Chapter 28: Time Flies Like a White Colt Passing a Crevice (A long chapter to wish everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance)

Summer departed and winter arrived, spring passed and autumn came; in the blink of an eye, several years had gone by.

Over these few years, Wilderness Village had finally developed into a small town.

By the fourth year, the city walls had been entirely replaced with brick, and the scope of the defenses was much larger than originally designed.

This was because the population had grown once more, though the rate of growth was far less rapid than in the first year, with the total population stagnating at over five thousand people.

Subsequent growth consisted basically entirely of newborns, and up to now, it had not broken through the six-thousand-person mark.

At the time, Allen had analyzed it and concluded that this should be the limit of the range within which the reputation of Wilderness Town could radiate.

The population had already gathered here; those who hadn't come would not be coming in the future.

To break this deadlock, one could only wait until after the Battle of the Five Armies.

By then, once the dark forces in Mirkwood were cleared, Allen would arrange for personnel to open up the Old Forest Road and connect the trade between the east and west of the Wilderland.

As information spread, a portion of the population would naturally flow toward Allen.

At that time, it would be necessary to compete for a wave of population with the King of Dale, Bard the Dragonslayer.

The benefits of opening up the Old Forest Road were not just a matter of population, but also the taxes from the checkpoints.

After managing things for several years, Allen knew that the taxes he had initially set were too low, but Allen still did not make any changes.

Because the majority of the townspeople still could not be considered wealthy; they were merely scraping by to keep warm and fed.

Their surplus harvest was partly exchanged for daily necessities and simple weapons or equipment, while a portion had to be kept as food rations.

Those townspeople who were very hardworking or had some family savings began to tear down their crude wooden huts and move into houses made of brick and wood.

These grains and wealth eventually flowed into Allen's hands through other channels.

Coupled with the trade support from the Woodland Realm, Allen's financial situation had always been relatively good.

Especially after the construction of the city walls was completed, Allen shifted his focus to the aspects of road construction and expansion.

This brought more convenience to his own caravans and the daily lives of the villagers.

It was just that the small treasury of Allen's Simulator had shrunk quite severely, and Allen's simulations over these past few years had not gone smoothly at all.

He finally realized just how lucky he had been during that first period when he arrived; otherwise, it meant the Simulator had been desperately going easy on him.

Over these few years, Allen had maintained a rhythm of several simulations per month, and most of the time the simulations were very painful; death was simply like a shadow that followed him.

Even in the Calradia continent, he could be called invincible under the heavens.

But once entering a battlefield where two armies were arrayed against each other, individual strength was hard to exert much effect; no matter how strong you were, you could not block attacks coming from all directions.

Especially when he was unlucky; one time, he had just entered Pendor and was captured by a Jatu raiding party.

Then these fellows, in order to avenge their own, used ropes to tie Allen behind a horse and dragged him to death on the grasslands.

Having finished the simulation, Allen looked at the cruel description and simply did not want to recall what had happened at that time.

Even worse luck followed; recently, Allen had finally managed to save up 5 points of Honor and spent 200 Renown to exchange for the status of a Baron.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was actually standing on a gallows, with hundreds of nobles and several hundred soldiers surrounding him, and in a state of confusion, he was hanged to death.

Allen finished reading the Simulator's description and felt depressed for a full half-year; how difficult it had been for him to save up that bit of Renown.

This unlucky fortune forced Allen not to dare choose the identity of the Prophecy Child to conduct a simulation.

If he were to die in the simulation, that would truly be a case of having no tears left to cry.

Allen also did not dare to increase the frequency of his simulations, because after the trade route between Wilderness Town and the Woodland Realm was opened.

There had always been blind Wolf Riders or Orcish coming to carry out small-scale harassment and looting.

Because of this matter, the number of Orcish who died at Allen's hands reached over a thousand.

It was only recently that they had become slightly more behaved, and Allen no longer needed to expend effort worrying about it.

Of course, there were still some gains in the Simulator; in these few years, Allen had harvested tens of thousands of Dinar, several hundred points of Renown, and 2 points of Honor.

At this moment, it was autumn once again, the season of harvest, the season when the villagers were busy every day until they were drenched in sweat, yet still wore smiles on their faces.

Allen thought that if one followed the Gondorian calendar, this month should be the Month of Abundance.

If one spoke according to the Elven calendar, it should be April now, because most trees and flowers began to wither at this time, so April was also called the Wither Month.

But it could also be May at this time, which was the Winter Month, because Allen did not know if the first day of each year for the Elves.

Was the same day as the first day of each year for the Gondorians.

However, it did not matter; all things would naturally tell you what season it was.

For example, today, the golden wheat waves were surging under the blowing of the breeze; did this need someone else to say what season it was?

On this day, Allen came to Beorn's place; he prepared to use Beorn to get to know Radagast.

In these four or five years, Beorn's life had become more and more comfortable; the manor was built quite nicely, and he kept many animals.

Moreover, Allen recently looked at Marian's belly, and it seemed there were signs of her being pregnant; Beorn was truly a winner in life.

Now Allen looked at the ponies and dogs domesticated in Beorn's manor, and thinking of Beorn's life, he was truly envious to the extreme.

Standing beside Allen, Beorn smiled and said, "Allen, if you like them, let the best one among them follow you, how about that? They say they like you very much."

Allen looked at the high-spirited Beorn, helplessly waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it, I would like to, but I am too busy and really have no time to take care of them."

Beorn laughed heartily after hearing this, "Then wait until you are not busy; I heard from Cress that your mood has not been very good lately?"

Allen was stunned after hearing this, "Cress? Does she often come over to play?"

Speaking of Cress, Beorn appeared very happy,

"Yes, a quite interesting little girl; she hasn't complained to me about you any less, saying that you often go out to play and then don't take her along."

Allen touched his chin, which had just been trimmed of its beard, and sighed,

Saying, "It's not that I'm unwilling to take her, but with her temperament, who knows what kind of trouble she might cause me when we go out."

Beorn said with some surprise, "I don't think so; I feel that little girl is quite good, and recently she often plays together with my son Grim."

However, Beorn did not dwell on this, but instead invited Allen,

"Enough, let's not chat here, let's go inside and have something to drink. I've recently brewed a new batch of Honey Mead, it's just right, you can have a taste."

As he spoke, he brought Allen to the wooden table in the courtyard. Marian had long since prepared drinks and food to entertain Allen, smiled and greeted Allen, then went off to get busy.

The two sat by the table, chatting while drinking.

Allen would occasionally recount his experiences from his several trips to the King of the Woodland Realm and the Iron Hills, while Beorn listened carefully from the side, constantly providing commentary.

Beorn said he did not like Dwarves; he felt that Dwarves were overly greedy, endlessly mining for mineral deposits, and would sooner or later cause a catastrophe.

But sometimes, Ailong could sense that Beorn had a certain fondness for the Silvan Elf; he felt that the Elves there were closer to nature, more genuine and direct.

After saying this, Allen pretended to ask casually: "Beorn, a few years ago, my subordinates told me that there used to live a neighbor here; have you ever seen him?"

Beorn nodded and said: "Yes, there is one, living in a forest not far away. He calls himself the Brown Wizard Radagast, a very good person, only he is a bit peculiar, sitting on a wooden sled pulled by rabbits. Have you never seen him?"

"Yes, I've always been busy and haven't been prepared, but now I want to get to know him. Do you know where he lives?"

Allen continued: "I have heard his name, and I am looking forward to meeting him."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set off; his home is not far from here."

The straightforward Beorn took a bottle of Honey Mead and left his estate together with Allen.

Radagast is a Maia, and he is subordinate to the Queen of the Earth, the Giver of Fruits, Yavanna.

Therefore, he is very fond of the creatures of Middle-earth, such as flowers, birds, fish, and insects, and is also proficient in herbalism and the techniques of driving birds and beasts.

Many small animals are his friends and often bring him the help he needs.

Because when the Maia left Aman, they abandoned most of their abilities and original wisdom, as if being reborn, and came to Middle-earth using the appearance of mortals.

So Radagast sometimes appears a bit unintelligent; his ability to perceive things is somewhat lacking, and he does not have much quick wit.

But his abilities are not weak, and his sense of responsibility is very strong; he never slacks in his duties.

This Brown Wizard is not often at home; he frequently drives his rabbit sled to patrol the surroundings, observing the evil forces in Mirkwood.

This is one of his duties. Today he happened to be at home, and he was not alone; he had one of his colleagues with him.

That colleague wore a tall, pointed blue Wizard hat and was draped in a dusty Cloak.

His hair and eyebrows were poorly groomed, his grey-white beard hung over his chest, and he had a pair of wise eyes on his kind face.

This is another Maia, the bearer of Narya, the Grey Wizard Gandalf.

At this moment, Gandalf's eyes were looking at the Brown Wizard Radagast, asking some questions and communicating recent findings.

They bear the same responsibilities and often gather together to exchange information they have obtained.

When Allen and Beorn arrived near the cottage, they happened to be talking about Wilderness Town.

Gandalf, who travels all over Middle-earth, was very curious about this human town that appeared in the Wilderland.

In fact, Gandalf had come here a few years ago and had seen Beorn roaming near the Old Ferry.

At that time, he had other more important matters and did not stay here for long.

Unexpectedly, a few years later, a small town inhabited by Humans had actually appeared here.

This surprised Gandalf greatly, so today he came to Rhosgobel to find the nearby Radagast to understand the situation.

However, Radagast's answer could not satisfy Gandalf.

Because when Allen was building the village, Radagast was at the southern end of Mirkwood observing the situation in Dol Guldur.

By the time he returned, a village with quite a few people had already appeared out of thin air.

The answers given by the small animals were also vague, only saying that there were signs of human activity there when all things were reviving.

And he also learned that Allen had fought a few battles with the Orcish of the Misty Mountains.

Subsequently, Radagast told Gandalf about his newly acquainted neighbors, Beorn and his people.

Just as the two were talking, a little bird flew in and informed Radagast of the news of Allen and Beorn's arrival.

Allen came alone with Beorn, without bringing any personal guards; he did not want too many people to disturb this Maia.

This young man from another world was a bit worried; this was his first time facing a god of this world.

Although Radagast looked not very intelligent, this could not cover up his status as a lesser god.

Most of the living beings in Arda are the creations of the Father of All, Eru Iluvatar, and the Valar; the Valar were transformed from the thoughts of Eru Iluvatar.

In a word, everything in Middle-earth has an inextricable connection with Eru Iluvatar.

But Allen did not; Allen and the villagers he summoned were not the children of Eru Iluvatar.

He did not know what consequences would arise when this information was learned by others.

So Allen had always resisted contact with the high-end natives of this world, but avoiding them was not a solution.

Allen decided that he still had to come and see Radagast, to muddle through from a low difficulty.

As a result, fate still played a huge joke on him; appearing before him were two Wizards.

The Brown Wizard Radagast and his colleague, the Grey Wizard Gandalf.

Gandalf looked at the two uninvited strangers, his mind thinking about many things in an instant.

Gandalf had some understanding of the Skin-changer; he had learned a lot of knowledge during his long time in Middle-earth.

But he did not know Allen; he was very interested in this young man who dared to lead his people to settle in the Wilderland.

So he took the initiative to introduce himself before Radagast.

Gandalf took off his hat, held it in his hand, and nodded slightly to greet Allen and Beorn.

A kind smile appeared on his aged face, which was very approachable.

He opened his mouth and said: "Good afternoon, two guests, welcome to Radagast's cottage. I am a Wizard, called Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."

Allen looked at the two-meter-tall Gandalf, his heart already numb, and the expression on his face was very stiff.

He spoke cautiously: "Good afternoon, Gandalf, my name is Allen, the leader of Wilderness Town."

Beorn looked at this person he did not know and said dryly from the side,

"I am Beorn, who lives nearby."

Only then did Radagast have the chance to speak: "Oh, let me make some introductions. This is my colleague—he seems to have already introduced himself, so I won't say more. These two are my new neighbors; ah, they should have introduced themselves as well."

Radagast scratched his head, "Alright, everyone, let's not stand here. Let's go inside to talk."

The group followed Radagast's invitation into the small house and sat down.

At this moment, Allen's brain was spinning wildly, thinking about how he should deal with Gandalf.

And Gandalf had already voiced his own doubts,

"Young leader, please forgive my presumption. When I traveled through this area a few years ago, I don't recall seeing this prosperous town."

Gandalf paused, looked into Allen's eyes, and continued to ask,

"I am very curious, why would you establish a town in such a dangerous place? Can you satisfy an old man's curiosity?"

The voice was mellow, as if it had the effect of calming people's hearts; Allen suddenly stopped feeling nervous after hearing it.

Allen understood in his heart that Gandalf had not detected anything unusual about him.

If he had, this so-called old man would surely shout "Monster!", swing the wooden staff in his hand, transform into a berserker, and teach Allen why flowers are so red.

Since Gandalf had not recognized his identity, Allen's heart immediately settled, and his thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere.

Facing this wise man who held many titles such as "Berserker Wizard," "Middle-earth Human Trafficker," and "Central Plains Socialite," Allen really wanted to crack a joke with him.

"Of course, of course. The sages of our clan often teach us that respecting the old and cherishing the young is the way to social stability. Satisfying an old man's curiosity is certainly something I should do, but I also have a doubt I would like to ask the famous Grey Wizard Gandalf to resolve."

Allen smiled as he said this,

"In our clan's records, a very, very long time ago—perhaps a thousand years—a wise man calling himself the Grey Wizard Gandalf visited my ancestors. May I ask if that Gandalf was also you? If it was you, then you must be an Elf or a Half-elf, right? If not, then I am very curious about your identity, as Humans do not have such long lives."

Gandalf was taken aback upon hearing this, then he quickly reacted and answered Allen's question with a smile: "I didn't expect to meet the descendant of an old friend. Yes, that was me. I am neither an Elf nor a Half-elf; I am a Wizard. You know, Wizards always have mysterious abilities and know many strange things; this is just one of my insignificant abilities."

Gandalf continued: "Alright, it is time for you, young man, to answer this old man's doubts."

Allen raised an eyebrow, knowing that what Gandalf said was no different from saying nothing, but Allen didn't mind; he was just making a joke.

"I come from the East."

As soon as these words were spoken, Allen saw Gandalf's kindly expression turn serious in an instant, and his right hand suddenly gripped the wooden staff in his hand tightly.

"Now that place is full of followers of the Dark Lord Sauron, and civil wars among Humans have broken out with unusual frequency; it is no longer suitable for us to survive there, so I brought my people back here, and more of my people will likely come in the future."

Allen's subsequent words made Gandalf's serious face relax.

In fact, he had become nervous the moment he heard Allen say he came from the East. After all, that was Sauron's base, where countless followers of dark power resided; he himself never traveled to the East.

But he quickly remembered Allen's conflict with the Orcish, and Radagast had also told him that Allen had once disregarded danger to run into the Misty Mountains to rescue the kin of the Skin-changer Beorn, as well as Dwarf and Elf captives.

In Radagast's words, Allen could absolutely not be a minion of dark power.

Gandalf was also very willing to believe that Allen was a good person.

If Sauron's subordinates were already so shrewd and cunning that they could casually sacrifice the lives of their own kin to gain the trust of good people,

that would be too terrifying. Gandalf believed that Sauron might have such intentions, but he did not have such power; anyone influenced by dark power would not make such a move.

In this short time, Gandalf thought a lot, and suddenly, he thought of a method.

He spoke: "So that is how it is. It was my overthinking. Lord Allen, I wonder if you are still interested in continuing the friendship between this old man and your clan from a thousand years ago?"

Allen thought to himself, of course I have to continue it.

If I don't continue it, and you bring the Rangers of the North, the Elves of Lothlorien, and the big shots of your White Council to flatten me, what am I supposed to do? Do I dare not continue it?

"Of course. To have such a wise Wizard as a friend would certainly be very beneficial for the future development of Wilderness Town. I am very happy to be able to gain the friendship of one..."

Allen said, thinking of Radagast beside him, "No, the friendship of two Wizards. I also very much hope to gain the friendship of the Brown Wizard as well."

In fact, Gandalf had no idea who Allen was the descendant of.

For over a thousand years, he had visited too many Human settlements, and there were countless people who looked like Allen, but this did not prevent him from using Allen's words to build a connection with the young man in front of him.

Gandalf kicked his colleague Radagast, who was already lost in thought, and then both expressed their willingness to be friends with Allen.

Since everyone in the room was now friends, the atmosphere of the following conversation became much more relaxed.

Gandalf tentatively asked: "Lord Allen, do you feel bored managing the affairs of the town? Are you interested in going out for a journey with an experienced old man?"

The method Gandalf thought of was very simple: take Allen out for a trip and observe him by his side.

When the time came, whether Allen was black or white would naturally be revealed, and there would be no need for him to speculate too much.

It just so happened that Gandalf had a plan recently that he could take Allen along for.

Hearing the invitation, Allen was suddenly stunned, because Allen was thinking about many things at this moment.

As a well-known Middle-earth human trafficker, Gandalf asking you to go on a trip with him might not necessarily be a bad thing, but it definitely couldn't be considered a good thing.

Because the journey could be very dangerous; just look at the experiences of the Baggins family living in the Shire, the uncle and nephew Bilbo and Frodo.

At this point in time, there was only one thing Allen could think of.

That was that the event of Thorin's Company might be about to trigger. Allen felt a bit excited that he was finally going to join the main plot of the world.

In fact, Allen was overthinking; the event of Thorin's Company was indeed already in Gandalf's consideration.

But that was not what this Grey Wizard was talking about today.

Recently, there were rumors everywhere that Thrain II had been spotted in Dunland, and Gandalf wanted to go there.

Although such news was often just rumors, Gandalf had to go and see; Thrain still had something extremely important in his hands, and he was unwilling to give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope.

Gandalf's idea was that from this location to Dunland, one could pass through Dimrill Dale, go up to Cloudy Peak, and cross the Misty Mountains.

As long as one was careful and lucky in that place, it was considered safe, provided there weren't too many people.

Along the way, he would also pass through Lothlorien; Gandalf felt that he should let Lady Galadriel also see this young man who claimed to be from the East.

Looking at the stunned Allen, Gandalf thought Allen did not want to go.

He continued to say: "Lord Allen, I wonder if you have heard of Lothlorien? It is a very, very beautiful place where hospitable Elves live. You will surely linger there after you go, and even forget the passage of time. Are you really not considering it?"

Allen raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this was the first time he had heard that the Elves of Lothlorien were hospitable.

Isn't it true that you go missing once you enter their forest?

However, it was indeed recorded as being very beautiful, and he should go and see it for himself.

"Respected Gandalf, I have heard of that place; is it truly as beautiful as you say? I am very interested. When shall we depart? To be honest, dealing with these tedious administrative affairs every day has made me overly exhausted. I think a journey taken on a whim would surely dispel my fatigue."

Allen knew that if he did not go along on this trip, Gandalf would not give up.

There had never been anyone in Middle-earth whom Gandalf could not coax away; furthermore, Allen also very much wanted to go to the Shire to take a look, meet the great Burglar Bilbo Baggins, and taste whether the Hobbit's culinary skills were as good as recorded.

Besides, if one does not participate in the main plot of this world, how is that any different from a salted fish?

Thinking of this, Allen wanted to inquire about the destination of this trip.

"Then Gandalf, where is the place we are traveling to? Is it Lothlorien? I am already somewhat impatient to see the scenery you described."

"No, no, no, Lord Allen, it is not just Lothlorien, there are other places as well. Please leave a little room for imagination regarding this adventure. I will be ready very soon, and at that time I will come to find you; it will likely take about a month."

Seeing that Allen had agreed to his suggestion, Gandalf was very happy.

He began to talk incessantly about his experiences, chatting with Beorn and Allen, who would interject from time to time.

It had to be said that Gandalf was indeed a very charismatic old man.

His words were witty and humorous, full of wisdom, and coupled with his rich experience, he was extremely knowledgeable.

It was very easy for people to develop a good impression of him; in this atmosphere, Allen felt that his first meeting with Gandalf had left a good impression on both sides.

When parting, Gandalf once again confirmed the details of the adventure with Allen.

After receiving a definite answer, he happily left Radagast's cottage.

From beginning to end, Gandalf had never considered the danger of this matter; after all, in this era, there were truly very few people in Middle-earth who could defeat him.

Allen had also not considered the issue of safety, but on the way back, Allen suddenly remembered.

Why did he agree to Gandalf's invitation so easily?

As soon as he mentioned Lothlorien, he thought of its beauty, and in the end, he even persuaded himself that he must go along.

Thinking of this, Allen broke out in a cold sweat.

Allen could only analyze that this matter might be because he held a good impression of Gandalf, which was why he acted this way.

There was another possibility, which was that Gandalf had used some kind of Magic he was unaware of to influence his judgment.

Allen could not fathom the thoughts of this Maia, but this kind of thing could not help but make his heart feel a trace of vigilance.

Beorn noticed Allen's abnormality from the side and asked if something was wrong; Allen shook his head.