Start from the golden desert

On the sacred continent, in the heart of the Karar Desert, nestled by the sapphire lake of the Golden Oasis, three figures stood beneath a lush date palm. A young man, an elderly butler, and a pretty young maid.

"The day we fled the capital, I heard the voice of the gods," the young man declared. "I am destined to become the herald of the gods, to raise the banner of faith, to destroy the kingdom of Stanlow, and to end this world filled with chaos and decay. This place, right here, is the beginning of our destiny!"

The young man, named Randallton Haotian, was a direct descendant of the Tulip family.

Destroy the Kingdom of Stanlow? Isn't that rebellion? The elderly butler, Hoden, was startled. He quickly supported the young man and led him to the shade. "Young master, we've journeyed long and hard across the desert to reach this Golden Oasis... You must be exhausted. Please, rest for a while."

Worry etched deep lines into the butler's face. He thought the tragic downfall of the Tulip family and the unjust execution of the Count and Countess by the kingdom had driven the young master mad. This was exactly what that foolish old king had intended.

"My dear butler, I am not hallucinating," Haotian said, a smile playing on his lips. "The eternal gods have granted me great power. Here, in this Golden Oasis, I shall build a glorious nation, one that will reshape the world order!"

The butler and the maid, Sally, were even more distressed upon hearing this. Before they could respond, Haotian walked over to an empty patch of land. With a wave of his right hand, a brilliant golden light tore through the air, enveloping the ground. In an instant, a beautifully crafted wooden house appeared out of thin air.

"By the goddess of magic!" Butler Hoden froze, his murky eyes widening in shock. The maid, Sally, was equally stunned, her expression one of utter disbelief.

"Young master, is this... divine power?" Hoden stammered.

"This is the power of the gods!" Haotian said excitedly, his gaze fixed on the wooden house. A moment later, an interface visible only to him appeared.

[Village Hall] [Level: Basic] [Unlocked Buildings: Fences, Houses] [Upgrade Requirements: 500 units of wood, 500 gold coins]

Simultaneously, information flooded his mind.

[You have successfully constructed the core building of your territory: Village Hall.] [The Golden Oasis is now under your jurisdiction. Any unauthorized entry will be considered an invasion.] [Congratulations, you are now a Lord!] [You have received a Beginner's Gift Pack!] [Opening gift pack...] [Congratulations, you have obtained the Super Divine Lord Talent: Favored by All Races. You have received a Troop Building and 300 initial gold coins.] — Troop Building: Can recruit a certain number of troops daily. — Lord Talent: Favored by All Races: A new troop building of a random race will be added to your territory every week.

[Activating Lord Quest Template...] [Main Quest: Upgrade the Village Hall to a Town] [Quest Reward: A random Lord Talent]

[Side Quest 1: Form a territory army of 100 troops] [Quest Reward: 200 gold coins, Lord level up (up to level 7)]

[Side Quest 2: Kill 30 sandworms invading your territory] [Quest Reward: A bag of magical Red Dragon Fruit seeds]

"Super Divine Lord Talent!" Haotian suppressed his excitement. The so-called messenger of the gods was, of course, a fabrication. This power stemmed from his transmigration with a Lord System. If not for the sudden purge of the Tulip family by the Stanlow Kingdom, he would have already established his territory and started recruiting troops.

As for why he ended up in the godforsaken Karar Desert, it was due to the random teleportation scroll he used while escaping Stanlow. Ideally, his territory should have been in the Forest of Life, rich with resources despite being the domain of the nature elves.

"Nevertheless, building the territory in the Karar Desert isn't all bad. At least I won't have to worry about large-scale monster attacks in the early stages... And the Forest of Life is just to the northeast of the desert. Once my army is strong enough, I'll march into the Forest of Life and then take down the neighboring Stanlow Kingdom!"

His anger over the fate of his family was still palpable.

Meanwhile, the old butler and the maid, Sally, had regained their composure. They trembled with a mix of shock, excitement, and a multitude of other emotions. The young master had spoken the truth! He was indeed the messenger of the gods, wielding divine power.

"Praise the Goddess of Life, praise the Goddess of Magic, praise all the deities!" Butler Hoden exclaimed, barely coherent with excitement. "The great Tulip family will rise again!"

Sally looked at Haotian with adoration in her eyes.

Just then, a sand dune in the distance erupted in a cloud of yellow dust, followed by the howls of monsters.

"Young master, what are those?!" Sally cried out.

"Sandworms!" Haotian said calmly. The lord's side quest had already warned him about this.

Butler Hoden immediately drew his magic staff. "Sally, take the young master into the wooden house to rest. I will deal with these vile subterranean creatures!"

Despite his age, Hoden was a high-level, seventh-tier mage, quite formidable. Without his protection, it would have been nearly impossible for Haotian to safely cross the desert and reach the Golden Oasis.

"Hold on, old butler," Haotian said, stopping Hoden from entering battle mode. He pointed to another patch of land and summoned the Troop Building.