Chapter 220: Knowledge of Rune Equipment

After Allen returned to the Elven city of Elacrai from the hidden camp of the Red Brotherhood, he immediately spent a period of quite stable life.

Furthermore, at the invitation of Aldaria, he even participated in the annual tournament held in Elacrai, and even attained the status of runner-up.

Even though Allen's combat power was already sufficiently strong, it still could not be considered top-tier within this castle full of Elves, and that was without even counting the four Elven family heads who were Apocalypse Knights.

Without casting Magic, Allen was defeated in the finals by a Twilight Knight who was even more powerful than Holimion, which could be considered a re-confirmation of his combat power in Pendor.

Although it could not compare to the most top-tier strength, it was still in the first echelon.

As for why he did not cast Magic, it was because Allen felt his foundation in the Pendor continent was too shallow, without a certain base of operations to serve as his backing, so even in front of allies, he acted quite cautiously.

However, even as the runner-up, it allowed Allen's reputation to spread throughout the entire Elven city, and the Noldor Council, which hosted the competition, also rewarded Allen with a Dragon Tear Gem.

After all, a Human who could fight a top-tier Twilight Knight to a standstill was truly too rare, especially since this Human also had deep ties with the Elves, making it even more commendable.

And Allen, having achieved good results in the competition, became even more popular in Elacrai.

The Elves' attitude toward him even gave Allen an illusion, thinking that as long as he continued to work hard, he believed he would soon be able to learn the secrets regarding Rune Equipment.

This was something Allen had been pursuing from the very beginning, whether it was forging Rune Equipment in Middle-earth to arm his own troops.

Or forming his own Knight Order in the Pendor continent, both were quite important knowledge.

Yet Risadilan, who had traveled through the Human world with Allen, could no longer endure the plain and boring life of the Noldor Forest, and every day he would bring his little companions to pester Allen to head to the Human world once again.

Compared to the endlessly warring living environment of Humans, the forest where the Elves lived was, to a certain extent, indeed a bit too stable, and not suitable for a personality as restless as Risadilan's.

Moreover, in order not to look like walking piles of Dinar, Risadilan and the others truly needed Allen's help and cover.

From another perspective, these Elves were also willing to go out and travel with Allen, because this Human's way of doing things fit their temperament, and they likewise could not tolerate the act of human trafficking.

In fact, the Elves living in the Noldor Forest were not so xenophobic the moment they arrived in Pendor; otherwise, where would the Prophecy Child's Elven bloodline come from?

However, in the Noldor Elves' proactive contacts, except for a very small number of nobles and the Silvermist Rangers of Ravenstern, almost no one was willing to accept this foreign tribe of theirs.

Not only that, Humans living around the forest would also destroy the home the Noldor Elves relied on for survival for the sake of timber.

Yes, besides living in Elacrai, there were also some Noldor Elves who lived in family units, living in treehouses just like the Galadhrim of the Golden Wood.

That is to say, throughout the entire forest, it could be said that there were small Noldor Elven settlements everywhere.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many Elves captured by the Ebony Knights, Red Brotherhood, and Jatu Raiders who charged into the forest, and then sold to Human nobles.

As for Risadilan's request, Allen did not agree at the first moment; he still thought about staying in the forest for a while longer to test the Noldor Elves' favorability toward him.

What if Isilindil suddenly saw the light and wanted the family's master Elven craftsman to teach him how to forge Rune Equipment?

Even if he were to leave Elacrai at this time, Allen would not take Risadilan and the others, but would quietly return to the Human world, and immediately return to the forest after completing the Elven family head's commission.

A long absence would very likely mean missing the opportunity to learn knowledge, and Allen felt he could stay here for a bit longer.

However, the peaceful life in the forest was not always there, just after Allen had completed a mission alone.

A wind blew from the northwest of the Noldor Forest and spread in Long River Town.

That was one of the two great leaders ruling the Gatu, "The Destroyer" Juda, who, in the name of the avatar of the Gatu God of War Indar, prepared to launch a massive raid on his neighbors.

Countless Gatu tribes, whether for wealth, for faith in the gods, or to settle the blood feud between themselves and their neighbors.

They gathered one after another under the banner of the bloodthirsty and tyrannical Juda, preparing to step into the Noldor Forest for a carnival belonging to the Gatu.

This kind of thing had happened every few years since "The Destroyer" Juda rose to fame on the Gatu plains, the only difference being the scale.

And in the few years Allen simulated on the Pendor continent, he finally encountered one.

And what was more interesting was that this news was obtained by Allen spending a few Dinar from members of the Red Brotherhood.

It had to be said that in the eyes of these guys, besides money, there was not the slightest bit of factional bias.

Allen was also too lazy to get entangled with the people of the Red Brotherhood, and brought this news, which was enough to shock the Elves, back to Elacrai.

So, facing the massive invasion of the Gatu, the Elves naturally had to prepare for battle with all their might; this was simply a matter from which there was no escape.

The Elves living in the forest even had to fight the Gatu at the edge of the forest.

If the Elves did not guard their home, the Gatu would surely use one forest fire after another to force them out to fight, and when the fire burned to Elacrai, where could the Elves retreat to?

These words were spoken to Allen by Aldaria in a voice full of hatred, to answer the question Allen raised about why they did not fight the enemy deep in the forest.

The Gatu, who were also a foreign tribe, had a lifestyle that was a typical nomadic people, and they would not build fixed dwellings; to them, the grasslands and water sources were extremely precious survival resources.

But the forest, they did not value it so much, especially since there were "neighbors" with extremely bad tempers living in the forest, so they had not the slightest hesitation when setting fires.

And this kind of behavior of destroying the forest, in the eyes of the Noldor Elves, was vastly different from the Humans of the Empire and Lie Shijing; this was not a need for resources, this was naked destruction.

Therefore, the Humans the Noldor Elves hated the most were the Gatu who entrenched themselves on the grasslands.

So, facing the upcoming war of the Noldor Elves, Allen naturally could not stand by and watch.

Moreover, out of trust in Allen, Isilindil also temporarily handed over the command of a Ranger unit to him.

At the same time, he also stuffed Risadilan and his not-so-restless little companions to Allen all at once.

And this unit appeared at the edge of the forest, constantly on alert for the arrival of the Gatu.

Regarding the Gatu's abnormal gathering, it was not only the Elves living in the forest who were nervous.

The Lie Shijing nobles living in Long River Town and Lion Lake City soon began to jump around like ants on a hot pan.

Who could know if these barbaric wolves of the grassland would, because of one unhappiness, detour to the interior of Lie Shijing to rob.

Such things had happened too many times in the history of Lie Shijing, and these nobles' property and fiefs were all right here.

As for the Shield-Bearer Castle and Eagle Claw Castle guarding the border, when facing the Gatu who were as swift as the wind, it was already quite good to be able to let the surrounding farmers escape inside and then manage to protect themselves.

Every large-scale raid by the Gatu required the mobilization of the King and the great nobles' Knight Orders to be able to resist the enemy's attack.

For example, the Horned Call Ranger Regiment serving the Lord of Long River Town, the Green-Cap Rangers equipped with Eagle-Strike Bows and long spears and proficient in horse archery, their main role was to guard against the Gatu's raids and the revenge killings of Elves chasing out of the forest.

Of course, these Rangers and their Attendants truly liked to paint their helmets green, which was why they had the title of Green-Cap Rangers, and not because of some unspeakable family scandal.

According to rumors circulating in the taverns of major towns, the Rangers' combat power was quite formidable, and they could be called the most powerful Rangers among Humans.

It was just that their numbers were too few; facing the overwhelming Gatu invaders, they also needed the cooperation of other Knight Orders.

Therefore, one messenger after another carrying a Letter of request for help rode fast horses all the way to Lion City to seek help from King Ulric, who ruled the entire kingdom.

And following Ulric's order, the great army of Lie Shijing also began to gather toward Long River Town.

During this time, the Elves and the Gatu had already broken out into countless small-scale wars.

Squad after squad of Elven Rangers patrolled the edge of the forest, locked in a life-and-death struggle with the small groups of Jatu Raiders attempting to enter the woods.

Although the Elves were skilled in archery and could unleash a dense rain of arrows upon their targets in a short time, the charge speed of the Jatu was as fierce as a wildfire whipped up by a gale, burning their way to the enemy's side in an instant.

Moreover, the Jatu Raiders in their offensive would often coordinate in several small squads.

They would have their high-speed Light Cavalry launch a charge to draw the Elves' attention.

Then, several squads of heavily armored shock cavalry would skirt the edge of the battlefield to reach the Elves' rear, forming an encirclement before launching an attack from an unexpected position.

Even the formidable Elves had to pay the price of their lives to stop the enemy from destroying their home when faced with the Jatu's overwhelming, mountain-toppling charge.

Yet, this combat strategy of the Jatu had no effect whatsoever on the Ranger squad led by Allen.

Whenever they were entangled with the enemy, Allen was always able to find an opening with extreme precision, leading his troops to slip into the forest ahead of time before the Jatu forces could complete their encirclement.

Furthermore, after retreating, they could use the cover of the trees and their fast, silent movement speed to counter-encircle the enemies who were still searching for their tracks within the forest.

Then, at the opportune moment, they would use the powerful bows in their hands to take the lives of these Jatu without a shred of mercy.

The other Elven Ranger squads did not have such "luck" as Allen; when facing the charge of the Jatu Raiders, whether they chose to meet the enemy head-on or decisively hide in the forest immediately, they risked being entangled by enemies from other positions, breaking out into one fierce close-quarters battle after another and paying a tragic price under the Jatu's honor spears.

Compared to the other Elven squads, the battles commanded by Allen were won far too easily.

After more than a week of fighting, the Ranger squad following Allen had not lost a single member, while they had harvested the lives of over two hundred enemies.

Such feats soon spread throughout the forest borders, receiving praise from all the Elves, and the Jatu were no longer willing to approach the section of the forest guarded by Allen.

Through one battle after another, Allen finally understood the difficulties the Noldor Elves faced in defending the forest.

The situation here was different from Middle-earth; although Orcish would set fires when invading the Woodland Realm, the forests of Middle-earth were guarded by the power of Yavanna, so the losses were never too great.

However, the gods of Pendor did not exist to protect the Noldor Forest; once those Jatu approached the forest, they truly set fires everywhere, doing so even while braving a rain of arrows.

Because the Jatu also knew that without doing so, it would be impossible to force the Elves out of the forest; after all, no cavalryman would consider a forest their primary battlefield, as the dense trees would severely hinder the horses' forward pace.

The large-scale forces of the four great Noldor families also gathered rapidly in the small battles along the border, stationing themselves at the edge of the forest to await the arrival of the Jatu army.

Unaware that his plan had been seen through, Juda naturally sensed that the timing was wrong when he arrived at the Noldor Forest with his great army.

Juda was merely cruel and unscrupulous in his actions, but he was absolutely not stupid; if he had the advantage of surprise, he could naturally seize immense wealth in this operation, and his own prestige on the grasslands could rise to a new level.

However, having dealt with the Noldor Elves for many years, Juda naturally knew the terror of the enemy; he had brought his tribesmen to plunder, not to fight a life-and-death battle with the Noldor Elves.

Since those fair-faced spirits had made full preparations, choosing another target might be a good option.

After a short period of thought, the Jatu army, swift as the wind, plunged into Lie Shijing and began to plunder everything they could see.

To maintain his reputation, Juda would absolutely not allow the tribe following him to return empty-handed.

With the large-scale invasion of the Jatu, Ulric, who had originally intended to watch the show, quickly moved his troops, blocking the enemy's looting near Long River Town and Lion Lake City.

It was just that Lie Shijing, whose army had not yet fully gathered, could only barely maintain the situation and was at a disadvantage in this battle.

Now, the ones watching the show had suddenly become the Noldor Elves; originally, Isilindil wanted to lead the few remaining Elven Cavalry into Lie Shijing to hunt down the enemy, but he was sternly refused by Aldaria.

He would never allow his family members to interfere in the battles of Humans, especially when both sides were detestable enemies.

Although the heads of the other two Elven families did not openly oppose it, they also tactfully suggested that they could wait and see the situation before making a decision, so the matter ultimately had to be dropped.

However, neither Isilindil nor Aldaria, who had the worst attitude toward Humans, denied the merits Allen had achieved in this battle, especially the precious information brought in time from the Human world, which allowed the Elves to avoid a sudden war.

Regarding this, Isilindil already intended to show Allen the secrets of the Noldor Elves, but Aldaria still hoped that Allen could help him complete one task; regardless of success or failure, he would not stop Allen from learning all the knowledge of the Elves.

This task was to find Finnis from Dikit; Aldaria had learned from somewhere that this bookseller was selling potions that could increase lifespan and abilities.

Such potions were inevitably related to Magic, so he hoped Allen could invite this mysterious bookseller back to "Elacrai"; he wanted to understand some things, and if that was not possible, obtaining some potions would also suffice.

Such a matter was actually not very difficult for Allen; after leaving from the southeast of the forest, Allen found members of the Red Brotherhood in the towns of the Empire and quickly determined the location of Finnis, the cost being nothing more than some Dinar.

At this time, Finnis had also fallen into trouble he could not resolve himself; it was unknown what this bookseller was thinking, as he had actually run to Fierdain, where the lords were no different from bandits, to sell his potions.

The moment his true identity was revealed, he was captured by Count Sigismund, who held the title of "Rock Arm"; just thinking about the fact that this big shot's private soldiers were Vanskerry Pirate, one knew what this Count was made of.

In the end, it was only through Allen's own abilities, combined with the powerful individual combat strength of the Elves, that Finnis was rescued and successfully became the bookseller's guard.

The gratitude and rewards Allen received were those bottles of Anti-Aging Potion and several Dragon Tear, otherwise, Allen would not have had so many surplus potions to bestow upon the subordinates who had followed him for a long time.

As for the invitation from the Elves, Finnis had no intention of refusing, stating that he had never done anything to offend the Elves and naturally did not fear going to Elacrai as a guest.

Of course, it would have been difficult for Finnis to refuse; his original guards had been slaughtered by the Fierdain, and now, as a mere bookseller, he could not possibly escape Allen's surveillance.

After bringing Finnis to Aldaria without any surprises or dangers, Allen began to learn knowledge regarding Rune Equipment.

At the same time, he also embarked on the path of searching for gems on the Magic Continent.