"The Shire..."
Inside Orthanc, Saruman muttered the name, his weathered brow creasing with suspicion.
"Why would Gandalf be interested in such a place?"
According to reports from his informants, the Grey Wizard had frequented that quiet land in recent years, visiting almost annually.
If he visited Roadside Keep, that would mean nothing—those two were allies; occasional visits are hardly noteworthy.
But the Hobbits' dwelling place? Besides decent pipe-weed and some specialty foods being fairly famous, what else could possibly be special there?
Saruman waved his hand sharply, summoning a servant.
"Tell the spies there to watch Gandalf closely. Report all news concerning him directly to me."
He paused, then added, "Also Roadside Keep—send people to infiltrate their territory. I want reliable intelligence from within their walls."
The servant bowed and departed swiftly.
Certain scoundrels and paid spies hiding in shadowed forests began their covert operations.
"I will keep watching you, always..." Saruman whispered to the empty air.
Several months after Saruman's orders were issued, at a small village on Bree-land's remote edge, several men with shifty demeanors and unsavory appearances gathered in a dim corner, secretly discussing their assignment.
"Found out—Roadside Keep's gate security is practically nonexistent. Anyone can enter casually without question."
"Really? That seems foolish."
"Definitely true. Our informants saw this with their own eyes."
"Good. Then we depart at first light. Upon success, Lord Saruman will reward us handsomely."
After a brief discussion, they headed straight for Eriador—that prosperous, thriving land whose name belied its prosperity.
They traveled all the way to Roadside Keep's gates.
As the intelligence reported, Roadside Keep's gate security practically was nonexistent—anyone could pass directly through without interrogation.
As they walked casually through the open gate, guards stationed on the walls above glanced down at them briefly. Sensing that penetrating gaze, the spies felt inexplicably chilled, but due to professional training, they still acted naturally while entering the city.
Perhaps they maintained their composure well enough, or perhaps guards really just casually swept their gaze over without concern—either way, they successfully entered without incident.
"Really unprofessional security. Even Bree's half-blind old gatekeeper would at least ask a question or two."
"Shh, don't talk so carelessly. If others overhear, it would be disastrous. Don't cause yourself unnecessary trouble."
Out of cautious habit, they first found a relatively secluded location—reportedly some new construction district with only scattered houses under active construction.
Usually such places had fewer residents present at night.
Of course, fewer did not mean none whatsoever.
Days later, the infiltrated spies conferred again in whispers.
One reported, "I can confirm—those iron golems don't patrol here at all. No visible guards patrol within the city either. Security management is remarkably lax."
Another nodded with satisfaction.
"That makes this easy then. These past days I identified this area's leader—some 'community representative.' He passes through here daily carrying notebooks and materials openly."
"Find a way to steal those documents, then quickly escape the territory. First mission accomplished."
"Old method, then?"
"Old method works. We leave immediately after acquiring the target."
Under the spies' tense waiting, a resident with notebooks tucked securely under his arm, looking quite aged and completely unguarded, walked over along his usual route.
"Go. Now."
They moved on the command.
Moments later, after brief spinning confusion and sharp pain, the spies fell one after another to the ground.
The group leader still wanted to resist desperately but was immediately restrained by the community representative.
"Don't move another muscle. I am saving your miserable life right now."
A warning came close to his ear, the voice cold.
"Falling into my hands, you can still live to see tomorrow."
"If you had moved even once more just now, waiting for you wouldn't be my fist but—"
Clang.
Behind them, a massive shadow over three meters tall raised both metal hands with deliberate menace.
The spies broke out in cold, terror-induced sweat.
Iron golem—when did it arrive?
Ordinary street scuffles naturally didn't matter to the constructs.
But just moments ago, it had sensed genuine killing intent and thus followed that dark impulse here.
"Naive fools, still wanting to fight me?"
"Before becoming a community representative, I served as a Ranger for five full years on the frontier. Your crude boxing skills don't even match orc savagery."
This commotion immediately attracted several curious people over to investigate.
These onlookers quite naturally took over the duty of escorting troublemakers, sending them to professional processing institutions.
"Scoundrel spies—haven't seen your kind in ages. Last time was at Bree's tavern causing problems. I heard you were all forced to live like animals in forests. How dare you emerge again recently?"
The spies remained stubbornly silent.
"Not speaking is fine by me. I'll assume you simply forgot your purpose."
"But someone will make you remember very shortly."
"Heh, look at your unconvinced expressions, as if being caught was merely bad luck—just happening to meet someone who could fight and attracting an iron golem by chance."
"Want to guess why the guards let you enter so easily?"
"No matter what you attempted to do here, you would have definitely failed."
"Because you've never witnessed tens of thousands of orc armies and massive giant beasts whose every thundering step shakes the very earth, nor felt the bone-deep terror of Nazgûl screaming overhead."
"Yet these horrors—I and most residents here have personally experienced and survived them all."
"You came to spy on our intelligence? Fine, you can spread news from here if you live. Tell your cowardly master hiding behind you: Roadside Keep's citizens aren't delicate flowers that wilt from a cool breeze, nor helpless seedlings only relying on our lord's protection."
"Anyone daring to invade here will be hunted down and rooted out, then made to pay the price in blood."
As he spoke, the fortified barracks appeared ahead.
"Here is your stop."
The residents pushing the bound spies forward sent them roughly through the iron gate.
"Help them remember exactly what they came here to do."
"With pleasure."
Clang.
The heavy door closed with finality.
The first batch of spies entering Roadside Keep lost all contact, never to be traced or heard from again.
"This world is cruel—either be strong or die quickly."
This grim saying spread widely among surviving spy networks.
"But no one warned us that dying here would be difficult too..."
"Stop, stop, I'll talk—I'll tell you everything!"
Before long, a detailed document found its way into the daily intelligence reports.
Then it reached Levi's hands during his morning review.
"He probably wants another beating," Levi muttered while reading.
"Any other noteworthy news?"
"Yes, my lord."
A Ranger stepped forward to report. "The Shire's southern region has accumulated more idle fellows recently, not resembling honest locals at all."
"Their gazes are evasive and furtive—sometimes watching passing merchants with too much interest, sometimes crouching in shadowed corners eavesdropping on private conversations."
"When our people pass near them, some bolder ones even dare to follow, though usually they are counter-tracked within minutes."
Levi leaned forward with interest. "What have they actually done?"
"They purchased large quantities of pipe-weed and food supplies."
"Hmm?" Levi raised an eyebrow with curiosity.
"Specifically, Longbottom Leaf from the Southfarthing—they bought considerable amounts, plus Green Hill cheese, White Downs sausages..."
As he spoke, the Ranger produced a long, detailed list, handing it to Levi.
"Everything these suspicious persons took away is recorded here."
Levi read down the inventory from top to bottom.
"Why only pipe-weed and food? Are these fellows merely here touring and stocking up on supplies..."
"What do you think?" Levi casually asked for the Ranger's professional opinion.
The Ranger considered carefully. "Actually many years ago, similar people bulk-purchased Longbottom Leaf in large quantities, but we treated it as normal commercial trade without much attention."
"In hindsight, they might be the same network operating again."
"As for whether they're true 'spies' gathering strategic intelligence or merely scouts investigating the Shire's commercial opportunities, this isn't easy to determine with certainty..."
"After all, recently they've only purchased local specialty goods, then shipped them eastward in organized batches."