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Chapter 1084 No Background Dust

[System prompt: The protagonist is about to enter the Rivendell plot line. It is recommended to prepare relevant knowledge of elven culture in advance]

Zhao Wuji sat up suddenly. Rivendell? That's one of the richest places in Middle-earth.

The ruins of Isengard stank of rotting flesh and sulfur. Zhao Wuji stepped on the cracked black stone slabs, carefully avoiding the bubbling green puddles. Three days ago, Saruman's reign ended here. Now this once majestic fortress is only twisted metal and broken statues.

[High-value item detected: Oak Commander's shoulder armor (fragment), containing trace amounts of mithril, estimated value 45 gold] The system's prompt made Zhao Wuji stop.

He squatted down and dug out the piece of metal with a strange green glow from a pile of broken bones. The moment his fingers touched it, a tingling sensation ran up his arm along his fingertips.

"Poisonous?" He pulled his hand back suddenly.

[Dark magic remains on the surface, it is recommended to wrap it with a double layer of cloth] The system pops up a warning and marks several collectible items nearby: [Oak Tooth Necklace (22 gold), Saruman's Guard Badge (60 gold)]

Zhao Wuji wrapped his hands with his cloak and stuffed the broken pieces of shoulder armor into his bag. Since he unlocked the storage space function, his efficiency in collecting spoils has greatly improved. In the distance, the shouts of the engineering team came - the Rohan and Gondor coalition forces were clearing the ruins, looking for any valuable spoils or intelligence.

"We have to get ahead of them." Zhao Wuji muttered, and followed the system's instructions to enter a slanted corridor. This used to be the armory of Isengard, but now the ceiling is half collapsed, and the sunlight shines through the cracks to form strange light beams.

He found the badge with the system mark under a pile of rusty weapons, and next to it was a corpse wearing gorgeous armor. The dead man's pale fingers tightly grasped a roll of parchment. Zhao Wuji was about to pull it out to take a look -

[No contact! Key plot item: Isengard Arsenal Layout] The system suddenly froze his movements, [This item must be found by Aragorn]

Zhao Wuji curled his lips and only took the badge. When he turned around, he caught a glimpse of something gleaming in the crack of the wall. When he got closer, he saw that it was a crystal bottle half embedded in the stone, with a few drops of red liquid remaining in it.

[Unknown drug, highly dangerous, please stay away]

"But it's valuable?" Zhao Wuji keenly noticed the abnormality in the system's tone.

[.Estimated value: 300 gold, but contact may lead to unpredictable consequences]

Zhao Wuji's hand was suspended in the air. Three hundred gold coins were equivalent to his income for half a month. Just as he was hesitating, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"Someone is coming!" He dodged and hid behind a collapsed stone pillar.

Two Rohan riders came in with torches, and one of them kicked the body. "Another staff officer, the third one. Saruman's lackey died a clean death."

"Don't touch anything," another soldier said nervously, "Two brothers touched the utensils here yesterday, and now they have black spots all over their bodies."

After they left, Zhao Wuji breathed a sigh of relief and decisively gave up the bottle of medicine. The system popped up a prompt in the corner of his vision: [Choose wisely, survival takes precedence over short-term interests]

When he walked out of the armory, his cloth bag was already heavy. Passing by the medical tent area, Zhao Wuji suddenly stopped - several soldiers who had just returned from the front line were queuing up to receive clean bandages, while the used bloodstained bandages were piled in the corner like garbage.

A crazy idea hit him.

"System, are those used bandages considered plot items?"

[Negative: Medical waste does not belong to the plot]

Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up. He walked quickly towards the medical officer: "Sir, do you need help with these dirty bandages? I know an alchemist who can extract medicinal ingredients from them."

The medical officer looked at him suspiciously. "It's up to you. It's going to be burned anyway."

Ten minutes later, Zhao Wuji returned to his tent carrying a large bag of bloodstained bandages. He carefully selected the ones with the most shocking blood stains and made a simple display stand with sticks and hemp ropes.

“Authentic souvenirs from the battlefields,” he said to himself, “genuine artifacts from the battles of Helm’s Deep and Isengard.”

[Business idea evaluation: The target customer group is civilians and new recruits in the rear areas, and the expected profit margin is 400%] The system gave a rare positive evaluation.

The next morning, Zhao Wuji set up a stall at the edge of the military camp. The first batch of "hero bandages" was priced at 5 silver coins and sold out in less than an hour. A fat merchant even offered 20 gold coins to buy the one that was said to be "stained with Iomer's blood."

"You bastard!" Suddenly, an old soldier with scars all over his face rushed over and overturned his stall. "My brother just died on the battlefield yesterday, and you're making money with the blood of soldiers?!"

Zhao Wuji stumbled back, his throat tightening. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and a dozen soldiers cast angry glances at him. "This is... to commemorate the event," he explained stutteringly.

[Danger level increased, it is recommended to activate emergency plan] The system alarm sounded.

Just then, a loud voice broke the deadlock: "Let me see these things!"

The crowd parted, and a short and strong red-bearded dwarf, Dwalin, walked in. Zhao Wuji had seen him in Helm's Deep, when this double was practicing chopping moves.

"Interesting!" Duvalin picked up a bandage with rust and blood on it forming a battle-axe-like pattern. "Boy, you have a lot of ideas. But..." He suddenly lowered his voice, "Using fake blood is unprofessional."

Zhao Wuji's eyes widened: "How did you——"

"I've been a craftsman for twenty years," the dwarf grinned, revealing his gold-studded front teeth. "Would you like to cooperate? Real weapons, fake 'history', and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty."

Two hours later, Zhao Wuji sat in Dwalin's work tent, watching the dwarf skillfully forge a miniature dwarven battle axe.

"The key is to imitate the antique," Duvalin explained as he worked. "First, beat it, then soak it in vinegar, and finally bury it in the soil for three days."

[Business partner's professional skills detected: Weapon Imitation (Master Level), cooperation profit is expected to increase by 200%]

Their first work, "A replica of the battle axe used by Gimli in the Battle of Moria," was sold to a Gondor nobleman for 200 gold coins that afternoon.

Just as Zhao Wuji was counting the money, a horn suddenly sounded outside. Duvalin's face suddenly changed: "It's the king's call!"

They followed the crowd to the main square, only to see King Theoden giving a speech on horseback. Zhao Wuji immediately recognized this as the classic scene of Rohan's capital relocation in the movie. But the next second, he noticed Prince Theoden behind the king - the young man was pale, with his left arm hanging unnaturally.

"System, he's injured? There's no such detail in the movie"

[Additional information: Thyod was shot in the left shoulder during the pursuit of Isengard. This is described in the original novel but deleted from the movie.]

Zhao Wuji suddenly remembered the subsequent plot - Thyod will be killed by the Ringwraiths while escorting the people. He looked at the prince's barely holding on, and an impulse surged in his heart: "If I remind him to be careful of the Ringwraiths -"

[Serious warning!] The system's voice exploded like thunder.

Zhao Wuji's body instantly stiffened, as if he was submerged in invisible ice water. He watched King Theoden finish his speech and the royal team prepare to migrate, but he couldn't even move a finger.

[Level 3 Punishment Execution: Attempt to Intervene at a Key Node in the Plot] The system's voice was icy cold. [Watch and remember: History must proceed along its predetermined trajectory]

Only after the team had gone far away did Zhao Wuji regain control of his body. He knelt on the ground and retched, cold sweat soaking his back.

"Are you all right?" Dwalin raised him up with his strong arms. "You look uglier than an Orc's arse."

Zhao Wuji reluctantly shook his head, but his eyes fell on several children in the corner of the square - they were using wooden sticks to act out the speech scene just now, and one of the children who played the role of Xiyoude suddenly pretended to be shot by an arrow and fell to the ground, and his companions laughed happily.

“The system, those kids, they don’t know.”

[This is the fate of extras] The system's voice rarely carries a hint of human fatigue, [We are just dust in the background]

That night, Zhao Wuji counted the day's income in the tent: 87 gold from bandage sales, 100 gold from the battle axe, plus 230 gold from the ruins collection, the total balance exceeded 2000. But his fingers were numb from counting the money.

Outside the tent, the moonlight shines on the pile of imitation weapons. The newly completed "Sacred Sword of Anduril (Training Version)" glows coldly in the moonlight - this "high-end product" priced at 500 gold has already been reserved.

Zhao Wuji lay down and closed his eyes, but the pale face of Prince Xiyoude and the cheerful laughter of the child who played the role of death always emerged in the darkness.

[System prompt: Abnormal emotional fluctuations detected, it is recommended to focus on the gold coin target]

"Shut up," Zhao Wuji buried his face in the pillow, "Let me be quiet for a while."

In the distance, the sound of the migrating team's horns can be faintly heard, like a long sigh.