Ps: no it is not a mistake or skiped chapter, this is indeed chapter 20
"Congratulations, Host, you've unlocked a new feature — the Marketplace! Please check it out." The glowing screen of the Lord of the Rings system appeared before Roland.
Just as Roland was about to study it carefully, Bard interrupted him.
"This all feels like a dream!" Bard stared in disbelief at the fiery ruins behind him.
"Yeah, such a big town… gone overnight…" Roland sighed, full of mixed emotions.
"Let's go!" Roland grabbed a horse and handed the reins to Bard.
"I still need to wait for my soldiers," Bard said, noticing Roland's hesitation.
"The Riverdale City needs you, King Bard!" Roland called out to Bard's retreating back.
…
"Caslow! Get the horses ready — we're going to welcome our beloved archers!" Roland ordered as Caslow and the others led the steeds of the Bardanian archers along the lakeshore to search for the fleeing archers.
"Here!" An archer crawled up from the bank. Exhausted, he lay slumped on the shore like a salted fish—too bad there was no sun.
"Hey! Get on your horses, guys! We still need to find the others!" Caslow shouted.
"Hurry! Time is life! Spread out and find our brothers!" Roland anxiously mobilized all his forces to search for the scattered archers.
…
"Thank the Dragon God! May the glory of Lagrand bless you all!" Roland looked at the ragged, grimy group of soldiers who could barely be called that.
Against all odds, the Bardanian archers survived the Battle of Smaug. Except for a few unlucky ones crushed by collapsed houses and drowned, their professional-level physique allowed them to recover quickly.
"Rest for a bit, everyone — it's been a long day!" Roland said and led the group into the forest.
"My lord! Aren't we heading to the Lonely Mountain? The dwarves owe our leader a debt!" Caslow, one of Roland's earliest followers, reminded him, knowing the contract between Roland and the dwarves well.
"Head to the Lonely Mountain?" Roland looked at Caslow with a strange expression.
"To be honest, I'm not even planning to go to Riverdale now!" Roland shook his head. This kid must be crazy brave to want to run straight into the Lonely Mountain? Forget about dragonriders — even dragon knights would have a tough time living through that. Because this is the real world, Roland wasn't sure if the dwarves and elves might fight first. If they did, whose side would he be on? He hadn't even clashed with the orcs yet — he didn't want his own people wiped out first…
The Lonely Mountain was basically a deathtrap right now! Dwarves had to dive in (after all, it was their capital), humans had to dive in (needing to rebuild their homes and fortune), orcs willingly dove in (strategic importance), and elves also jumped after thinking it through (Thranduil wanted the White Gem). As for Roland, he was still debating whether to jump in…
Whatever — first, let's figure out the system's new features. And getting rich didn't have to rely on the dwarves' Lonely Mountain treasure. If annoyed, Roland could always launch a Moria expedition! (Orcs: Yeah right! Dwarves: Thanks to our human friends for reclaiming our lands.) After all, the old capital must have plenty of treasure.
Roland checked the Lord of the Rings system and found it could now pop up an interface. A glowing screen appeared before him, displaying the new feature — the Marketplace. Every day, it randomly refreshed 12 different items for sale, and purchases required "Wealth Points." Roland looked at his wealth points and immediately frowned… Damn, that "5" was painfully low! After fiddling around, he finally figured out where Wealth Points came from — 10,000 gold coins converted to 1 Wealth Point.
"Heh, poverty really limits my imagination!" Roland realized he couldn't even afford the cheapest item, the Lagrand Dragon Hunter, priced at 10 Wealth Points with a stock of 50. He even saw a Grand Forbidden Spell Scroll listed — but at a staggering one million Wealth Points, it crushed his hopes.
Roland casually dismissed the system screen, then silently stepped out of the tent and gazed at the burning Longlake Town in the distance, letting out a soft sigh.
"Sir… when can we return to Lagrand City?" Reno approached quietly.
"Lagrand City has long been erased by time…" Roland told a kind lie to discourage Reno. After all, he couldn't tell Reno that Lagrand City hadn't even been built yet.
Lagrand City was the capital of the Lagrand Empire, located on the northern bank where the Swift River and Redwater River met. The city was grand and imposing, with nine layers of walls and a vast area. Seven of the empire's thirteen dragonriders were stationed there, along with the elite Lagrand Royal Guard Paladins. They produced the special Lagrand City Guards, the strongest and finest non-professional soldiers. Roland had recruited them before — as expected of the capital's troops, their equipment was as luxurious as knights'.
"Lost souls, maybe you need the guidance of the Lagrand Holy Light…" A clear female voice came through the night.
Roland's expression changed instantly, and he looked toward the voice eagerly. Meanwhile, Reno quietly drew his sword and warily watched the white-robed figure.
"Priestess Ivy of the Lagrand Imperial Sanctuary, at your service, Lord," the newcomer bowed respectfully.
"Priests of the sanctuary? Which deity do you worship?" Reno lowered his guard but remained curious — different sanctuaries often meant different spell types.
"May the Dragon God bless you," pure white holy light radiated from Ivy.
"Light Priestess?" Reno felt a little disappointed — a Holy Priestess would have been even better, he thought silently.
"A priestess of the Dragon God's sanctuary?" Roland showed interest. The Dragon God, worshiped by the imperial family of Lagrand, was a powerful deity, so their sanctuary priests were quite formidable.
"Caslow! Set up a tent for Miss Ivy!" Roland called out.
Caslow reluctantly dragged himself out of his tent, rubbing his sleepy eyes and pouted while going to pitch the tent…
"All right, everyone, get some rest. There might be a big battle tomorrow," Roland said, looking at the familiar faces around him, a heavy feeling sinking into his heart. If war really broke out… who knew how many would still be sitting here?
…
As if rehearsed, history unfolded steadily. The elves still arrived at Riverdale; Bilbo still gave the Arkenstone to Bard; Thranduil and Bard each led their forces to the foot of the Lonely Mountain…
"Do you want peace or war?" Bard issued his final ultimatum.
Thorin gave a meaningful look toward the eastern ridges and said gravely, "I choose war!"
Boom~ Boom~ Heavy footsteps sounded. A disciplined dwarven army appeared on the hillside.
"The Ironfoot army! The forces of King Dain from Iron Hills," Gandalf murmured.
"Oh yeah! The ravens have spread our news to dwarves across Middle-earth!" The dwarves in Erebor cheered.
Meanwhile, the orcs were also approaching the Lonely Mountain.
Roland and his party were slowly marching toward the Lonely Mountain.
A battle destined to diverge from history was about to begin.
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