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

"Welcome home, Ajax!" Roland gave Ajax a gentle hug and smiled at her.

"We're living here now? The Caverns of Moria?" Ajax asked in surprise, never expecting that the Kingdom of Lagrang had fallen to the point of having to live in a cave.

"What are you thinking? Of course not! Didn't you go to Lonely Mountain when you came from the north? We're currently living in Swiftstream City! Yes, the Swiftstream City you remember! But it's nowhere near as big as it was in its heyday!" Roland said irritably. Even if he died poor! Starved to death! Was beaten to death by orcs, he wouldn't crawl into a hole!
"Huh? I don't think I really see Lonely Mountain?" Ajax tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying innocently.

"..." Roland looked at this silly and cute girl. If it weren't for the presence of the Fiery Winged Dragon next to her, Roland really wouldn't believe that this was his own Dragon Knight General.

"Are you really a Dragon Knight?" Roland scrutinized Ajax with a suspicious look.

“Of course! The real deal! I’m a member of the Anthony family! Look!” Ajax roused her battle aura, and the blazing battle flames rose several meters high!
“The Anthony family? You’re the Dragon Rider family!” Roland’s eyes widened.

“Here!” Ajax pulled out a badge and waved it at Roland. The thorny rose emblem of the Anthony family on the badge stung Roland’s eyes.

"Amazing!" Roland managed to utter only one sentence after holding it in for a long time.

When discussing the dragon knights of the Lagrange Empire, one must mention the dragon knight families. Like most nations, resources are always concentrated in the hands of the nobility, making the dragon knight families the elite of the elite! Descendants of these families are more likely to possess a deep affinity with dragons, making them far more likely to become dragon knights than ordinary reserve dragon knights within the empire. Every dragon knight family is guaranteed to have at least one dragon knight under their protection! The Anthony family is a prime example, at its peak supplying half of the empire's dragon knights! The thorny rose thrived throughout the empire! Even when the empire declined, the Anthony family still had dragon knights remaining! They even possessed their own spatial passage to Dragon Island!

"Hehehe! Your Highness, what's wrong?" Ajax asked, looking at Roland who seemed a little dazed.

"Are you the only one left in your Anthony family?" Roland asked, looking at her with a strange expression.

“Of course not!” Ajax proudly raised her head.

"Huh?" Now it was Roland's turn to be shocked.

“I also have a younger brother, Doss, but he has gone to Dragon Island to find his own dragon mount, and I don’t know when he will be back…” Ajax’s little face was scrunched up, clearly very worried.

"Don't worry, he'll be safe!" Roland patted her shoulder to comfort her.

"I hope so. This is the fate of the Dragon Rider family!" Ajax's face darkened. After all, the road to Dragon Island was very dangerous! They had to travel by boat across the ocean.

“Alright, let’s go. Put your dragon away!” Roland said to Ajax.

"What?" Ajax stared at Roland curiously.

"Go and witness the birth of a king!" Roland smiled mysteriously.

"Huh?" Ajax was completely bewildered. What was this about witnessing the birth of a king? What nonsense! "A great dwarf king! Let's go! Let's see the magnificent underground city of the Moria dwarves!" Roland strode towards the east gate of Moria.

The soldiers and two dragon riders behind him hurriedly followed.

"Interesting! The kingdom doesn't have a single dragon knight, but it has two dragon knight generals..." Roland thought to himself, then shook his head with a smile. If the previous Lagrange emperors knew this, they would find it absurd! After all, the Lagrange Empire once had a complete dragon knight training system, forming a reserve dragon knight group mainly composed of dragon knight families and supplemented by commoners. With a large number of dragon knights as the foundation, a small number of dragon knight generals as commanders, and one or two dragon knight commanders suppressing the nation's fate, it was a complete dragon knight system. At its peak, it wouldn't be said that they were indiscriminately slaughtering the Middle-earth; it would be more accurate to say that even gods would have to take a few kicks...

However, given the current size of Roland's Lagrange Kingdom, having two dragon knights is already considered incredibly lucky. If it weren't for the system's mercy, Roland might not be able to acquire even one dragon knight in his entire life, since proud dragons are unlikely to agree to form contracts with humans.

……

"Your Highness, are you alright? And who is this...?" Omske asked, looking at the unfamiliar Ajax with a puzzled expression. Then, when he saw Ajax's adamantite dragon armor, which was exactly the same as Caslo's, his pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints...

"Dragon Knight General Ajax! Greetings! Your Majesty, the esteemed hero!" Ajax bowed respectfully, her hands on her chest. Through the Dragon Knight's perception, Ajax could clearly discern the immense energy within Omske's body and the unique aura of a sixth-tier hero! Even though he had already concealed his aura, it was rendered useless to the perceptive Dragon Knight.

"Hero of Light and Shadow, Omske! Greetings! Your Excellency, Dragon Knight General!" Omske nodded in a friendly manner, his pupils dizzying. Where did his king get another Dragon Knight General from? How could he pick up a Dragon Knight General just by going out?
“Alright, Ajax is from the Anthony family! From now on, you’re all colleagues. Caslo, you’d better explain our current situation to Ajax later!” Roland said casually.

"Fuck! The Anthony family? There are still people in this family who have survived?" Omske was shocked by the incredible resilience of this Dragon Rider family. The empire was gone, but this family was still alive... Truly worthy of being called the Anthony family, where one dragon has passed down for three generations and the country was destroyed but the clan still exists! They are indeed resilient!

"Hmm?" Ajax cast an unfriendly glance at her.

"Ahem, sorry! It was a slip of the tongue. I got too excited just now!" Omske immediately apologized, realizing his mistake.

……

"King Roland! What do you think of this outfit? Is it appropriate to wear it to tomorrow's ceremony?" Balin, dressed in a brand-new light armor, came to Roland's side. Having no knowledge of the coronation process, Balin could only turn to Roland, who was already the king, for help.

"Ahem! Don't you have any other clothes? Why are you wearing armor?" Roland's eyes widened.

"Hey! You're just talking without understanding the situation! With such a tight schedule, where am I supposed to get new clothes made? You can't expect these dwarf men to be my tailors, can you? Would I dare wear the clothes if they dare to make them?" Balin said irritably, pointing at the busy dwarves.

"Huh? What's with the woman? King Roland, you're bringing a woman with you on your campaign? I didn't see her the other day." Balin suddenly saw Ajax and immediately started asking questions like a curious child. He wanted to know if Roland was the kind of human king who openly proclaimed himself to be intimate with women in novels.

"Get lost! You're so disrespectful to your elders! That's our kingdom's dragon rider!" Roland almost cursed as he looked at the burning gossip in Balin's eyes. Aren't dwarves supposed to be stubborn and honest? How come they're so gossipy? Their imaginations are just as vivid as humans'!
"Dragon Riders? You have two?" This time it was Balin's turn to jump up in shock, making the old dwarf leap three feet into the air!