New Feature

"Congratulations, Host, on unlocking a new feature—the Marketplace! Please check it." The One Ring's light screen unfolded before Roland.

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

"It all feels like a dream!" Bard said incredulously as he looked at the sea of fire behind him.

"Yeah, such a huge town... gone in a single night..." Roland sighed with deep emotion.

"Go on!" Roland led over a horse and handed the reins to Bard.

"I still need to wait for my soldiers," Roland explained when he saw Bard's confusion.

"River Valley City needs you, king Bard!" Roland shouted at Bard's retreating back.

"Caslo! Bring all the horses over. Let's go welcome our lovely archers!" Roland ordered Caslo and the others to lead the Bannaria Archers' warhorses along the lakeshore in search of the fleeing archers.

"Over here!" An archer climbed up from the shore. He was clearly exhausted, slumped crookedly by the water and trying his best to lie there like a salted fish. Unfortunately, there was no sun...

"Hey, buddy, get on the horse! We still have others to find!" Caslo called out.

"Quick, quick, quick! Time is life! Spread out and find our brothers!" Roland anxiously mobilized every bit of manpower he had to search for the scattered archers.

"Thank the Dragon God! May Lagrange's glory protect you!" Roland looked at the filthy, bedraggled group before him, people who could barely still be called soldiers.

In the battle against Smaug, the Bannaria Archers had miraculously all survived. Apart from a few unlucky men who had been knocked into the water by collapsing houses... the excellent physical condition of Professional Soldiers allowed them to recover quickly.

"Everyone, get some rest. You've been tired all day!" With that, Roland took the lead and led everyone into the woods.

"My lord! Aren't we heading to Erebor? The dwarves still owe us a huge sum!" As one of Roland's earliest Squires, Caslo knew well about the contract between Roland and the dwarves.

"Heading to Erebor?" Roland looked at Caslo strangely.

"To be honest, I'm not even planning to go to Dale right now!" Roland shook his head. How bold would someone have to be to head beneath Erebor at a time like this? Forget Wyvern Knights—even Dragon Knights could beat you so badly you couldn't take care of yourself. This was the real world, after all. Roland had no idea whether the dwarves and elves would start fighting first. If they did, who would he help? He could not let his own people get wiped out before they had even clashed with the Orcs... Erebor was a massive death trap right now! The dwarves had to jump in because it was their capital. The humans had to jump in because they needed wealth to rebuild their homes. The Orcs had willingly jumped in because of its strategic importance. After some thought, the elves had jumped in too, because Thranduil wanted the White Gemstone. As for Roland, he was still considering whether to jump in himself...

Forget it. He would study the system's new function first. He did not necessarily have to rely on the dwarves' treasure in Erebor to make his fortune. If he got desperate, Roland would just launch an expedition to Moria! (Orcs: Give us a break! Dwarves: Thanks to our human friends for recovering our lost homeland.) After all, the dwarves' former capital definitely contained quite a bit of wealth.

Roland sensed the One Ring and found that it could now bring up an interface. A light screen appeared before him, displaying the system's new feature—the Marketplace. Twelve different items would refresh randomly each day, and purchases required Wealth Points. The moment Roland saw his Wealth Points, his face darkened... That damn "5" was damn glaring! After fiddling around for a while, Roland finally figured out where Wealth Points came from—10,000 Gold Coins could be converted into 1 Wealth Point.

"Heh, poverty has limited my imagination!" Roland realized that he could not even afford the cheapest item listed: Lagrange Dragon Slayers: 10 Wealth Points. Quantity: 50. He had even found a Grand Forbidden Spell scroll! Unfortunately, its price tag of one million Wealth Points forced Roland to face reality.

Roland casually dismissed the system's light screen. He silently walked out of the tent, looked toward the burning Lake-town in the distance, and let out a soft sigh.

"My lord... when can we go back and see Lagrange City..." Reno appeared quietly.

"Lagrange City has already been worn away by time..." Roland could only use a kind lie to dissuade Reno. After all, he could not tell him that Lagrange City had not even been built yet.

Lagrange City was the capital of the Lagrange Empire. Built on the northern bank where the Swift River met the Redwater River, it was a grand and magnificent city with nine 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 Order. Its special unit, the Lagrange City Guard, was the strongest and finest among all non-professional soldier units. Roland had recruited these troops before. As expected of soldiers from the capital, their equipment was luxurious enough to rival that of Knights.

"Lost souls, perhaps you need the guidance of Lagrange's holy light..." A clear female voice drifted through the night.

Roland's expression changed, and he immediately looked over with delight. Reno, meanwhile, quietly drew his sword and watched the white-robed figure warily.

"Temple Priest Ivy of the Lagrange Empire greets Lord Roland." The newcomer bowed in greeting.

"A priest of the temple? Which deity do you worship?" Reno lowered his guard, though he remained curious. After all, the spells of different temples varied somewhat.

"May the Dragon God bless you." Pure holy light spilled from Ivy's body.

"A Light Priest?" Reno was somewhat disappointed. It would have been perfect if she were a Holy Priest, he thought to himself.

"A priest from the Dragon God Temple?" Roland's eyes showed interest. As the deity worshipped by the Lagrange Empire's royal family, the Dragon God's temple priests were exceptionally capable.

"Caslo! Arrange a tent for Miss Ivy!" Roland shouted.

Caslo crawled unwillingly out of his tent with sleepy eyes, pouting as he went to fuss with a tent...

"All right, everyone, get some rest early. There may be a great battle tomorrow." Roland looked at the familiar faces around him, and his heart sank. If fighting broke out... he did not know how many of them would still be able to sit here.

As if it had all been rehearsed, history continued unfolding in an orderly fashion. The elves still arrived in Dale, Bilbo still gave the Arkenstone to Bard and his people, and Thranduil and Bard still led their respective forces to the foot of Erebor...

"Do you choose peace or war?" Bard delivered his final ultimatum.

Thorin gave the eastern mountains a meaningful look and said in a deep voice, "I choose war!"

Boom! Boom! Heavy footsteps rang out as a disciplined dwarven army appeared on the slope.

"The Ironfoot Army! The troops of Dáin, dwarf king of the Iron Hills," Gandalf murmured.

"Oh-ho! The ravens have carried our news to dwarves across Middle-earth!" The dwarves in Erebor cheered.

At the same time, the Orcs were also about to arrive beneath Erebor.

Roland and his group were slowly marching toward Erebor as well.

A battle for Erebor, destined to differ from history, was about to begin.

Thank you all, dear readers, for your recommendation votes.