Chapter 259 The Cripple

Gandalf and Balin leave.

Together they returned to Erebor, the starting point of their journey.

After arriving in Erebor with Balin, Gandalf immediately set out again, and it was unknown where he was going to start a new journey.

And Bahrain...

“It’s been a nice trip, isn’t it?”

He told stories to his old friends in Erebor. He told them of the great bear on Carr Rock gazing at the moon, of the scenery on the Pilgrimage Road, of the battle at Riverfort, and of Bilbo's recent situation.

After that, he learned about the battle in River Valley City from his friends.

However, when comparing the two sides, it is obvious that there is more movement on the Riverside Fort side.

“This is much more exciting than our place.”

Some dwarves imagined the scenes described by Balin, and the history books of Roadside Castle. Those were the history books of Roadside Castle...

"What's the good of it? Can't we live just as well without going?" A dwarf turned his head away and didn't look at Balin.

There was sourness in his words.

"As long as you are happy."

Thorin was truly happy for his good partner, who was also his most capable assistant and think tank.

It was indeed not very kind of us not to take him with us on the previous group outings.

"But, Balin, why is there a pointy spot on your beard..."

Balin's face suddenly froze.

"This is the proof of my battle with the Ringwraiths, Thorin, you shouldn't ask this. And you, you are not allowed to laugh. He almost cut my neck with that damn sword. It was my beard that saved my life. It is the best beard."

"Oh, yes, best beard, ever."

Someone added fuel to the fire and almost made Bahrain die of anger with one sentence.

"Alright, alright."

Thorin calmed down the noise with his hands.

"Let's talk about business."

"Recently, people who were excavating in the deepest part of the mountain reported that they had trouble breathing once they got down there, and they felt depressed and a little anxious."

"Did we dig too deep? This shouldn't happen. We dug deeper before, and we never saw this happen."

"Is it because the weather is too hot?"

"That's even more impossible. Before you say that, do you want to think about it? Who among you has never forged iron? Who among you has not been baked in a huge steel furnace for a long time at close range? Would you feel uncomfortable when doing these things?"

"No, it doesn't."

Dwarves are famous for their resistance to heat and disease. They are like stones, hard, stubborn and extremely resistant.

It is extremely difficult for them to get sick, and there is no record of such things as physical illness. No human diseases can infect them as they have extremely high immunity to them.

“Maybe it’s the climate.”

"We can improve the working environment and food. How about sending down some ice and cold ale?"

"Maybe it will help."

The few of them continued to discuss various things in the mountains and soon forgot about the topic of the previous chat.

Everything is fine.

On the other side, in Riverside Castle, Levi has lived here for a long time since returning to the territory. By the way, he also joined the construction team of the territory's citizens and took the lead in building various new buildings.

City walls, houses, shipyards, docks...all kinds of new things are being built in an orderly manner, with progress accumulating bit by bit.

There is sufficient reserve of manpower, materials and technology.

As for some less suitable terrains - under normal circumstances, even with the various tools and permissions provided by the territory, it is still difficult for the people to directly transform the terrain.

But it doesn't matter.

Levi's figure began to appear at the forefront of the construction.

He became the biggest foreman in Riverside Fort. Every day, he did as much work as several construction teams. He worked day and night and would not stop until the work was done.

Seeing this, the people felt a little bit distressed and heartbroken.

Many people couldn't sleep well when they saw Levi working day and night.

"Why don't you take a rest?"

Finally, out of concern for the lord, a representative offered his care.

"rest?"

Levi was a little confused.

"I'm taking a break."

As he spoke, he built another block.

The leaders were speechless for a moment.

He thought a lot that day.

Yes, in many territories, no one has ever forced them to do anything, nor has there been any pressure forcing anyone to make an unwilling decision. All of this is everyone's own choice and interest.

"The fire in my heart has been ignited."

In the middle of the night, the leader who went to question him suddenly sat up, turned on the light and went to work.

"What?"

Many people looked at the figure with puzzled expressions.

In any case, the construction and development of Riverside Fort is booming, and every day is a new look.

Build, rub boats, command fortifications...

And if you have nothing to do, go to the gate of Moria.

Since the war, the area around Moria has become much quieter, as almost all the Orcs in it have been killed.

The earthworms also burrowed deeper into the ground - even deeper than the dwarves had dug to the Balrog.

They disappeared completely, leaving behind only various mysterious holes.

When the project was not so urgent and there was nothing to decide, Levi took the time to come to the western gate of Moria.

Just walk from west to east along the door without any obstruction.

There were no Orcs, no sign of the Balrog.

"Maybe it's safe."

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After some consideration, Levi walked the road again and left some marks to help future travelers identify the direction and road.

A year passed by in such an uneventful manner.

——Although it may not be so plain to the outside world.

A new, large-scale shipyard is no small matter. Whether it is allies or enemies, all forces are paying close attention to this place.

Even those places that have always been peaceful and not involved in disputes can always hear the news here and bring it up as a topic of conversation after dinner.

It's the end of the year in a blink of an eye.

Apart from this emerging shipyard and the war that followed it, nothing major happened in Middle-earth.

If I have to say...

At the crossroads where the conflict between Mordor and Gondor is most serious, there are some new movements among the Uruk-k groups on the east side.

"We haven't seen you, you cripple."

In one camp, an Uruk spotted a disabled companion approaching and began to interrogate him.

The lame Uruk raised his head and looked at the group of new faces, and did not speak for a while.

All are new...

All the Uruks who were previously stationed here have died.

They were handed over to the enemy to be chopped into pieces by their masters themselves.

"I'm asking you a question. Where are you from?"

"I crawled back from the most intense battlefield."

This lame Uruk did not hide his origins.

"Ha! A cripple, a disabled man, a deserter!"

Uruk, who was asking the question, immediately scoffed.

There is no humanitarian care among the orcs. It is natural for the weak to be humiliated by the strong.

"Haha, deserter?"

"You have never seen hell, yet you dare to speak nonsense here!"

"What did you say?"

Seeing that the weakling in front of him dared to resist, the Uruk immediately raised his knife and chopped down.

Lame Uruk was furious. He immediately rushed forward and grabbed the knife from the hand of the Uruk who was humiliating him. He took it away despite the cut, and then swung it wildly in his own hand until he had chopped Uruk into meat scraps and bent his armor.

"Who else is dissatisfied now?"

He raised the butcher knife covered in blood and minced meat and roared.

The Uruks in the surrounding areas were frightened by the commotion, and no one dared to step forward.

From that day on, a famous monster appeared among the new group of Uruks sent by Mordor. He was lame, but strong and cruel, with great strength and good at fighting. Many Uruks were willing to obey his orders.

Later, the lame Uruk replaced the foot that was pierced by an arrow with a prosthetic limb, and used the brutal and bloody technology of the orcs to transform his skull and cover it with an iron plate.

During the transformation, the lame Uruk screamed miserably, but he managed to survive with his own willpower.

When the prosthetic limbs were installed and the iron plate transformation of his skull was completed, he was completely different from before, and both his appearance and will had undergone a sublimation.

After that, he got his own code name - "Lame Freak."

It originated from his out-of-place appearance and his previously lame leg.

The lame freak conquered all the Uruk and Orc camps one by one and was called "Boss" by these orcs.

His fame grew, and finally one day, he was noticed by the Ringwraiths.

"You will be the leader."

"Yes, Master!"

After walking out of Minas Morgul, the lame freak showed a hideous smile.

"My Lord, I am back again."

An order was issued.

"Back off, don't mess with the monster under the crossroads."

(End of this chapter)