The Arrival of the New Leaders

Chapter 88 The Arrival of the New Conquerors (Please Subscribe)

Thump—

Harold's heart skipped a beat, and he broke out in a cold sweat, feeling the tension of having his conspiracy exposed. Fortunately, he was quick-witted and reacted quickly. After a moment of stunned silence, he chuckled and said, "You jest, sir. Why would the Earl do such a thing? I suspect it was someone with ulterior motives, or perhaps some bandits disguised as our soldiers, sneaking in with ill intentions. Those bandits killed many of our soldiers and stole a lot of clothing and weapons."

"Are you really not one of yours? Why don't I take you to see them? We encountered a few more corpses later, also wearing your clothes. Those corpses shouldn't be decomposed yet." With that, Matthew pulled Harold eastward.

"No, no, that's impossible, sir. It's definitely not one of ours. Someone must be impersonating us with malicious intent. I'm a coward, and I'm afraid to see corpses."

"Well, it seems your Ironrock City soldiers have lost quite a few uniforms, huh?"

"Heh, yeah!" Harold chuckled dryly, his heart pounding with panic. He started thinking of an excuse to leave quickly, lest he say something that would only make things worse.

"According to your speculation, the aid supplies sent by Earl Kress have actually attracted the bandits. Isn't that a coincidence? Anyone who didn't know better would think that Ironrock City was trying to use our Ashstone Ridge as bait to lure the enemy out."

Matthew's words were startling, causing Harold's face to turn even paler. He stammered, waving his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, how... how could that be? We had no such intention, Baron. Rest assured, Lord Renault will certainly not allow those guys to threaten Emberstone Ridge. We will soon be able to completely wipe out those bandits."

"Haha, I was just kidding. Of course I believe Count Kress wouldn't risk my life and the eldest son of the Blackwood family's life. But you can rest assured, although my territory doesn't have many people, they've all crawled out of piles of corpses, and their fighting power is astonishing. The magical items the Blackwood family gave us are also quite useful. Not long ago, we drove away the goblins in those mountains. A few mere bandits dare to come to my territory, and I'll make sure they don't leave alive." By the end, Matthew's eyes were so cold they seemed capable of killing, sending a chill down Harold's spine, as if a knife were held to his throat.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and he gave another dry laugh: "Yes, the people of Jinshi Ridge are fierce and have extraordinary fighting power. With Young Master Will's help, you naturally have the strength to deal with the bandit gang."

"Yes, so please tell Young Master Renault and Count Kress that there's no need to worry. We at Emberstone Ridge are confident in facing any challenge."

"Yes, sir!" Harold nodded. He couldn't stay any longer and hastily changed the subject: "By the way, sir, the bandit suppression is a matter of great importance, and the military situation is urgent. I must return immediately to report to Young Master Renault. I won't bother you any longer!"

"Very well, then please take care on your journey."

Harold practically fled in panic, not daring to look at the construction site again. With his entourage, he spurred his horse and galloped out of Emberstone Ridge without looking back, his heart filled with boundless chill and a strong sense of foreboding.

His intuition told him that Matthew had already guessed their scheme and had given them a warning, and that he even had enough confidence to deal with the robbers.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the supplies they sent to Emberstone Ridge will not be retrieved, and may have even been converted into the city walls and military forces of Emberstone Ridge during this period.

He really didn't know how to report this information to Young Master Renault, fearing that he might do something foolish in his depression.

He's been having a lot of headaches lately because of the bandit gang and the goblins, and he's been reprimanded by the count one after another. If he's punished again now, it could lead to a serious mistake.

"Forget it, let's not tell him. At least, let's wait until he really deals with the bandit gang. If those bandits do go to plunder Emberstone Ridge, there might still be a chance then." Harold thought to himself, still holding onto a sliver of hope, after all, his informant had already been successfully sent to Emberstone Ridge.

He didn't believe Matthew could find the spy he had planted among the laborers.

"One thing is certain now: those goblins really did escape from the Misty Mountains. I never expected that Emberstone Ridge would actually drive those goblins away from their territory. It seems that the Blackwood family did help a lot in secret."

After Harold left, Matthew immediately summoned Sun Zhengwu and ordered him to arrange for the twenty laborers to be taken to the mountains and disposed of.

Sun Zhengwu initially thought they could use their advanced interrogation methods to find and eliminate the spies among them, but Matthew felt that would be too much of a waste of time, as time was too precious for Jinshiling at the moment.

Moreover, even if they are just ordinary laborers, the possibility of them being bought off by Ironrock City in the future cannot be ruled out.

He doesn't need to have twenty uncertain factors around him, and he certainly doesn't need to waste his energy and time on them.

On the contrary, their twenty lives could be exchanged for twenty new human summoning units, and for twenty more reliable and capable Earth craftsmen.

Sun Zhengwu didn't argue anymore. He understood Matthew's actions and knew that being soft-hearted towards the enemy was being cruel to oneself. In such extraordinary times and circumstances, Matthew's choice was perfectly reasonable.

Soon after, twenty more human summoned units appeared in the lord's manor.

Without much conversation, the twenty people dressed and quickly headed to their respective posts.

Meanwhile, Matthew continued to work with experts such as Zhang Hongjian and Wang Qinian to develop plans for coal mining and road construction.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Since Harold sent twenty laborers, Renault has not made any further moves, perhaps still naively waiting for the bandit group to take the bait.

Matthew also reduced the goblins' harassment of the villages southeast of Ironrock, concentrating manpower on coal mining and the construction of outposts.

As the exploration results showed, the coal seam was extremely shallow; in some areas, a single strike with a pickaxe would reveal shiny black coal chunks.

In seven days, they had opened up a preliminary mining area and built a simple road that was barely passable by horse-drawn carriages.

They also successfully transported the first truckload of coal back, which "added fuel" to the kilns and blacksmith's furnaces in the territory, greatly improving production efficiency.

The coal transportation route from the coal mine to Jinshiling has been basically opened up.

Next, all that's needed is to expand the scale of mining and improve transportation conditions.

That afternoon, a procession of more than ten planks and footmen, led by Knight Conrad and Old Sam, arrived at the border of Emberstone Ridge, dusty but orderly.

These people were Conrad's newly recruited "people," totaling more than 156. Although they were emaciated and ragged, their eyes were filled with both trepidation and anticipation as they looked toward the legendary "land of hope."

"We're almost there!" Conrad, who was walking at the front, said loudly.

His words immediately invigorated everyone, and joy and anticipation instantly appeared on the faces of these long-traveled and weary newcomers.

On the way back to Emberstone Ridge, Conrad had already told everyone the real purpose of this "recruitment".

After passing through Ironrock City, he gave everyone a general introduction to the situation of Emberstone Ridge and Matthew's identity.

It tells the story of how he transformed Emberstone Ridge into a new home.

Of course, he didn't go into some important details, especially about magical summons and goblins. After all, some things had to wait until they returned to Emberstone Ridge to talk about them, so as not to reveal secrets.

As the group rounded the last ridge, the entire panorama of Jinshi Ridge suddenly came into view, and an uncontrollable burst of suppressed gasps and commotion erupted from the crowd.

All eyes turned to Emberstone Ridge, knowing that it would be their new home.

The veteran Aloy, who was walking at the front, suddenly straightened his back and looked eagerly at Emberstone Ridge. His eyes, which had been through countless life and death experiences and had long lost most of their luster, widened instantly.

He stared intently at the tall city wall in the distance, which was already taking shape and shimmering with a grayish-yellow hue in the setting sun, as well as the many figures still building the wall, a hint of joy appearing on his lips.

"We've finally arrived!"

But soon he noticed the busy figures on and below the city walls—among them, besides ordinary human laborers, there were also a large number of goblins.

Some of them were laboriously carrying huge stones, some were mixing mortar, and some were even standing on scaffolding, working with human craftsmen to build walls.

Even more incredibly, these goblins, though clumsy, moved in an orderly fashion, showing none of the chaos and ferocity of wild goblins. Instead, they resembled—a group of strictly disciplined laborers.

"My lord, are those goblins?" Eloi asked Conrad, somewhat incredulously.

He was a veteran of countless battles and had seen far too many goblins, those creatures who were synonymous with plunder, slaughter, and chaos.

The scene before him, which defied all expectations, shocked him even more than seeing a complete castle.

The other citizens also noticed the goblins and were surprised and even panicked, causing a commotion to break out.

Conrad had anticipated this.

He immediately turned his horse around, faced the agitated crowd, raised his hand, and in a booming voice imbued with fighting spirit, silenced all the noise: "Silence! Everyone, quiet!"

His voice, like a rock, carried an unquestionable authority, temporarily quelling the panic of the crowd.

All sorts of gazes, filled with a variety of emotions, focused on him.

Conrad's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said in a calm and clear voice, "Gentlemen! Do not panic! What you are seeing are magical creatures summoned by our esteemed Lord Matthew. They are powerful and intelligent magical creations, not savage and brutal wild goblins!"

"A magical creation?" Everyone was stunned.

“That’s right!” Conrad continued to explain, “The Baron was not only a prince, but also a magician. These goblins are magical servants that the Baron summoned from another plane. They brought safety to Emberstone Ridge and many incredible technologies. You will know how extraordinary they are as you get to know them.”

Upon hearing Conrad's words, everyone's tense mood relaxed, and their initial surprise turned into curiosity and delight.

They didn't know much and only believed what they saw and heard. Conrad's care for them and the character he showed along the way convinced them completely, so they didn't doubt what he said.

Moreover, they could see that the goblins were indeed building the city walls, working in perfect harmony, and were definitely not those savage monsters.

Moreover, all of this also illustrates an exciting fact for them: Lord Matthew is indeed a very powerful lord.

Becoming his subjects might truly allow them to survive and have a completely new life.

[Thanks to the bosses for the monthly votes]