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

Chapter 37 The Arrival of the Elves

"Damn it! It's so good to be rich!" Roland couldn't help but cry after slipping the Ring of Glory onto his right index finger. His wealth had shrunk instantly. But to be honest, it actually looked quite good together with the magic ring on his left index finger, giving off a nouveau riche vibe. The Ring of Glory, with its gold base and an octagonal ruby ​​inlaid, had fine lines of rule power quietly sliding across its surface, making it clear that it was no ordinary item.

“Oh? Sir, this ring is very beautiful. I can feel a sacred aura on it…” Caslo suddenly leaned over and examined the Ring of Glory with Roland.

"How could it not look good? A whole 500,000 wealth points are plastered on it!" Roland thought to himself. In the game, Roland had never obtained any of the Nine Rings of the Knights, but he knew that five of the Holy Rings were in the hands of Emperor Karl.

"Get out of the way! Don't talk nonsense if you don't know!" Renault suddenly appeared behind Caslo and threw him out. After carefully examining the ring, Caslo suddenly knelt down on one knee respectfully.

"Congratulations, my king... This is the first ring of the Holy Rings—the Ring of Glory. It seems the glory of the Lagrange Empire has recognized you." Renault bowed respectfully. As a paladin, he had systematically studied the knowledge of the Holy Rings and recognized this divine artifact ring in just a few glances.

"What? Renault, are you sure you're not mistaken? This is the Ring of Glory?" Caslo exclaimed in shock.

"Your Majesty, you can try using Glory," Renault respectfully suggested.

"Glory!" Although Roland knew it was the Ring of Glory, he still followed Renault's advice and openly demonstrated to everyone that the return of the Ring of Glory would help increase the cohesion of the group.

A crimson-gold light burst forth, unlike the pale golden power of glory released by ordinary knights. Then, Renault, Caslo, and the other knights couldn't help but release their glory, and instantly the power of glory on everyone's bodies was stained crimson-gold. Their power gradually merged into one, and they completed the knights' combined attack on the ground.

God bless Lagrange!

"By the Dragon God!"

……

“One of the Five Rings has already returned… Your Majesty, you are destined to be the one to revive Lagrange…” Renault murmured as he looked at Roland.

In fact, the Lagrange Empire alone possesses the nine Rings of God, which were originally created to fight against the nine Ringwraiths and their Black Knights. The system altered everyone's memories, making them believe that these nine holy rings appeared a long time ago and had been lost to time...

“The Five Commandments?” Roland asked in surprise.

“Yes, they are the first Ring of Glory, the second Ring of Mercy, the sixth Ring of Protection, the seventh Ring of Courage, and the ninth Ring of Sacrifice. These all once belonged to the royal family… unfortunately, they were all lost later.” Renault sighed.

“But the Ring of Glory has returned, hasn’t it? Lagrange’s glory will return with it.” Roland smiled at Renault.

“You’re right, Your Majesty!” Renault nodded firmly.

"Nine rings...it's such a long time!" Roland thought to himself, gazing at the sky. But the feeling of having all ten fingers covered in rings must be amazing! Roland began another round of daydreaming.

……

"My lord, an elf named Legolas requests an audience." Reno stepped into the marching tent and found Roland slumped unceremoniously in a chair covered with soft fur.

“Legolas? What’s he doing here?” Roland asked in surprise. Thranduil had instructed him to go to the Dundan tribe in the north to find a ranger nicknamed Swiftwalker, who would later become King Aragorn. What was he doing here?
"Let him come over." Roland thought it would be better to meet him, after all, he was someone with the protagonist's aura.

"Legolas, it's been a long time!" Roland stood up and nodded in greeting.

"Greetings, King Roland," Legolas greeted, placing his right hand on his chest.

"Well, what brings you here? Oh, by the way, everything here is in need of rebuilding, so please forgive our rudeness, we don't have anything good to offer you. If you don't mind, you can stay and have some simple food." Roland said apologetically, after all, it was rather impolite of the host to be unable to entertain guests.

"It's alright, I came to tell you about the news from the north!" Legolas nervously pulled a map from his pocket. "The north? What tricks are the orcs up to now?" Roland immediately tensed up. Roland was particularly concerned about the orcs in the north, and of course, the orcs from the south were also someone he paid attention to.

"The orc army is beginning to assemble again at the northern fortress of Gambada..." Legolas said gravely.

"Holy crap, ruthless! They've already assembled?" Roland's eyes widened.

“Not yet, but when I crossed the Grey Mountains they discovered the orcs living in the mountains heading towards Gangaba!” Legolas said, staring at Roland.

“What did Bard and Thorin say?” Roland asked.

“They will fight to the death to defend their homeland!” Legolas had clearly already been to Irubor and Valhalla.

"They're the ones to rely on in the north! I'll do my best to stop the orcs from the south!" Roland carefully examined the map.

“The South?” Legolas was taken aback.

“Dogold! Azog’s orc army is entrenched in the old fortress. You haven’t overlooked the south, have you?” Roland asked in surprise.

“I come from the north…” Legolas scratched his head sheepishly.

"Oh well! Forget it, I'll have someone cross the river and set up an outpost on the west bank in a bit. My army will scout along the swift current." Roland rubbed his temples and said helplessly to Legolas.

"Then I'll trouble you! I have to go north, so I won't stay any longer. Take care, King Roland." Legolas bowed deeply in respect, then turned and left the tent.

“Renault!” Roland called out.

"What is it, Your Majesty!" Renault entered after hearing Roland's call.

"Put the fortification work aside for now. Take the knights across the river and find a place to camp on the other side! I'll have the mage Radil help you build an outpost. Your daily task is to scout the orcs' movements along the swift river. Oh, and have Caslo come with you too; his presence will make things much easier," Roland instructed.

“Wherever your will leads, that is where my sword will point!” Renault said with utmost respect.

Looking at Renault retreating, Roland suddenly felt a pang of panic. He realized that he was completely unprepared to face the orcs head-on. The orc army from Togold, which was heading north, would definitely prioritize attacking Swiftstream, a city whose defenses were still inadequate.

"Your Highness, please rest assured... It's winter now..." Old Master Radil suddenly appeared in the tent.

"Winter?" Roland pondered the question carefully.

“Winter is not a good time to attack. You should think about how to face them next spring.” Radil pointed out to Roland that the orcs could not attack in winter. The defeat in the first Battle of Lonely Mountain, even if it did not cripple them, would definitely hurt them for a long time. They also needed to conserve their strength.

"It seems we need to prepare for the second Battle of Lonely Mountain," Roland sighed.

"Perhaps it's the defense of Swiftstream City..." Roland suddenly said with a self-deprecating laugh.

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(End of this chapter)