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

Chapter 46 Hidden Secret Realm

"Renault! You've really maxed out your taunt buff, haven't you!" Roland said as he leaped and dodged through the woods, dodging the spikes that kept popping up from under his feet.

"Injustice! My lord! Who knew there was a giant earth bear in that cave!" Renault followed Roland with a bitter face.

"Roar!" An angry roar came from behind, and Roland and the other man couldn't help but quicken their pace.

"Even an idiot would know that elves can't live in burrows!" Roland said, covering his face.

“Speaking of which, it seems like we’re more likely to attract the orcs’ attention than riding horses!” Roland glanced at the furious earth bear behind them.

As a top-tier high-level magical beast, the Earth Bear possesses a body as large as a small hill and powerful earth magic abilities. Its massive body means it has defensive capabilities comparable to a flying dragon, and its powerful earth magic allows it to easily destroy armies. Reno, that idiot, actually went straight into its lair and successfully attracted the attention of this hibernating male bear.

"This is the first time I've felt this forest is so dangerous!" Roland said irritably, turning his head and unleashing a sword beam composed of battle aura.

"Roar!" As a few bear hairs fell, the Earth Bear grew even angrier.

"Damn it! Your Highness, why did you attack it?" Renault leaped up to avoid a spike that emerged from beneath his feet, looking at Roland with a horrified expression.

“Grass (a type of plant)!” Roland was immediately struck by the thick bearskin.

"You said if we slaughtered it, skinned it, and made leather armor, wouldn't the defense be amazing? And those thick bear paws, coated in honey and roasted..." Roland felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"Damn! Your Highness, we're almost gone, and you still have time to think about bear paws?" Renault was completely stunned by Roland's flirtatious words. Obviously, the people of Lagrange wouldn't understand the obsession of the people of the Great Foodie Empire. After all, in his previous life, Roland could only look at pictures of bear paws, and bears were considered to be among the animals destined to spend their lives in prison.

"Uh... how long have we been chasing each other? Aren't you tired, buddy?" Roland panted as he glanced at the Earth Bear relentlessly pursuing them.

"If only Caslo were here!" Roland missed his most loyal lackey immensely. Not only was he obedient, but he also had good looks and strength, and most importantly, he never caused trouble!
"Outrageous... Even if Caslo rode a dragon in this dense forest environment, he would be utterly crushed!" Renault sighed.

"Is this stubborn leech impossible to get rid of?" Roland said helplessly.

“Unless there’s a river…” Renault sighed.

"You might as well not say anything!" Roland complained, but his footing was anything but slow.

And so, at this moment, the world lost two paladins and gained two holy rangers... Their agile figures, nimble movements, and excellent awareness would make a true ranger swear with their feet.

"Huh? It seems to have slowed down!" Renault watched as the Earth Bear's speed gradually decreased, from running to walking briskly. Finally, after crossing a large tree, it suddenly stopped, raised its head, tilted its neck back, and sniffed around as if it was very wary of something there. After standing there for a moment, it immediately turned around and left.

"Gone?" Roland asked, somewhat surprised.

"It seems we're in big trouble again..." Renault sighed.

"What trouble do we have now that it's gone?" Roland asked, puzzled.

“Ahem, generally speaking, there are only two situations where a predator abandons its prey: first, it can’t run anymore, and obviously that Earth Bear still has plenty of energy; second, its prey has entered the territory of a higher-level predator…” Renault swallowed and didn’t continue.

"You better stop babbling..." Roland was already exasperated by Renault's mouth.

"Be careful! We're not far from our destination!" Roland warned, hoping that nothing else would go wrong. His heart couldn't take it anymore. Not everyone has Reno's abnormal physique. As a fellow paladin, Roland admitted that he was already a bit weak, after all, he had just played a marathon with a high-level magical beast.

"Don't worry, Your Highness! Please be careful and don't get hurt!" Renault nodded.

"You're the one I worry about the most!" Roland covered his face. ...

“Swaying star grass, revitalized morning glory. Shining six-pointed star, somber guardian…” Roland murmured softly.

"Your Highness?" Renault asked, puzzled.

“It seems we need to find the Star Grass first…” Roland ignored Renault and began searching for the Star Grass.

“Star Grass? Isn’t that a summer plant? How come it’s here in winter?” Renault asked, puzzled.

“This is the secret code to Singari. Singari is isolated from the world, surrounded and hidden by a barrier. We need to find a way to get there.” Roland glanced at Renault.

“And the Star Grass will guide us!” Roland looked into the deep forest.

"Uh...yes, Your Highness." Renault scratched his head. Although he didn't understand why the Star Grass would grow in winter, since Roland had said so, he still had to follow along and look for it.

"Don't rush, the Star Grass can only be seen at night!" Roland said quietly.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Renault and Roland hastily filled their stomachs with dry, hard black bread and some water. Then, they found a large tree, quickly climbed up its dense canopy, and lay down on its broad branches to take a short rest.

As the sun sets and the moon climbs above the treetops, the starlight illuminates the dark forest, creating an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere.

"Let's go, Your Highness, it's night." Renault opened his eyes and gently shook Roland.

"Huh? It's getting dark?" Roland rubbed his eyes.

"Let's get started!" After stretching, Roland jumped down from the tree.

……

After a long time, just when Roland thought there were no more Star Spirits in this world and was about to give up, Renault suddenly quietly pointed to a tree not far to Roland's right.

There, near the dark tree roots, several frail star grasses swayed their bodies toward the direction of the starlight, and the starlight seemed to be attracted to them, pouring down on them gently like a ribbon.

"It really exists!" Roland was taken aback. If the out-of-season Star Grass existed, then the Autumn Flower, which only grows in autumn, should also be found.

Roland gently lifted the Star Grass and examined them carefully. Since Star Grass is attracted by starlight, then Singrei's Star Barrier must also attract Star Grass, otherwise it would be impossible for Star Grass to still exist in winter, which is out of season.

“Their cores face south!” Roland finally discovered the secret hidden within these star grasses.

"Come on! This way!" Roland waved to Renault, signaling him to follow.

Along the way, Roland saw several more clumps of star grass, and sure enough, the cores of these star grasses all pointed south.

"It seems we'll have to wait until dawn to find the Brightstar Flower to pinpoint the approximate location of the entrance to the Kingdom of Singrei." Roland clapped his hands. The Star Grass covering the ground had already fulfilled its purpose; the Brightstar Flower would be needed to guide them on the remaining journey.

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(End of this chapter)