Fear

That night.

A sizable Orc cavalry squad set out from the Misty Mountains, bypassed Rivendell, crossed Ogre Forest, and galloped toward a stretch of wilderness.

Birds scattered and rabbits fled wherever they passed.

Li Wei was still in Rivendell at the time. Concealed by the forest, even the elven scouts watching the border only noticed that the Misty Mountains had dispatched another squad.

But once that squad entered Ogre Forest, its precise movements became a mystery.

No one knew what they intended to do or where they were headed.

Countless Orc squads entered and exited the Misty Mountains every year. This was merely one of them, and it drew little attention from the elves.

Besides, they were not heading for Rivendell. If anything, they seemed to be taking a detour around it.

Still, though they had not caught the elves' attention, the moment they entered the wilderness so openly, they immediately drew the notice of certain figures.

Out in the wilderness, Rangers watched the shadows in the distance, puzzled.

Perhaps something worth watching was about to happen again.

After traveling day and night without rest, the Orcs arrived in just a few days at a region with forests, plains, and a lake.

That day, the Orc captain leaped onto a boulder and looked into the distance.

A castle stood at the edge of his vision, surrounded by a ring of stone walls that concealed whatever lay within.

"We're here."

"Enter the woods, make siege ladders, and attack tonight."

The captain issued his orders.

The animals within the walls cried meaninglessly, utterly unaware that danger was approaching.

Only the two native horses bought from Bree in the stable seemed to sense something. They neighed and snorted incessantly, running about restlessly, but their agitation was destined to achieve nothing.

There was no one here at all.

Only a group of silent iron heads stared expressionlessly with wide eyes at the two noisy little creatures.

Scratch, scratch.

That same morning, Li Wei had set out from Rivendell. Seeing the newly unlocked mod, he was exhilarated and hurried home without stopping, waiting only to return and put his skills to use.

That night.

Thud!

A siege ladder slammed into the wall and settled firmly against it.

Orcs shouted as they eagerly climbed the wall one after another.

When the first Orc reached the top and discovered that all the Watchtowers in every direction were empty, he let out a strange laugh. He immediately headed for the gate and pulled a switch.

Creak.

An iron gate rotated ninety degrees, opening an entrance.

The Orcs immediately filed in, squeezing through one after another.

Though the gate was not large, it was tall enough for Wargs and Orcs to pass through together. Entering one at a time was somewhat slow, but sooner or later, every Orc would get inside.

The pigs, chickens, cattle, and horses in the pasture watched the invaders intelligently, making incomprehensible grunts and cries.

The first Orcs and Wargs to enter saw a large number of fresh livestock not far away and could no longer restrain themselves. Raising their butcher blades, they charged forward to slaughter them. Thinking of the fresh meat that was about to reach their mouths, they nearly drooled.

Yet the instant they showed hostile intent, their fate was already sealed.

Rumble, rumble—

The ground trembled as though some enormous creature were approaching.

The butcher blade was still raised in the air when a sudden sensation of weightlessness struck.

The Orc vanguard only felt a sharp pain at his waist before his vision suddenly shot into the sky. Turning his head, he discovered that the Warg beneath him had somehow flown up alongside him.

Thud.

The unfortunate Orc rider and his Warg were hurled over the wall and smashed heavily into the ground. His eyes rolled back, and he went still.

'If you feel like nobody loves you, go fight an Iron Golem. Then your whole body will hurt.' —Li Wei.

The suddenly appearing Iron Giant immediately drew the main force's attention. Watching their companion fly into the sky, the surrounding Orcs were terrified and shrank back for a moment.

"Counterattack! It's only one!"

The Orc captain was the first to react. The moment he saw the enemy, he let out an angry roar.

A huge group of Orc riders immediately bared vicious expressions and swarmed forward. Butcher blades and sharp teeth all descended upon it at once. Outnumbered, the Iron Golem was quickly entangled.

Although every swing of the Iron Golem's arm could send an Orc and the Warg beneath it flying into the air, it could only fight them one at a time.

Under the repeated assault, a crack soon appeared on the Iron Golem's body. Seeing that this thing was not invincible, the Orc captain immediately relaxed. He estimated that the losses were still within an acceptable range and would not be too great.

Once they destroyed this strange guard, they could occupy this place.

But in the next moment, an even more imposing rumble echoed out. From the corners by the walls, from both sides of the castle, and from other corners they had not noticed before, towering hulks surged in from every direction, swinging their long, hard iron arms and sending swathes of Orcs flying.

Blood rained down from midair, splattering across the ground.

In the blink of an eye, this small force of barely a hundred men was scattered. Twenty Iron Golems rampaged through their ranks, and the entire unit collapsed at the first contact.

One of them was troublesome enough, and now they were being told there was a whole pack of these things?

The Orcs were dumbfounded.

Their momentum wavered and steadily faded.

A one-sided slaughter was beginning. Two riders were so terrified that they lost their nerve on the spot. Blocked at the gate and crammed together, they actually turned on each other over who would get out first, cursing and fighting.

At that moment, the small gate within the city gate was clearly no longer a shortcut for the Orcs to attack the city, but an obstacle preventing their escape.

Soon, one Orc was kicked to the ground, sprawled across the entrance, while the other swiftly rode off on his Warg without looking back.

He paid no heed to how his actions had directly blocked the only escape route.

The Orc squad captain inside the walls looked around at the chaotic battlefield, panic finally appearing on his face. He roared, trying to rally his men and organize a counterattack, but it was all futile. The sudden Iron Golem army had utterly shattered these Orcs, throwing them into such chaos that they could no longer be commanded.

Magic—this had to be some powerful magical creation. With the few men he had, there was no way they could win!

The Orc captain immediately made his judgment. Knowing that the best course of action was to flee back and deliver the news, he shoved aside the Orc beside him, turned, and rushed toward the only exit.

"Damn it, move!"

Several Orcs were already jammed at the only exit, unable to get out no matter what.

Seeing that nearly all the soldiers behind him had been slaughtered and that he would be next, the squad captain was frantic. Unable to wait any longer, he drove his Warg forward, shoving aside all the subordinates packed together in front of him.

"Ah—!"

Screams rang out beside him. When the squad captain finally struggled to reach the gate, he at last discovered why his subordinates had been blocked there.

"Useless trash! Move him!"

Crash—

Another group of Orcs was flung into the air. No longer caring about anything else, the squad captain simply abandoned his Warg, leaped down, and actually squeezed through the gap in the doorway.

Under the hateful gaze of his dying Warg, this Orc squad captain became one of only two survivors.

He would bring news of this place back to the Orc King.

And along with it, the fear of this place.

At that moment, Li Wei was still riding toward the scene.

Unaware of what had happened, Li Wei suddenly saw a string of notifications pop up above his head that night.

Dúnedain Reputation +50

Rivendell Faction Reputation +50

Bree-land Reputation +30

"Your renown is continuing to spread among the Free Peoples."

Huh?

The sudden string of reputation increase notifications left Li Wei completely baffled.

What happened?

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