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Chapter 1085 Eastern Bookkeeping Method

The tent of the Rohan Quartermaster's Office was filled with the smell of parchment and ink. Zhao Wuji stared at the pile of account books on the table, his temples throbbing. These so-called "records" were simply a disaster - some were written in ancient letters, some were just a few charcoal scratches, and one book even had a suspicious brown stain.

"Can you figure it out?" Quartermaster Haderek scratched his gray beard. "His Highness Eomer will review the flow of supplies for the past six months the day after tomorrow."

Zhao Wuji gently stroked the top account book. In modern times, he was an intern at an accounting firm and had dealt with accounts that were ten times more complicated than this. The system flashed in the corner of his vision: [Task: Sort out the Rohan military supply accounts, Reward: Position in the military supply department, estimated monthly income +100 gold]

“Give me two days.” He rolled up his sleeves. “I need clean papyrus and at least three colors of ink.”

Haderek narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you want these for?"

"Oriental accounting method." Zhao Wuji took out a homemade feather pen from his bag, "It allows you to see at a glance who is stealing supplies."

Three days later, Zhao Wuji stood in front of Eomer and showed his work - a brand new account book marked with three colors of ink. Red represents abnormal losses, blue marks repeated calculations, and green represents materials that may have been stolen. Modern double-entry bookkeeping makes all tricks invisible.

"This..." Eomer's finger stopped on a page of records surrounded by a red circle, "The East Valley garrison received double the number of arrows last month?"

"It was actually only transported once." Zhao Wuji pointed to the matching transportation records, "The escort officer was your cousin's brother-in-law."

The tent was suddenly so quiet that the crackling of burning torches could be heard. Eomer's face turned livid. He suddenly stood up and drew his sword, with the tip of the sword against Haderek's throat: "Did you know that?"

The old quartermaster knelt on the ground and said, "Sir, I am just following the custom."

"From today on," Eomer turned his sword towards Zhao Wuji, "you will take his place."

[Mission completed: promoted to assistant to Rohan quartermaster, monthly salary 100 gold, authority unlocked: military supplies allocation query] The system prompt is accompanied by the crisp sound of gold coins falling into the bag.

That night, Zhao Wuji moved into the quartermaster's sub-account. There was an extra bronze seal in his storage box - it could approve small-amount material transfers. The system marked several special items in the account book:

[Abnormal stock of medical alcohol: Currently only enough to treat 30 people with minor injuries, estimated demand for the Battle of Pelennor Fields: 3000 servings]

Zhao Wuji's fingers trembled slightly. He clearly remembered the tragic scene of the Pelennor Fields in the movie - corpses everywhere, the wounded wailing. But in this world, there are no edited shots, and behind every number is real flesh and blood.

"System, is hoarding medical supplies considered interfering with the plot?"

[Negative: The original movie did not show medical details, it belongs to the background blank area] The system paused for a moment, [Suggested action: Purchase distillation equipment through unofficial channels]

In the next two weeks, Zhao Wuji secretly collected twenty sets of distillation equipment under the pretext of "training the rescue team". He hired two clever horse boys to buy inferior wine in the surrounding villages and used modern chemical knowledge to purify alcohol with a concentration of 75%. When the news spread, even the royal doctor of Rohan came to see his "magic potion".

"Can it prevent the wound from rotting?" The old imperial physician sniffed doubtfully.

Zhao Wuji demonstrated the process of using alcohol to clean a festering wound. When the old imperial physician saw that the wound had indeed not turned black after three days, he immediately recommended this "Eastern doctor" to King Theoden.

[Influence enhancement: Favorability of the Royal Family of Rohan +30, intention to purchase medical alcohol ×12] The system panel is constantly refreshing.

Five days before the battle, Zhao Wuji's small warehouse was already filled with alcohol cans. As he was counting the inventory, he suddenly heard elegant elf language outside the tent. He opened the door curtain and saw three elves wearing silver-blue cloaks standing in the moonlight.

"I heard that you have special medicines here." The leading elf took off his hood, revealing a face as delicate as Legolas - but there was no mole at the corner of his eye. Zhao Wuji realized that he was just an ordinary elf officer.

"Alcohol disinfectant, 5 gold coins a can." He tried to keep his voice steady.

The elf chuckled and took out a piece of wrapped silk from his arms: "Exchange this for 50 jars."

Zhao Wuji peeled off a corner of the silk and his breathing suddenly stopped - inside was a crystal white gem that shone with rainbow colors even in the moonlight. [Test: Elven Starlight Stone, produced in Lothlorien, estimated value 600 gold] The system immediately gave an evaluation, [Added value: Contact with high-level elves]

When the deal was done, the elf suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Be careful of the merchants from Gondor. They are buying up all the medical supplies they can find. The prices are abnormal."

The next morning, Zhao Wuji verified this warning at the market. Three merchants claiming to be from Minas Tirith were buying any medicine at double the market price, even expired herbs.

"Orders from Steward Denethor," one merchant declared triumphantly, "to prepare for the coming war."

Zhao Wuji narrowed his eyes. The Denethor in the movie was indeed paranoid, but he never showed any foresight in war preparation. He asked casually, "Just medicine? No weapons?"

"Anything that can save lives." The businessman replied meaningfully, "especially something that can delay death."

On the way back to the camp, the system suddenly sounded an alarm: [Dodge to the right! ] Zhao Wuji instinctively dove to the left, and a burning slingshot rubbed his right ear and smashed into the soil, sparks igniting his cuffs.

[Danger Prediction Function Activated: Unlocked when gold coins exceed 50000, and can sense fatal threats 3 seconds in advance]

Zhao Wuji slapped out the flames, his heart beating like a drum. He looked towards where the catapults came from - black smoke was already rising from the direction of the Pelennor Plains. The battle came faster than expected.

That afternoon, the entire Rohan army set out on a forced march. Zhao Wuji sold three-quarters of his alcohol at a sky-high price of 20 gold per can, leaving the rest for the Rohan army to use. His gold coin balance soared to [51200], but he had no time to celebrate - he was assigned to manage the spare weapons convoy of the Hussars.

When the Rohan army arrived at Minas Tirith, the White City was already half engulfed in flames. Zhao Wuji stood on the hill behind, watching the Mordor army surrounding the city walls like a black tide. Even though he knew where the plot was going, a war scene of this scale still made his legs weak.

“System, what should we do now?”

[Suggestions: 1. Record the location where the Witch King of Angmar appears; 2. Avoid the main charge route; 3. Collect special loot as soon as possible after the battle]

The battle reached its climax at dawn. Zhao Wuji would never forget that scene—the Witch King of Angmar fell from the sky, his dark armor absorbing all the light around him. When Eowyn cut off his helmet, Zhao Wuji followed the system prompts and used the telescope given by the elves to lock the exact coordinates of the Witch King's fall.

[Key record completed: Angmar armor fragments are estimated to be worth 2000 gold/gram, can be collected after the battle]

What is even more shocking is the details seen through the telescope: the moment the witch king's armor broke, countless black maggots gushed out from the cracks and turned into gray smoke in the sunlight. This is definitely not in the category of movie special effects.

When the Rohan cavalry launched a charge, Zhao Wuji hid in the safe zone marked by the system - an abandoned catapult position. His three-second foresight allowed him to perfectly avoid all stray arrows and flying stones. At the end of the battle, his record book was full:

[Ringwraith mount feather x 3 positions]

[The last appearance point of the Haradri leader's golden armband]

[Distribution map of the main fragments of the Witch King's armor]

When returning to the camp, Zhao Wuji ran into the group of Gondor merchants. They were burning something, and the air was filled with a strange sweet smell. A merchant looked up vigilantly, and Zhao Wuji pretended not to notice the silver cuffs exposed at their feet - that was the unique pattern of the Gondor doctor's uniform.

"System, what's going on?"

[Analysis: This is not the original plot content. It is speculated that this is a derivative event of the power struggle. It is recommended to keep a distance]

That night, Zhao Wuji counted his gains in the tent. In addition to breaking through the 50,000 gold coin mark, he also obtained the official organization of the Rohan Army and a silver badge. The new functions unlocked by the system allowed him to thrive on the battlefield, but the strange behavior of those merchants was like a thorn in his heart.

He opened his notebook and wrote on a new page: "Abnormal flow of medical supplies in Gondor", then paused and added: "Maybe it is related to Faramir's poisoning?"

The ink spread out a small circle on the paper. Zhao Wuji blew out the candle, and in the darkness he seemed to see the black maggots pouring out of the witch king's armor again. This world is far darker and more complicated than what is shown on the screen.

[System prompt: Alagas will hold a military meeting within a week. It is recommended to prepare the cultural taboos of elves and dwarves in advance.]

Zhao Wuji stroked the Elf Starlight Stone, and a bolder plan gradually took shape. If he could get in touch with the elves' high-level...

Outside the tent, the beacon fire of Minas Tirith was still burning, casting flickering light on his profile.