"Excuse me, travelers from the other side, are you the human [Hero] from the Northern Highlands??"
Two days later, when Mike was clearing away the remnants of the Orcs and arrived at the border between Rohan and Gondor, he was stopped by a middle-aged Commander leading his cavalry squad.
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Mike stopped and looked at the cavalry squad in front of him.
The entire group was wearing half-plate armor and winged helmets, giving them an imposing appearance.
Their warhorses, though not as good as the hybrid horses of Rivendell, were still of excellent breed.
It was evident that although Rohan had fallen into decline, its cavalry remained capable.
"We are members of the Royal Guard Cavalry, and I am Andre, the current Commander of the cavalry regiment..."
Andre was also observing Mike, seeing that the other party looked delicate and didn't resemble the fierce warrior of legends, but he continued anyway: "The King admires human heroes, and after hearing of your exploits, he wishes to invite you to Edoras for a meeting."
Middle-earth was vast, but news traveled quickly.
The number of Orcs Mike had casually dealt with while traveling over the past two days already exceeded a hundred.
Coupled with the reputation he had previously built in the depths of Mirkwood and the Northern Highlands, it was not surprising that he had caught the attention of the King of Rohan.
It was even possible that Mike's legendary experience of killing the Orcs in Moria had not yet been spread by the Dwarves; otherwise, the number of people King Fengel would have sent to invite him would have been even greater.
"Andre, the former Second Marshal of the Rohan Line of Defense, I have heard of you."
"I just didn't expect that a general praised by the people would now become the King's personal bodyguard..."
Mike had indeed heard of Andre's name from the dilapidated village he had visited earlier; he was a capable human military talent.
He had defended the Rohan Line of Defense for over a decade.
But looking at the current situation, although King Fengel was incompetent, he knew he only had one life.
So, he had arranged for a great general like Andre to be by his side just in case.
As for sending someone to summon Mike, it was easy to understand.
That cowardly King of Rohan was likely trying to gather more powerful humans to protect his safety.
How truly ugly.
"Regarding King Fengel's summons, please allow me to decline."
"Perhaps when I return from Gondor, I will go to see that incompetent king."
Mike naturally had no mood to indulge King Fengel's nonsense, and his words revealed a sense of disdain.
"Audacious! How dare you insult the King of Rohan..."
"The King's favor is your honor, yet you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit..."
"Tie him up and offer him to the King..."
"..."
As members of the Royal Guard Cavalry, this squad was naturally loyal to the King.
Therefore, after Mike spoke disrespectfully of King Fengel, the members of the cavalry squad spurred their horses forward and surrounded him.
As for Andre on the side, he didn't even have time to stop them.
"If only you had shown this kind of performance when protecting the people."
A powerful aura suddenly erupted from Mike, making the warhorses of the cavalry squad retreat involuntarily, and the riders themselves were pressed down, unable to move, as if they were drowning.
"For the sake of us all being human, I won't make things difficult for you this time."
"Go back and tell your king that since he wants to see me... when I return from Gondor, I will certainly satisfy his request..."
As the words fell, Mike walked out of the encirclement in a leisurely manner and was soon far away.
"Sorcery... this must be sorcery..."
"What do we do now? Should we chase after him..."
"..."
After Mike walked away, the members of the cavalry squad broke free from the terrifying aura.
Having failed to complete the King's mission, they were still considering whether to chase after him.
"Stop, let's go back..."
Andre watched Mike's departing back, his eyes flickering, and then said to the others: "As for the process of this mission, please keep it a secret."
"In return, regardless of any punishment the King may impose later, I will take full responsibility."
It could be seen that the foundation of Rohan still existed; even if the current King Fengel was incompetent, there were still people hoping for a bright future for this country.
Back to Mike, it didn't take long for him to arrive at the border of Gondor.
Unlike the poorly governed Rohan, even in the desolate border region, a high wall had been built to protect the territory here.
After Mike verified his identity as a human, he was allowed to enter Gondor.
Traveling further south, one could see busy villages along the way, with countless Gondor citizens working hard in the fields.
Those vast fields of golden wheat represented both joy and hope.
Looking at this scene, which was completely different from Rohan, Mike's mood couldn't help but lighten significantly.
Evening came, and after a day of travel, Mike arrived at Calembel, an important town in the far west of Gondor.
This was also one of the important strongholds on the Gondor Line of Defense; there were seven such strongholds on the Gondor Line of Defense in total.
This showed the strength of Gondor.
Walking in the afterglow of the sunset, Mike entered a comprehensive inn in the town.
This place provided not only accommodation but also drinks.
At this moment, many people were sitting in the lobby, drinking and discussing politics.
Mike, who ordered a beer and sat in the corner, really heard a lot of news here.
The earliest Gondor was established by Isildur and Anarion, who planned the most suitable economic system and military defense for this largest human kingdom.
It was precisely this cultural heritage that allowed this human kingdom to continue to this day, even after several ups and downs.
In fact, Gondor had not had a king for over eight hundred years, and had been ruled by the Regent Anarion family.
The current Regent, Exellion, was said to be a man of great talent and strategy.
Under his management, Gondor was also thriving, gradually regaining some of the appearance of its heyday.
...
Just as Mike was comfortably listening to everyone bragging, drums of war suddenly sounded from the direction of the Calembel city wall, followed by the huge beacon tower lighting up the sky.
The entire night sky was illuminated in red.
"Damn Orcs, they've started attacking the city again..."
"If it weren't for the fact that the Kingdom's army doesn't recruit me, I would go to the city wall and kill a few Orcs to vent my anger..."
"Forget it, old John. With these old bones of yours, you'd break them before even getting on the city wall..."
"..."
Having bordered Mordor for many years, the people of Gondor were fierce and tough; they didn't seem afraid of dark creatures like Orcs, and many were even eager to try their hand at war.
"Have you heard? This time, to attack our line of defense, Mordor specially bred a batch of corpse puppets carrying viruses..."
"Now many warriors on the front line have been infected with the plague by those disgusting things..."
"Are you sure it's the plague? This is no joke..."
"..."
Gondor had once been prosperous, and at its strongest, its military power had almost leveled Mordor.
However, a subsequent major plague that swept through the country took away seventy percent of the nation's population, causing Gondor to decline from then on.
Therefore, for the people of this country, the plague was absolutely a taboo existence.
When it was confirmed that there were indeed people infected with the plague on the front line, everyone in the inn turned pale, and they cursed the despicable nature of the dark forces.
"Plague? This thing's lethality is not small..." Mike muttered, then dropped a few copper coins and walked out.
He intended to go to the Calembel line of defense to see the situation.
...
"Hold on!!! As long as the formation doesn't break, those beasts can't do anything to us..."
"Also, everyone, keep your masks on. This is for your own good..."
"..."
On the towering walls of Calembel, the Commander was shouting with a hoarse voice.
Subsequently, rounds of arrow rain were fired from the city wall, repelling wave after wave of attacking Orcs.
However, this situation did not improve the Commander's expression.
Because he knew the main event had not yet begun.
Finally, after leaving a pile of corpses, the Orc siege team retreated.
Then, a dozen dark creatures, bloated like water-soaked corpses, walked out from behind the Orc ranks.
Immediately after, these huge monsters, all carrying viruses, were placed on special catapults, ready to be launched onto the city wall.
"Archers and throwers, retreat and provide support!!! Special units, get ready. If any corpse puppet is launched onto the wall, push them down immediately..."
"Remember, don't get entangled with those corpse puppets!"
"..."
With the appearance of the corpse puppets, the Commander on the city wall immediately adjusted the formation.
Unlike ordinary soldiers who only wrapped a wet towel around their faces, the special units were all wrapped in bandages, looking as tight as mummies.
Their equipment was mostly shields and long-poled weapons like forks.
Clearly, they were people specifically trained to deal with corpse puppets.
"Swish... Swish..."
As the human warriors changed formations, the bloated corpse puppets below were launched one by one.
Some hit the wall and turned into a puddle of foul-smelling mud, while others were lucky enough to land on the city wall.
Then, these giant corpse puppets, as if they had no sense of pain, rushed into the crowd recklessly.
"Watch out!!! Try not to touch their blood..."
"Damn it, who told you to use a sword to hack at the corpse puppets..."
"..."
Although the corpse puppets carrying viruses were not fast, they were incredibly strong.
Under their reckless death charges, the city wall soon fell into chaos.
Even though the Commander shouted until his voice went hoarse, it was useless.
There were always people who made mistakes when they were nervous.
At the same time, without the threat of human archers and rolling stones, the Orc team below also began to attack the city gate with battering rams.
...
"Stop right there!!!"
When Mike arrived at the city wall, he was stopped by a gate-guarding squad stationed there.
To prevent spies from opening the gates from within, soldiers generally did not let civilians near the city defenses during wartime.
"I am not an enemy." Mike explained.
But knowing he couldn't explain it clearly for a while, he directly summoned the Power Of Faith and flew onto the city wall, glowing with white light.
This action also made him as conspicuous as the bright moon.
At this moment, the city wall was already in chaos; the special warriors wrapped like mummies often needed a dozen people to coordinate to limit the movements of a corpse puppet in order to push it off the high wall.
Some even chose to crash into the corpse puppets at the edge, falling off the high wall together with them to reduce losses.
However, even so, a few corpse puppets relied on their great brute force to shake off the special warriors beside them and rushed into the crowd of ordinary soldiers at the rear.
As black mist drifted from them, soldiers soon began to cough uncontrollably.
When Mike went up, this was the tragic scene he saw.
"Who are you?"
Fortunately, the holy white light radiating from Mike made him look not like a bad guy.
This was why the Commander did not attack him immediately.
"Someone here to help you..."
Mike waved his hands and instantly summoned several groups of white light, knocking the corpse puppets in the crowd off the high wall.
Then he walked to the edge of the wall and, to the surprise of everyone, condensed a huge white-gold longbow.
As the golden arrows were fired, they quickly split into two, then four in mid-air...
Finally, like stars in the sky, a rain of golden arrows covered the heads of the attacking Orcs below.
Amidst wails and screams, these arrows pierced the throats of the Orcs one by one, turning the area below into a hell for reaping the lives of Orcs.
When the last Orc wanting to escape also fell, this magnificent arrow rain performance came to an end.
At this moment, the city wall had become so quiet that a pin drop could be heard; countless warriors who had gathered around looked at Mike with worship, as if they had seen a miracle.
"This, how did you do that?" The officer in charge of the battle came to Mike in surprise.
"A little bit of talent, plus a little bit of effort..." Well, Mike couldn't make it up anymore, so he changed the subject: "By the way, have the warriors who came into contact with the corpse puppets gather here. I will help them heal so they don't get infected with the plague."
"You can cure the plague?" The Commander was genuinely pleasantly surprised this time.
Compared to fighting Orcs, the plague was obviously more terrifying and harder to defend against.
"Yes, if it's just a simple corpse puppet virus, it's easy to solve." Mike also saw that the virus on the corpse puppets was completely artificially bred.
It belonged to biological viruses...
This kind of virus that did not involve other mysterious powers was indeed very easy to solve.
"Great, I'll go gather the troops right away." The Commander ran away pleasantly surprised.
Not long after, almost all the warriors on the entire line of defense were gathered on the city wall.
People were squeezed against each other, almost unable to stand.
Clearly, this Commander was treating Mike like a beast of burden.
Of course, this was understandable; after all, for ordinary people, the plague was not a small trouble.
"Can we start? Do you need me to have them line up and come one by one?" The Commander asked thoughtfully.
"No need, just like this is fine." Mike condensed a ball of white light again.
As the white light slowly spread, it eventually covered all the warriors on the city wall.
"So comfortable, it feels like soaking in a hot spring..."
"It's amazing, I feel like I have strength in my body again..."
"..."
Healing Power: Treat diseases if sick, and help condition the body if not.
Amidst the joyful cheers of the warriors, Mike, feeling that it was about enough, withdrew his ability.
"Is that it? Don't need to heal a little longer?" The Commander, who had only felt comfortable for a while, looked at Mike with a sense of loss.
"It is already enough." Mike said, but his eyes looked into the distance.
Under the cover of night, along the direction of the Gondor Line of Defense to the south, one could vaguely see several other beacon fires.
Obviously, on this night, it was not just Calembel that was attacked by the dark forces.
And as the healed warriors were dispersed by the Commander, the atmosphere on the Calembel line of defense slowly became desolate.
You know, war is cruel.
Although there was Mike's help here in Calembel, many people still died.
"Can I trouble you to make a few more trips? In the town's quarantine zone, there are still many warriors who were previously infected with the corpse puppet virus..." The Commander saw that Mike had the intention to leave, so he took the opportunity to ask one more thing.
"Of course, no problem." Mike readily agreed to the Commander's request.
Still, as he said, he was not a savior, but he generally wouldn't refuse things he could help with along the way.