"Gee!" The sound of rapid horse hooves broke the tranquility of Hobbiton, and 12 fully armed knights appeared on the path of Hobbiton.
The young knight scolded his squire: "Caslo, are you sure this is the way?"
"Yes, uh, I mean it should be... after all, you know my lord... the country roads here are too roundabout." The dragon knight Kaslo hesitated.
"Fuck! Are you all losers?" Roland tried not to swear.
"Oh, sorry, brothers, that's not what I meant." Roland realized that his wording was inappropriate and apologized quickly.
"Let's keep asking for directions and see where this damn Bag End is," Roland said dejectedly.
…
"Hey! Excuse me, friend, do you know where Bilbo Baggins lives?" Roland asked everyone who passed by.
After asking to no avail, Roland couldn't help but complain, "Who the hell said Hobbits are enthusiastic?"
"Hello, do you know Bilbo Baggins?" Roland asked a hobbit sitting in a yard by the road.
"Baggins? Why are you looking for him?" the young man asked in surprise.
"Um, because... well, the situation is that after a while a group of dwarves and a wizard will find him, and I want to find those dwarves!" Roland explained.
"Well, I am, but I didn't see the dwarf. But a wizard came today and he wants me to go on an adventure with him. What's even funnier is that he wants me to be a thief! I don't even know how to fight!" Bilbo Baggins explained.
"Ah, this..." Roland was stunned. He had chosen the right time. Thinking of this, Roland couldn't help but look at Bilber with sympathy, thinking that his inventory would be ruined tonight... The 13 dwarves would empty his storage room tonight.
Roland glanced at the corner of his front door and said to him with a smile, "Then see you tonight, Mr. Baggins."
"Um, sir, do you mean you will come to my place as a guest tonight?" Bilber asked in surprise.
"Yes, you only need to prepare food for me, my followers won't come. Oh, by the way, my name is Roland!" Roland smiled friendly.
"Well, sir, welcome to this evening."
…
"Bonds of Fate: Achieved! 90 apprentice knights will be rewarded! They can be summoned at any time." The magic ring in Roland's hand, which had been silent for a long time, finally came to life.
"90 knights... plus these 10! That's a total of 100 apprentice knights. Now the next knightly order is complete." Roland really wanted to laugh out loud at this moment.
After finding a corner to summon the knights, Roland quickly used the gold coins rewarded by the system to book a larger hotel for his followers to stay overnight.
The crisp sound of horse hooves came, and Roland couldn't help but sigh at the high efficiency of the system. He also had no worries. These knights had all rushed over from the wasteland, and no one knew they were summoned.
As the sky gradually darkened, Roland called Caslo and asked him to take charge of arranging the knights under his command, while he himself went to attend the banquet.
…
"Ding ding ding!" Roland rang the doorbell of Bag End.
"Boom!" As the door opened, the aroma of food mixed with all sorts of chaotic noises wafted through. Apparently, the dwarves had already started their party...
Roland couldn't help but twitch his eyes as he looked at the mess in the room. Just as he was wondering whether he should step in, he looked down and saw Bilber's frustrated look.
"Mr. Roland, do you know anything... and I'm sorry for the food I prepared for you..." Mr. Baggins said embarrassedly.
"It's okay, Bilbo, it's okay." Roland comforted Baggins and stepped in.
As soon as he entered the door, Roland recognized Gandalf. After all, his robe and staff clearly betrayed his identity.
"Respected Mr. Gandalf, hello!" Roland greeted.
"Should I call you Thorin Oakenshield or the King Under the Mountain?" Roland said calmly as he looked at the king of dwarves.
Apparently, Roland's words stimulated Thorin, and he stood up with his fists clenched.
"Hey, Thorin! Relax." Gandalf quickly stopped him.
"Young man, I can't see through you..." Gandalf said in surprise.
Roland smiled faintly and said nothing. He looked at Thorin and asked, "Blood of Durin, grandson of Thor, son of Thorne, can you still be called the king under the mountain now?"
"Bang!" Thorin slammed the table and was ready to jump out to fight Roland. Everyone quickly held him back. His nephew Kili stood up and said, "Excuse me, sir. Are you here to cause trouble on purpose?" The other dwarves also looked at him unfriendly. Only Gandalf looked at him thoughtfully.
"Looking for trouble? You're not worthy. I just don't want to see the end of the Turin bloodline!" Roland was well aware of the direction of the plot. Even if they could win, the Turin bloodline would definitely end.
With the help of the ring, Roland successfully sensed everyone present. Except for Thorin who was a berserker, the others were all apprentice warriors or fighters. Even with this lineup, it was not enough for Roland's knights to charge.
The warrior's professional levels are: apprentice warrior, warrior, berserker, commander, general and finally the ultimate professional overlord!
"fart!"
"nonsense!"
Everyone blamed Roland, and Gandalf looked at Roland with more and more surprise.
"Enough! Tell us your purpose!" Thorin suddenly shouted to stop his men's accusations.
"That's great! As expected of a descendant of Turin, I am the leader of the Holy Knights. I now need to find a territory to settle down with my knights, so you know... I need money!" Roland stated his request calmly.
"What? The Knights!"
"Oh my God! He actually has a knight order..."
All the dwarves were extremely surprised, but Gandalf looked even more confused.
"Mr. Roland! This joke is not funny! Do you know under what circumstances can it be called a knight order?" Thorin asked solemnly.
"Of course, I only command a very weak order of knights, consisting of 100 apprentice knights and one knight commander." Roland said proudly.
"So... what you mean is..." Thorin's tone softened. After all, everyone had common interests and everything could be discussed.
"I will lead my knights into battle! I will escort you all the way to Lonely Mountain! You will need to pay a commission, and if there are casualties, you will also need to pay a pension. Of course, if we fail to retake Erebor... then you won't have to pay anything!" Roland's eyes flashed with a flame called ambition.
"If you agree, I can gather my followers now!" Roland continued.
Thorin lowered his head in thought. Gandalf quietly pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, "Promise him. There are too many risks along the way. With the protection of a knightly order, we can arrive more safely."
After hearing Gandalf's whisper, Thorin nodded. He raised his head and said loudly: "Mr. Roland, I will draft the contract now."
After that, he and his dwarves began to write a contract. Then Roland saw a contract that was even longer than the one Mr. Baggins had received for the thieves. It was a whole volume...
"Then I wish our expedition goes well!" After signing the contract, Roland put it away and nodded to everyone. Then he declined Bilber's invitation and walked out.
"By the way, I'll be waiting for you at the edge of the forest tomorrow morning!" Roland's voice came from afar.