "roundness" of the cylinder is the most fatal bottleneck.

The efficiency of a steam engine depends to a great extent on whether the inner wall of the cylinder is absolutely smooth, straight, and perfectly cylindrical.

Even the slightest bump or taper can cause steam leakage, a sudden drop in pressure, and make the machine inefficient or even unable to operate at all.

Therefore, cylinders made solely by blacksmiths through manual forging and boring cannot meet the required precision.

Professor Zhang once helplessly compared it to asking the best sculptor to carve a pattern inside an iron pipe while blindfolded, with an error margin not exceeding the thickness of a single hair. With our current technology, it is almost an impossible task.

but……

"What if... I could use my magic to intervene and guide the casting process itself at the crucial moment when the metal is still molten and about to solidify at the very beginning of the casting process?" Matthew imagined wildly.

Traditional casting involves pouring molten metal into a sand mold or die and then leaving it to cool and solidify naturally.

During this process, internal defects such as bubbles, pinholes, and impurity segregation will inevitably occur.

Internal stress, shrinkage cavities, deformation caused by uneven cooling rates in different parts, and roughness resulting from the contact between the casting surface and the mold.

If the "Mage's Hand" can be applied to liquid or semi-solid metals, it will revolutionize the casting process.

……