American TV series: Start with the little Sheldon's wool

Chapter 601 Rivendell and Moonlight
The ones who were truly enemies of the Dwarves of Durin were the Sindar Elves, but in fact they had little to do with the Noldor Elves.

Thorin and the King of the Noldor Elf were also well aware of this situation.

This is also why, even though Thorin knew that Gandalf was taking the adventure team on a detour, he still came to Rivendell reluctantly in the end.

As for King Ailon, he actually had no prejudice against the dwarves. At most, he just disliked their rudeness.

At this time, Elrond in the square also showed the magnanimity of an Elf King and did not make things too difficult for Thorin and the other dwarves of Durin.

"Very good craftsmanship. This should be a sword made by the ancient elves..." After King Ailon admired the ancient elven broadsword, he handed it back to Thorin and said kindly: "I hope you can use it well and don't let this elven sword gather dust."

"Of course~" After getting the elven sword back, Thorin glanced at the Elf Queen and breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the ancient elven sword is also an elven sword. If King Airon really wants to take back the elves' things, Thorin has no right to hold on to the sword.

Next, Gandalf and Bilbo handed their elven swords to King Aaron for appreciation.

It was obvious that the two of them did not have the same wild thoughts as Thorin, so the atmosphere in the square became more and more harmonious.

Later, during the conversation with everyone, King Ailon also knew that the three people had each given a name to the ancient elven sword in their hands:

Because the sword made a crisp sound, Bilbo gave the dagger in his hand a lovely name - Stinging Sword.

The battle wizard Gandalf called his ancient elven sword the Enemy Sword.

Finally, it was Thorin who named his ancient elven broadsword Ocrest, which means beast bite sword.

"Sir King Airon, I'm afraid the dwarves may need a little help from you when they go to Lonely Mountain this time..." Taking advantage of the harmonious atmosphere, Gandalf wanted to suggest that the Elf King help the dwarves translate runes.

Because he was asking for a favor, Gandalf's tone was very polite.

If it were under normal circumstances, King Ailon would have readily agreed.

But at this moment, looking at the elven knight who had just returned from the entrance, and the handsome human walking in the team, King Ailon stretched out his hand to stop the gray-robed wizard and said, "We can talk about anything later. Now the other guest we are waiting for has arrived."

It has to be said that even the elves are visual animals. Mike's outstanding looks instantly won the favor of the Elf King.

On the other side, Mike, who walked into Rivendell, was admiring the beautiful scenery here. The faint mist in the valley made this place look like a fairyland on earth.

From time to time, the beautiful singing of elves can be heard from under the lush shade of trees and beside the trickling streams, adding a lively meaning to the beautiful scenery.

It was at this moment that Mike saw King Aaron coming towards him, and Gandalf and others behind him.

"Lord Elrond, adventurer Mike sends his greetings~" Mike greeted the Elf King in a proper manner.

"As expected of you, the Ogre Slayer..." King Airon looked at the human in front of him and said with satisfaction, "Rivendell welcomes you to be our guest."

As mentioned before, the elves admire heroes. It would be even better if this hero is not only powerful but also polite.

"Long time no see, Gandalf... and Bilbo, how are you?..."

After greeting the Elf King, Mike greeted the grey wizard and the Hobbit respectively.

Especially the latter, Mike specially gave the "poor" Bilbo a caring hug.

Then, a few dwarves in the crowd who "let bygones be bygones" spoke up to greet Mike, who had helped them.

Of course, this still does not include Thorin, the descendant of the royal family of Durin the Dwarf, who still chose to stand by and watch.

"Friends, there is good wine. Please move over. I have prepared a dinner for you~" At this time, King Ailon also had a brief communication with the returning elven warriors, and then extended an invitation to Mike and others in the unique language of the elves.

Then, he took the lead and walked towards the elves' banquet hall.

"What is he talking about? Is he scolding us?" Because the Elf King's tone was too formal, the sensitive dwarves had some misunderstandings.

After all, under the influence of Thorin, the dwarves of Durin more or less have some prejudice against the elves.

"No, King Aaron is inviting us to the banquet." Fortunately, Gandalf was there, and he smiled and helped the dwarves resolve the misunderstanding.

"So you want to treat us to a meal! We've been walking for a long time and I'm hungry now..."

"I feel like I could eat a cow..."

"I don't know what the food of the elves is like, and how it compares to ours..."

"..."

The dwarves' emotions came and went quickly. When they heard that King Airon was going to treat them, the dwarves, who had never eaten elven food, excitedly discussed what the elven king would use to treat them.

"Mike, I heard that you killed several ogres in the jungle a while ago and saved many humans..."

"...Also, is the Northern Highlands fun? What's the situation with the giant eagle with you..."

Because they didn't encounter the three ogres in the dense forest that required the joint efforts of all the members of the adventure team to resist, Bilbo's relationship with the dwarves in the team was not that close.

He had no "friends" to talk to along the way, and when he saw Mike again, he seemed to have become a chatterbox.

"I'll share my story with you slowly when I have the chance. But you, it seems, are not happy in the adventure team." Mike could see that compared to the carefree Hobbit before, Bilbo was not doing well now.

"Don't mention it. Those dwarves are not only rude, but also very strange. It's hard to get along with them..." Bilbo complained about Thorin and the others in a low voice, and then said, "By the way, I haven't thanked you for the elven dagger you gave me. It helped me a lot."

Bilbo had not yet proved his worth, so the dwarves did not take special care of him along the way.

Bilbo was able to walk out of the forest safely thanks to the ancient elven dagger in his hand, which could warn of the approach of dark creatures.

Along the way, this sword helped him avoid several unknown dangers.

"Do you regret it?" Mike asked.

Bilbo, who had food and drink and a comfortable life in the Shire, had no need to join the dwarven adventure.

"Although Thorin and his friends have bad tempers, I don't regret this journey as I was able to help them regain their homes..." Bilbo thought for a moment and gave his answer.

I have to say that he is worthy of being Bilbo, and he is still that kind-hearted Hobbit.

Afterwards, facing the afterglow of the sunset, everyone followed the Elf King through the stone corridor and came to the elves' open-air banquet hall.

The nature-loving elves of Rivendell built the banquet hall on the top of an open mountain, so that they can take in the beautiful scenery of the mountains just by looking up.

"You're welcome, everyone. Please enjoy the food." After arriving at the banquet hall, King Aaron pointed to the table behind him which was filled with elven delicacies, indicating that the dwarves could help themselves to them.

After running all the way, the dwarves encountered wolves and orcs chasing them today. When they heard that they could finally eat, they cheered and rushed to the dining table.

Then I was stunned...

A table full of green and healthy food was nothing more than fodder to the dwarves. Only the fine wine brewed by the elves could satisfy them.

Compared to the dwarves who were nitpicking and complaining, Michael, Gandalf and Bilbo were much more elegant.

The salad-like dish, paired with Rivendell's unique spices, has a unique flavor if you taste it carefully.

As the host here, King Aaron, who was sitting at the other end of the dining table, simply couldn't bear to see the rude appearance of the dwarves. Only when his eyes shifted to Mike and the other two, did he smile again on his face.

As the banquet entered the second half, King Ailon, who did not have a big appetite, summoned a group of beautiful female elves to perform a unique dance of the elves for everyone.

"How wonderful it would be if there were no disasters in Middle-earth..." At this time, Gandalf held the elven wine and sat down with King Airon.

"It is our duty to protect the peace in Middle-earth. If we have to blame anyone, we can only blame those dark creatures for not being able to die." King Ailon sighed.

"That's what I was going to say. The Lonely Mountain is an important gateway for the dark forces to invade Middle-earth. If someone can take it back from Smaug, they will be able to curb the expansion of the dark forces." Gandalf pointedly turned the topic to the dwarves.

"Oh? It seems that you are very optimistic about the group of Durin dwarves." King Airon asked knowingly.

"Yes, that is their home." Gandalf did not deny it and continued, "But before that, the dwarves need to crack the code written in a rune book if they want to enter the Lonely Mountain."

Having said that, the wizard stared straight at the Elf King, the meaning of the request in his eyes was self-evident.

"Moonlight Runes? I happen to know a little bit. Just let me know if you need help." King Airon said generously that he was willing to help the dwarves.

"That's great~" Gandalf, who got what he wanted, smiled. He then called the idle Hobbit and said, "Bilbo, ask Thorin to bring the runic map over, and tell him that King Aaron agreed to help him translate the text." At this time, Mike was admiring the graceful dance of the elves. Although these elves were thin, it was undeniable that they were very beautiful.

As for the female elves of the elven tribe, they have an almost infinite lifespan, and they can survive by drinking dew, so they have very low material requirements.

Thus turning one's energy to spiritual pursuits.

This led to the female elves becoming extremely keen on worshipping "heroes".

It just so happened that Mike’s title of “Ogre Killer” was very well-known, and his appearance was in line with the elves’ aesthetic.

Therefore, the group of female elves who came to perform the dance were particularly enthusiastic about Mike in the crowd.

It can be said that: the man has feelings and the woman is interested.

However, this made Bilbo suffer. Being "ignored" by his friends, he could only stay close to the wizard.

He was bored, but after receiving the task from Gandalf, he was immediately energized and walked towards Thorin among the dwarves.

The group of Durin dwarves over there were already very dissatisfied with the elven delicacies this time, and the frail female elves were also not within their aesthetic range.

Therefore, as resentment accumulated, the dwarves began to think about the exquisite tableware on the dining table.

Some dwarves couldn't help themselves and secretly hid the elves' tableware in their arms.

Thorin watched the whole thing, still saying nothing.

"Thorin, Gandalf said that the Elf King agreed to help us translate runes." At this time, Bilbo brought good news to the dwarves.

As the dwarves discussed whether the Elf King was trustworthy, Thorin stood up and said, "You wait here. Balin and I will go check out the situation."

Balin, who has served the three generations of Durin's dwarven royal family, has always acted as a think tank among the dwarves.

At this time, Thorin could use him.

"Mike is going to Lonely Mountain too, and maybe he will face the dragon there. Maybe we should call him over and listen to what the runes on the map say." Bilbo's idea was simple. He wishfully thought that Mike, who shared the same goal with the dwarves, was an "ally" with Thorin and others.

Since we are allies, we must share information with each other.

Therefore, after notifying Thorin, Bilbo thought of calling Michael, who was surrounded by the elves, to come over as well.

"Are you crazy? The only ones who can open the treasure of Lonely Mountain are us dwarves." Thorin grabbed Bilbo roughly, showing his disgust at the other party's failure to understand the situation.

Bilbo was a little confused after being attacked for no reason, but he had signed a contract with the dwarves, so he respected Thorin's wishes.

……

"The words on it can only be seen under the moonlight. You are lucky, the moonlight tonight just meets the requirements..."

When Thorin brought Balin and Bilbo to the Elf King, King Aron studied the moonlight text on the map and said, "Please follow me~"

So, Thorin and others, led by King Ailon, walked towards a palace.

Mike naturally noticed their actions, but he was busy enjoying the enthusiasm of the elf ladies and had no time to care about Thorin.

Of course, he didn't care about the runes on the dwarven map.

After all, with Mike's strength, he could use violence to break through the gate of Lonely Mountain. He didn't need to decipher the runes to find the path into Lonely Mountain.

Just like that, while Mike was enjoying the tenderness of the female elves, Thorin on the other side followed King Aaron with full of hope and entered a crystal palace.

The moonlight shines through the clouds onto the palace, and is then refracted by the crystals above and gathered together, forming a natural moonlight beam on the stone table.

King Airon walked to the stone table and unfolded the dwarven map, allowing it to be fully bathed in the bright moonlight.

"How is it? Can you tell me what's written on it?" Thorin put away his pride and looked at the Elf King expectantly.

Perhaps even the ancestors of the dwarves did not expect that many years later, the dwarves would break up with the elves.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to leave text that only the elves can understand on important maps.

Of course, it can also be said that Thorin brought it upon himself.

The Elf King's "compromise" at this time was all his own fault.

"Wait a little longer~" King Ailon didn't care so much. He held up the map and observed it carefully, then suddenly said: "It appears, the writing on it is indeed Moonlight Script..."

"When the thrush strikes... standing by the grey rock... the setting sun, with the last rays of the Turin Day... will shine on the keyhole... that is all that is written."

The Elf King did not keep Thorin in suspense and directly helped him translate the moonlight text that appeared on the map.

"Thrush, Grey Rock, Durin's Sun?" Thorin was unable to understand the secret code left by his ancestors for a moment. He frowned and looked at the Elf King and asked, "No more?"

"Yes, if I'm not mistaken, this is what is written on it." King Ailon said, and returned the map with Moonlight Scripture to Thorin.

"Durinri...Durinri..." Thorin muttered to himself, and he and Balin studied the words on the map together in the moonlight.

However, the two dwarves could not understand the moonlight text.

"No matter what, we should reach Lonely Mountain before Durin's Day. Perhaps we will know the answer then." Balin gave his advice based on his experience.

"If that's the case, then we don't have much time left. If we miss Durin's Day this year, we'll have to wait another year..." Thorin realized the seriousness of the problem and planned to call Gandalf and others back to discuss the itinerary.

The dwarf's Durin's Day falls on the day between autumn and winter, which is the first day of the last month of autumn, exactly in early November.

It has been nearly two months since the dwarves set out, and it is now midsummer. The adventure team has only completed one-third of the journey to Lonely Mountain.

Next, the road to the second half of Lonely Mountain will become increasingly difficult to travel, one reason being the terrain, and the other being that the dark resistance encountered in the second half will be stronger.

Therefore, if the adventure team wants to reach Lonely Mountain before Durin's Day, they must speed up their journey.

"You guys go back first, I still have something to discuss with King Aaron." Gandalf still needed to talk to the Elf King about the [Cursed Sword], so naturally he had no time to pay attention to Thorin's anxious mood.

But to the suspicious Thorin, this was a sign that the wizard was hiding something.

Finally, the descendant of Durin's royal family glared at the wizard, then angrily called Balin and hurriedly left the palace.

"You go too, I want to talk to King Ailon alone." Gandalf motioned for Bilbo to leave as well.

When there were no other people in the palace, King Aron asked, "Tell me, what is more important than helping the dwarves take back the Lonely Mountain?"

"Look at this..." Gandalf took out a long package that exuded an ominous aura.

After opening the tightly wrapped leather, a black dagger was revealed.

"This is the [Cursed Sword]. Where did you get it?" King Ailon asked in surprise.

"Rhudaul High Mausoleum, where Radagast and Michael have been. According to Radagast, they met the Witch-king of Angmar, the Ringwraith, and the Dark Lord Sauron..." At this point, Gandalf couldn't help but emphasize his tone.

"Impossible... Sauron was killed by the Human King Isildur more than a thousand years ago. How could he appear in Rhudaur?" King Ailon was a little out of control because he was too surprised.

But at this time, no one in the palace cared about this.

"But the One Ring has not been destroyed. Perhaps Sauron is relying on the power of the One Ring to make a comeback. And the timing of the recent revival of the dark forces in Middle-earth is too coincidental. It's as if someone is specifically building momentum for the return of the Lord of Darkness." Gandalf expressed his guess.

This is also the situation he fears the most.

"No, the resurrection of the Demon Lord is too unbelievable. We must find more people to discuss countermeasures... I hope we are overthinking it this time." With the testimony of the [Cursed Sword] and the recent abnormalities of the dark forces in Middle-earth, King Aaron almost believed Gandalf's guess.

However, there is still a little bit of luck in my mind.

"I suggest that Michael be taken into consideration as well. He is very powerful and may be helpful to the future situation in Middle-earth." Gandalf then made another suggestion.

……

(End of this chapter)