The days passed with clear purpose.
From the first morning, Liam could feel it. Ridgebrook was changing. There was no panic, no celebration—just steady movement. Everyone worked as if they knew something important was coming, even if they didn't know what.
The system timer stayed quiet in the corner of Liam's vision.
Twenty-five days.
He didn't mention it. He didn't need to. Sun Tzu was already acting like he could feel the pressure of time.
The first five days were about fixing disorder.
Work schedules were rewritten. Guard shifts were balanced. Training times were fixed and strictly followed. Leonardo divided the workers into clear groups—builders, carriers, repair teams—so no one wasted time standing around. Bazalgette walked the town daily, checking roads, drains, and weak structures, correcting problems before they grew.
Nothing dramatic happened, but Ridgebrook became smoother. Fewer arguments. Fewer mistakes. By the fifth day, the town felt more stable.
From the sixth day onward, training became harder.
Leonidas took charge of discipline and basic combat. Khalid pushed endurance, forcing soldiers to move longer and faster. Alexander focused on formations and quick response to commands. Lapu-Lapu taught survival—when to fight, when to move, and when to retreat.
Rasputin stayed close, treating bruises and strained muscles, complaining while he worked. No one quit.
By the twelfth day, change was obvious. Soldiers moved with better balance. Their breathing steadied. Qi began to circulate more naturally, even among those who barely understood it.
The breakthrough came on the thirteenth day.
A soldier collapsed after training—not injured, just exhausted. When he stood again, his presence had changed. His posture was firmer. His body felt heavier.
Rank 1.
Sun Tzu ordered rest for the day, but momentum had already begun. Over the next four days, twenty soldiers crossed the threshold. Each breakthrough came from effort and discipline, not luck.
Rank 0 numbers dropped as Rank 1 numbers rose. No new people joined. These were the same soldiers, simply stronger.
Confidence spread through the town.
Guards stood straighter. Patrols moved with purpose. Civilians noticed the difference and felt safer walking the streets.
Days eighteen to twenty-one were the hardest.
Training resumed with sharper focus. Khalid demonstrated battlefield movement again and again. Alexander tested how fast squads could react under pressure. Lapu-Lapu watched silently, correcting mistakes with short words and calm authority.
By the end of the twenty-first day, thirty more soldiers broke through.
Fifty in total.
Sun Tzu finally slowed the pace.
"Strength without control leads to failure," he said calmly.
The final days were for recovery and balance.
Training eased. Weapons were cleaned. Formations were reviewed. Barracks were nearly finished. Food storage was expanded just enough to stay ahead of demand. Leonardo finalized short-term construction plans, already thinking about the next phase.
On the twenty-fourth day, there was no training.
Soldiers rested. Armor was repaired. The town was quiet.
That night, Liam checked the system.
One day remaining.
He stood on the wall, watching torchlight reflect on stone and wood. Ridgebrook was no longer fragile. It wasn't a fortress yet—but it was becoming something solid.
Tomorrow, someone new would arrive.
And everything would change.
The summon happened the next morning.
Liam woke before sunrise, already aware of the system's quiet presence. The countdown was gone. In its place was a single, steady message.
Summon available.
He didn't rush, but he didn't delay either. After a brief wash and a simple meal, Liam headed to the inner yard that had become the designated summoning space. The guards cleared the area without needing explanation. By now, this had become routine—rare, but understood.
The air shifted.
It wasn't dramatic. No thunder, no light. Just a pressure, like the ground tightening for a brief moment.
Then someone stood there.
The man was solidly built, middle-aged, with sharp eyes that missed nothing. His clothes were simple and practical, suited for work rather than war. He looked around calmly, taking in the walls, the ground, the layout of the yard.
Georgius Agricola.
He drew a slow breath and nodded to himself. "This is not my world," he said, more as an observation than surprise.
Leonidas arrived first, followed by Khalid and Alexander. Sun Tzu approached quietly, with Leonardo and Bazalgette close behind. They formed a loose circle, studying the newcomer.
"You were summoned," Liam said. "We need your knowledge."
Agricola's gaze moved from Liam to the stonework, the construction lines, the distant sound of labor. "Rapid expansion," he said. "Unbalanced, but improving. You're building faster than your foundations would normally allow."
Leonardo smiled. "I like him already."
Sun Tzu stepped forward. "We recently discovered a sealed mine. Deep underground. Abandoned by choice."
That caught Agricola's full attention.
"Describe it," he said.
Lapu-Lapu joined them and spoke clearly. He explained the tunnels, the wide chamber, the veins of unknown material, and the Rank 5 monster corpse that had died naturally. He made it clear that nothing had been taken and the mine had been concealed.
Agricola listened without interruption.
When the report ended, he nodded once. "You made the correct choice."
Bazalgette added, "We agreed extraction would be dangerous without preparation."
"Dangerous is an understatement," Agricola replied. "Unknown ore brings unknown risks—gas, collapse, poison, pressure. A mine abandoned deliberately is a warning, not an invitation."
Alexander crossed his arms. "So what do we do?"
Agricola looked at him calmly. "We learn first. Survey. Measure. Plan. You don't mine strength—you build toward it."
Leonardo leaned in, eyes bright. "With time, then?"
"With patience," Agricola corrected. "Time alone is useless without discipline."
Sun Tzu smiled faintly. "You will be valuable here."
Agricola turned to Liam. "Only if you listen."
Liam answered without hesitation. "I will."
Agricola nodded, satisfied.
As the group dispersed, Liam understood something important. The mine was no longer just a secret buried underground. It was now a long-term project, finally paired with the right kind of mind.
Strength had protected Ridgebrook so far.
But knowledge would decide its future.
LEDGER
Population:
- Total: 1,940
Army:
- Total Soldiers: 198
- Rank 2: 5
- Rank 1: 150
- Rank 0: 43
Casualties:
- Rank 0 KIA: 0
- Rank 1 KIA: 0
- Rank 2+ KIA: 0
- Civilian Deaths: 0
Resources:
- Gold: 1,910
Construction Status:
- Phase II: Near completion
- Phase III: Active preparation
Strategic Notes:
- Sealed mine confirmed concealed
- Unknown ore identified (no extraction, no samples)
- Georgius Agricola summoned for mining & ore expertise
- Long-term survey and planning authorized only
System Status:
- Summon Cooldown: 30 days remaining
SUMMON ROSTER
- Vlad III "the Impaler" — Peak Rank 4
- Leonidas — Rank 4 (Peak)
- Khalid ibn al-Walid — Rank 4
- Alexander the Great — Rank 3
- Lapu-Lapu — Rank 3
- Rasputin — Rank 2
- Sun Tzu — Rank 1
- Leonardo da Vinci — Rank 1
- Joseph Bazalgette — Rank 1
- Georgius Agricola — Rank 1