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

Chapter 389 The Approaching Winter

Meanwhile, Roland's envoys were rushing to other kingdoms, while Roland himself was busy figuring out how to make himself and his people happier.

"How is Yunfeng? The supplies should be sufficient, right?" Roland asked, turning his head.

Yun Feng was busy stamping and signing various documents with his own seal. He was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. Although the amount of various supplies being transferred was not large, the total amount was enough to frighten people. Fortunately, the cheapest straw paper was not particularly expensive. If the parchment with magic was used, it would be astronomically expensive!

"Hmm! The residents have enough supplies! But the soldiers..." Yunfeng said as she rummaged through the treasury.

"I'll take care of the soldiers. You just need to make sure the residents have enough supplies to get through this winter!" Roland said solemnly. He still vividly remembered the famine of the last winter. If it weren't for a stroke of luck, they might not have survived... This winter will be a little better. At least they can use their wealth points to buy military rations in the system. Whether they taste good or not is another matter, but they will definitely fill them up!

“That should be enough! The people of the kingdom grow a variety of crops! Barley, wheat! Even oats! Soybeans and peas! With these grains mixed together, this winter should be a year of plenty!” Yun Feng nodded, the sheer volume of data taking him quite a while to sort through.

“However, we lack meat! The snowwing chickens are enough for the castle and officers, but ordinary soldiers and residents can only fish or hunt for meat! Vegetables are also scarce! Even my table is often filled with wild vegetables, let alone others!” Yun Feng explained various problems to Roland without looking up.

"Let's hold off on meat production for now. I'm willing but unable to do so! Feeding animals requires feed, and we don't even have enough grain for ourselves... As for slaughtering cattle? Forget it, we don't have many cattle to begin with! I'll try to get some seeds for vegetables!" Roland nodded, indicating that he understood his next goal.

"By the way! Has the caravan set off yet? I need some alchemical materials!" Yun Feng suddenly said.

"Not yet. We dare not let them set off before the trade routes are opened. I've gone to contact the other lords! I hope everyone can travel together, so we can look out for each other on the road!" Roland said.

"Yes, as long as you know what's going on!" Yun Feng nodded, after all, he couldn't interfere too much with the king's decision.

"Don't worry, I won't joke about the future of the kingdom and the lives of our soldiers!" Roland nodded solemnly. If he could, he would even hope that the kingdom's people would emerge unscathed from every battle, but that was impossible! Apart from the knights' honor, which allowed all knights to share the damage, other professionals didn't have that ability! Not to mention the ordinary soldiers! They could only use their own flesh and blood to stop the enemy in the face of war!

……

"Hmm? King Roland wants to open a trade route? To the western human world?" Bai Yi looked at the envoy before him, somewhat speechless. Roland was quietly planning another big move! However… a trade route was indeed something everyone needed, and they had to wade through this mess with Roland…

Bai Yi shook his head and sighed helplessly. The Akvia Kingdom, which lacked a system, had just emerged from the relocation of its people and the shadow of war, and now it had to grit its teeth and use its already limited military force in this trade route war.

"Please inform King Roland that I will be traveling to Swiftstream City soon to discuss this matter with him!" White Wing said after a moment's thought.

……

"Hmm? Is Roland planning to reopen the pass in the Misty Mountains? The old pass isn't so easy to take back!" Thorin rubbed his chin, his eyes full of thought and struggle.

After all, this great king led his squad through a chaotic rampage, managing to break free from the deathly shadows of the mountains while being pursued and intercepted by orcs! No one knew better than him how troublesome those damned orcs were!

“Our lord has his own considerations. If you have any thoughts, you can send someone to give us a reply!” said the knight on the mission.

“Yes, I will be sending an envoy to meet with King Roland soon! By the way, have you informed Bard?” Soren asked. “Of course, King Bard has others to meet with him. In fact, my king has notified all the kingdoms surrounding Lonely Mountain!”

"Yes, the dwarves will do their part!" Thorin nodded. Since everyone had a share to share, there was no reason for the dwarves not to lend a hand.

“Tell King Roland! The dwarves will always be his friends! I will lead my army to where I am meant to be!” Thorin nodded.

"King of the Mountain, you flatter me. Such a trivial matter wouldn't require your personal intervention!" The knight's lips twitched. Had he phrased it incorrectly? The dwarf king was treating this like a life-or-death battle…

……

“Alright! I will personally go to Swiftstream City to meet with King Roland!” Bard nodded. As the weakest force around Lonely Mountain, he most hoped that blood from the outside world could be channeled in.

This allowed the products of the Valley State to be sold, and the items needed by the city-state could be purchased from other places.

"Thank you for your help!" The knight bowed and turned to leave.

……

“They will come and talk to us!” Roland said to Yunfeng.

"The White Wing King of the Kingdom of Akvia has arrived. Perhaps you should go and greet him!" Yun Feng suddenly said.

"How did you know?" Roland asked curiously.

"...I'm a mage too!" Yun Feng rolled his eyes at Roland. He also possessed the mage's Eye of Truth, and he had deployed Eyes of Truth around the entire area of ​​Swiftstream City, enough for him to monitor the movements around the city! You could say a simplified version of a surveillance system from another world had been created, although this system was somewhat useless for mages...

"Thank you for your hard work!" Roland nodded in respect. He knew about the mage's Eye of Truth and the difficulty Yunfeng faced in monitoring the city's surroundings. This was a heavy burden on both his mental and magical power, meaning that Yunfeng was constantly losing magical and mental energy. Only those who experienced this feeling of replenishing while simultaneously losing energy could truly understand it.

"It's alright. There are always places the soldiers can't monitor. Swiftstream City is our last home, and I can't ignore this risk!" Yun Feng shook his head. He didn't want magical beasts or enemies to sneak in before they even realized it; that would be a huge mess...

“I’m going to see the White Wing King, do you want to come with me?” Roland asked.

“No need, you can just take the Grand Duke with you…” Yun Feng shook his head. He didn’t like to be insincere with others, and he was a bit like a science and engineering guy from his previous life.

“Alright, I’ll go greet the guests…” Roland shrugged.

(End of this chapter)