After the pain in her body subsided slightly, Millicent offered Tarnes a weak smile. "Thank you, Tarnes..."
Tarnes met Millicent's golden eyes and pointed to his own head. "Your memories... have they returned?"
Millicent nodded, her eyes full of recollection. "Yes, the memories came just now, along with the pain of the scarlet rot... Though I'm not sure how you came to be here, congratulations. In the end, you did not bow to fate and chose your own path."
Then, a beautiful, relaxed smile spread across her face. "So, what do you need me to do for you this time?"
Tarnes smiled back and took out a finely crafted golden prosthesis from his dimensional pack. He handed it over while speaking, "Do you remember what you said to me after you returned to normal? You said you wanted to travel."
What he had taken out was the Valkyrie's Prosthesis.
Millicent took the prosthesis with her one arm, a nostalgic look on her face. "You actually kept this... Yes, I remember that sentence, but I never thought I'd say the exact same words to you eight times."
She looked at Tarnes, who immediately came closer to help her attach the prosthesis.
While helping Millicent, Tarnes said, "Therefore, this time I invite you on a new adventure. Although the final destination of this journey is to face an evil dragon, I don't think you'll refuse."
"I can find no reason to refuse. My sword is still willing to be wielded for you," Millicent replied with a smile after equipping the golden prosthesis and moving it slightly.
She lifted her prosthetic hand, her five fingers nimbly retrieving a hair tie from her pocket. She tied her flowing crimson hair back into a short, single ponytail.
Then, Millicent looked up at the Golden Tree and the Shadow Tree. "I've never seen the Golden Tree look like this. It seems many stories have unfolded since I departed. Perhaps I should call you the Elden Lord now?"
Tarnes gave a wry smile. "While that's true, please don't tease me like that. Given our friendship, the title 'Elden Lord' is far too distant. You should just keep calling me Tarnes."
Millicent smiled faintly. "I remember that Malenia, the Valkyrie, called herself the Blade of Miquella. Perhaps I should call myself Tarnes's Blade. Hmm, that name doesn't sound too bad, does it?"
Tarnes nodded. "If you don't mind, you can introduce yourself that way to others, but it's better if we just call each other by name. Next, I need to summon another friend. He is also an adventure companion I've chosen for this journey."
Millicent asked curiously, "Who is it?"
"Dragon Warrior Igon," Tarnes said. "It's normal that you don't know him, as I met him later in the Shadow Realm."
The Shadow Realm?
Millicent silently committed this name she had never heard to memory. She watched as Tarnes placed his hand on the now very thick trunk of the Golden Tree, and a golden figure quickly appeared beside him.
This figure carried a great bow on its back, made of two dragon bones tied together with grass rope, its surface covered in countless claw marks.
The quiver was lined with numerous large arrows made of sharp, fragmented stone, which slightly surprised Millicent.
She knew these stone fragments could only be found in territories where ancient dragons roamed, indicating that this person frequently entered such lands.
However, the armor he wore was somewhat shabby. It was less a suit of armor for protection and more like clothing pieced together from armor fragments of various shapes.
Igon's face was hidden under a tattered conical hat. After clearly seeing Tarnes's figure, he, like the newly summoned Millicent, called out Tarnes's name in confusion.
But soon, memories flooded Igon's mind. The roar of the Raging Dragon Bale, unwilling to admit its own death even as it died, and the thundering fire and lightning echoed in his thoughts.
"Hahahahaha! Raging Dragon Bale!!! You're finally dead! Dead at the hands of a human!! The Dragon Warrior is the embodiment of your fear!!!"
Igon paid no mind to the extra memories; he only knew that he and Tarnes had successfully hunted the Raging Dragon Bale, and he let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.
Tarnes didn't interrupt Igon's laughter, patiently waiting until his voice grew hoarse before saying, "Feeling better, Igon?"
"Hahaha, much better! Tarnes, this old man's wish has been fulfilled. My life is yours to command!" Igon grinned happily.
Tarnes showed a mysterious smile. "Don't be so hasty, Igon. What if I told you I summoned you because there's another evil dragon in this world, harming living beings?"
Igon's smile turned ferocious, his golden, slitted pupils widening. "Then this old man will use my 'harpoon' to teach this evil dragon what a Dragon Warrior is! And what true fear is!"
"Harpoon?" Millicent couldn't help but ask.
Tarnes explained, "He means the large arrows he made himself in his quiver, not the kind of harpoon you imagine for fishing."
Millicent's expression said, "That makes more sense," otherwise she would have been wondering what kind of flying dragon could be harpooned to death.
Igon now noticed Millicent and asked, "Is she also a helper you found for dragon-slaying? I can see she is a seasoned warrior. But to face those evil dragons, being battle-hardened alone is not enough."
Millicent wasn't offended. Instead, she said humbly, "You are right, Dragon Warrior. I have only slain one Magma Wyrm with Tarnes. Regarding how to deal with enemies that fly in the sky, your experience is undoubtedly greater than mine. I hope to learn this knowledge from you during our journey."
Igon laughed loudly. "Of course, no problem, humble swordswoman! I am very happy to welcome a new Dragon Warrior to our ranks."
Hearing this, Millicent looked at Tarnes and asked, "You also have the title of Dragon Warrior? When did you join?"
Actually, I have quite a few identities.
Tarnes silently grumbled to himself.
But Millicent immediately shook her head. "That was a redundant question. The memories in my mind tell me that every time I see you, your identity is different. From a Carian Knight to a Pureblood Knight, or a Recusant of Volcano Manor... I wouldn't be surprised at all if you suddenly became a Dragon Warrior."
Tarnes shrugged and decided to change the subject. "You two have just been summoned here and don't know much. I'll take you on a tour, explain the basic situation of this world along the way, and introduce you to Bernahl. He's also a member of this expedition."
Igon looked around and said as he walked, "This old man recognizes this city. Stormveil Castle, the city of the Storm Lord. But I don't know what happened here after the Shadow Realm was sealed, or what the situation in the Lands Between is. I notice this doesn't seem to be the Lands Between I remember."
Millicent, for her part, expressed great interest in Tarnes's experiences after her death. And so, Tarnes began to tell the two of them about the things they didn't know.
Time flew by again, and another month passed.
During this time, just as Gandalf had previously warned Tarnes, more human caravans arrived from the east, coming from either Rohan or Gondor.
Initially, like Guy, they came with the intention of dealing with a wizard, not expecting to buy any valuable goods to take back.
However, the fruits and vegetables produced in the Golden Tree's territory were the best they had ever seen or tasted. Consequently, these merchants happily bought large quantities of easily storable fruits and vegetables.
Coupled with the handcrafted goods and toys made by the dwarves, the merchants actually made a considerable profit on their trip.
Their only regret was that although they saw the rarely seen elves, the elves were not willing to interact or trade with them.
But if one were to say who was the most unfortunate among these merchants, it would still be Guy.
Because the goods Guy brought were all fruits, and after the long journey, no matter how well-preserved, their taste couldn't compare to fresh ones.
What's more, the quality of the fruit in the Golden Tree's territory was far superior to what Guy had brought, which gave him a major headache when he discovered this.
Although he had truly been sent by his family to build a relationship with the wizard, Guy didn't want to leave without earning a single coin.
Fortunately, the flower seeds he brought could still be sold.
While the dwarves from the Blue Mountains and the refugees like Mills were not interested in flower seeds, some of the Golden nobles and the elves praised the seeds Guy brought.
Guy had been right; the flowers from his homeland, Lossarnach, were indeed beautiful.
However, Guy's happiness was short-lived, as cold water was quickly thrown on him.
He noticed that after a week, no one came to buy his flower seeds anymore. Even the Golden nobles he had become somewhat familiar with politely declined.
The reason his subordinate brought back from investigating left Guy dumbfounded: the seeds had already bloomed into flower after flower.
At first, Guy didn't believe it, but when he personally saw the flowers he had planted bloom within a week, he completely gave up hope.
At the same time, this also made Guy understand the magical nature of this wizard's territory. A sense of awe rose in him, but he didn't lose heart. Instead, he decided to plant all the remaining seeds he had, especially those with longer maturation periods.
He planned to wait for the flowers to mature, make them into fine specimens, and sell them in other cities within Gondor.
When Tarnes learned of this through Kenneth Haight, he couldn't help but marvel at Guy's flexible business mind.
If Guy knew of Tarnes's assessment, he would surely be delighted, as it meant he had left an impression on Tarnes, and the purpose of his trip had been achieved.
Apart from the arrival of these human caravans, Tarnes also summoned a new location from the Lands Between this month.
The Moan Tunnel, which was a mine.
With the Moan Tunnel's existence, Tarnes no longer had to worry about the wear and tear of his soldiers' weapons and equipment.
Fili and Kili also bid farewell to Tarnes and Bernahl this month, temporarily interrupting their combat training.
Tarnes knew why; it was because Thorin had sent two letters. One for Fili and Kili, and the other for Tarnes.
In the letter, Thorin stated that the members of the Lonely Mountain expedition had been fully assembled, with only Fili and Kili yet to return. Thus, this time, they were to go back.
Thorin also mentioned that he would do his utmost to make one last attempt with the representatives of the seven dwarf kingdoms. If they still disagreed, Thorin would ignore them and set off immediately with the members of the expedition.
Finally, Thorin mentioned that Gandalf had already sent him a letter, telling him to notify his expedition members to head to Hobbiton in the Shire.
The reason was that the master burglar Gandalf had found was in Hobbiton.
When Tarnes read this passage, the leisurely figure of Bilbo Baggins came to mind, as Gandalf knew him as well.
However, Tarnes didn't believe Bilbo Baggins was the burglar. He could see that Bilbo was just a very ordinary, normal person, with no thieving skills whatsoever.
Therefore, Tarnes assumed Gandalf had chosen another hobbit in Hobbiton.
Not long after Fili and Kili said their goodbyes, a thrush flew into the Golden Tree's territory.
It flew nimbly into Stormveil Castle, found the window of the lord's hall, and stood on the windowsill, tilting its cute little brown head. It looked into the hall, chirped melodiously, and then tapped the transparent glass with its beak.
"Hmm?"
Tarnes looked up at the sound and discovered the thrush and the small paper tube tied securely to its leg.
He smiled, picked a few raisins from the fruit bowl on the table, and walked to the window, opening it.
The thrush was not afraid of Tarnes at all, chirping as it hopped onto his outstretched palm and happily pecked at the raisins.
Tarnes untied the small paper tube from the thrush's leg and opened it to find Gandalf's familiar handwriting.
My dear Tarnes,
It is time to begin a great adventure. I invite you to Hobbiton to attend the departure feast for the Lonely Mountain expedition.
As for the location, you and I are both very familiar with it—it's at the home of our mutual acquaintance, Bilbo Baggins. Be careful not to be late, or the dwarves will start feasting early. However, I think if they know you are coming, they will surely wait patiently for you.
Your eternal friend,
Gandalf.
Gandalf's letter was short this time, but its content was very important.
Tarnes gently stroked the thrush's head, causing the little bird to chirp happily again.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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