Lord of the Rings: Warriors

"Good morning, Nyx..." Rynar mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he greeted the beautiful woman standing before him.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. Care to join me for breakfast?" Nyx asked, her face lighting up with a cheerful smile.

"Uh, sure, why not," Rynar nodded, thinking to himself that no sane man would turn down an invitation from such a lovely lady.

"System, sign in!" Rynar muttered in his heart, still groggy from sleep.

"Sign-in successful! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a luxurious royal carriage (complete with six beginner-grade snow horses)!"

"Ugh, what a waste..." Rynar's lips twitched. He was struggling to afford food, and the system had the audacity to hand him a lavish carriage. 

Then again, when he checked the carriage in the system space earlier, he had to admit it was impressively extravagant.

Maybe it could fetch a good price—especially since the king's treasury was currently in such a miserable state that he didn't even dare open the system's shop tab.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Rynar asked, sounding less than enthusiastic.

"There's bread, fried eggs, hearty vegetable-and-meat stew, and some really delicious berries!" Nyx counted on her fingers with a serious expression.

"Hmm, sounds good… Wait a minute! You're not the chef, so how do you know the menu?" Rynar asked, surprised.

"Hehe, that's because I personally went to the kitchen early this morning to arrange it for you!" Nyx declared proudly.

"Thank you, beautiful duchess! You've read my mind!" Rynar said, genuinely touched.

The local cuisine here, however, was far too greasy for his taste. And as a lord, people always brought out the best dishes for him. 

Imagine being greeted by an entire roasted suckling pig and a huge platter of bread for breakfast—what a shock that was!

"By the way, how are you finding the accommodations here?" Rynar asked absentmindedly.

"Um, they're nice. It's safe here—it feels like home!" Nyx replied softly.

"Hahaha! This is the last refuge of the Zaltarion people!" Rynar said proudly.

(System: Without me, where would you even be?)

"Your Majesty, do you have time today?" Nyx asked, tugging at the corner of her dress and looking at him expectantly.

"Of course! For a lady as beautiful as you, any gentleman would make time," Rynar smiled.

"Then, after breakfast, could you accompany me outside the city for a walk?" Nyx asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"There's not much to see outside the city—just the plantations and farmlands, which are part of our estate," Rynar said, rubbing his chin. 

Truthfully, he still had little control over his territory. 

Apart from a few productive estates, most of the Zaltarion Kingdom's lands were barely defended, vulnerable enough that small enemy forces could easily poke holes through them like a sieve.

"Let's visit the magical plantation first," Rynar decided.

"Alright," Nyx replied with a nod.

"Where's Dylan?" Rynar asked one of the lightly armed conscripts patrolling the area.

"Sir Dylan is currently in the alchemy workshop, crafting alchemical items," the soldier replied.

"Can I go in?" Rynar hesitated. Alchemists hated being disturbed while working, as interruptions could lead to disastrous accidents.

"Apologies, Your Majesty, but probably it is not wise as it is filled with dangerous potions. Master Dylan often spends the entire day inside. 

You could check out the items he's already crafted—perhaps there's something you might need," the guard suggested.

"Ah, that works. Let's go, Nyx," Rynar said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay," Nyx replied, her dimples forming as she smiled sweetly.

"Right this way, Your Majesty!" The guard led Rynar and his group to a cluster of wooden huts.

"Each hut contains different alchemical items. Their categories are written on the doors," the guard explained.

"Got it," Rynar said, glancing at the hut labeled "Potions" before pushing the door open.

Inside, a few wooden tables were neatly arranged, each holding several small wooden boxes. The names of the potions were written on the boxes.

"Take a look, Nyx, and see if there's anything you need," Rynar said gently.

"Coming!" Nyx chirped, hopping into the room with childlike enthusiasm.

"Hey, hey, hey! Careful, you little troublemaker!" Rynar's eyes widened in alarm as he instinctively reached out with both hands. 

This girl was bouncing around in a room full of potions—if even one dangerous vial toppled over, the results could be catastrophic.

But as soon as Rynar's hand extended, he immediately realized something was off. His palm met something warm, soft, and… springy?

"Ah… ah?!" Nyx gasped, her face instantly turning crimson.

"Uh, sorry!" Rynar apologized, his expression full of regret. Yet his hand betrayed him, giving a quick squeeze before he pulled back.

"Not bad," Rynar thought to himself, feeling conflicted.

"What are these?" Nyx asked, trying to shift the conversation as she pointed to a wooden box with her slender fingers. Her face was still flushed.

"Let me see… This is the Sands of Time potion!" Rynar said after carefully examining the label.

Sands of Time: A superior-grade potion. It allows the user to either accelerate or decelerate their personal time flow by 50% for 30 seconds. (No usage limit.)

After relaying the system's description to Nyx, Rynar noticed her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"A time-based potion from the spatial branch of magic? That's amazing!" Nyx exclaimed, her voice filled with awe.

"Haha, Dylan is a sixth-tier sage! Plus, we have goblin-inherited alchemy at our disposal. This kind of thing is a piece of cake!" Rynar boasted, striking a smug pose. 

If Dylan knew that Rynar had just dismissed his three days of grueling work as "no big deal," he would probably vomit blood on the spot.

"You're a mage, right?" Rynar asked, glancing at Nyx.

"Yes, a second-tier water mage…" Nyx said, lowering her head shyly.

"Then you must be a… um, very capable support mage," Rynar quickly corrected himself after almost blurting out something inappropriate.

"This potion is for you. It could save your life in a critical moment," Rynar said softly, taking the shimmering silver potion from its velvet cushion in the box.

"Oh no, it's too valuable… I can't accept it!" Nyx shook her head, even though she was clearly tempted. 

Despite her fondness for Rynar, she couldn't bring herself to accept such an extravagant gift.

"It's fine. It's not worth much—just take it. If something happens and I'm not around, this might protect you in my place," Rynar said gently.

Rynar knew exactly how valuable this potion was. Spatial and time-based magic were terrifyingly complex, and their potions were always extraordinary. 

Whether used for attack or defense, they often held game-changing potential. 

The Sands of Time potion, for example, could mean the difference between life and death in a desperate situation.

Rynar guessed that Nyx's duchy might have, at most, five space-time potions in their entire treasury—and even that was being generous. 

In fact, Nyx only had one epic-grade spatial potion, which was considered a national treasure of her small duchy.

"Alright… Thank you, Your Majesty," Nyx said, her resolve melting after hearing Rynar's heartfelt words.

"Good! Let's see what else we can find. Since we're in Dylan's treasure trove, I won't leave until we've cleaned it out. What kind of king would I be otherwise?" Rynar smirked mischievously.

Nyx covered her mouth and giggled. She could already imagine Dylan's reaction when he emerged to find his hard-earned collection looted.

"Come on, I'll take you treasure-hunting today! Take anything you like—it's all on me!" 

Rynar declared boldly, thumping his chest with enough vigor to make it echo. Truly, he had the air of someone who spent other people's money with no remorse.

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