The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 985 Staring into the Eyes of God!

“These two must be King Isildur and Anarion of Gondor?” Oakrian Ryukin murmured, gazing up at the two statues.

“You got it right! Too bad there’s no reward…” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso joked.

“This is Ashamon, the Listening Mountain. Let’s go up and take a look. It’s said that there’s a tall throne on top that can overlook the entire Lake Nyx’l region! Let’s go up and see if there’s a ferry!” Archduke Oakrian Yaso said calmly, gazing at Mount Ashamon, which was once garrisoned during Gondor’s heyday.

“Alright!” Oakrian Ryukin nodded and followed in his lord’s footsteps.

……

"..."

"..." Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso and Oakrian Ryukin exchanged a glance, both noticing the awkwardness in each other's eyes. It wasn't that the information given by King Roland was false, but rather that it was too true... Too much time had passed since the days of Gondor's might, and the stone steps leading up the mountain had been eroded beyond recognition by the wind. This path was so difficult that even a person would have trouble climbing it, let alone a horse.

"Could it be that the orcs didn't occupy this place because they disliked its steepness?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso made no attempt to hide his speculation.

“Possibly. The Kingdom of Gondor is in ruins. For Mordor, this is no longer the front line but the heartland. There’s no benefit in maintaining troops stationed here!” Okrian Ryukin thought for a moment and said with certainty. After all, Gondor seems to have lost its old capital. This insignificant place on the northern frontier is probably not important to either side!

“Let’s tie the horses up and go take a look!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso looked curious, after all, there were two things the Lagranges couldn’t refuse: it was just a child and they were already here!
“Be careful…hehe!” Oakrian Ryukin said, laughing before Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo could even react.

After all, both of them are sixth-tier combat professionals. Long-distance flight is unreliable, but they still have the ability to engage in short-term aerial combat. Even if they fall from such a steep place, they won't die.

“Let’s go!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso smiled, shook his head, and drew his Gale Blade. In an unfamiliar environment, a qualified professional would not be overconfident. In any case, the nobles of the Eastern Territory did not have a penchant for being caught off guard and did not intend to court death.

As they carefully climbed the windswept southern staircase, ascending the weathered steps to Ashoka, the Listening Mountain. At the summit lay a platform, its former glory still faintly visible. On the platform, they saw a wide, flat circle paved with massive stone slabs, surrounded by crumbling battlements. In the center of the circle, atop four carved pillars, stood a high seat, accessible via a long staircase.

“…” Oakrian Ryukin fell silent.

"What did you see?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso decided to test the knowledge of his people.

“A marvel of architecture!” Oakrian Ryukin exclaimed in anguish.

“What a disaster! It’s truly a miraculous building! How dare they…” Oakrian Ryukin’s gaze met that of Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso, whose amused expression seemed to encourage Oakrian Ryukin to continue.

"What do you mean, 'abandon this place'?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso sneered.

“…” Okrian Ryukin fell silent, clearly that was what he was thinking.

“Even the most powerful wonders need people to use them. It’s pointless for a kingdom that can’t even defend its capital to guard this place!” Grand Duke Okrian Yaso waved the map in his hand. After its peak, this land of Gondor was just a useless piece of trash!

“Let’s go, and experience the legacy left by our once-powerful friend!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo patted him on the shoulder.

Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso was the first to ascend the throne and sit down. As soon as he let out a "whoosh!", a nervous Oakrian Ryukin immediately drew his longsword and looked around warily.

“Hey! My friend, relax! Come up and take a look at this!” Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso was showing off his new toy like a child who had found a fun toy. “Oh?” Oakrian Ryukin saw Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso get up and curiously sat down.

"Whoosh!" The world seemed to be laid out before him. Ocrean Ryukin was astonished to find that he could see all parts of Middle-earth, with only a few areas obscured by mist. He looked north and found that the Kingdom of Lagrange seemed shrouded in mist and unseen. Curious, he turned his gaze southward...

Okrian Ryukin saw the Death Swamp, the towering Black Gate and the writhing orcs within, the colossal trolls, and... the towering Black Evil Tower...

“That is…” Okrian Ryukin seemed to see a huge red vertical pupil open on the Black Evil Tower, with streams of demonic energy like magma flowing and swirling around the vertical pupil. Suddenly, the vertical pupil turned sharply and looked north.

"Giggle~" Oakrian Ryukin's jaw trembled, and his face turned deathly pale, as if he had seen something terrifying.

"Hey! What's wrong, Ryukin?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso noticed the change in Oakrian Ryukin's expression, a hint of anxiety flashing in his eyes.

"Damn it! What did you do?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso yanked Oakrian Ryukin off, because wisps of black demonic energy were starting to emanate from the guy's body! This is the Middle Lands, not the Eastern Lands! There's no "Human Emperor's Banner" emitting primordial purple energy here!
“God! There is a God! Mordor… God!” Oakrian Ryukin stammered, his body convulsing.

“What is that? A god?” Archduke Oakrian Yaso exclaimed in shock.

"He's watching me! He's seen me! Run! Someone's coming to get us! There's a sixth-tier one..." Oakrian Ryukin cried out, clutching Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso's armor.

"He? Sauron?" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasso's pupils contracted!
"Damn it! How could you let him notice you!" Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso knew a lot of the kingdom's secrets. Roland did not hide from Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso the fact that Mordor might be hiding Sauron, the only demigod in Middle-earth that had been discovered. Therefore, Grand Duke Ocrean Yaso did not have much awe for Sauron!

“Sauron?” Oakrian Ryukin asked, his face pale and trembling.

"Master of the orcs! We must go! Can you move?" After casually answering Oakrian Ryukin's question, Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso looked at Oakrian Ryukin anxiously.

"Yes!" Oakrian Ryukin stammered, wisps of black energy emanating from his body as he spoke.

"Damn it! Divine power contamination? What disgusting stuff! Here you go!" Archduke Oakrian Yasuo drew his Gale Blade and tossed it to Oakrian Ryukin.

“???” Oakrian Ryukin stared blankly at Grand Duke Oakrian Yaso.

"If you don't want to become a Ringwraith, take my sword and run with me!" Archduke Oakrian Yaso said helplessly.

"Roar!" A faint dragon's roar came from the Gale Blade held in Okrian Ryukin's hand, and the fierce dragon's roar instantly shattered the steaming black demonic energy.

"Let's go! It's alright! Even if a god sends his divine power from afar, it will be suppressed by the dragon soul! It's impossible for him to assimilate you!" Grand Duke Oakrian Yasuo dragged Oakrian Ryukin away.

PS: Please see the author's note for any extra chapters.

To thank all the generous donors, we will be adding an extra chapter for every 5000 points received, and this will continue indefinitely!

Thank you to the owner of Hell's Eye Approval for the donation.