Chapter 301

【Congratulations, player, you have obtained the highest status in this world: King.】

【The following permissions are now open to you.】

【Reputation Rising: Omitted】

【Knight Order at Your Service: Omitted.】

【Currently qualified Knight Orders: None.】

【Light Reborn: Since you have become King and stand in opposition to the Dark Cult, the forces left behind by the Holy Kingdom among the common folk will continuously gather toward you. They will be of great help to you. Correspondingly, you will also enter the sight of the Dark God. As your influence grows, you will inevitably become a thorn in their side. Work hard, new King.】

【Restriction: You cannot appear in the Magic Continent under a new identity until you lose your status as King.】

At present, the strength of the Radiant Empire was still too weak. Even though Allen had quickly captured Yelbegi Castle with his soldiers, the territory occupied was only one-fourth the size of the original Nord Kingdom.

To establish a complete Knight Order, there was still a lack of power.

However, Allen still made changes to his existing forces.

The mercenaries who had followed him into battle everywhere were settled one by one.

A very small number who did not wish to become regular soldiers remained in service. For those unwilling to stay in Wercheg, Allen provided severance pay and allowed them to return to Zendar to continue waiting for a suitable employer.

For those willing to continue following him, Allen renegotiated their wages and was responsible for finding housing for everyone in Wercheg. Soldiers who performed excellently in battle were also allocated some ownerless land.

This was perfect, as it could be rented out to the farmers who had just arrived in Wercheg for cultivation.

At first, the original residents of Wercheg were somewhat resistant to a lord who was not a Nord. However, Allen's army maintained excellent discipline after entering the city, and he himself had no intention of changing the local residents' living habits.

Moreover, Allen was quite generous; the wages issued to the soldiers greatly boosted local prosperity. Added to this, a small portion of the mercenaries were Nords themselves, and they vigorously promoted their commander in the taverns.

Gradually, Allen's name was accepted by the populace. After all, compared to the Dark Cult, this ruler before them was much better.

Besides this, after an initial screening, Allen immediately released most of the prisoners held in the castle. These were low-level nobles dissatisfied with the Dark Cult's rule, who possessed considerable prestige and wealth in Wercheg.

These people were naturally grateful to Allen.

Soon, life in Wercheg returned to its previous state, and Allen's rule finally had a foundation in terms of military, livelihood, and town management.

Once the rule of Wercheg stabilized, the rest had to be left to time. After all, Allen's strength was currently not very strong and he could not single-handedly resist the aggression of the Dark Cult; he could only rely on his own powerful strength for self-preservation.

The great army from Swadia had reached the vicinity of Tihelog Castle by early summer, while Yaroglek stationed his troops at Tirburg near Zendar, forming a pincer attack on the land already occupied by the Dark Cult.

It was just that these two kings were extremely cunning existences, not willing to let their own troops fight to the death for Ragnar.

Therefore, after putting on a show of being ready to attack at any time, both sent messengers demanding that the Dark Cult stop the siege of Sargoth, withdraw their troops back to Tihr for negotiations, and divide the existing territory of the Nord Kingdom.

In Allen's view, this was a probe. Harlaus and Yaroglek did not fully accept the claims in Ragnar's plea for help. What if the Dark Cult was satisfied after taking the Nord land?

Even if this evil cult was insatiable, as long as they could drag it out for some time, perhaps they could carve a few pieces of meat off Ragnar. In short, they had to see benefits first; then the war wouldn't be fought in vain.

Allen scoffed at the ideas of these two kings. Unless they had the ability to hurt the Dark Cult on the battlefield, negotiations were impossible.

Allen dispatched Scout Cavalry all the way to the vicinity of Kulum to keep a constant watch on the negotiations between the two sides, while he himself seized the time to transport the wealth he had previously hidden to Wercheg, purchasing equipment and supplies with great fanfare.

He also dispatched Dantis back to Zendar to recruit soldiers for him and reorganize a new mercenary group to cope with the upcoming changes.

Ultimately, having one's own strength was more reassuring.

Thus, the simulation in the Magic Continent came to an end. Even if Allen did not simulate, time would flow on its own; he only needed to observe periodically.

On this day, Rhovanion, having survived another harsh winter, ushered in the year 2963 of the Third Age. Spring flowers bloomed and all things revived. Allen and Yamila finally found a moment of leisure to go on a spring outing near Fislate.

"Allen, will there be any problems with Andrea and Cress heading to Rohan together this time?"

Yamila leaned into Allen's arms, her mouth full of smiles. Such a life was rare indeed for the two of them.

Since coming to Middle-earth, there had been few peaceful days. Either the Orcs were invading, or the Easterlings were encroaching, or they were helping this one or that one, traveling thousands of miles to maintain relationships with allies.

To be able to set aside a period of time specifically for an outing like this was truly not easy.

"Nothing will happen. Grim went with them, and you arranged for a squad of Girl Rangers to follow. Such strength can already solve most problems in Middle-earth."

Sitting on the grass, Allen's face was full of relaxed smiles. At present, Rhovanion's development was extremely fast; not only was the population increasing significantly every year, but the fields and orchards opened up in the countryside were also becoming more numerous. Everywhere was a scene of prosperity.

The army had also expanded with the increase in productivity, with the standing force increasing from over a thousand to three thousand.

In addition to fifteen hundred Heavy Infantry and one thousand Archers, Allen had reorganized a Light Cavalry unit of five hundred. When Fatis led the team to open up land, he had taken almost all the cavalry units of Fislate.

Re-establishing a well-organized rapid-response force was very necessary.

Besides standing soldiers, with the increase in population, the number of young adults was also growing. Once a war occurred, the number of Conscripts would also be much higher than before.

After all, Allen had been in Rhovanion for over twenty years, and nearly two generations had grown up.

If he gave up production and gritted his teeth to empty the reserves, he could still pull out a force of ten thousand. But in that case, the country would likely be left with only the old, weak, women, and children. If the war failed, the kingdom Allen had worked so hard to build might fall apart.

Unless it was a last resort, he would not do this.

A volunteer system combined with Conscripts was the military service system Allen currently used. He maintained small-scale wars with standing recruited soldiers, and when encountering large-scale crises, he would issue orders to summon Conscripts.

This was more suitable for Rhovanion's current situation; other military service systems were not very compatible with the current social conditions.

"I'm not worried about their safety. I'm saying, with your daughter who is already 25 and won't get married, plus the playful Cress, will they cause any trouble in Rohan? It would then become an annoying diplomatic incident."

Yamila squinted, enjoying this moment of tranquility. She still had some opinions about Allen allowing their daughter to go to Rohan for fun, but since Allen had already promised, she found it hard to say anything more.

"It doesn't matter. What trouble can her father not handle? Besides, Theoden's youngest daughter has been born, and he specifically sent a letter to show off to me. So, shouldn't I let my daughter send a gift to congratulate them? Furthermore, I had Cress bring a letter; they will help us look after our daughter well. Rest assured."

Gently stroking Yamila's golden hair, Allen looked completely unconcerned. What trouble could be caused in Rohan? As long as they didn't abuse horses in front of the Rohirrim, he could handle anything based on his reputation.

Besides, he used the "Eye of the Sky" to check on his daughter every day; she was having a thief's fun on the grasslands.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Calls came from afar, breaking the rare peace between the two. It was Allen's attendant, Baron, riding a horse and running over from the direction of Fislate.

The two looked at each other, both seeing the same meaning: well, something must have happened.

Allen took Yamila's hand and stood up, simply brushing the dust off their bodies, and asked Baron, who had already dismounted and walked over:

"What is it, in such a hurry?"

Looking at the sweating Baron, Allen was somewhat puzzled. Everything had been arranged before they left, and he had even left his son to those officials in the Cabinet. There shouldn't be any urgent matters.

"Your Majesty, Your Queen, Mr. Baggins from Hobbiton has arrived and is resting in the banquet hall."

Bilbo? Allen was a bit puzzled. Why did he come suddenly?

Here for tourism?

Perhaps seeing the doubt in Allen's heart, Yamila said gently: "Go back. Don't you often say, 'Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar'?"

"That's true. Whatever the matter is, I'll naturally know when we meet."

Allen nodded, and after helping Yamila onto her horse, he said apologetically: "Then I'll go first."

Immediately, a gust of wind blew up, and Allen's figure became smaller and smaller under Yamila's gaze.

"Let's go, we should head back too."

Yamila ordered the personal guards beside her in a calm tone.

Life is always so busy. When will it ever truly be quiet?

When Allen saw Bilbo Baggins in the banquet hall, he couldn't help but doubt his eyes. His old friend, who was smoking a pipe, did not have much joy on his face; instead, there was a faint sadness and confusion.

Suddenly, a sense of unease climbed into his heart.

"A rare guest, Bilbo. Why have you come? You should have let the caravan send a letter in advance so I could have gone to pick you up."

Regardless, Allen was very happy to see Bilbo. This was one of the few good friends he had in Middle-earth, one with whom he had a life-and-death friendship.

"Ha, Allen, no matter when we meet, you are always so young. Is your true identity an Elf?"

Bilbo, forcing a smile, joked with Allen. Indeed, they had known each other for over a dozen years, and Allen's appearance had hardly changed at all.

Looking at Bilbo, who clearly had something on his mind, Allen's unease grew even more severe. He probed: "You seem to have something on your mind? Did you encounter any problems? Do you mind chatting with me? Perhaps I can help you."

Hearing Allen's inquiry, Bilbo subconsciously looked left and right. After discovering there were no outsiders around, he said embarrassedly: "I lost something. Although it is very valuable, you know, I am not that kind of stingy person. But I don't know why, I just can't let it go. By the way, do you remember the ring I showed you before?"

!!!!

Allen's expression suddenly became grave. Thousands of thoughts exploded in his heart, like a ball of yarn that had been played with by a cat for half a day; he couldn't find the beginning at all.

At this moment, he could only nod expressionlessly, take a deep puff of the Old Toby he had just lit, and after exhaling a cloud of smoke, ask as calmly as possible: "When did you lose it?"

Lost? Such a shiny, bright One Ring, lost just like that?

"It was last year, on my birthday. You know, last year's weather was particularly warm, and the harvest in Hobbiton was excellent. The warehouses were full of grain, so the banquet that day was a bit grander. You know I have many relatives.

Then, then, I got drunk and fell asleep in a daze. When I woke up the next morning, it was gone, vanished like a bubble."

That meant it was targeted specifically at the ring. It should have been observed for a long time. To complete the goal quickly, accurately, and ruthlessly when there was an opportunity—this was not something the Nazgul could do. Those people had long since had their brains frozen by the power of the Unseen World and couldn't pull off such delicate operations.

"Was there anything unusual? For example, strangers, or phenomena not seen on ordinary days?"

Allen tapped the table lightly with his index finger while smoking.

There was a 70% chance that Sauron did this, but Allen couldn't understand why he would know the whereabouts of the ring.

In Middle-earth at this time, only he should know this news.

Therefore, Allen still wanted to confirm the specific information. If it was some evil person who knew a little magic and accidentally discovered that Bilbo's ring possessed extraordinary power and stole it quietly, that was also a possibility.

"Ah, yes. The night watchman Hals said the moonlight was very bright that night, so he saw three guys wearing black robes but with particularly pale faces wandering near my house. He said he had never seen such melancholic big people.

However, you know, there are more and more caravans now, and outsiders coming to the Shire are endless. I can't conclude that it was those three who stole my things based on this."

Pale faces? Wearing black robes? Black Numenoreans?

"I think I already know who did it. Bilbo, my old friend, I have arranged a banquet. Let's have a good drink later!"

It had been lost for half a year, so there was no rush. He would wait until the "Eye of the Sky" cooled down tomorrow to determine the location of the ring. **CHAPTER 302** **Meeting**