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

Chapter 30 Asking for help
"System check-in!" Roland began his daily check-in routine.

"Give me something useful!" Roland was utterly exasperated by the jumbled mess the system had given him, including introductory books on magic and his own golden statue...

"Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host, you have obtained 100 Lagrange City Guards."

"The shipment's out?" Roland asked in surprise, but this time he didn't choose to summon the troops. The reason was that he was too embarrassed to say it... He didn't have enough food to feed these hundred mouths. He was doing quite well in Swiftstream City now thanks to fishing and hunting, but don't forget Swiftstream City's attraction to refugees. The population of Swiftstream City was increasing little by little every day. If it wasn't necessary, Roland really didn't want to feed these hundred more mouths...

Speaking of the Lagrange City Guards, as the name suggests, they are the guards of Lagrange City. This army is composed entirely of trainee soldiers who have been eliminated from various elite units and have no hope of promotion. They are mainly responsible for the defense and security of Lagrange City. However, if you underestimate them because they are only a second-line unit, you will definitely regret it... If you had to give them an evaluation, it would be that you can always trust them. As a melee unit, their abilities are terrifyingly comprehensive. Professionals have endowed them with strong physiques and a strong carrying capacity. Combined with Lagrange's infantry steel plate armor, inner leather armor, and outer linen armor, they can withstand various high-intensity attacks. The steel-forged half-body shield can block large-area attacks, and the 3-meter steel spear is enough to make their attacks fierce yet agile. The steel longsword is a supplement to their melee weapons, and the Lagrange hand crossbow slung at their waist allows them to strike the enemy within a hundred meters. The five steel javelins in their backpacks can indiscriminately kill various lightly armored units within a 50-meter range.

"My lord, the horses are ready." Caslo walked straight in, not having had time to repair the damaged wooden door yet.

"Alright, let's go!" Roland glanced at the small pile of gems in the system space, wondering if they could be exchanged for various supplies. He should have taken more. Roland had been so focused on collecting gold coins that he had overlooked the gems in the mountain of gold. Thinking of this, Roland couldn't help but sigh, "What a blunder!"
"Giddy up!" Accompanied by ten knights, Roland and Caslo embarked on their journey north.

Roland was initially reluctant to take the knights with him, as more people meant more strength, and Caslo was more than capable of handling any situation. However, he faced strong opposition from everyone. Roland was now the king of Lagrange, and a king without any retinues would be a disgrace, not only to Roland himself but to the entire kingdom. Finally, after much persuasion, they agreed to his idea of ​​taking only ten men. While Roland didn't like to show off, he did envy those who traveled with thousands of professionals like certain Woodland Kings. After all, everyone wants to return home in glory, and few prefer to keep their wealth hidden.

Passing by the long lake that had begun to freeze, Roland rubbed his hands together. In the distance, the ruins of Lake-town were still clearly visible on the lake. Roland clenched his fist and vowed to rebuild the place. Caslo, on the other hand, seemed eager to go in and hunt for treasures. After all, on his last visit, Caslo had found quite a few easily stored dried foods and various tools.

……

In the distance, the majestic Lonely Mountain stood tall. Roland and his party arrived at the city of Vale at the foot of the mountain. At this time, Vale had been initially cleared of weeds and dilapidated houses. Bard was leading everyone in a lively reconstruction effort. Only a few guards stood watch on the broken city walls.

"Halt!" The only soldier at the city gate raised his spear and stopped Roland.

"Eh? You are King Roland?" The soldier clearly recognized Roland's banner.

“Yes, I came to check on Bard.” Roland smiled.

"Please wait a moment, I need to go and report this." Although the soldier was familiar with Roland, he still remembered his duty.

"Well, then I'll trouble you!" Roland indicated that he didn't mind the soldier's rudeness.

A moment later, the soldier came running out, followed closely by a figure.

"Bard!" Roland greeted him with a smile.

"Hi! Roland! It's so nice to see you." Bud and Roland hugged.

"Why are you back again?" Bard asked curiously. Roland should be building up the territory with his people right now, so why did he suddenly return to Lonely Mountain? "I've run into big trouble..." Roland complained.

"What happened? You encountered an orc army?" Bard's smile froze. He glanced at the knights behind Roland and saw that there were only 10 knights and the dragon knight who had shown great prowess in the Battle of Lonely Mountain. His heart sank. What kind of orcs could swallow up an army of more than a hundred knights and archers? Their numbers were not far from those of the orcs in the Battle of Lonely Mountain. Didn't you see that even the dragon knight fled in panic?

"What are you thinking? He's not an orc!" Roland, seeing Bard's increasingly dim gaze, immediately realized the child was scaring himself...

"Huh? Not orcs? Then what kind of trouble could you possibly be in?" Bard asked, puzzled.

“Famine and cold…” Roland said, emphasizing each word.

"..." Bard opened his mouth but ultimately felt powerless. The townspeople of Lake-town, already exploited by the mayor, suffered even more after Smaug's destruction of the town. If it weren't for the Woodland Elves' help, Bard would probably be in a bad situation now.

"So I've come to find the dwarves of Irubor, hoping to buy some tools and food," Roland slowly revealed his thoughts.

After a long and drawn-out exchange of glances, the two equally down-on-their-luck kings finally sighed, "Life is just too hard..."

After bidding farewell to Bard, Roland hurried towards Irubor. Soon, a tall dwarf statue appeared before him, and a group of dwarves were busily and skillfully using tools to lift stones of various shapes, seemingly repairing the city gate.

"Hey! Balin!" Roland laughed. Balin was indeed the most recognizable dwarf in the expedition; his snow-white beard and hair made him easily identifiable.

"Oh! King Roland!" Balin bowed in respect. The dwarves held the human lord, who had led his army to victory in the critical moment and saved the entire dwarf kingdom, in the highest esteem.

"How's it here?" Roland asked cheerfully.

“Fantastic! It feels like home… Oh! Sir Caslo, hello!” Balin recognized the dragon knight who had wreaked havoc that day.

“Hello, Your Excellency Balin.” Caslow maintained his humility.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Balin asked Roland.

"Of course, our people do have food and tools!" Roland anxiously explained that the people who came to seek refuge with him were short of food and clothing.

“Hmm! This is indeed a big problem. I will take you to see the King right away.” Balin also realized the seriousness of the matter. Roland had come to ask for help. Having seen Roland and his group leave, he knew that Roland did not have many supplies. He could understand Roland’s statement about his people returning to Balin. After all, many dwarves who were wandering in various places had received news of Thorin’s recapture of Lonely Mountain, and a large number of dwarves were migrating with their families to prepare to return to their homeland.

(End of this chapter)