Chapter 273

【Consuming the "Qi Stone" Gale's Inspiration grants two abilities, listed as follows.】

【Ability 1: Wind Whisper. Expend Qi within the body to create and manipulate wind. The more Qi expended, the more the wind changes, and the greater its power will be. Note: Do not exhaust your Qi while manipulating the wind. Be aware that even if you lose control, the wind's power will persist until it is completely spent.】

【Ability 2: Move with the Wind. Expend Dinars to summon an air current that helps troops march rapidly. The more Dinars expended, the faster the troops march. When the air current's speed is pushed to the limit, it can help the marching troops achieve a speed of a thousand miles by day and eight hundred by night. Please note, this is not an adjective, so please choose wide, unobstructed roads when using this ability. The more troops the ability covers, the more the Dinar cost will increase exponentially.】

The moment Allen received the gem and confirmed it was genuine, he agreed to Ragnar's treaty, though he also put forward his own condition: he must take the gem first as a portion of the mercenary fee.

At this time, Allen had at least nearly a thousand men under his command. Although only about a third were elite troops and most of the others were ordinary soldiers who could not afford iron armor, they were still a cut above the most powerful lords of the Kingdom of Nord.

If put in terms of game settings, it would be about three hundred level four, five, or six powerful soldiers, with the rest being level two or three trash troops.

Allen almost never recruited the lowest-level militia; taking them to the battlefield was absolutely a reckless waste of life. If he had the spare energy, it would be more realistic to send them to Instructor Kelis to train their skills and, incidentally, complete some simple tasks to acquire some basic weapons and equipment.

But even with low-level soldiers making up the majority, the cost to hire Allen's army was still very, very high, especially since they were heading to an extremely dangerous frontline battlefield; this was simply not the same price as suppressing rebellions in the rear.

Therefore, Allen told Ragnar clearly that this was not enough. Even though he particularly liked this gem, it could only offset one-third of the hiring fee. However, out of respect for this gem, he allowed King Ragnar to pay the remaining money after defeating the enemy.

As for himself, he would lead his troops to Tihr in three days.

After all, supplies still needed to be purchased, and pre-battle mobilization had to be done, especially before setting out, when he had to advance a portion of wages to his subordinates to settle their families or enjoy themselves.

Hmm, this required some time.

King Ragnar readily agreed to this plan; after all, to him, that gem was just a particularly good-looking ornament.

Although a rumor had always persisted within the family that possessing this gem could master the power of the wind, various tests by several generations of Nord kings had never succeeded, and now, hundreds of years later, the rumor was just a rumor.

Today, being able to exchange this gem for an army and the addition of an expert was an unexpected joy for Ragnar, who was under so much pressure he was going bald, and even he himself had not expected this thing to be so valuable.

Thinking about it, he almost regretted it, even feeling that this thing might really possess the power of the wind.

However, Allen did not give him a chance to regret it. After signing the document, he didn't even exchange many pleasantries before using the excuse of needing to prepare for the departure to leave the King's palace immediately, and then he used the gem directly on the road.

In fact, Allen had no intention of helping the Kingdom of Nord, at least not now. He knew how powerful the enemy he was about to face truly was.

The three great commanders of the Dark Cult—"Death's Kiss" Hel, "Mad Python Demon" Jormungandr, and "Flame Holy Knight" Fenrir—were all powerhouses far beyond ordinary people. Allen felt that if he faced them, he could at most steadily defeat one; two would be barely holding the upper hand, with no guarantee of victory.

If all three came at him at once, Allen could only choose to slip away. If the perverted old man who had bewitched Dantis was added to the mix, running away would likely be tough.

Moreover, the knight orders led by these three commanders also possessed formidable combat strength.

The Death Eye, the only one equipped with repeating crossbows; the Python Fang, clad in full plate armor and charging fiercely; and the plate-armored knights of the Doom Thunder.

Any one of these three violent groups, if pulled out alone, would not be weaker than most royal knight orders, and if they coordinated, they could completely defeat any kingdom army.

Furthermore, these top-tier soldiers were fanatical believers of the Dark God. When fighting, they would shout slogans and charge forward with howls; ordinary elites simply could not compare to them in terms of morale.

Most importantly, they were believers who, with the Dark God in their hearts, only needed food and drink in their daily lives and did not demand high wages at all.

Unlike the knight lords of the various kingdoms, who would strike and slack off if their wages were not sufficient.

Therefore, the number of knights in the Dark Cult far exceeded that of any kingdom's royal knight order.

With the thousand or so men under Allen's command, facing the three Dark commanders would likely be like throwing meat buns to wild dogs; there was no doubt they would go and never return.

Especially since the Lion Hunter Knight Order, which Allen could summon at any time, had suffered heavy casualties in the Grey Mountains; there was simply no room to maneuver with the troops currently available.

The reason the Kingdom of Nord could hold out for half a year under the Dark Cult's offensive was largely thanks to the Temple Guardian Infantry Regiment. These humanoid beasts, wearing super-heavy plate armor and wielding large axes, were capable of facing plate-armored knights head-on on flat ground.

Coupled with the chaotic situation on this continent where wars broke out at every turn, the martial spirit of these countries was very robust; at least those lords who served the king directly were mostly powerhouses capable of leading troops at a moment's notice.

It was just that Allen did not favor the current situation at all. Therefore, after returning to his own camp, he immediately ended the simulation of the Magic Continent and did not intend to return for a short time.

Let this war be fought slowly in the future; at least he would have the desire to fight this battle only after the Lion Hunter Knight Order had been replenished. It was just that this would take a long time, even though he already possessed the status of a king in other scenarios.

A few days later.

On a clear afternoon, Cole, as the scout captain, was observing the surroundings listlessly on the Carrock, changing the tobacco in his pipe bowl after bowl.

This was the best lookout point near Fislate. With the help of the increasingly clear telescopes, the soldiers guarding here could absolutely discover any abnormal situation at the first moment.

It was just that in recent years, there had been very, very few things in the vicinity that could be called abnormal, making this job seem somewhat boring.

Suddenly, a grey figure quickly swept across the sky above the forest north of the Carrock, leaving a blur in the eyes of the scout.

Cole, somewhat disbelieving, rubbed his eyes hard while putting down the telescope, incidentally using the back of his hand to close his mouth, which he could no longer keep shut.

He had stood in this place for ten years, rising from an ordinary soldier to a captain. His eyes, which he prided himself on being sharp, had seen birds fly, eagles fly, wind blow and rain fall, and snowflakes drift, but he had never seen a person fly, damn it!!

However, when Cole picked up the telescope again, the fast-moving figure had already arrived near the Carrock and was slowly slowing down. The person who had come was none other than Allen, who had initially mastered Wind Whisper.

Of course, after Cole saw the familiar figure, he was no longer surprised. In his mind, his own monarch was so powerful that anything was possible. It was just flying, what was there to make a fuss about?

It was just an ordinary matter. However, the flag that needed to be displayed still had to be displayed; this was the rule, like a turtle's butt.

In fact, Allen's method of movement at this time was far from being considered flying, because staying in the air for a long time while pushing an adult forward quickly required far too much Qi; short-distance flight was no problem.

If the time was too long, the recovery speed of Qi could not keep up with the consumption.

Allen's state at this time should more accurately be described as gliding. He first used the power of the wind to move himself to a high altitude, then created a small amount of wind to surround himself, forming a thin and tough wind wing.

In this way, during the descent, the wind wing could use the buoyancy of the air to slow down the body's descent speed, while also achieving rapid forward movement.

The inspiration for doing this came entirely from the wing-suit Allen had seen in his past life, except that his method was faster and safer, and it could also ensure that the Qi in his body could be maintained at an acceptable level, avoiding any unacceptable accidents.

In fact, according to his current movement speed, if he didn't sleep or rest, he could fly from the Grey Mountains back to his capital in half a day, but it had taken a few days to complete the operation of the wind wings and become familiar with it.

Soon, the news of the King's return to the capital spread throughout Fislate. However, after Allen returned to the castle, he only stayed for one day before flying away towards the east again. Instead, the Cabinet issued an order to summon soldiers, which made Rhovanion, which had just finished its autumn harvest, lively once again.

Allen, who set off in the morning, arrived at Heidelberg, Alayen's fief, just as it was getting dark. During the flight, he also took a look at the Mirkwood Road defense line he had conceived.

After a long period of rush work, the area where the Skin-changers lived had been built up quite well. At least Cress and Grim were living very happily. Allen just took a glance and saw the smile on the girl's face was so bright.

However, Allen had no intention of staying at all; the purpose of his trip was not to visit relatives.

Because it stood at the intersection of the Old Forest Road and the Running River, Heidelberg was a quite lively place even after dark. A lonely wooden fortress in the past had now developed into a port town similar to a trade transit station.

Like Fislate, there was no curfew policy here. Instead, a little wealth was taken from the tax revenue to support the lighting system in most parts of the town. Some places here were even livelier at night than during the day.

The taverns filled with fragrance were full of noisy sounds. This was a gathering place for sailors, laborers, and soldiers. Tired after a day, they were willing to spend a little time and money to have a drink here, then chat and brag with their friends, or even play cards for a while.

And the bards traveling through various regions of Middle-earth were playing harps on the streets, stretching their voices to their hearts' content, and from time to time, passing pedestrians would stop and throw a little coin into the instrument case on the ground.

At the same time, there would be teams of well-armed soldiers constantly patrolling the streets. The more mixed the people, the more they needed strong and fast guards.

Allen, walking quickly on the street, kept observing everything around him. It could be said that this place changed every day; he had only been away for a year or two, and there were already many places he didn't recognize.

However, Allen still remembered the castle where Alayen lived, and with so many people in the town, he couldn't just fly in openly; who knew if it would cause any misunderstandings.

It was night now, and any commotion could cause unnecessary trouble, or even bloody conflict.

Not long after, a lot of movement came from within the castle. Alayen, in casual clothes, looked at the somewhat disheveled Allen with surprise.

"Your Majesty, I remember you were in Gerburg? Why did you suddenly come here? Are you alone? Where is Holimion? This is too dangerous!!"

Although the world was still relatively peaceful, Dol Guldur, not far from the Old Forest Road, had been occupied by darkness again, and Alayen had also led troops to have several small-scale conflicts with those Orcs. It was simply too dangerous for his King to travel alone.

"It's okay, they have other tasks. It's more convenient for me to travel alone."

Alayen was stunned. He didn't quite understand what the lord meant. How was it more convenient to be alone? Would it not work with a dozen more guards?

However, Alayen did not intend to get to the bottom of it. The boss acting this way must have his own reasons, and it was not his turn to ask questions.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I've already asked Caroline to arrange it. Follow me."

As he spoke, Alayen pointed the way in front, leading Allen to a slightly shabby living room.

Even as the lord of this place, Alayen's life was not very luxurious. His castle had only been maintained and never renovated, let alone building a new one, as the cost was simply too high.

Most of his income was spent on the money-burning project of arming soldiers. The archers under his command were all equipped with well-made cedar longbows, and the infantry wore at least iron armor purchased from the Dwarves.

Even if they were all cheap goods, he couldn't afford to buy them by the hundreds; the army was always the most money-burning place.

Caroline, having received the news, was setting the dining table, placing exquisite red wine and high-quality pipe-weed in the center of the table. Seeing the King and her husband, she said with a smile on her face:

"Your Majesty, you and Alayen talk first, I'll go urge the kitchen." After saying this, she walked away quickly.

As the hostess here, Caroline naturally knew how to avoid suspicion. The King coming late at night was certainly not for a meal; there must be urgent matters to discuss, and it was inconvenient for her to stay.

"Hmm, sorry to trouble you."

As he spoke, Allen sat down without ceremony and took out his tobacco pouch from his pocket, while Alayen immediately took it over, filled it with a full bag, handed it back to Allen, and lit the tobacco.

"Phew."

After exhaling a puff of white smoke, Allen looked at Alayen, who was standing to the side, and laughed.

"Sit down, Alayen. The older you get, why are you becoming more and more cautious? I remember you're only in your thirties, right? Why are you acting like an old man?"

Hearing these words, a relaxed look appeared on Alayen's face, and he hurriedly sat down beside Allen, saying: "The older you get, the more you know, and the more you know, the more cautious you become. Boss, let's not talk about this. What instructions do you have for coming to see me this time? I will definitely go all out."

Allen raised his right hand and waved it, signaling Alayen not to be so nervous. After thinking for a little while, he said slowly:

"I need you to raise a team within a week. It doesn't need to be many, five hundred people is enough, but they must be elites. You can decide how to configure them yourself. Can you do it?"

"Boss, no problem." After thinking for only a few seconds, Alayen gave a clear answer immediately.

"Hmm."

Getting this answer, Allen nodded with satisfaction and took out the Ruby Rune Sword he was carrying.

"Good, take this sword of mine. This time, you will be the commander. Take a ship and go to the Grey Mountains with Beorn, Grim, and Wulf to help Thorin win the battle of Mount Gundabad. You will also command the army I left there.

However, there are two points you must remember. First, Thorin and the others will be responsible for the assault in this battle. You need to guard against the Orcs from the direction of the Misty Mountains. If conditions permit, you can take the initiative to attack; sooner or later, we will have to clear them out.

Second, if Gandalf brings news of the dragon, and the weapons Thorin prepared are of no great use, retreat with the soldiers immediately. Gandalf will be responsible for Thorin's side. Do you remember?"

"Remembered. Guard against the Orcs of the Misty Mountains, take the initiative to attack them if possible, and retreat as soon as possible if the dragon cannot be resisted." Alayen summarized Allen's requirements concisely.

"Good that you remember. Let's not talk about this. Where is your boss? Why didn't I see him?"

After finishing the serious business, the atmosphere didn't need to be so serious; they could talk about family matters.

Moreover, Alayen's eldest son was now at the age where he could run around the streets, especially naughty, just like his father when he was young, liking to dance with guns and sticks, looking like a seedling of a military general.

"He went to play with Balin's son. You came too suddenly. I just sent someone out to find him, he should be back in a while."

"No need, no need." Allen's face was full of smiles. "Children, they always have to play."