After the pain in Millison's body slightly subsided, she gave Arthur a weak smile: "Thank you, Arthur…"
Arthur met Millison's golden eyes, nodded his head, and asked, "Have all your memories returned?"
Millison nodded, her eyes filled with recollection: "Yes, those memories appeared just now along with the pain of the Scarlet Rot… Although I don't know how you came here, congratulations, you ultimately did not bow to fate and chose your own path."
Then she revealed a bright, relaxed smile: "So, what do you need me to do for you this time?"
Arthur also smiled, took out a finely crafted Golden Prosthesis from his spatial backpack, handed it over, and said, "Do you remember what you told me after you recovered? You said you wanted to travel."
What he took out was precisely the Valkyrie's Prosthesis.
Millison took the Valkyrie's Prosthesis with her single arm, a nostalgic expression on her face as she said, "You still kept this… Yes, I remember that, but I never thought I would say the exact same thing to you eight times."
She looked at Arthur, and Arthur immediately leaned over to help Millison put on the prosthesis.
While helping Millison put on the Golden Prosthesis, Arthur said, "Therefore, this time I invite you to a new adventure. Although the ultimate destination of this journey is to face a Dragon, I don't think you will refuse."
"I can't find a reason to refuse. My sword is still willing to swing for you," Millison replied with a smile after putting on the Golden Prosthesis, moving it slightly.
She raised her prosthetic hand, deftly pulled a hair tie from her pocket, and tied back her loose crimson hair into a short, single ponytail.
Then Millison looked up at the Erdtree and the Shadow Tree and said, "I have never seen the Erdtree like this. It seems many stories have happened since I left. Perhaps I should call you Elden Lord now?"
Arthur smiled bitterly: "That's true, but please don't tease me like that. With our friendship, the title Elden Lord is too distant. Just keep calling me Arthur."
Millison smiled faintly: "I remember the Valkyrie Malenia called herself Miquella's Blade. Perhaps I should call myself 'Arthur' Blade.' Hmm, that name doesn't seem bad?"
Arthur nodded and said, "If you don't mind, you can call yourself that to outsiders, but between us, it's better to call each other by name. Next, I'm going to summon another friend; he's also a companion I've chosen for this adventure."
Millison asked curiously, "Who is it?"
Arthur said, "Dragon Warrior Igon. It's normal that you don't know him, because I met him later in the Shadowland."
Shadowland?
Millison silently noted down this name she had never heard before, then watched as Arthur placed his hand on the now very thick Erdtree trunk, and a golden figure quickly appeared beside him.
This figure had a large bow on his back, tightly bound with two Dragon bones using grass rope, its surface covered with countless claw marks.
The quiver was filled with large arrows made of sharp broken stones, which slightly surprised Millison.
Because she knew these broken stones could only be found in territories where Ancient Dragons roamed, indicating that this person frequently entered Ancient Dragon territories.
However, the armor the other party wore was somewhat shabby; rather than armor meant to protect the body, it was more like a patchwork of irregularly shaped armor fragments.
Igon's face was hidden beneath a tattered conical hat. After clearly seeing Arthur, he, like Millison when she was just summoned, confusedly called out Arthur's name.
But soon, memories flooded into Igon's mind, and the dying roar of the Mad Dragon Bayle, still unwilling to admit his death, along with the booming thunder and fire, echoed in his mind.
"Hahahahaha! Mad Dragon Bayle!!! You finally died! Died by human hands!! The Dragon Warrior is the embodiment of your fear!!!"
Igon didn't care about the extra memories; he only knew that the Mad Dragon Bayle had been successfully hunted by him and Arthur, and he let out a hearty laugh.
Arthur did not interrupt Igon's laughter but patiently waited until the other party's voice became hoarse before saying, "Feel better, Igon?"
"Hahaha, much better! Arthur, this old man's wish has been fulfilled. This life is yours to command!" Igon grinned happily.
Arthur then revealed a mysterious smile: "Don't rush, Igon. What if I told you I summoned you because there's still a Dragon harming living beings in this world?"
Igon revealed a ferocious smile, widening his golden vertical pupils: "Then this old man will use my 'harpoon' to show this Dragon what a Dragon Warrior is! What true fear is!"
"Harpoon?" Millison couldn't help but ask.
Arthur explained, "It's the large arrows Igon made himself in the quiver on his back, not the fishing harpoon you're imagining."
Millison showed an expression of "that makes more sense," otherwise she would have been wondering which flying Dragon could be harpooned to death.
Igon noticed Millison then and asked, "Is she also a helper you found for slaying Dragons? I can see she's a battle-hardened warrior. But facing those Dragons, just being battle-hardened isn't enough."
Millison wasn't angry; instead, she humbly said, "You're right, Dragon Warrior. I've only killed one Lava Wyrm with Arthur. Regarding how to deal with enemies flying in the sky, your experience is undoubtedly greater than mine. I hope to learn this knowledge from you on this journey."
Igon laughed loudly: "Of course, no problem, humble swordsman! I heartily welcome new Dragon Warriors to join us."
Millison heard this and looked at Arthur, asking, "You also have the Dragon Warrior identity? When did you join?"
Actually, I have many identities.
Arthur silently complained in his heart.
However, Millison immediately shook her head and said, "That question was redundant. The memories in my mind tell me that every time I see you, your identity is different. From a Caria Knight to a Pureblood Knight, or a Carian Royal Family Inquisitor… I'm not surprised at all that you've become a Dragon Warrior."
Arthur shrugged, deciding to change the subject: "You've just been summoned here, and there's a lot you don't understand. I'll show you around here, and on the way, I'll explain the basic situation of this world to you. We can also meet Bernal; he's also a member of this expedition."
Igon looked around, and as he walked, he said, "I still recognize this city, Stormveil Castle, the city of the Storm King. But after the Shadowland was sealed off, I don't know what happened here. What's the situation with The Lands Between? I noticed that this place doesn't seem to be The Lands Between I remember."
Millison, on the other hand, expressed her great interest in Arthur's experiences after her death, and Arthur proceeded to tell them both things they didn't know.
Time flew by once more, and another month passed.
During this time, just as Gandalf had reminded Arthur before, human merchant caravans from the East continued to arrive, either from Rohan or Gondor.
They all initially came with the intention of dealing with the wizard, just like Gaye, not expecting to buy anything good to take back.
However, the fruits and vegetables produced in the Golden Tree Territory were truly the best they had ever seen and tasted, so these merchants happily purchased large quantities of easily storable fruits and vegetables.
Moreover, coupled with the handicrafts made by the dwarves, including toys, the merchants actually made a considerable profit on this trip.
Their only regret was that although they saw the rare Elves, these Elves were not willing to communicate or trade with them.
But if you were to say who was the most miserable among these merchants, it would still be Gaye.
Because all the goods Gaye brought were fruits, and these fruits, after a long journey, no matter how easy to store, could not compare in taste to fresh ones.
What's more, the fruits in the Golden Tree Territory were of much better quality than the fruits Gaye brought, which gave this merchant a headache when he discovered this.
Although he was truly sent by his family to build connections with the wizard, Gaye also didn't want to earn no money at all.
Fortunately, the flower seeds he brought could still be sold.
Although the dwarves of the Blue Mountains and the humans who fled to the Erdtree, like Mills, were not interested in flower seeds, some Golden Nobles and Elves highly praised the flower seeds Gaye brought.
Gaye was right; the flowers blooming in his hometown, Lossarnach, were indeed beautiful.
However, Gaye hadn't been happy for long before he was immediately doused with cold water.
Because he noticed that after a week, no one came to buy his flower seeds anymore, and even the Golden Nobles with whom he had become somewhat familiar politely declined.
Then, the reason brought back by his subordinates, whom he sent to investigate the situation, surprised Gaye greatly, because his subordinates reported that those flower seeds had already turned into blooming flowers, one after another.
Gaye initially didn't believe it, but it wasn't until he personally watched the flowers he planted bloom within a week that he completely gave up hope.
However, at the same time, this also made Gaye understand the magical nature of this wizard's territory, filling him with awe but not discouragement, and he decided to plant all the remaining flower seeds he brought, especially those with longer pre-flowering maturity periods.
He planned to make them into exquisite specimens after these flower seeds matured and sell them in other cities within Gondor.
When Arthur learned about this through Kenneth Haight, he couldn't help but exclaim at Gaye's incredibly flexible business acumen.
If Gaye knew Arthur's evaluation of him, he would certainly be delighted, because it would mean that he had left an impression in Arthur's mind, and his purpose for coming this time would have been achieved.
Aside from the arrival of these human merchant caravans, Arthur also summoned a new location in The Lands Between within this month.
Morne Tunnel, which is a mine.
With the existence of Morne Tunnel, Arthur no longer had to worry about the wear and tear of his soldiers' weapons and equipment.
And Fili and Kili also bid farewell to Arthur and Bernal this month, temporarily interrupting their Battle Skill studies.
Arthur also knew why, because Thorin had sent two letters. One to Fili and Kili, and the other to Arthur.
In the letter, Thorin said that all members of the Lonely Mountain Expedition had been gathered, with only Fili and Kili remaining, and therefore, this time, he was asking Fili and Kili to return.
Thorin also said that he would do his utmost to make one last attempt with the representatives of the seven dwarf kingdoms. If they still did not agree, Thorin would no longer bother with them but would immediately set off with the members of the Lonely Mountain Expedition.
Finally, Thorin mentioned that Gandalf had sent him a letter, asking him to inform the members of his expedition to go to Hobbiton in the Shire.
The reason was that the master burglar Gandalf found was in Hobbiton.
When Arthur saw this text, the leisurely figure of Bilbo Baggins came to his mind, because Gandalf also knew him.
However, Arthur did not believe that Bilbo Baggins was the burglar; he could see that Bilbo was simply a very ordinary, normal person who knew nothing about thievery.
Therefore, Arthur thought Gandalf had chosen another hobbit in Hobbiton.
Soon after Fili and Kili said their goodbyes, a thrush flew into the Golden Tree Territory.
It cleverly flew into Stormveil Castle, found the window of the City Lord Hall, stood by the window, cocked its cute little brown head, looked into the City Lord Hall, made a pleasant chirping sound, and then tapped the transparent glass with its beak.
"Hmm?"
Arthur looked up, following the sound, and discovered the thrush and the small paper cylinder firmly tied to its claw.
He smiled, then picked up a few raisins from the fruit plate on the table, walked to the window, and opened the tightly closed window.
The thrush was not afraid of Arthur at all; it directly chirped and hopped into his outstretched palm, happily pecking at the raisins.
Arthur untied the small paper cylinder from the thrush's claw, opened it, and saw Gandalf's familiar handwriting.
"My dearest Arthur, it is time for a great adventure. I invite you to Hobbiton for the departure feast of the Lonely Mountain Expedition. Regarding the location, you and I are both familiar with it; it's at the home of Bilbo Baggins, whom we both know well. Be careful not to be late, or the dwarves will start enjoying the food early. However, I think if they knew you were coming too, they would certainly wait patiently for you."
"Your eternal friend, Gandalf."
Gandalf's letter this time was not long, but its content was very important.
Arthur gently stroked the thrush's head, making the little bird chirp with joy again.