The Elves Arrive

"Damn it! Being rich is great!" Roland almost burst into tears as he slipped the Ring of Glory onto his right index finger. His savings had shrunk in an instant, but paired with the One Ring on his left index finger, it actually looked pretty good—a real nouveau riche style. Fine threads of the power of laws quietly flowed across the surface of the Ring of Glory, its golden band set with an octagonal ruby, making it obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

"Ooh? My lord, that ring is beautiful. I can feel a holy aura coming from it..." Caslo suddenly leaned in and examined the Ring of Glory with Roland.

How could it not look good? It cost a full five hundred thousand wealth points! Roland thought. In the game, he had never obtained any of the nine knight rings, but he knew that Emperor Karl possessed five sacred rings.

"Get lost! Don't spout nonsense when you don't understand!" Reno suddenly appeared behind Caslo and tossed him aside. After carefully examining the ring, he respectfully dropped to one knee.

"Congratulations, my king... This is the first of the Sacred Rings—the Ring of Glory. It seems the glory of the Lagrange Empire has acknowledged you." Reno lowered his head respectfully. As a paladin, he had systematically studied the Sacred Rings and recognized this divine artifact after only a few glances.

"What? Reno, you're not mistaken, are you? This is the Ring of Glory?" Caslo asked in shock.

"My king, you may try using Glory," Reno respectfully suggested.

"Glory!" Although Roland already knew it was the Ring of Glory, he still followed Reno's suggestion. Openly displaying the Ring of Glory's return would help strengthen everyone's unity.

Crimson-gold light blossomed. Unlike the pale golden power of Glory released by ordinary knights, it was far more brilliant. Reno, Caslo, and the other knights instinctively released their own Glory, and the power of Glory surrounding them was immediately dyed crimson-gold. Their strength gradually merged as one, forming the Knight Order's combined attack technique right there on the ground.

"May Lagrange be blessed!"

"Dragon God above!"

"One of the Five Rings has returned... My king, you are destined to be the one who revives Lagrange..." Reno murmured as he looked at Roland.

In truth, the Lagrange Empire alone possessed the Nine Divine Rings, nine divine artifacts originally forged to fight the nine Nazgûl and their Black Knights. The system had altered everyone's memories, making them believe that these nine Sacred Rings had appeared long ago and been lost to time...

"The Five Rings?" Roland asked in surprise.

"Yes. 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 rings once belonged to the imperial family... Unfortunately, they were all lost later on." 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 right, my king!" Reno nodded firmly.

Nine rings... What a long road ahead! Roland gazed at the sky in reverie. Still, having all ten fingers covered in rings would definitely feel amazing. Roland began another round of daydreaming.

"My lord, an elf named Legolas is asking to see you." Reno entered the marching tent and found Roland slumped without a shred of dignity in a chair covered with soft furs.

"Legolas? What is he doing here?" Roland asked in surprise. According to Thranduil's instructions, Legolas should have gone north to seek a ranger known as Strider among the Dúnedain tribes—the future Human Emperor, Aragorn. Why had he come here instead?

"Let him in." Roland decided it would be best to meet him. After all, he was someone blessed by the protagonist's halo.

"Legolas, long time no see!" Roland rose to his feet and nodded in greeting.

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

"Mm. What brings you here? Ah, right—this place is still being rebuilt, so please forgive our poor hospitality. We have nothing good to offer you. If you do not mind, you may stay for a simple meal." Roland spoke apologetically. As the host of this place, being unable to entertain a guest was rather discourteous.

"It is all right. I came to tell you news from the north!" Legolas nervously pulled a map from his robes.

"The north? Are the Orcs up to something again?" Roland's expression immediately hardened. He was particularly concerned about the Orcs in the north, and naturally, those coming from the south were also on his watchlist.

"The Orc armies in Fortress of Gundabad have begun gathering again..." Legolas said gravely.

"Damn, ruthless! They're already gathering?" Roland's eyes widened.

"Not yet, but when I crossed the Grey Mountains, I saw the Orcs living in the mountains heading toward Gundabad!" Legolas stared at Roland.

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

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

"The north will have to rely on them! I will do my best to stop the Orcs coming from the south." Roland carefully studied the map.

"The south?" Legolas froze.

"Dol Guldur! Azog's Orc army is entrenched at the old fortress there. You have not overlooked the south, have you?" Roland asked in surprise.

"I came from the north..." Legolas scratched his head awkwardly.

"Damn it! Forget it. I'll have men cross the river and build an outpost on the western bank. My army will scout along the Swift River." Roland rubbed his brow and spoke helplessly to Legolas.

"Then I must trouble you! I still need to head north, so I will not stay any longer. Take care, King Roland." Legolas lowered his head, bowed in salute, then turned and left the tent.

"Reno!" Roland called out.

"What is it, my king?" Reno entered after hearing Roland's summons.

"Put the city construction aside for now. Take the Knight Order across the river and find a place to camp on the other bank! I will have Mage Ladyl assist you in building an outpost. Your daily task will be to scout for Orc movements along the Swift River. Oh, and have Caslo go with you as well. With him there, things will be much easier." Roland gave his orders.

"Wherever your will points, my blade shall follow!" Reno replied with utmost respect.

Watching Reno withdraw, Roland suddenly felt a wave of panic. He realized that he was completely unprepared to face the Orcs head-on. The Orc army from Dol Guldur that was marching north would certainly prioritize attacking Flowing City, whose defenses were still incomplete.

"Your Highness, set your mind at ease... It is winter now..." Old Ladyl suddenly appeared inside the tent.

"Winter?" Roland carefully considered those words.

"The depths of winter are not a good time to launch an attack. You should be thinking about how to face them next spring." Ladyl guided Roland. The Orcs could not possibly attack during winter. Even if their defeat in the First Battle of Erebor had not crippled them, it had certainly hurt them badly enough to leave them aching for a long time. They needed time to build up their strength as well.

"It seems we need to prepare for the Second Battle of Erebor." Roland sighed.

"Or perhaps the Defense of Flowing City..." Roland suddenly mocked himself.

Second update, please vote.