The Arrival of the Elves

"Damn it! Being rich is great!" Roland couldn't help but want to cry as he tearfully placed the Ring of Glory on his right index finger. His fortune had instantly shrunk, but he had to admit, it looked quite good paired with the Ring System on his left index finger, giving him a rather nouveau riche vibe. The Ring of Glory, with its gold base inlaid with an octagonal ruby, had faint rule energies subtly sliding across its surface, making it clearly no ordinary item.

"Oh? That's a beautiful ring you have there, my lord. I sense a divine aura from it…" Caslo suddenly poked his head over, examining the Ring of Glory with Roland.

'Wouldn't it be beautiful? A whole 500,000 wealth points spent on it!' Roland thought to himself. In the game, Roland had never obtained any of the Nine Rings of the Knight. However, he knew that Emperor Karl held five of the Holy Rings.

"Get out of here! Don't spout nonsense if you don't understand!" Reno suddenly appeared behind Caslo and shoved him away. After carefully examining the ring, he suddenly knelt respectfully on one knee.

"Congratulations, my King… This is the first of the Holy Rings – the Ring of Glory. It seems the glory of the Lagrange Empire has recognized you." Reno lowered his head respectfully. As a Paladin, he had systematically studied the knowledge of the Holy Rings and recognized the divine artifact ring after just a few glances.

"What? Reno, are you sure? Is that the Ring of Glory?" Caslo exclaimed in shock.

"Your Majesty, you can try using 'Glory'," Reno suggested respectfully.

"Glory!" Although Roland knew it was the Ring of Glory, he still followed Reno's suggestion. Publicly displaying the return of the Ring of Glory would help boost everyone's morale.

A crimson-gold light bloomed, unlike the pale gold glory energy released by ordinary knights. Immediately, Reno, Caslo, and a group of knights involuntarily unleashed their glory, and their respective glory energies were instantly dyed crimson-gold. Their powers gradually merged, and on the ground, the knights' combined skill was completed.

"Heaven bless Lagrange!"

"Dragon God above!"

"One of the Five Rings has returned… Your Majesty, you are destined to be the one to revive Lagrange…" Reno murmured, looking at Roland.

In fact, the Lagrange Empire alone possessed the Nine Divine Rings, these nine divine artifacts. They were originally created to counter the Nine Ringwraiths and their Black Knights. The system had altered everyone's memories, making them believe that these nine Holy Rings had appeared very early on and were lost to the ages…

"Five Rings?" Roland asked, surprised.

"Yes, they are the first, the Ring of Glory; the second, the Ring of Mercy; the sixth, the Ring of Protection; the seventh, the Ring of Bravery; and the ninth, the Ring of Sacrifice. These few once belonged to the royal family… unfortunately, they were all lost later," Reno sighed.

"But the Ring of Glory has returned, hasn't it? Lagrange's glory will return with it," Roland smiled at Reno.

"You are correct, my King!" Reno nodded firmly.

'The Nine Rings… what a long journey!' Roland gazed at the sky, lost in thought. 'But wearing rings on all ten fingers must feel amazing!' Roland began another round of daydreaming.

"My lord, an Elf named Legolas is here to see you," Reno said as he entered the campaign tent and found Roland sprawled unceremoniously on a chair covered in soft fur.

"Legolas? What's he doing here?" Roland asked, surprised. According to Thranduil's instructions, he should have been heading north to the Dúnedain tribes to find a Ranger nicknamed the Strider, who would later become Aragorn, the King of Men. Why was he coming here?

"Let him in," Roland decided it was best to meet him, after all, he was someone bathed in the protagonist's halo.

"Legolas, long time no see!" Roland stood up and nodded in greeting.

"Greetings, King Roland," Legolas replied, placing his right hand over his chest in salute.

"Yes, what brings you here? Oh, right, everything is in ruins here, please forgive our lack of hospitality, we don't have anything good to offer you. If you don't mind, you can stay and have some simple fare," Roland said apologetically. After all, as the host, being unable to entertain a guest was quite impolite.

"It's alright, I'm here to tell you about the news from the north!" Legolas nervously pulled out a map from his bosom.

"The north? What are the Orcs up to again?" Roland's expression immediately turned serious. Roland was extremely concerned about the Orcs in the north, and of course, the Orcs from the south were also a focus of his attention.

"In the Fortress of Gundabad in the north, the Orc army is gathering again…" Legolas said gravely.

"Holy cow, ruthless! They've already gathered?" Roland's eyes widened.

"Not yet, but when I crossed the Grey Mountains, they discovered Orcs living in the mountains heading towards Gundabad!" Legolas stated, looking at Roland.

"What do Bard and Thorin say?" Roland asked.

"They will fight to the death to protect their homes!" Legolas had clearly already visited Erebor and River Valley City.

"The north is in their hands! I will work hard to stop the Orcs from the south!" Roland carefully examined the map.

"The south?" Legolas was taken aback.

"Dol Guldur! At the old fortress, the Orc army led by Azog is stationed there. You haven't overlooked the south, have you?" Roland asked in surprise.

"I came from the north…" Legolas scratched his head sheepishly.

"What the heck! Forget it, I'll have someone cross the river and set up a watch post on the west bank shortly. My army will scout along the banks of the Swift River," Roland rubbed his temples and said helplessly to Legolas.

"Then I shall trouble you! I must head north, so I won't stay any longer. Take care, King Roland." Legolas bowed his head in salute and then turned to leave the tent.

"Reno!" Roland called out.

"What is it, my King!" Reno entered upon hearing Roland's call.

"Put aside the city-building for now. You take the knights across the river and set up camp on the other side! I'll have Mage Ladyl cooperate with you to build a watch post. Your daily task will be to scout the movements of the Orcs along the Swift River. Oh, and have Caslo go with you too; it will be much easier with him around," Roland instructed.

"Where your will goes, there my sword strikes!" Reno replied with utmost respect.

Watching Reno retreat, Roland suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. He realized he was completely unprepared to face the Orcs head-on. The Orc army marching north from Dol Guldur would definitely prioritize attacking Flowing City, a city with incomplete defenses.

"Your Highness, relax… it's already winter…" Old Man Ladyl suddenly appeared in the tent.

"Winter?" Roland savored the words.

"Mid-winter is not a good time to attack. You should focus more on how to face them next spring," Ladyl advised Roland. The Orcs wouldn't attack in winter. Even if the first Battle of the Lonely Mountain didn't cripple them, it would certainly have hurt them badly. They would need time to gather their strength.

"It seems we need to prepare for the Second Battle of the Lonely Mountain," Roland sighed.

"Perhaps it will be the Battle for Flowing City…" Roland suddenly mocked himself.

Double update, requesting recommendation votes.