The climate of Heslum is relatively harsh, and the terrain is also very barren, with gray-black rocks and sparse vegetation as far as the eye can see.

After crossing the Shadow Mountains, there is a vast wilderness, and at this time, Charles and a group of soldiers sent by Fingon are on the border of the wilderness.

Overhead, the sky was darker than the ground boundary, the sun was dim, and the mountains were dense behind.

The cool wind blew slowly, somewhat similar to the cold underground wind that Charles had encountered in the dwarven city-state, cold and damp.

Compared to the savannah on the other side of the Shadow Mountains, this place is actually more like a gateway to the dwelling place of the Dark Enemy.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, the charr would have had a hard time believing that this desolate area would be the universally beautiful Middle-earth. It is also the territory of the Supreme King of the Noldor tribe.

"All we have to do is follow this stream and we will be able to reach His Majesty's camp all the way."

The leader of the guards said to Charles.

He was referring to a river not far away that flowed on a mass of grey-black pebbles, the water rushing down the barren wilderness to a vague place at the end of the line of sight.

Tightening his thick cloak, Charles nodded.

Then they continued on their way, but not on foot, and on the horses provided by the camp at the foot of the mountain.

These snow-white horses resemble the one the Charles once ridden, and they also have the bloodline of the blessed lands of the West, and they are physically strong and intelligent, completely different from ordinary horses.

Originally gifted by the son of Fëanor, who was rescued by Fingon, the horses multiplied over the centuries to form the famous cavalry legions of the Noldor tribe.

They often rode their horses across the northern steppes, sometimes as far as the Angband Gate, and the Great Enemy seemed to pay little attention to the constant visits to their gates.

Aside from the occasional Orc sent out to harass them, it was almost impossible to hear unusual movements.

As a result, some of the Noldor soldiers they came into contact with during this period were obviously slackened in their power against Morgoth.

By the bystander, and with his own talent, Charles could feel that this kind of psychology was universal. But he didn't say much.

Because it's useless to say it—the truth is that Morgoth has been stuck in Angban for hundreds of years, and has been beaten back several times.

……

As he continued to move forward, the endless mountains behind him became more and more hazy, and the black camp could be faintly seen at the end of the line of sight in front of him.

Because the continent of Middle-earth is flat rather than round, it looks like they're about to reach their destination, but it's still quite far away.

But riding a fine horse without having to travel on your own is not a torment.

At the same time, the guards who sent him to each other were also quite active, and with Charles' permission, some of them even took out the instruments they had brought with them and began to play and sing to themselves, their voices clear and pleasant.

Relatively speaking, although Noldor does not like to sing as much as Sinda or even Nando, that is not to say that they are not good at it.

Elves, or creatures of this world, are universally musical, whether elves or humans, good or evil.

The charr wondered how this habit came about, but considering that the entire creation of Middle-earth was a "compendium" composed in music, it didn't seem incomprehensible to have such a custom.

Noldor's singing voice was heroic and beautiful, and with the rush of the road, the long bumpy road of the trip did not seem to be too difficult.

However, as we walked, there were also bursts of songs in the distance.

One of the guards, who was singing soloist, moved his ears, then abruptly stopped singing and bowed apologetically to Charles.

"My sister's misfortune is approaching, and I am sorry that I cannot remain happy on such occasions, my lord."

His words were a little strange to Charles, but it didn't take long for him to know what they meant.

More than a dozen figures gathered, two of them carrying a stretcher, walking slowly along the bank of the raging river.

The sky was blue and cloudy, and the gray earth was barren and silent, reflecting the gloomy figures of this difficult journey, and also making their singing voices seem remote.

They were generally dressed in heavy animal skins, and the first leader played the harp, and the sadness in his mouth was very palpable.

As they got closer to the back, it became clear that Charles was not an elf, but a human.

Compared to the elves who dominate the current era, humans are generally similar in appearance.

But the biggest difference between them is not the difference in appearance and temperament, but the fact that humans generally have beards, but elves never grow beards, or they are not old enough to grow beards.

"Where are you from?" As the humans approached, the Noldor guards asked

"Descend from Mount Mislin and escort Mareh's son Imrah to be buried in the place he has been guarding." The singing human replied, then bowed down to Charles and a kind of Noldor.

"There are many Edenic warriors in the fortress to help defend it, and Imrah was once a member of the cavalry team." A guard whispered an explanation to Charles, and his eyes were sad.

The Edenians are the collective name for the three human clans that currently come into contact with the Elves.

Hearing this, Charles looked at the unconscious human on the stretcher, and couldn't help but be silent.

His face was pale and his eyes were puffy, but his forehead was covered with sweat on a cold day...... Although he is not completely dead, it is clear that he is terminally ill.

Compared to the elves, humans are a very fragile race, sick, weak, mortal, clumsy, and afraid of darkness...... It is not for nothing that some elves are full of superiority over humans.

Charles, who were once human, can actually empathize with this even more.

However, in the face of this situation, there is actually nothing he can do.

Illness is not a pain and cannot be solved by pure life force.

At this time, Charles can concoct a medicine that is more effective than the healing potion he originally concocted, but when it comes to this kind of thing, he still needs to prescribe the right medicine.

However, when faced with an unknown disease, it is not easy to find a suitable cure.

When he was in the Haradin, it took him three years to make a cure, although it was mainly because of his lack of knowledge of plants at the time, but now he is not sure that he will be able to invent a new medicine.

A little sad, but not because of this patient, he was not sensitive enough to sympathize with the deceased when he saw it, after all, the two parties did not know each other at all.

He just lamented the fragility of life and the cruelty of death.

After a brief conversation, the human team bypassed the elves and continued north.

Their destination was the mountain fortress, where the sick human would eventually be buried, by the side of his former comrades, and by the side of his former enemies.

Watching the group leave, Charles's fingers were slightly eastward, and quietly, a wonderful force grew from the surface of the human body on the stretcher, soothing his painful and tired mind, and making the many flowers covered with his body, which were slightly withered by the wind, tremble and stretch, and bloom in the brightest appearance.

It was a force of grief that had been bred by exclamation, and this Xia Er did it, and then he turned and went on his way.

But it didn't take long for a cry of surprise from behind him to make him smile.

No one knew what he did, and he didn't have the idea of talking to anyone else.

Let this become providence, because the withered flowers bloom on their own, is not it a good omen that can make people feel more surprised?

It can't cure anything, but it's enough to dilute some of the pessimism that comes with death.

……

Charles, who was all right, still hurrying on his way, gradually disappearing into the hazy horizon.

But two ethereal voices quietly sounded on the other side of the world, and discussed the matter.

"Human beings should not fear death, which is a gift, not a punishment."

"A distorted shadow has always hung over the hearts of these children, making them afraid of death and equally afraid of the unknown...... This is our rerelinquency. ”

"No, it's the inevitability of fate."

"There is no inevitability in the operation of the world, and the established destiny has been rewritten, as we have witnessed."

"It's not over yet, it's still unclear."

"Unless Namu intervenes."

"Namu can't intervene."

"He can't...... Are you sure this little guy isn't Ilmu's illegitimate son? ”

"It's not funny."

"Will you help him?"

"I won't help him, my strength can't penetrate the darkness."

"That ......"

"Wait and see."