"Ding! The Lord System has been bound!"
"Identity integration: Reiner Morland."
"Age: 16."
"Politics: 50 (maximum: 100)."
"Health: 95."
"Current territory buildings: None."
"Current prestige: None."
"Current subordinates: None."
"Current title: None."
"Current army: 60 armed soldiers, 20 archers."
"Current territory: Morland Castle."
"Current family: Morland."
"New player benefits issued!"
"Imperial standard gold coins ×5."
"Crimson Gryphon Knights ×5."
"High-quality Cold-Climate Wheat seeds ×10 bags."
"High-quality warhorses ×5."
"Water Mill Blueprint ×1."
"Honorable Lord, enjoy the game. If you have any questions, please consult the system tutorial!"
Li Dian's mind was a complete haze. A sudden cool sensation restored his clarity, and he opened his heavy eyelids.
He rubbed his still-aching head and muttered groggily, "What a strange dream."
"Why does my head hurt so much?" The discomfort left him puzzled. "Could I have died suddenly while gaming?"
As a veteran gamer, he often stayed up all night playing games. Although he was terrified of dying suddenly, he still couldn't resist the temptation of games.
With his eyes half narrowed, he walked toward the door, not even noticing that the surroundings around him had completely changed.
"Creak!" A grating sound rang out, and Li Dian's skin broke out in goosebumps.
His eyes, which had not seen sunlight in a long time, were extremely uncomfortable with the brightness. He squinted and slowly adjusted to the sunlight outside.
Although he had not fully opened his eyes, everything before him was clearly unfamiliar. The cluttered hallway he knew was nowhere to be seen. He seemed to be standing on a stone terrace, with bright sunlight shining down upon him.
In the distance were stretches of pale yellow wheat tinged with green, but even more abundant were broad expanses of grass. Cows occasionally wandered along the riverbank, leaving piles of dung behind as they ambled about leisurely.
Not far away, a flock of white sheep passed by. There seemed to be around a hundred of them, wandering in every direction under the shepherd's direction.
Just then, two armored men suddenly turned around. Seeing that he had awakened, they said delightedly, "Thank the Holy Father! Praise the Holy Father! Baron, you've finally awakened! Those lawless bastards who deserve to go to hell will be hanged from the gallows by Baron sooner or later!"
Looking at the two men, Li Dian felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. "Rad, Bell?"
"Yes, my lord. I'll immediately spread the news of your awakening to everyone, so they can pray to the Holy Father for your recovery as well!"
With that, the two men ran off the terrace at full speed.
As Li Dian watched those two departing figures, fragmented memories gradually surfaced in his mind along with the faint pain in his head.
"Reiner Morland..."
He murmured, "Could it be... that I've transmigrated?" Immediately afterward, a wave of wild joy surged through his heart.
As a straight-laced man and a gaming otaku, he loved playing games. Unlike most people, he was utterly obsessed with single-player games.
The Medieval series, the Rome series, the Age of Empires series, the Stronghold series, the Attila series, Mount & Blade, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and even niche Paradox games like The Kingdom's Turmoil were all among his favorites.
As an orphan, he usually had little social interaction. Aside from rent, utilities, and other necessities, he spent his entire salary on games. After reading countless novels as well, he had an extreme longing for transmigration.
Considering all the signs, Li Dian—or rather, Reiner—was completely certain that he had transmigrated.
He felt not the slightest bit of attachment to his former world. Instead, he was filled with anticipation for life here.
"So that means the voice just now wasn't an illusion?"
Reiner's heart pounded. If it had not been an illusion, then it meant he really possessed the system cheat of the protagonist in a transmigration novel.
"With such an overpowered cheat system, how could I remain ordinary?" Reiner thought.
"System?" he tentatively called out. If this thing truly existed, then he would practically be invincible.
"Yes, honorable lord. Please issue your command!"
A mechanical electronic voice devoid of emotion rang out in Reiner's mind.
His hand slammed into the hard stone wall. He clenched his teeth tightly to keep from shouting, and the joy in his heart nearly burst through the heavens.
"Why did I appear here?" Restraining the urge to cheer, Reiner asked. He still wanted to understand why he had appeared here.
"An explosion in multidimensional space caused the game data in your computer to materialize. That is how I came into existence. My mission is to help you become a powerful lord in this world and create your own glory."
"What can I do right now?" Reiner nodded, then asked excitedly.
"Reporting to the lord, you currently have the following items available for materialization!"
Reiner looked at the string of text and accompanying images before him, feeling as though a blazing fire were burning in his heart.
Suppressing his excitement, he said to the system in a trembling voice, "In three days... materialize five Crimson Gryphon Knights!"
"As you command, my lord. Five Crimson Gryphon Knights will join your forces in three days under a reasonable pretext!" The system answered in the same emotionless mechanical voice.
"Wait!" Reiner suddenly realized something. He seemed to have been unconscious, and it had been caused by human factors. Could there be some hidden circumstances he did not know about?
Just then, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded, and several people ran up onto the terrace.
At the front was a man dressed in ordinary clothes. He looked somewhat similar to Reiner and was probably one of his relatives.
Behind him came a boy of around thirteen or fourteen, a girl of seven or eight, and several sword-wielding knights in light armor.
"Praise the Holy Father, Little Reiner! You've finally awakened!" the woman said excitedly. From the previous owner's memories, Reiner knew that she was the body's mother.
"Excellent! It's good that you're awake! I'll definitely lead the army to wipe out those damned bandits!" The middle-aged man came before Reiner and slapped him on the shoulder with his broad palm, speaking angrily. He then composed himself and began carefully examining his nephew, who had left home to travel at the age of twelve and had now grown almost as tall as him.
As Reiner's father's brother, he had taken over part of the territory's affairs after his brother's accidental death, assisting Reiner's mother in managing the territory.
He was utterly loyal to Reiner's family. Reiner had some impression of this upright uncle from the body's memories, so he did not reject the practically unfamiliar man before him.
"Brother Reiner! You've finally awakened! I thought... I thought something had happened to you!" The young boy behind him constantly wiped away his tears and sobbed. It was clear that he had a close bond with the body.
"Ha! Of course nothing would happen to me!" Reiner rubbed the back of his head, which still ached faintly from sleeping.
"But what about you, Little Wend? Have you been practicing your swordsmanship diligently these past few years while I was away?"
"Of course I have! One day, I'll become a qualified knight!" He stopped sobbing and spoke in a slightly choked yet exceptionally resolute voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, the knights beside him burst into laughter. Reiner's mother also smiled through her tears and rubbed his little head. "Little Wend will become your brother's finest knight, won't he?"
He was Reiner's biological younger brother, born to the same father and mother.
At that moment, the little girl beside them was watching everything before her timidly.
Seeing this, Reiner endured his weakness, supported himself as he got out of bed, and walked over to the girl. He crouched down, patted her head, and said gently, "You must be our little Fiana. Do you still remember Brother Reiner?"
Reiner's memories were becoming clearer and clearer. Reiner was sixteen that year. He had left home at twelve, meaning he had been away for four years. Fiana had only been four at the time, so it was difficult for her to feel close to him.
Fiana looked at the unfamiliar yet familiar person before her and nodded cautiously. In a childish voice, she said, "I remember!"
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