Chapter Four: Scrolls Are Wonderful Things!

Although Sun Li’s army appeared rather poorly equipped, it still had its share of advantages. For one, they required no pay and were satisfied as long as they were fed. In a pinch, they could even be sent to battle on empty stomachs; at most, their combat strength would be somewhat diminished. There was absolutely no need to worry about mutiny or the dreadful possibility of the troops turning on their commander.

Glancing at the camp, Sun Li saw that, after being worked to exhaustion by their lord the night before, barely half the peasants were awake, and even those few looked utterly dispirited. He promptly abandoned the thought of sending the militia to the battlefield.

“It seems I’ll have to treat the peasants on my land better from now on. Though their loyalty is beyond question, manpower is ultimately limited, and having them falter at a critical moment could be fatal,” Sun Li mused, his conscience stirring as he resolved to become a more benevolent lord.

Thus, facing him was a horde of green-skinned dwarfs—creatures Sun Li called goblins—brandishing an assortment of ‘weapons’: sticks, branches, cleavers, stones, and the like, all the while howling and charging at Sun Li’s band of twenty. On the street, these goblins would have been elite enforcers in any turf war—their speed, their cries—enough to halve the morale of any rival gang.

“Spearmen, ready your weapons and form ranks. Foot archers, prepare to fire—shoot at will once they’re within range.” Sun Li’s meager knowledge of military tactics allowed him to issue only these basic commands.

Yet the results exceeded his expectations. As the goblins entered within a hundred paces, the foot archers let loose two volleys—just twenty arrows in all—and seven or eight goblins fell where they stood, nearly half their number. The survivors were thrown into utter confusion. The quick-witted among them turned and fled, moving faster than they had when charging in; the slower ones stood dazed, unable to believe so many of their kin had been felled so swiftly. A few, perhaps scared witless, ran straight onto the spears.

Naturally, Sun Li ordered a full assault, and what followed was the familiar spectacle of carnage. Sun Li couldn’t help but sigh, “Too few of these little dwarfs came—still, thrashing goblins is truly satisfying.”

Though several goblins managed to escape, the battle yielded fifteen point tokens and a few unidentified minerals—perhaps their currency? It hardly mattered, as they could be exchanged for gold coins, which delighted the lord to no end.

Post-battle summary: zero casualties, fifteen point tokens, and ten gold coins. For a homebody lord who had never fought before, this was a powerful confidence boost. “If even the lowest-tier troops of the Nomadic Age can crush an equal number of enemies, won’t I be invincible after I upgrade? Heh heh heh,” Sun Li fantasized gleefully.

After the fight, Sun Li counted the bodies and discovered that each life was worth one point token; it seemed these tokens were quite valuable.

“Xiaobai, what can these tokens be exchanged for? And how does the lifespan exchange work?”

“Ten tokens can be exchanged for an ordinary scout cavalryman—though their combat strength is very low. One hundred tokens can extend the host’s lifespan by one day. A thousand tokens can significantly enhance the host’s strength, agility, and reaction speed, raising them to the physical level of an elite infantryman. In this battle, five foot archers have been promoted to elite archers (since most of the enemies were killed by arrows), and one spearman has become an elite spearman,” Xiaobai replied.

“That’s so expensive! My one day of life could buy ten cavalrymen. Xiaobai, are you trying to trick me again?” Sun Li protested.

“Point tokens are, in fact, life force. When the system and the lord kill natives of this plane, it’s equivalent to seizing their life force. That life force is then used to create units that ignore technological levels. But since you, my lord, are wise, noble, dashing, and elegant, your life is naturally far more precious than that of ordinary soldiers. So it’s only fitting that it costs more,” Xiaobai replied, having clearly learned how to appease the lord.

“Hmm, although you’re usually unreliable, that explanation makes sense for once. Not bad, not bad. Heh heh. Now, how does the elite unit upgrade work?” Sun Li accepted Xiaobai’s explanation without hesitation.

“When units kill enemies in battle, they level up. The ranks are: elite, squad leader, and commander. Reaching elite is easiest; progressing further becomes more difficult. The greatest benefit of leveling up is the increase in intelligence and combat experience. Elite units gain basic combat awareness and more battle experience, making survival on the battlefield more likely. Squad leaders become indistinguishable from normal people and are adept at leading small-scale engagements, similar to team, squad, or platoon leaders in your previous life—prime candidates for junior officers. Commanders are seasoned military men with extensive war experience; when promoted to this level, the system will instill all known tactics and battle cases into them. They are now qualified to lead troops and will be invaluable aides in your future expansion,” Xiaobai explained.

With a few more battles, I won’t have to be on the front lines myself, Sun Li thought.

“Warning: Several enemies escaped the last fight. To prevent them from returning with reinforcements for revenge, the lord is advised to immediately establish an army to defend against external threats.”

The battle, though a one-sided slaughter, had been bloody enough to remind Sun Li that everything here was real—death was final. Upon hearing the warning, he immediately became alert and set about building an army. “Let’s recruit a scout cavalryman first. If danger arises, we’ll have advance warning, and escaping will be safer.”

Once the cavalryman was dispatched, Sun Li stayed in the barracks until nightfall.

“Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the novice quest. All Nomadic Age buildings have been constructed, and the army now numbers one hundred. System reward: population cap increased to one thousand. Now issuing the Feudal Era upgrade quest: reach a population of one thousand, annihilate or capture more than five thousand enemies, and destroy at least one medium-sized tribe. Quest reward: advancement to the Feudal Era, after which all buildings’ defenses will be enhanced, and all cold weapon units and equipment will be unlocked.”

“At last, I’m out of the rookie phase. From here on, it’s a journey of mass recruitment and conquest. War truly stirs the blood!” Sun Li clasped his hands behind his back, posing at a forty-five-degree angle and gazing dramatically across the distant plains.

“Produce four hundred and fifty spearmen to form a company, two hundred and fifty foot archers to make three squads, and one hundred swordsmen for show. That should do for now. By morning, I’ll have a proper army,” he mused, his ideas of ancient military structure perhaps shaped more by old movies than by historical fact.

As Sun Li drifted into a sweet dream of uniting the world, several battered goblins were wailing to their tribal chief. As expected, the not-so-bright orc leader swore vengeance. In the plains, an orc tribe of over two thousand—every member a warrior—began to prepare for war.