"Prosperous North!" Denethor II sighed. Although the overall human population of the North was not large, its vibrant cohesion was beyond anything the South could match. Denethor II visited the Aquavia Kingdom and Dale, strengthening ties with the northern humans. Through these two human kingdoms, he gained a deeper understanding of King Roland, whom he was about to visit.
"A great king!" Even someone as proud and confident as Denethor II could not help but marvel after learning roughly of Roland's life. A brave, wise, and benevolent great king—this was Denethor II's assessment of Roland. Compared with his mediocre grandfather, a ruler as gifted and ambitious as Roland was far more to his liking. In fact, the future Denethor II would do the same.
"The Northern Territory's national strength is too weak... They cannot endure hardship and disaster!" Holfa shrugged with a sigh. Compared with Rohan and Gondor, even the strongest kingdom in the Northern Territory, the Lagrange Kingdom, could not withstand a single defeat. Their national strength gave them far too little room for error—so little that they had to win every battle! Unlike the Orcs, who could afford to lose many times, they could not afford to lose even once.
"But they are still resilient, aren't they? They have not failed." Denethor II smiled. People never paid attention to the process; they only cared about the result! The fact was that the northern alliance had grown powerful and firmly established itself. That vassal of the Lagrange Kingdom had successfully opened a route through the Misty Mountains. In recent years, scattered merchant caravans had begun arriving in the region around the former Old Pass. It was clear that the Beornings' lands had begun to recover under the nourishment of trade. Before long, caravans would surely reach the Long Lake