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

Chapter 337 News from Vervey
"Let's leave it at that for now. At least we can recruit knights ourselves instead of relying on luck!" Roland shook his head and decided to be content with what we have.

Yun Feng nodded, understanding that Roland no longer needed to rely on the defection of wandering subjects to maintain his knightly ranks. But Roland was actually relieved that he no longer had to rely on that damned system to recruit cavalry! With his 500,000 wealth points, he could only recruit a mere 500 knights at most, and even that was the worst kind…

Roland is already quite satisfied with simply being able to recruit knights himself. At least he doesn't have to keep the Holy Light Knights hidden until the very end for every major battle. Why didn't he just send the knights out from the start? It's not that Roland wanted to save them for show, but he simply couldn't afford to lose them! If one knight dies, there's nowhere to replace him; he can only take people from the Cross Bauhinia Knights or the King's Knights.

"Alright, that's settled then. We'll keep an eye on the rest later!" Roland, having figured things out, was in a much better mood. If all else failed, he'd just play Thousand Riders Across the Plains! He wouldn't bother with the mountains and hills! He'd just stay here on this plain and play with you guys!

What? You Ringwraiths are so tough, try charging into a thousand-strong knightly order? What? You have tens of thousands of heavily armored orcs? Come on! I'll give you time to form ranks! Watch my thousand-strong knightly order crush you, and if one round isn't enough, I'll give you another! In short, give Roland plenty of time and resources, and Roland's knightly order will be your big daddy on the plains! Even a god would have to take a beating.

"Well, don't worry about these things too much. If all else fails, find those Battanian archers and Royal Guards to mentor some apprentices. Maybe you'll find some good prospects!" Yun Feng comforted him.

"Rely on the heavens for a living? I'd starve to death!" Roland looked at Yun Feng helplessly, his eyes seeming to say, "You bastard."

"Cough cough, it's better than nothing!" Yun Feng coughed a few times.

"Actually, I think our army is already sufficient for the current size of the kingdom!" Yun Feng said tactfully. If it weren't for the fact that Roland and his troops were "recruited from outside," Yun Feng would have already exploded. The ratio of military to civilians is more than 1:1. This is not just being militaristic, it's completely not going to continue.

"Ahem... That makes sense! Let's hold off for now!" Roland opened the system panel and looked at the population of the people, which was only about five thousand, roughly the same as the current number of soldiers.

"Hey! Where's Verway? I haven't seen him in ages!" Roland suddenly slapped his forehead, remembering a certain "wildcat" elven king who had been forgotten in some obscure corner of his memory.

“Vanville? Who’s that?” Yun Feng frowned.

"Pfft!" Roland had just taken a sip of hot tea, but before he could swallow it, he spat it out.

"What's wrong?" Yunfeng asked, puzzled.

"That sixth-tier hunter! The Elf King!" Roland was dumbfounded. Did no one really pay attention to the whereabouts of such a large group of grassland elves? They had the fighting power of nearly 200 elven rangers!

"...I really haven't been paying attention to them...I've been too busy!" Yun Feng grinned, somewhat embarrassed.

"Someone! Go and find out what's going on with those grassland spirits!" Roland summoned a guard and ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The guard thumped his chest, saluted, and left.

……

"Ah~ the scenery in the wilderness is still the best!" Verway stretched contentedly and laughed as he looked at the elf cubs tumbling and leaping in the treetops.

In the distance, a group of centaurs leisurely dragged their prey, including bison, back from the wasteland. Everything was so peaceful and serene… “Hehehe! King Roland probably never expected me to come here!” Verway was pleased with himself for successfully teasing Roland.

"Hmm? You haven't come to see me for so long? I've been out for over a month now, haven't I?" Verway was laughing when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Damn it! Has this guy forgotten about our grassland elf clan?!" Verway's face showed shock. He already had a feeling this was the right answer... He just wanted to take his people out for a walk, to experience life back in the wild, and maybe tease Roland a bit. He never expected that Roland wouldn't care about him at all! He was furious!

"Whoa!" A sudden sound of reining in his horse interrupted Verway's thoughts.

"So that's where it is!" The knight on horseback glanced at Verway on the treetop, then at the returning elves and centaurs in the distance, nodded knowingly, turned and rode away, leaving Verway alone in the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves, looking bewildered.

"You...you're leaving already? Aren't you going to say anything?!" Verway roared at the knight. Are you kidding me? You just glanced at me and left, are you treating me like a monkey?

……

"Your Highness has investigated thoroughly. The grassland elves have not left; they have simply gone to the Tuput Forest and are living with the centaurs!" The soldier knelt before Roland and reported respectfully.

"Why did they go looking for the centaurs?" Roland was speechless, completely bewildered.

"Going to find centaurs? No wonder! They probably don't like living in human cities!" Yun Feng quickly understood. After all, centaurs and elves both love nature. Where elves live, there may not be centaurs, but where centaurs live, elves will definitely be satisfied. They are all children of nature, so their perspective on the environment must be the same.

"He left without even saying goodbye..." Roland grinned. Why was he such a miserable king? It felt like anyone could come and go as they pleased.

"It's alright. Human castles made of wood and stone are not the kind of dwelling places elves like anyway, so let them be! But Your Highness, you can go and see if you can win them over. After all, the grassland elves of the entire northern wasteland are a force to be reckoned with!" Yun Feng smiled. If those grassland elves were really allowed to gather together, they would be no less powerful than the elves of the Woodland Kingdom and the Kingdom of Singrei. Apart from the fact that they lack the natural magic power of the Moonwell, which makes their lifespan and strength slightly inferior to other elves, they are not inferior in other aspects!

“That makes sense. I was even saying I’d witness Valve becoming the Elf King!” Roland slapped his forehead, remembering his promise.

"Yes, you'll remember that! I'll go see if His Majesty Adile needs any help!" Yun Feng said with a smile, showing great respect for his knight mentor, Adile.

This old man was actually over three hundred years old, not far from the five-hundred-year mark of the sixth-tier combat power of the Lagranges. Although he was still a sixth-tier hero, he could no longer act recklessly as before. Every all-out battle would consume his already limited source energy. This is why most professional mentors are old and frail. Unable to fight at full strength on the front line, they can only choose to ignite the flame and contribute to the forces they serve in another way.

“Alright, go ahead. Give him my regards and tell him not to overwork himself. Our need for knights isn’t that high yet!” Roland nodded to Yun Feng.

"Alright! I'm off. Your Highness, please keep an eye on the elves; the Alliance needs this fighting force!" Yun Feng said solemnly.

(End of this chapter)