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

Chapter 217: Preparation for War (3)

"Oh! Dragon God above! Be gentle! The fletchings on those arrows are very fragile! Don't leave them standing upright on the ground! Soldiers, please lay them horizontally, okay?"

"Damn it! What are you doing? Why are there water stains on these armors? How many times have I told you to keep them dry and in the shade! Fine, you've kept them in the shade, but as for being dry? I could take a shower in there!"

As soon as Roland arrived at the warehouse, he heard the incessant chatter of a certain wise man.

"Hey! Lord Yunfeng, I need your help in allocating supplies for the expedition to Moria. The soldiers' armor and arrows need to be refurbished or replenished!" Roland called out from afar.

"Oh God! You blind fool, the Dragon God will not approve of subjects like you! Can't you see I'm coordinating supplies? That damned king dumped all of this on me while he went off to have a good time with girls! Ha! Finally remembered to launch an expedition to Moria?" Yun Feng didn't even look up as he furiously wrote down every single item of supplies that entered the warehouse.

"Soldiers! Stop looking around! Get to work! We're pressed for time! That bastard is setting off in a week, and we need to do our best to ensure they have enough supplies, since the orcs of the Misty Mountains won't provide them with any supplies!" Yun Feng said displeasedly to the few soldiers who seemed a bit slow-witted.

"Um, Your Excellency Yunfeng, I think you should look behind you..." the soldier stammered.

"Behind me? A messenger sent by the great king? Oh! Dragon God! What else can they do besides nagging me for this and that? I am the most miserable person in the entire kingdom! Even the Lagrang oxen that plow the fields are not as hardworking as me!" Yunfeng complained.

"Hey! Messenger, tell the king I'm preparing supplies for him! Tell him not... not... to rush me, oh! Dragon God above! Your Highness, your arrival has brought honor to this humble abode!" Yun Feng turned his head and saw the scoundrel he had been talking about staring at him with a face as black as ink.

"You didn't hear anything just now, right?" Yun Feng clapped his hands and said with a fawning expression.

“No, in fact I heard everything! I never imagined I was so worthless in your eyes?” Roland sighed, suddenly feeling defeated.

"Oh! You must have misheard me. I was just praising your civil and military achievements and singing your praises! The soldiers here can attest to that! Right, loyal soldiers of the kingdom!" Yun Feng emphasized the word "loyalty" with particular emphasis.

"Ah, yes, yes! Lord Yunfeng is indeed praising you..."

"Yes, yes, he kept praising you!"

Under the threatening gaze of a certain wise man, all the soldiers invariably started spouting nonsense, blatantly lying through their teeth.

"Enough! I didn't come here to watch your play! Yunfeng, this battle is very important. I hope you can take it seriously. Our army cannot afford even one large-scale casualty. The kingdom has just been stabilized, and I don't want any turmoil. Therefore, all supplies must be the best. After I leave, you will be the strongest fighter in this city. I hope you can shoulder this heavy responsibility." Roland patted Yunfeng on the shoulder and said earnestly.

"...Can I refuse? You know that combat isn't an alchemist's forte," Yun Feng said, forcing a smile.

“But you are the only sixth-tier soldier left behind! I have no one else to use!” Roland’s words expressed both his trust in Yun Feng and highlighted his own predicament.

“Renault will be stationed at Lulong Fortress to guard the south gate, and the east… is in your hands!” Roland nodded at him.

"I will hand over the authority to mobilize troops in Swiftstream City to you. I only hope that when I leave, the city will be exactly the same as when I return!" Roland said solemnly.

"Sigh~ As you wish, Your Highness!" Yun Feng bowed slightly and helplessly continued to be exploited by Roland. "I will arrange the supplies as soon as possible... The rest is up to you. Take more soldiers with you; the caves there are winding and complicated, so be careful!" Yun Feng sighed and instructed.

“It’s no use. We can’t deploy a large force in the cramped underground city! Having so many soldiers is useless!” Roland shook his head. The battle of Moria was more about individual combat strength. The advantage of large armies cannot be utilized in the mine.

"Alright, you should be able to use these invincible shield scrolls!" Yun Feng said, looking pained, as he pulled out three small golden scrolls from his spatial ring and handed them to Roland.

"Wow! You have such a good thing?" Roland took it in surprise and played with it in his hand.

"Don't waste them! They're very expensive! You know how to use them. Once torn open, they provide a 30-second invincible shield, which even a powerful forbidden spell cannot tear through during that time... These are the only three we have! They are the most treasured possessions of our lineage of alchemists," Yun Feng said reluctantly.

“Okay, I understand.” Roland solemnly put away these precious scrolls. They were not just scrolls, but also lives. These life-saving items were becoming increasingly rare.

“I hope you never have the chance to use them…” Yun Feng glanced at Roland.

“I think so too…” Roland could no longer imagine the circumstances under which he would need to use this thing.

"By the way, is there anything else you think needs to be added regarding this battle?" Roland asked Yunfeng, wanting him to fill in any gaps in his knowledge.

"So, is the Flame Demon among the targets of this operation?" Yun Feng asked solemnly. The intensity of fighting the Flame Demon and not fighting the Flame Demon are almost two different levels.

"Of course, do you think our dragons would let a murderer who slaughtered a silver dragon go unpunished? Even if it wasn't the one who did it." Roland shrugged; no dragon could stop a vengeful race.

"Then we need to prepare some fire-resistant items for the soldiers," Yun Feng suggested, rubbing his chin.

"The regions inhabited by Balrogs are mostly scorching hot. Dwarves have high fire resistance, but humans and half-elves don't! If you don't want your precious soldiers to turn into charred remains, I suggest you give each of them a few Ice Blue Potions! They can effectively insulate against high temperatures and some fire damage!" Yun Feng proudly shook the small potion bottle in his hand. Inside the tiny bottle, about the size of a little finger, a ball of ice blue potion slowly flowed...

“Good suggestion, but do we have that many potions?” Roland asked worriedly, as the potion production in Swiftstream City, with only Yunfeng as an alchemist, was terribly low.

"Well, you've finally shown concern for this matter. Thank goodness, thank you for the Dragon God's favor! I started preparing as soon as you first brought it up, and I already have nearly a thousand potions. However, these potions have already used up most of my budget... In short, I'm out of money, and my inventory of various materials is also running out!" Yun Feng spread his hands and spoke sarcastically to Roland, as if mocking Roland for being a hands-off manager.

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight. I'll write you a transfer order right away, and you can go to the castle's storeroom to get any supplies you need," Roland said apologetically.

“I have already done so, but unfortunately, our materials are almost gone, and the trade routes are blocked. Soon my alchemy work will be forced to stop,” Yun Feng said solemnly to Roland.

"I'll figure something out!" Roland also realized the seriousness of the problem.

(End of this chapter)