"Congratulations, host! You have unlocked a new feature—Marketplace! Please check it out," the System Ring projected a screen before Rynar.
Rynar was just about to study it closely when he was interrupted by Bard.
"It all feels like a dream!" Bard said, gazing in disbelief at the sea of flames behind him.
"Yeah, such a large town… in just one night…" Rynar also sighed deeply.
"Let's go!" Rynar took a horse and handed the reins to Bard.
"I still have to wait for my soldiers," Rynar explained, noticing Bard's confusion.
"Dale needs you! King Bard!" Rynar called out to Bard's back.
…
"Caslow! Get the horses ready; we're going to meet our beloved archers!"
Rynar instructed Caslow and his group to lead the Battanian archers' horses along the lakeshore to find the fleeing archers.
"Over here!" An archer crawled up from the bank, clearly exhausted, leaning awkwardly on the shore and trying hard to play dead like a stranded fish—too bad there was no sun…
"Hey! Get on the horse! We still need to search for others!" Caslow called.
"Quick, quick, quick! Time is of the essence! Everyone spread out and look for our brothers!" Rynar urgently mobilized all his men to search for the scattered archers.
…
"Thank the Dragon God! May the glory of Zaltarion bless you!" Rynar looked at the ragtag group of what could only be called soldiers before him.
In the Battle of Smaug, the Battanian archers had miraculously survived, except for a few unfortunate souls who were knocked into the water by collapsing buildings…
However, their excellent physical condition as professionals allowed them to recover quickly.
"Everyone, take a rest! It's been a long day!" Rynar said, taking the lead as he headed into the woods.
"Sir! Aren't we heading to the Lonely Mountain? The dwarves owe us a lot of money!"
Caslow, the first to follow Rynar, was well aware of the contract signed between the dwarves and Rynar.
"Head to the Lonely Mountain?" Rynar gave Caslow a strange look.
"To be honest, I'm not even planning to go to Dale right now!" Rynar shook his head; this guy was really bold!
Heading to the Lonely Mountain now? Don't even get me started on the dragon riders; even the dragon knights can't manage their lives there.
After all, this is the real world, and Rynar wasn't sure if the dwarves and elves would clash first. If they did, who would he side with?
It wouldn't do to have his own people wiped out before they even fought the orcs…
The entire Lonely Mountain was like a sinkhole!
The dwarves must jump in (after all, it's the capital), humans had to jump (in need of resources to rebuild), the orcs willingly jumped in (strategic location, you know), and after some contemplation, the elves decided to jump too (Thranduil wanted the white gemstones).
As for Rynar, he was still debating whether to jump in or not…
Forget it, I'll first explore the system's new features.
As for making a fortune, it doesn't necessarily have to rely on the dwarves' treasure in the Lonely Mountain; if he got angry, he could always launch a Moria expedition!
(Orcs: You can forget that! Dwarves: Thanks to our human friends for helping us reclaim our lost lands.) After all, there must be plenty of wealth in the dwarves' former capital.
Rynar sensed the Ring of Power and discovered that it could actually pop up an operation page. A light screen appeared before him, showcasing the system's new feature—Marketplace, which would randomly refresh twelve different items every day, and purchases would require wealth points.
Upon seeing his wealth points, Rynar's face darkened instantly… Damn, that "5" was really glaring! After some poking around, Rynar finally figured out how wealth points worked—10,000 gold coins converted to 1 wealth point.
"Ha! Poverty limits my imagination!" Rynar found that he couldn't even afford the cheapest item on the list. Zaltarion Dragon Hunters: 10 wealth points. Quantity: 50.
Moreover, Rynar discovered that there was a forbidden spell scroll available! Unfortunately, the staggering one million wealth points forced Rynar to come to terms with reality.
With a flick of his wrist, he dismissed the system screen and walked out of the tent, gazing at the burning Long Lake Town in the distance, letting out a soft sigh.
"Sir… when can we go back to Zaltarion City and take a look…" Reynard approached quietly.
"Zaltarion City has been erased by time…" Rynar could only use a white lie to dissuade Reynard, as he certainly couldn't tell him that Zaltarion City hadn't even been established yet.
Zaltarion City was the capital of the Zaltarion Empire, built on the north bank where the River Running and Redwater River converged.
The city was majestic, featuring nine city walls and covering a vast area.
Seven of the thirteen dragon riders of the Zaltarion Empire were stationed there year-round, and the Zaltarion Royal Guard Paladin Order was also based there, producing the special unit known as the Zaltarion City Guards—the strongest and finest among all non-professional troops.
Rynar had previously gone to recruit these soldiers, and it was no surprise that, as capital soldiers, their equipment was as luxurious as that of knights.
"Lost souls, perhaps you need the guidance of Zaltarion's holy light…" A clear female voice rang out through the night.
Rynar's expression changed immediately, looking up with delight, while Reynard quietly drew his sword, warily watching the figure in the white robe.
"Lady Aivy, the priestess of the Zaltarion Empire's temple, pays her respects to you, my lord," the newcomer greeted.
"A priestess from the temple? Which deity do you serve?" Reynard lowered his guard but still asked with curiosity, as different temples had some variations in their spells.
"May the Dragon God bless you." Pure holy light cascaded from Aivy.
"A light priest?" Reynard felt a bit disappointed; if she were a holy priest, that would be even more perfect, he thought to himself.
"A priestess of the Dragon God's temple?" Rynar's eyes sparkled with interest.
After all, the Dragon God was the deity worshiped by the Zaltarion Empire's royal family, and the temple's priests were quite powerful.
"Caslow! Set up a tent for Miss Aivy!" Rynar called out.
Caslow, rubbing his sleepy eyes, reluctantly crawled out of the tent and pouted as he went to set up the tent…
"Alright, everyone, get some rest; there might be a great battle tomorrow," Rynar looked at the familiar faces around him, feeling a heaviness in his heart.
If a battle broke out… who knew how many would still be sitting here?
…
As if history was unfolding in an orderly manner, the elves arrived in Dale as expected. Bilbo still handed the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil, and Bard brought his forces to the foot of the Lonely Mountain…
"Do you want peace or war?" Bard issued his final ultimatum.
Thorín glanced meaningfully at the eastern mountains and said in a deep voice, "I choose war!"
"Boom~ Boom~" The heavy footsteps echoed, and a disciplined dwarven army appeared on the hillside.
"The Ironfoot army! King Dáin's army from the Iron Hills," Gandalf murmured.
"Oh ho! The ravens have carried our message to dwarves all over Middle-earth!" The dwarves in Erebor cheered.
At the same time, orcs were also on the move towards the Lonely Mountain.
Rynar and his group were slowly marching towards the Lonely Mountain.
A battle destined to be different from history was about to unfold at the Lonely Mountain.