Twenty-seven: Time flies by like a fleeting moment
Summer passes and winter solstice comes, spring passes and autumn comes, and several years pass in the blink of an eye.
In the past few years, Wilderness Village has finally developed into a small town.
In the fourth year, the city walls were all replaced with bricks, and the protection range was much larger than previously designed.
This is because the population has grown again, but the growth rate is far less rapid than in the first year, and the overall population has stagnated at more than 5,000 people.
The subsequent growth is basically all newborns, and so far it has not exceeded the 6,000 mark.
At that time, Allen analyzed it and found that it should be within the range that the reputation of Wilderness Town could radiate.
The population has already gathered here, and those who haven’t come will never come again.
If you want to break this deadlock, you can only wait until after the Battle of the Five Armies.
When the dark power in the Black Forest is cleared, Allen will arrange for people to open the old dense forest road and connect the trade between the east and west of the wilderness.
As the information is passed on, a part of the population will naturally flow into Allen's place.
At that time, we need to compete with the King of the River Valley, Bard the Dragon Slayer, to grab a wave of population.
The benefits of opening up the old jungle road are not only a matter of population, but also the tax revenue of the checkpoint.
After several years of management, Allen knew that the taxes he collected at the beginning were too low, but Allen still did not make any changes.
Because most of the townspeople are still not rich, they just live to make ends meet.
Part of the extra harvest will be exchanged for daily necessities, simple weapons and equipment, and part of it will be kept as rations.
The townspeople who worked very hard or had some financial resources began to overturn the simple wooden houses and live in houses made of bricks and wood.
These grains and property eventually flowed into Allen's hands through other channels.
Coupled with the trade support from the Woodland Kingdom, Allen's financial situation has always been relatively good.
Especially after the construction of the city wall was completed, Allen turned his attention to road construction and expansion.
It brings more convenience to your caravan and the daily life of the villagers.
It's just that Allen's simulator treasury has shrunk very seriously, and Allen's simulations have not been going well in the past few years.
He finally realized how lucky he was during the period when he first arrived. Otherwise, the simulator would have been trying its best to mess with him.
In the past few years, Allen has maintained a rhythm of simulating several times a month. Most of the time the simulations were very painful, and death seemed to follow him like a shadow.
Even in the continent of Calradia, he can be said to be invincible.
But when you enter a battlefield where two armies confront each other, it is difficult for your personal strength to play a big role. No matter how strong you are, you cannot stop attacks from all directions.
Especially when he was unlucky, once he was captured by Cato's raiding party just after entering the continent of Pendor.
Then, in order to avenge their own people, these guys tied Allen to the back of the horse with a rope and dragged him to death on the grassland.
After completing the simulation, Allen looked at the cruel description and did not want to recall what happened at that time.
What's even worse is yet to come. Recently, Allen finally managed to save 5 points of honor and spent 200 reputation to exchange for the status of a baron.
When he opened his eyes, he was actually standing on a gallows. Hundreds of nobles and soldiers were watching him. He was hanged in a dazed state.
After Allen read the description of the simulator, he was depressed for half a year. It was not easy to earn such a reputation.
This bad luck forced Allen to not dare to choose the identity of the prophecy's son for simulation.
If you die in the simulation, you will really feel like crying without tears.
Allen did not dare to increase the frequency of simulations because after the trade route between Wilderness Town and Woodland Kingdom was opened.
There have always been blind wolf cavalry or orcs carrying out small-scale harassment and plunder.
Because of this incident, thousands more orcs died at the hands of Allen.
It was only recently that I felt a little more at ease and didn't have to worry about Allen anymore.
Of course, there are still some gains in the simulator. In the past few years, Allen has gained tens of thousands of dinars, hundreds of reputation points, and 2 reputation points.
This is the autumn of the year again, this is the harvest season, this is the season when the villagers are busy sweating every day but still smiling.
Allen thought that if according to Gondor's calendar, this month should be the month of abundance.
According to the elven calendar, it should be April now. Because most trees and flowers begin to wither at this time, April is also called the Withering Moon.
But it could also be May, which is the winter month, because Allen doesn't know the first day of each year among the elves.
Is it the same day as the first day of each year for the people of Gondor?
But it doesn’t matter, everything will naturally tell you what time it is.
For example, today, the golden waves of wheat are swaying in the breeze. Does anyone else need to say, what season is this?
On this day, Allen came to Beorn, and he planned to use Beorn to get to know Radagast.
In the past four or five years, Beorn's life has become more and more comfortable. The manor has been built in a stylish way and he has raised many animals.
Moreover, Allen recently looked at Marianne's belly, which seemed to be showing signs of pregnancy. Beorn is really a winner in life.
Now Allen looks at the tame ponies and dogs in Beorn's manor and thinks about Beorn's life. He is really envious.
Beorn, who was standing next to Allen, smiled and said: "Alan, if you like it, how about letting the best one among them follow you? They say they like you very much."
Allen looked at the energetic Beorn, waved his hand helplessly and said: "Forget it, forget it, I really want it, but I am too busy and I really don't have time to take care of them."
After hearing this, Beorn smiled heartily, "Then let's wait until you are no longer busy. I heard from Kress that you have been in a bad mood recently?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Allen was stunned after hearing this, "What about Kress? Does she come here to play often?"
Speaking of Kress, Beorn looked very happy.
"Yes, you are a very interesting little girl. She complains to me a lot about you, saying that you often go out to play and then don't take her with you."
Allen touched his newly trimmed chin and sighed,
He said: "It's not that I don't want to take her with me. With her temperament, she won't necessarily cause any trouble for me when she goes out."
Beorn said with some surprise: "No, I think that little girl is quite nice. She often plays with my son Grim recently."
However, Beorn did not dwell on this, but invited Allen,
"Okay, let's not talk here anymore. Let's go in and have something to drink. I recently brewed a new batch of mead, which is just right. You can have a taste."
As she talked, she took Allen to the wooden table in the courtyard. Marianne had already prepared drinks and food for Allen. She greeted Allen with a smile and went about her business.
The two people sat at the table and chatted while drinking.
Allen would occasionally tell stories about his several trips to the Woodland King and the Iron Hills. Beorn listened carefully and kept commenting.
Beorn said that he didn't like dwarves. He felt that dwarves were too greedy and endlessly exploited mineral deposits, which would cause disaster sooner or later.
But sometimes, Elu could feel that Beorn had a certain fondness for the Silvan elves. He felt that the elves there were closer to nature and more frank and direct.
After saying this, Allen pretended to be unintentional and asked: "Beorn, a few years ago, my subordinates told me that there was a neighbor living here. Have you seen him?"
Beorn nodded and said: "Yes, there is one who lives in a forest not far away. He calls himself the brown-robed wizard Radagast. He is a very good person, but he is a bit strange. He sits on a table.
On a sleigh pulled by a rabbit, you never saw him?"
"Yes, I have been very busy and not prepared. Now I want to get to know him. Do you know where he lives?"
Allen continued: "I have heard of his name and am looking forward to meeting him."
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's set off, his home is not far from here."
Beorn, who was straightforward, took a bottle of mead and left his manor with Alan.
Radagast is a Maya who belongs to Yavanna, the Queen of the Earth and the Giver of Fruits.
Therefore, he is very fond of the flowers, birds, fish and insects on the land of Zhongzhou, and he is also proficient in herbal medicine and the skills of controlling birds and beasts.
Many small animals are his friends and often bring him the help he needs.
Because when Maia left Aman, she gave up most of her abilities and original wisdom, and as if she was reborn, she came to Middle-earth in the form of a mortal.
So Radagast sometimes seems a little not very smart, his ability to see things is insufficient, and he doesn't have much quick wit.
But his ability is not weak, his sense of responsibility is also very strong, and he never slacks off in his responsibilities.
The brown-robed wizard is not always at home. He often drives his rabbit sled around to patrol, observing the evil forces in the black forest.
This is one of his responsibilities, and he happens to be at home today, not alone, but also with one of his colleagues.
The colleague wore a tall, pointed blue wizard's hat and a gray cloak.
His hair and eyebrows were neglected, his gray beard hung down on his chest, and his kind face had a pair of wise eyes.
This is another Maia, the holder of Naya, the Ring of Fire, and the gray wizard Gandalf.
At this time, Gandalf's eyes were looking at the brown-robed wizard Radagast, asking some questions and communicating his recent discoveries.
They have the same responsibilities and often get together to exchange information they have obtained.
When Allen and Beorn came near the hut, they happened to talk about Wilderness Town.
Gandalf, who traveled around Middle-earth, was very curious about this human town that appeared in the wilderness.
In fact, Gandalf came here a few years ago and saw Beorn swimming near the old ferry.
He had other more important things to do at that time and did not stay here much.
Unexpectedly, a few years later, a small town inhabited by humans would appear here.
This surprised Gandalf very much, so today he came to Rosgobel and asked nearby Radagast to find out about the situation.
However, Radagast's answer did not satisfy Gandalf.
Because when Allen was establishing the village, Radagast was observing the situation in Dol Guldur at the southern end of the Black Forest.
When he came back, a village with a large number of people had appeared out of thin air.
The answer the little animal gave him was also vague, except that there were signs of human activity there when everything revived.
And I also learned that Allen had several fights with the orcs in the Misty Mountains.
Radagast then told Gandalf about his new neighbors, Beorn and his people.
While the two were talking, a little bird flew in and informed Radagast of the arrival of Ellen and Beorn.
Allen came here alone with Beorn without any personal guards. He did not want too many people to disturb Maia.
The young man who came from his other world was a little worried. This was the first time he had faced the gods of this world.
Although Radagast does not look very smart, this cannot hide his identity as a demi-god.
Most of the creatures in Arda are the creations of Ilúvatar, the father of all things, and the Valar. The Valar were transformed from Ilúvatar's thoughts.
In a word, everything in Middle-earth is inextricably related to Ilúvatar.
But Allen did not. Neither Allen nor the villagers he summoned were children of Ilúvatar.
He didn't know what the consequences would be when this information was known to others.
Therefore, Allen has always resisted contact with the overly high-end indigenous people in this world, but avoiding them is not the answer.
Allen decided to come and see Radagast and start fishing in troubled waters from a low difficulty level.
In the end, fate played a huge joke on him, and two wizards appeared in front of him.
The brown wizard Radagast and his colleague, the gray wizard Gandalf.
Gandalf looked at the two uninvited strangers and thought a lot in his mind.
Gandalf had some knowledge about skin-changers, and he learned a lot during his long time in Middle-earth.
But he didn't know much about Allen. He was very interested in this young man who dared to lead his people to settle in the wilderness.
So he introduced himself before Radagast could.
Gandalf took off his hat, held it in his hand, and nodded slightly to greet Alan and Beorn.
A kind smile appeared on the old face, very approachable.
He opened his mouth and said: "Good afternoon, two guests, and welcome to Radagast's hut. I am a wizard named Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."
Allen looked at the two-meter-tall Gandalf, his heart was numb, and the expression on his face was very stiff.
He cautiously said: "Good afternoon, Gandalf, my name is Alan, and I am the leader of Wilderness Town."
Beorn looked at this unknown person and said dryly next to him,
"I am Beorn who lives nearby."
At this time, Radagast had time to speak: "Oh, let me introduce you. These are my colleagues. He seems to have already introduced himself, so I won't say more. These two are my new neighbors.
Ah, they should have introduced themselves too."
Radagast scratched his head and said, "Okay, everyone, stop standing here and go into the room to talk."
At Radagast's invitation, the group entered the hut and sat down.
At this time, Allen's mind was spinning crazily, thinking about how he should deal with Gandalf.
And Gandalf had already expressed his doubts at this time,
"Young leader, please forgive my presumption. When I traveled around here a few years ago, I didn't seem to see this prosperous town."
Gandalf paused, looked into Allen's eyes and continued to ask,
"I would like to know why your Excellency established a town in such a dangerous place? Can you satisfy the curiosity of the next old man?"
The voice was mellow and seemed to have a calming effect on people's hearts. Allen suddenly felt less nervous after hearing it.
Allen knew in his heart that Gandalf did not notice anything abnormal about him.
If he saw it, this so-called old man would definitely shout "monster", swing the wooden stick in his hand, transform into a berserker, and teach Allen why the flowers are so red.
Since Gandalf did not recognize his identity, Allen's heart immediately settled down, and his mind suddenly turned to other places.
Facing this wise man with many titles such as "Battle Mage", "Middle-earth Trafficker", "Central-State Social Butterfly", etc., Allen really wanted to make a joke with him.
"Of course, of course, the sages of our clan often teach us that respecting the old and loving the young is the way to a stable society. Satisfying an old man's curiosity is of course what I should do, but I also have a doubt. I want to ask
The famous gray robe wizard Gandalf, please answer."
When Allen said this, he smiled on his face,
"In the records of our family, a long time ago, maybe a thousand years ago, there was a wise man who called himself Gandalf the Gray Robe. He visited my ancestors. May I ask that Gandalf
Is it you too? If it is you, then you should be an elf or a half-elf, right? If not, then I am very curious about your identity, after all, humans do not have such a long life."
Gandalf was stunned when he heard it, and then he responded quickly and answered Allen's question with a smile: "I didn't expect that I would be an old friend. Yes, that is me. I am neither an elf nor a half-elf. I am an
As a wizard, you know, wizards always have mysterious abilities and know many strange things. This is just one of my insignificant abilities."
Gandalf then said: "Well, it's time for you, a young man, to answer the questions of an old man like me."
Allen raised his eyebrows, knowing that Gandalf's words were no different than his words, but Allen didn't care, he was just joking.
"I come from the east."
As soon as these words came out, Allen saw that Gandalf's kind face suddenly became serious, and his right hand suddenly tightened the wooden staff in his hand.
"Now there are followers of Demon Lord Sauron everywhere. Civil wars among humans have broken out extremely frequently. It is no longer suitable for us to survive. So I brought my people back here, and there should be some in the future.
The clansmen will come."
Allen's next words made Gandalf's serious face relax.
In fact, when he heard Allen say that he came from the east, he became nervous instantly. After all, that was Sauron's base camp and there were countless believers in the dark power. He himself never went to the east.
But he soon remembered the conflict between Allen and the orcs, and Radagast also told him that Allen once ran into the Misty Mountains regardless of danger and rescued the tribe of the skin-changing Beorn.
There are also prisoners of the dwarves and elves.
In Radagast's words, it is absolutely impossible for Allen to be a minion of the dark power.
Gandalf is also very willing to believe that Alan is a good person.
If Sauron's men are so shrewd and cunning, they can sacrifice the lives of their own people at will to gain the trust of kind people.
That would be too terrifying. Gandalf believed that Sauron had such thoughts, but he did not have such power. No one affected by dark power would do such a thing.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! In this short period of time, Gandalf thought a lot, and suddenly, he thought of a method.
He opened his mouth and said: "I see, I have been worrying too much. Mr. Allen, I wonder if you still intend to continue the friendship between me, an old man, and your family from thousands of years ago?"
Allen thought to himself, it must be continued.
If you don’t continue, you bring the wanderers from the north, the elves of Lothlórien, and the big bosses of your White Council to eradicate me. What will I do? Do I dare not to continue?
"Of course, having such a wise wizard as a friend will definitely be very beneficial to the future development of Wilderness Town. I am very happy to have a..."
Allen said, thinking of Radagast next to him, "No, it's the friendship between the two wizards. I also hope to gain the friendship of the brown-robed wizard at the same time."
In fact, Gandalf didn't even remember whose descendant Alan was.
For more than a thousand years, he has visited too many human gatherings, and there are countless people who look like Allen, but this does not prevent him from using Allen's words to establish a relationship with the young man in front of him.
Gandalf kicked his drifting colleague Radagast, and then both of them expressed their willingness to be friends with Ellen.
Now that everyone in the room is already a friend, the atmosphere of the ensuing conversation becomes much more relaxed.
Gandalf tentatively asked: "Sir Allen, do you find it boring to manage the town's affairs? Are you interested in traveling with an experienced old man?"
Gandalf's idea was very simple, which was to take Alan out for a walk and put him next to him to observe.
When the time comes, whether Allen is black or white will naturally be revealed, and there is no need for him to speculate too much.
It just so happens that Gandalf has a plan recently and he can take Alan with him.
Allen was suddenly stunned when he heard the invitation, because Allen had many things on his mind.
As a well-known human trafficker in Middle-earth, Gandalf asks you to travel together, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is definitely not a good thing.
Because the journey can be very dangerous, just look at the experiences of the Baggins family, Bilbo and Frodo, who lived in the Shire.
At this time, there was only one thing Allen could think of.
That is, the incident of the Lonely Mountain Expedition may be triggered. Allen feels that he is finally joining the main line of the world, and is a little excited.
In fact, Allen thought too much, and the incident of the Lonely Mountain Expedition was indeed already under Gandalf's consideration.
But that's not what the gray-robed wizard was talking about today.
Recently, there have been rumors everywhere about Thrain II's presence in the Darklands, and Gandalf wanted to go there.
Although this kind of news is often just rumors, Gandalf must go and take a look. Thranne still has something extremely important in his hands, and he is not willing to give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope.
Gandalf's idea was that from this location to the Darklands, he could go up to Cloud Summit and cross the Misty Mountains through Darkstream Valley.
As long as you are more careful and have better luck, that place will be considered safe, provided there are not too many people.
He also passed by Lothlórien in the middle, and Gandalf thought that Lady Galadriel should also take a look at this young man who claimed to be from the East.
Looking at Alan who was stunned, Gandalf thought that Alan didn't want to go.
He continued: "Sir Allen, I wonder if you have heard of Lothlórien. It is a very, very beautiful place, inhabited by hospitable elves. After you go there, you will definitely not want to leave, and even
Will you forget the passage of time and really don’t think about it?”
Allen raised his eyebrows, thinking that it was the first time he had heard of Lothlorien's elven hospitality.
Wouldn't it be possible to disappear if you enter their forest?
However, it is indeed beautiful there according to the records, and you should go and see it yourself.
"Dear Gandalf, I have heard of that place. Is it really as beautiful as you said? I am very interested. When will we set off? To be honest, dealing with these complicated government affairs every day has made me too tired.
I am tired, so I think a quick trip will definitely relieve my fatigue."
Alan knew that Gandalf would not give up if he did not go with him this time.
There has never been anyone in Middle-earth that Gandalf could not abduct. Secondly, Alan also wanted to go to the Shire to have a look, get to know the great snitch Bilbo Baggins, and taste the cooking skills of the Hobbit. Is it recorded?
So well said.
Besides, if you don’t participate in the main line of this world, what’s the difference between it and salted fish?
Thinking of this, Allen asked to find out the destination of this trip.
"So Gandalf, where are we traveling? Is it Lothlórien? I can't wait to see the scenery you described."
"No, no, no, Sir Allen, not just Lothlórien, but also other places. Please leave a little room for imagination for this adventure. I will be ready soon, and I will go to you then.
, it will take about a month.”
Seeing that Alan agreed to his suggestion, Gandalf was very happy.
He began to talk endlessly about his experiences, chatting with Beorn and Allen who interrupted from time to time.
I have to say that Gandalf is indeed a very charming old man.
His words are humorous and full of wisdom. In addition, he is experienced and knowledgeable.
It is easy for people to like him. In this atmosphere, Allen felt that his first meeting with Gandalf left a good impression on both parties.
When they parted, Gandalf once again confirmed the adventure with Alan.
After receiving a clear answer, he happily left Radagast's hut.
From beginning to end, Gandalf never considered the danger of this matter. After all, at this time, there were really few people in Middle-earth who could defeat him.
Allen had never considered the issue of safety, but on the way back, Allen suddenly thought about it.
Why did I agree to Gandalf's invitation so easily?
As soon as he mentioned Lothlórien, he thought of the beauty there, and finally persuaded himself that he must go along.
Alan broke into a cold sweat when he thought of this.
Allen could only analyze that this incident might be because he had a good impression of Gandalf.
There is another possibility that Gandalf used some kind of magic that he didn't know about, which affected his judgment.
Allen couldn't figure out what Maia was thinking, but this kind of thing had to make him feel a little bit vigilant.
Beorn noticed something strange about Allen from the side and asked Allen if anything was wrong. Allen shook his head.