Rivendell

Roland arrived with 103 men and returned with 193. Is this the legendary ultimate military strategy: the more you fight, the more you have?

"Come on, men, pick up the pace! We need to get to Rivendell!" Roland said spiritedly.

"Then, my lord... where exactly is Rivendell?" Reno asked timidly. (In this world, Reno wasn't the Governor of the Northern Territory yet, and he didn't know Rivendell's location.)

"..." Roland.

"Caslo, do you know where Rivendell is?" Roland asked with a sliver of hope.

"Ahem, why don't we look at the map?" Caslo scratched his head.

"So... we're lost again?" Roland asked incredulously.

Seeing Reno and Caslo nod in affirmation, a few dark lines appeared above Roland's forehead. He immediately covered his face. He remembered the last time they got lost was when they were looking for Smaug's lair in Hobbiton.

"Fine, let's look..." Roland sighed.

"This is the last elven sanctuary in the Eastern Sea, what people often call..." Gandalf said, raising his eyebrows.

"Rivendell!" Bilbo murmured, stunned by the beauty before him.

"Gandalf?" an elf approached.

"Ah! Lindir, I'm here to see King Elrond," Gandalf said.

"Unfortunately, King Elrond is not here," Lindir replied.

At that moment, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from behind them...

"When the thrush knocks, stand by the grey rock. And the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will reveal the key-hole," King Elrond read the moon-letters on the map by moonlight.

Late at night, Roland and his weary men were gathered around a campfire, poring over the map, trying to find something. Unfortunately, the sheepskin map, which looked like a child's drawing, yielded nothing.

"My lord, why don't we just go our own way..." Reno said helplessly.

"What are you thinking? We still have ten brothers with them," Roland said, holding his head.

With his current strength, Roland could easily occupy a small town in the Shire and become a local emperor. However, Roland couldn't bear to give up the quest rewards from the main storyline.

"System, sign in!" Roland looked up at the sky. Good, it was well past midnight.

"Sign-in successful! Reward: 100 Lagrange Empire Swift River Infantry."

"Holy crap, I'm actually building an army!" Roland exclaimed.

However, the Swift River Infantry couldn't ride horses. Firstly, as infantry units, riding horses wouldn't increase their combat effectiveness. Secondly, Roland's reserve of warhorses was almost depleted...

Roland chose to summon these 100 infantrymen. As expected, dense footsteps soon echoed from the distance. The vigilant Bannaria Archers had already drawn their bowstrings.

"It's us, relax," Roland shot a glance at the oversensitive crowd. No wandering Orcs would attack an army composed entirely of professionals, unless it was an Orc horde.

"My lord! We are here to provide support!" The neatly lined-up Swift River Infantrymen clenched their fists and pounded their chests. Their memories, granted by the system, told them they had rushed from the Shire to support their lord, the last lord of Lagrange, of course.

"Thank you for your hard work. Rest now," Roland waved his hand. Someone immediately stepped forward to help set up tents. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Roland carefully examined the Swift River Infantry. It was the first time he had closely observed this unit. They were the most numerous infantry in the Lagrange Empire. Since they weren't professionals, they were simply armed commoners. In the game, they were cannon fodder of the cannon fodder, but that was clearly not the case now!

Thanks to the Lagrange Empire's strong national power, even ordinary infantry were equipped with excellent gear (relatively speaking). This unit was recruited from the Swift River basin, hence their name. They were a unit between light and heavy infantry. They wore fine iron bucket helmets, had leather armor lining their bodies, and chainmail over it. They wielded 5-meter-long anti-cavalry spears, carried a full-body leather shield reinforced with iron on their backs, and had a steel mace hanging from their waists. They were indeed armed to the teeth. It was a pity that the Swift River Infantry were not professionals and could not use skills. If they faced an equal number of professional infantry, even novice-level professionals, they would be slaughtered.

With the clear sky, Roland set off with a large contingent of people. No, they were going in circles...

"Everyone spread out! Look for elves! Damn it, if I can't find Rivendell, I can't find elves?" Roland had a sudden idea.

"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" Caslo quickly flattered him.

Reno covered his face. This lord was something else, so embarrassing. It was the first time he had seen someone ask for directions while lost...

At this moment, Lindir was patrolling with a squad of 10 elven cavalry. They crossed hills, stepped over streams, walked through meadows, and then... they were surrounded. Nearly 300 people, armed and menacing, had encircled them from all directions. Lindir's heart sank. The weakest among them were the Swift River Infantry, but the forest of spears formed by their 5-meter-long anti-cavalry spears was too intimidating. The heavy archer knights patrolling the perimeter looked formidable (the Bannaria Archers on horseback were incredibly deceptive), and the knights in full plate armor wielding steel lances would likely have them digging themselves out of the ground after one charge.

Thinking of this, Lindir spurred his horse forward and shouted with all his might, "What do you want? Are humans going to break the covenant? This is Rivendell!"

"Pfft!" Someone couldn't hold back a snicker.

Roland's eyes twitched. Looking at this young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who had rushed out with righteous indignation, he thought he was going to challenge them to a duel or something. Who knew this kid was just trying to use a big name to scare them.

"Alright, we're looking for Rivendell! Capture them!" Roland rubbed his hands.

"You got it! Watch this!" Caslo, the loyal lackey, grinned and led everyone forward.

"Ah! Despicable humans!"

"Holy crap, don't hit my face!"

"My lord! We've brought them back," Caslo said happily.

"Gasp!" Reno was shocked by the sight before him.

"Holy crap, what did you guys do to them?" Roland asked, pointing at the eleven bruised faces in front of him.

"Uh, they resisted, and we weren't allowed to kill anyone..." Caslo said sheepishly.

"You shark! You ate me!" Lindir slurred.

"Uh, let go..." Roland turned away, his shoulders shaking. After a while, Roland turned back.

"Hello, could you tell me how to get to Rivendell?" Roland, barely suppressing a smile, looked at the "pig's head" in front of him.

"You ate me! I won't tell you!" Lindir said angrily.

"Sir, what should we do?" Reno shrugged helplessly.

"Everyone on alert! Wait for the other elves to come find us. If a patrol team goes missing, I don't believe the elves won't react." Roland sighed.

"Understood!" Reno acknowledged the order and left to make arrangements.

Thank you to all the readers for your recommendation tickets. I hope everyone continues to shower me with votes.