Bree

After a period of hacking and slashing, the remaining orcs scrambled and fled into the woods. Seeing this, Roland decisively halted the pursuit. He gathered his knights and planned to continue their journey.

"Skirmish: Completed. Reward: 1 Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin. Can be summoned at any time."

"Holy crap!" Roland was so excited he almost blurted out the name of some mythical plant.

The Lagrang Royal Guard Paladins were one of the most, if not the most, powerful troop types in the Ring System game. However, this was only the Third Age. In the game, the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladins didn't appear until the Fifth Age. Their scarcity was second only to super-class professions like various Dragon Knights. They had barely managed to form a knightly order, but in reality, they never even reached the minimum strength of a hundred-man knightly order. At their peak, their numbers were only 87. After the Battle of the Swift River, their numbers dwindled to less than 50, nearly disbanding their entire structure. This legion was most famous for its attribute—Holy! The entire knightly order was composed of true Paladins, not like the Papal Knights who used Light Knights as stand-ins. Furthermore, the quality of their knights was exceptionally high. Those outside the order, who collectively called them the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin Order, were mostly Great Knights. Even a small portion were Knight Captains, and their commander, Larus, was a Divine Hero. Secondly, the legion's equipment was outrageously luxurious. They were fully clad in full-body Dragon Armor, Dragon Pattern Swords, Dragon Spears, and Dragon Shields, all forged from Dragon Blood Sacred Steel (refined steel quenched with the blood of divine dragons). Their bows were made with the main sinews of sub-dragons and the bow limbs polished from sub-dragon arm bones... For similar equipment, you could only find it on Dragon Knights. Even elite aerial knights like Pegasus Knights and Gryphon Knights couldn't compare. This led to the saying: "Dragon Knights dominate the sky, Paladins rule the earth."

Now, Roland actually had a Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin in his possession. Roland was so moved he was close to tears. He suspected the Ring System game was using his lifespan for the gacha draws... Strictly speaking, the number of Lagrang Royal Guard Paladins was actually less than that of Wyvern Knights. Roland remembered that when he logged into the Ring System, many great lords had Wyvern Knights under their command. There were even enough Dragon Knights to form a knightly order (the structure of a Dragon Knight Order was different from regular knightly orders; each Dragon Knight Order had only 50 members, because Dragon Knights were so rare that gathering a hundred would require pulling all Dragon Knights from the entire continent). Many players tried to recruit (lure/kidnap) members of the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin Order, but very few succeeded...

Roland suppressed the urge to summon and admire the Paladin's might right then and there, forcing himself to continue marching.

"We're almost at Bree, let's rest for a bit," Roland said to Gandalf and Thorin, looking at the map.

"That would be good. We can resupply. There won't be many places to do so in the future," Thorin replied.

"Master Baggins! Tonight we can sleep in an inn. You can sleep on a soft bed instead of the ground," Roland said with a chuckle as he rode his horse up to Bilbo, who was riding a small pony.

"Oh, really? That would be wonderful. You have no idea how uncomfortable the ground is when sleeping in a tent!" Bilbo complained.

"Hahaha, you have Gandalf the old man to thank for pulling you out of your cozy hobbit-hole," Roland said with a smile.

"Gods! I must have been out of my mind to agree to go on an adventure with you all..." Bilbo grumbled.

"That's because you have a restless heart!" Gandalf suddenly chimed in.

"Hahaha, the wizard is right!" Roland laughed.

Roland was now eagerly anticipating the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin waiting for him in Bree. Roland had just chosen to summon, and the system had thoughtfully arranged for the Paladin to wait for him in Bree. Wait, the Paladin waiting for him in Bree?

"What the hell! It better not be Aragorn. He's the protagonist of The Lord of the Rings..." Roland suddenly felt a chill.

Lost in thought, Roland saw the outline of the town of Bree.

"Alright, folks, we can enjoy ourselves now!"

"My Lord, Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin Reno reports for duty!" A tall, handsome man with silver hair, appearing to be around thirty years old, announced loudly as he approached Roland.

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Roland's inner monologue was filled with capital letters and question marks. A Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin was great, but Lord Reno? No way... He couldn't control this Knight Captain.

In the Ring System game, Reno was known as Lord Reno. The downfall of the Lagrang Empire and the severe damage to the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin Order were directly linked to Reno. Reno, by himself, basically dominated the entire northern map's storyline and quests. He single-handedly led the battles in the north, which directly caused the Orcs to move south, leading to the collapse of the Lagrang Empire. However, people remembered his glory on the battlefield, and thus he was known to the world as the Dawn of the North.

"Damn it, how did this troublemaker extraordinaire end up under my command? System, can we negotiate a replacement?" Roland wailed inwardly.

"Welcome, brave Paladin! Welcome to our ranks." Roland forced a smile and welcomed the knight who had come to join him.

"I hope his troublemaking abilities weren't included... Otherwise, if he adds a few more enemy factions to the Battle of Five Armies, it'll be quite a spectacle." Roland remembered this guy's innate buff for enemy reinforcements.

"Reno, can you still use your Divine Dominion Aura?" Roland suddenly remembered this crucial matter.

"Of course, Lord! I can activate it right now if you need it," Reno replied respectfully.

"That's good." Roland let out a sigh of relief. If the Ring System game had reneged on the Lagrang Royal Guard Paladin's Divine Aura, Roland would really have to look for the return window. After all, the Paladin's Divine Aura was a great thing. Within a certain range, allied forces could gain increased resistances, stamina, morale, vitality, and could imbue their attacks with holy properties. Lord Reno, as a top-tier Paladin, had an aura range that could cover allies within a 500-meter radius centered on himself. In the world of the Ring System, which lacked widespread group buffing magic, the Divine Aura was a valuable asset. Used well, it could at least double combat effectiveness.

"Re...no!" Roland almost called him Lord Reno in his excitement.

"My Lord!" Reno immediately stepped forward.

"Caslo and the Badenia Archers will protect me. The knights are under your command." Roland waved his hand, entrusting the knights to Reno. After all, in the game, Reno had commanded millions of player troops. Leading a mere hundred-man knightly order was a piece of cake for him. Roland himself lacked command buffs, and Caslo, being a Wyvern Knight, had no experience commanding ground knights. Reno, with his aura skill, was Roland's guiding light in the darkness—convenient and effective.

"Understood, Lord. May the glory of Lagrang shine upon us," Reno said humbly.