Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1058 1040. Dragon Disease
"The dragon lies in the treasury of the Lonely Mountain Kingdom, sleeping in a mountain of gold."

Elrond spoke seriously to Gandalf and Thorin.

"It has been sleeping for sixty years now. If we wake it up, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause?"

"It is obsessed with the brilliance of treasure and the weight of wealth. Thorin Oakenshield, the dragon wakes up and people will die!"

"So we deserve it?"

Thorin seemed to have been irritated by Elrond's words.

It stared into the eyes of the Lord of Rivendell and asked loudly.

"Then the wealth accumulated by us dwarves for generations, the crafts and technologies we created! Do we deserve to be taken away by that evil reptile?"

"Do my people who survived the disaster on the Lonely Mountain deserve to be deposed from their prosperous lives and their hometown of Elbor to what we are today?"

Thorin has a deep and majestic temperament. The blood of the King of the Lonely Mountain and the glory of his family have made him what he is today.

There could be no more righteous and proper scene for a king to be at this moment, arguing for the interests of his people and his kingdom.

In particular, Thorin is not an unfit king.

After the dwarves of Lonely Mountain were driven out of their homes, he led the people to revive and recuperate in the Blue Mountains.

In order to supplement the tribesmen's lives which had suddenly become difficult and they had no place to stand, all the able-bodied dwarves went out to work.

Although the members of this dwarf team are all capable fighters, those skills are actually acquired through past practice. Now their normal jobs are tinkers, merchants, shoemakers, and cooks.

Thorin was not standing idly by either. In fact, when Gandalf met Thorin, the prince of the Lonely Mountain Kingdom was making money by forging iron in a human village.

He was sweaty and smelly, with tangled hair, and looked no better than an ordinary human blacksmith.

It is precisely because of this kind of pioneering efforts that the dwarves of Lonely Mountain, even though they were forced to wander from their homeland, are able to live a life that is not rich but still stable today.

But in the face of Thorin's questioning, Elrond remained calm.

In his long life, he had no idea how many great kings or heroes he had met.

"I have never denied the legitimacy and legitimacy of the wealth of the Lonely Mountain and the title of King of the Lonely Mountain to the dwarves of the Durin clan."

Elrond held his hands together, calmly in front of him, rational and wise.

"But I want to remind you of the main point: if you want to retake Elbor, the lonely mountain, you will inevitably wake up the evil dragon Smaug."

"But even during the heyday of the Lonely Mountain Kingdom, you were completely defeated by that evil dragon in just one day!"

"Your courage in taking back your homeland is commendable, but the reality is, how are you going to face that powerful dragon?"

"Your reasons for taking back your homeland are legitimate, but after the dragon awakens, aren't the innocent people who may be affected worthy of your concern? King under the Mountain, Son of Thrain?"

Thorin pursed his lips, but still stared at Elrond unyieldingly.

Balin, with his white hair and beard, had already turned around, while Bilbo stared blankly at the conversation in front of him, as if he didn't know what expression he should make.

"Indeed, Elrond."

In the stagnant atmosphere, Lan thought he did not know the cause and effect, so he did not speak. But Gandalf stood up and spoke.

The old wizard had a kind smile on his face.

“We thought about these issues.”

"Oh? So what's the solution, Mithrandir?"

Elrond turned and faced Gandalf.

The old wizard took a step forward and patted the hobbit's shoulder enthusiastically as he looked at him in shock and bewilderment.

"The solution is: we won't wake up the dragon, at least not in the plan! This all depends on our master thief, Master Bilbo Baggins!"

The short and weak hobbit staggered after being hit by Gandalf.

"We don't want the gold of the Lonely Mountain. Or at least we didn't want it when we first entered. We came for one gem. Just one!"

Gandalf is like a master salesman, recommending his project plan to investors.

"Just one piece?"

And after Elrond's eyes turned, he understood what Gandalf meant.

"Is it the Heart of the Mountain—the Arken Gem?!"

"That is it, Elrond! The King's Stone that represents the power of the King of the Dwarves!"

The old wizard nodded frequently.

"We just need to have our master thief sneak into the treasury of Lonely Mountain and take away the most important gem. Then we must retreat immediately without lingering for even a second!"

"Smaug's nose was extremely sensitive, but he had never smelled the body odor of a hobbit, so he could not recognize it and would not be alert. And in such a huge treasure house, the disappearance of a gem would not attract any attention at all."

"But the gem is of great importance to the dwarves."

"At the beginning, Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain by surprise. The entire Lonely Mountain Kingdom was conquered in one day due to lack of preparation. On the day of the tragedy, the soldiers in the Lonely Mountain were even mixed with the civilians. There was no chance to form a battle formation or a ballista."

"But this time we are not only prepared, but this gem will unite more than one dwarven family."

"Not only the Durin clan, but also the dwarves of the seven major families will gather an army under the call of the holder of this gem. That is an army powerful enough to kill the dragon! A well-prepared army!"

"No one will die in the flames of an awakened dragon, Elrond." Gandalf looked at the Elf Lord seriously.

"Because if the plan goes smoothly, when Smaug wakes up from his long sleep, the first thing he sees when he rushes out of Elbor will be an army that can kill him!"

So, this is the whole thread?
Lan stood nearby, his arms folded as he watched the interactions between the elves, dwarves, wizards, and hobbits.

At the same time, the brain also works with the biological intelligent brain to use computing power and analysis diagrams to sort out relationships and clarify logic.

When he first saw the dwarf team, he thought that the purpose of this group of people gathering together for a long journey must be complicated, but he did not expect that this was actually an expedition to restore the country.

Moreover, the origin of this history can be traced back to hundreds of years ago when the dwarves of Lonely Mountain were destroyed by the evil dragon.

The plot of the dwarf warrior and the dwarf prince who want to restore their country, and the evil dragon who possesses the golden treasure is too typical for a fairy tale, right?
Lan rubbed his chin.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Mithrandir. The plan you outlined is indeed highly feasible. But..."

Elrond pursed his lips and looked at Thorin Oakenshield with hesitation.

"But what?" Thorin asked solemnly. "I even promised that we would kill that filthy lizard!"

"Then I will speak plainly, Thorin Oakenshield."

Elrond sighed.

"But I am worried about your dragon disease. Your family bloodline runs and inherits a mental disease."

As soon as the word 'dragon sickness' came out of Elrond's mouth.

Balin, Thorin, and even Gandalf himself, who had smiled again because of Gandalf's explanation of the plan, became serious and gloomy.

"I have seen your grandfather lose his mind to gold, that obsession, that sick obsession, Thorin Oakenshield."

"Not only your grandfather, but also your father, your obsession with gold is probably no less than Smaug's. Whenever I think of the look on Thror's face when he looked at gold, I shudder."

"When you really get to Lonely Mountain, open the secret door, and are just a few steps away from the mountain of treasure, I am very worried whether you will follow the plan and take only the gem in order not to wake up the dragon."

"Or are you obsessed with gold? Wanting to take more, more, until you finally wake up the dragon?"

Has the obsession with gold reached this point?
Are you willing to give up your life to pick gold from the mouth of a dragon?

Lan En didn't know whether this was true or not, but he saw the pale face of the old dwarf Balin.

Elrond took a step forward and bent over Thorin.

"Who can guarantee that you will not lose your mind at that time? Like your grandfather and father?"

Gandalf blinked and raised a hand.

"I think I can."

"You are the only one who can't do this, Mithrandir. Because it was you who started this expedition to restore the country!"

Elrond interrupted Gandalf before he could finish.

But when the wizard kept silent, the dwarves kept silent, and the hobbits were at a loss.
"Then I think I should be able to guarantee it."

Everyone's eyes turned to the direction of the voice at the same time.

Lan En raised one hand, leaning his whole body against the elves' beautiful white marble pillars, smiling relaxedly.

The moonlight was blocked by the windows, so that only his upper body was illuminated, and his molten silver hair shone softly in the moonlight.

Adanisir, a man like a spirit.

Even standing next to Elrond, the older and more prestigious elven lord, no one would doubt that Lan was the name given to him by the elves.

"You're going to vouch for him, Adanisir?"

Elrond asked in surprise.

"Do you really know Soren Oakenshield?"

“I can’t say I understand, but I can’t say I don’t understand either.”

The demon hunter put down his hands and continued to lean against the pillar.

"I have not been with him long, Elrond. But I have seen the choices these dwarves make when their lives are in jeopardy. I do not think any decision could be more sincere than that."

"They thought the Kirin had been scared away, and I would be alone facing a group of orc wolf riders. But there were thirteen dwarves and one hobbit, and none of them objected or retreated. They all wanted to rush up and fight alongside me. Because they felt that I was surrounded because I was covering their retreat, and they were responsible for me."

"I don't believe that such a person would become a shameless person who disregards other people's lives for his own desires just because of gold."

Thorin Oakenshield opened his mouth slightly, and for the first time he showed a feeling of helplessness, and looked at Lan.

Because I was trusted, I felt helpless.

"Thorin, tell me." Lan tilted his head and looked at the dwarf prince of Lonely Mountain.

"If Smaug is awakened by you, do you think it is your duty to protect those who have nothing to do with it?"

Under Gandalf's smiling gaze, Thorin gradually recovered from his confusion.

He looked at the pair of vertical pupils seriously and solemnly.

“We have no choice but to do our part!”

(End of this chapter)