"How could it be? Compared with Gondor and Rohan, The Shire simply offered poorer returns. The entire Great East Road was dangerous, and we would have to cross the whole Misty Mountains. The two southern kingdoms were much more convenient—following the Anduin River south was both easy and safe!" Apophis Breo explained.
"The Shire was still very prosperous. Its trade routes had merely been cut off. Aside from a few traveling merchants with Spatial Equipment who dared to cross the Great East Road into the Misty Mountains region to sell scarce goods to the Elves, basically no one came here!" Apophis Breo explained to Roland.
"Your idea is excellent. If we can open up the Great East Road, it would indeed be a good choice. Goods from here could flow into the eastern markets, while eastern specialties could capture the market in The Shire. The people there are very wealthy!" Apophis Breo recalled.
"I have no doubt about that!" Roland nodded. He had followed the Company of Thorin all the way from The Shire. The Shire was full of prosperous autonomous territories. Its people had never endured the ravages of war, and the Orcs apparently did not like expanding westward, so they had remained wealthy all along.
"By the way, I've always been curious. How did the Hobbits in The Shire manage to stay out of everything? The Orcs would never give up such fertile land, yet the Witch-king of Angmar never managed to conquer The Shire!" Roland asked curiously, pointing at the map.
"Oh? That? Do you know the Rangers of the North—the Dúnedain?" Apophis Breo said.
"Hm?" Roland's heart stirred. The Dúnedain? Wasn't that Aragorn's family? No, more accurately, it was Aragorn's people. After the North Kingdom fell, they had become wandering Rangers in the north.
"They're here..."