Bringing the MC system to Middle-earth.

Chapter 46 Winter
"Aha--"

In the swamp, Levi, who had eliminated another small stronghold, stretched himself and patted his tattered linen cloak that was covered in blood.

As the sword pierced through the throat of the orc beneath his feet, the blue light on it gradually went out.

Boom——

The fire burning on the corpse dispelled some of the morning mist. Levi stretched out his hand to warm it and felt a hint of warmth.

It's getting colder.

A long time had passed since he had separated from Gandalf.

At first, Levi would count the rising and setting of the sun and the moon, calculating what time it was and how many days had passed.

But as the fog on the map gradually dissipated, his feet walked longer and longer distances, and the number of orcs chopped down by the sword in his hand increased, Levi gradually felt numb.

Every day I was either traveling and reading maps, or searching for traces of orcs and refugees, day after day, with no change.

I vaguely remember that a month ago I seemed to be able to meet scattered refugees, talk to them for a few words, and guide them to a safe place.

But maybe the residents in this area have finally evacuated, or maybe for some other reason, Levi hasn't encountered humans for a long time.

Even animals are rare.

Besides the orcs, it seemed the only things that moved and made noises about were the wargs.

Of course, now they won't move.

After sitting there in a daze for a while, Levi took out two pieces of bread and ate them. Then he opened the map and checked the topography of the area.

By now, most of the fog had been dispelled from the area known as the Vales of Anduin, and the terrain was recorded on maps.

Among them, all the stationed Oaks who could be killed had been killed by Levi.

Those who were not killed either ran too fast or were gathered together by the hundreds of Orcs. In a relatively open area, Levi could not handle an army of this size for the time being. When the number of troops was large, there would always be some changes in the tactics. Once trapped, it would be difficult to escape.

Levi shook his head.

The remaining Orc troops were basically hard nuts to crack who were forced to unite under their own power.

It's time to stop for now.

After being out for so long, even Levi would have some difficulties in stockpiling supplies.

The ready-made food had long been consumed, and for a long time, Levi relied on the few bundles of hay stored in his backpack to make bread.

Now the bread is almost finished.

Levi stood up and was about to walk around to see if he could find some wild animals when a familiar voice suddenly came from a distance:

"Finally found you, Levi. Phew—this is not easy."

I saw an old man in a gray robe crossing the grass, avoiding the swamp, and quickly running to Levi.

"I have been looking for you for nearly half a month. If I had not seen some burned orcs and wargs, I would have suspected that you had gone back."

"The orcs in this area haven't been cleared out yet. How can I go back so early?" Levi shook his head.

hiss--

Hearing this, Gandalf took a breath and said quickly, "Oh, God, Levi, that's enough. You have done enough. I haven't seen even half a living Orc in the whole half month. To be honest, this is even cleaner than the cleaning of the dwarf army. I almost wonder if you have a deep hatred with these Orcs."

"Deep hatred?"

Levi glanced at the reputation column.

[Misty Mountain Orcs: -1523 (enemy)]

“It should be available now.”

At this point, Levi estimated that the orcs in this area hated him no less than the dwarven royal family.

To give a more specific example, if Levi and Thorin are being chased by the Orcs and they run separately, the Orcs might have to chase Levi first, if they can defeat them.

"Well, anyway, our goal has been achieved. The people of the valley have moved north and gathered. When they are truly united, the invasion of the Orcs will no longer threaten them."

"Perhaps they can coalesce into a new group."

"Without your help, they would probably have to go through more setbacks."

' So said Gandalf, and he sat on a piece of broken wood, and took out his cigarette, and lit a flame.

As a smoke ring was exhaled, the wizard's tense expression visibly relaxed a lot.

Gandalf just smoked and Levi didn't say anything, as if he was in a daze.

There was total silence over the swamp, with only a thin wisp of smoke floating alone.

Gandalf stole a glance at the silent Levi, as if thinking about something. After a while, perhaps he had rested well.

He put away his pipe and suddenly slapped his knee: "Oh, look at my brain, I almost forgot..."

"what?"

"New Year!"

"new year?"

Levi was a little confused. What did it mean? Was there anything special about the New Year?
"Yes, the new year is coming soon. I once told the children in the Shire that I would go there with fireworks when the new year comes."

"It's been so long..."

Levi felt a little dazed. This time he was definitely the longest time he had been out, even longer than his trip to hell.

"We should end this long journey, Levi."

Gandalf patted Levi on the shoulder, announcing the end of the adventure.

A cool breeze blew by.

Small white particles floated onto Levi's face, cold and slightly moist.

Snowing.

"The Orcs have temporarily ceased their activities. For some reason, they have retreated to the mountains and stopped expanding outward."

As they walked, Gandalf told them the information he had learned.

When he mentioned "certain reasons", he glanced at Levi.

"To be honest, this is one of the few times I feel like things are going well. All my previous adventures were always filled with obstacles."

There are still too few things a person can do. Not everyone can be as strong as Levi.

"Levi?" Gandalf called out suddenly.

"Ah, I'm here."

"I always feel like you're in a daze."

"No, I just feel a little, um..."

"A bit tired?"

"No, you should understand that I don't feel tired."

"I see you're just tired."

Gandalf looked like an experienced person and said slowly, "You know, Levi, the elves have an endless lifespan, are naturally close to nature and magic, have strong bodies, and will never get sick or age."

"But they will die of grief."

"Spirit is the best nourishment for life and soul. You need to pay attention to this, Levi."

"Whether it's you, me, or anyone else, we all need to rest. I never stay awake when it's time to sleep."

"For you and me, the body is never the most important thing, but the soul needs to be maintained at all times."

This has been said as bluntly as possible, and there is no way to go into further details.

Levi listened silently and nodded.

Is that the case?

Come to think of it, I really haven’t slept for several months.

Because I’m not tired at all, my body doesn’t feel tired at all.

Perhaps it is true, as Gandalf said, that the soul also needs occasional maintenance. After all, it cannot be repaired by adding experience.

In the blink of an eye, many days passed and the two returned along the same route, leaving the Misty Mountains.

The journey was quite smooth, with almost no sighting of Orcs, and even when passing through the path through the Misty Mountain Pass, no Orcs came out to harass them.

Now that they had come down the mountain and were walking into the wilderness, Gandalf asked again:
"Like I said before, I plan to go hang out in the Ciel, what about you, Levi."

"I?"

Levi gently raised his hand and caught a grain of snow.

"I won't go. I have some things to do."

"While it's winter now."

　Thank you Lei Ni Yidan for the 100-point reward, thank you Shushan Youdao for the 500-point reward, thank you friends for your recommendation votes and monthly votes, thank you for your support!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)