"Ever since the entire north gathered 6,000 elite cavalrymen and marched south, the entire north has been devastated, and disasters have never been far away from here. All we can do is to survive hard, for ourselves and for our families! The original Dale State was a rare place of peace and stability for humans in the north. The prosperous city-states carried out trade under the leadership of their lords... At that time, caravans continuously passed through the ferry and entered the Old Forest Road to the foot of the Lonely Mountain... Unfortunately, the wealth of the dwarves eventually attracted the covetousness of the evil dragon Smaug... The last refuge of humans in the north collapsed..." Beorn muttered to himself while fiddling with the charcoal fire.
"Can you lead the human race to gain a foothold in the north again?" Beorn suddenly raised his head and said seriously.
"Establishing a country in the north... This is not a good choice. Orcs, barbarians, monsters, disasters, all the evil and horror you can imagine want to kill you!" Beorn lowered his head again without waiting for Roland to answer.
"I..." Roland wanted to say something.
"I have vaguely glimpsed fragments of the future through the guidance of nature. Perhaps you will achieve something great, or perhaps you will be buried in the north... Have a good rest. I hope you can leave here tomorrow and not disturb our life that has finally settled down." Beorn stood up and staggered away.
"Omsk, what does he mean?" Roland asked puzzledly.
"Maybe this Druid saw some fragments of the future..." Omsk thought for a moment and finally explained to Roland.
"No, I mean the latter part." Roland said.
"Um... who's going to fight? Prophecy has two sides. Who knows if it's accurate? No one knows whether the prophecy is right or wrong until everything you see happens." Omsk shrugged nonchalantly. After all, a warrior is not like those spellcasters who believe in all kinds of ghosts and gods. They only believe in the weapons in their hands and their own fighting skills.
"I hope so. Maybe I'm too pessimistic." Roland shook his head.
"Don't be pessimistic. Although the environment here is harsh and resources are scarce, it can't stop us from pursuing our ideals!" Omsk comforted.
"Yes, Your Highness Roland, our Longbeard Clan has been wandering for so many years. Who would have thought that we could recapture Lonely Mountain with just a dozen people? Even bards would think it's nonsense! But now the flag of the Longbeard Clan is flying over Yinlubo again! We are back to Lonely Mountain! The Kingdom at the Foot of the Mountain has welcomed back its king again." Balin smiled friendly. He had been as confused as Roland, but some things still needed someone to do them. It was their responsibility.
"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight! You have a group of brave and loyal subordinates. This makes your life much smoother than when Thorin started his business! Hahaha!" Balin pointed at the crown on Roland's head and laughed.
"I'm too pessimistic. You're right..." Roland nodded. He had to admit that he was shocked by Beorn's description of the current situation in the North. He hadn't imagined that the people in the seemingly peaceful North were living in such dire straits. Roland should have known this long ago. Why hadn't there been any human kingdoms in the North? From the beginning, only King Bard's line had remained in Dale, and Dale was at most a viscounty, far from the minimum standard of a kingdom.
"The revival of the North is a long and arduous journey. The darkness has descended, and the catastrophe of Middle-earth will begin once again." Balin sighed, his eyes filled with incomparable depth.
"Oh, don't think about it. I'm a little worried about the Moria Mine... I always feel that this trip is a bit hasty." Roland said with a headache.
"???" Balin opened his mouth wide as if he had seen something incredible.
"Your Highness, we have come this far. You are not going back home, are you?" Balin was instantly frightened by Roland and his face turned pale. If you want Balin to recapture Moria, that's no problem. The orcs there are nothing to worry about for the dwarves, who have a 200% bonus in mine combat. But the Balrogs lurking in the depths are not something the dwarves can deal with. The dwarves, who don't even have a sixth-level Overlord, naturally have no high-end combat power to match the Balrogs. Roland can be said to be Balin's only life-saving straw. Although he can avoid entering the depths of the mines as in history, who wants to have a time bomb at home that can explode at any time?
"No, no, no, don't get excited, Balin. I don't mean to go home. I just thought you haven't been back in all these years, and I think this attack will be a bit troublesome..." Roland rubbed his chin. His arrival had already changed the history of Middle-earth. Would the butterfly effect bring an epic boost to Moria? You know, history has a strong ability to heal!
"We are fearless! We can serve as pioneers to explore the way for you. I only ask you to get rid of the fire demon in the depths... Please help us, Your Highness." Balin choked up and said, if King Roland of Raglan retreated at the critical moment like Lord Thran, the Dwarf Expeditionary Force would be really finished!
"Don't worry, Balin! Our friendship will not change. Don't worry about us betraying you. We never intended to leave. Besides, I need that wealth to improve the lives of the people under my rule." Roland reassured Balin, but empty words were not enough. Only by telling the dwarves his demands could he convince these stubborn dwarves. Only interests could unite the two sides and have a common topic!
"Then what are you worried about? Going back there is like going home. We are familiar with every stone and every step there!" Balin asked puzzled.
"So many years have passed, maybe the terrain inside has long been changed by the orcs... Hey! After all, when it comes to destruction, the orcs have never been defeated!" Roland sneered.
"We don't have any scouts in our team, not even a thief. This puts us at a disadvantage in intelligence gathering..." Roland shook his head. Even Gandalf had to find a thief for Thorin (although he wasn't very reliable...), not to mention their coalition of a thousand men. They had been relying on the Lordaeron Rangers' familiarity with the forest to obtain information, and in the catacombs... the Lordaeron Rangers couldn't do much here either, as there was no forest for them to roam around in. Roland had only just realized this problem. Such a large army didn't even have a qualified scout. It was really thanks to the carefulness of those rangers that nothing had happened before.
"This..." Balin opened his mouth and was speechless. As a veteran soldier, he naturally understood the importance of intelligence. If the Balrog hid and attacked them severely, it would be enough for Roland and Balin to cry. You know, as the former capital of the dwarves, Khazad-dûm is quite vast. There are many places in it that are enough to accommodate a dragon spreading its wings and gliding, not to mention hiding a Balrog that is much smaller than a dragon.
"You're right... We're in trouble." Balin said painfully, holding his head. (Why didn't Balin's expeditionary force in the original novel alarm the Balrog? You know, the expeditionary force in the original novel had only dozens of people, how could the noise it caused be the same as that of a thousand heavy infantrymen today?) He knew with his buttocks that such a large army entering Khazad-dûm would definitely alarm the Balrog.
