Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1123 1105. My honor

After Lan received the Arkenstone, he did not put it in his arms, but leaned down and looked at the Hobbit who handed over the gem seriously.

"What about you, Bilbo Baggins?"

"What will you do if you hand over this gem to me?"

"Me?"

Bilbo was stunned at first, as if he had not even thought about this matter about himself.

He seemed a little at a loss in the face of an emergency, but in the final analysis, he never changed his mind and did not look at this glittering gem again.

Bilbo's hand subconsciously grabbed the corner of his clothes and rubbed it.

"According to the contract, I own a fourteenth share of the treasure in this lonely mountain. Although I don't know if it is appropriate, I think it makes sense to exchange this fourteenth for the Arkenstone?"

"I will hand it over to you now, hoping that you can use it to save Thorin, well, that's it."

Bilbo pursed his lips when he spoke, and it was obvious that he didn't have much confidence in his heart. After all, the value of the King's Gem is too great, and it is not only about value, but also about power.

Lan frowned, still not relaxed.

"I didn't ask you about the legitimacy of the gem. What I asked was: you have been on this arduous and dangerous journey for a year, but in the end you have to give up all the gains from your adventure?"

"Aha."

Bilbo chuckled and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, as if the question about interests raised by Lan was many times easier than the legitimacy and morality issues just now.

"You mean the gains from the adventure? No, I don't care. Really, I don't care at all."

The Hobbit seemed relaxed when talking about this, with his chest and head held high, and his hands that were originally rubbing the corners of his clothes were lightly inserted into his belt.

"Of course, traveling in the wilderness, being chased by orcs, and being blocked by various monsters are difficult and dangerous experiences. But... enough, Lan."

The Hobbit showed a satisfied smile on his face.

"I met many friends and saw many things. I will definitely add all these things to the book I write after I go back!"

"I also picked up an acorn in the home of the skin-changer Beorn. I will plant it in my garden after returning to Bag End."

"These are the rewards of my adventure. It is of course good to have gold as a reward, but now..."

The tone of the hobbit became serious and uneasy.

"Obviously, Thorin has a problem. And his problem may drag all the dwarves into danger. They are all my friends, and of course you are my friend too."

"I know that the dwarves are very stubborn, difficult, suspicious, mysterious, and have bad daily habits, but I have traveled with them for a whole year, and I also know that they are brave, kind, and loyal to their friends."

"If I can give up wealth to save my friends from danger, I don't think I have anything to worry about."

"Lane, I love my friends, so I am willing to do my best to save them."

The brazier that was temporarily moved to the city gate by the dwarves made a tiny "puff" explosion, and the flames also swayed on the bodies of several people.

Lan looked at the equally serious face of the Hobbit opposite him earnestly, and was silent for a long time.

Suddenly, the witcher smiled.

This smile came from sincere admiration, so it was radiant and beautiful, and even made the Hobbit temporarily forget the brilliance of the Arkenstone and was a little stunned.

"It's really an honor for me, Master Baggins."

"What?"

Bilbo asked blankly.

"It's my honor to be your friend," Lan repeated and explained, "It's my honor."

The Hobbit opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

But the Elu cat next to him had already pounced on Bilbo, and rubbed his furry face against the Hobbit's face.

"So handsome, meow, Bilbo!"

The calico kitten looked at the Hobbit with stars in his eyes.

Bilbo was at a loss and tried to push the flannel ball away: "No, wait! What? Your fur is on my head!"

And Lan stood up straight and became serious, walking towards the depths of the Lonely Mountain.

He walked all the way inside, passing by the King's Hall filled with liquid gold and solidified. The stunning golden floor was shining with psychedelic brilliance.

It was as if he had experienced a dream of wealth and luxury with just one look.

But Lan En noticed more that the gold exuded a deep dragon stench.

These golds were occupied by evil dragons for a long time, carrying the evil spirit of evil dragons.

Lan En's spirit had already proved its resilience and strength in the dark erosion of the Fire World and Eldridge, so these golds were just beautiful to him at most.

Following the trail all the way, Lan En also arrived at the Kingdom's treasure house in the Lonely Mountain.

But before entering the door, he found several dwarves standing at the door with their heads down.

"Is Thorin in there?"

Lan En asked directly.

Sitting on the large piece of rubble next to the door, Kili, who was supporting his knees with his hands, nodded slowly and dully.

At this time, all the dwarves changed into armor and weapons.

The dwarven armor, like their architectural style, uses many geometric lines, making the armor appear angular, hard and thick, just like an iron pillar.

Smaug raided the Lonely Mountain, so there are still a sufficient number of weapons and equipment in the armory that have not been consumed. In addition, the dwarves have superb craftsmanship and fine ore raw materials, so these weapons and equipment can be used even now.

"Are you ready to fight?"

Lan En asked the group of dwarves who were obviously depressed and looked depressed.

"To defend the Lonely Mountain, each of us is willing to sacrifice our lives." Kili raised his head first, but then lowered his head again in confusion.

"But it shouldn't be like this. This is not the glorious battle we expected."

Across from Kili, Fili also held a helmet weakly: "We are not afraid of sacrifice for the Lonely Mountain, but at least we have to die with honor to be considered a sacrifice, right?"

"Sorry, Lan. We just invited you to be our guest. We also ate the food given to us by the refugees from Long Lake Town in River City and used their blankets to keep warm. But now..."

Fili's fingers rubbed the helmet in his arms in a tangled way. The gauntlet scratched the edges and corners, making a monotonous sound of steel friction, echoing in the dead and empty Lonely Mountain.

"Nowadays are so sad." In the monotonous and empty voice, Ori sighed and said. "Even if we are hungry and sleep in the wilderness, it is more comfortable than now. At least our hearts are clean and full of hope."

Ori is a dwarf with the same hobbies as Bilbo. He often carries a notebook and a pen to record his experiences.

But Bilbo wanted to write a wonderful book, while he just wanted to record it as a material.

Bombor, who was always generous and fat, nodded frequently.

"The people of Long Lake Town took care of us because of the disaster. They should be compensated and paid. They don't ask for much, so what if they deduct it from my share? In the end, it turned out like this, making us feel uncomfortable."

After saying this, Bombor seemed to realize that his wording was not right, and he quickly made up for it.

"Of course, I'm not complaining about Thorin. May his beard always be lush. But I have to say. Why has he suddenly become so stubborn these days? Even I think he is stubborn."

After Bombor finished speaking, Kili nodded in agreement, then raised his head and looked at the witcher.

"Lane, aren't you a wizard? Like Gandalf? Can you use magic to find the Arkenstone? When he led us, Thorin was a humble and sensible man. Now Thorin is focused on this gem, maybe he can get better if he finds it!"

Lane hadn't responded yet, but Gloin, who was standing aside with an axe in his arms, started to refute.

"You don't understand, Kili. You and Fili were born and raised in the Blue Mountains. You haven't seen the Arkenstone, and you don't really know what it is."

"But I have seen it."

Gloin was holding a necklace pendant with a small portrait of his wife and child. Lan heard that the child was called Gimli.

"I was not very old when the Arkenstone was dug out, but I remember that from then on, something was wrong with the Lonely Mountain Kingdom. Thror became more and more anxious and asked the dwarves to dig deeper."

"It's as if we forgot that our ancestors dug too deep and too recklessly, and awakened something from the depths of Moria, which eventually led us to flee our original home."

"The smelted gold also reduced circulation. If that thing is not circulated, isn't it just stone? But Thror just likes to see the gold piled up, just like in a treasure house."

"If you ask me, Thorin has taken over the responsibility of the king when we were in the most difficult time, and he has performed it very well. He led a group of displaced dwarves to settle down again. Who can do better than him?"

"Now he has recaptured Elbor, he is the king! There is no need for any gems to prove it!"

Kili still has hope for the Arkenstone.

"But I heard in the story that the gem is bright and can bring strength to its owner!"

Groin's response was also very direct. The dwarf snapped the necklace pendant shut and sneered.

"Hey, it can't do shit!"

Kili and Fili were young after all. Since they had never really seen the Arken Gem, they had no confidence to refute Groin.

Several dwarves expressed their opinions more or less. Lan En nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

"I'll go in and talk to Thorin. No matter what, the current situation can't be delayed any longer."

Lan En patted the stone wall of the dwarf city.

"The townspeople of Long Lake Town can't wait, the elves are also aggressive, and the credibility and reputation of the dwarves will only get worse and worse."

"Yes." Fili couldn't help but nod, "The family's reputation and honor are more important than anything else!"