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

Chapter 1068 Still the Weightlifting King of the North—Roland

“Demigods? Those are extremely rare. There aren’t many beings of that level left in Middle-earth!” Thorin said solemnly.

"Does he have a way to help us?" Bud asked.

“Demigods won’t get involved in this kind of conflict. In their eyes, this kind of war is like child’s play. People still have to rely on themselves!” Thranduil shook his head, rarely speaking so seriously.

“Yes, demigods won’t get involved in a war of this magnitude. He’s targeting the one in Mordor! We won’t have many uses for him until that one comes out!” Roland shook his head in agreement with Thranduil’s words. Demigods don’t act rashly. Historically, this Lord of the Golden Flower only stepped in to help when the Nine Rings surrounded the Ringbearers. After all, there weren’t many beings in the Valley who could directly confront the Nine Rings at that time.

"At least we have some peace of mind now. After that abyss appeared in the south, we're not all alone!" Thorin smiled. At least this was good news, telling everyone that even if the sky falls, there are still tall guys who can hold it up. At least we're not the weightlifting kings of Middle-earth anymore!
“That’s not necessarily true. That guy isn’t all alone. His Highness Thranduil experienced the final war of the alliance, so he should know that he has quite a few allies!” Roland gave a wry smile.

“Yes, the southern tribes, the Black Númenor, some dwarves, orcs, trolls, dragons…” Thranduil recalled, his eyes filled with longing and fear. His father and most of his people had died in that great war, a wound he could never forget…

"And don't get your hopes up too high, the elven demigods might not necessarily fight for us!" Roland patted Thorin, who was still deep in thought.

"Why?" Whitewing and Bard, who had the least knowledge and understanding of the big picture in the team, asked in unison. In their minds, weren't elves allies of humans?
“Oh, because the alliance is over…” Roland shrugged.

"Huh?" Bard and Whitewing exchanged a glance. You mean you just went out to meet one person, and when you came back the alliance disbanded?
"It wasn't our Lonely Mountain Alliance, but an alliance of humans, elves, and dwarves. Guess why that battle was called the Last Alliance War?" Roland rolled his eyes and said helplessly.

“Ask Thranduil, he knows!” Roland glanced at Thranduil with a wicked grin, because this guy not only knew, but he had also done it himself… Therefore, fearing that his people would suffer heavy casualties again, when Ilubo (The Lonely Mountain) fell, this guy led the Elven army on an armed parade around the nearby mountain and then ran away. Thorin held a grudge against the Elves for half his life because of this.

"Since the passing of the High Kings, the humans and the elves, this alliance has essentially been dead in name only..." Thranduil shrugged, saying nonchalantly. After all, the alliance had essentially ceased to exist after the deaths of Gil-Gallad and Erendir; only the formal framework remained, and everyone was just minding their own business. If it weren't for the occasional righteous council meeting, everyone would probably have forgotten about the alliance altogether.

“Yeah! If the Alliance were still around, would Khazad-d'Um and Lonely Mountain have been trapped for so long?” Thorin immediately looked at Thranduil with a sarcastic tone.

"..." Thranduil closed his eyes and didn't respond to Thorin's words, after all, the Woodland Kingdom was indeed unfair to the Lonely Mountain Kingdom in this matter, and there was no way to criticize it.

"So it means we still have to face the darkness ourselves..." Bard laughed; people really do laugh when they're speechless.

"What's there to be afraid of? Isn't there the Supreme King of the East, Roland? The Kingdom of Akvia will never surrender until the last dragon knight of the Kingdom of Lagrang dies in battle!" White Wing praised Roland righteously.

Sure enough, smiles can shift. Upon hearing this, everyone's smiles moved away from Roland's face. Although the tall elf was unreliable, the loyal Eastern weightlifting king Roland was still there! As the saying goes, the elven demigods are too far away, but the dragon riders of Lagrang are right before our eyes! "..." Roland couldn't hold back for a second. Was he trying to make me his third brother? What kind of outrageous behavior was this?! Was this even human language? The Kingdom of Akvia would never surrender before the last dragon rider of Lagrang died in battle?
"Then I'll leave it to His Majesty Roland!" Bard, who had now figured out who his patron was, said with a gesture of complete obedience to Roland.

"Hehe..." Roland chuckled dryly. Now he's really the weightlifting king of the Central Plains? The five Eastern kingdoms and the two rivers are all on my shoulders?

"Bye..." Thorin also sprang up and was about to bow down to Rolanda.

"You better stay here and watch your North Gate!" Roland didn't give Thorin a chance to speak, covering his mouth and pressing him down onto the stool.

"Alright, that's the gist of it. If things really get tough, just pack your bags and head to the Valley of the Dead. Rivendell can take the blame for everything..." Roland clapped his hands and concluded. "Don't you know how to shift the blame?"

"..." Elrond, who had just stepped in, clearly heard Roland's words and choked on his words as he was about to open his mouth.

"Oh? Weightlifting... King Elrond is here, welcome, welcome!" Roland quickly invited Elrond in, seeing his eyelids twitching. Everyone stood up and nodded to show their respect.

"What's wrong? What's the matter that King Elrond came to see us at this hour?" Roland asked after everyone was seated.

"We've made contact with the Dúnedan people you asked me to find, they should be here in the next couple of days!" Elrond said helplessly, taking a deep breath and rolling his eyes at Roland.

"So fast? I thought it would take a long time..." Roland exclaimed in surprise. The Valley Elves are truly capable; look at their intelligence network! Other elves should take note! Yes, it's you—Thranduil! Roland gave Thranduil a look of exasperation, and Thranduil, this thousand-year-old wretch, felt a chill run down his spine under Roland's gaze.

"Quick? The patrolling cavalry just happened to encounter the Dúnedan rangers hunting today, and they went back to inform their lord!" Elrond shook his head, marveling at Roland's good fortune; otherwise, finding the Dúnedan in Rivendell would have been quite a hassle.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. The truth is, the northern nomads are too scattered right now. It would be much better if they gathered together and built a city or settlement," Roland sincerely suggested. The Dúnedan people were good fighters, but because of their small population and scattered distribution, it was difficult to form a force that could turn the tide of battle. Large-scale mobilization was practically impossible; their total war capability was only slightly better than the Hobbits of the Shire…

"I have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of mankind..." Elrond shook his head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Roland's idea. Although he had always provided assistance to the Dúnedan, he had never interfered in their internal affairs.

"Thank you for your trouble!" Roland nodded and said nothing more. He considered whether he should ask Aragorn where he was and try to persuade him to gather the northern nomads to fill the gaps in his plan. Anyway, Aragorn was still young, so why not take advantage of him? After all, the King of Middle-earth was known for his empty promises.
"Then I won't bother you any longer." After nodding to everyone, Elrond decisively fled the place, who knows what other shocking remarks Roland might make later.

"Everyone, get some rest. Once we cross the borders of Rivendell, we won't be able to rest like we have today. The conditions along the way will be quite tough!" Roland reminded everyone. After the Northern Kingdoms were gone, the Eastern Road would be a no-man's land. What good conditions could there be?