"We have no ill intentions. We just hope that you can allow us to rent a ship, and we are willing to pay the corresponding compensation." Balin said sincerely, stroking his chest.
"Dwarves? I hate dwarves... This is the pure land of the north, dwarves are not welcome here! You will only bring war and death!" Beorn said in a muffled voice.
"Hi! I think we can talk! I remember you. We fought side by side in the Battle of Lonely Mountain, didn't we? We are friends!" Balin said hurriedly.
"No! The Clan of Bearskins is not joining the war because of you! But because we love nature! We need to maintain stability here! If we let the orcs do whatever they want, those poor people will really have no way to survive!" Beorn interrupted.
"We only care about ourselves. We have never made any kind of alliance with the dwarves!" Bion said loudly.
"We need your help, just as you helped us on our expedition. Dwarves will never forget their friends." Balin played the emotional card.
"There were only a dozen of you back then, but look at you now! You've come with an army! We don't want to get involved in your grievances, so leave here. Although this new city is still weak, the people in the city are willing to shed their last drop of blood for it, and no one can force us! Even if you're at the gates! The northerners are fearless!" Beorn pounded his chest and let out a war howl. His body swelled rapidly, his bulging muscles tore his clothes, and fine brown hair grew rapidly from under his skin. Soon, a giant bear nearly five meters tall stood on the top of the city.
Seeing that the two men were about to fight after the talks broke down, the embarrassed Roland could no longer sit still. According to the dwarf's stupid brain, who would he help if a fight really broke out?
"Wait!" Roland raised his hand to stop this explosive conversation.
"Hello, Carlock... that's my name, right? Lord of Carlock, I am Roland, King of the Kingdom of Lagran. I apologize for the recklessness of these dwarves. They may not know that the druids who are close to nature do not like them, but I think there is no need to be so tense. I will not benefit anyone from starting a war. I have to admit that the Bearskin Family is powerful. Even a strong army like the dwarves needs to temporarily avoid the edge..." Roland said sincerely.
"Hu..." Balin grabbed Ou Yin who was about to go up and argue.
"We are all from the North. You should understand the meaning of "lips and teeth are cold". They have no other ideas. Reclaiming Moria is their dream, so you don't have to worry about them causing trouble. We just need to cross the river and leave. We promise not to cause trouble for you and the people here." Roland said sincerely.
"King of humans? Why are you with dwarves?" Bion gradually calmed down after listening to Roland's well-reasoned analysis, but he was still puzzled as to why dwarves were with humans.
"Probably... because they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse..." Roland shrugged. After all, soldiers need to eat, trade requires money, and Roland's pockets are cleaner than his face.
"I need to think about it..." Beorn said after a moment of thought.
"Don't worry. Although dwarves can be stubborn and even annoying sometimes, if you spend time with them you'll find that they're actually quite easy to get along with." Roland smiled.
"There are too many of you... For safety reasons, there is no room here to accommodate all of you soldiers." Bion thought for a while and finally said solemnly.
"We won't stay too long. We can just let them camp outside tonight. There's no need to enter the city." Roland nodded in agreement. After all, Roland himself would not agree to let so many unfamiliar troops enter the city.
"Balin, take a few people with you. Let's go in and talk to Beorn. After all, his men can control the Old Pass, which is the only way from the west to the Lonely Mountain. You dwarves will have to deal with him in the future. It will be good for everyone if we establish a good relationship in advance. What do you think, Balin?" Roland lowered his head and suggested to Balin.
"You are right. Your wisdom is as powerful as your army. It is always better to have more friends than more enemies." Bahrain agreed happily.
"Caslo, take them to set up camp. We'll rest here for one night and find a way to cross the river tomorrow. Let's go in and talk to Bion. As neighbors, we should at least visit them," Roland ordered.
"This is not appropriate. When I'm not here...your safety..." Caslo hesitated to speak.
"Don't worry, Omsk will be with me. Don't you trust him? He's the most powerful among us. With him protecting me, it's no big deal." Roland smiled brightly. Not to mention that Beorn wouldn't harm him, even if someone really wanted to, they would have to consider the deterrent power of a level 6 hero! He was invincible below level 6, and above level 6, he could trade with anyone for anything!
"Well, if the situation changes, just crush this scale and I will immediately lead my troops to rescue you!" Caslo handed a green dragon scale the size of a fingernail to Roland.
"Hey! Isn't this the product of the Scale of Perception, a special skill that Dragon Riders gain after advancing to Dragon Rider General?" Roland exclaimed in surprise. This thing's function in the game is simple: it summons players! As long as the scales are broken, the owner of the scales can sense it no matter how far away they are. So this thing can be said to be the "nuclear weapon" of advanced players! After all, an item that can summon a Dragon Rider General anytime, anywhere is truly precious!
"Your Highness is very knowledgeable!" Caslo, who was originally planning to introduce the detailed functions, immediately smiled and gave a thumbs up without saying anything more.
"Let's go, Balin, let's go meet him!" Roland said to the future dwarf king with a smile.
"Of course, I also want to meet him. It would be even better if we can clear up the misunderstanding between us." Balin readily agreed.
To be honest, Balin should be considered one of the few wise men among the dwarves. As a veteran warrior who has experienced many battles and has mastered wisdom that most dwarves do not have due to his rich experience. Although it is not written in the original book, he was able to recapture Moria with an expeditionary force of dozens of people. It seems that he is not a reckless and stubborn person.
"That's good. To be honest, the temper of you dwarves..." Roland shrugged and gave Balin an expression that showed his own understanding.
"But we are also simple, aren't we? At least dwarves won't be deceitful to those they think are their friends." Balin sighed.
"Let's go..."
…
"Welcome, respected His Highness Roland. At your service..." Bion greeted Roland and his group at the open gate of the town.
"This is the light and shadow hero Omsk!" Roland deliberately introduced Omsk first. Sure enough, Bion and his people were stunned instantly. As a third-level nature druid, Bion understood how big the gap was between his strength and that of the man in front of him!
"Hello, Lord Omsk." Bion smiled quickly.
"This is Balin! The commander and leader of this expeditionary force!" Roland pointed at Balin again.
"Hello, Master Carlock. I am Balin, the dwarf of the Longbeard clan!" Balin saluted.
"At your service, Lord Balin."
…
"Bion, would you mind telling me the origin of this town? My people didn't tell me there was a town here!" Roland asked while tasting the honey water.
"Oh, I have to thank your Lord Lance." Bion smiled.
"Baron Lance? What's his relationship with him?" Roland was a little confused.
"If he hadn't paid a large sum of gold coins to buy our ships, we probably wouldn't have the financial resources to support the construction of this town..." Bion explained.
"I see. But where do the residents here come from? You don't seem to have so many people!" Roland asked curiously. You know, the family of the man wearing bear skin is not very prosperous.
"Alas... we are all the unfortunate people in the north." Beorn rubbed his face and sighed.
"Humans from the north?" Roland asked in surprise.
"Yes, ever since the northern humans responded to the call of the southern human kingdom and established the Kingdom of Rohan, the people who stayed in the north have had a hard time. Natural disasters! Warcraft! Orcs! Dongyi people! They are all ruthlessly depriving them of their living space. Those who can escape here are considered lucky, and more have fallen in the northern wilderness. There are more and more people... and we can't provide them with relief... They lack food and clothing... and have no place to live... We finally decided to build a city here to give them a home and leave the northern people with the last stronghold... But it seems that it is not needed now. Your Highness, your kingdom stands in the north. I believe that those who are struggling to survive will have a better life in the future. I hope you can give those poor people shelter!" Beorn said sincerely.
Listening to Beorn's words, Roland fell silent. It turned out that in the north, invisible to him, there were still humans struggling to survive in the cracks...