Request for Reinforcements

"System, sign in!" Roland began his daily routine check-in.

"Give me something useful!" Roland was truly speechless at the pile of junk the system had given him, like Magic Enlightenment books and his own golden statue...

"Sign-in successful! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Lagrange City Guards * 100."

"Did I get a drop?" Roland exclaimed in surprise, but he didn't choose to summon this unit this time. The reason was too embarrassing to mention... He didn't have enough provisions to feed a hundred mouths. He was living a decent life in Flowing City by fishing and hunting, but don't forget Flowing City's characteristic of attracting refugees. The population of Flowing City was growing little by little every day. If it wasn't necessary, Roland really didn't want to feed another hundred mouths...

Speaking of Lagrange City Guards, as the name suggests, they are the guards of Lagrange City. This army is entirely composed of novice warriors eliminated from various elite units who have no hope of promotion. They are mainly responsible for defense and public order within Lagrange City. However, if you underestimate them just because they are a second-line unit, you will definitely regret it... If I had to describe them, it would be that you can always trust them. As melee units, their capabilities are terrifyingly comprehensive. Warriors have given them strong physiques and tenacious carrying capacity. Coupled with Lagrange's steel plate armor, leather under-armor, and linen outer armor, they can withstand all sorts of high-intensity attacks. Their steel-forged kite shields can block large-area attacks, and their 3-meter steel spears are enough to make their attacks fierce yet agile. Their steel longswords supplement their close-combat weapons, and the Lagrange hand crossbows slung at their waists allow them to strike enemies within a hundred meters. The 5 steel javelins in their backpacks can freely kill all sorts of lightly armored troops within 50 meters.

"My lord, the horses are ready," Caslo walked in directly. The damaged wooden door had not yet been repaired.

"Alright, let's go!" Roland glanced at the small pile of gems in his system space, wondering if they could be exchanged for various supplies. He should have taken more. Roland had focused on collecting gold coins and overlooked the gems in the gold mountain. Thinking of this, Roland couldn't help but sigh, it was a miscalculation!

"Giddy up!" Accompanied by ten knights, Roland and Caslo set off northward.

Actually, Roland didn't want to take the knights with him. More people meant more strength, and Caslo was enough to handle anything. But he was met with unanimous and strong opposition from everyone. Because Roland was now the King of Lagrange, how pathetic would a king without any retainers be? It would not only be a disgrace to King Roland but also to the entire kingdom. In the end, after Roland's earnest persuasion, everyone agreed to his idea of taking only 10 people. Although Roland didn't want to show off, he was very envious of traveling like some show-off king from the Woodland Realm who would bring thousands of warriors. After all, everyone wants to return home in glory; few people prefer to be unrecognized.

Passing by the Long Lake, which had already begun to freeze, Roland rubbed his hands. In the distance, the ruins of Lake-town were still clearly visible in the lake. Roland clenched his fist, vowing to rebuild it. Caslo, on the other hand, seemed eager to go treasure hunting again, as he had found plenty of easily stored dried food and various tools the last time they were here.

In the distance, the majestic Lonely Mountain loomed. Roland and his entourage arrived at the foot of the mountain, in River Valley City. River Valley City had already been preliminarily cleared of weeds and dilapidated houses. Bard was leading everyone in enthusiastic reconstruction work. On the broken city walls, only a few guards were on watch.

"Halt!" The only soldier at the city gate raised his spear and blocked Roland.

"Huh? Are you King Roland?" Obviously, this soldier recognized Roland's banner.

"Yes, I'm here to see Bard," Roland said with a smile.

"Then please wait a moment, I need to report," the soldier said, still remembering his duty despite being familiar with Roland.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble!" Roland indicated he didn't mind the soldier's impoliteness.

After a while, the soldier came running back, followed closely by a figure.

"Bard!" Roland greeted him with a smile.

"Hi! Roland! It's great to see you," Bard hugged Roland.

"Why are you back again?" Bard asked curiously. Logically, Roland should be building his territory with his people now, so why did he suddenly return to Lonely Mountain?

"I've run into big trouble..." Roland complained.

"What's going on? Did you encounter an Orc army?" Bard's smile froze. He glanced at the knights behind Roland and found only 10 knights and the Wyvern Knight who had shown great power in the battle of Lonely Mountain. His heart sank. What kind of Orcs could swallow an army of over a hundred knights and archers? Even if the numbers weren't as great as in the battle of Lonely Mountain, they wouldn't be far off. He could see that even the Wyvern Knight had fled in disarray.

"What are you thinking? It's not Orcs!" Roland looked at Bard, whose gaze was growing dimmer, and immediately understood that the child was scaring himself...

"Ah? Not Orcs? Then what kind of trouble could you have encountered?" Bard asked, confused.

"Famine and cold..." Roland said word by word.

"..." Bard opened his mouth, but ultimately felt powerless. The townspeople of Lake-town, who were already exploited by the mayor, had their lives worsened after Smaug's destruction of Lake-town. If it weren't for the help of the Woodland Elves, Bard would likely be having a difficult time even now.

"So I've come to find the Dwarves of Erebor, hoping to purchase some tools and food," Roland slowly revealed his intention.

The two kings, equally down on their luck, looked at each other for a long time before finally sighing. Times were too hard...

After bidding farewell to Bard, Roland rushed to Erebor without delay. Soon, a tall stone statue of a Dwarf appeared before Roland. A group of Dwarves were skillfully using tools to lift stones of various shapes, seemingly repairing the city gate.

"Hey! Balin!" Roland said with a smile. Balin was indeed the easiest Dwarf to identify in the expeditionary force; his snow-white beard and hair made him highly recognizable.

"Oh! King Roland!" Balin bowed respectfully. The Dwarves held him in high esteem as the human lord who had participated in the battle at the critical moment and saved the entire Dwarven kingdom.

"How is it here?" Roland asked cheerfully.

"It's great! Feels like home... Oh! Sir Caslo! Hello!" Balin recognized the Wyvern Knight who had been so formidable that day.

"Hello, Lord Balin," Caslo maintained his humility.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Balin looked at Roland.

"Of course, our people are in dire need of food and tools!" Roland anxiously explained that his people who had come to seek refuge were lacking in food and clothing.

"Hmm! This is indeed a big problem. I'll take you to see the King right away," Balin realized the seriousness of the situation. Roland had come for help. He knew Roland didn't have many supplies when he saw Roland and his party leave. Balin could understand Roland's mention of his people returning, as many wandering Dwarves had received news of Thorin reclaiming Lonely Mountain, and large numbers of Dwarves were migrating with their families, preparing to return to their homeland.