"I have heard of you, the legendary powerful warrior who uses miraculous magic, the bane of orcs: Levi Stonecraft."
Legolas sheathed his weapon and stepped forward two paces, saying: "Welcome to the Woodland Realm. Legolas greets you."
Recently, there have been many rumors about this human, some quite outrageous. When Legolas first heard them, he was skeptical, thinking they were exaggerated tales. After all, how could such things be accomplished by a single human?
It wasn't until later, when his father, the King of the Woodland Realm, Thranduil, told him it was true, that he began to take it seriously.
[Woodland Realm Reputation: +500 (Respected)]
Even though Levi had never been to this place before, upon first meeting, the Woodland Realm's initial reputation was directly 500. This was probably because Levi had previously swept through the orcs in the river valleys near Mirkwood. These elves had witnessed all his deeds.
Since Levi's arrival, the main enemies of the Woodland Elves had become spiders, with orcs rarely even coming to harass the forest borders.
In fact, after cutting down so many orcs, Levi's reputation with most nearby factions had already reached "Respected" level. Only some distant places still had relatively low reputation, though as rumors gradually spread, those areas' reputation was also slowly increasing.
On the other side, after Legolas, another female elf approached. She looked Levi up and down and said: "Captain of the Guard Tauriel greets you."
Levi nodded and replied: "Greetings to you both."
After the greetings, Legolas said: "Hospitality may have to wait a moment. I need to deal with these dwarves first."
"They are my companions," Levi explained.
"I apologize, but I cannot determine what purpose these dwarves have in coming here. I must take them back for questioning."
Legolas waved his hand, preparing to search the dwarves.
"Why should we? You're discriminating!" some dwarves protested.
"Prejudice! This is prejudice!"
"Didn't you hear? We're with Levi!"
"Let go, don't touch my things..."
"We share the same purpose," Levi said, seeing the dwarves about to be bound.
The atmosphere suddenly became delicate.
Sharing the same purpose meant that if they wanted to bind the dwarves, they would also have to bind Levi.
No one wanted to make an enemy of a living legend.
Legolas stopped his actions, turned to look at Levi, drew a breath, and was about to say something.
Suddenly a scout arrived, interrupting their exchange. He said to Levi: "Lord Thranduil invites you to speak with him."
Legolas looked left and right, having no choice but to temporarily desist, ordering:
"Take them back."
The dwarves breathed sighs of relief, and Bilbo, who had been protected in the middle, also relaxed, abandoning thoughts of invisibility. The group was thus escorted by the elves into a palace.
Clang!
The great doors closed with thunderous finality.
Although the dwarves avoided the fate of being searched and thrown into dungeons, they still couldn't escape being closely guarded by a group of soldiers to prevent any movements.
The group rested in the reception hall, muttering and discussing their current situation with nervous energy.
After a while, Thorin and Bilbo were taken away to appear before the king's throne.
However, before them, Levi had already been conversing with Thranduil for some time.
"Since last year, I have heard of a valiant ranger who single-handedly opposed orc armies in the Vales of Anduin, evacuating the humans there, accompanied by a grey wizard."
"I know Gandalf's capabilities well, so this matter was curious. How did you alone oppose so many orcs?"
The king rose from his throne and slowly descended, staring at Levi for quite a while, obviously conducting the routine review of his title collection.
"With this," Levi patted his sword.
"This sword... may I see it?"
"Of course."
With permission granted, Thranduil drew the long sword and held it before his eyes, examining it carefully with the appreciation of one who understood fine craftsmanship.
"A sword of excellent craftsmanship. Does it have a name?"
"No, actually, I haven't thought of what to name it yet."
"When the day comes that it has a name, it will surely strike fear into orcs."
The king made his prophecy, performed a pleasing sword flourish, and sheathed the blade.
"Thank you."
After polite greetings and inquiries, Thranduil returned to his throne and spoke of serious matters: "Speaking of which, what brings the bane of orcs, savior of the humans of the Vales of Anduin, master of miraculous magic, Levi, to the Woodland Realm?"
"Are you being pursued by orc armies seeking sanctuary, or merely passing through?"
Levi wanted to explain the complex circumstances, but before he could choose his words carefully, the king continued:
"Whatever your purpose, the Woodland Realm welcomes you. You may stay here as long as you wish. We reserve our kindness and patience for friends."
Toward Levi, the king's attitude was quite friendly, but he made no mention of the dwarves, as if Levi had come to Mirkwood alone.
"Those dwarves are my companions. Our purpose in this journey is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. I believe His Majesty the King of the Woodland understands the strategic significance of that place. If the dwarves can retake their homeland, it will become a solid line of defense against evil forces."
Levi brought the matter into the open.
"I certainly understand, but have you forgotten that a dragon lairs there?"
If Smaug were released, Mirkwood would be the first to suffer. While other powers could temporarily observe from afar, Mirkwood would definitely be the most urgent.
"I will deal with that dragon," Levi promised.
"You...?"
Thranduil almost wanted to laugh. A human. How could he know the terror of dragons? Even when he had led a legion years ago, he hadn't dared rashly wage war against a dragon.
As always, it wasn't that they couldn't win, but the cost would be too great, easily causing the elven population to collapse.
The current elven race wasn't as prosperous as in ancient times. Any major battle would accelerate their decline.
Just as he was about to remind this human friend not to speak boastfully, guards suddenly arrived with two people.
Thorin and Bilbo.
At this moment, Bilbo stared with wide eyes, looking at this one and that one, quite anxious, though seeing Levi there also brought him some peace of mind.
When conversing with Levi, Thranduil could still maintain a faint smile and ease on his face, but the moment Thorin arrived, Levi immediately felt the king's relaxation disappear, even the curve of his mouth straightening.
Just as he had said, the Woodland Elves' goodwill was reserved only for friends.
Soon, the two kings began discussing matters.
Thranduil promised to provide assistance for Thorin's action to reclaim his homeland, as long as they returned what originally belonged to the elves.
And Thorin performed as consistently as ever. Upon seeing elves, he began cold mockery and sarcasm, rejecting any elven conditions, even feeling that elves owed them, and proceeded to loudly condemn this king in the hall. After the condemnation, he cursed him a few more times.
Levi wanted to cover Thorin's mouth several times.
Couldn't he see that Thranduil on the throne was so angry his eyes were bulging?
I have never seen such a shameless dwarf!
Soon, Thorin learned he had kicked an iron plate this time. The Woodland Elves didn't have the same good temper as those in Rivendell. Though they also possessed the usual elven elegance, this elegance carried a touch of irritability.
"If you wish to remain here, then stay here and slowly rot. After all, hundreds of years are but the blink of an eye for elven life. I have that patience."
"Lock up these dwarves."
Under Thorin's abuse and insults, the influence of Levi's reputation was successfully wasted, and the dwarves were still disarmed and imprisoned.
However, regarding Bilbo the hobbit, Thranduil didn't transfer his anger. After chatting briefly with Bilbo, he released him, allowing him to move freely like Levi.
[Chapter Complete]
***
Want more? Check out my Patreon for:
✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories
✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics
✓ Early access content www.patreon.com/meowthtl
💪 Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter!
Thanks for reading and supporting the story!