The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 119 The Devastated Empire

In the First Age, the goblins, with their brilliant alchemy, sailed across the Herca Inland Sea and entered the Eastern Mountains. There they multiplied and established a kingdom… Their capital, Trevein, became the most prosperous place in the northeast of Middle-earth, with countless alchemical golems roaming the land and a large number of alchemists gathering there. It reached its peak in the Second Age, but in the lead-up to the Final War of the Alliance, the great goblin empire suddenly crumbled overnight. Countless goblins fled the capital, Trevein, and that night, several Great Forbidden Spells enveloped Trevein…

When Roland first read this history, he pondered how the Goblin Empire, the most steadfast ally of the Allied Forces, could have collapsed overnight. It seemed the secrets behind it were unfathomable.

"Betrayal? What do you mean?" Roland rubbed his chin, clearly intrigued by this secret.

"Damn elves! Hypocritical elven nobles!" Jessie Ava looked up and saw Verviel, who had a curious look on his face, and immediately started cursing.

"Tsk tsk tsk! He's got quite a grudge!" Wise Yunfeng, who had been watching the drama unfold, looked at the stubborn goblin with a smile.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Verway was completely bewildered. He had only come to join in the fun and stroll around with Roland and the others, but who knew that he would be verbally abused by a goblin.

"Clang!" The sharp Manicati was pulled out by Verway and placed against Jessie's neck.

“Alright, Mr. Goblin, I’ll give you a chance to rephrase your words!” Verway threatened, his eyes half-closed.

"Heh! He's just a stray dog ​​like me, what's there to be proud of?" Jessiewa scoffed after carefully examining Verway's appearance. Clearly, the grassland elf, who hadn't been nourished by the Magic Well, looked more weathered than the other elves.

"What?" Verway was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly, almost pressing down the sword in his hand.

"No! Calm down! My lord, please calm down! You are the man who is about to become the Elf King! Killing him would dirty your hands!" An elven soldier rushed forward and the two of them pulled Valve back.

Verway could only grumble and back down, knowing that if he actually cut that thing down, his reputation would be ruined. Bards would compile his "glorious" deeds into a collection of poems, which would then be sung throughout Middle-earth... From 300-year-old grandmothers to toddlers, everyone would know about the "great" achievement of a valiant Elven King who had angrily slain a goblin.

"Damn it!" Verway turned and left, his eyes filled with the rage of a wound reopened. After all, the grassland elves were a nomadic race, and the lack of a fixed territory was a source of suffering for all of them. Although they were temporarily staying with Roland, Verway still longed to find a land that belonged to them...

"Very well, Mr. Goblin, I need to know your purpose. If you insist on not telling me... I will have no choice but to order your execution as the master of this land!" Roland's eyes narrowed, a flash of killing intent appearing within them. Although Roland was curious about the secrets and anecdotes of the Goblin Empire, he didn't want to let this goblin go and cause an intelligence leak about his territory. Heaven knows what this goblin had seen and heard. Besides alchemists, goblins are also famous for their thieves! They are natural-born night walkers; theft, assassination, and reconnaissance are their specialties!
“My lord, I had no intention of spying on your territory…” Jessie Ava’s eyes darted around as she thought of Roland’s concerns. After all, the goblins’ reputation was not so bad that they could be killed, but they were definitely hated by everyone. After all, the goblins had played an extremely dishonorable role in many major events.

"This has nothing to do with me. What matters is that you're standing on my land now!" Roland interrupted Jessie's explanation. Although goblins used to have their own honor and beliefs, now... forget it. You can't expect a bunch of goblins who barely have enough to eat to talk about integrity or anything like that...

“…” Jessie Ava fell silent for a moment.

"It seems you're not planning to speak..." Roland sighed.

"Take him aside and chop him down! Renault! Make sure his soul is purified!" Roland ordered. If he wasn't going to talk, then he should keep quiet forever. Perhaps humans and elves had betrayed the goblins in the past, but what did that have to do with Roland? For the sake of his own life and the lives of his thousands of men, chopping them down was fine. After all, it was better to sacrifice his own friends than himself. Roland himself was struggling to survive.

"Wait!" Jessie Ava kicked her legs wildly and quickly broke free from the soldiers who were holding her.

"Oh? You're willing to talk now?" Roland turned around and gave a mysterious smile.

“I’d like to speak with you alone…” Jessie looked around at the people around her, sighed, and said in a low voice.

"What do you want to do?" Caslo's eyes turned cold, and he had already drawn half of the sword from his waist.

Renault stared at Jessie with equally hostile eyes, the holy battle flames gathering slightly in his palm indicating that he could purify the goblins in front of him with a wave of his hand.

Although Yun Feng still watched the commotion with his arms crossed, two magical structures had quietly taken shape in his palms, ready to be released with a mere thought.

"Alright, step back!" Roland glanced at the crowd around him, who looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and smiled. If this goblin had any tricks up his sleeve, he would have used them long ago. Why would he have waited until now?

"Mental Barrier! Spiritual Protection!" Yun Feng, still not entirely at ease, cast two spells to protect Roland's soul and body respectively.

"Tell me! I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer!" Roland said to Jessie, looking at the crowd that had retreated to a distance.

"Do you know about the past of the Goblin Empire?" Jessie suddenly asked.

“…I don’t know, but if you’re willing to tell me, I can listen!” Roland said calmly.

“We once lived in the eastern mountains, where our creative goblin ancestors built the prosperous city of Trevein. We were skilled in alchemy, we loved alchemy! We used alchemy to create the most intricate golems! Our golems were unparalleled in Middle-earth, and the Empire’s golem army was at its zenith! Until the War of Wrath began… The elves begged us to join the war, promising us the rule of the entire northern wasteland, extending our lands from the Blue Mountains in the west to the sea in the east, from the entirety of Rune in the south to the far north sea! We were blinded by desire… We faced Morgoth’s army in the east, and our weak close-combat abilities allowed those barbarians to break through our golem defenses at any cost! Alas… the massacre began… The most elite goblin alchemists were slaughtered, with only a few wise men escaping…” Jessie Ava’s expression was filled with grief and indignation.

"And then?" Roland asked curiously. Even if only a few wise men were left, it shouldn't have led to the destruction of the goblin empire!
"Heh, we were utterly defeated and abandoned by the elves. They made no mention of their original promises, and they refused to acknowledge our sovereignty over that vast land... We had no choice but to swallow our anger and lick our wounds in the eastern mountains..."

"But! When the final war of the alliance broke out, your human lords came to beg us again! They used their smooth talk and charm to persuade the then-goblin emperor! We joined the war again... This time we were the first to march south and attack the heart of Mordor! But we were besieged by the chariot army of the East, and our people suffered heavy losses! The allied forces did not advance! We, fighting alone, could only retreat all the way! But Sauron sent men to follow us! Nine-headed chimeras descended from the sky, and demonic dragon riders raged and danced... Overnight, the empire became a living hell!" Jessie Ava said sadly.

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(End of this chapter)