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

Chapter 1111 The Journey to Moria

In this world, Balin became King of Moria earlier than in the original story, so Moria has far fewer Orks and Darkness than in history! In addition, Roland brought Caslo to cleanse Moria, and Moria's population at this time is much larger than in history. Many dwarves who were supposed to go to Lonely Mountain were diverted to Moria! As a result, the group saw many busy dwarves by the Westlane Creek.

"Who are you?" the dwarf leaning on his hoe asked curiously.

"By Thorin! Why aren't you picking up your pickaxe and instead using a hoe?" Thorin stared in shock and helplessness at the dwarfs planting crops in front of him.

"Calm down, Thorin!" Roland patted him on the shoulder to prevent Thorin from frightening the dwarves.

"The King of the Mountain?" The dwarves were taken aback, then they all curtsied.

"Get up! My people! Get up! No need for formalities!" Thorin quickly went up and helped them up.

"Your Majesty, what is your purpose in bringing the army here?" a dwarf asked with some concern upon seeing the large army in the distance.

“Oh? We’ve come to see Bahrain! It’s been many years since we parted ways at Lonely Mountain!” Thorin explained.

"Yes! Let's see if that smiling old man is dead yet!" Roland teased.

"Who? Who's talking bad about me?" Balin laughed loudly as he scurried out on his short legs.

"Thank God! My friend! You're still alive!" Roland greeted him with a smile.

"Of course! Welcome our great Lord of the North! King of Dragons... King of Lagrang—Roland!" Balin chanted Roland's long title like a mantra, ending the chant as Roland's toes dug into the ground.

“Hey! There’s no room for all of us here!” Bud said with a serious expression.

“I suggest picking a few and throwing them into the river!” Bai Yi nodded.

"Very well! I'll allow you to pick a few to throw down!" Thranduil was also good at livening up the atmosphere; you could say he'd been around everyone for a while and already knew how to chime in!

"Alright! Since you're not dead, take us to visit! Don't tell me you're not going to do your duty as a host?" Roland rolled his eyes.

“Alright! We can’t treat our Emperor Roland unfairly!” Balin pulled Roland away.

"Why are there so many people? Has something big happened?" Balin asked anxiously, glancing cautiously at the long line behind them while holding Roland's arm.

“It’s a very important matter! A matter of great importance concerning the safety of the Central Plains!” Roland nodded.

"???" Balin blinked, his white beard twitched, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes!

“Bilbo has become the lord of the Shire!” Roland exclaimed.

"Pshaw! Bilbo just became the lord of the Shire, I thought... um? Wait a minute? Who? Who became the lord? Bilbo? Is it Bilbo Baggins? The lord of the Shire?" Balin's eyes practically popped out! This was utterly shocking! He had visited Bilbo before, how could he not know Bilbo's situation, that ultimate "lying-down youth" of Middle-earth—the middle-aged man! How did he become the lord of the Shire?
“Yes! Mr. Baggins! The thief you know!” Roland nodded.

"By the Dragon God! I must be dreaming! I even dreamt that Roland came!" Balin rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. Look! The old man was so surprised he thought he was dreaming! The Dragon God had even appeared!
“No, you’re not dreaming! It’s true! We’ve nominated him to be the Lord of the Charles!” Roland nodded.

“You guys must be crazy!” Balin muttered.

"Can he win people's hearts? Lord Baggins doesn't seem like the kind of person who can be a nobleman..." Balin was very good at judging people; after all, he was the real strategist of the Lonely Mountain Expedition!

“That’s not important! What’s important is that the law is in our hands, and the Charles must be controlled by our own people! If we don’t know how, we can learn slowly!” Roland shook his head.

“I must be crazy! You’re a human, I’m a dwarf, what right do we have to uphold the laws of the Shard?” Balin looked at Roland as if he were some drooling, supernatural being. “We don’t, but nobody does!” Roland said nonchalantly.

"Who?" Balin became interested; he wanted to know where Roland had found the legal claim against Charles.

“Aragorn! Chieftain of the Dúnedan! Rightful heir to the Kingdom of Arno! Overlord of the Northern Kingdom!” Roland nodded.

"That's all!" Bahrain covered his eyes. You've found such a solid legal claim, so what else is there to say? Here you go!

……

"That's the situation. I'm just letting you know so you'll have some information in mind!" Sorin instructed Balin.

"You guys are really something! You actually managed to open up the east-west highway!" Balin's mouth gaped open.

“So you should prepare some ships that can sail long distances! Now that the East-West Highway is open, you can go along the river to the Bridge of the End to do business! It will likely become a trading center for humans, elves, and dwarves!” Roland pointed to the map. The Bridge of the End was right in the middle of the road. To the north was Aragorn’s Northern Kingdom, and to the south, the Grey River forked, one branch leading to the Bridge of the End and the other to Moria! To the west was the Shire! To the east were the elves and King’s Landing!

"Yes!" Balin nodded. After all, trade was very scarce here; even the dwarves needed hoes to farm, grow grain, and brew wine! Balin was very welcoming of trade!
……

"Did you come all this way just to tell me this?" After the banquet ended, Balin left Roland and Thorin behind, and the three of them, drinking honey water to sober up, began another round of "battle".

"Of course not!" Roland cut off a piece of roast meat and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.

“We’re going through the eastern gate of Moria! We’ll go back through Moria!” Thorin nodded.

"Actually, everyone just wanted to see how you were doing, and they took a detour to visit you. It won't take long anyway!" Roland smiled. After all, taking a detour was no big deal. They were already here, and no one cared about the ten-day or half-month journey.

"Then I have to thank you for remembering this old man!" Balin raised his glass.

"Come on! Stop drinking! Thranduil has already been taken away!" Roland shook his head.

"By the way! Where's Thranduil's son? That handsome elf lad? Didn't he come out to show you the world this time?" Balin awkwardly put down his wine glass and changed the subject.

"That young man is with Aragorn! He's the chieftain of the Dúnedan! The two young lads are kindred spirits, both dreaming of making a name for themselves and becoming legends!" Roland chuckled.

“It’s so good to be young! Young people are so energetic! Unlike me, I’m already old…” Bahrain remarked.

"Bullshit! You're already part of the epic!" Roland looked up at the dome of the Moria Hall and couldn't help but laugh and scold Balin as he listened to his exclamation.

"Hahaha! That's true!" Balin chuckled, recalling his precarious journey, and then looked at the two of them before bursting into laughter as well.

“The three of us have already been written into history! We should give opportunities to the younger generation!” Thorin said, looking at the campfire. It could be said that the three of them sitting here together basically constitute half of the history of Middle-earth!

"I'm still young! I can still fight for decades!" Roland shook his head. The lifespan of the Lagrange bloodline is three or four hundred years. Roland is still too young!

"Alright, alright, you go fight the Demon Lord, and we'll cheer you on from behind!" Thorin coaxed him, going along with his words.

"Get out!" Roland said succinctly.

(End of this chapter)