Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1097 1079. Target

The matter between the dwarves of Lonely Mountain and the elves of the Woodland Kingdom can be traced back to Thorin Oakenshield's grandfather, Threlor.

"We were allies, but after I gave the relic of my wife's return to the hall of Mandos, the white gem of starlight, to Lonely Mountain for repair, Threlor betrayed his faith and temporarily raised the price."

"The Woodland Kingdom and I cannot accept such blackmail and insult."

Looking at the backs of the dwarves helping to carry the luggage for the townspeople, Thranduil said lightly.

The expression and tone of this handsome elf revealed a sense of indifference and arrogance most of the time.

So after Lann understood this, he did not think that Thranduil's mood at the time would be as calm as his tone now.

Even though he looked calm on the surface, he must have been furious at the time.

"So I turned around and left, prepared my army, and headed for the Lonely Mountain. But just when I led my army to the hills near the Lonely Mountain, Smaug suddenly attacked and broke through the Lonely Mountain."

"Dragon flames swept across the sky, countless casualties, and wailing everywhere."

"Thorin Oakenshield led the fleeing dwarves to ask for help from my army at that time, but I came to ask the dwarves for an explanation. That's why Thorin and the dwarves who escaped from the Lonely Mountain believed that the elves had violated the covenant of the allies."

Lane stood beside Thranduil and listened sideways.

And Bard was already busy helping the refugees. The conflict between the dwarves and the elves was already a nursery rhyme-level story for the people in this area. They were all familiar with it, so they had no interest in listening to it again.

There is no doubt that Thranduil did not help Thorin's plea at that time.

And with the stubbornness of the dwarves, this indifference will certainly be deeply remembered.

"If that's the truth." After listening to the brief story, Lann shook his head, "It sounds like the dwarf made the mistake first."

But unexpectedly, Thranduil, who was always calm and proud, also shook his head slightly.

"Throel was controlled by the dragon disease. When our relationship was still good, I kept warning him to control his greed and desires, but he couldn't control himself. In the end, he fell out with me and attracted the dragon."

"And in terms of the severity of the matter, Thror's temporary price increase is at most a trade and etiquette friction between allies, while my refusal to ask for help from refugees in Lonely Mountain is more serious in comparison. But the matter is a foregone conclusion, and there is no point in entanglement."

Lann shrugged and stopped talking about these things.

At this point, it is indeed meaningless.

If Smaug is not killed, the entire Lonely Mountain area will continue to sink.

——

"The people of Long Lake Town are heading this way. I think they are going to take refuge in the ruins of Dale City."

Standing on the top of the observation hill with a good view, Bilbo looked in the direction of Long Lake and shouted to the dwarves behind him.

The terrain from Long Lake to Elbor is a gentle, huge slope from high to low.

The water of Long Lake is the melting snow of Lonely Mountain, flowing down, and then merging with the water of another river.

The terrain of this area is generally very gentle, so the view is also very good.

Standing on the hills near Lonely Mountain, you can even see the entire Long Lake.

The crowd came from the lake like ants, and then turned into a thin black line, heading towards Dale City.

Dale City is not far from Lonely Mountain, so it can be said that it is heading towards Lonely Mountain.

The dwarves set out in the early hours of last night, nearly half a day earlier than the townspeople, and they traveled light and were generally agile.

So by the time dusk approached, the dwarfs' national restoration expedition had already reached the gate of the former Lonely Mountain Kingdom.

And the townspeople who took refuge in Dale City, there was still a last "little tail" left in the wasteland, slowly moving towards the ruins of Dale City.

"Normal." Balin also climbed up the hill for observation, supporting his old waist and said. "The fire can't be controlled, wooden buildings are too fragile, it's better to use stone."

"This weather." Balin looked up at the gloomy sky and the white mist he exhaled, "If you don't have a place to live, you will die."

"But isn't this closer to Smaug?" Bilbo said a little uneasily.

He was afraid that the evil dragon in the mountain would be awakened, and then affect these homeless poor people.

If they didn't come, maybe these people would be fine.

Bilbo thought to himself.

"That's why we can't be discovered by the evil dragon!" Flannel Ball also squatted on the top of the hill, looking at the tiny crowd moving towards Dale City in the distance, and said firmly.

"We have to sneak in! And then steal the gems!"

"Enough of the small talk, gentlemen." Thorin, holding the two-handed axe he got from the armory in Longhu Town, walked behind Balin, Bilbo, and Flannel Ball without stopping.

"It's dusk now. We have to find the secret door and the keyhole on the secret door before sunset to bypass the main gate and enter the Lonely Mountain. Time is running out."

"Let's go."

Groin and other dwarves also shouted, took a breath again, and continued to walk towards the Lonely Mountain with their weapons as crutches.

The technical strength of the Dwarf Kingdom has already been revealed at the gate of the Lonely Mountain.

Two huge dwarf statues carved from solid rock stand on both sides of the mountain gate, and the mountain gate is built on the mountain of the Lonely Mountain.

This kingdom was built entirely by digging a large hole in the Lonely Mountain.

The dwarves' sculpture style is completely different from that of the elves. Most elves use soft and beautiful lines to blend with nature.

But the dwarves seem to have penetrated into every aspect of their race because of their habit of digging and smelting.

Their sculptures and armor are all made with edges and corners, forming polyhedrons. Just like anvils and blacksmith hammers.

The polyhedron does not appear sharp and sharp because of the edges and corners, but rather appears thick and solid.

The secret door is not easy to find, otherwise the dwarves would not have to write the secret language in moon language on the map.

After a long journey, Dwalin saw a hidden staircase leading up on the huge dwarf stone sculptures on both sides of the main entrance of Lonely Mountain.

At first glance, these steps look like the clothing patterns on the stone sculptures of dwarf warriors, and they can only be distinguished when they are close.

Seeing that the sun was about to sink below the horizon, a group of people hurried up along the hidden steps.

After that, he searched for a long time on the stone platform at the end of the steps. In the end, he was almost desperate and thought he had found the wrong one. Only when the sunlight disappeared and the moonlight began to appear did he reveal the keyhole covered by magic.

There were no people on the long lake and the plain in the distance. The townspeople all entered the Dale City and hid in the dilapidated rooms with roofs and windows. They didn't dare to light a lamp.

Even breathing loudly had to be done with a little caution and looking around.

At the foot of the lonely mountain, Thorin pursed his lips, and his hand holding the weapon never wavered, but at this time he trembled slightly. He inserted the key on his neck and pushed open the heavy secret door.

Suddenly, a gust of air with the smell of stale dust surged out.

The smell was choking and mixed with dust, making people want to sneeze.

But the dwarves gathered in front of the newly opened secret door, as if they were about to cry, and carefully smelled the air.

After a long time, this is the first time that the dwarves of Lonely Mountain smell the air of their hometown.

The hardships and sufferings of the adventure along the way, as well as the homesickness for a long time, have become stronger after being suppressed.

Balin's eyes were filled with tears, and he was choking and unable to speak.

Flannel Ball and Bilbo consciously stood behind the dwarves.

This is not their hometown, so there are not many emotional fluctuations, but they respect their friends.

Smiling behind them, watching the dwarves express their emotions and calm their mood.

Walking into the secret door that is as thick as two people, the dwarves still seemed to be unable to believe that this is reality, as if they really entered their former hometown.

Carefully touching the walls, rocks, and floors behind the secret door, confirming that this is not an illusion in their minds.

Flannel Ball and Bilbo came in last, and they both looked at the legendary dwarf kingdom curiously.

Unfortunately, after entering from the secret door, it was just an ordinary corridor in Lonely Mountain, and the glorious style in the legend could not be seen.

"What is this?"

Bilbo turned around and took a glance, only to find that on the door frame on this side of the secret door in the lonely mountain, there was a simplified picture and a dwarf's words carved on it.

Groin followed him and looked back, reading the words in a trance.

"The seventh kingdom of the Durin family is located here. May the heart of the mountain unite all of us to defend our homeland."

The simple drawing is a dwarf-style, angular throne, and a gem is emitting bright light all around.

Ballin's throat was calm and still choked with some residual emotions: "That is the king's throne. The light is the [Heart of the Mountain] in that sentence, the Arken Gem."

The fluff ball also came to the two curiously, holding his little paws and looking up curiously.

"This is the Arken Gem, meow~"

Bilbo nodded as if he understood: "What is this thing used for?"

Although he had heard the importance of this gem from dwarves, elves, and wizards more than once during the journey.

But Bilbo Baggins, who had always lived in the Shire, among the Hobbits who lived a comfortable and simple life, obviously could not really understand the meaning of this gem.

"Our two thieves"

At this moment, Thorin, who had already walked to the corner of the corridor behind the secret door and was leaning against the wall to look deeper into the Lonely Mountain, turned his head and said in a deep voice.

"It is the ultimate goal for us to invite you here."

After this sentence, all the dwarves looked at Bilbo and the fluff ball with eager expectations, trust, and entrustment.

The dwarves' eyes were full of strong emotions, which came from their persistence in their hometown, and of course they were extremely abundant at this time and place.

Under the gaze of the dwarves, the fluff ball and Bilbo almost synchronized

"Gulp", and both guys swallowed nervously.