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

Chapter 716 Meeting the Regent

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. I will go and inform His Highness the Regent. Please inform the servants if you need anything." After settling the two in a side hall, Hu Lin explained to Caslo and then turned to leave, leaving only Weiss, who was engrossed in the exquisite pastries, and Caslo, who looked helpless.

"Have I been starving you these past few days?" Caslo covered his face, somewhat exasperated. It was really embarrassing that Weiss was acting like a starving ghost, showing off his pastries.

"It smells delicious! Teacher, you should try some!" Weiss raised his little hand and offered it to Caslo's mouth.

"I won't eat it! I won't eat it!" Caslo quickly refused, his face full of disgust.

……

"Mmm, it smells delicious!" Caslo gave a thumbs up.

"Is it delicious? Have some more?" Weiss mumbled between chews.

"Never mind, there's still a banquet to go, eat less!" Caslo patted his head and reminded him.

"Thud!" The pastry in Weiss's mouth fell to the ground instantly, followed by a mournful expression.

"Teacher, why didn't you say so sooner? I've never been to a banquet before!" Weiss looked at Caslow with a huge regret, as if he had missed out on 500 million.

“…” Caslo’s eyes twitched a few times as he glanced at the unfazed waiter not far away and sighed.

……

"Your Excellency Caslo, His Highness the Regent summons you!" Hulin entered shortly afterward and addressed Caslo.

"Okay, thank you. You stay and wait for me to come back! What are you going over there for?" Caslo had only taken two steps when he turned back to look at Weiss, who was following behind him.

"Oh!" Weiss sat back down timidly and answered somewhat dejectedly.

"Let's go, Your Excellency Hulin!" Caslo nodded to Hulin, indicating that they could leave.

……

"Greetings, Your Highness Turgon, Regent of Gondor! I bring you my King's blessings and wish you good health! This is a gift from my King to you!" Caslo bowed to Turgon, who sat below the throne, his tone full of respect and sincerity, and handed the gift to a servant.

"No need for formalities, Dragon Rider General who has come from afar, great and powerful knight. I have received the blessing from King Lagran! Please give my thanks to him and convey my greetings to the Guardian in the far north!" Turgon's words were like a gentle breeze. The white-haired old man spoke slowly but clearly, full of kingly demeanor. He waved his hand to signal the servant to accept the gift and leave.

“I will tell my king!” Caslo bowed his head and touched his chest again.

"Then, Lord Caslo, the great dragon rider and the Storm Scourge of the North, may I ask why you have come?" Turgon asked Caslo calmly.

Caslo raised his head and looked directly into Ergon's eyes, but he couldn't see a trace of emotion in them. His eyes were as calm as still water, which made Caslo think to himself that Ergon was a cunning old fox. Dealing with such a shrewd and experienced person was the most troublesome thing. The twists and turns in his mind were a real headache.

“I was sent by the King to Gondor to establish relations between the two countries and to conduct trade,” Caslow answered truthfully, for there was no need to deceive the Regent of Gondor.

“Indeed, as important kingdoms of humanity, we need to communicate with each other. It has been troublesome for you to make this trip. In principle, we should be the ones to pay our respects to King Lagrang! Unfortunately, the North is a long way off, and with the orcs rampant, we cannot guarantee the delegation's safe arrival,” Turgon said thoughtfully. After all, Gondor is still the undisputed leader of humanity, and allying with human kingdoms is its responsibility and obligation. However, Gondor currently lacks the capacity to send a delegation through waves of orcish blockades to Lagrang. The level of escort for the goblin prince is not something anyone can afford to use, and Gondor doesn't have many knights to spare. “It's alright, that's why I've come!” Caslo said calmly, his steady voice revealing strong confidence. Having a powerful kingdom as a backer gave Caslo considerable confidence. Based on apparent strength, Lagrang's high-end combat power should be slightly superior to Gondor's at present.

"Hmm, what kind of trade are you referring to, Your Excellency?" Turgon didn't dwell on the question of who came and who went, but chose to skip the topic. If he continued along with Caslo's words, it would be awkward for Gondor. Compared to them, Gondor would appear weak.

“Yes, the North is suffering from severe food shortages due to years of war, so my king sent me to purchase grain!” Caslo said.

"Oh? That makes sense!" Turgon nodded knowingly. How many people could that wretched place in the North possibly support? Constantly being attacked from all sides, it would be strange if they could produce anything in peace! Even if the Kingdom of Lagrang were to rise to power, it wouldn't change the fact that the North was being beaten into submission.

"So how much are you planning to acquire? If Gondor is really in dire need, we can provide some free of charge!" Turgon said kindly. After all, they are all human kingdoms, and Lagrange is even taking the fall for the South in the North, so they should at least show some appreciation.

"This quantity is probably a bit too much! Let's buy it..." Caslo gave an awkward laugh, trying to illustrate that Ergong shouldn't make any promises he shouldn't, or he'd be embarrassed later.

"So how much do you need? I'll try my best to gather it for you?" Turgon asked curiously, having already understood the implication in Caslo's words.

“2.5 tons!” Caslo gestured.

"Whoa! The Kingdom of Lagrang is running out of food???" Turgon stood up abruptly. 2.5 tons of grain could feed so many people for a year! Lagrang just casually asked for 2.5 tons?

"No, but if we can't buy them back, we'll run out of food next year..." Caslo shrugged, not trying to hide his feelings.

"How do you plan to purchase the grain? Although this year's harvest is bountiful, the price of grain will still not be too low. After all, it is all purchased from farmers, and after layers of exploitation, there is not much left. Too little will kill people!" To Caslo's surprise, Turgon actually said such a thing.

"Huh?" Caslo stared at Turgon in astonishment, his face full of disbelief. Turgon's words were a blatant insult to the Gondorian nobility.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm just an ordinary prime minister. I don't have such a strong hand. I can't control what the nobles do. I can only maintain the stability of the kingdom. As for the rest... I'm willing but powerless!" Turgun gave a bitter smile. Although he was incapable, he still wanted to do something for the people.

“We don’t intend to pay money; we’ll exchange it for ten sets of superior-grade knight suits,” Caslow shook his head.

"Superior-grade knight equipment? A set? Ten sets? Really?" Turgon's eyes lit up.

“Of course it’s true!” Caslo pulled a set out of his spatial bracelet and held it in his hand.

"Deal! The Hulin family will provide the grain, and may the friendship between our two countries last forever!" Turgon agreed without hesitation. Ten sets of superior-grade knight armor were equivalent to half of Gondor's current total supply! Many nobles did not even have a set of superior-grade knight armor, so these ten sets of armor were a valuable political asset.

“Alright, you prepare as soon as possible and we’ll make the deal quickly. I’m in a hurry to go back and report!” Caslo said sincerely, patting his chest.

"Of course, it will take about a week to procure these grains, so we will need to trouble you to leave them for a while," Turgun said with a smile.

“Then I’ll have to trouble you!” Caslo nodded.

"By the way, I will be hosting a banquet for you tonight, and I hope you will do me the honor of attending," Turgon invited.

“Then naturally I will accept your offer!” Caslo smiled and did not refuse.

(End of this chapter)