Guidance

It was him, definitely him!

That human!

"Damn it, I've been tricked again!"

Humiliated and enraged, the minor leader immediately raised the cleaver in his hand and shouted in Li Wei's direction, "We—"

The large group of Wargs and Orcs behind him wore vicious expressions, waiting only for the leader's command to rush back and chop that human into pieces.

"We retreat!"

The leader spun around and prepared to run into the distance. The surrounding Orcs were stunned, and once they came to their senses, their eyes filled with defiance.

There was only one human, and they were running?

There were over a hundred of them!

"You're not fit to be our leader at all, coward!"

An especially brawny Orc immediately stepped forward in protest.

"Shut your mouth, trash. If you want to die, I can grant you that!"

The minor leader grabbed the protesting Orc and lifted his entire body into the air with his immense strength. One hand clamped tightly around his neck, leaving him unable to break free or breathe. He was already on the verge of suffocating on the spot.

Thud.

In the end, the leader did not kill him. The protesting Orc was tossed to the ground and gasped desperately for air.

With an example made of him, the other Orcs immediately behaved themselves. At the very least, none of them objected openly again.

"You have no idea how terrifying he is. Go find reinforcements. We need more men to deal with him!"

Though many were unwilling, the mass of Orcs still retreated.

Elsewhere.

Firelight illuminated the refugees' haggard faces.

Looking at the black-armored warrior who seemed to have descended from the heavens, the refugees could not tell for a moment whether they were dreaming or still awake.

Likewise, they could not tell whether this brutal warrior was friend or foe.

There had not been many Orcs left to guard the refugees—only a few dozen poorly equipped ones. Li Wei quickly wiped them out. The dead were dead, the fleeing fled, and not a single one remained.

"My lord..."

An old farmer shakily stepped forward and forced himself to speak to Li Wei. Drawing on all the knowledge he had gained in his life, he bowed in imitation of those people of status.

Li Wei removed his helmet and gently helped the old man up.

Seeing that this valiant warrior seemed to bear no hostility and was even quite friendly, the refugees all breathed sighs of relief.

"Are you residents of this area?"

"Yes, my lord. Our families have lived here for generations," the old man replied.

Li Wei kicked the Orc corpses on the ground twice and said, "This place doesn't look suitable for long-term living."

For a moment, the old man did not know what to say. In truth, he had no idea what had happened.

He only knew that life here had been peaceful before. Then, all of a sudden, a group of Orcs had destroyed the place where they lived. Some had been killed, some had been eaten alive, and the rest had been captured and brought here.

"Don't live here anymore," Li Wei said, shaking his head.

"This place will become extremely dangerous very soon."

"But, my lord, our homes have been destroyed. We have nothing on us and nowhere to go. Everything here is all we have."

Li Wei looked at the group of refugees before him and fell silent for a while.

"Head south. Follow the river south, and you can travel all the way to Rohan. South of Rohan lies Gondor. Both are human kingdoms that can shelter you."

"Even if you do not wish to go south, you can head east instead. Go all the way east of the Black Forest to River Valley, where you can also find a place to live."

However, after considering various factors and hesitating briefly, Li Wei added, "If you truly have nowhere else to turn, you can also cross the mountains westward and pass through the wilderness. There is a territory there."

"We'll remember, my lord."

They did not speak much more. After asking Li Wei's name and solemnly expressing their gratitude, the refugees prepared to begin their long journey.

However, Li Wei looked at the soot-covered people, who possessed nothing at all, shook his head, and called them back.

"Take these. They'll make your journey smoother."

Li Wei pulled out a large pile of bread and distributed it among them. He also crafted several iron swords on the spot and gave them to the young refugees who looked kind-hearted and capable of fighting.

He did not know how much use they would be, but at least they would not have to endure hunger on the road, nor would they be completely defenseless when they encountered danger.

These supplies were insignificant to Li Wei, but to the refugees, they were extremely precious and useful.

After the refugees departed, a notification appeared from the reputation system.

As these refugees found new places to live, Li Wei's reputation would continue to spread among the relevant factions and regions.

The more people he saved, the more reputation he would gain.

"That was an unexpected bonus."

Elsewhere.

In a place untouched by the march of plunder.

A gray figure was arguing with several people.

"But we've always lived here. We've never heard of any Orc army."

"That's because they were once wiped out by the Dwarf armies. Now they've returned, and they're nearby. If you don't want to lose your lives, gather the villagers, pack your things, and leave at once! There's still time!"

Just as the crowd began to waver, a scruffy, unkempt man pushed his way forward and retorted harshly, "No, we won't leave. You wizard who does nothing but spread rumors—you must be up to no good if you want us to leave!"

"I think you've had your eye on our village for a long time, just waiting to drive us out so you can—"

Thud!

Gandalf frowned and struck the pestering man with his staff, knocking him unconscious.

"I'll say it again: leave this place quickly, or it will be too late!"

Gandalf spoke loudly. His words seemed to carry a certain magic, and the villagers could not help but believe him.

"But the land that sustains us is beneath our feet. Even if we leave, where are we supposed to go?"

Even so, someone still raised the question.

"There are places where people can live besides here." Gandalf looked at the villagers and pointed in a direction.

"North. Not far north of the river are several larger settlements, where more people live. Your ancestors shared the same roots. If you gather together, you will surely be able to wield greater strength."

Compared with Li Wei, Gandalf clearly knew more about the local circumstances and history. He knew there were several human settlements north of the river, not as far away as Rohan or River Valley. Those people had some armed forces and could deal with a certain number of enemies.

Although the Free Peoples living in this region were not numerous in the strictest sense, if they could unite and form a whole, they could become a considerable force of resistance and effectively fend off the Orc incursions.

That way, they would neither need to depend on others nor wander from place to place. They could continue living in this region and support themselves.

Before long, the villagers gathered with their belongings and discussed which route to take.

Gandalf, meanwhile, lit his pipe to the side and took two puffs.

Of course, his pipe was not the only thing that had been lit.

A certain hope within people's hearts had been kindled as well.

Discover, guide, unite.

That had always been a wizard's duty.

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