New Function

"Congratulations to the host for unlocking the new feature - the Mall! Please check it." The Ring System's light screen unfolded before Roland.

Roland was about to study it closely when Bard interrupted him.

"This is all like a dream!" Bard said incredulously, looking at the sea of fire behind them.

"Yeah, such a large small town... in just one night..." Roland was also filled with emotion.

"Let's go!" Roland took a horse and handed the reins to Bard.

"I still need to wait for my soldiers," Roland said, noticing Bard's confusion.

"Dale needs you! King Bard!" Roland shouted at Bard's retreating figure.

"Caslo! Get all the horses ready, we're going to meet our lovely archers!" Roland ordered Caslo and his group to take the warhorses of the Bannaria Archers and search along the lake shore for the departing archers.

"Here!" an archer crawled up from the shore! It was clear he was exhausted. He was lying by the shore, trying to be a salted fish, but unfortunately, there was no sun...

"Hey! Buddy, get on the horse! We still need to search for others!" Caslo called out.

"Quick, quick! Time is life! Everyone spread out and look for our brothers!" Roland anxiously mobilized all his subordinates to find the scattered archers.

"Thank the Dragon God! May the glory of Lagrange bless you!" Roland looked at the group of people in front of him, covered in dirt and looking disheveled, who could barely be called soldiers.

In the Battle of Smaug, the Bannaria Archers had miraculously survived, except for a few unlucky ones who were crushed by collapsing houses and fell into the water... but their excellent physical condition as professionals allowed them to recover quickly.

"Everyone, rest. It's been a long day!" Roland said, leading the way into the woods.

"Sir! Aren't we heading to the Lonely Mountain? The Dwarves owe our boss a lot of money!" Caslo, as Roland's earliest retainer, was well aware of the contract Roland had signed with the Dwarves.

"Heading to the Lonely Mountain?" Roland looked at Caslo with a strange expression.

"To be honest, I'm not even planning to go to Dale right now!" Roland shook his head. How brave could this child be! To head towards the Lonely Mountain now? Let alone the Wyvern Knights, even the Dragon Knights would beat you to the point of being unable to take care of yourself. Because this is a real world, and Roland wasn't sure if the Dwarves and Elves would fight first. If they did, who would he help? Before they even clashed with the Orcs, their own people might wipe each other out... The entire Lonely Mountain was now a death trap! The Dwarves had to jump in (after all, it was their capital), humans also had to jump in (for the wealth needed to rebuild their homes), and the Orcs willingly jumped in too (due to its important strategic location). The Elves thought about it and jumped in too (Thranduil wanted the Arkenstone). As for Roland, he was still considering whether or not to jump in...

Never mind, he'd study the system's new features first. Besides, making a fortune didn't necessarily depend on the Lonely Mountain's treasure. If he got desperate, Roland would directly launch an expedition to Moria! (Orcs: You can forget about it! Dwarves: Thank you, friends of humanity, for recovering our lost lands.) After all, there was definitely a lot of wealth in the former capital of the Dwarves.

Roland sensed the Ring System and found that it could now display an operational page. A light screen appeared before Roland, showing the system's new feature - the Mall. Twelve different items would be randomly refreshed daily, and purchases required wealth points. Roland's face darkened as soon as he saw his wealth points... Damn, that "5" was truly glaring! After fiddling with it for a while, Roland finally figured out the origin of wealth points: 10,000 gold coins converted to 1 wealth point.

"Heh, poverty limits my imagination!" Roland found that he couldn't even afford the cheapest item on the list. Lagrange Dragon Hunter: 10 wealth points. Quantity: 50. And Roland even found Great Forbidden Spell scrolls on it! Unfortunately, the staggering one million wealth points forced Roland to face reality.

Roland casually dismissed the system's light screen. He silently walked out of the tent and looked at the burning Lake-town in the distance, sighing softly.

"Sir... when can we go back to Lagrange City to see..." Reno approached quietly.

"Lagrange City has been wiped away by the years..." Roland could only use a well-intentioned lie to dissuade Reno, as he couldn't tell Reno that Lagrange City hadn't even been built yet.

Lagrange City was the capital of the Lagrange Empire. The city was built on the north bank of the confluence of the Swift River and the Redwater River. The entire city was majestic and grand, with nine city walls and a vast area. Seven of the Lagrange Empire's thirteen Dragon Knights were stationed there year-round, as was the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin. Its special troop, the Lagrange City Guard, was the most powerful and elite among all non-professional troop types. Roland had recruited these troops before; they were indeed worthy of being the capital's soldiers, with equipment as luxurious as that of knights.

"Lost travelers, perhaps you need the guidance of Lagrange's holy light..." a clear female voice cut through the night.

Roland's expression changed, and he immediately looked towards the source with joy. Reno, on the other hand, quietly drew his sword, warily watching the figure dressed in white robes.

"Ivy, Priest of the Lagrange Empire's Temple, greets Lord," the person said, bowing.

"A priest from the Temple? Which god do you worship?" Reno lowered his guard but remained curious, as different temples had slightly different spells.

"May the Dragon God bless you." Pure white holy light emanated from Ivy.

"Light Priest?" Reno was a little disappointed. If it were a Holy Priest, it would have been even more perfect, he thought to himself.

"A priest from the Dragon God Temple?" Roland's eyes lit up with interest. After all, the Dragon God was the deity worshipped by the royal family of the Lagrange Empire, and his Temple Priests were quite formidable.

"Caslo! Arrange a tent for Miss Ivy!" Roland called out.

Caslo, rubbing his sleepy eyes, reluctantly crawled out of his tent and grumbled as he went to set up the tent...

"Alright, everyone get some rest early. We might have a big battle tomorrow." Roland looked at the familiar faces around him, and his heart sank. If a fight broke out... he wondered how many people would still be sitting here.

As if rehearsed, history was unfolding in an orderly fashion. The Elves still arrived at Dale, Bilbo still gave the Arkenstone to Bard and his group, and Thranduil, along with Bard, led their respective forces to the foot of the Lonely Mountain...

"Do you want peace or war!" Bard issued the final ultimatum.

Thorin glanced meaningfully at the eastern mountains and said in a deep voice, "I choose war!"

"Boom~ Boom~" Heavy footsteps sounded, and a well-disciplined Dwarf army appeared on the hillside.

"The Ironfoot Army! The army of Dáin, King under the Mountain, from the Iron Hills," Gandalf murmured.

"Oh ho! The ravens have spread our news to the Dwarves all over Middle-earth!" The Dwarves in Erebor cheered.

At the same time, the Orcs were about to approach the Lonely Mountain.

Roland and his group were also slowly marching towards the Lonely Mountain.

The Battle of the Lonely Mountain, destined to be different from history, was about to begin.

Thank you to all the book friends for your recommendation tickets.