After Arthur walked away, the dwarf who had been eavesdropping in the kitchen immediately realized that a group of Elves had come knocking when he heard the phrase "long, pointed ears."
So, this chicken-raising dwarf, without even putting down his simple frying pan, ran directly towards Morne Castle to find Fili and Kili.
"I probably can't let my friends suffer at the hands of those pointy-ears!" the dwarf muttered as he ran with all his might.
Meanwhile, at Haight Fort.
On the walls of Haight Fort, more than a dozen Godrick soldiers stood in a straight line, looking down.
The Demi-Human cluster stood on the outer platform where ballistas were placed, chattering amongst themselves about the cavalry troop standing outside the fort, but they did not aim their ballistas at them.
At the gate below, the Godrick Knight, who had fallen into the path of blood, stood still like a statue, leading two Godrick soldiers.
Less than ten meters in front of this knight captain, a handsome Elf rode on a strong warhorse.
Behind this Elf were dozens of Elves, maintaining the same posture as him, sitting motionless on their dark warhorses. They wore form-fitting silver armor, with red-brown cloaks on their backs, and waited quietly for the true master of Haight Fort to arrive.
Behind these cavalrymen were ten more carriages.
Judging by the heavy ruts pressed into the mud, the carriages were full of goods.
When Arthur and Kenneth arrived, the leading Elf immediately dismounted and showed a warm smile to the two: "Greetings, friend of Gandalf. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. Mithrandir, also known as Gandalf, told me when he was a guest in Rivendell not long ago that in this scarred land of Minhiriath, a kind-hearted human is rebuilding his home. He hoped I could lend a helping hand to this human, so I have come to visit quite abruptly, and I hope you will accept."
Arthur looked at this Elf who called himself Elrond. His face showed no trace of age, neither old nor young, yet it was etched with many joyful and sorrowful memories.
He had dark hair, gray eyes, and wore a silver circlet on his head.
Arthur's heart told him that the other party was not only a Lord but also a brave and skilled warrior.
Full of martial virtue.
Arthur sighed inwardly, then stepped forward: "I am Arthur, welcome."
Since these Elves were all here to deliver supplies to him, Arthur had no reason not to welcome them.
Kenneth Haight, who was following behind Arthur, walked behind Arthur, then turned around and waved, signaling the soldiers of Haight Fort to stand down.
"A friend of Gandalf is a friend of mine. Thank you all for coming such a long way."
Arthur stepped forward and extended his hand to Elrond, but found that the other party first made a strange gesture to him, then paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then took his outstretched hand.
Is he not used to shaking hands?
Arthur thought to himself, shaking it lightly before letting go.
Instead, Elrond was the first to show an apologetic smile and said, "It's been a long time since I've dealt with other humans, I almost forgot your human handshake etiquette."
So that was the situation.
Arthur's recent confusion was resolved, and he indicated that he didn't mind, then invited them to Morne Castle.
On the way to Morne Castle, Elrond's bright eyes scanned the surrounding golden grasslands and leaves, then looked up at the dazzling Erdtree, praising, "This tree is indeed as Gandalf said, possessing magical power. This power is full of life and vitality, it's hard not to be delighted."
Elrond naturally felt the blessings sprinkled from the branches and leaves of the Erdtree, which is why he praised it so much.
Arthur smiled upon hearing the praise: "Everyone who sees it says the same, but it's still in its growth stage. When it truly becomes a towering tree, I will invite you to visit again."
Just as the two were having a friendly conversation, a rough voice cut through the sky.
"Protect Teacher Arthur!"
A group of dwarves, armed with swords, spears, halberds, and even pots and pans, rushed out from the roadside forest. Kili's voice was the loudest, and he was at the very front.
"Hoo ah ah ah ah ah!"
But he was quickly overtaken by Dwalin, who was behind him, roaring with a battle-axe in both hands.
The Elf Knights behind Elrond reacted very quickly. They spurred their horses, and riding their warhorses, they surrounded Elrond and Arthur, protecting them in the center.
Elrond looked at these dwarves who had inexplicably rushed out with a strange expression. When he saw that some of the dwarves were even holding frying pans stained with oil, his eyes became even more puzzled.
He could see that some of the dwarves rushing towards him were not even warriors, but just farmers and cooks.
"Lord Arthur, these dwarves are...?" Elrond couldn't figure out the answer and could only look at Arthur.
Arthur looked at the dwarves who were genuinely rushing over with worried and tense expressions, and his vision immediately went dark, with an impulse to just ignore them.
But he couldn't really ignore them. Arthur even saw Kili's Prayers starting to glow in his hand, and behind him, Fili had already drawn his throwing knives, ready to throw.
So Arthur quickly shouted loudly, stopping this foolish group of dwarves: "Fili, Kili, stop! Lord Elrond is not here for a fight!"
Kili heard his teacher's voice, quickly stopped, and stood stunned: "Huh?"
Fili also quickly let go of the hilt of his throwing knife, looking somewhat bewildered at the Elf cavalry who had formed up and drawn their weapons.
Similarly, all the dwarves who heard Arthur's command stopped in their tracks. Then, including Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, all the dwarves looked at the chicken-raising dwarf who was holding a frying pan.
The chicken-raising dwarf blinked, looked left and right, then showed an embarrassed smile: "I just thought I heard Elf cavalry outside Haight Fort, and I thought there was going to be a fight."
Now it was Fili, Kili, and Dwalin's turn for their vision to go dark, especially Kili and Dwalin, who had rushed the fastest, and therefore also saw the ten carriages loaded with supplies following behind the cavalry troop.
However, they had no good feelings towards Elves, so even though they knew they were in the wrong, they did not apologize and just stood there motionless.
Elrond now also understood that the dwarves had misunderstood, and he ordered his cavalry to stand down in Elvish, then walked with Arthur to stand in front of Kili and the others.
"Prejudice is an invisible mountain; it will make you unable to distinguish between friends and enemies, and it will lead you into blindness and danger," Elrond said, neither lightly nor heavily.
Kili snorted: "We don't want to be friends with a bunch of ungrateful Elves."
Dwalin hadn't even put down his battle-axe, making a provocative gesture.
Fili was relatively more restrained, but he also waited until Kili finished speaking before pulling his brother behind him.
And he ignored Elrond, turning instead to Arthur and saying, "I'm sorry, Teacher, we heard a group of pointy-ears came outside your fort, and we thought there was going to be a fight."
Arthur also saw that Fili and his fellow dwarves seemed to be at odds with the Elves, so he quickly appeased them: "Thank you and your kin for your kindness, Fili, you all go to Haight Fort to rest first."
Fili glanced at Elrond a few more times before nodding in agreement.
"Hmph." Kili snorted at Elrond, then followed his brother away.
"Hmph!" This was Dwalin, who weighed his battle-axe a few times in his hand towards Elrond before leaving.
The other dwarves were all the same; as they passed the Elves under Fili's lead, they all gave cold stares or deliberately let out grunts of dissatisfaction.
Only when the dwarves and Elves had crossed paths and could no longer see each other did Arthur show a pained and apologetic expression: "I am truly sorry, Lord Elrond. I did not expect such an awkward situation to arise. Once we reach the castle in Morne Castle, I will personally apologize to you and your people."
Elrond smiled, "It's just a harmless misunderstanding; there's no need for a Erdtree Lord to personally apologize. I understand the stubbornness of dwarves, like solid ice in winter. The fact that they listen to you so well indicates your significant standing among them. This also confirms Gandalf's assessment of you: you are a good person worth befriending."
Arthur had originally intended to apologize to Elrond, but to his surprise, not only was the other party not angry, but he was praised again, which made him a little embarrassed.
He was filled with admiration for Elrond's composure and generosity, saying, "You are also a respectable Elf, but Gandalf's praise for me was a bit excessive. Let's continue forward; this isn't a good place for a chat."
Elrond maintained his demeanor and smile, following Arthur, "I don't think someone who can casually gift a divine weapon to a friend would be overly praised by Gandalf."
Soon, the Elves entered Morne Castle's castle. Nepheli Loux and Rogier had been waiting at the main gate for a long time, assisting the Elves in parking their warhorses and wagons filled with supplies in their designated spots.
While they were helping, Arthur introduced the two to Elrond.
"The warrior who can conjure storms in battle—Nepheli Loux, and the sorcerer who perfectly combines swordsmanship with Glintstone Magic—Rogier. I know of your bravery from Gandalf, and I am very happy to meet warriors like you," Elrond greeted them proactively.
"I am honored to be praised by Gandalf in such a way."
Rogier took off his sorcerer's pointed hat, placed it on his chest, and performed an elegant hand-on-heart bow.
Nepheli Loux, meanwhile, simply nodded, "May your journey home be blessed by the wind."
The four arrived at the spacious City Lord Hall within the inner castle. Inside the hall were three wide, clean long tables, enough to seat fifty people.
However, at this moment, there was no fine wine or delicious food on the long tables. Arthur' apologetic voice rang out, "I have already arranged for Kenneth Haight to send the food. Lord Elrond, please wait a moment with your kin. Oh, and this is my first time hosting Elves. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
Under Arthur' guidance, Elrond sat in the seat reserved for honored guests.
The other Elves also took their seats, orderly and with synchronized movements.
Elrond smiled upon hearing this, "No matter. Rather, it is our uninvited arrival that prevented you from preparing in time; I should be the one apologizing. As for food, normal human food will suffice."
Arthur then asked, "Lord Elrond, I imagine you've traveled thousands of miles from Rivendell to get here, and it's not just for the simple matter of delivering supplies, is it?"
Elrond showed an expression that said, "You truly understand," and smiled, saying, "You are right, Arthur Lord. Besides delivering supplies, I do have other objectives. Or rather, objectives that Gandalf and I decided upon together."
Why is it related to Gandalf again?
Arthur said with interest, "I'd be glad to hear more."
Elrond turned to his Elven adjutant, "Lindir, present the map."
An elegant male Elf nodded, stood up from his seat, came over, and unfolded a new paper map on Arthur' table, then returned to his seat.
Arthur noticed that the ink on this map was still fresh, and the geographical locations were marked with elegant script.
But why a map? I also have maps of Middle-earth.
Arthur kept his curiosity to himself, awaiting Elrond's next move.
Elrond stood up from his seat, came to Arthur' side, and pointed to a spot on the map in the upper right corner of Minhiriath, where the name "Halbarad" was written.
Arthur looked over and asked curiously, "Is there anything special about this place?"
Elrond explained to Arthur, "Halbarad, it was once a great river port city capable of accommodating sea vessels. Its Halbarad Bridge connected the North and South Road, and also connected the Kingdom of Arnor with the Kingdom of Gondor . However, now, the northern Kingdom of Arnor no longer exists, and the southern Kingdom of Gondor is in decline, compounded by the Great Plague that once swept across western Middle-earth. This has caused Halbarad, once a great river port city, to fall into decay and become sparsely populated. Now, only increasingly eroded earthworks, town ruins, and dangerous shoals formed by the remnants of a collapsed great bridge remain."
Arthur nodded, "It sounds like a regrettable decline, but how does this relate to your and Gandalf's objectives?"
Elrond said emphatically, "I want to ask you to rebuild Halbarad."
Wait, what?
Arthur showed a surprised expression but did not rush to object, instead signaling with his eyes for Elrond to state his reasons.
Elrond also appreciated Arthur' calm demeanor, nodding in satisfaction and saying, "This world was once shrouded in darkness, Arthur Lord. Even now, the darkness has not dissipated; it lurks in places we cannot see, lying in wait, ready to strike us when we are most vulnerable."
"Halbarad's geographical location is also very special. If you can lead your kin to rebuild this port city, then from the Elves' Rivendell to the Humans' Gondor, there will once again be a shortcut that can quickly support each other. Furthermore, the dwarves of the Blue Mountains will also be able to more easily travel to the Moria Mines via Halbarad, to reclaim their other homeland."
"Of course, rebuilding Halbarad is no small matter, and it's fine if you don't agree. But if you do agree, I, as the Lord of Rivendell, swear that I will support your reconstruction efforts."
Arthur fell into deep thought. He understood that Elrond's words were predicated on the outbreak of a world-shaking war.
However, even if a war doesn't break out, rebuilding Halbarad could make it a transportation hub city. If it truly succeeds in being rebuilt, it would bring him many benefits as well.
Arthur became lost in thought.
Elrond read the expression on Arthur' face and said with a mix of sigh and helplessness, "War has never truly left this land. What Gandalf and I are doing is merely to make as many preparations as possible during this hard-won period of peace."
At this moment, Kenneth Haight tiptoed to the door of the City Lord Hall. The bronze ring on the door emitted a dull sound, echoing through the hall.
Then, Godrick soldiers carrying delicious food filed in.
Their long trays were laden with fragrant delicacies: golden fried eggs, bright red jam, vibrant green salad, and refreshing wine.
With this small interlude, Arthur took the opportunity to say to Elrond, "This matter, Lord Elrond, I need some time to consider. And besides Halbarad, the location Gandalf initially recommended to me was the equally abandoned Limgrave Greatbridge, to allow me to establish contact with the southern Kingdom of Gondor . And now I have only just begun to rebuild my homeland, so I truly need time."
Elrond nodded, "I understand your current situation, and I also don't want you to misunderstand. Gandalf and I are only making a suggestion to you, not forcing you. Even if you don't plan to rebuild Halbarad, I will not be disappointed. I am very happy to see the land of Minhiriath revitalized because of you."