Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1117 1099. Shadow
In Lake Town, although Lan and Bard were heroes who fought against Smaug, after welcoming them and confirming the dragon's death, people still had to get busy with their current difficult living conditions.

It did snow last night, but the fire in Long Lake Town was burning so fiercely that the heat melted the snow above the town, leaving only the grayish-white ashes of the falling wood, so Lan and Bud didn't notice it.

But the snow at night had already covered part of River Valley City in white, and the snow line on the upper part of Lonely Mountain seemed to have extended quite a bit downwards.

It was cold and humid after the snow, and the townspeople had just experienced a series of shocks, and most of them were malnourished.

If we don't do something, someone will soon be unable to hold on.

"I wonder, why don't we go inside the Lonely Mountain?"

A male townsman was struggling to push away a large piece of rubble blocking the front of the house, while complaining to the people who were also working next to him.

"There are a lot of rooms carved out by the dwarves. The mountain is warm and dry. It's safe. After all, the dragons are dead, right? And when the dragons were still alive, nothing would dare to sneak in."

"It may stink like a dragon, but the women can clean it up."

"Also, there are some quilts and clothes that are old and dusty, but thick enough to keep us warm. And of course, there is some gold."

The townspeople who had been speaking paused to catch their breath.

He was dressed in rags and smelled of rotten fish oil, and a soft leather hat covered his tangled, greasy hair like a turban.

He gasped for breath, and the hot air coming out of his mouth was turned into a cloud of white mist by the cold temperature, which stuck to his face, feeling wet and cold.

This is a street in the ruins of River Valley City.

A dozen able-bodied townspeople were clearing rubble in front of a tall building on the street that had been destroyed by dragon fire, hoping to open the way for people to enter.

Dragon flame is not only a high-temperature flame, but also has physical impact. The gate of this building is made entirely of stone.

Every stone on the door frame is so heavy that it is impossible for an ordinary person to move it. They can only be moved by rolling on the ground.

But even so, Smaug breathed out a breath of dragon fire while flying, and the entire gate made of stones stuck together instantly collapsed into a messy pile of rubble.

The people who were working with the talking townspeople also stopped to catch their breath while using their shovels and sticks.

Seeing how exhausted they looked, it was hard to tell whether they agreed with this statement or not.

At this moment, the sound of wooden wheels turning on the cobblestone road and Bud's voice came from the other end of the street.

"That's the country of the dwarves, and there are still dwarves there. It's not right for us to go in without their consent."

Badra came over pulling a tattered wooden cart. He was the one responsible for transporting the cleared rubble away.

At this moment, he spoke seriously and firmly, as if he wanted to solemnly dispel the ideas of these townspeople.

"And as for the gold, it is cursed. We only take the portion that Thorin Oakenshield promised us, which is enough for us to rebuild our homeland. We cannot take even a single gold coin more!"

"How many people have been killed by greed for gold? The dwarves kept digging deeper into the Lonely Mountain, and eventually the news of the treasure and their greed attracted the dragon. We are now standing in the destroyed Dale City!"

No one here was better qualified to say these words than Bud.

Because he was the descendant of the lord of this destroyed city, but now he has fallen to the point of making a living alongside a group of fishermen.

Bud's three children are all well-behaved and sensible, but this is not because he provides them with abundant material resources, but simply because he has educated them well.

In fact, Tiresa and Sigrid didn't have any new clothes, and Baan, who had always taken Bard as his role model, didn't even have a bow of his own.

There is no better person than Bard to speak out about his attitude towards the gold in Lonely Mountain.

And thanks to the prestige that Bard had gained among the townspeople with the help of Lan, even those who had complained at the beginning nodded in understanding.

Although Smaug is dead, the horrific impression still remains in the hearts of the people here.

It had only been one night since Long Lake Town was raided and massacred by orcs at night, and then burned down by a dragon. Gold really did not seem to matter.

During the day, when the townspeople saw the bodies of acquaintances floating on the lake, with their wounds turned white, it was the most sober moment in their lives.

But in Riverdale and Long Lake Town, the surviving townspeople have Bard to keep them sober and rational about Lonely Mountain and the gold in it.

But what about inside Gushan now?

The four dwarves who were straggling towards the Lonely Mountain Kingdom saw the Hobbits and the Felynn standing outside before they entered the gate that Smaug had knocked open from the inside.

After meeting the four dwarves, they both seemed very happy.

"You're still alive! That's great!"

But strangely, this happiness only lasted for a moment.

The Hobbit's smile turned into a pursed mouth, and the Elu cat's erect little triangular ears drooped again.

"No, I really don't know if you guys came at the right time."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Kili, who had just recovered from an arrow wound, didn't think too much about it. He went straight up and forcefully pulled Bilbo and the Flannel Ball into his arms, laughing and giving them a hearty hug.

"We are alive, and you are alive too! Is there anything better than this? Haha!"

The young, lively dwarf even jumped up and down like a little schoolgirl.

But Bilbo and Flannel's expressions did not improve. "It's true, Kili, Fili, Bofur, Oin. You'd better not go in. In fact, no one should go in!"

Bilbo's words caused Fili to wonder.

"What's the matter? You look like you're scared out of your wits, and you're a hobbit who can talk nonsense face to face with three ogres!"

"Listen to me."

Bilbo pressed his hands down, signaling himself to speak slowly while he sorted out his thoughts.

"Thorin is not right. Ever since we drove Smaug out last night when everyone was dying of exhaustion, he has neither eaten nor drunk, nor allowed anyone else to eat or drink. Everyone stays down there."

"If you ask me, there's definitely something wrong with this place! There's an evil spirit in there!"

"Evil?"

Philip said this at first with some disbelief.

He and Kili were both young dwarves born outside the Lonely Mountain. They only yearned for their former homeland and hometown through the stories of their elders. The beautification filter certainly made them unwilling to believe that there was any "evil spirit" in their hometown.

But Fili, who tilted his head and looked past Bilbo, seemed to have suddenly seen something, and his eyes were fixed and dazed.

He left the hobbit who was still talking to him and walked into the broken door.

The people behind him hurried to catch up, while Bilbo and Flannel Ball looked at each other and sighed.

"."

Philip, who was the first to break into the lonely mountain and follow the psychedelic golden light, stopped in his shaky steps.

The three dwarves following closely behind him were no different.

Because after the gate of Lonely Mountain, a little further inside is the King's Hall where Thorin and his men melted the Golden Thror Colossus and almost crushed Smaug to death.

Although the dwarves were short-handed, they still lit braziers where lighting was needed, and the flickering flames shone onto the huge golden surface that covered the hall.

Then it was reflected into a golden light with a psychedelic glow.

When the four dwarves saw this scene, they even breathed slower unconsciously.

But Bilbo was relieved after watching them for a while, for it was only for a short while at the beginning of this shocking scene that the dwarves were dazed and confused.

Later he came to his senses. Although he still glanced at the huge golden plane unconsciously, his eyesight was at least normal.

"You said Thorin and the others were still down there?"

Bofur turned to ask Bilbo, and the hobbit pursed his lips and nodded.

Led by Bofur and Oin, who were familiar with the road, the group headed deeper into the Lonely Mountain.

All the way through layers of excavation, stairs, and load-bearing columns as thick as a house.

Finally, the treasure room's astonishing mountains of gold and silver appeared in front of the four dwarves.

Fortunately, the golden surface of the entire hall after entering the door gave them some time to adapt, so the four dwarves did not stare at the glittering sea of ​​gold and silver for too long.

In the sea of ​​gold and silver that originally only slightly reflected light, many fire pots were now lit, reflecting the charming luster of gold and silver.

The other dwarves, listlessly bending over, kept searching in the sea of ​​gold and silver.

And just below the stairs where they were, the sound of gold coins being trampled was heard.

Fili, Kili and the others looked down and saw Thorin coming out of a small room in the treasure room.

But it was completely different from what it was a day ago.

The dwarf warrior, who once slept in the open air without complaining about the hardship and tiredness, now wears a luxurious and grand fur cloak.

Fili and Kili knew the shape; it was the cloak that their grandfather, Thorin's grandfather, had worn when he was the King under the Mountain.

The expensive and exquisite fur was now covered with a layer of dust, but due to its superior quality it was not damaged at all and its appearance was not diminished.

And Thorin couldn't wait to put it on just one day and one night after entering the Lonely Mountain.

And as he walked, Thorin was still humming.

"Gold. Lots of gold."

His voice sounded like he had lost his soul, and he kept muttering to himself while turning his head around to admire the magnificent sight, as if he wanted to take in all the gold in the treasure room.

"Enough to make up for all the sorrow and pain."

As he turned around and greedily admired the treasure room, Thorin saw the four dwarves who had just entered the Lonely Mountain.

He naturally opened his arms to them, and his fur cloak formed a broad black shadow.

The flickering flames reflected the luxurious splendor of the golden mountains and silver seas, but at the same time they also left a deeper shadow, just like the dark circles under Thorin's eyes that had thickened without him knowing when.

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(End of this chapter)