"Before I answer your questions, I need to introduce you to some information about this world, especially the dwarves and Elves," Arthur said, rubbing his temples.
Then, with explanations from Arthur and Nepheli Loux, and occasional additions from Kenneth Haight, Radahn gained a general understanding of this world.
Nepheli Loux picked up the tea served by the maidservant on the council table, drank it in one gulp, and let out a long sigh, saying, "When you have time, you can go explore the city yourself. Arthur's territory has attracted many dwarves and Elves, so many that they have formed their own residential areas. Of course, the humans of this world are the same. As for a more detailed understanding, I suggest visiting the castle's library; it has recently added many books related to the knowledge of this world."
Arthur asked in surprise, "Ah? Where did these books come from?"
Nepheli Loux put down her teacup and replied, "Some were brought by dwarf and human merchants who came to the Golden Tree Territory for trade, some were books compiled by the Elves themselves and given to us, and the rest were brought back from outside by your friends Rogier and D."
Arthur suddenly realized, "No wonder I haven't seen Rogier and D. What are they doing now?"
Nepheli Loux shrugged, "Who knows? I haven't asked them what exactly they are doing, I only know that they often leave the Golden Tree Territory, and from time to time, some humans come to seek refuge."
Kenneth Haight spoke up at this moment, "I know a bit about this. Sir D told me that he is outside promoting the greatness of the Erdtree for Lord Arthur."
Nepheli Loux sighed, "That's why every now and then, humans come to seek refuge as a whole village… Alright, let's put this topic aside for now. Let's first answer General Radahn's previous questions."
Radahn, however, indicated that he didn't mind, but would rather discuss these things after the important matters were concluded.
Arthur looked at Radahn, "Tell me your previous questions, one by one, slowly."
Radahn nodded, asking his previous doubts, and Arthur answered them one by one, also briefly explaining the entire journey he took to Lonely Mountain.
After all the questions were answered, Radahn fell into thought.
He shook his head and said, "So, originally, those dwarves only wanted to retrieve the jewel symbolizing the king's power from the Dragon, and you only promised to help them slay the Dragon… I didn't expect things to escalate to the point of war. Never mind, there's nothing to complain about in gaining a large new territory."
Radahn's gaze returned to the map of Middle-earth on the council table, lingering on the location of Lonely Mountain.
He said in a deep voice, "The geographical location of Lonely Mountain is extremely crucial. Once it is fully occupied by the orc, the situation in the north will become precarious. The surrounding humans, Elves, and dwarves will lose the initiative and can only defend passively, while the orc can use the advantage of Lonely Mountain to launch attacks at any time."
Radahn paused, then continued, "Therefore, merely supporting our dwarf allies and eliminating the enemies outside Lonely Mountain is far from enough. We must attack Lonely Mountain and retake it to truly achieve our strategic goal. Otherwise, the orc only needs to hold Lonely Mountain and wait for subsequent reinforcements, and this war will fall into a quagmire of prolonged conflict. This is not what I want to see."
Arthur nodded, keenly catching the two layers of deeper meaning in Radahn's words.
Firstly, Radahn believed that in the initial stage of the war, retaking Lonely Mountain should be the core objective. They should strike the orc by surprise before they realize their intentions, capture Lonely Mountain in one fell swoop, just like seizing a crucial chess piece at the beginning of a game to lay the foundation for victory in the subsequent battle.
Secondly, Radahn also made his stance clear: if the war unfortunately devolved into a prolonged war of attrition, they would absolutely not allow themselves to be deeply entangled in it.
After all, Lonely Mountain was ultimately the home and territory of the dwarves. They came to support as an assisting arm, not as the main force to be consumed by the war, and would not allow their compatriots to bleed and sacrifice endlessly in this war of attrition that did not belong to them.
"I understand what you mean, Radahn," Arthur nodded slightly.
Radahn also nodded slightly, then asked, "So, how many brave and fearless warriors of the Red Lion Legion do you plan to summon? I hope you can also summon my Deputy Ogha. With him by my side, I can confidently entrust many matters to him, like entrusting a heavy burden to a strong packhorse. Hmm, and also my Imperial Knight, Freya, and my old friend Jerian; they are all extremely capable assistants of mine."
He listed the names of his former subordinates one by one, his golden pupils burning with eager anticipation, looking directly at Arthur, hoping he would grant his request.
Arthur silently calculated the remaining Grace in his mind. After a moment, he pondered slightly and said, "Twenty Red Lion Knights, plus seven hundred King's Army soldiers and two thousand one hundred auxiliary soldiers. Is this lineup enough?"
Radahn seemed to already have an answer in his heart; he replied without hesitation, "If there are war machines at my disposal, such as mobile arrow towers and trebuchets, that would be even better. However, two thousand one hundred auxiliary soldiers is indeed too many. In my experience, one King's Army soldier paired with two auxiliary soldiers is sufficient for various tasks. Whether assisting with armor or operating machinery, one thousand four hundred auxiliary soldiers would be enough. In that case, for the extra seven hundred auxiliary soldier slots, could you exchange them for Lion Guard and Trolls? How many can you exchange?"
Arthur quickly recalculated in his mind and then replied, "Then let's exchange them for three Lion Guard and five Troll Knights."
Radahn carefully weighed it in his mind, then nodded with satisfaction, "Hmm, that's enough. If used properly, the role these three Lion Guard and five Troll Knights can play will certainly far exceed that of the seven hundred auxiliary soldiers."
Kenneth Haight interjected into their conversation at this moment, "Please forgive me for joining your conversation, Lord Arthur, General Radahn. I heard you mention war machines, but I must remind you that there are no such machines as General Radahn mentioned in Stormveil City right now."
Radahn's thick brows furrowed slightly, but Arthur smiled, signaling Kenneth Haight to rest assured.
Arthur said, "I understand your concern, Kenneth Haight. But rest assured, everything General Radahn mentioned has already been prepared, it's just not inside Stormveil City."
Kenneth Haight's face showed a puzzled expression, but Nepheli Loux said thoughtfully, "Hmm… so, General Radahn's city—Redmane Castle—has also been summoned by you?"
Arthur nodded, "Of course, it's just that the Erdtree can now provide a very large area of protection, so I didn't summon it near the Erdtree."
He looked up at Radahn, whose face showed a slight stir upon hearing the name "Redmane Castle," and pointed to the location on the map, saying, "Your Redmane Castle is right here, above Limgrave Greatbridge, and to its east is the wide Greywater River."
Radahn immediately memorized the location and nodded.
Arthur continued, "As for Freya and Jerian, whom you mentioned, I can also summon them to assist us. However, Ogha... I cannot be certain if he will answer the call."
Freya can definitely be summoned. Arthur remembered meeting this warrior from the Red Lion Legion in Shadowland, and summoning her naturally requires Shadow Grace.
Arthur hadn't used Shadow Grace to summon anything for nearly a year, so he was certain that his reserves of Shadow Grace were plentiful.
He suspected that Shadow Grace might even be able to summon Mesmer along with his city and army now.
But as before, considering that the residents of The Lands Between are unaware of Shadowland, to avoid unrest, Arthur had to at least summon the forces from Shadowland after this Lonely Mountain expedition concluded.
And summoning Jerian was even easier; he just had to avoid Jerian meeting his teacher, Sellen.
He wondered what Jerian would think when his memory returned and he saw himself, Sellen's apprentice, helping his teacher kill Jerian multiple times.
In Arthur's memory, whenever he stood by his teacher Sellen's side, Jerian would always accuse him, with a tone of regret mixed with heartache, that he would inevitably become an enemy of Caria in the future, his words full of sorrow and helplessness.
He just wondered what kind of wonderful expression would be on Jerian's face when he saw the wedding ring on his finger, which belonged to the Lunar Princess, also known as Lani, the Princess of Caria.
Suddenly, Arthur remembered that Radahn was Lani's brother.
It's probably best not to reveal this in front of Jerian.
Arthur thought with a strange sense of guilt.
Radahn's expression seemed to freeze for a moment. After a brief pause, he said softly with a hint of regret and pity, "So that's it... During those long years when I was corroded by the Scarlet Rot, struggling in the abyss of madness, has Ogha actually fallen?"
Arthur consoled him, "Although I don't know exactly how Ogha sacrificed himself, his powerful soul did not return to the Erdtree; instead, it remained to continue fighting. Ogha's soul is resting with me now, and I think he must still wish to see you again, waiting for his soul to shine brightly once more."
Radahn's expression finally softened slightly. He sighed, "So he became a spirit, an existence at your command? That's good, it's much better than completely vanishing from the world without a trace."
At this moment, Arthur's gaze turned to Kenneth Haight, and he asked in a deep voice, "The number of soldiers for our current expedition has been determined. How is your food supply situation?"
Kenneth Haight bowed slightly, his expression confident and respectful, responding like an opera performer, "Please rest assured, my lords! From the moment you set out, the matter of provisions will never be a concern for you. Haight Fort will be the solid backing for the provisions of this expedition! A continuous supply will flow like a steady stream, never drying up, ensuring every warrior is well-fed before heading to the battlefield!"
Arthur nodded slightly, turning his gaze to Radahn, and asked in a deep voice, "Do you have any more questions? If not, then come with me again to the courtyard where the Erdtree is located, and I will summon the Red Lion Legion's soldiers into the world."
Kenneth Haight maintained his respectful posture and said, "Then I shall take my leave first. Once Lord Arthur has summoned General Radahn's army, I will immediately lead the soldiers of Haight Fort to deliver all the prepared provisions without the slightest delay."
Nepheli Loux's face couldn't hide a hint of boredom, and she said helplessly, "Alright, you all have things to do. I'll just endure a little longer and temporarily sit on that lord's seat, continuing to be this acting lord for a few more days, enjoying the breeze from the top of Stormveil's high towers, accompanied by war hawks, just for entertainment."
Arthur cleared his throat and said, "Once this war concludes, I will take you to Lonely Mountain, Nepheli Loux. At that time, you will be able to escape the trivialities of being a lord."
"I hope so, as long as you don't suddenly disappear for so long again."
Stormveil Castle's courtyard was already too small to accommodate so many people, and with the Erdtree now occupying most of the space, the Red Lion Legion could only temporarily use the training grounds of Storm Legion within Stormveil Castle for assembly.
Some of the Red Lion Knights, originally more hot-tempered, had some complaints about this, but when they saw General Radahn, whose expression was no longer manic but full of reason, their initial complaints were immediately swallowed back down.
As long as General Radahn was well, they had no complaints.
Loyalty!
The red armor worn by the soldiers of the Red Lion Legion burned like a scorching flame in the training grounds.
Whether they were Red Lion Knights, Radahn's Royal Army soldiers, or auxiliary troops, all of them stood tall and straight like pines, their eyes firm and sharp, like leopards staring at their prey.
Especially when General Radahn stood before them, their gaze towards him burned with an almost fanatical expression, bright like torches in the night.
The red armor shone dazzlingly under the Erdtree's light, like flowing magma. Every Texture on their armor was a medal of their baptism by war, silently telling untold stories of courage and loyalty.
The banner of the Red Lion Legion fluttered in the wind, the lion emblem on it baring its fangs and claws, its vibrant red like an unquenchable flame.
The broad blades of the greatswords trembled slightly in the wind, and the tips of the polearms pointed directly at the sky.
But without exception, all these weapons were held tightly in the soldiers' hands, and they yearned for General Radahn's command.
"Roar—"
A ferocious roar, filled with murderous intent, shook the training grounds, like a thunderclap exploding on flat ground.
Three Lion Guards were brought to the training grounds by Arthur; they exuded a wild aura, their black fur standing on end.
And behind Arthur, five Troll Knights stood in silence, like five silent stone statues, each carrying a Golden Greatsword, following closely.
The moment the Lion Guards' wild eyes met Radahn's gaze, it was as if a silence spell had been cast, and they instantly quieted down.
They, who had just been baring their fangs and claws and exuding a fierce aura, were now as docile as obedient kittens, prostrating themselves on the ground. Their sharp claws had also quietly retracted, leaving only a pair of submissive eyes, fixed on Radahn, awaiting the command of this demigod of The Lands Between.