Chapter 50: Whispers of Dread

"It seems we are in big trouble..." Elenthor sighed.

"If the orcs cross the river and attack Riverguard... then..." Aranthor couldn't continue.

The orcs who successfully bypassed the southern defenses could sandwich the isolated battlefield of the Lonely Mountain between the northern orc legion, completely separating the allied forces.

"King Rynar, I want to know what the city defenses of Riverguard are like right now!" Elenthor said helplessly.

"Follow me!" Rynar sighed.

...

"This…" Elenthor looked in shock at Riverguard. 

The massive magical rune walls, standing hundreds of meters tall and five meters wide, looked incredibly impressive, but were those short walls barely two meters high really a joke?

"What can this block? Goblins?" Elenthor spread his hands in despair.

"I'm sorry; most of our people are still wandering and haven't returned… and the magical rune bricks our mages produce each day are limited," Rynar sighed helplessly.

"If the orcs cross the River Running! What are we going to use to stop them? Our lives?!" Elenthor was stunned; he felt leading his kin into this mess was a grave mistake.

"There's no choice; if they cross the river, I can only hold them off at the riverbank with my soldiers!" Rynar sighed.

"Let's hope they don't discover this fatal flaw!" Elenthor sighed heavily, mounting his unicorn, which spread its wings and flew into the sky.

'System! Territory page details!' After watching Elenthor leave, Rynar called up the system.

A familiar light screen unfolded, and Rynar immediately saw the current state of his city. 

Above the territory, there was still only the solitary Riverguard. After clicking on the page, the situation of Riverguard appeared before him.

Riverguard:

- Area: One kilometer in circumference.

- Buildings: A crumbling lord's castle 1, 80 rickety houses, 20 poorly constructed houses, an ancient, dilapidated stone wall (currently being repaired), a stone well, a blacksmith shop, and a barracks.

- Troops: 913 

- Population: 247 (Trainable civilians: 52) 

- Evaluation: The lonely king leads his remaining subjects back to their homeland. This barely sheltering relic provides them with some comfort, yet darkness still threatens the nascent king. 

The town has no production capacity beyond fishing, and its military strength may be the only thing worth mentioning. 

Note: The town has no potential for war; a disastrous defeat in battle could spell its end.

Abilities:

1. As the only territory of the Zaltarion Kingdom in Middle-earth, it will attract Zaltarion's exiles. The system will guide a wave of wandering Zaltarion civilians to arrive daily, hoping the lord can provide them with proper accommodation.

Allows the recruitment and training of Rapid infantry from local civilians.

"The population is still a major issue! There are more soldiers than civilians!" Rynar sighed again, finding it to be a frustrating matter. 

Soldiers could be signed in at once for 100 or even 500 men, but refugees would only arrive in waves daily, with fluctuating numbers. 

This meant Rynar's population never increased, and the population base determined the number of troops he could recruit in the future. 

Without a population, it effectively stifled the Zaltarion Kingdom's war potential.

"Caslow! Equip the Rangers from Elaris Woods with sharmas and send them to camp downstream at the River Running to monitor if the orcs cross! If they do, light the beacons. 

Also, make sure the knights are active every day, scouting along the River Running." 

Rynar finally resorted to this clumsy method. If the orcs truly crossed the river, it would really come down to fate…

"Understood, my lord!" Caslow nodded, clearly understanding the severity of the matter.

"Reynard! Make sure to train the Light Infantry well these days! I don't ask for them to be heroic in battle, just to be able to form ranks against the orcs." 

Rynar instructed Reyard, as those newly trained Light Infantry really… left much to be desired…

"On it! My king," Reynard bowed and exited the tent.

"Time is running out; the orcs may attack at any moment…" Rynar analyzed Azog's style and felt it very likely that the orcs would strike in the winter, catching everyone off guard.

"My lord! You need to see this!" Caslow suddenly burst in, holding a crystal recording.

"What's wrong?" Rynar suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

"Roar!" 

"Argh!" 

The crystal recording, activated by Caslow's battle aura, displayed the images it contained. 

Shockingly, it revealed a horde of wild orcs. 

However, the number of this group was a bit exaggerated. From the position captured by the recording, it seemed there were at least ten thousand of them.

"Where did this come from?" Rynar's expression darkened. He noticed that the totems of those orcs were eerily similar to those of the wild orcs on the eastern bank of the River Running. 

The mere thought of such a force existing nearby made Rynar break out in a cold sweat.

"A wandering tribe of prairie elves brought it. They migrated west to escape this group of orcs and ended up at the foot of Riverguard," Caslow explained.

"Take me to see their chieftain," Rynar said hastily.

...

"Greetings, esteemed King of Zaltarion. I am Vanervi, the chieftain of this prairie elf tribe." The young elf chieftain bowed in respect.

"Thank you for the information you've brought. However, I want to know the details!" Rynar grasped his hand in urgency.

"Well, this recording was made on the eastern bank of the Redwater River. We originally lived at the Iron Hill Ridge, but for some unknown reason, the wild orcs there began to gather. 

For the safety of my kin, I had no choice but to lead them in migration!" Vanervi discreetly pushed Rynar's hand away.

"Did they cross the river?" Rynar asked the most pressing question.

"When we reached the other side, they hadn't crossed yet. However, they were looking for trees to build rafts!" Vanervi assured.

"Damn it!" Rynar immediately understood; it wasn't Sauron's doing this time! 

The Lune region was already under Sauron's control. Why would the wild orcs gather for no reason and move west? Rynar couldn't believe they were acting without command.

"How many of your kin are there? How many can fight?" Rynar quickly asked Vanervi. 

The prairie elves were essentially wandering elves. 

Lacking a magical well, their lifespans were over half shorter than other elves, and their combat power was inferior as well. 

Their weapons were also not as refined, and their population was sparse, making them akin to the homeless of the elven race. 

However, this very reason endowed the prairie elves with their courageous and valiant nature. In terms of battle will, the prairie elves could outshine all others.

"Our tribe consists of 657 members, but only 149 are capable warrior elves. Most of them are first-tier professionals." 

Compared to other elves with magical wells, the prairie elves' professional levels were significantly lower.

"Very well! You can either leave your kin here or choose to cross the river to reach the city of Loshanier on the other side! But you must stay and help us repel the orcs!" Rynar stated directly.

"Why? You have no authority to command me!" Vanervi's eyes widened in disbelief at the audacity of this king. Was it now fashionable to forcibly draft people into teams?

"This is not a command; it's simply that you have no choice! Would you prefer to face the horde of Morgul orcs to the south or wander into the Misty Mountains filled with orcs to the west? 

Or do you plan to head north and clash with the Gundabad orcs?" Rynar inquired curiously.

"We're surrounded by orcs! Do you understand?" 

Saying this, Rynar took out a parchment map and circled the area around the Lonely Mountain, which was completely surrounded.

"...Oh my goddess! This can't be true!" Vanervi was stunned. 

He had thought they would escape the range of orc influence, but instead, they had walked directly into a trap. Vanervi wanted to silently ask if it was still possible to retreat now.

"I suggest you let the women and children cross the river first; the defenses of the city on the other side are more reliable than the state of mine…" 

Though he didn't want to admit that Riverguard had such a dilapidated state, he couldn't help but flatter its defensive capabilities.

"By the way! How many days have you traveled?" Rynar suddenly asked this key question.

"Five days!" Vanervi thought for a moment.

"Very good. After arranging your kin, prepare to face the enemy!" Rynar patted his shoulder.

"Caslow! Scout east! Reynard! Cross the river and explain the situation to Elenthor and Aranthor on the other side, and have them send reinforcements if necessary," Rynar directed, organizing everything methodically.

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