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

Chapter 26 Purification

"Your Highness Roland, greetings!" Thorin greeted Roland as he rode up on horseback.

"Yes, I'm here to collect our dues," Roland said coldly from his horse, looking down at the Swift Infantry. The sacrifice of the Swift Infantry made Roland's tone less than friendly.

Looking at Roland covered in black scabs, Thorin opened his mouth as if to say something, but then gave up when he saw the knights and archers rushing over behind him.

“Of course, you deserve this reward. The wealth of Irubor City is yours to take.” Thorin bowed to Roland, still the same simple and kind dwarf prince.

"I'm sorry for causing such heavy casualties to your men..." Seeing Roland's bloodshot eyes, Thorin decisively shut his mouth.

"Then please allow us to clean up the battlefield..." Thorin looked at the mess in front of Irubor, where elves, dwarves and orcs were dead and wounded. At this moment, squads of Ironfoot soldiers were splitting up and searching for surviving dwarves and elves among the broken limbs and bodies scattered on the ground, while also finishing off the half-dead orcs.

At this moment, Thranduil and Bard, who had settled in Vale, also led their troops toward Irubor.

……

"King Roland! Thank you for your help in this time of crisis. The Elven race will remember your kindness." Thranduil, covered in dust and dirt, bowed slightly. Roland's participation in the battle had indeed relieved the pressure on Thranduil and Bard, and Caslow had successfully helped stabilize the situation in Dale.

"I'm so glad you could come to my aid!" Bard's eyes reddened with emotion. Bard had suffered greatly in the street battles defending River Valley City because of the weak melee capabilities of the elven archers. However, with the help of the dragon knights of the Roland family, they successfully created distance between themselves and the orcs, allowing the elven archers to unleash their full potential.

"What? Do you want another battle on Lonely Mountain?" Roland raised his Dragon Slayer Sword and pointed at the sparse soldiers behind the two men.

“No, we just want to reclaim the wealth that the King of the Mountain promised us, which will allow us to rebuild our homes,” Bard said calmly.

“We just want the white gem.” Thranduil looked at Thorin Oakenshield.

“Thorin…” Roland called out.

"Well... of course, you deserve it." Thorin looked at the scattered remnants of the defeated army behind the two men, then at the dwarves searching for survivors on the battlefield, and sighed.

"Everyone, come to Irubb! Tonight we'll be having a celebration party to mark the recapture of Lonely Mountain," Thorin invited everyone.

……

"Hey! Lord Baggins! Thank goodness you're still alive!" Roland saw Bilbo, who was idling around. This kind hobbit always brought joy to everyone.

“Mr. Roland? It’s a pleasure to see you again. I thought you were already in Rivendell…” Billberg stammered.

"Don't worry. The knights of Lagrange are incredibly strong! The orcs can't defeat us!" Roland said firmly.

"So what do you plan to do in the future?" Bill asked, tilting his head back.

“I see! I plan to build a small town at the mouth of Long Lake. You are welcome to visit then,” Roland said to Bill with a smile.

“By the way, take me inside and have a look. I’ve never been to a dwarf city before.” Roland glanced at Thorinbad and the others who were negotiating, then turned to Bilber and said. He had no intention of getting involved in the conflict between dwarves, elves, and humans.

As soon as Roland entered Irubor, he felt the Dragonslayer Sword tremble. The last time he felt this way was during the Battle of Smaug. However, since Smaug had once occupied this place, it was understandable that the dragon's aura remained.

"Something's not right!" Compared to Roland's slight surprise, Caslo's reaction was much more intense. He stared intently at the grand dwarf hall, gripping his sword hilt tightly.

“Something’s not right. An evil curse is lurking here, the greed of the dragon has materialized, and the shadow of death looms over this place…” Priestess Ivy looked around with a disgusted expression, her brows furrowed. It was clear she didn’t like this place.

"Hey! Friend! What's wrong?" Dain asked, puzzled, when he saw Roland and his group parked at the door.

“Well, my subordinates might not like the atmosphere here…” Roland explained, spreading his hands.

"My lord, get out of here!" Suddenly, Caslo grabbed Roland and tried to drag him out.

"What the heck? What happened?" Roland looked completely bewildered. "Do you have a lot of friends?"

"Enough! Caslo!" Renault stopped Caslo's rude behavior.

"I apologize, sir, but the curse here has a great effect on those in positions of power..." Caslo apologized for his rude behavior.

"A curse? What's going on?" Roland looked completely bewildered.

“You stupid child… The king is a paladin! Have you ever seen a paladin who fears a curse?” Renault felt that Caslo had embarrassed himself in Lagrange.

"..." Caslo froze. "Alas, sir, it's like this, the evil dragon that once lingered here cast a curse on the wealth here..." Ivy couldn't stand it anymore and began to explain.

“It will make people greedy!” Gandalf appeared at the door.

"Greetings, Wizard Gandalf!" Roland bowed respectfully, after all, he had to give the old man some face.

"Do you have any ideas, Mr. Gandalf?" Thorin and Bad Theranduil and his party entered.

“This requires purification with magic, but you’re very lucky, Thorin! There are three people right in front of you who can successfully purify the curse here,” Gandalf said calmly, pulling out his pipe.

“There are four! The gray-robed wizard! And you too,” Ivy suddenly said.

"Uh..." Gandalf's smile froze on his face.

Roland glanced at Gandalf curiously, then almost laughed. Had he been caught trying to slack off? Didn't he know who started the Lonely Mountain Expedition? Whoever's problem it is, should solve it. Trying to slip away? No way.

"Could you please help us remove the curse from this place? We are willing to pay a reward," Thorin said, looking at them.

……

"Holy crap!" Roland was stunned by what he saw. What did it mean to have a mountain of gold? What did it mean to be born with a mine? Roland felt that the scenes of Irubor in the movies were far from the wealth of the real city. What came into view were dozens of golden hills, tens of meters high, scattered with magnificent gemstones...

"Gulp!" Caslo quietly swallowed.

Tears welled up in Roland's eyes—it was too shocking! No wonder the orcs wanted Lonely Mountain! Roland was now wondering if it was too late to muster his army and take Lonely Mountain. Waiting for an answer! It's urgent!
"Let's begin..." Ivy, snapping out of her daze, quietly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

"Purify!" Four soft white lights illuminated the entire dwarven vault. Ivy's Light of Evolution had the widest range, while Roland and Reno's Purify were the most effective. The amplification of holy attributes for dispelling skills was terrifying, and Gandalf's Purify... was better than nothing, after all, you can't expect wizards who play with prophecy and curses to be proficient in divine spells like Purify.

……

"Alright!" Ivy said sweetly, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Thank you! My friends!" Thorin said excitedly to everyone.

"My friend, you can take whatever wealth you want from here! Take as much as you can!" Thorin said generously, knowing that Roland had large spatial storage equipment.

"Really?" Roland was incredibly surprised.

“Really! Our friendship is stronger than gold!” Thorin patted his chest.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony?" Roland tentatively suggested.

"Take it! This is your due reward!" Thorin was incredibly generous.

At Thorin's urging, Roland reluctantly stepped forward and activated the Ring system in his hand. Instantly, a large amount of gold coins were converted into wealth points by the system. 1, 2... 10000... As the wealth points continued to jump, the golden mountains collapsed and disappeared...

At this moment, Thorin on the steps stared wide-eyed, completely unable to believe what he was seeing. Was this some kind of money-disappearing spell?

Finally, when Roland's wealth reached 100 million, he decisively stopped converting gold coins. At this moment, nearly one-seventh of the vault had been emptied by Roland, and where the "gold mountain" once stood, only scattered gems remained on the ground...

"Oh! Beard above! Has Irubor been robbed?" Dain came looking for Thorin, but saw the area where the vault had disappeared.

“No! No…” Thorin said blankly.

"Um, Thorin, are you alright..." Roland looked at Thorin with concern, afraid that he might not be able to catch his breath and pass out.

"It's alright! I will keep my promise, and everything I can take is yours." Thorin gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"The banquet is about to begin, and we need you to host it! Your Highness Roland, would you like to join in the celebration?" After saying this to Thorin, Dain turned to Roland and asked if he wanted to celebrate with him.

“Of course! I’d love to experience the dwarves’ hospitality!” Roland replied with a smile.

Only Thorin was dragged away by Dain, looking as if he had lost his soul.

(End of this chapter)