Eregion waited until everyone had left before calmly asking, "You witnessed Sauron's appearance in Mordor with your own eyes?"
Although he seemed to be asking everyone present, his gaze was sternly fixed on Dihail.
Dihail, who had been nervous ever since seeing Eregion, felt even more so under the Gondor Regent's gaze. He instinctively glanced at Arthur before replying, "Yes, my father and I both saw him. Especially Lord Arthur; he personally confronted Sauron and escaped from his pursuit."
What do you mean 'escaped'? That was a tactical retreat, and Sauron didn't even pursue me. He didn't even send Ringwraiths, only ordered orcs to chase me.
Arthur grumbled inwardly, raising an eyebrow at Dihail, making the young man think he had said something wrong.
However, Eregion was quite satisfied with Dihail's answer. Noticing Arthur's raised eyebrow, he chuckled and said, "Young people are often not careful with their words. I believe Lord of the Golden Tree's ability is certainly not as Dihail described."
He paused, skipping over the matter, then his expression grew solemn as he said, "But since you all personally witnessed Sauron's appearance, this news is very important to Gondor. I need to summon the kings of all human nations, as well as the Elves and dwarves, to inform them of this matter."
Arthur frowned slightly. Although the Regent seemed to have said a lot, he had not answered the question Arthur had asked.
So Arthur asked again, "So Gondor's current decision is just to first summon the kings of various countries to a meeting to discuss how to deal with Sauron?"
Eregion smiled and shook his head, "Of course not. I will deploy more soldiers to patrol the area around Minas Tirith to protect the common people and prevent orcs from sneaking out of Mordor. Also, Gondor will provide more material support to the Black Gate, so that the Rangers can defend the Black Gate without worries."
Then he gestured towards the dishes and wine on the stone table and said, "Alright, let us enjoy these delicacies together. Lord Arthur has traveled a long way from a distant place, and I'm sure he hasn't tried Gondor's food yet."
After Eregion finished speaking, he picked up a bunch of plump purple grapes, plucked the fruits, put them in his mouth, and nodded contentedly.
That's it?
Arthur looked at Eregion, who had started eating like that, somewhat stunned.
Dihail clearly wanted to say something too, but seeing the Regent focused on eating, he didn't dare to voice what was on his mind.
Eregion saw Arthur's expression, wiped food residue from the corner of his mouth with a red velvet napkin from the stone table, and asked curiously, "Why aren't you eating? Do these foods not suit your taste?"
Arthur frowned slightly and said, "Besides this, does Gondor have no other plans, Your Excellency Regent?"
Eregion said as a matter of course, "This is already Gondor's greatest support."
Arthur glanced at Dihail, who was hesitating whether to speak, sighed inwardly, and said to Eregion, "But I believe what Talion and his men need most is not supplies, but soldiers to help defend. I have been to the Black Gate; it is very large. Before Sauron's appearance, the Rangers could only barely maintain the defense line, but after Sauron appeared, the Orcs' attack frequency will definitely increase, and Talion and his men will not be able to withstand it."
Dihail heard Arthur's words and nodded vigorously, his face anxious.
Eregion was silent for a moment, then still calmly said, "I understand your meaning, Lord Arthur. But as I said, Gondor will provide ample supplies to the Black Gate. Beyond that, Gondor cannot offer more help."
Dihail's face showed some disappointment upon hearing the other party's words, but he quickly remembered the other party's identity and hid his disappointment.
As for Arthur, he wasn't angry upon hearing the Regent's words. Instead, he asked just as calmly, "May I ask why? I believe that someone capable of serving as Gondor's Regent could not possibly fail to see the situation at the Black Gate, but you still made this decision, so there must be some difficulty."
The Regent looked at Arthur with some surprise, "I am surprised you are not angry. Gandalf told me you are a very decisive person, who would rather act than speak. I thought you would be more impulsive."
Arthur shrugged, and in a relaxed tone, joked, "Anger doesn't solve any problems, Your Excellency Regent. And I imagine Gandalf certainly didn't tell you that I always think deeply and weigh the pros and cons before acting. I'm here to solve problems, not to solve you."
The Regent smiled at Arthur's jest.
Then, he heard Arthur say, "Unless solving you can solve the problems Talion is currently facing, or solve the impact caused by Sauron's appearance."
Eregion's smile immediately vanished from his face, his expression changing as naturally as drinking water.
Arthur saw the change in his expression, and it was his turn to smile, "Just a little joke. I am very grateful that Your Excellency Regent has generously given the Enedwaith region to the Erdtree. I would never betray Gondor or you."
Eregion echoed with a forced smile, then changed the subject, saying, "The reason Gondor can only provide supplies is simple: our forces are also resisting the enemies of Mordor in other places, so we cannot send more manpower to support the Black Gate."
Then the Regent looked at Dihail. For a moment, he briefly dropped the mask from his face and said to the Ranger's son with a hint of apology, "I know your father and your people have paid a heavy price to hold the Black Gate for Gondor, but I am sorry, I can only do this much for you."
Just as Dihail was somewhat flattered by Eregion's words, Arthur suddenly spoke up, saying, "If it's just a shortage of manpower, perhaps I have a way to solve it, but I hope you can provide the Erdtree with ample supplies, just as you support the Black Gate."
Eregion frowned slightly. He was well aware of the situation in the Golden Tree Territory; its population was probably less than a third of Minas Tirith's.
Oh, he's also a wizard. Perhaps he has some magical sorcery that can bridge the gap in numbers?
The Regent did not speak, but silently looked at Arthur, waiting for him to continue.
Arthur quickly thought about the feasibility of the plan in his mind, then said to the Regent, "I need a maximum of two months."
The Regent nodded readily, "No problem, it will also take some time for me to gather those kings."