Astartes of the Bear School

 Chapter 1097 1079. Goal

Things between the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and the elves of the Woodland Kingdom can be traced back to Thorin Oakenshield's grandfather Thesrol.

"We were originally allies, but after I gave the Starlight White Gem, the relic left behind by my wife after she returned to the halls of Mandos, to the Lonely Mountain for restoration, Thrór betrayed his faith and temporarily increased the price."

“It is impossible for me and the Woodland Kingdom to accept this kind of blackmail and insult.”

Looking at the backs of the dwarves helping to carry the luggage for the townspeople, Thranduil said lightly.

This handsome elf's expression and tone reveal an indifferent indifference and arrogance most of the time.

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

Even though he appeared calm, he must have been furious at the time.

"So I turned away, prepared my army, and marched towards the Lonely Mountain. But just as I led the army to the hills near the Lonely Mountain, Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain with a surprise attack."

“Dragon flames spread across the sky, causing countless casualties and mourning all over the land.”

"Thorin Oakenshield led the fleeing dwarves to ask for help from my army at that time, but I came here to ask the dwarves for an explanation. It is for this reason that Thorin and the dwarves who escaped from the Lonely Mountain thought that they were elves. Violation of the Allied Covenant.”

Lane stood beside Thranduil, listening sideways.

 And Bard is already busy helping the refugees. The conflict between dwarves and elves is already a nursery rhyme-level story for people in this area. They are all familiar with it, so they have no interest in listening to it again.

 There is no doubt that Thranduil did not help Thorin at that time.

 With the dwarves’ stubbornness, this indifference will of course be deeply remembered.

"If that's the case." After briefly listening to the story, Lan En shook his head, "It sounds like the dwarves made the mistake first."

 But unexpectedly, Thranduil, who had always been indifferent and arrogant, also shook his head slightly.

"Throl was controlled by dragon disease. When our relationship was 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 seriousness of the matter, Thrall's temporary price increase can at best be regarded as a trade and etiquette friction between the allies. My refusal of Gushan's refugee help is more serious in comparison. But the matter is a foregone conclusion, no matter how entangled it is. Pointless."

Lan shrugged and said no more about these things.

At this point, it is indeed meaningless.

If Smaug is not killed, the entire Lonely Mountain region will continue to sink.

—

“The people from Changhu Town are heading this way. I think they are going to take refuge in the ruins of River Valley City.”

Standing on the top of the Lookout Mountain with a good view, Bilbo looked in the direction of the long lake and shouted to the dwarves behind him.

 The terrain from Changhu to Elbor is a gentle **** with a huge **** from high to low.

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

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

Standing on the hills near Gushan, you can even have a panoramic view of the entire Long Lake.

The ant-like crowd came from the lake, and then turned into a thin black line, heading towards the direction of River Valley City.

 River Valley City is not far from Gushan, so it can also be said to be heading towards Gushan.

The dwarves set out in the early hours of last night, nearly half a day earlier than the townspeople. Moreover, they traveled lightly and their legs and feet were generally nimble.

 So by the time it was close to dusk, the dwarf restoration expedition had arrived at the gate of the once Gushan Kingdom.

As for the townspeople who were evacuating towards River Valley City, there was still the last "little tail" left on the wasteland, slowly moving towards the ruins of River Valley City.

 “Normal.” Bahrain also climbed up the observation hill, holding on to his old waist and said. "The fire cannot be controlled. Wooden buildings are too fragile. Stone is better."

"This weather." Bahrain looked up at the gloomy sky and the white mist he breathed out, "There is no place where people will die."

 “But isn’t this closer to Smaug?” Bilbo said uneasily.

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

 If they hadn't come, maybe nothing would have happened to these people.

Bilbo thought to himself.

“That’s why we can’t be discovered by the evil dragon, meow!” Flannel Ball also squatted on the top of the hill, looking at the small crowd moving towards River Valley City in the distance, and said firmly.

 “We have to go in quietly! Then steal the gem meow!”

“Stop talking, gentlemen.” Thorin walked behind Balin, Bilbo, and Flannel Ball, holding on to the two-handed ax he got from the armory in Lake Town, without stopping.

"It's already dusk now. We have to find the secret door and the keyhole before sunset in order to bypass the main entrance and enter the Lonely Mountain. Time is tight."

"let's go."

Groyin and other dwarves also shouted, took a breath again, and continued walking towards the Lonely Mountain using their weapons as crutches.

  The technical prowess of the dwarf kingdom has already been revealed at the gate of Gushan.

Two huge dwarf statues carved from solid rock stand on both sides of the mountain gate, which is built on the mountain of Gushan.

This kingdom was built entirely on a large hollow dug out of an isolated mountain. The sculpture style of dwarves is completely different from that of elves. Most of the elves use soft and beautiful lines to blend with nature.

 But it seems that the dwarves’ habit of digging and smelting has penetrated into all aspects of the race.

 Their sculptures and armor are all angular, forming polyhedrons. Like an anvil and a blacksmith's hammer.

 Polyhedron does not appear sharp and sharp due to its edges and corners, but instead appears thick and strong.

 The secret door is not easy to find, otherwise there would be no need for the dwarves to write secret words in moon characters on the map.

After walking around for a long time, Dwalin finally saw a hidden step going up on the huge dwarf stone sculptures on both sides of the main entrance of Lonely Mountain.

At first glance, these steps look like the lines on the clothes of the dwarf warrior stone sculptures. You can only distinguish them when you get closer.

 Seeing that the sun was about to sink below the horizon, a group of people hurriedly climbed up the hidden steps.

After that, I searched for a long time on the stone platform at the end of the steps. In the end, I was almost desperate and thought I was looking for the wrong one. Only when the sun disappeared and the moonlight first appeared, the keyhole covered by magic was revealed.

On the long lake and plains in the distance, even the last person was gone. The townspeople had all entered the river valley city and hid in dilapidated rooms with roofs and windows, not daring to light a lamp.

Even when you take a deep breath, you have to look around cautiously.

At the foot of the Lonely Mountain, Thorin pursed his lips, his hands that never wavered in holding the weapon were trembling slightly at this moment, he inserted the key around his neck and pushed open the thick secret door.

 Suddenly, a surge of air smelling of stale dust came out.

The smell is choking and mixed with the dust, making people just 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.

  After a long time, this is the first time that the dwarves of Gushan smell the air of their hometown.

The hardships and sufferings of the adventure along the way, as well as the long-term homesickness have all become more intense after being suppressed.

 Bahrain’s eyes were filled with tears and he was choked up and could not speak.

Flannel Ball and Bilbo consciously stood behind the dwarves.

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

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

Walking through the secret door that was two people thick, the dwarves still seemed like they couldn’t believe that this was reality and that they had really entered their former hometown.

 Carefully touching the walls, rocks, and floors behind the secret door, they made sure that this was not an illusion in their minds.

 Flannel Ball and Bilbo came in last, and they looked curiously at the legendary dwarf kingdom.

It’s a pity that after entering through the secret door, it is just an ordinary small corridor in Gushan, and it is difficult to see the glorious splendor in the legend.

"What's this?"

Bilbo turned around and took a look, only to find that the door frame on the side of the lone mountain where the secret door was located had a simplified painting and a dwarf's text carved on it.

Groin looked up and looked back after him, reading the sentence in ecstasy.

“The seventh kingdom of the Turin clan is located here. May the heart of the mountain unite us all to defend our homeland.”

The simple drawing is in the style of a dwarf. On an angular throne, a gem is shining brightly around.

There was a sob in Bahrain's throat that was calm but still had some residual emotion: "What is depicted is the king's throne. What emits light is the [Heart of the Mountain] in that sentence, the Arken gem."

Flannel Ball also curiously came to the two of them, holding his little paws and looking up curiously.

 “This is Aken Gem Meow~”

Bilbo nodded as if he understood: "What is this thing used for?"

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

 But Bilbo Baggins, who had been living in the Shire and among the comfortable and simple hobbits, obviously did not really understand the significance of this gem.

 “Our two snitch masters”

At this moment, Thorin, who had reached the corner of the corridor behind the secret door and was leaning on the wall to look deeper into the lonely mountain, turned his head and said in a deep voice.

 “This is the ultimate goal for which we invite you.”

 All the dwarves, after these words, looked at Bilbo and the flannel ball with eager expectations, trust, and please.

The eyes of the dwarves are filled with strong emotions. These emotions are derived from their attachment to their hometown, and are of course extremely abundant at this time and place.

 Under the gaze of the dwarves, Fluffy Ball and Bilbo were almost at the same time.

　　With a "gurgling" sound, both guys swallowed nervously.