Lord of the Rings: Warriors

Two days later, Caslow and his group finally returned.

"How did it go?" Rynar asked lazily as Reynard, who had arrived first, approached.

"Not great, but not terrible either. We managed to recover most of the civilians, but those we couldn't retrieve are likely lost for good. 

After all, we had to push deep into the Dark Forest and even clashed with an orc outpost," Reynard sighed.

"How much did Aquavia lose this time?" Rynar wanted to know.

"A few hundred people, give or take. The stampede at the city gates caused a significant number of casualties, and we lost some more in the Dark Forest during surprise attacks. 

Overall, it was a heavy toll," Reynard said with regret. 

That was the sorrow of a small nation—without the means to counter airborne threats, they could only resign themselves to fate whenever an attack came from the sky.

"Enough of these depressing topics. Let's talk about something else," Rynar said. 

Although Riverguard had also experienced a period of panic, the people never lost their will to resist. 

This was not just because of the protection offered by the dragon riders but also due to the overwhelming military strength of Riverguard, which provided a strong sense of security.

"I plan to build a fortress in the south to block the orcs from crossing the river and heading north. 

We'll clear out the land between the fortress and Riverguard, bringing it fully under our control," Rynar declared as he spread out a sheepskin map.

The finely crafted map detailed the distribution of various factions and the terrain of mountains and rivers. Riverguard was distinctly marked with a crown. 

This was one of the more useful items Rynar had obtained through his sign-in rewards.

"Isn't this a bit too ambitious?" Reynard asked cautiously, his gaze following Rynar's finger to the location—the far end of the Old Forest Road, just across the river.

"This position allows us to control the Old Forest Road… the only viable route through the Dark Forest!" Rynar said solemnly.

"You want to use this fortress to contain the threats west of the Dark Forest?" 

Reynard, who had once served as the Governor of the North, quickly grasped the strategic significance of the plan. His keen political and military insight kicked in immediately.

He understood Rynar's intent right away. Once the fortress was built, they could effectively control the movement of enemy forces from both the north and west.

Now that the Singrey Elven Territory had been exposed, the orcs could no longer freely traverse the dense forested mountains to attack the cities near Long Lake. 

Their fastest march route would be along the Old Forest Road.

"It's a brilliant idea, but we don't have the manpower or resources to build such a fortified stronghold. 

Even restoring your castle is already stretching our labor force to the limit," Reynard sighed, reluctantly pulling Rynar back to reality.

"Of course I know that. But I have this…" Rynar smirked mysteriously and retrieved a thick, stout glass bottle from his spatial ring, handing it over to Reynard.

Reynard took the bottle, puzzled, and examined it carefully.

"By the Dragon God… This… Could it be?!" Reynard abruptly shot to his feet, staring at Rynar in disbelief.

"You guessed right," Rynar confirmed with a smile.

"Impossible! It was destroyed! My ancestors told me it was lost forever!" Reynard's eyes filled with tears as he trembled with emotion.

"And yet, here it is, right in front of you. You can touch it. This is not a dream. It still exists in our hands. No one could truly destroy it! This is our first war fortress… and our last," Rynar said calmly, his voice steady and unwavering.

"Dragon God! She is magnificent! Look at those towering hundred-meter-high walls! They say they were built from top-tier enchanted stone bricks reinforced with magic arrays. 

And the main keep—it's said to be as sturdy as the Zaltarion Imperial Palace! By the gods, these eight Falling Dragon Towers! Even dragon riders wouldn't dare to challenge them! She…!" 

Reynard muttered endlessly, unable to contain his awe.

Rynar secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Seems like it's working."

When he first received this as a sign-in reward, he had almost wanted to smash his system in frustration. 

This fortress required a garrison of at least ten thousand troops to function properly. 

Its hundred-meter-high, thirty-meter-thick enchanted stone walls were impenetrable even to behemoths. 

The massive dragon-hunting ballistae atop the Falling Dragon Towers at its four corners could kill even holy dragons. 

At the fortress's center, a mythic-grade magic array atop the keep could generate an energy shield strong enough to withstand the combined attacks of ten sixth-tier warriors—provided they could afford the astronomical cost of keeping it powered. 

Filling this fortress's bottomless stomach would be enough to bankrupt the dwarves themselves.

This was Lulong Fortress—the strongest war fortress ever built by the Zaltarion Empire, and the last one to fall.

Unlike in history, where it was overrun and dismantled, this time, it had been sealed inside an alchemical bottle and was now in Rynar's possession. 

All he had to do was recite the proper incantation to break the seal and smash the bottle, and Lulong Fortress would once again rise upon the earth.

"I never imagined that, in the end, a wise soul had sacrificed themselves to preserve this fortress and pass it down…" Reynard murmured before turning back to Rynar with newfound determination.

"Perhaps you will inherit the glory of your ancestors and spread the Zaltarion dragon banner across Middle-earth! The name of the Zaltarion Emperor shall be sung throughout the land!" Reynard declared with conviction.

"Since we have a war fortress, securing that location should be no problem. Our manpower is limited, but we can send a force of 500 soldiers to garrison it. 

That should be just enough for a purely defensive stance," Reynard said decisively.

"Five hundred seems too few. We could afford to send a thousand," Rynar hesitated. Right now, Riverguard had a military force of nearly 3,000—more than the city's own civilian population. 

If not for his system's support, Rynar's military policies would have been labeled as extreme militarism, with a soldier-to-civilian ratio nearing 1:1.

"It's enough. With the logistics team handling supply transport between both locations, 500 is just the right number," Reynard pointed out. 

Given the distance between the two locations, soldiers would be needed to escort supply convoys, making it necessary to keep a reserve force in place.

"Alright then. Should we gather the troops and head out now?" Rynar asked.

"Your Highness… shouldn't we at least prepare first? Are we really just charging in headfirst like this?" Reynard stared at Rynar, stunned. Was this supposed to be some kind of spontaneous field trip?

"Uh… We need to prepare?" Rynar blinked in confusion, his expression one of pure innocence.

My god! Hundreds of soldiers need provisions, horses, and logistics! 

Did he think they were still in the days of the mighty Zaltarion Empire, where supplies were guaranteed no matter where they went? Reynard felt utterly "conquered" by Rynar's boldness.

"Truly worthy of being the King of Zaltarion…" Reynard muttered, his lips twitching. Was this "spur-of-the-moment" attitude some sort of inherited Zaltarion royal trait?

"Fine, go tell Marcus to handle the preparations," Rynar said, three black lines appearing on his forehead.

"Sigh… Manpower is really an issue!" Rynar groaned after Reynard left. Right now, the population structure of the Zaltarion Kingdom was severely imbalanced. 

Thanks to his system's support and the spoils of war, he could still sustain his forces for now, but in the long run, resources would become a serious problem.

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