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

Chapter 332 Griffin Knight
"Have you heard? We're going to get paid!" the two soldiers on guard whispered to each other.

"How much money could there be?" a soldier asked curiously.

"It's said that His Majesty the King and other important figures are discussing prices inside the lord's castle. The only confirmed price so far is one copper coin for a loaf of bread!" the soldier said confidently, puffing out his chest.

"Huh? How do you know so much?" another soldier nudged him.

"Isn't that what I overheard while I was on guard duty inside just now?" the soldier replied proudly when asked.

"Speak like a human! How much money are you going to get?" another soldier asked urgently.

"What's your hurry? Have you been short of food or clothing in the barracks? What do you need money for?" Another soldier rolled his eyes. As a soldier who was provided with food and lodging, there was nothing he needed to spend money on.

"I'm not just planning to marry..." The soldier realized he had misspoke and immediately shut up.

"Oh! So that's how it is! Going to find a wife? Is the girl pretty? When is the wedding?" the soldier asked eagerly, knowing this would be great gossip.

"Tell me how much you want first!" the soldier who wanted to marry said irritably.

"It should be quite a lot. We are city guards, second-tier professionals. We should earn at least ten silver coins a month!" another soldier said calmly.

"Oh, by the way, one gold is equal to one hundred silver and ten thousand copper! That's enough for an average family's expenses for one or two months!" The soldier who knew a little about it shook his head and said.

"Hey! Pay attention, guard! What are you chatting about?" Radil walked over with a smile and tapped the soldier's breastplate with his staff.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Radil! Is there anything I can do for you?" The guard greeted him politely, but then crossed his pistols and blocked the doorway.

“I have something to report to Your Highness! Please inform him!” Radil waved his hand.

"Wait a moment..."

……

"Your Highness! Lord Radil requests an audience!" the guard reported cautiously, glancing up at Roland with a careful eye.

"Oh? Old Master Radil is here? Let him in!" Roland said, glancing at Yun Feng beside him.

……

"What's wrong, old man?" Roland asked, looking at Radil.

“Your Highness should consider the matter of selecting griffin riders!” Radil said with a smile.

"Huh? So fast?" Roland was shocked. Weren't griffins supposed to grow very slowly? How come he can ride one in less than a year?
"It's all thanks to those magical beast growth potions you gave me; the quality is quite good! They've already entered their growth stage, and we can choose knights for them now!" Radil smiled, pleased that these five little guys, whom he had taken care of for so long, had finally grown up.

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!" Roland said happily.

……

"Wow! Good heavens! It's so big!" Roland stared in shock at the massive creature before him, nearly three meters long. Its head was that of an eagle, its golden beak gleaming coldly, and two golden eyebrows were raised high above its eyes! Its forelimbs were sharp lion claws, the muscles bulging with power! Its hind limbs were eagle talons, capable of shattering gold and splitting stone—the griffin's most powerful weapon against ground targets! Its strong wings were enough to support it and a fully armed knight in high-speed flight. Griffin knights, considered on par with dragon knights, were undoubtedly the best choice for air knights, unless dragon knights were present.

“Griffins are huge!” Radil chuckled. How small could a griffin, comparable to a dragon, be?
"What are the requirements for their knights?" Roland asked, puzzled, since he really didn't know what the selection process for Griffin Knights was like.

"The requirements aren't high, at least a trainee knight, the rest depends on training," Radil said, stroking his beard. "A trainee knight? That's certainly not a high requirement!" Roland was delighted. Although he didn't have any Knights of the Knight Temple to become a knight, he still had some knights in reserve. The King's Knights were out of the question, but the Cross Bauhinia Knights could still be sent.

“We currently have twenty Bauhinia Knights available for deployment. Do you think that meets the requirements?” Roland asked.

“Of course!” Radil laughed.

……

"I've called you all here today for one thing! To select Griffin Knights!" Roland said, his hands behind his back, looking at the knights in front of him.

"Griffin Knights?" Lavian grinned, thinking, "They want to convert their land knights into air knights?"

"Hmm, so you're interested, Ravian?" Roland asked curiously. He would definitely support Ravian if he wanted to become a Sky Knight.

"No, I'm fine now. I'm used to the current combat mode, so I don't need to learn to be a Sky Knight!" Ravian shook his head, showing no desire to become a Sky Knight whatsoever.

“I… want to try!” Hollin quietly raised his hand.

“Huh? You…aren’t you Lavian’s second-in-command? I remember you!” Roland recognized Hollin.

"Yes, Your Highness!" Hollin proudly puffed out his chest; as a member of the Knights of the Bauhinia Cross, he had every right to be so proud.

"Why?" Roland asked curiously.

"Because the Sky Knights are fast enough..." Hollin scratched his head sheepishly. This operation was still fresh in his memory. The two Dragon Knights had already arrived while he was still racing on the road!
"Hahaha! Indeed! Sky Knights are certainly convenient for traveling!" Roland laughed heartily.

“Alright, then go pick a griffin. As long as he approves of you, I will approve you to become a Sky Knight!” Roland said with a smile.

……

As expected, Hollin successfully gained the approval of one of the griffins, and with the other four selected, the griffin squad was now full. However, training became a problem. It was fine for Grandpa Lavian to take care of the little griffin, but asking a war mage to train a sky knight was too much to ask.

"Idiot! We already have the world's strongest air knights..." Roland slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, what air knight is more professional than a dragon knight? The dragon knights can make the same mobile suits that other air knights can make, and they can also make the mobile suits that other air knights can't make. It would be a waste of their talents to have the dragon knights train these griffin knights.

……

"Hmm? Train them?" Caslo blinked and smiled helplessly at the five griffins squatting obediently in front of him.

"Huh? Why are they so well-behaved?" Roland looked curiously at the once energetic griffins that were now squatting in front of Caslo like obedient dogs.

“Sigh…If only you could do it with your imperial might, Your Highness.” Yun Feng walked over.

"Hmm! Not bad! Radil didn't spoil these little guys; they're growing up very healthy!" Yun Feng carefully examined the griffins.

“Caslo, you should be fine! These griffins aren’t any harder to train than dragons, are they?” Yunfeng said.

"I can train them, but it's a bit troublesome!" Caslo was a little embarrassed. After all, the strength of a dragon's body was something these griffins couldn't compete with, and his training methods might not be suitable for the griffins and knights.

"It's alright, let's make do for now! At least let them fly and fight!" Roland didn't care at all, after all, we have to take it one step at a time.

(End of this chapter)