Lord of the North

"What's wrong?" Roland was startled, wondering if an army of orcs had attacked...

"Your Highness! There are many people on the other side of the river! It looks like over a thousand," the soldier honestly reported the situation to Roland.

"Damn! Don't tell me River Valley City got wiped out?" Roland jumped up. In this northern wasteland, besides River Valley City, Roland really didn't know of any other place that could produce over a thousand humans.

At the West River Outpost, the stationed knights had already climbed the outpost walls, gripping their bows and arrows, nervously watching the sea of people before them.

"May I have a meeting with the lord of this place?" a young man with golden hair stepped forward.

"..." The knights on the wall remained silent. Until their lord arrived, the most correct course of action was to say nothing.

"Whoosh!" Caslo, riding his four-legged wyvern Caldo with Roland, arrived at the location. The wyvern landed on the top of the watchtower, and Roland leaped off its back.

"Your Highness, they wish to see you?" a knight approached Roland and reported.

"See me? Alright, let's meet," Roland nodded.

As the iron-bound wooden door opened a small crack, the young man outside the outpost quickly slipped inside, and the gate was immediately closed.

"Greetings, esteemed lord of this place. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Bai Yi, the lord of the Kadan Tribe from the northern wastelands." Bai Yi bowed respectfully. Seeing this outpost, he could tell that the lord before him was extraordinary. The magic circulating above, the intricate magic patterns, and the mighty wyvern knight just now all revealed the immense power of the lord before him.

"Greetings, I am Roland, King of the Lagrange Kingdom," Roland nodded in greeting.

Bai Yi looked up in surprise, not expecting that the young man, who looked about his age, was actually a king. However, this made sense, as only powerful kingdoms could support strategic forces like wyvern knights. If only Bai Yi knew the true state of Flowing City, he might cry...

"So, what is your purpose here?" Roland asked curiously.

"Uh, it's like this, can we rent this outpost as our current place of residence?" Bai Yi's request shocked Roland.

"What do you mean?" Roland was stunned.

"Uh, our tribe was destroyed in the war in the north. We had to cross the Grey Mountains all the way south, fleeing from the harassment of the northern orcs..." Bai Yi said sheepishly.

"Have you been to River Valley City and Erebor?" Roland suddenly asked.

"I have already visited Lord Bard of River Valley City. He wanted to keep us there, but I refused. After all, we still wish to remain independent, and my people still need my leadership," Bai Yi explained.

"Mm," Roland nodded, approving of his statement. After all, the competition between lords was for population. No lord wanted to merge with others. Bard himself had only recently risen from humble beginnings, otherwise, he wouldn't have made such an impolite suggestion.

Roland looked at Bai Yi with regret, feeling sympathetic towards him. This foolish young man, leading his people out of the tiger's den and into the wolf's mouth, and even voluntarily offering to be Roland's shield... Such a good person made Roland reluctant to deceive him.

"I regret to inform you that you likely haven't escaped the orc harassment yet," Roland said with a look of pity at Bai Yi, and then he took out a sheepskin map, pointing to the location of Dol Guldur.

"There is an orc kingdom here, King Azog, the Pale Orc, with strength at least between Tier 5 and Tier 6. Gundabad... Gundabad! The northern orc fortress, also has an orc kingdom... Congratulations, you have successfully been caught between two pincers of the orcs," Roland sighed regretfully.

"To be honest, not long ago, there was a great battle at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. The combined forces of dwarves, humans, and elves won a narrow victory. The orcs are now planning their comeback," Roland dropped another bomb.

"..." Bai Yi's eyes widened, giving him the look of someone from the countryside who hadn't read much and was being lied to.

"In fact, this is reality..." Roland spread his hands.

"If you truly intend to stay here, this outpost can be given to you. You can build a city here. We will not interfere with any land west of the Swift River, as long as you can conquer the other lords of the land," Roland said calmly as he sat on his chair.

"I'd like to know the current movements of the orcs in these areas," Bai Yi pondered for a moment and pointed at Dol Guldur.

"What you fear is what I fear..." Roland sighed softly.

"My knight order recently had a skirmish with them. They are already showing signs of extending their reach northward. By next spring at the latest..." Roland looked at Bai Yi without speaking, but he knew Bai Yi would understand his meaning.

"If we live here and the orcs attack us, will you provide aid?" Bai Yi asked the question that concerned him the most.

"Of course, I understand the principle of 'lips and teeth,' we will not stand idly by, after all, crossing the Swift River leads to our kingdom," Roland's gaze fell upon the Swift River outside the window. This river, nearly 10 kilometers wide, served as a natural barrier against orc attacks.

"We have decided to stay here!" Bai Yi lowered his head in thought for a moment, then raised it and answered loudly.

"Sir, you're giving it all to them?" Caslo quietly asked Roland as knights began crossing the river in batches.

"What? Do you want our people to defend this place and face the orc army directly?" Roland stared at Caslo, annoyed.

"They have an advantage in population over us." Roland enviously glanced at the busy people of the northern tribe before him. There were at least over three thousand people, nearly 500 soldiers, and what surprised Roland most was seeing nearly 40 knights. According to Bai Yi, these were the survivors after their tribe suffered heavy losses. So, in their prime, could they form a knightly order?

"More people mean faster work!" Caslo enviously watched as people brought back felled logs, preparing to build wooden walls.

"Don't worry, our people are returning every day," Roland reassured him with a smile.

"Sir, are you referring to Flowing City, where less than 150 people return every half month? I see dwarves crossing the Misty Mountains to return to Erebor every day..." Caslo said with a dark expression.

"Uh, it's just that our scattered people are a bit dispersed..." Roland chuckled awkwardly.

What Roland didn't know was that his small act of keeping Bai Yi today ultimately shaped the Aquavia Kingdom, which, alongside the River Valley Kingdom, was hailed as the twin stars of the north. And its creator, King Bai Yi, was currently busy building his first town.

"Alright, we don't need to worry too much about the west bank. Now we need to improve our city defenses. Those two-meter-high walls offer absolutely no sense of security," Roland complained.

Because of the walls, which were barely better than nothing, the night patrol soldiers in Flowing City no longer patrolled the walls. They only patrolled around the inhabited houses. Roland was truly fed up with the useless walls. Every morning, he had to organize soldiers to clear the uninhabited areas of the city because wild beasts and stray orcs would climb over the walls during the night and hide in the dilapidated houses to rest.

"You might have to wait for that... Lord Ladyl is still in a state of weakness due to excessive magical consumption," Caslo said weakly.

"Sigh... I'm tired, let it all be destroyed."

Second update, requesting recommendation tickets from all readers. The updates might be unstable these days. My grandfather's tumor has spread, and various matters might affect the update progress. Please be patient. Thank you for your understanding.