The Collection of The End

——Third Age, 2917, October 14——

Near theshire, the town of Bribree.

Bri is an ancient human town established in the Second Era. It prospered because it was close to the main road and gathered travelers and news from all directions.

The Prany Inn is located on the East Avenue of Bree Town. The signboard depicts a fat white pony standing upright on its hind legs. The lintel is painted with a few large white characters: Maiman Butter Jury's Prancing Pony Inn.

Betsy, the waitress, passed through the noisy and laughing guests and served rye bread, sausages and fried eggs to a lone traveler wearing a cloak and hood, and then deftly slapped away the hand extended by another guest next to her. Dishonest hand, turn around and leave.

The lone traveler took off his cloak, revealing a majestic and cold face. He had a short beard and long black hair. He looked alert and capable. Even when he was chewing rye bread, he was paying attention to whether there was anyone around him. Keep an eye on him.

The answer is yes.

It is impossible for a lone traveler like him to turn a blind eye, whether he is a gangster in the town or a spy from some forces. They don't even bother to hide their observations of the lone traveler.

The lone traveler took two bites of bread and seemed to be thinking about how to sneak away inconspicuously.

call……

With the sound of robes rubbing, an old man wearing gray robes, holding a wooden stick, with long white hair and beard, and many wrinkles on his face sat across from his table.

"Can we share a table? Oh, I want the same one as him," the old man greeted Betsy, and then said to the lone traveler in a slightly hoarse but wise voice, "Maybe I should introduce myself, my name is Gan Dolph gandal, Gandalf the Grey.”

The lone traveler glanced around, and the malicious snoops all withdrew their gaze due to the appearance of Gandalf.

"I know who you are," he said to Gandalf.

"That's good. What a coincidence today," Gandalf clasped his hands together and then opened them again: "Why did Thorin Oakenshield visit Bree?"

"I heard that my father was wandering near the Dark Land. I looked for him, but there was nothing." The lone traveler named Thorin looked at him and said.

"Thorain thrain..." Gandalf breathed softly.

"You, like everyone else, think he is dead?" Thorin narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I was not present at the battle of Moria," Gandalf replied.

"But I was," Thorin said. "I looked for every body after the war without him."

"If..." Gandalf looked at Thorin's hand on the table: "One of the seven rings given to the dwarf princes in ancient times is in his hand, he may indeed be alive, but it is only possible."

"I will find him." Thorin clenched his fists.

"Your father came to me before he attacked Moria. I suggested that he gather all seven dwarf tribes to attack Erebor," Gandalf said. "Only in this way can we defeat the evil dragon. The advice I give you now is the same." ——Assemble the seven armies of dwarves and take back your homeland." Gu

"...the oath of the Seven Armies of the Dwarves is only valid for the holders of the king's secret treasure," Thorin lowered his voice: "There is only the thearkenstone, and this secret treasure has long been taken away by the evil fire dragon 'Smaug' who occupied the Lonely Mountain. , like the only key that can open the door is locked inside the house.”

"What if," Gandalf said with a confident expression, "I can ask a Snitch to bring it back?"

——Third Age, 2918, September 23——

Lonely mountain.

Lonely Mountain is the place where the Dwar clan, the dwarfs born from the rock, once established their kingdom. It is named after there are no other high mountains for hundreds of miles around.

At the beginning of the Third Age, after the dwarves left their homeland of Moria and settled in the Lonely Mountain due to the attack of the balrog, they transformed the mountainside here into a huge underground kingdom in the same form.

During the transformation process, the dwarves mined ores and forged, and traded with the outside world through the humans in the nearby valley town. Both sides accumulated a large amount of wealth, and unearthed the "Arken Gem", which was later known as the king's secret treasure. .

However, these wealth aroused the interest of the evil dragon Smaug, who had been born since the first era. It destroyed the town of Dale and occupied the dwarf city in the heart of the Lonely Mountain. It stored all the accumulated wealth deep in the city and Protect them personally.

At this moment, an uninvited guest appeared in Smaug's treasure house.

"I think the evil dragon may not be at home. Maybe it's a good thing..." The short, disheveled, slightly ridiculous hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, walked through a secret door with his head peeping out. Entering the hall where gold coins, jewelry, gold and silver utensils and various gems were piled up like mountains: "Wow..."

"Arken gem, Arken gem, a big white gem." After a brief shock, Bilbo began to trek through the treasure mountain: "This is really helpful..."

"Ruby, sapphire, is this a gold necklace? I don't think a dragon can wear it." Because the treasure room was too large, as time passed, Bilbo rummaged through it to find the "Arken Stone". His movements gradually became rough: "I think it might be under this golden cup..."

Crash--

As the hobbits picked up a huge golden goblet at the "foot" of a certain golden mountain, the "mountain" collapsed, revealing a huge dragon head covered with dark red scales that was originally buried at the foot of the mountain. It was so huge that just its closed eyes were as big as two Bilbos.

"..." Bilbo froze for a moment, then tiptoed back, intending to hide behind a pillar.

However, when he leaned against the pillar, he discovered that on the other side of the pillar, another golden mountain collapsed on its own, revealing a dragon tail with the same red scales underneath.

"..." Bilbo looked blankly at the dragon's head, then at the dragon's tail, stretched out his hand and gestured, as if to confirm the length of the dragon, then, giving up, he spread his hands and rested his chin on his hands, sitting on a golden shield. .

Wow…

The Gold Coin Mountain collapsed for the second time. The closed eyelids opened, revealing a huge eye with golden vertical pupils. Then, the entire Jinshan Mountain collapsed from the "head" to the "tail", revealing the giant eye below. The red dragon in full view.

It is more than a hundred meters long, with strong hind legs, sharp front claws, and a pair of wings that are wide enough to touch the roof of the hall when unfolded. It even creates bursts of sulfurous smell in the treasure house with its breath. whirlwind.

Without hesitation, Bilbo took out a golden ring from his arms and put it on his finger, and then he disappeared.

"bluff——" Smaug took a deep breath and said in a thunderous voice: "How lucky, usually I have to leave the lair to find food."