Arthur asked in confusion, "Black Gate? Where is that?"
Nepheli Loux glanced at Bilbo before saying, "According to the map your hobbit friend gave us, the Black Gate, also known as Morannon or the Gate of Mordor, is located northwest of the Ash Mountains, and the Ash Mountains are in the southeast of Middle-earth. Theoretically, that place should now be full of orcs and other dangerous dark creatures."
Legolas added after hearing Nepheli Loux's words, "Black Gate? I've heard of that place. For the past few years, a group of Dunedain human rangers have been stationed there to prevent orcs from Mordor from coming out. If my memory serves me correctly, the human kingdom called 'Gondor' is also providing assistance to these human rangers."
Then Legolas paused, worried that Arthur might not yet understand the situation at the Black Gate, and added, "Do you still remember the Ringwraiths I fought with Sir Bernal and Sir Igon in Lake-town? The masters of these Ringwraiths should be within Mordor, inside the Black Gate."
Now he understood.
Arthur nodded vigorously, "I understand, but I really don't have any spare time to go to such a distant place recently."
He raised his hand and pointed back at the large but empty Royal Capital Leyndell, saying, "I need to first solve the problem of the severe shortage of available manpower in our territory."
Nepheli Loux sighed, "It's good that you know... After Bernal returned the Storm Legion to me, he also gave me a message, saying that the human lord of Dale hopes you will send a legion to be stationed there. I hope you can resolve this matter as soon as possible."
Then Nepheli Loux remembered something and said, "Oh, right, regarding the Storm Legion, Oleg seems to have something to report to you."
Arthur nodded, "Speak."
Nepheli Loux turned to look at Oleg, who had been silent by her side, and said to him, "Just tell Arthur directly whatever it is."
Oleg took a step forward, then bowed slightly to Arthur, and said respectfully, "Lord Arthur, the Storm Legion suffered 75 deaths and 1 severe injury in the battle with Lake-town. The problem I need to explain to you concerns this severely injured Storm Knight."
Arthur frowned, "What happened to this Storm Knight?"
Oleg thought for a moment and said, "He... suffered a very strange injury. Ordinary treatments cannot heal his wound. Lord Bernal noticed the Storm Knight's injury and cast Erdtree Prayers to treat him. However, after the continuous effect of the Prayers ended, the Storm Knight's wound recurred. Therefore, I humbly request if you could condescend to treat this Storm Knight? Yesterday, we only thought this was a simple curse, but from last night's treatment, it seems the situation is more complex."
Arthur was surprised and asked, "Even if he drinks the potion transformed from Grace, it can't be cured?"
Oleg replied, "When he drank the potion, the Storm Knight's injury healed instantly. But just like the Prayers cast by Lord Bernal, once the potion was absorbed into his body, the strange injury reappeared. Currently, this Storm Knight can only remain in an area rich in Grace; otherwise, his wound will recur as soon as he leaves."
Arthur became even more curious now. He agreed, "I understand. Life is at stake; take me to see what's going on right now."
Legolas listened to the conversation between the two, frowning in thought, until Arthur and the others mounted their horses. Then he quickly followed and said, "I might have some impression of the wound that knight sustained. Was this wound sustained in a battle with a Ringwraith?"
Oleg looked at Legolas in surprise and nodded, "Yes, after discovering that this wound was difficult to treat, the physician responsible for treating him immediately asked how the wound came about. The Storm Knight said that in order to restrict a Ringwraith's movement, he deliberately exchanged injuries, enduring a sword thrust from the opponent."
When Legolas heard that it was the reason he had thought of, his expression did not relax; instead, it became even more serious.
He explained to Arthur and Nepheli Loux, who were listening intently, "I've read in the books recorded in the Woodland Realm that among the Ringwraiths, there is an entity called the Angmar Witch-king, and the weapon he uses is called 'Morgul-blade.' A person stabbed by this weapon will have a part of the blade remain in the wound and continuously bore deeper until it pierces the heart. I think this is why that knight's wound has been constantly unable to heal."
Arthur frowned, "If it were just a curse, Grace should be able to heal it..."
Legolas looked at Arthur with a hint of admiration, "I do know a way to cure this kind of injury; it only requires a herb called 'Aseras.' Besides that, I have never heard of any method that can cure this kind of injury, not even a temporary cure. It is already beyond my expectation that your Golden Tree Territory can continuously suppress this knight's injury and prevent it from worsening."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully, "So there's this underlying reason..."
Nepheli Loux sighed and asked, "Let's not talk about that for now, Legolas. How do I obtain that herb you mentioned, 'Aseras'? Where does it grow, and is it hard to find? I don't want my warriors to lose their lives because of this inexplicable curse."
Legolas smiled and comforted her, "Please rest assured, Lady Nepheli Loux. Aseras is our Elvish name; in the Common Tongue, it is called 'Kingfoil,' and it appears frequently, especially within Gondor. However, many people in Gondor do not realize the medicinal uses of Kingfoil and only treat it as an herb for refreshing the mind. But precisely because of this, some Gondor traveling merchants like to sell this herb, and according to what I learned last night, your territory happens to have trade dealings with a Gondor merchant caravan skilled in growing flowers and herbs."
Nepheli Loux suddenly understood, "Ah, those very fragrant herbs? I remember them. I once bought a few bunches out of curiosity and had the maids in Stormveil Castle plant them in the ornamental gardens. So it has this use."
Arthur, hearing this, also understood that the Storm Knight's injury would not be serious and breathed a sigh of relief, thanking Legolas, "This is all thanks to our Elven friend. Legolas, without you, we might have been very troubled by this strange curse."
Legolas maintained his polite smile and replied, "It is my duty. My conscience cannot bear to see a warrior who fought against the Ringwraiths die from the Morgul-blade's curse."
Soon, Arthur and his party returned to Stormveil Castle and saw large patches of Kingfoil in the garden Nepheli Loux mentioned.
Legolas relayed to the attending physician the method of using King's Leaf for medicinal purposes. Arthur and the others followed behind the physician until they personally saw that the Storm Knight, who had been injured by the Angmar Witch-king, was indeed healed before they left the ward.
Arthur said to Nepheli Loux, "From Bernal's assessment of the Ringwraiths, they are a very dangerous enemy. Our soldiers will have a high chance of encountering them in the future, so I believe a dedicated plot of land should be designated within Stormveil Castle for planting King's Leaf. Furthermore, physicians in relevant fields should research pills similar to 'Poison Moss' and distribute them to the army. This would greatly reduce casualties among soldiers after battling the Ringwraiths."
Nepheli Loux nodded, "I had the same intention. Oleg, this matter will be specifically your responsibility. As for your patrol and defense duties for Stormveil Castle, hand over the work to Ingwell."
Oleg and Ingwell, who stood behind her like two door gods, immediately agreed.
However, both of them quickly looked at Nepheli Loux with troubled expressions, as if they wanted to speak but hesitated.
Nepheli Loux looked over and asked, "What's wrong? Just say whatever it is."
Oleg and his old friend Ingwell exchanged a knowing glance, and then Oleg spoke, "Lady Nepheli Loux, whether it's planting King's Leaf or patrolling Stormveil Castle, both require a large number of personnel… But currently, we really don't have too many soldiers available for deployment. Even counting the Storm Legion who just returned from the Lonely Mountain, it's barely enough."
Ingwell added, "Moreover, because the vast majority of the Storm Legion soldiers were previously deployed to the Lonely Mountain for the campaign, the remaining soldiers have been doing the work of three people each, basically working non-stop without even a moment to catch their breath."
Nepheli Loux, hearing them speak, remained silent, simply looking at Arthur.
Arthur, feeling overwhelmed, quickly said, "I know, I know, I'll figure out a way to solve it."
"Heh…"
Melina, standing behind Arthur, let out a soft laugh at this scene.
Then she stepped forward, lifted her skirt, and bowed slightly to Nepheli Loux, Oleg, and Ingwell, "Please give the tarnished Lord some time. He will gather personnel for you as quickly as possible, and I will also try to help."
Bilbo, who had been with Arthur and the others all along, smiled at Arthur and asked, "It seems you're going to be busy, Arthur?"
Arthur gave Bilbo an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, there are indeed too many things to do. I might not be able to personally accompany you on a tour of the Golden Tree Territory."
Bilbo, however, waved his hand understandingly and said, "You can't say that, Arthur. Your identity is that of a King, after all. Think about it, the kings of those human kingdoms probably wouldn't bother with a hobbit like me who has no noble status. Your personal company yesterday already made me happy."
Then he said easily, "Estel also happens to be in your territory, so let me stay with the elves for these few days. I'll walk around by myself during the day, and when we're free in the evening, we can enjoy dinner together?"
Legolas also spoke up at this moment, "If Master Bilbo stays at the elves' residence, I can look after him during the day."
Seeing both of them say so, Arthur did not object, "Alright, when I'm not busy later, I will definitely invite you all to visit my territory again."
Subsequently, Bilbo greeted the others present, and while discussing with Legolas where to visit in the Golden Tree Territory next, he left the area.
Arthur, after briefly discussing the future plans with Nepheli Loux, also quickly left the infirmary in the Storm Legion camp with Melina.
However, he did not choose to leave Stormveil Castle directly for Royal Capital Leyndell, but instead decided to go find his teacher, Sellen, first.
Arthur needed to solve the capacity issue of the soul collector. His heart bled when he saw so many souls on the Lonely Mountain battlefield that could not be collected.
Otherwise, this time upon his return, Arthur would not have just summoned Royal Capital Leyndell and Melina; he would have even summoned the Leyndell Royal Army.
However, now that Melina had also been summoned, both the Runes in the soul collector and the blessings stored in the Erdtree were almost completely depleted.
"Teacher Sellen, are you in your room?"
Arthur politely knocked on Sellen's door and asked.
"Enter."
Sellen's lazy voice came from inside the door. Arthur pushed the door open and entered the room.
The female sorceress was still the same, closing the curtains even in broad daylight and lighting candles with blue flames, conducting experiments that Arthur couldn't understand in her room.
"Oh? The soul that has been following you has also been summoned? And like Ogha, has been given a physical body…" Sellen's tone was somewhat surprised when she saw Melina, and then she seemed to fall into contemplation as if a new experimental idea had occurred to her.
Arthur, seeing Sellen's demeanor, did not interrupt her but patiently waited for Sellen to finish her thoughts.
Fortunately, Sellen did not think for too long this time, only a few minutes passed before she rejected the idea that had suddenly appeared in her mind: "preserving one's soul and then using the Shadow Erdtree to acquire a new body."
She looked at Arthur and asked, "Is the matter of the Lonely Mountain concluded?"
Arthur nodded, then took out the soul collector, gently placed it on the table, and asked, "Teacher Sellen, do you have a way to increase the capacity of the soul collector?"
Sellen did not ask Arthur for the reason, but after careful consideration, she replied, "Currently, there is no way to increase the capacity of the soul collector based on its existing structure, as the amount of souls a source stone can hold is fixed. To increase the capacity of a source stone, you would have to find a better substitute. However, your needs don't require finding a better substitute; there's a simpler solution, which is to make several soul collectors from source stones for you to carry."
Arthur' eyes lit up, "Then I'll trouble Teacher Sellen to make a few more."
Sellen chuckled and shook her head, "I can't right now; I only have this one source stone. However, I remember that the Raya Lucarian Academy of Magic's warehouse stores quite a few source stones. Oh, and Caria Manor has countless source stones. As long as you can summon either of these two places, I can make more soul collectors for you."