Chapter 110

"Fight against the Easterlings? My lord, that is an extremely dangerous affair. Our people are all farmers and workers who don't know how to fight. Is it really appropriate for you to ask us to go to war now?"

Allen looked at Hank, who wore a panicked expression and spoke in a pitiful tone, and felt a sense of helplessness in his heart.

"Wasn't it you 'farmers' and 'workers' who, a few months ago, rounded up hundreds of people to hunt down Wargs in Mirkwood? You fought so fiercely back then, yet now you tell me you don't know how to fight? I still have several wounded men lying in my infirmary; are you trying to fool a ghost?"

Of course, Allen would not voice these inner complaints, but things were not going very smoothly right now.

Originally, he thought hiring people from three villages to become mercenaries would be very simple, merely a matter of paying more food and gold or silver. Who would have thought that Hank would refuse right from the start, without even a round of bargaining.

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However, Allen could not believe a word Hank said, nor did he believe these hardy Northmen were unwilling to fight. He simply felt that to accomplish this, he might have to pay a higher price; he just didn't know what this old man before him actually wanted.

"Hank, the current situation is that the Easterling army is pressing on our borders, and the situation is as precarious as a pile of eggs. At a time like this, you and I should be joining hands to resist the powerful enemy. Every bit of time we waste now may lead to more casualties among the soldiers on the future battlefield."

Allen's meaning in saying this was to tell Hank: feel free to state your conditions, don't play these games of feigned retreat with me. I am in a hurry and don't have that much time to haggle.

But after saying this, Allen felt it wasn't quite enough, so he added: "If you are truly unwilling to participate in direct combat, then I hope you can continue to accept my employment and complete the construction of the defensive fortifications."

After these words were spoken, Hank's expression changed slightly, while Gale, standing behind him, turned pale with shock and even pushed his grandfather with his hand, to which Hank turned around and glared at Gale in annoyance.

Previously, when Gale heard from Allen that there was going to be a war, the expression on his face had been extremely excited. He had patted his chest and volunteered to ask his grandfather, and before leaving, he had indicated that this matter would definitely be no problem.

But when he arrived at Allen's camp with Hank, the expression on his face became extremely dejected; it was clear he had been given a stern lecture by old Hank.

It was not that Hank was unwilling to participate in this war, but he had his own thoughts and demands. Moreover, they were not strictly required to join this battle; being small in number, they could leave at any time.

After all, they were not like Allen, who had a large estate, countless cultivated lands, and fully developed towns. To abandon all this and relocate elsewhere would be too high a price to pay.

This was the limitation of an agrarian people, whereas nomadic and hunter-gatherer peoples did not have such drawbacks. For example, the ancestors of Rohan, the Eothiod, had lived in the Anduin Valley hundreds of years ago, but when faced with a choice, they moved without hesitation.

From 1856 to 1977 of the Third Age, they lived in the region between the Carrock and the Iris River, but due to the year-by-year population growth, and because the land-use efficiency of nomadic peoples is far inferior to that of agrarian peoples, this place soon became somewhat crowded.

It was also at this time that the evil power of Sauron in Mirkwood grew stronger, posing a certain threat to the Eothiod. The northern Kingdom of Angmar had also been destroyed by the allied forces of Humans and Elves, so they moved quite readily to the far north, where they lived for several hundred years.

Subsequently, Eorl, the ancestor of the King of Rohan, led all his troops in 2510 of the Third Age to assist Gondor in defeating the invading Easterling army and the Orcish of the Misty Mountains.

Then, they moved again. At the invitation of the Steward of Gondor, they settled in Calenardhon and became allies of Gondor. Decades later, the "Eorl's Oath," which would influence the entire War of the Ring, was also sworn at that time.

Of course, Hank and his people were not a nomadic tribe, but they possessed the same confidence to move at a moment's notice. Once the Easterlings launched a full-scale attack, Hank could take the thousand-odd people from the two villages and dive into Mirkwood, where even Sauron, who had occupied Mirkwood for thousands of years, could not find them, let alone these Easterlings who had come from afar.

Why two villages? Because on the night Allen arrived, Caroline had pledged her allegiance to Allen on behalf of the Fir Village she ruled. However, this decisive young woman hoped her people could live in the area at the southern end of Mirkwood Road, and she hoped Alayen would assist her in ruling her people.

This was clearly a case of bringing a dowry to join the venture.

Alayen also requested that Allen allow him to marry Caroline after this battle. This standard "flag" made Allen feel a bit nervous, so he hurriedly agreed, adding that there was no need to wait until the battle was over; if the situation wasn't too urgent, they could consider holding the wedding.

In fact, on the continent of Calradia, whether as a lord or a king, Allen had a certain obligation to select marriage partners for the members of his Cabinet, especially since Alayen had been his close attendant for several years. Even the wedding would likely have to be personally arranged and hosted by Allen as his liege.

But Allen had yet to find a suitable candidate. After all, diplomatic relations with Rohan and Gondor had not yet begun, and there were no suitable factions in Eriador. He couldn't very well try to find a Dwarf or an Elf for Alayen, could he? That was too difficult; Allen admitted he couldn't handle such things.

Thorin and Thranduil would not allow such a thing to happen. There had been no precedent for Humans and Dwarves falling in love, and the lifespans of Humans and Elves were vastly different. Unless Allen had a way to get Alayen to Valinor after the War of the Ring, marrying an Elf would only end in tragedy for this young man.

Now that Alayen had chosen free love and accepted Caroline's investment, Allen, as his liege, had to make a gesture. He named the castle under construction Heidelberg and granted it to Alayen along with the surrounding land as a wedding gift, as a reward for Alayen's years of service.

In fact, even Allen himself had not expected that Alayen would be the first of his subordinates to receive a fief. This made him feel a bit awkward after promising the reward. As for how Alayen and Caroline would express their loyalty to Allen later, that went without saying.

However, the matter of Caroline gave old man Hank a sense of urgent crisis. He did not want his grandson to end up just making a living under Caroline, although that outcome couldn't be called bad. But the situation was different now; after all, there is no harm without comparison.

Therefore, Hank appeared reluctant to be hired at this moment, wanting to extract more chips from Allen. He wasn't so greedy as to want to exchange a mere two hundred militiamen for a castle from Allen.

Hank had not been blinded by desire to that extent; he only hoped that Allen would give Gale and Karl a chance to become Allen's Attendants, hoping they might one day become masters of a castle.

This was where Hank didn't understand Allen. Although he had gathered some information from many people and had some understanding of Allen and the daily life of the residents of Wilderness Town, he was, after all, an outsider.

Furthermore, in the years Allen had been a lord, he had almost never recruited Attendants from the outside, and there were no relevant rules or laws. Alayen could be said to be his only Attendant.

And now, this only Attendant had become a lord after just a few years. This made the elderly Hank feel that the difficulty of becoming Allen's Attendant must be extremely high. After all, he had seen Alayen's excellence, and in every respect, Gale and Karl were truly far behind Alayen.

However, after Hank cautiously stated his request, Allen looked at the old man with extreme surprise, thinking to himself: "Is that it?"

In fact, Allen had long had the intention of taking Gale as his Attendant. Of course, adding Karl now wasn't a big problem, but he still put on a serious face and pondered for a long time.

On one hand, he needed time to sort out why Hank would do this; on the other hand, Allen needed to make Hank feel that this was a decision made after careful consideration, a very important and difficult matter to decide.

Time passed with the "thump, thump" sound of Allen tapping on the table from time to time, while the expressions of Hank, Gale, and Karl gradually grew tense. Allen saw that the timing was about right, and having figured out the reason for Hank's actions, he couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing, while also preparing the draft of what he would say next.

He looked at Hank with a smile and said: "Very well, I accept Gale and Karl into my service, for they are young and have both achieved much, and we share the bond of having fought against the minions of darkness together. Now, please have them kneel on one knee before me."

As he spoke, Allen unbuckled the luxuriously decorated Longsword from his waist and placed it on his lap.

This had originally belonged to the Rhodok King Graveth, but Allen now felt his own Knightly Longsword was truly not presentable enough, so he had redeemed this one to use as a temporary transition.

Subsequently, he looked at Gale and Karl kneeling before him and said: "Place your hands on the scabbard, and repeat after me."

"I hereby swear: From this moment on, whether speaking or silent, active or passive, coming or going, whether in poverty or wealth, peace or war, life or death, I shall be loyal to the Kingdom of Rhovanion and the King of the Kingdom of Rhovanion, until my lord releases me from my obligations, or death arrives, or the world ends. Sworn by: Gale and Karl from Pine Village and Fir Village in the lands of Mirkwood."

Seeing the two do as instructed, Allen spoke again: "And I, Lord of Huangye Cheng, King of Rhovanion, Friend of Elves and Dwarves, Dragon Slayer Allen, having heard this oath, shall keep it in my heart, shall not fail those who swear it, rewarding loyalty with care, bravery with glory, merit with wealth, and vengeance with the fulfillment of the oath."

Afterward, Allen helped the two excited men up and continued: "Now, I will issue my first order to you both: return and organize the brave and capable soldiers as soon as possible, count their numbers, and then report back to me. I will prepare some weapons and equipment for you. Go, get to work."

Having received the order, Gale and Karl saluted Allen and turned to leave. They still valued the first order given by their monarch and were determined to do it well. Of course, this task wasn't particularly difficult—er, as long as they knew how to count, or had friends who did.

As for Allen, he looked at the remaining Hank and continued: "Sir, since Gale and Karl have pledged their loyalty to me, I will naturally be responsible for the safety and livelihood of the people of Fir Village and Pine Village. It is very dangerous here at Heidelberg now, and it is no longer suitable for a large number of civilians to live here. You may take them to Wilderness Town; my Prime Minister Yamila will properly settle you all."

"Thank you for your generosity, King Allen."

Upon hearing this, Hank expressed his gratitude to Allen with a face full of relief, then left the camp with a light step, even humming an unknown poem as he walked.

Everything that had just happened gave Allen a clearer understanding of his current status and the power he possessed. It seemed that he had become a figure revered by everyone in this region. Some things might not be as complicated as he had previously thought, and perhaps he didn't need to appear so approachable.

At this moment, Allen was reflecting on his past behavior, thinking: "Sometimes, maintaining a bit of majesty might yield better results?"

"My lord, you didn't have this solemn ceremony when you accepted me!"

Alayen, who had been watching the show from the side for a long time, interrupted Allen's thoughts with a grin. After all, he had been with Allen for a very long time and was his personal Attendant, and because Allen's personality was very easygoing, their daily interactions were actually quite casual.

Allen, having his train of thought interrupted, glared at the young man who was getting a bit carried away and said in annoyance: "What? You like it? Shall I perform it for you again, and you can come back and be my Attendant?"

Alayen hurriedly shook his head after hearing this. He was actually a bit envious; after all, when he joined Allen, Allen was just a Mercenary Group leader—where would he have the status and authority to recite such a solemn oath?

But to give up the castle and fief he was about to receive just to make up for a little regret? Alayen wasn't stupid. Even if he were willing, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Caroline.

"Enough, stop talking nonsense. Come to me tomorrow morning to pick up some things for Gale and Karl. Now, you may leave and go find your fiancée."

Why did he want Alayen to come tomorrow morning? In fact, on the continent of Calradia, after an Attendant pledges loyalty to a lord, the lord must give something to the person who swore the oath to show the closeness between the two and the lord's own generosity.

However, Allen had no prior experience with this, so he hadn't prepared in advance. He planned to purchase two sets of Swadian Knight armor from the Simulator, and then select two good horses from Horse Pasture Village to give to Gale and Karl as a reward.

The cost of two sets of armor was actually not particularly cheap; even purchasing them from the Simulator required over ten thousand Dinars, but in Allen's view, this was a very worthwhile matter.

Moreover, Allen now had a relatively stable income, and the current war environment on the Calradia continent was also considered peaceful; in the simulation from a few days ago, Allen had learned quite a lot of information from his cheap old man, Count Delinard.

Rhodok and Swadia had a six-month peace treaty, the Nord were fighting tooth and nail with the Vaegirs, the Khergit were guarding against an invasion by the Sarranid, while Swadia, which should have been a land of war on all sides, had instead entered into an eerie peace.

Therefore, Allen did not need to worry about the safety of his territory in the near future, nor did he need to enter the Simulator frequently like he did a few days ago to monitor the safety of the castle.

Now, he needed to focus his energy even more on dealing with the potential attack from the Easterlings that could come at any time.

However, after a period of time, he did not wait for the Easterlings; instead, he waited for Holimion and Malherbe, as well as the first batch of migrating Red River Town residents they led.