Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1097 1079. Target
The story between the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and the Elves of the Woodland Kingdom dates back to Thorin Oakenshield's grandfather, Cerseroll.

"We were allies, but after I gave the White Star Gem, a relic left behind by my wife after she returned to the halls of Mandos, to the Lonely Mountain for repair, Thror betrayed me and raised the price."

"The Woodland Kingdom and I cannot accept this kind of blackmail and insult."

Thranduil spoke lightly as he looked at the dwarves' backs as they went to help the townspeople carry their luggage.

This handsome elf's expression and tone revealed a sense of indifference and arrogance most of the time.

So after Lan understood this, he didn't think that Thranduil's mood when facing this matter would be as calm as his current tone.

Even though he appeared calm on the surface, he must have been furious.

"So I turned around and left, prepared my army, and headed for the Lonely Mountain. But just as 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 people were killed and injured, and the land was filled with grief."

"Thorin Oakenshield led the fleeing dwarves to ask for help from my army, but I came here to seek justice from the dwarves. That is why Thorin and the dwarves who escaped from the Lonely Mountain believed that the elves had violated the covenant of the allies."

Lan stood beside Thranduil, listening sideways.

Bard was already busy helping the refugees. The conflict between dwarves and 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 anymore.

There is no doubt that Thranduil did not help Thorin in response to his pleas.

And given the dwarves' stubbornness, this indifference will certainly be deeply remembered.

"If that's the case." After listening to the brief account, Lan shook his head. "It sounds like the dwarf made the mistake first."

But unexpectedly, Thranduil, who was always calm and arrogant, 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 evil dragon."

"And judging from the severity of the matter, Thror's temporary price increase is at most a trade and etiquette friction between the allies, while my rejection of the refugees' request for help from Lonely Mountain is more serious. But the matter has been settled, and there is no point in dwelling on it."

Lan shrugged and said no more about these things.

At this point, it really doesn't make sense anymore.

If Smaug is not killed, the entire Lonely Mountain region will continue to sink.
-
"The people of Long Lake Town are heading this way. I think they are going to seek refuge in the ruins of River Valley City."

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

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

The water of Chang Lake comes from the melted snow on Gushan Mountain, which flows downward and then merges with the water from another river.

The terrain in this area is generally very flat, so the view is also very good.

Standing on the hills near Lonely Mountain, you can even have a panoramic view of the entire Chang Lake.

A crowd of people like ants came from the lake, and then turned into a thin black line, moving towards the direction of Valley City.

Riverdale City is not far from Lonely Mountain, so it can also be said that we are heading towards Lonely Mountain.

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

So by the dusk of that day, the Dwarf Restoration Expedition had arrived at the gate of the former Kingdom of the Lonely Mountain.

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

"Normal." Balin also climbed up the hill to look out, supporting his old waist and saying, "The fire is out of control. Wooden buildings are too fragile. Stone ones are better."

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

"But doesn't this bring us closer to Smaug?" Bilbo said uneasily.

He was afraid that the evil dragon in the mountains would be awakened and then harm these homeless poor people.

If they hadn't come, maybe these people would have been fine.

Bilbo thought to himself.

"That's why we must not be discovered by the evil dragon, meow!" Fluff Ball also squatted on the top of the hill, looking at the tiny crowd moving towards River Valley City in the distance, and said firmly.

"We have to sneak in quietly! And steal the gems, meow!"

"Enough of the idle chatter, gentlemen." Thorin, holding the two-handed axe he got from the armory in Lake Town, walked past Balin, Bilbo and Flannel without stopping.

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

"let's go."

Groin and other dwarves also shouted, took a deep breath, and used their weapons as crutches to continue walking towards Lonely Mountain.

The technological prowess of the Dwarven Kingdom was already evident at the gates of Lonely Mountain.

Two huge dwarven statues carved from solid rock stand on either side of the gate, which is built into the mountain.

This kingdom was built entirely out of a large hole dug out of the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves' sculpture style is completely different from that of the elves, who mostly use soft and beautiful lines to blend in with nature.

But the dwarves seem to have the habit of digging and smelting deeply rooted in every aspect of their race.

Their sculptures and armor are angular and polyhedral, like anvils and blacksmith hammers.

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

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

After wandering around for a while, Dwalin finally saw a hidden staircase leading upwards on the huge dwarven stone carvings on both sides of the main entrance of Lonely Mountain.

At first glance, these steps look like the clothing patterns on a stone sculpture of a dwarf warrior, and they can only be distinguished when you get closer.

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

After that, he searched for a long time on the stone platform at the end of the stairs. Finally, he was almost in despair and thought he had found the wrong key. It was only when the sunlight disappeared and the moonlight began to appear that the keyhole covered by magic appeared.

There were no people left on the long lake and the plain in the distance. All the townspeople had entered the River Valley City and were hiding in the dilapidated rooms with roofs and windows, not daring to light a single lamp.

Even to breathe loudly, I had to look around carefully.

At the foot of the Lonely Mountain, Thorin pursed his lips, his hand that never wavered in holding the weapon trembled slightly. He inserted the key around his neck and pushed open the heavy secret door.

Suddenly, a stream of air carrying the smell of stale dust surged out.

The smell is choking and mixed with dust, making you want to sneeze.

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

This was the first time in a long time that the dwarves of Lonely Mountain smelled the air of their homeland.

The hardships and sufferings of the adventure along the way, as well as the homesickness for a long time, became more intense after being suppressed.

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

Flannel and Bilbo stood consciously behind the dwarves.

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

Smiling, he watched the dwarves express their emotions and calm down from behind.

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

They carefully touched the walls, rocks, and floor behind the secret door to confirm that this was not an illusion in their minds.

Flannel and Bilbo came in last. They looked around the legendary dwarf kingdom with curiosity.

Unfortunately, after entering through the secret door, there is only an ordinary small corridor in Lonely Mountain, and it is difficult to see the magnificent grandeur described in the legend.

"what is this?"

Bilbo turned around and took a glance, only to find that on the door frame on the side of the secret door inside the Lonely Mountain, there was a simplified picture and a sentence of dwarven words carved.

Groin looked back as he did, and read the sentence in trance.

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

The simple drawing is of a dwarf-style, angular throne with a gem emitting brilliant light all around.

Balin's throat calmed down but still had some residual emotion in it. "That depicts the king's throne. The light is the Heart of the Mountain, the Arkenstone."

The fluff ball also came over to the two of them curiously, and looked up with its little paws tucked in.

"This is the Akon Gem meow~"

Bilbo nodded, not quite understanding. "What is this thing used for?"

Although I have heard the dwarves, elves, and wizards talk about the importance of this gem more than once during the journey.

But Bilbo Baggins, who has always lived in the Shire, living a comfortable and simple life as a Hobbit, obviously cannot really understand the meaning of this gem.

"Our two thieves"

At this moment, Thorin, who had already reached the corner of the corridor behind the secret door and was leaning against the wall, staring into the depths of Lonely Mountain in a trance, turned his head and spoke in a deep voice.

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

After hearing these words, all the dwarves looked at Bilbo and the ball of fluff with eyes full of eager anticipation, trust, and entrustment.

There were strong emotions in the dwarves' eyes, emotions that came from their attachment to their homeland, and of course they were extremely abundant at this time and place.

Under the gaze of the dwarves, the ball of velvet and Bilbo moved almost in sync.
With a "gulp", both guys swallowed nervously.

(End of this chapter)