Inside Stormveil.
Sellen yawned her goodbyes and walked towards her room, leaving Arthur alone.
Arthur noticed that Stormveil seemed to have been renovated quite a bit during his absence.
Torches baked the stone-carved dome to an amber glow, and the Erdtree emblem, refracted by the stained-glass windows, spread across the entire west wall.
The metallic scales of the Storm Knight and soldier armor rustled with each step, while several attendants bowed to wipe away dirt from the gaps in the floor tiles.
"Lord Arthur!"
Without exception, upon seeing Arthur, they all respectfully and sincerely saluted him.
Arthur, remembering his status as lord, responded to their calls and salutes with a smile.
After Arthur left, the two Storm Knights exchanged excited glances.
"Did Lord Arthur just greet me?"
"You're wrong, he greeted both of us."
"Don't be ridiculous, he was clearly looking at me just now, not at you. I heard before that Lord Arthur is preparing to launch an expedition to support an ally. Do you think he chose me to be part of the vanguard?"
"…I think you might still be half-asleep. Calm down."
"Alright, I admit that's indeed my fantasy… But once Lord Arthur gives the order, I'll definitely be the first to join the expeditionary force."
Arthur was unaware that news of the expedition to the Lonely Mountain had already spread shortly after Gandalf arrived in the territory.
So when the two guards outside the City Lord Hall pushed open the door for Arthur and he walked in, he was stunned by the sight of everyone inside uniformly turning their heads.
Tar torches crackled with sparks in the iron candelabras, and a wave of heat washed over him, instantly causing his armor to fog up.
Inside the City Lord Hall, it wasn't just Nepheli Loux, whom he had notified, but also Edgar, the Lord of Morne Castle, Kenneth Haight, the Lord of Haight Fort, and even several Godrick Knights and Storm Knights responsible for the passes and outposts.
Rogier and D were not present; he didn't know where they had gone.
The lion hybrid guarding Limgrave Greatbridge was also absent.
"Lord Arthur!"
Edgar and the others immediately rose from their seats upon seeing Arthur and respectfully saluted him.
Nepheli Loux also showed a "finally you're back" expression, unhesitatingly stood up from the City Lord's seat, and patted the back of the chair: "You're finally back, Arthur. I didn't expect you to be gone for so long."
Arthur nodded in greeting, motioning for Edgar and the others to sit back down, then walked over and replied with a smile: "I didn't expect to be gone this long either. This world is truly amazing. Bernal and I experienced quite a few exciting adventures on the way. I'll tell you about them sometime."
Upon hearing this, Nepheli Loux asked, "Did Bernal and the others not return with you?"
Arthur, now seated in the City Lord's position, shook his head: "No, they are still in a place called Lake-town."
The others seated around the council table immediately looked at the unrolled map scroll on the table and quickly found the location of Lake-town.
Kenneth Haight still spoke in his exaggerated operatic tone: "So that's it, so that's it. Lord Arthur, you went to such a distant place; no wonder you needed to leave the territory for nearly a year."
Edgar mused: "So, the enemies we are about to face are the giant dragon in the Lonely Mountain and the orc army, but our allies are only the Dwarves…"
Arthur then motioned for Nepheli Loux to come closer and quietly asked, "Why are they all here? I remember I only told the soldiers to notify you."
Nepheli Loux pulled at the corners of her mouth, revealing a bitter smile: "You wouldn't know, but after your wizard friend named 'Gandalf' brought a severely injured dwarf here, the news of his request for the Erdtree to launch an expedition spread throughout the entire territory. Then these fellows inexplicably became excited and have been waiting for you to return and lead them on the campaign."
Alright, so that was it.
Arthur looked back at the council table, finding that even the most composed Kenneth Haight had an excited look in his eyes.
So Arthur began: "As you all are thinking, I have returned this time to discuss the expedition to the Lonely Mountain. First, I must inform you that regardless of whether we launch this expedition or not, the Eriador region is already our Erdtree's legitimate territory. Every grain of sand in that land will be protected by the Erdtree. Led by the Steward of Gondor, all the nobles of Gondor have signed and acknowledged this point."
He then looked at Nepheli Loux and asked, "How is the situation at Limgrave Greatbridge?"
Nepheli Loux immediately replied: "Limgrave Greatbridge was already rebuilt by the Misbegotten four months ago, but currently, it temporarily lacks ships and related personnel."
Arthur waved his hand: "It doesn't matter. Anyway, I currently have no plans to send people out to sea. Thorndale's location is between Minhiriath and the Eriador region. We will use it as a base to send personnel to manage the Eriador region."
Nepheli Loux reminded him: "With our current personnel, just managing Minhiriath is already stretched thin. You also need to summon more people from the Erdtree to this world."
Arthur nodded: "I also plan to do that this time. How far has the Erdtree's territory expanded now?"
It was still Nepheli Loux who answered, pointing to the map on the council table: "The central part of Minhiriath is currently largely under our control, but this is not the extent of the Erdtree's blessing; it's just how much our current personnel can manage. According to reports from the soldiers, the Erdtree's blessed area seems to be limited to Minhiriath. The Dwarves of the Blue Mountains have also cooperated with us to build a new trade route. Currently, this trade route is patrolled daily by Kenneth Haight. Besides that, the natives in the Eriador Forest still refuse to communicate with us."
Then, Nepheli Loux paused, and with a strange expression, added: "Also, not long ago, Rivendell sent a group of Elves, led by Elrond's two children. They also brought a young human boy named 'Estel,' but he claims to be your student. Although Gandalf and Elrond sent separate letters explaining your time in Rivendell, since there was no token from you, we could only temporarily let him live in the Elves' encampment."
Arthur slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing: "Ah, Estel, he is indeed a student I took in Rivendell. I originally wanted to write a letter myself and send it back, but I was in too much of a hurry at the time and forgot."
At that time, it was Gandalf who urged him, making Arthur take Thorin and the others away from Rivendell.
Later, Arthur almost forgot he even had such a student waiting for him.
Kenneth Haight lightly coughed at this moment and tactfully said, "Lord Arthur, if you continue to leave the territory for such long periods in the future, I sincerely suggest that you send a letter back to the territory every half a month. After all, your current identity is our Lord, and there are many matters that we dare not decide for you without your personal judgment. Moreover, we have been truly worried about you, not knowing your situation for such a long time."
Upon hearing these words, Arthur immediately felt ashamed.
He indeed should not have been away for so long; it was probably his previous nomadic life as a tarnished that had influenced him too deeply, making him feel that it was fine to leave his territory for such an extended period.
So Arthur said to Kenneth Haight, "I apologize for making you worry. If similar situations occur again, I will arrange everything in advance."
Kenneth Haight immediately waved his hand, flattered, "I didn't mean to make you apologize. After all, you must have your reasons for doing so. I was merely offering a small suggestion."
To ease the awkward atmosphere, Nepheli Loux playfully said to Arthur, "Alright, next time, let me have such an opportunity. Arthur, you've kept me in this position for almost a year. Next time there's something fun, I should get priority."
Arthur agreed, "Of course."
Nepheli Loux nodded, then her smile faded, and she said seriously, "So, how do you plan to proceed with supporting the Dwarves?"
Everyone around the council table, hearing Nepheli Loux's words, also straightened up, simultaneously looking at Arthur with eager eyes.
They all hoped to participate in this expedition, as it was the Erdtree's first expedition to this world, and Arthur, the embodiment of the Erdtree's will, would personally lead it.
With these two important factors combined, it was no wonder they were so excited.
But Arthur said in a deep voice, "For this support mission, I will summon a new army to accompany me. As for the Golden Tree Territory's original army... I will also summon some more soldiers to be on standby at all times. Kenneth, how many soldiers can the Golden Tree Territory's current food supply sustain for a war?"
Kenneth Haight immediately recited, as if from memory, "If it's a thousand-man army, food can be supplied continuously. But if the number of soldiers exceeds 3,000, then I suggest the war should ideally end within two months, so as not to harm the foundation of our current territory. If you intend to lead an army of over 5,000, then I still recommend that you end the war within one month."
He then added, "Of course, the armies I'm referring to are calculated based on the daily rations consumed by ordinary human soldiers. If there are war machines like Trolls in the army, the food consumption will double. However, even normal soldiers from The Lands Between, from my observation, consume much more food than the humans who have joined us from this world. This is all thanks to the rapid growth of crops within the Golden Tree Territory, which allows us to bear the consumption of soldiers from The Lands Between, and even have surplus crops for export."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully, "I understand. I will take what you've said into consideration."
Nepheli Loux asked, "So, who do you plan to summon?"
Arthur answered without hesitation, "If you ask who the strongest enemy in my mind is, it's hard for me to give an answer. But if you ask who is best at commanding an army, then there is undoubtedly only one choice—General Radahn the Starscourge Radahn."
Nepheli Loux was silent for a moment, then frowned and asked, "I admit you're right. Both General Radahn and his Red Lion Legion are among the best in terms of individual strength and military prowess. But can you be sure that Radahn will obey your commands? The Red Lion Legion is also an army extremely loyal to him. If Radahn is unwilling to obey your commands, the Red Lion Legion certainly won't obey you either."
Arthur, however, said very confidently, "He's merely a defeated foe. Besides, I have other candidates. It's just that I value Radahn's military command ability more than his personal strength. Both Thorin and Gandalf have mentioned to me that the enemy we face this time is Azog, the most intelligent and cunning general among the orcs. That's why I decided to choose Radahn, who is more outstanding in military aspects."
Another point was that Arthur felt that against a dragon like Smaug, who flew around everywhere in the sky, General Radahn's gravity magic would surely give the opponent a big surprise.
Nepheli Loux shrugged, "If you think it's fine, then it's fine. Do you need me to stand by your side for this summoning?"
Arthur shook his head slightly, "No, for a hero like Radahn, facing him directly is far better than fearing him."
He then stood up and instructed Kenneth Haight and the others, "I've finished discussing the main matters. As for the remaining minor details, you can discuss them and then submit them to me for a decision. Kenneth Haight, based on the Red Lion army, prepare the provisions they will need for the expedition. Edgar, while Kenneth is busy with the provisions, the patrol of the dwarf trade route will temporarily be handled by you from Morne Castle."
"Yes," Kenneth Haight and Edgar simultaneously stood up and responded to Arthur.
Nepheli Loux watched Arthur's departing figure, and finally, still uneasy, walked to the window and whistled.
Outside the window, several Storm Hawk cries came cheerfully, then they flapped their wings and circled towards the courtyard.
If anything truly went wrong, these Storm Hawks would support Arthur immediately, at least buying him some time.
Arthur returned to the courtyard where the Erdtree was located. He closed his eyes, and Redmane Castle, always surrounded by flames and desolation, appeared in his mind.
At the same time, Arthur also perceived that he could summon buildings from The Lands Between to a much farther and wider location; almost the entire central Minhiriath was within his range for deploying buildings, which happened to be the exact area Nepheli had pointed out on the map in the City Lord Hall.
As for the restrictions Nepheli Loux mentioned, they also seemed to have disappeared.
Arthur could feel that the Erdtree's protective range was beginning to extend to the Eriador region where Limgrave Greatbridge was located.
Clearly, because the Eriador region was recognized as the Erdtree's territory, the inexplicable range restriction Nepheli Loux had mentioned disappeared.
To summon Radahn, Redmane Castle would certainly have to be summoned first.
The reserve of Grace was definitely sufficient; not to mention that his soul collector was already full of souls, just the Grace accumulated by the Erdtree over such a long period was enough for him to summon Redmane Castle and Radahn.
[Do you confirm summoning Redmane Castle?]
Confirm.
Arthur silently affirmed in his mind.
Come, General Radahn the Starscourge Radahn, if you still don't submit, I will crush you once more.