"Damn it! Being rich feels so good!" Rynar, with tears in his eyes, slipped the Ring of Glory onto his right index finger, feeling an urge to cry.
His fortune had shrunk instantly. But, honestly, when paired with the magic ring on his left hand, it looked quite stylish—almost giving him the vibe of a nouveau riche.
The gold base of the Ring of Glory, set with an eight-sided ruby, glimmered with faint traces of power, clearly showing it was no ordinary item.
"Hey! My lord, this ring is gorgeous! I can sense a divine aura from it..." Caslow suddenly leaned in, examining the ring on Rynar's finger with curiosity.
"Of course, it looks great! I just sunk 500,000 coins into it!" Rynar thought to himself.
In the game, Rynar had never obtained any of the Nine Knights' Rings, but he knew that five holy rings were held by Emperor Karl.
"Move aside! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!" Reynard appeared behind Caslow and shoved him aside.
After carefully observing the ring, Reynard dropped to one knee, bowing with respect.
"Congratulations, my king... This is the first of the holy rings—the Ring of Glory. It seems the glory of the Zaltarion Empire has recognized you."
Reynard spoke humbly, his head lowered in reverence. As a paladin, he had studied the holy rings in detail and could easily identify this divine artifact.
"What? Reynard, are you sure? This is the Ring of Glory?" Caslow was stunned.
"My king, you can try using the power of glory," Reynard suggested respectfully.
"Glory!" Although Rynar knew it was the Ring of Glory, he still followed Reynard's advice. Publicly displaying the return of the Ring of Glory would help strengthen the group's unity.
A bright crimson-gold light burst forth, different from the usual pale golden aura of ordinary knights.
Instinctively, Reynard, Caslow, and the knights around them released their own glories, their powers merging into one, with the crimson-gold energy uniting them in a powerful group technique right on the ground.
"May the gods bless Zaltarion!"
"Praise the Dragon God!"
...
"One of the five rings has returned... My king, you are destined to revive Zaltarion." Reynard murmured, gazing at Rynar.
In fact, the Zaltarion Empire had once solely possessed the Nine God Rings, which were originally created to combat the Nine Ringwraiths and their dark knights.
The system had altered their memories, leading them to believe these holy rings had existed long ago and were lost to time...
"Five rings?" Rynar asked in surprise.
"Yes. The first is the Ring of Glory, the second is the Ring of Mercy, the sixth is the Ring of Protection, the seventh is the Ring of Courage, and the ninth is the Ring of Sacrifice.
These rings once belonged to the royal family... but they were all lost over time." Reynard sighed.
"But the Ring of Glory has returned, hasn't it? The glory of Zaltarion will return with it," Rynar smiled at Reynard.
"You're right, my king!" Reynard nodded firmly.
"Nine rings, huh... That's going to be a long journey." Rynar gazed at the sky, daydreaming about how amazing it would feel to have rings on all ten fingers.
...
"My lord, there's an elf named Legolas requesting an audience," Reynard entered the command tent, finding Rynar sprawled lazily on a chair covered with soft furs.
"Legolas? What's he doing here?" Rynar was surprised.
According to Thranduil's instructions, he should be heading north to find the ranger known as Strider—later crowned as King Aragorn. Why was he coming here?
"Let him in," Rynar decided it was better to meet him, after all, Legolas was a key figure with a protagonist's aura.
"Legolas, long time no see!" Rynar stood up, nodding in greeting.
"King Rynar, it is an honor," Legolas placed his right hand over his chest in a respectful salute.
"Yes, is there something I can help you with? Ah, by the way, this place is still in disrepair, so we have nothing good to offer you.
If you don't mind, you're welcome to stay for some humble fare." Rynar spoke apologetically. As the host, it was embarrassing not to be able to properly entertain guests.
"No need to worry. I've come to inform you of news from the north!" Legolas, looking tense, pulled out a map from his cloak.
"The north? What are the orcs up to now?" Rynar's expression immediately sharpened.
He was particularly concerned about the orcs in the north, though those from the south were also on his radar.
"A large army of orcs is gathering at the fortress of Gundabad in the north..." Legolas said grimly.
"What?! No way! They've already begun gathering?" Rynar's eyes widened.
"Not yet, but while I was crossing the Grey Mountains, I saw orcs from the mountains heading towards Gundabad!" Legolas stared intently at Rynar.
"What about Bard and Thorin? What do they say?" Rynar asked.
"They are prepared to fight to the death to defend their homeland!" Legolas, it seemed, had already visited Erebor and Dale.
"The north will rely on them! I'll do my best to hold off the orcs from the south!" Rynar studied the map closely.
"The south?" Legolas was puzzled.
"Yes, Dol Guldur! The old fortress. Azog's orcs have been entrenched there. You haven't overlooked the south, have you?" Rynar asked in surprise.
"I came from the north..." Legolas scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Oh, well, never mind. I'll send men across the river to set up a lookout post on the west bank, and my troops will patrol along the River Running."
Rynar rubbed his temples, a little exasperated as he spoke to Legolas.
"That would be most appreciated! I must head north, so I won't stay long. Take care, King Rynar." Legolas bowed, then swiftly left the tent.
"Reynard!" Rynar called out.
"What's the matter, my king?" Reynard responded, entering.
"Put the city-building on hold for now. Take the knights across the river and set up camp on the other side! I'll have Radir assist you with building a watchtower.
Your task is to patrol the banks of the River Running every day and monitor the orcs' movements. Take Caslow with you—he'll make things easier for you all." Rynar instructed.
"Your will is my command!" Reynard bowed deeply.
As Reynard left, Rynar suddenly felt a wave of anxiety. He realized he wasn't fully prepared to face the orcs head-on.
The southern orcs of Dol Guldur would likely target Riverguard first, which still had unfinished defenses.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty... Winter is upon us now," Master Radir suddenly appeared in the tent.
"Winter?" Rynar pondered the word.
"Winter is not a good time for an offensive. You should be more concerned with how to face them come spring." Radir advised.
The orcs wouldn't attack in winter. Even if they hadn't suffered great losses from the Battle of the Five Armies, they would still need time to recover their strength.
"Looks like we need to prepare for the Second Battle of the Lonely Mountain," Rynar sighed.
"Or perhaps the Battle of Riverguard..." Rynar muttered to himself with a touch of irony.
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