Chapter 374: Thorin Oakenshield
Chapter 374: Thorin Oakenshield (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
In the fourth month since the liberation of Rivendell's Ruins, a peculiar group approached the main road leading to the ruins. Leading the group was a gray-robed old man leaning on a Staff, followed by thirteen dwarves.
"We've arrived." The old man, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he gazed at the distant city walls, said, "Thorin, if you want to reclaim Lonely Mountain and rebuild the dwarf kingdom, you need to control your temper. Although everyone speaks highly of the King of Dale for his nobility, he sealed Lonely Mountain after killing Smaug and declared that he would wait for its true Master before taking any of its treasures. However, you must not be as miserly as your ancestors. You must give the proper rewards. Otherwise, the reputation of ingratitude will be enough to ruin your kingdom."
"I understand, Gandalf." The tall dwarf, standing about five feet, interrupted the old man's rambling. "You've been saying this all the way. I will definitely provide sufficient wealth as a reward. They have the ability to kill a Dragon instantly, and I'm not a fool who would seek my own destruction. The power to kill a Dragon can easily breach Lonely Mountain. For the sake of my kingdom, I am willing to pay the price."
"That's good to hear." Gandalf nodded and walked through the city gates. As soon as he entered, he was captivated by the bustling scene inside.
"Rivendell's Ruins in its prime didn't even match half of what it is now. I'm becoming increasingly interested in the current King of Dale."
Upon reaching the palace entrance, Gandalf and the dwarves were surprised to find it was a simple two-story building. In their minds, the palace of such a prosperous country should have been grand and magnificent, not smaller than the School they had passed earlier.
After informing the guards at the gate, the guard ran inside to notify King of Dale, Liam.
During this period, with the help of the advisory council from multiple worlds, Liam had devised a comprehensive plan, leaving Bard to handle the details while he only needed to sign important documents. The rest of his time was spent studying the knowledge about Elves he had acquired, which, even with the help of the Rose Crystal as an external thought circuit, still felt overwhelmingly difficult, given the millennia of accumulated knowledge of the Elves.
As he was immersed in his research, the guard at the door suddenly knocked. Opening the door, Liam learned that Gandalf and the dwarf team were waiting at the entrance.
"Please have a seat. You can try our fruit juice and pastries." In the meeting room, Liam and Rose Crystal brought in fruit juice and a few trays of pastries, handing them to the dwarves and Gandalf sitting on the sofa. The dwarves seemed very interested in the sofa, twisting and turning, and even tapping it curiously with their fingers. They only quieted down after the leading dwarf coughed.
"I am King Thorin Oakenshield of Erebor, and I hope to reclaim Lonely Mountain and rebuild my kingdom." The leading dwarf bluntly stated his purpose, which was typical of the straightforward nature of dwarves. "Of course, I will give you half of the wealth from the treasury as a token of gratitude for killing Smaug and reclaiming Lonely Mountain."
"Why so generous?" Liam had braced himself for an unreasonable dwarf king, but this might be because Thorin Oakenshield hadn't yet seen the mountains of gold and silver within Lonely Mountain, keeping his mind clear for now.
"Of course, I will personally escort you there." Liam nodded, and with Rose Crystal climbing onto his shoulder, he said, "Alright, let's set out now."
"You are truly a just ruler." Gandalf said as he stood up. Under the escort of a small cavalry unit, they left the city and headed toward the entrance of Lonely Mountain.
"What is going on here?" As they approached the entrance of Lonely Mountain, Thorin was surprised to see a large crowd bustling about, including many Elves he didn't particularly like.
"Since the last Dragon was brought down, we don't have many people skilled in handling Dragons, so we had to hire Elves from Mirkwood to help us with the materials from its body." Liam smiled, "Fortunately, I can use Magic to ensure the Dragon's body doesn't decay, so everyone can carefully process it and minimize the losses."
"Once I retrieve the Arkenstone, could you allow my people to come and purchase materials? We will pay with the weapons and armor we forge", Thorin asked, glancing at the Dragon's body partially revealed under the covered canvas.
"We'll discuss it when the time comes; this is a matter that requires careful consideration", Liam led them to the great gate of Lonely Mountain. Previously, Liam had used magic to block the entrance with massive boulders. Now, under the command of his wand, the boulders, each the size of a cart, lifted into the air and were tossed aside by the force of magic. The dwarves listened to the sound of the stones hitting the ground, swallowing their saliva nervously.
"Alright, you can go in now. Call me when you're done", Liam said, leaning against a large rock and watching the dwarves enter through the tunnel in the mountain. Gandalf, however, did not follow them in. Instead, he leaned on his wand and sat down beside Liam, asking curiously, "Your Highness, I am very curious about how you came to master the power of magic?"
"Just call me Liam", Liam felt it was inappropriate to be addressed so formally by a Maiar who was several thousand years old. "I am a traveler from another world, so naturally, I know magic."
"From another world?" Gandalf's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Liam. Liam felt as if there was an eternal flame burning in his eyes at that moment.
"Don't worry, I'm not a Raider", Liam said. "I gain benefits by promoting the development of those worlds. This way, I can sustainably benefit from various worlds, unlike raiding, which is a short-sighted and destructive approach. Look at what I've done in the Valley of the River. As for why I'm helping the dwarves reclaim their kingdom, they are the best miners. Just as I can trade for ring-making techniques from the Elves, I am confident that I can continuously trade for Mithril and other gems from them."
"I believe you, and on behalf of the lands of Middle-earth, I welcome your arrival, my friend", Gandalf's eyes returned to normal, and he had likely communicated with one of the Valar just now. Liam had passed the test of the world's deity and could now freely conduct business here.
The two then began to exchange their knowledge, which was different from what Liam had expected. Gandalf was eager to share his understanding of magic and combat techniques. According to him, the forces of good must help each other to survive and overcome the dark forces.
Faced with Gandalf's generosity, Liam felt it would be wrong to hold back. However, since Gandalf, as a Maiar, found much of the knowledge less useful, he only learned the method of creating the Rose Madonna and a few Internal Arts techniques.
Because neither of them was ordinary, they completed the exchange of all the knowledge they wanted to share in just six or seven hours. By the time they finished, Thorin Oakenshield, drenched in cold sweat and trembling, emerged from Lonely Mountain with his subordinates. Each of them was pulling a large cart piled high with gold, silver, and other treasures.
"Sorry, we took longer than expected. When we entered the vault, the gold almost blinded me, and it took a great effort to break free", Thorin Oakenshield explained straightforwardly.
"How did you manage to break free?" Gandalf asked with interest.
"I stood in the vault for a long time, and then I saw an illusion of the King of Dale easily breaking through the mountain wall and beating me down. That's when I snapped out of it", Thorin glanced at Liam as he spoke.
"Yes, the illusion you saw was real. If you break your word, I will do exactly that. The magic-protected walls of Lonely Mountain won't save you", Liam raised his hand, and a Railgun shot a bright orange beam that pierced through the thick walls. The dwarves immediately felt they had indeed escaped death.
"Regardless, it's good that you came to your senses, my friend", Gandalf said, looking at Thorin.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
