Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1079 1061. Bad News

"Wait wait wait!"

Bard was shocked and incredulous. But in Lan's opinion, he actually believed the dwarf's words, but because the things behind these words were too terrifying, he refused to admit it from the bottom of his heart.

"First it was a dwarf, then a human? And a cat in clothes, and then an orc? What is going on?"

"The situation is - Long Lake Town is in danger, Bard."

Lan said to him calmly. Facing a panicked person, a steady tone can help him regain his sanity.

"Those orcs have been chasing the group of dwarves in front of you since the west side of the Misty Mountains, and they have not given up chasing them all the way here."

"I don't think they will give up their plans just because there is a town and fishing village built on the lake."

"You mean" Bard's pupils dilated, and he subconsciously turned to look at his three children. "They will come to kill us?!"

"Eighty percent." Lan shook his head and said.

"As long as it's on this route, the orcs will not miss any possible settlement. Are there any other settlements in this area now?"

No.

This area used to be prosperous because of the countless gold and gems in the lonely mountain, but since the dragon attacked.

Even if they didn't die on that disastrous day, the survivors didn't dare to live so close to a dragon.

The population and trade in this area began to decline, and finally only the Long Lake Town on the edge remained.

This is the only place where the dwarves can get supplies and rest on the route. No matter whether the dwarves come or not, the orcs will definitely come.

At this time, Bard seemed to think of something, and he turned his head suddenly to look at Lan En.

"Wait, how did you get here? There must be someone at the door."

"There are people watching." Lan En said indifferently, "but I let them sleep. By the way, are those the mayor's people?"

"That's right! And you just knocked out the mayor's men!"

Bard covered his forehead and said with difficulty.

"The mayor has been keeping an eye on me, thinking I threaten his power. I also know he's keeping an eye on me, and this is a kind of... tacit understanding. I stay under his nose and don't cause trouble, and he won't make things difficult for me and my family."

Lan En nodded, indicating that he understood this situation.

"But for now, put aside the little tacit understanding between the two of you."

"The orcs will most likely come, and I knocked out the mayor's men in broad daylight, so you can just take me to the mayor later, and we have to get him to arm himself."

As he spoke, Lan En smacked his lips in embarrassment.

"The security of this town looks so lax, not much better than a pile of sand."

"The orcs are all born cruel killers and villains, and I guess they can scare away all your guards when they get fierce."

"Okay, okay." Bard was still struggling to absorb and digest this information, and he pinched his forehead and agreed.

Bard walked together with his three children, hugged them with a worried look, and whispered to comfort them.

The children don't know what will happen in the future. They were born and raised here, and even the stories they heard didn't have orcs.

But Bard knew what orcs were.

When the dwarves saw this scene, the originally lively atmosphere became silent.

After all, although those orcs have evil natures and brutal instincts, as long as there is any opportunity to inflict pain on others and spread darkness, the orcs will be ecstatic and will not let it go.

But these orcs, in the final analysis, did follow their journey.

No one can say that the dwarves' efforts to regain their hometown are wrong. But they still inevitably feel guilty for the trouble and harm they have brought to others in the process.

Lan En patted Fili's shoulder beside him and walked towards Thorin and Balin who were looking out the window.

Flannel Ball had already mixed in the dwarf team and took out some snacks from his small bag for them. The Hobbits were very grateful for this.

Usually, Hobbits have seven meals a day, and each meal is carefully prepared to make them comfortable.

But since he went out on an adventure, Bilbo Baggins, a race that was originally known for its stable life, has not been able to eat seven meals for a long time.

When he came to Thorin, the leader, and Balin, the oldest dwarf in the team, Lan naturally lowered his voice.

"Is that the Lonely Mountain, Elbor?"

Looking out from the window of Bard's house, you can see the other side of the Long Lake, and beyond a large wasteland, a tall snow-capped mountain that stands out.

Thorin said in a tone that was almost like a dream: "Yes."

"That is our hometown that we miss so much. There is wealth accumulated by our generations. Enough wealth for my people to live a rich life again!"

Balin moved his buttocks and sat on a wooden barrel by the window, staring out the window.

Thorin turned his head and looked at the witcher.

"I have signed a contract with each participant in this team. Each of the fourteen of us is entitled to share one-fourteenth of the net profit of this adventure."

"Although you are not in our team, I am willing to give you half of what I deserve, Lan."

Thorin's eyes were serious and sincere.

"I will always remember what you said for me in Rivendell, in front of the elves."

Lan En shrugged, with a flat expression as if he didn't know how big a fortune this was, and in fact he really didn't know either.

"There are fifteen of you including Gandalf. Why, don't you give him a share?"

"He is a wizard, and wealth is not something he cares about. And this expedition is his plan, and completing the expedition itself is what he wants most. But you are different, you can use the treasure, and you have spoken for us before. Yu Zhenxin.”

Thorin said in a low voice: "Sincerely, in this dark age, it is more precious than any other treasure."

Lan En smiled at first, and then his face became serious again, which meant that he wanted to talk seriously.

The witcher squatted down, bringing his mouth closer to the two dwarves who were the most talkative in the expedition team, and lowered his voice.

Thorin and Balin also became serious when they saw this.

"It was Radagast and I who called Gandalf away because we found some signs. Very bad signs."

Lan En didn't elaborate on what it was, and Thorin and Balin didn't care. They were less than two days away from the Lonely Mountain, and they were now focused on the snowy mountain in the distance.

Lan met the two of them's eyes.

"To put it simply, the troubles you have to face in this expedition to restore the country are definitely more than just an evil dragon, Thorin."

"Gushan's geographical location, strategic significance, and the huge wealth within it."

Lan En did not finish his words, but looked at the two dwarves with deep meaning.

"If you can consider these factors comprehensively, you should know: the orcs are not chasing you simply because of a feud."

"They have more practical and utilitarian considerations."

"Wait! You mean..." Thorin seemed to understand a lot of things at once, he murmured.

"Is that so? Is this why Azog, the Blasphemer, is chasing us so hard?!"

Balin had the same expression.

They used to be the top leaders of the dwarf Gushan Kingdom, which is good, but people always ignore the things around them that have become daily.

While Lonely Mountain still exists and remains standing, the strategic stabilizing function brought by Lonely Mountain in the entire north exists almost as naturally as air.

And when the evil dragon captured Gushan and this important strategic node was lost, people could realize how precious it turned out to be.

Unfortunately, at that time, Bahrain, Thorin, and even the other senior officials of the Gushan Kingdom had all their energy and thinking occupied by the displaced tribesmen.

Just taking care of this group of citizens who have lost their homes and making a living will cost them their lives.

There is no time to think about anything else.

So in the end, it was only after a long time that a gray-robed wizard took the lead, and a lonely mountain expedition team composed of businessmen, coopers, shoemakers and others sprang up.

"It seems you understand, good."

The witcher nodded looking at the expressions of realization on the two dwarves in front of him.

But Thorin and Balin only felt cold all over their bodies, their throats were rolling up and down but they couldn't make a sound.

Not far away, the dwarves were telling stories to the three Bard children about their adventures along the way.

The hobbits were sharing snacks with Ellu the cat and the temporarily inserted big meatball Bombo.

But these heart-warming scenes are clearly right in front of them, but Thorin and Balin only feel that these things are getting further and further away from them.

"Gandalf advises you to stop here, Thorin."

Lann relayed the wizard's meaning to the dwarf.

"The closer you come to success, the closer the orcs and the forces they represent will come to hysteria. In the end, the worst case scenario will come."

"We may face, face an army of orcs?" Balin said forcefully and calmly.

Lan En added even more cruelly.

"An army of orcs allied with a dragon."

"Allying with the evil dragon? The evil dragon will not ally with the despicable orcs!"

Thorin said bitterly.

"It's not the orcs who may be allies with Smaug." The witcher turned to him and said softly, "Orcs always have masters, don't they?"

Orcs, a species with a cruel and dirty nature, are undoubtedly not the creation of Ilúvatar.

They have been the servants of the Dark Lord Morgoth since before the sun and moon rose in the first age.

It is the most basic and largest army under Morgoth.

In the ancient times of Arda, the War of Fire, the War of Tears, and the War of Wrath. In the battles against Morgoth, orcs were everywhere.