Chapter 32: Five Consecutive Draws

By the time Allen stepped onto the road to Wilderness Town again, it was already winter.

Wind and snow drifted over the upper reaches of the Misty Mountains; in this harsh and biting weather, even the Orcish were not very willing to leave the caves where they hid.

The climate in the Anduin Valley was still bearable; although crops no longer grew, the great river had not frozen over.

On his way back, Allen first scattered the gift from Lady Galadriel evenly across the farmland of Wilderness Town; the results would have to wait until next year to be seen.

Afterward, he held a small meeting in the conference room of the hall to understand the current situation in Wilderness Town.

The day after the meeting, he took Fatis along the Elf Path to visit Thranduil in the Woodland Realm.

The Elf Path had changed a lot by this time; most of the road had been repaired, and many trees on both sides had been felled, so it no longer appeared dark or stifling.

Such road conditions were maintained all the way to the junction of the Elf Path and the Magic River; it was clear that Thranduil had paid a great price for his trade with Allen.

Allen arrived at Thranduil's hall once again and presented his gift to the King.

It was a silver necklace inlaid with a great many diamonds; Thranduil had been very welcoming of Allen's arrival to begin with.

Upon seeing the gift, he became even more pleased, and a happy smile even appeared on his bright face.

This was extremely rare for other Elf, and the King subsequently held a grand banquet to entertain this human friend of his.

During the casual conversation after the banquet, Allen proposed a request for military passage.

Thranduil was surprised by this, as he did not know of any power in the nearby territory worth Allen attacking.

Surely he wouldn't go to attack Long Lake Town? That was simply not worth it.

Facing Thranduil's question, Allen frankly stated his purpose: the direction he was heading was the Lonely Mountain.

Thranduil believed Allen's goal was the treasure the other party had at the Lonely Mountain; he did not think this was a wise course of action, and as a friend, he felt it necessary to dissuade Allen.

"Allen, I know there are countless treasures stored in the Lonely Mountain. I won't hide from you that there are gems there I also crave, but I want to advise you against it, because a dragon is entrenched there. Its flames can destroy countless armies; even if you could kill it, the losses would be more than you could accept. It is just some wealth, Allen, it is not worth it."

Hearing these words, Allen knew that the King before him had misunderstood him.

Moreover, Thranduil did not care about Allen's greed for treasure, but was only persuading him not to sacrifice his own people for that wealth.

Allen perceived from this that his friendship with Thranduil already had a solid foundation.

"You have misunderstood. I do not have many thoughts on the treasure in the Lonely Mountain. It is just that a friend of mine, Gandalf—you should know him, right? —needs my help after some time, so I have come to request your permission to allow my army to pass through your territory and march toward the Lonely Mountain."

Upon hearing the name Gandalf, Thranduil felt some disdain.

With a mocking look in his eyes, he said: "Gandalf, Mithrandir? What is he preparing to do again? Wait, let me think."

He quickly fell into deep thought, and after a long while:

Thranduil stared into Allen's eyes and said seriously: "Allen, for the sake of our friendship, tell me, is he organizing the Dwarf to take back the Lonely Mountain?"

Allen did not think this matter could be hidden from Thranduil, so he admitted it quite frankly.

"Yes, but there is not much certainty, and this matter involves many things. I can only tell you that this is indeed what Gandalf intends, and I also hope you can set aside past grievances and help the Dwarf take back the Lonely Mountain."

After hearing this, Thranduil burst into laughter, but there was not a hint of mirth in that laughter, only coldness. Of course, this coldness was not directed at Allen, which Allen could understand.

"Help them? I can, as long as they return the Starlight Gem that is my family heirloom to me, I will help them."

"Your Majesty Thranduil, I will find a way regarding this. I believe your family gem will surely appear in your treasury once again."

Thranduil was somewhat surprised after hearing this and asked: "What way could you have?"

Allen told him his plan.

"I will also participate in this expedition, and it is very likely I will accompany Thorin Oakenshield to the end. As long as the Lonely Mountain can be retaken, there will surely be a share of the treasure in the mountain that belongs to me as a reward. When the time comes, I will demand that this reward includes your family's Starlight Gem, and once I obtain it, I will return the gem to you."

These words from Allen shocked Thranduil; he had never thought the young man before him would go to such lengths.

Thranduil had never considered that Allen would deceive him, because there was simply no need. Even without this promise from Allen, he would have agreed to the request for military passage.

"Then, Allen, my friend, how should I thank you for this friendship?"

Allen shook his head and said: "I cannot guarantee success, so let us save the words of thanks for later. For now, I only hope you can agree to my military passage and provide some help to Thorin Oakenshield and his party when the time comes."

Upon hearing Allen's words, Thranduil pondered for a long time.

He likewise shook his head and said: "I will not provide help to those stubborn Dwarf. If he comes to my territory, I will negotiate with him. If it truly requires using your reward to retrieve my heirloom gem, then this favor would be too heavy. My friend, please allow me to try to resolve this matter in my own way."

Hearing this, Allen felt a bit anxious and wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Thranduil; it was clear that this King also had his own persistence.

Having obtained military passage, Allen had other needs, as he also wanted to buy some Elf Bow and Elven Spear.

In fact, Allen had had this idea for a long time, but he had never been very wealthy and dared not buy them. The reason he dared to speak up now was because he was preparing to draw prizes again.

Thranduil agreed; with a wave of his hand, he sold Allen three hundred fine Elven Longbow and five hundred Elven Spear, and even included a large quantity of arrows.

These arrows were enough for Allen to use for a long time, and Thranduil thoughtfully indicated that he could just pay with the Wine from their trade; the price was three hundred barrels, which could be paid back slowly, there was no rush.

For Allen, this was already a price that was discounted beyond belief, and he had no reason to disagree.

Overjoyed, Allen expressed his thanks to Thranduil once more and left the Woodland Realm the next day.

It was already evening when Allen hurried back to Wilderness Village.

Sitting in his bedroom, he couldn't wait to take out the five points of honor he had accumulated, preparing to draw prizes.

Allen was already in a state of debt at this time; the Dinar he had on hand was not even enough to pay off his debt to Thranduil.

Not to mention that Allen still needed to purchase various supplies for the village, as well as reserves for wartime—all of this required money. Right now, Allen was particularly hoping to draw Dinar.

【Are you sure you want to use five points of honor to draw rewards in Pendor?】

【Confirm】

【You have obtained the following prizes; please choose five of them.】

【Dragon Tear Gem*3: As the name suggests, the predecessor of this gem was the tear of a creature from the ancient times of Pendor—a dragon. It seems to contain extraordinary power; of course, its brilliant radiance alone is worth everyone's pursuit.】

【Griffin Knight *10 (Prophecy Child identity restricted): These ten knights consist of 5 official Griffin Knight and their apprentices, the Griffin Apprentice Knight. As the guardian knights of the Pendor royal family, they learned of your identity through mysterious means and have arrived fully armed to pledge their loyalty to you. (Must pay wages and provide room and board)】

【Twilight Knight Holimion (Hero/Elf Friend identity restricted): The name Holimion comes from his parents; his parents hoped Holimion's life would shine like the morning dew, hence this name. This is a young but gifted Noldor Elf. He passed the combat power assessment very early on and became a powerful combat force among the Elf. Even within the ranks of the Twilight Knight, he is a top-tier existence. His equipment was prepared by his parents with all their might, especially his armor, which bears the mark of emerald. He learned of your reputation and hopes to follow you to see the world, of course. (Must pay wages and provide room and board)】

【Twilight Knight *6 *2 (Elf Friend restricted): There are always some Elf who wish to follow you, this Elf Friend, to venture into the world of Humans. (Must pay wages and provide room and board)】

【One hundred thousand Dinar*3: Don't speak, you will always need it.】

【Fifty thousand Dinar*2: Don't speak, you will always need it.】

【Sapphire Noldor Rune Bow *2: This bow is based on the Noldor Composite Bow, with more powerful magic energy added. It can imbue the fired Noldor Arrow with the power of frost. Please note, ordinary arrows simply cannot withstand its magic power.】

【Emerald Rune Armor: Based on the Noldor Rune Armor, more powerful magic energy has been added. It can accelerate your stamina recovery speed, but it will also make you hungrier more easily.】

Allen did not struggle too much this time; he chose the 200,000 Dinar without hesitation.

He needed a large amount of Dinar to purchase a batch of armor to arm his soldiers, even if it was only to arm a portion of them.

Then he came to his courtyard and chose the Twilight Knight Holimion and twelve Twilight Knights.

He likewise needed some powerful combat strength to cooperate with him in eliminating Smaug. As for the Dragon Tear and better equipment, those would have to wait until later.

Soon, the fully armed Holimion led an Elf Horse and walked out from a patch of white light, followed by the twelve Noldor Twilight Knights.

These Twilight Knights had extremely powerful combat strength and could be called the best among the Noldor Elves.

If one had to compare them to any plot character, they would only be slightly inferior to some members of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Having just arrived in a strange environment, Holimion scratched his head in confusion, looked left and right, and only stopped when he saw Allen.

He came to the side of this Human with an excited face and said: "My lord, thank you for your constant help to the Noldor Elves. Holimion is willing to serve you."

Allen looked at this Elf Knight who was better equipped than himself and said softly: "Thank you. There will definitely be a time when I need you in the future. It is getting late, so you and your kin should rest first. Tomorrow, let Alayen take you to get familiar with this place."

After speaking, Allen instructed Alayen, who was standing to the side, to take Holimion and the others away to rest.

After handling these matters, the sky had already darkened. Allen ate something casually and returned to his bedroom.

After such a long time, the Simulator had finished cooling down. Lying on the bed, Allen entered the simulation once again.

【Simulator starting】

【Please select the world you wish to go to】

【You have arrived at the Calradia continent】

【Because your honor exceeds 5 points and your current renown exceeds 100 points, you can redeem an identity related to the nobility.】

【Yes】

【Drawing an identity for you】

【Time: Unknown】

【Location: Khergit Kingdom, Zegasa near Rana.】

【You are the second son of the Zegasa lord, Nayans Boliye. Just a short while ago, your father passed away from illness. According to the traditions of the Khergit Kingdom, the father's property shall be divided equally among his sons.】

【But for some reason, your father left all the land and the title of Nayans to your older brother in his will, and divided the majority of the herdsmen to you. Yes, in Khergit, herdsmen are also a manifestation of a lord's property.】

【You did not know what kind of conspiracy was involved in this, until your older brother Nuamu approached you.】

【Nuamu stated that he could give you a large sum of money to purchase the over five hundred tents of herdsmen in your hands.】

【The Khergit Kingdom is a semi-settled, semi-nomadic kingdom. One tent is equivalent to one household of other peoples.】

【Due to the nomadic characteristic of fighting as soon as they mount their horses, each tent of herdsmen can provide one to two adult combatants and two to three Warhorses.】

【However, most of the property in the hands of the herdsmen also belongs to their lord; they only have the right to use the cattle, sheep, and horses in their hands, but not the right to dispose of them.】

【In other words, you have at least five hundred or more Light Cavalry and Cavalry in your hands, as well as nearly a thousand Warhorses and a number of cattle and sheep.】

【This is a powerful force, but the problem is that you have no pasture and no title. There are not many choices placed before you.】

【Either you obediently take the money your brother gives you and leave, or you must take your clansmen to open up a new pasture. This will inevitably be a difficult migration.】

【This is your brother's conspiracy. Theoretically, family property has never been divided like this, but it is also quite fair; the value of both sides is roughly the same.】

【The bigger gap is the money Nuamu brought out, which is not even enough to buy horses.】

【You looked at Nuamu's proposal with disdain. You searched the memories in your mind and set your target on the grasslands further to the east. The population there is far less dense than here, and the conditions might be even harsher.】

【But you will absolutely not accept Nuamu's extortion.】

【Seeing that you did not accept his proposal, Nuamu knew that his long-planned scheme had fallen through.】

【For a moment, he was ashamed and angry. He put on the airs of a lord, not only cursing you but even using a whip to lash you.】

【You endured the pain and took two lashes, then, in the incredulous gaze of Nuamu and everyone around, you knocked Nuamu down. Not only that, you even used the whip Nuamu had used to lash you to strangle his neck.】

【You told Nuamu that as compensation for his whipping you, that money also belonged to you.】

【Nuamu's subordinates, looking at their boss's flushed face and the herdsmen slowly gathering behind you, obediently put down the boxes in their hands and ran away with the fainted Nuamu in a sorry state.】

【This was just a domestic matter for your family. Even if you had strangled Nuamu to death on the spot, as long as you were willing to bribe, there would be no major consequences.】

【At this time, the Zegasa Village Chief, Tuoju, found you. He told you that no matter what, according to the simple laws of the Khergit, you and your herdsmen should leave the territory of Zegasa and seek your own pasture.】

【You ordered Tuoju to have all the herdsmen start packing their belongings and complete the preparations for migration before dark.】

【At the same time, you found Tuoju; you needed to understand the combat strength under your command.】

【After communicating with the Village Chief, you knew that you had over fifty Horse Archers, over fifty Lancers, and over two hundred Riders under your command. The rest were ordinary clansmen; if you could provide them with better equipment, they would also be able to possess decent combat strength immediately.】

【You ordered the Village Chief to summon the Horse Archers and Lancers and have them come to see you.】

【These people were originally your father's personal guards, which are actually a type of property. Each of them had been allocated some pastures, land, and even herdsmen, and they all lived good lives, possessing iron equipment and excellent Warhorses. Now they had been divided to you.】

【You looked at them and only saw despair and numbness in their eyes. Clearly, they did not believe you could lead them to find a new pasture, and they did not trust you. But they had no other choice. If they resisted, it would be equivalent to violating the interests of all Khergit nobles, and their end would not be any better.】

【Facing this situation, you did not say anything. No matter how much you said, it was far less effective than doing it.】

【You issued them the order to migrate eastward toward Tulga. This caused a glimmer of hope to appear in the eyes of these people; they thought you were going to defect to the lord who controlled Tulga, Azugang.】

【You did not explain too much, but before dark, you led them toward Dasbeifa.】

【On this migration, food was not a particularly big problem, whether for livestock or people. The biggest problem was actually water. All Khergit villages and towns were built near water. Without the owner's permission, drinking water from their rivers on a large scale was undoubtedly an infringement of their sacred rights, which would inevitably lead to a situation of fighting to the death.】

【You led the massive migration team and left the Zegasa village before dark, but you did not leave the territory of Zegasa. In the morning, after the people and livestock had drunk their fill in the Zegasa river, you started to march toward Dasbeifa.】

【Such a huge team entered Dasbeifa, and the local Nayans, Tuluge, led his personal guards to meet you. He set up his forces to ask you if you were going to start a grassland war with him.】

【You replied that you were just passing through. Tuluge stated that passing through was fine, but he would not provide grass and water, and he would watch all of you leave his territory.】

【But he gave you two other choices. One was to pay for it by the day; all your money was only enough to buy five days of survival time.】

【The other was to require you to participate in an unfair duel. You alone would have to duel ten Lancers, including Tuluge, under the condition that neither side was allowed to use bows and arrows.】

【If you win, you and your herdsmen can survive here for a month. If you lose, you need to give up half of your herdsmen and must leave his territory immediately.】

【You chose to gamble, and at the same time, you told Tuluge that such an unfair gamble and stake would not do; he had to add more money.】

【Tuluge looked at your arrogance and was infuriated, roaring in anger that he would give it to you if you won.】

【The battle unfolded under the gaze of nearly two thousand onlookers.】

【At the beginning, Tuluge still felt that you looked down on him, but as the battle progressed, he knew he was wrong.】

【In full view of everyone, you used your superb horsemanship to dodge the enemy's encirclement and interception, searching for their brief lapses to knock them off their horses one by one.】

【You even had the spare energy to choose which opponents to defeat, leaving Tuluge for last to preserve a shred of his dignity.】

【Tuluge gave up struggling; although he was hot-tempered and cunning, he kept his word.】

【He told you that the pasture near Tulga was yours to use, that the money would soon be delivered to you, and then he left.】

【Among nomadic peoples, the strong are king; the eyes of your herdsmen no longer held numbness and despair, but were filled with fear and a glimmer of hope.】

【You knew that now, as long as you could find a pasture of your own, all problems would be easily solved.】