The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 1065 Stylish Military Boots Completely Counter the Invisible Hand
“King Roland, I think we need to have a public discussion…” Elrond said, looking at Roland who was already waiting for him in the pavilion.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. It wasn't convenient to talk when there were so many people around!" Roland nodded calmly and looked outside.

"You're really going to the Shire? God! You fought your way in from there, and now you're fighting your way back from here?" Elrond's brow twitched.

“Of course, the Shire is very important to the North, and I need the food from there!” Roland said.

"Excuse my bluntness, although the North is a bit cold, it is not barren..." Elrond said, puzzled. Compared to the South, the harvest in the North is not too bad. The only drawback is the cold.

“You should know that the Kingdom of Lagrange has dragons!” Roland said.

"I sensed the aura of the dragon race. I was shocked that the dragon knights, who had vanished into the annals of history, have reappeared!" Elrond nodded in acknowledgment. With his rank and perception, it was not difficult for him to detect the two dragon knights, since the dragon knights possessed dragon power rather than battle aura.

"Dragons consume enormous amounts of resources, and the energy required to maintain the combat readiness of dragon knights is beyond your imagination!" Roland waved his hand. Although dragons can reduce their energy consumption by sleeping and can go for hundreds of years without eating, it is impossible to keep dragons in hibernation in order to maintain the combat readiness of dragon knights.

“But that road is too far and too dangerous. Have you considered it?” Elrond asked.

"So the destination is King's Landing Fortress. Dragon knights with spatial equipment can easily transport people. Currently, no one around the Darkwood dares to challenge the order established by the Kingdom of Lagrange!" Roland said calmly, answering Elrond's question while subtly showing off his strength.

As expected, Elrond raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly after hearing Roland's words. It seemed that the Kingdom of Lagrange had already established its own order in the North. As for the Valley Elves, they didn't pay much attention to the North, only gathering some necessary information. Elrond didn't really know what kind of behemoth the Kingdom of Lagrange had become. However, the identities of a Dragon Rider Commander and a Dragon Knight couldn't be faked. A kingdom that could support several dragons was certainly not a weakling.

"So you want to get the Valley to send troops too, right?" Elrond interrupted Roland before he could speak. He clearly understood Roland's meaning; after all, a kingdom capable of summoning two dragons couldn't possibly be unable to handle the Eastern Road. The fact that they'd made a special trip to visit him meant they wanted to drag him into the mess!
"Yes! Sharing is worse than enjoying alone! Let's invite the Dunedan people too! Let's all join in!" Roland grinned.

"Hiss... Are you afraid the Western world won't descend into chaos? You should understand that the Dúnedan are resisting the invasion of the dark forces in the north, right?" Elrond frowned.

"That's why they should get involved. What good is it for them to protect the Shire from the darkness without the Hobbits' knowledge? To silently guard it?" Roland countered.

“The Charr is fully capable of serving as a logistical base for the Dúnedan, at least preventing them from wandering the North every day. If you truly care about the Alliance… letting them drift is never the best solution! The Dúnedan are forced into this life of wandering the North not because they want to, but because they are forced into it! You should understand the suspicion and contempt the Northern nomads face! Forgive my bluntness, but the Charr has no right to enjoy all this for nothing!” Roland said seriously. Startled by Roland's words, Elrond couldn't help but ponder deeply. Even if Roland hadn't said it, Aragorn would have said it at the Valley Conference on October 25th, 3018 of the Third Age—"You mentioned peace and freedom, but if it weren't for us, how would the North know what these two things are? They would probably have been destroyed by fear long ago. But when the dark things emerge from the desolate mountains, creeping stealthily from the sunless forests, they all scatter like birds before us. If the Dúnedan stand idly by, or all go to their graves, what path would anyone dare to take?" Where can one find safety at night in quiet areas and in simple households?

“Don’t tell me you can’t contact the Dúnedan people, after all, their leader Aragorn is your adopted son!” Roland rubbed his temples.

"..." Elrond's pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression lost control for the first time, but he quickly regained his composure and stared at Roland with a puzzled look.

"What? Curious how I know? The brilliance of the Ring of Balasil has never been concealed!" Roland made up an excuse, because when Aragorn left the Valley to travel, Elrond gave him the Ring of Balasil and fragments of the sword Nasir, both of which were undoubtedly artifacts of the Kingdom of Arnor!
"..." Elrond's lips twitched. He hadn't expected that Aragorn's identity would be exposed in this way. He didn't doubt Roland's words, after all, Roland himself had more than one artifact aura on him!
“Don’t worry about me not telling him about my background. After all, that silly boy doesn’t seem to know that he is the King of Gondor!” Roland’s words reassured Elrond.

“I need your help to maintain and patrol the road from the Bridge of the End to the Summit of Wind and Clouds! The road from Bri to the Summit of Wind and Clouds will be handled by the Dúnedan! After all, that’s their job!” Roland explained to Elrond.

"This road will not only facilitate trade but also provide crucial support to the North. After all, compared to the peaceful West, the kingdoms of the North are constantly playing a game of 'guess where I am' with the orcs... I have a feeling that once war breaks out, the North's harvest won't be much better!" Roland said bitterly. This was Roland's optimistic assessment; in reality, the only kingdoms in the North that actually engage in large-scale agriculture are the Kingdom of Lagrange and the Valley State...

"It sounds like a mutually beneficial arrangement, and the Valley doesn't reject trade, but how do you convince the people of Bri and the Charr to do as you wish?" Elrond posed a probing question. After all, Bri and Charr had enjoyed peace for a long time, and they certainly wouldn't want to be involved in a war and crisis! Elrond wasn't confident he could persuade those humans; their greed terrified him, and those merchants wouldn't easily take the risk!

"Heh! Did I bring thousands of elite troops here for a vacation?" Roland grinned, his tone chilling.

"There's an old saying in the Kingdom of Lagrange—an invisible hand is instantly crushed by a tangible military boot!" Roland sneered. If he hadn't gone to the North to settle down for the dwarves' money at the beginning, he would have already unified the Shard region by now! If the kingdom weren't incapable of maintaining a large-scale teleportation array, Roland wouldn't need to waste words. He would have directly led his troops to occupy Bri and then slowly eroded the Shard!

"?" Although Elrond did not understand the meaning of the words, he still felt the chilling killing intent and ferocity in them.

“Well, I think they can still talk…” Elrond said after a moment of silence.

“That’s right, there’s no shame in doing business, everyone makes a profit! Merchants get the gold coins they like, the Dunedan get the supplies and respect they deserve, we get a stable supply channel, and as for the Valley… it can be quite fun, can’t it?” Roland blinked, after all, in the long lives of elves, joy was a luxury.

(End of this chapter)