Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1079 1061. Bad news

"Etc., etc!"

Bard looked shocked and in disbelief. But in fact, from Lan En's point of view, he actually believed the dwarf's words, but because the things behind these words were too terrifying, he refused to admit it from the bottom of his heart.

“First a dwarf, then a human? And a cat in a suit, and then an orc? What the **** is going on here?”

“Here it is—Laketown is in danger, Bud.”

Lan En spoke to him calmly. Facing a panicked person, a calm tone could help him regain his senses.

“Those orcs have been chasing the group of dwarves in front of you starting from the west side of the Misty Mountains, and they have not given up until here.”

“I don’t think they will give up their plans just because there is a small town or fishing village built on the lake.”

"You mean?" Bud's pupils dilated, and he subconsciously turned around to look at his three children. "Will they come to kill you?!"

“Eighty percent.” Lan En shook his head and said.

"As long as it is on this route, the orcs will most likely not let go of any possible settlement. And are there any other settlements in this area now?"

Gone.

This area used to be prosperous because of the countless gold and gems in the lonely mountain, but since the evil dragon attacked.

Even if they had not died on that fateful day, the survivors would not have dared to survive so close to a dragon.

 The population and trade in this area began to decline, and finally only the peripheral Changhu Town remained.

 This is the only place where the dwarves can get supplies and recuperate on their way forward. Regardless of whether the dwarves come or not, the orcs will definitely come.

At this moment, Bard seemed to have thought of something, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Lan En.

“Wait, how did you get here? There must be one at the door.”

"There are people watching." Lan En said nonchalantly, "But I let them sleep. By the way, are those the mayor's people?"

“That’s right! And you just knocked out the mayor’s men!”

Bard covered his forehead and said with difficulty.

"The mayor has been monitoring me and feels that I threaten his power. I also know that he is monitoring me. This is a kind of tacit understanding. I stay under his nose and don't cause trouble, and he won't make things difficult for me. family.”

 Lan En nodded, expressing his understanding of the situation.

 “But for now, put aside the little tacit understanding between you two.”

“The orcs will probably come, and I knocked out the mayor’s men in broad daylight, so just take me directly to the mayor in a while, and we have to let him prepare his weapons.”

As he spoke, Lan En also smacked his lips in embarrassment.

“The security in this town is lax just by looking at it. It’s no better than a pile of sand.”

"Orcs are naturally cruel killers and villains. I think they can scare away your guards when they are fierce."

"Okay. Okay." Bud was still struggling to absorb and digest this information, and he pinched his forehead and agreed.

　　Bud walked together with his three children, hugging them with a worried expression and whispering comfort to them.

Children don’t yet know what may happen in the future. They were born and raised here, and even the stories they heard didn’t even look like orcs.

 But Bard knew what an orc was.

　　When the dwarves saw this scene, the atmosphere that had originally escaped them became quite silent.

 After all, although those orcs have evil natures and ferocious instincts, as long as there is any opportunity to inflict pain on others and spread darkness, the orcs will be ecstatic and will not let it go.

 But in the final analysis, these orcs did follow their journey.

No one can say that the dwarves' efforts to regain their homeland are wrong. But they still inevitably feel guilty for the trouble and harm they have caused to others in the process.

Lan patted Fili's shoulder next to him and walked towards Thorin and Balin who were looking out from the window.

Flannel Ball had already mixed up with the dwarves and brought them some snacks from the small bag. The hobbit was very grateful for this.

Hobbits usually eat seven meals a day, and each meal is carefully prepared to make them comfortable.

 But since he came out for adventure, Bilbo Baggins, a race originally known for its stable life, has not been able to eat seven meals for a long time.

 Coming to the side of Thorin, the leader of the team, and Balin, the eldest dwarf in the team, Lan naturally lowered his voice.

 “That’s the Lonely Mountain, Elbor?”

Looking out from the window of Bader's house, you can see the other end of the long lake, and beyond a large wilderness, you can see a tall snow-capped mountain standing abruptly.

Thorin said in an almost sleepy tone: "Yes."

“That is the hometown that we dream of, and it contains the wealth that we have accumulated for generations. It is enough wealth for my people to live a prosperous life again!”

Bahrain moved his buttocks and sat on a barrel by the window, staring out the window.

Thorin turned his head and looked at the witcher.

“I have signed a contract with each participant in this team. Each of the fourteen of us is entitled to share one-fourth of the net profit from this adventure.”

"Although you are not in our team, I am willing to give you half of what I deserve, Lan En." Thorin's eyes were serious and sincere.

“I will always remember what you said for me in Rivendell, in front of the elves.”

 Lan En shrugged, with a dull expression as if he had no idea how big a fortune this was. In fact, he really didn’t know either.

"There are fifteen of you including Gandalf. Why, don't you give him a share?"

"He is a wizard, and wealth is not something he cares about. And this expedition is his plan, and completing the expedition itself is what he wants most. But you are different, you can use the treasure, and you have spoken for us before. Yu Zhenxin.”

Thorin said in a low voice: "Sincerely, in this age of darkness, it is more precious than any other treasure."

Lan En smiled at first, and then his face became serious again, which meant that he wanted to talk seriously.

The witcher squatted down, bringing his mouth closer to the two dwarves who were the most talkative in the expedition team, and lowered his voice.

Thorin and Balin also became serious when they saw this.

“It was Radagast and I who called Gandalf away because we found some signs. Very bad signs.”

Lan En did not elaborate on what it was, and Thorin and Balin didn't care. They were less than two days away from the Lonely Mountain, and they were now focused on the snow-capped mountain in the distance.

 Lan looked at the two of them.

“To put it simply, the trouble you have to face in this expedition to restore the country is definitely more than just an evil dragon, Thorin.”

“The geographical location and strategic significance of Gushan, as well as the huge wealth within it.”

 Lan En did not finish his words, but looked at the two dwarves meaningfully.

"If you can consider these factors comprehensively, you should know that the orcs are not chasing you simply because of the feud."

 “They have considerations that are more based on reality and utilitarianism.”

"Wait! You mean..." Thorin seemed to understand a lot of things at once, he murmured.

“Is that so? Is this why Azog, the Blasphemer, is chasing us so hard?!”

 Bahrain had the same expression.

 They used to be high-level officials of the dwarf Gushan Kingdom, which is good, but people always ignore the things around them that have become daily.

While Gushan still exists and remains standing, the strategic stabilizing function brought by Gushan in the entire north exists almost as naturally as air.

 When the evil dragon captured Gushan, this important strategic node was lost, and people realized how precious it turned out to be.

 It is a pity that at that time, Bahrain, Thorin, and even other senior officials of the Gushan Kingdom had all their energy and thinking occupied by the displaced tribesmen.

Just taking care of this group of citizens who have lost their homes to settle down and make a living will cost them their lives.

 There is no time to think about anything else.

So in the end, after a long time passed, a solitary mountain expedition team consisting of businessmen, coopers, shoemakers and others was formed under the leadership of a gray-robed wizard.

 “It seems you understand, good.”

The witcher looked at the enlightened expressions of the two dwarves in front of him and nodded.

But Solin and Balin only felt cold all over their bodies, their throats were rolling up and down but they couldn't make a sound.

Not far away, the dwarves were telling stories to the three Bard children about their adventures along the way.

The hobbits were sharing snacks with Ellu the cat and the temporarily inserted big meat ball Bombo.

But these heart-warming pictures are clearly right in front of them, but Thorin and Bahrain only feel that these things are getting further and further away from them.

“Gandalf advises you to stop here, Thorin.”

Lane relayed the wizard's message to the dwarf.

"The closer you come to success, the closer the orcs and the forces they represent will come to hysteria. In the end, the worst case scenario will come."

"We may face, face an army of orcs?" Bahrain said forcefully and calmly.

 Lan En added even more grimly.

 “An army of orcs allied with a dragon.”

 “Allying with the evil dragon? The evil dragon would not ally with the despicable orcs!”

Thorin said bitterly.

“It’s not the orcs who may be allies with Smaug.” The witcher turned to him and said softly, “Orcs always have masters, don’t they?”

Orcs, a species with a cruel and dirty nature, are undoubtedly not the creations of Ilúvatar.

They have been the servants of Morgoth, the Dark Lord, since before the sun and moon rose in the first age.

It is the most basic and largest army under Morgoth's command.

In the ancient days of Arda, the War of Fire, the War of Tears, and the War of Wrath. In the battles against Morgoth, orcs were everywhere.