“I have gathered you all here to discuss the direction of our group,” Arthur said, looking around at the faces of the leaders gathered around the stone table of Amon Sûl.
Arandhir chuckled softly before responding, “Isn’t it too humble to call us a group, My Lord?
Call it a kingdom, and we are your army.”
Elaroin, Thargrim, and Aeryn stood by in silence, smiling in agreement.
In their eyes, Arthur’s leadership was more than enough to recognize him as a king.
However, Arthur shook his head.
“We will only call it a kingdom once a castle is built.
It would be arrogant to boast and call this place a kingdom with our current numbers and situation.”
Arthur had been transported to this world just a day ago and had only recently acquired his forces.
Without a castle, proper defensive fortifications, or a permanent population, this was clearly not yet a kingdom.
If forced to categorize it, the place could at best be called a budding town—a settlement filled with individuals of specialized skills, ninety-eight percent of whom were men.
Elaroin Starweaver’s eyes lit up immediately at the word ‘castle’.
“Built?
So you already have a plan to construct a castle, Lord Arthur?!” Elaroin exclaimed enthusiastically, his chest heaving with excitement.
“Give us the order, my Lord!
My fellow builders and I will work until it is perfection itself!”
“That is correct.
I am entrusting this great task to you, Elaroin,” Arthur replied.
He reached into his robes and pulled out a thick blueprint roll provided by the System.
“I hope you and the workers can bring this to life.
These are the blueprints for the castle we are going to build.”
Elaroin received the scroll with trembling hands.
As he unrolled the blueprint for the *White Castle of Radiance* across the stone table, his eyes widened, and he held his breath for a few seconds.
“Lord…
This…
This design is extraordinarily beautiful!” Elaroin praised, his voice shaking with awe.
“The layout of the walls, the construction of the towers…
The workers and I will be overjoyed to build this!
It is the dream project of every builder!”
“Yes, I am leaving everything in your hands.
The foundation of our future kingdom begins with the hard work of your team,” Arthur said firmly, patting Elaroin’s broad shoulder.
“You don’t need to worry, my Lord!
We will pour every ounce of our strength into this!” Elaroin promised with great pride.
Arthur then turned his gaze toward the thick-bearded man standing beside Elaroin.
“Thargrim, with the group of smiths under your command, how many weapons and armor sets can you produce in one week?”
Thargrim stroked his beard thoughtfully, calculating the available fuel and raw materials they had brought in the supply wagons. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“My Lord, if we work without pause, we can forge over 60 complete sets of weapons and armor within a week,” Thargrim answered with confidence.
“Outstanding!” Arthur said, feeling a wave of relief.
“With that, our forces will never lack gear.
If any weapons are damaged in battle, your team can repair them immediately.”
“It is our duty, my Lord,” Thargrim smiled with satisfaction.
“Our iron and craft will not disappoint you.”
“Aeryn, I need you and your healers to examine the health of all soldiers and workers.
Arandhir, assist Aeryn in logging anyone who requires medical attention,” Arthur ordered next.
“Understood, my Lord!
We will ensure that not a single soldier or worker is overlooked,” Aeryn and Arandhir replied in unison.
To Arthur, his people and forces were his most valuable assets.
Preventing disease or untreated injuries was the top priority before any physical clash occurred.
Once again, Arthur found himself admiring the wonders of the System.
The System didn’t just send these people—it also supplied them with remarkably logical resources: the smiths brought iron bars and forge tools in wagons, the healers carried bags filled with rare medicinal herbs, and the builders came equipped with complete sets of woodworking and construction tools.
With construction and logistics settled, Arthur shifted the topic to the journey Elmir and his group had taken to reach this place.
Elmir shared how his village had been destroyed by an Orc raid.
During their escape, his group ran into Thargrim.
Together, they discovered another small village under siege by Orcs, fought side by side to wipe out the monsters, and rescued Aeryn and the surviving healers before a mysterious whisper guided them all to Amon Sûl.
However, Elmir’s expression turned grim at the end of his story.
“My Lord, during our journey here, we spotted a massive host of Orcs.
They have set up camp in a valley nearby.
They may be waiting to raid other villages in the region,” Elmir reported gravely.
“How many are there?” Arthur asked.
“Roughly 500 Orcs, my Lord,” Thargrim added.
*Five hundred Orcs…*
In large-scale Middle-earth battles—like those in the future War of the Ring—five hundred Orcs was a small number.
But for Arthur’s current situation, it was a massive and risky threat.
Although Arthur led over 1,000 followers, only 120 of them were combat-ready.
The rest were civilians learning to survive, not trained warriors.
Forcing a direct battle carried too much risk.
Besides, the settlement needed every pair of hands available to construct the *White Castle of Radiance*.
Even so, Arthur’s main objective was clear: eliminate the Orc threat.
This was not only to secure Weathertop, but also to signal to the hidden villages in Trollshaw that the darkness threatening them was destroyed—marking the beginning of Arthur’s legend in this world. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
“Elmir, you said they camped in a valley, right?” Arthur asked, looking down at the regional map on the table.
“That’s right, my Lord.
They are camped at the bottom of a narrow valley in the eastern part of Trollshaw,” Elmir answered.
Arthur offered a slight smile.
Orcs were brutal but foolish; choosing a steep-sided valley for a campsite was a disastrous tactical mistake.
“A valley is a natural trap,” Arandhir muttered, tracing the lines on the map.
“But my Lord, they outnumber our combat force four to one.
Are we leading a surprise attack tonight?”
“No,” Arthur cut in firmly.
“Attacking right now or in the next few days is far too risky.
The gap in fighting numbers is too wide.
If we rush a surprise attack without thorough preparation, we will lose valuable soldiers.”
Elaroin tilted his head in confusion.
“Then what is your plan, Lord Arthur?
Shall we focus on building the fortress first?”
“We will use time to gather our strength,” Arthur explained, his eyes sharp with strategic calculation.
“We wait one week.”
Elmir raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
“One week?
What changes in seven days, my Lord?”
“A great deal, Elmir,” Arthur replied confidently.
“In one week, Thargrim and the smiths will supply over 60 new sets of weapons and armor, increasing our combat effectiveness.
Aeryn will ensure every soldier is in top physical condition.”
‘And of course,’ Arthur thought, ‘there are System rewards coming within this week.’ He hoped for additional troops, which would be a massive help.
“And most importantly,” Arthur continued, “over the course of this week, you and your archers will map out every ledge on the cliffs above that valley.
Since the Orcs are camped at the bottom, we won’t need to fight them face-to-face down there.
From the high cliffs above, arrows, boulders, and hot oil will be their undoing.”
Arandhir smiled broadly as he caught on to his leader’s strategy.
“Ah…
Let them feel safe in that valley for a week, while we prepare an unavoidable death trap from above!”
“Precisely,” Arthur affirmed.
“Let them think Trollshaw is empty.
In seven days, our weapons will be ready, and that is when we erase those 500 Orcs without giving them a single chance to escape.”