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

"My God! Is this the human fortress in the north?" Holfa, who had reached an understanding with the Kingdom of Lagrang, was traveling with a group of people when he suddenly saw the towering fortress in front of him.

"How about it? Not bad, right! Don't look down on the humans of the North!" Apophis Breo snorted coldly. He had argued with this arrogant southern nobleman quite a bit along the way.

"Truly magnificent!" Holfa nodded in awe. These towering three-tiered city walls were over 150 meters high! In terms of sheer grandeur, they were no less impressive than those of White King City!

……

With a creaking sound, the heavy gates of Lulong Fortress were pushed open, and a group of neatly lined-up Swift Infantry marched out of the city, which looked like a complete Swift Infantry square (three hundred men).

"Well-equipped!" Horfa concluded. Although he could not sense any battle aura from these people, and they were just a group of ordinary soldiers, he could tell from their strong and powerful physiques that these soldiers were not just for show.

“General! Your Majesty…” The Swift Infantry stood in formation, neither humble nor arrogant, blocking their path. They needed an explanation, because the group of Swan Knights behind them were clearly not part of the kingdom's order of battle, and the empire had no such remnants. Although the possibility of three generals rebelling together was low, and they estimated they couldn't stop them anyway… their duty as soldiers compelled them to investigate.

“These are Swan Knights from the southern kingdom of Gondor, in the territory of Dor'anroth! They are responsible for escorting this goblin king back to the eastern mountains,” Renault explained truthfully.

"A little while! Generals Luke and Merck are on their way." The centurion of the leading Swiftflow phalanx said after scanning the faces of the men.

“No problem!” Renault and the others readily agreed. Wasn’t this exactly the disciplined team they wanted to see? Their only unconditional loyalty was to their lord, Roland; they needed to be cautious around anyone else.

"What's going on?" Only General Merk came down; his brother Luke remained in the inner city. This was a rule established by the Lagrange Empire to prevent high-ranking figures from being captured and leaving the defenses leaderless. After all, the imperial history records several stories of unjustly captured lords being rounded up and abducted before a war.

Lulong Fortress has three gates inscribed with magic circles. This was to prevent the embarrassing situation of the city being completely exposed after the gates were breached. Now, even if the first gate were to fall, Luke Leopold could at least hold the central city defense line. Moreover, trying to enter the city through the hidden troop tunnels and firing ports would not work. How could the cunning Lagrange Empire leave such a big flaw? If you really tried to go that way, you would only end up crashing your head against a sea of ​​magic circles.

“I encountered a knight from the Kingdom of Gondor and brought him back, and there was also an old friend among them!” Renault nodded to Merk Leopold.

"Okay, come in! It's not safe outside!" Merck Leopold waved his hand, and the neatly arranged Swift Infantry instantly parted.

……

"You're going to Swiftstream City?" Renault and the others stared at Holfa, their gazes sending chills down Holfa's spine! He had a feeling these people had ill intentions. "Yes! We want to see your King..." Holfa wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"..." The group exchanged glances.

"Should we kill him?" Apophis Breo exchanged glances with the others, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Don't make any rash moves..." Renault helplessly stopped Apophis Breo's brain-dead idea with a look.

"It seems that the two countries have never had any contact. Do you have business with our prince?" Omske asked in a deep voice.

"..." Holfa's lips twitched. It seemed to be a misunderstanding. He had heard about the xenophobia of the Northern humans before, but he didn't expect it to be this serious.

If Renault and the others knew what Holfa was thinking, they would definitely complain. We just beat you up and you're going to go find our king. Who knows what you're planning? What if you suddenly attack that bastard King Roland... a fourth-tier ambush on a third-tier? Isn't that like attacking a baby?
"It is like this, I wish to establish diplomatic relations with your country. The Central Plains is in turmoil, and we need to work together! There are not many large-scale human kingdoms left, and I hope that all humans can unite closely!"

"Gandalf the wizard concluded at the White Council that darkness is returning! Our lord is very worried about this..." Holfa frowned with concern.

Attention! This is important! It will be on the test later! The lord of Horphas at this moment refers to the House of Doamlos in the territory of Dol'Amros, not the line of the Regent of Gondor! Compared to the increasingly decadent court nobles of the Regent's line, the landed nobles of the south, constantly fighting with pirates and barbarians, were more farsighted and courageous. The current lord of Dol'Amros should be Angelimir, a ruthless figure in this family with elven blood. Although he didn't inherit the elves' longevity, he did inherit their fighting prowess. Dol'Amros was among the most formidable fighters in Gondor.

"Oh! Thank goodness! I really have to thank you noble lords of the South... for finally remembering that darkness is approaching? The entire North is almost destroyed!" Renault began with a sarcastic tone, which was understandable, given that the northern kingdoms were already teetering on the brink of extinction, one wrong step and they would be plunged into the abyss!
“Let me count! The First Five Armies War, the Battle of Lagrange Plains, the Second Five Armies War, the Battle of Dolgodo… what were you doing?” Renault said, counting on his fingers.

"I'm sorry..." Holfa lowered his head. While the southern nobles were enjoying themselves, the northern nobles were fighting a bloody battle! Did Roland not want to be a luxurious kingdom? He needed to have the means! If it weren't for his hard work in leading the kingdom forward step by step, everyone's heads would probably be hanging on the city walls by now.

“Never mind… but I have to remind you! We are still facing the threat of war! The tankers in the Rune region are restless, and their advance team is probably not far from us!” Omske told Holfa the truth.

"And we are unable to send soldiers to escort you... We can only give you a guide! You'll have to get to Swiftstream City on your own from here," Renault continued, his face flushing slightly. Roland had gathered all the kingdom's cavalry capable of fighting tough battles, and now Roland possessed a terrifying mobile force of nearly three hundred knights. In contrast, the mobile forces in other parts of the kingdom were reduced to zero.

"Thank you! I've decided to go see your prince after all!" Holfa said, patting his chest.