Chapter 52: Rescue from slavery and discovery of gold mines
Grim, who was walking at the front of the team, stopped at a fork. He could faintly smell the scent of human beings from a dark downward passage next to him.
The bear's sense of smell is several times sharper than that of a hound, and Grimm also inherited this characteristic well after his transformation.
After smelling the human scent, Grim stopped moving forward. He turned around and sat down on the ground, waving his two front paws and talking with Cresby.
Before transforming into a bear, Grim could speak to animals, but after becoming a bear, he could only speak the language of beasts.
At this time, Kress, who came with him, became the best translator.
"My lord, Grimm said that the downward path on the left smells of someone, and the orcs should have escaped through this upward path."
Grim's low roar sounded again.
Kress continued to translate: "Grim asked if he could go and see these people first. These people are not in particularly good physical condition."
In this faint smell, Grim could smell the smell of blood and the rotten smell of untreated wounds.
Grim understood that once this smell appears on human bodies, they are not far from death.
The only exception was the hospital in Wilderness Town, where Grim had seen such injuries being cured, and the patients recovered very well.
Grim, who was only fifteen years old and kind-hearted, knew that the human slaves should be imprisoned in this passage. Between hunting down orcs and saving humans, he decisively chose the latter, even if he got
The order is to track down the orcs.
After telling his speculation, Grim's huge bear head showed an eager expression, looking at the king he was loyal to, hoping that Allen could rescue these injured people first.
Under the light of the fire, Allen felt very strange. Why could he see a pleading look in a pair of bear eyes?
But this did not prevent him from making his own decision immediately, that is, to rescue those humans immediately.
"Grim, lead the way."
Seeing that his request was granted, Grim, relieved, stood up briskly, moved his thick limbs, and walked down the tunnel on the left. Allen also followed him with the others.
behind.
Compared to other wide and well-connected passages in Orc Town, this place is slightly narrower, and the further you go down, the more stuffy the air becomes, and the unpleasant smell hits your face.
Obviously, this is a separate cave, and the air should not circulate. Feeling this breath, Allen's hatred for the orcs became stronger and stronger.
They imprisoned human beings in such a living environment and made it clear that they were going to die. It was just a matter of time.
As the second-born children of Yin Luweita, the human beings in Middle-earth are actually born with very good physical fitness. Their upper limit is very high. In ancient times, there were many single-minded trolls.
Now, even if we don't mention the Númenóreans who are blessed by the gods, there are still many powerful beings in the north or the Rohirrim who are just middle-class humans in their mouths.
For example, the ancestor of the Rohan people, Fram, the fifth-generation leader of the Yin Othiod people, was a being who could kill the dragon Skatha, but such a powerful human finally died in the hands of the dwarves.
For this reason, until the end of the Third Age, the people of Rohan did not have a good impression of the dwarves. Their relationship was not eased until the appearance of Gimli.
However, no matter how powerful or small human beings are, they all need to bathe in the warm sunshine and breathe fresh air. Allen has not found even a trace of these two things in the current environment.
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He is now a little worried about how many people can survive the abuse of the orcs.
As the fire gradually dissipated the darkness in the distance, many figures were revealed in the light and appeared in front of Allen's eyes. This scene broke Allen's understanding of the word tragedy.
In order to save energy, most of them rested with their backs against the stone wall, and their physical condition was very poor.
Barely clothed and skinny are not enough to describe the miserable condition of some people. The most frightening thing is that some of them have incomplete bodies, and there are still stains of blood on those new injuries.
Allen, who was well aware of the habits of half-orcs, didn't even dare to think about where the missing parts of these people had gone.
These tortured humans were not overly excited even when they saw the light of fire. They just raised their expressionless faces and glanced feebly at the fire until they discovered that the ones holding the torches were actually their own kind.
His desperate eyes showed a trace of hope after shock.
Some of the people who were in relatively good condition suddenly stood up from the ground, and the violent movements made the shackles on their bodies make a "clatter" sound.
Their eyes widened and they looked at the same kind walking out of the darkness in disbelief. Their mouths kept opening and closing, unable to say a single word.
Allen looked at the tragic scene in front of him, took a deep breath of the turbid air, suppressed the tingling feeling in his heart, and shouted loudly: "Everyone, you are saved."
Then, those who had just stood up slumped to the ground again, and soon the huge cave was filled with the sound of crying.
Allen said to Hermione beside him: "Go and ask Bandak to come over and see me."
After a while, hundreds of Allen's soldiers began to help these imprisoned compatriots leave the Orc town.
Bilbo Baggins led some soldiers and rushed to the front of the Orc town, where he would use the dry food brought by the soldiers to cook some noodles for these big people.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! This point was proposed by Allen. He knew that humans who are hungry for a long time are better to eat some liquid food at the beginning, and they should not eat too much at one time.
Too much can easily cause rupture of the delicate gastrointestinal tract.
Allen finally rescued them, but he didn't want to kill them with his own hands just for some mercy.
Bilbo Baggins did not understand this, and perhaps the hobbits living in the Shire did not understand this. The products there were extremely abundant, so they rarely experienced hunger.
However, the habits he developed during the expedition made Bilbo Baggins subconsciously follow Alan's request. After all, his big-bred friend rarely made mistakes.
When Gandalf failed to track Fimbull and relied on his five senses that were beyond ordinary people to find Allen, he was commanding soldiers to escort these rescued humans away from here.
To Allen's surprise, there were many humans in Orc Town. Even though some of them had been removed by Yazneg a few years ago, there were still hundreds of people here who survived tenaciously.
For those who were seriously injured, Allen immediately arranged for horse archers to ride back to Wilderness Town for treatment. The remaining people would follow the soldiers led by Bandak after having a meal.
Return to the old ferry.
Allen did not leave. Among the rescued people, there was a man named Malherby, who was respected by most humans. Even in a state of imprisonment, he still tried his best to do what he could.
All the things that helped many people survive.
This man who claimed to have the blood of the Rovanian royal family still maintained a certain level of calm after being rescued, and did not show any rude behavior such as crying or shouting. For a human being who had been imprisoned for five years,
It is said that this kind of character is extremely rare.
Moreover, Malherby was very eloquent and spoke very logically. When facing Allen, he fully expressed his gratitude, and then in just a few sentences, he clearly explained his origins and experiences.
.
He comes from the town of Red River in eastern Rovanian. This town is located at the junction of the west of the Red Water River and the north of the Running River. It is a secret and prosperous place.
With abundant water resources, they mainly make a living through agriculture. The barley they grow is also brewed into ale and sold to other northern human tribes or towns.
Not only that, in the past few hundred years, they have also maintained long-term trade relations with the same people in Changhu Town, as well as the dwarves of Iron Hills and Lonely Mountain. Of course, in recent years, only Iron Hills remains.
Malherbi proudly claimed that his family was a collateral bloodline of the Rovanian royal family. When the northern humans and the chariot people were defeated in the war, his ancestors led some residents to flee to the river corner.
From then on, they settled there for more than a thousand years.
In the process of trading with the dwarves, Malherbi learned of the existence of Eriador. As a young man at the time, he always wanted to see the Shire, which the dwarves said was rich and peaceful, and was interested in the various specialties there.
Also full of curiosity.
If possible, he hopes to form a caravan between Eriador and Rovanian, using the specialties of both parties to bring more wealth to his family, and also to provide the people of Red River Town with
better life.
However, being in the orc town, he naturally showed the consequences of his bold act. Not only were the caravan's goods robbed, but his men suffered heavy casualties in the battle with the orcs, and all of them were dead at this time.
And he relied on his good eloquence and the gold he secretly bribed to the orc guards to get through the early stages safely, and with these advantages, he helped many people.
Finally, in a rather humble gesture, Malherby begged Allen for help, hoping that the young leader in front of him would send him back to Red River Town.
In Allen's view, Malherbi's words have a certain degree of credibility, because the orcs' desire for wealth is no less than that of other races, and the various settlements in the Misty Mountains also have their own trading methods.
Items traded range from armor, weapons to slaves.
There are even some humans who have escaped into the darkness and will sell some human information or other goods to the orcs for wealth, so gold and silver are also symbols of wealth in the eyes of the orcs.
In addition, Malherby's calmness at this time was enough to make Allen admire him. Moreover, he was able to help others in such an environment and was recognized by most people. This ability was enough to prove that he
of excellence and character.
If you think about it, without Goldfinger, Allen would never have done better than Malherbi.
However, according to Allen's character that is unafraid of danger and unwilling to compromise with evil, the possibility of him dying in battle is far greater than the possibility of being captured.
In the firelight, Allen, who was listening to Malherby's narration, also carefully observed the middle-aged man's face. There were some subtle scars on Malherby's face. There were also some scars on his face during the days of imprisonment.
The pathology of malnutrition.
But Malherbi's face is by no means ugly. On the contrary, it gives people a sense of intimacy that is easy to approach. This appearance shows that Malherbi has not been corrupted by dark forces.
In the world of Middle-earth, the word "face comes from the heart" represents a certain truth. Human beings who surrender to darkness will definitely change their form, and they will become increasingly uglier.
As long as the appearance of this human being has not changed much and is in line with the aesthetics of ordinary humans, it means that he is at least a normal person with a bright mind and is not a minion serving the Dark Lord.
Through his appearance, Allen ruled out the possibility that Malherbi was a servant of darkness, so he, who already had a certain level of strength at this time, did not mind arranging soldiers to send Malherbi back to his hometown.
Doing this has certain benefits. Your influence will be able to radiate to that place. After the two parties have a certain degree of friendship, trade may also occur, which will also have certain benefits for the development of Wilderness Town.
It's just that the distance between the two parties is a little far. With the current situation, it is impossible to make a round trip in more than two months, and it is unknown whether the journey in between is safe, so Allen is ready to put this matter on hold and wait for a while.
Talking.
After Malherby introduced his experience, he began to quietly observe Allen's facial expressions. At this time, he needed help. Being rescued indeed greatly improved his current situation, and also freed him from the danger of life at any time.
Dangerous situation.
But he still needs to return to Red River Town as soon as possible to ensure that his inheritance rights have not changed much. As the eldest son of the lord of Red River Town, Malherby and his two younger brothers are competing for the title of lord of Red River Town at the same time.
The living environment there forced his family to choose only those who were good enough to become lords, instead of primogeniture.
When Malherbi formed the caravan, part of his intention was to prove his excellence to his father. However, the huge benefits also represented huge dangers. He failed and wasted five precious years in Orc Town.
.
So he was particularly anxious at this time. If he could return to Honghe Town earlier, he would have more chances of being recognized again.
But all this requires the help of the young man in front of him. From Allen's expression, Malherbe already felt that it was unlikely that he would be able to go home immediately.
He could not wait for Allen to say his refusal. Malherbe knew that after a leader expressed his decision in public, the possibility of change would be very small. Even if he could change, he would not have the conditions to pay.
Such a price.
So before Allen could refuse, Malherby's voice rang again, and he was going to reveal some things to Allen that he was originally unwilling to say in exchange for the help of the young human in front of him.
In this situation, he doesn't have much room for bargaining.
"Dear Lord, during many years of being imprisoned, I made a little discovery here. In order to thank you for your rescue, I am willing to report my discovery to you. It is a part of my heart, and I hope
This discovery can be of some help to you, are you interested in taking a look?"
Allen, who was thinking, was aroused by Malherby's words, and he could understand what this middle-aged man meant.
He was so humble and hard-working because he just wanted to go home early. If his information was really useful, then Allen wouldn't mind sending his strongest troops to send him home.
Exchange of interests is a normal diplomatic behavior
"Okay, lead the way."
At this time, there was almost no danger in Orc Town, and the scattered orcs could not threaten Allen and his personal guards.
Malherby, on the other hand, took Allen and walked zigzag through the tunnel, and soon came to a mine.
This is the iron mine in Orc Town
"Sir, I have been an apprentice in the Iron Hills for a period of time, and I have a certain understanding of the distribution of minerals. Look here."
Then Malherbi raised the torch in his hand and wiped away a little bit of mud covering the wall with his hand.
Under the illumination of the fire, a golden light appeared there.
"Sir, what I want to tell you is that in addition to iron mines, there are obviously gold mines here. I think this news will be very useful to you."
Allen looked at the little bit of golden light, and did not show an overly excited expression, but a solemn expression.
In fact, after learning that there was an iron mine, Allen was ready to contact the dwarves and rebuild the orc town.
Now that the golden light appears, Allen feels that this matter may have to be postponed.
"Indeed, this information is very useful to me, and I understand what you mean. I will arrange for someone to take you home as soon as possible."
Allen looked at Malherby with a serious expression and said in a deep voice: "But before that, I hope you can swear in the name of God Yiru that you will never tell others about this."
Malherbi was naturally reluctant to part with this gold mine, but the wealth buried deep under the mountains was of no use to him now. Returning home was his first purpose.
So Malherby immediately followed Allen's request and announced the oath.
After hearing the oath, Allen was obviously relieved. Compared to the wealth that the gold mine might bring, he was more worried about the dangers and conflicts that would come with it.