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

Chapter 1098 Charles's Current Situation

"Let's go!" Roland grinned and gave Thorin a wink. Since he was going to be the Dream King of Middle-earth, he should be serious about it. So Roland really intended to capture a beautiful hobbit that Bilbo liked!

"Let's go! Lord Baggins!" Thorin and Roland exchanged a glance, then immediately put their arms around Bilbo's shoulders and headed for the door.

“Uh, afternoon tea will take a while…” Bilbo said awkwardly.

"It's alright, let's explore the sights of Hobbiton. We've been here for so long but haven't really seen it properly yet!"

“Exactly! Both times we were in a rush. This time we should take our time to explore and enjoy the countryside!” Roland nodded repeatedly.

……

“Hobbiton is very old. There are the original Smio’s (the original dwelling of the hobbits, similar to Bilbo Bag End) and the newer wooden and stone huts. Generations of hobbits have lived here, carefree…” Bilbo Baggins said as he stood at the entrance of Bag End, looking down at the village and settlement below Hobbiton, as if recounting an epic.

“Ancient, mysterious! Great subject matter! The protagonists of chivalric romances all come from these places!” Thorin stroked his beard and said.

"Look, that's the mill! Our flour is all ground there!" Bilbo pointed to the mill across the river, located on the north bank near the small bridge spanning it. Unfortunately, Hobbiton was ravaged by war during the War of the Ring, and almost everything there was destroyed!

“That’s the old barn! The harvested grain will be piled up there!” Bilbo Baggins smiled at Roland.

"Does the Charles often have a good harvest?" Roland asked.

“Yes, the people here are very wealthy!” Bilbo Baggins confirmed.

“Come on! Come walk with us!” Roland gestured to Thorin.

"Let's go! Let's go for a walk!"

……

"Hey! Mr. Baggins!"

"Hi! Tom!"

"Hello, Bilbo, would you like some tea and snacks this afternoon?"

“I will, and so will my friends!” Bilbo nodded.

"So? Have you taken a fancy to any girl... Waaah!" Thorin hurriedly asked, only to have his mouth instantly covered by Bard.

“He meant to say… uh, have you taken a fancy to any farmland? Oh right! He’ll pay for it for you!” Roland quickly explained.

“Oh! Thank you, Mr. Thorin, my friend. I am already wealthy enough. I don’t have the energy to cultivate more land!” Bilbo Baggins smiled politely at Thorin.

"Let's go! Let's go to the waterside town!" Roland suggested. After all, Hobbiton was just a small village with a limited number of women, and most of them were married. Roland and his group weren't so heartless as to abduct married women, so they needed to find some unmarried girls!

"Tsk!" Roland glanced at Bilbo Baggins, thinking to himself that he was being given the best food! A group of people were so enthusiastic about taking care of his important life event.

“The Green Dragon Tavern is right here!” Bilbo Baggins pointed to the town of Bywater ahead.

“We know that we gave the soldiers leave when we came, and they’ll probably be drinking there!” Roland nodded.

"Won't this cause any trouble?" Bilbo Baggins asked with some concern.

"No, our military discipline is impeccable. We're not some mercenary group just loafing around. Don't underestimate the regular army of the northern lords!" Roland said, pursing his lips. "That's good!" Bilbo smiled again.

The town is situated near a pond, with most of the Smies and houses built along the waterfront road on the south bank. The northernmost of this row of buildings is the Green Dragon Inn, a frequent haunt of passing hobbits. On the north bank of the pond is a row of Smies with embankment gardens. A path to the south leads to the Cotton family farm. A road leads to Hobbiton, lined with trees. Waterside Town even has its own fully-equipped post office!

"By the way, don't you usually interact with women?" Roland asked curiously, subtly trying to elicit information.

“Well, no girl would want someone like me…” Bilbo Baggins gave a wry smile.

"Nonsense! How could our Mr. Thief be ignored?" Thorin said incredulously.

“The inhabitants of the Shire cherish stability, while I once had a restless heart, and over the years I have accomplished little…” Bilbo said calmly.

“Nonsense! How can the Battle of Lonely Mountain be considered a failure? Your name will be in the history books of dwarves, elves, and humans! You yourself are history!” Roland shook his head with a smile. The people of the Charles were too complacent, which further strengthened Roland’s determination to let the Charles feel the atmosphere of war.

“In this era, you are the best choice! At least for the hobbits!” Thranduil also sighed slowly. The hobbits had been at peace for too long and were out of practice in battle! There were not many experienced soldiers left.

"Hold your sword tight! The Shire won't be at peace for long!" Roland patted Bilbo on the shoulder.

“Don’t keep the thorns locked in the box all the time! Take them out and practice every day!” Roland said.

"Roland, do you have any news?" Bilbo Baggins wasn't stupid; when Roland said this, he keenly sensed the change in atmosphere.

"See that tall guy over there?" Roland pointed at Aragorn.

“That’s Aragorn, the chieftain of the Dunedan! He has already gathered his people!” Roland nodded.

“So…” Bilbo frowned.

"The north of the Charr is now a vacuum! Before, the Dúnedan Rangers helped you stop the orcs trying to move south, but now..." Roland shrugged, his meaning clear: the Charr's shield was gone, and they were on their own.

"Huh?" Bilbo was taken aback. It was the first time he had learned that the Shire was so safe thanks to the Dúnedan people.

“They plan to rebuild the kingdom, so their manpower will be reduced, and they will only be responsible for security along the east-west road! So I estimate that it won’t be long before the wandering orcs discover that the Dunedan patrols have disappeared…” Roland explained.

“Then we need to go to the mayor and tell him about this!” Bilbo Baggins’ eyes were filled with anxiety.

"There's no use in you being anxious! How many soldiers does the mayor of Great Cave Town have?" Roland scoffed. Ever since the Brandyde family seceded from the Shire from Stagland, the mayor of Great Cave Town has been the only official in the Shire. What are the duties of this elected official? He's in charge of the post office and security! He has absolutely no military function! Or rather, the Shire doesn't even have a proper army. The real army appeared during the War of the Ring with Frodo and his companions—yes, those few little devils, they were the Shire's only regular army… (at least they fought in the War of the Ring…)
"My God!" Bilbo exclaimed, exasperated. He knew the Shire's state of affairs; the guards were all for show, let alone capable of fighting orcs.

"Don't worry, we'll stay for a while and figure out a solution then! Let's go! Let's go to a bar!" Roland suggested.

"Aragorn!" Roland beckoned to Aragorn.

……

"His Majesty?"

"You wouldn't mind separating Charles from the kingdom, would you?" Roland asked, since Charles was nominally part of the Kingdom of Arno.

"What are you going to do?" Aragorn was completely bewildered. What did it matter whether I minded or not? Wasn't this place already divided in reality?

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(End of this chapter)