#358 - Hold a small meeting - Bringing the MC system to Middle-earth

"The worst case scenario, we'll fight the Last Alliance War again."

In a makeshift meeting with only three people, Li Wei stated his contingency plan.

"But any of the forces that participated in the war back then have weakened to the point where they can't muster even a third of the army they had at the time."

Elrond calculated and immediately shook his head in denial.

But looking at Li Wei's subtle smile, he suddenly came to his senses.

Oh, right, things have changed.

Since the end of the Second Age, elves have been sailing west in large numbers, with few remaining. Human kingdoms have also fragmented and declined, fighting their own battles and mostly at a disadvantage.

Not to mention the dwarves, who have lost their homes and are barely surviving, forced to retreat underground and ignore external affairs.

That was the situation a hundred years ago.

But now, looking at the city-states and leaders before him, they alone could gather the same number of people as back then, not counting defense.

Don't even mention it, they really could fight.

Li Wei continued, "But it's just a backup plan. Personally, I don't want to do that unless it's absolutely necessary."

A war of such immense scale is no joke. Once it starts, both sides will inevitably go all out. Even with the Free City's equipment and average combat quality, there will be significant losses.

Mordor's ferocious regular army is not the Angmar remnants that have been worn down for over a decade, nor are they the miscellaneous troops of the Misty Mountains without strong leaders or good equipment.

The latter, under Li Wei's leadership, can be crushed with overwhelming force, but it's hard to say when facing Mordor.

Under the Dark Lord's will, this war can only be fought head-on.

Even gathering all their strength, it would be a difficult fight, a hellish difficulty even harder than a fully-fledged Angmar.

It's not that they can't fight—frankly, it hurts to fight.

In this regard, Li Wei has always been a stubborn conservative.

Gandalf shook his head as he listened to this.

Elrond also remained silent.

Whether to fight or not, only Li Wei can decide here. Until the situation develops to a considerable emergency, they are not qualified to advise him to go to war, because it will inevitably cause great chaos.

And the consequences of this chaos are clearly not borne by them, nor can they bear it.

However, despite this, these words still made them feel slightly relieved.

At least there is currently a force that can confront the great enemy head-on, so they don't have to worry about stepping into the abyss with a wrong step.

Leaving this topic aside for the moment, Li Wei, thinking about the envoys he saw on the road, said, "I saw Legolas just now, and Grey Havens also sent an envoy, but Círdan himself didn't come."

Elrond responded, "It's alright, Galdor can represent Círdan's will."

Galdor, Círdan's messenger, was mainly here to confirm the appearance of the One Ring. As for Círdan himself…

"He is monitoring the sea at Grey Havens, guarding against possible enemies."

"Oh, that reminds me."

Li Wei clapped his hands.

"Waterdeep should also send some forces to monitor the sea. Let me think, maybe we can send a Practice-class ship to be stationed in the bay between Minhiriath and Enedwaith."

Gandalf agreed.

"A reasonable arrangement. With the size of a Practice-class ship, just one can deter the enemy's naval forces."

"And it can be moved when necessary…"

The discussion on the terrace continued.

Outside Rivendell, envoys from various factions gathered.

Elves, dwarves, humans, hobbits…

Some came seeking answers guided by vague hints in their dreams, some came to inquire about news, and some were here by coincidence.

And some were already here.

"By the way, where's Aragorn?"

After the meeting, Li Wei asked.

This question made Elrond somewhat unhappy.

"He…"

Elrond shook his head.

Li Wei suddenly understood something.

Oh, right, Arwen seems to be in Rivendell at this time.

They barely have any free time, how could these two miss this opportunity?

…

The night before the meeting.

Before the shards of Narsil, Aragorn stood guard, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps behind him interrupted his thoughts.

Boromir.

Following a certain calling in his heart, the Steward of Gondor walked all the way here.

Looking at the mural depicting the Last Alliance War, looking at the ring worn by the person in black armor on the mural, and then looking at the shards of the Holy Sword, Boromir fell silent for a moment, wondering what he was thinking.

"Welcome you from the South."

Somewhat surprised, Aragorn took the lead in breaking the silence, also making Boromir aware of his presence.

The ranger's ability to conceal himself is strong.

Boromir turned around and nodded to him.

"You are?"

"A ranger, and a friend of Gandalf and Li Wei."

"Oh, it seems we've all come to find 'friends'."

Boromir shook his head, then looked at the shards of Narsil, picked up the broken sword casually, and muttered as he examined it.

"The shards of Narsil, this is the sword that cut the Ring from Sauron's hand."

"After so long, it is still sharp and bright."

Hiss—

While stroking the blade, suddenly, the sharp edge cut a small opening on Boromir's finger.

Staring at the blood flowing from his fingertip, Boromir recalled a rumor that was not so widely spread.

It is said that Narsil has its own will, and it only serves a master who is qualified to use it. Anyone else who touches it will inevitably be injured by it.

And when someone qualified to use it is nearby, it becomes sharp.

Clearly, this person is not himself.

Boromir suddenly turned to look at Aragorn.

Aragorn met his gaze, silent.

"Just a damaged relic!"

Boromir dropped the Holy Sword and left without looking back.

He could not accept that this stranger was the king he needed to serve.

Someone he had never met, laughable.

Boromir thought so, but what he didn't know was that his father and Aragorn were quite familiar, and Aragorn's achievements in Gondor even surpassed his father's, praised by many.

It's just that Denethor never mentioned this to his children.

This involves many complex factors.

He understood it all in his heart, but he was unwilling to admit it, and unwilling to face it.

Swish…

After Boromir left, another figure appeared here.

She walked silently, with only the friction of her clothes making slight, almost imperceptible sounds.

Aragorn turned around, a smile on his face.

Yes, this was his original purpose for guarding here. Boromir's arrival was purely accidental.

"Arwen."

He called out the name of the person who came.

The two chatted, laughed, and enjoyed this moment of leisure.

But Aragorn miscalculated.