I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 26 Elrond's Request

After Tanes left, the dwarf who was eavesdropping in the kitchen heard "long and pointed ears" and immediately realized that a group of elves had come to their door.

So the dwarf who was in charge of raising chickens didn't even put down his simple frying pan, and ran directly towards the city of Moren to find Fili, Qili and others.

"I can't let my friend suffer those pointy-eared ones!" the dwarf muttered as he ran hard.

On the other side, Hyde Fortress.

On the wall of Hyde Fortress, more than a dozen Grek soldiers lined up in a row, standing upright and looking down.

The group of demihumans stood on the platform outside where the crossbows were placed, chattering among themselves about the cavalry standing outside the fortress, and did not point the crossbows at them.

At the gate below, the Grek Knight who had fallen into the Path of Blood stood still like a statue, leading two Grek soldiers.

Less than ten meters in front of the knight commander, a handsome elf was riding on a sturdy warhorse.

Behind this elf, dozens more stood motionless atop dark warhorses, maintaining the same posture. They wore slim-fitting silver armor and reddish-brown cloaks, and they too quietly awaited the arrival of the true master of Hyde Fortress.

Behind these cavalrymen, there were ten carriages.

Judging from the heavy ruts in the mud, the carriage was heavily loaded.

When Tanes and Kayneth arrived, the leading elf immediately dismounted and smiled warmly at them. "Greetings, friends of Gandalf. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. Mithrandir, also known as Gandalf, was a guest in Rivendell not long ago. He told me that in the traumatized land of Minthriath, there is a kind-hearted human who is rebuilding his home. He hopes I can lend a helping hand to this human, so I have come to visit him unexpectedly. I hope you will accept my offer."

Tanes looked at the elf who called himself Elrond. His face showed no signs of time, neither old nor young, but it was engraved with many memories of joy and sorrow.

He has black hair, grey eyes, and a silver band in his hair.

Tanes told himself in his heart that the other party was not only a lord, but also a brave and skilled warrior.

Full of martial virtue.

Tanes sighed inwardly, then stepped forward and said, "I am Tanes, welcome."

Anyway, these elves came to deliver supplies to him, so Tanes had no reason not to welcome them.

Kenneth Hyde, who was following behind Tanes, walked behind Tanes, turned around and waved his hand, signaling the soldiers of Hyde Fortress to let off guard.

"Gandalf's friends are my friends. Thank you for coming all this way."

Tanes took a step forward and extended his hand to Elrond, but found that the other party made a strange gesture to him, then was slightly stunned and hesitated for a moment before shaking the hand he extended.

Are you not used to shaking hands with people?
Tanes thought to himself, shook it gently and then let go.

Instead, it was Elrond who smiled apologetically and said, "It's been a long time since I last interacted with other humans. I almost forgot your human handshake etiquette."

It turns out that this is the case.

Tanes's doubts were answered, and he said he didn't care and invited them to go to the city of Moren.

On the way to Morn, Elrond's bright eyes surveyed the surrounding grass and leaves that had turned golden. Then, looking up at the brilliant golden tree, he praised it, saying, "This tree truly possesses magical power, just as Gandalf said. It's a power so full of life and vitality that it's hard not to rejoice."

Elrond naturally felt the blessings showered down from the branches of the golden tree, which was why he praised it so highly.

Tanes smiled upon hearing the other party's praise. "Everyone who sees it says so, but it's still in its growth stage. When it truly becomes a towering tree, I will invite you to visit again."

Just as the two were having a friendly conversation, a rough voice cut through the sky.

"Protect Mr. Tanes!"

A group of dwarves rushed out from the woods by the roadside, holding swords, spears, halberds, pots and pans. Qili's voice was the loudest, and he was in the front.

"Drink ah ah ah!"

But he was soon overtaken by Dwalin, who was roaring and holding his battle axe in both hands.

The elven knights behind Elrond reacted very quickly. They squeezed their horses' bellies and surrounded Elrond and Tanes on their warhorses, protecting them in the center.

Elrond looked at these dwarves who rushed out inexplicably with a strange expression on his face. When he saw that some of the dwarves were holding frying pans with oil stains on them, his eyes became even more puzzled.

He could see that some of the dwarves rushing towards him were not even warriors at all, but just farmers and cooks.

"Lord Tanes, who are these dwarves...?" Elrond couldn't think of an answer and could only look at Tanes.

Tanes looked at the dwarves rushing towards him with worried and nervous expressions, and his eyes suddenly darkened. He had the urge to ignore them.

But he couldn't really ignore it. Tanes even saw the prayer in Qili's hand begin to light up, and behind him, Fili had already drawn his throwing knife and was ready to throw it.

Tanes shouted loudly to stop the group of foolish dwarves: "Fili, Kili, stop! Lord Elrond did not come to fight with swords!"

Qili stopped dead in his tracks when he heard his teacher's voice, frozen in place. "Huh?"

Philip also quickly let go of the handle of the throwing knife in his hand, and looked at the elf cavalry who had formed a formation and displayed their weapons in a daze.

Similarly, all the dwarves who heard Tanes's voice to stop stopped, and then the dwarves including Fili, Kili and Dwalin looked at the chicken-raising dwarf holding the frying pan in his hand.

The chicken-raising dwarf blinked, looked left and right, and then smiled awkwardly. "I just heard there were elven cavalry in front of Hyde Fortress, and I thought there was going to be a fight."

Now it was Fili, Kili and Dwalin's turn to be blinded, especially Kili and Dwalin, as they rushed the fastest and thus saw the ten carriages loaded with supplies following behind the cavalry.

However, they had no good feelings towards the elves, so even though they knew they were in the wrong, they did not apologize and just stood there motionless.

Elrond now knew that it was the dwarves who had caused the misunderstanding, and he ordered his cavalrymen in Elvish to stand down, and then he and Tanes walked up to Kili and the others.

"Prejudice is an invisible mountain. It will make you unable to distinguish between friends and enemies, and will also lead you into blindness and danger." Elrond said lightly.

Kili snorted, "We don't want to be friends with a bunch of ungrateful elves."

Even Dwalin had not put down his battle axe and made a provocative gesture.

Fili was relatively restrained, but he waited until Kili finished speaking before pulling his brother behind him.

He ignored Elrond and turned to Tanes, saying, "I'm sorry, Master. We heard a group of pointy-eared men approaching your fortress and thought a fight was about to break out." Tanes also noticed that Fili and his dwarves seemed to be at odds with the elves, so he quickly appeased them, saying, "Thank you and your compatriots for your kindness. Fili, you should go to Hyde Fortress and rest first."

Fili glanced at Elrond a few more times before nodding in agreement.

"Hmph." Kili snorted coldly at Elrond and followed his brother away.

"Hmph!" This was Dwalin. Before leaving, he weighed the battle axe in his hand several times in front of Elrond.

The other dwarves were the same. When they passed by the elves under Fili's leadership, they all looked at them coldly or deliberately hummed in dissatisfaction.

When the dwarves and elves had crossed paths and could no longer see each other, Tanes revealed a look of annoyance and a headache. "I'm so sorry, Lord Elrond. I didn't expect this awkward situation to happen. When we reach Morn's castle, I'll personally apologize to you and your people."

Elrond smiled. "It was merely a harmless misunderstanding. There's no need for the Lord of the Golden Tree to apologize personally. I know the stubbornness of the dwarves well, like ice in winter. The fact that they listen to you so well shows that you hold a great place in their hearts. This also confirms Gandalf's assessment of you: you are a good man worthy of friendship."

Tanes originally wanted to apologize to Elrond, but he didn't expect that the other party was not angry, but instead praised him, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

He was full of admiration for Elrond's restraint and magnanimity, and said, "You are also a respectable elf, but Gandalf's words about me are a bit too flattering. Let us move on. This is not a good place for chatting."

Elrond kept his composure and smile as he followed Tanis. "I do not think Gandalf would over-praise a man who could so readily give a divine weapon to a friend."

Soon, the elves entered the castle of Moren City. Nepheli Lu and Roger had been waiting at the main gate of the castle for a long time, helping the elves park the war horses and carriages full of supplies where they should be.

While they were helping, Tanes introduced the two to Elrond.

"Neferi Lu, the female warrior who can stir up storms in battle, and Roger, the magician who perfectly combines swordsmanship and spells. I heard about your bravery from Gandalf, and I am very happy to meet warriors like you." Elrond took the initiative to greet the two.

"I am honored to be spoken of in such a way by Gandalf."

Roger took off his wizard's pointed hat and placed it on his chest, performing an elegant chest-touching salute.

Neferi Lu nodded calmly and said, "May the wind bless you on your journey home."

The four of them came to the empty hall where the lord of the castle sat. There were three large and clean long tables in the hall, which were enough to accommodate fifty people.

However, there was no wine or food on the long table at this time. Tanes's voice sounded apologetically: "I have arranged for Kenneth Hyde to deliver the food. Lord Elrond, please wait a moment with your compatriots. By the way, this is my first time hosting elves. Are there any foods you are allergic to?"

Elrond, guided by Tanes, took the seat reserved for honored guests.

The other elves also took their seats in an orderly and coordinated manner.

Elrond smiled upon hearing this and said, "That's not a problem. It's our uninvited arrival that delayed your preparations. I should be the one to apologize. As for food, normal human food will do." (Note 1)

Tanes asked again, "Lord Elrond, I imagine you've come all the way from Rivendell to come here. This shouldn't just be a simple gift of supplies, right?"

Elrond smiled, his expression a bit skeptical, and said, "You are right, Lord Tanes. Besides sending supplies, I do have other motives. Or rather, it was a motive that Gandalf and I decided upon."

How is it related to Gandalf again?

Tanes said with great interest, "I'd like to hear more about it."

Elrond turned to his elven lieutenant and said, "Lindir, present the map."

An elegant male elf nodded, stood up from his seat, sat down and spread out a brand new paper map on Tanes's desk, then returned to his seat.

Tanes noticed that the ink on the map was still fresh, and the geographical locations were marked in an elegant font.

But what do I need a map for? I already have a map of Middle-earth.

Tanes hid his curiosity in his heart and waited for Elrond's next move.

Elrond stood up from his seat, walked to Tanes' side, and pointed to a place in the upper right corner of the map belonging to Minhirias. That place had the name "Shabad".

Tanes looked over and asked curiously, "Is there anything special about this place?"

Elrond explained to Tanes, "Shabad was once a great river port city, capable of accommodating seagoing ships. Its Great Shabad Bridge connected the north and south roads, linking the Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. However, now, the Kingdom of Arnor in the north has ceased to exist, and the Kingdom of Gondor in the south is gradually declining. Coupled with the great plague that once swept across western Middle-earth, this once great river port city of Shabad has fallen into decline and is now deserted. All that remains are the eroding foundations, the ruins of the town, and the dangerous mudflats formed by the collapsed remains of the bridge."

Tanis nodded. "It does sound like a shame that it has fallen on hard times, but does that have anything to do with your and Gandalf's goals?"

Elrond said in a resounding voice, "I would like you to rebuild Shabad."

Wait, what?
Tanes showed a surprised expression, but did not rush to object. Instead, he signaled with his eyes for Elrond to tell him the reason.

Elrond also admired Tanes's calmness and nodded with satisfaction. He said, "This world was once shrouded in darkness, Lord Tanes. Even now, the darkness has not dissipated. It lurks in places we cannot see, waiting for an opportunity to strike us when we are most vulnerable."

"Shabad's geographical location is also unique. If you can lead your compatriots to rebuild this port city, you will once again have a shortcut from the Elves' Vale to Gondor, allowing them to quickly support each other. Furthermore, the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains will be able to rely on Shabad to more easily travel to the Mines of Moria and reclaim their other homeland."

"Of course, rebuilding Shabad is a matter of great importance, so it doesn't matter if you don't agree. But if you do agree, I swear as the Lord of Rivendell that I will support your reconstruction efforts."

Tanes fell into deep thought. He realized that what Elrond said to him was based on the premise of the outbreak of a great war.

Even without a war, rebuilding Shabad could make it a transportation hub. Successful reconstruction would also bring many benefits.

Tanes fell into deep thought.

Elrond saw the expression on Tanis' face and said with a sigh and a helpless look, "War has never truly left this land. All Gandalf and I have done is to make as much preparation as possible during this hard-earned period of peace."

At this time, Kenneth Hyde tiptoed to the door of the city lord's hall. The copper ring on the door made a dull sound, echoing in the hall.

Then, Grek soldiers came in one after another, carrying delicious food.

The long trays in their hands were filled with fragrant delicacies: golden fried eggs, bright red jam, emerald green salad, and refreshing wine.

With this little episode, Tanis took the opportunity to say to Elrond, "I need some time to consider this matter, Lord Elrond. Besides Shabad, Gandalf initially recommended the equally abandoned port of Longderdale, which would allow me to connect with the southern kingdom of Gondor. I've only just begun to rebuild my homeland, so I really need time."

Elrond nodded. "I understand your situation, and I don't want you to misunderstand me. Gandalf and I are merely suggesting this, not forcing it. Even if you don't intend to rebuild Shabad, I won't be disappointed. I'm very happy to see the land of Minhiriath revitalized because of you."

　Note 1: The eating habits of the elves in Middle-earth are indeed similar to those of humans, and they are not vegetarians. The film and television versions we have seen simply modified this point, because it would make the atmosphere of the elves' abstinence from food more prominent.

　　As for the slow update, I will try to update more after the game is launched (kowtow)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)