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

Chapter 120 The Truth Hidden in History

"..." Roland listened to Jessie's account without comment. He knew that the world here was quite different from the Middle-earth he knew before. At least, there were no gods in this world, and everything Jessie said remained to be verified.

“Without an army to support us… our people fled that hellish land and sought refuge with humans… but we never imagined that after our glory days were over, humans would betray us! They drove our people away! They refused to provide us with any help! Without our wealth, we simply cannot sustain the costs of alchemy… We considered revenge, but… ha! Even a farmer with a pitchfork could easily kill a goblin sorcerer without any alchemical artifacts! Our restoration of our kingdom seems a long way off… Now, all we have left is the letter that Isildur promised us back then!” Jessie Ava tightened his ill-fitting clothes.

"So what are you going to do?" Roland had a guess in his mind. Could this child be going to cross Lovanian to Gondor to make Gondor fulfill its promise from back then?

"Go to Gondor to have their king fulfill his promise?" Roland's lips twitched.

“Of course! Is there a problem?” Jessie Ava glanced at Roland and cleared her throat.

"Our last emperor cursed the Gondorian royal family before his death! Their bloodline will gradually wither away until it is extinct until they fulfill their promise! Any lord who rules that land will be punished!" Jessie Ava smiled sinisterly.

"My God!" Roland was instantly stunned. Good heavens, no wonder the Gondorian royal family had such a troubled history! He had always wondered how such a large royal family could go a thousand years without a king! Letting an outsider control the country... it was all the work of the goblins!
"Your identity must be extraordinary!" Roland probed, knowing that these secrets weren't accessible to just anyone.

"Would you believe me if I said I'm the current Goblin King?" Jessie Ava forced a bitter smile.

“I believe you!” Roland glanced at Jessie Ava and said solemnly. Judging by appearances is the most fatal thing. A goblin who knows these secrets is either the goblin king or a noble among goblins! Ordinary people don’t have access to these things. There are some things that even Roland has never heard anyone tell before. Ordinary goblins wouldn’t know these secrets.

"Goblin Key! This proves my identity!" Jessie pulled out a huge key from who-knows-where. As Jessie infused it with magic, the entire key began to glow with a soft orange-red light. A burst of magical runes flashed, clearly indicating that the magic circle on it had been activated. Accompanied by a loudspeaker, a series of...
"So you're planning to go to Gondor now? Alone?" Roland was completely dumbfounded. This lone goblin commander was just too funny to look at.

“It’s not that I look down on you… but in your current condition, you can’t even get through the Mirkwood, let alone travel south down the Anduin River to Gondor.” Roland had to pour cold water on his hopes.

"Thump!" Jessie Ava sat down on the ground with a thud, her eyes vacant and her pupils gradually losing focus.

"So I suggest you gather some men before heading south! After all, the journey is far from peaceful," Roland kindly advised.

"My followers have all perished on the road protecting me..." Jessie Ava said dejectedly. He was now in a dilemma; he couldn't even afford to return, let alone head south to find Gondor. The goblins' meager wealth and resources were barely enough to muster any men to get here. Thus, Jessie Ava had traveled south with a forced smile and a bowed head, following various caravans. While crossing the Grey Mountains, they unfortunately encountered a massive orc army. His caravan was wiped out, and his followers had all died protecting their king. (The fighting prowess of goblin warriors... well, you can imagine for yourselves; the scene is so beautiful I won't elaborate.)
"...That's how it is. I ended up here because of a problem with my teleportation magic. I dug a hole underground to hide from the various predators that roam during the day, but I never expected to be dug out by a farmer with a hoe!" Jessie Ava laughed self-deprecatingly, feeling that he had disgraced all the goblin kings of the past.

“This…” Roland’s face immediately turned red. Good heavens! It seems that it’s their fault again… At this moment, he turned his gaze to Badr and the centaurs of the Tuput tribe. They were no longer the only victims.

"So what else do you goblins have?" Driven mad by poverty, Roland's eyes lit up with an idea. What kind of person was Roland? He was the kind of person who could leave even the most cunning gourds with a kidney! What kind of place was Swiftstream City? A place where even Liu Huaqiang would have to pick two unripe gourds before leaving! With such a hidden fat sheep appearing before Roland, how could he not fleece himself and his people? He should know that his meager wealth points were still waiting for those with the right connections to contribute! Trust Roland! Thorin might be the first victim, but he certainly wouldn't be the last!
At this moment, Roland's blade was already aimed at Jessie Ava, the wretched goblin king.

"Hmm?" Jessie looked at Roland with a puzzled expression. How could someone still be interested in someone as poor as she was?
"The goblins have already spent their last copper coin on this trip!" Jessie Ava didn't say it outright but indirectly told Roland that he was now penniless! "Uh..." Roland choked and couldn't say anything.

"By the way, you should have preserved your alchemical data and knowledge, right?" Yun Feng, who was watching the commotion from the side, suddenly interjected.

"Of course! This is the last glorious legacy left by our ancestors!" Jessie's eyes glistened with tears. Although the goblins were no longer able to conduct various alchemical experiments, the alchemical achievements preserved by the goblins in the past were definitely treasures. Perhaps they were trash to others, but don't forget! Roland had a wise man under his command!

"Your Highness, consider bringing back some of the goblin alchemical results." Yun Feng directly communicated with Roland's consciousness using his powerful mental strength.

"Is it that impressive?" Roland asked himself.

"An alchemical technology tree that can support an empire, what do you think?" Yun Feng countered.

"Damn! We absolutely have to have it!" Roland's eyes immediately turned red.

"Goblins are the inventors of alchemy, and they have so many techniques we need to learn!" Yun Feng said solemnly. Although he had already reached the highest level of alchemy, the more you know, the more you realize you don't know! There were so many things Yun Feng longed to learn.

“I’ll give it a try!” Roland said confidently.

……

“You are at your wit’s end! It seems you need help, Jessie Ava! The once great goblin king!” Roland approached him like a weasel offering New Year’s greetings to a chicken.

“I have no wealth…” A glint flashed in Jessie Ava’s eyes; he was unable to afford the wealth required to hire mercenaries.

“It’s alright, alchemical research results and formulas are also acceptable. If you are willing to pay enough for alchemical formulas, I will send a heavy cavalry unit to escort you to Gondor!” Roland thought for a moment and said. After all, he only had so many mobile forces under his command. It would be a waste to use Battanian archers as cavalry, and the Holy Knights were obviously unusable, so he was left with only the heavy cavalry.

“Alright! If you are willing to escort me to Gondor, I am willing to pay with my alchemical achievements and formulas!” Jessie Ava hurriedly said.

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(End of this chapter)