From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 275: Changhu Town
In the wilds of Rhovanion there was a great lake that looked like a shuttle from the air, for it was fed by the Forest River that flowed through Mirkwood and by the Running River that rose in the Lonely Mountain.

People used tall wooden stakes to drive into the bottom of the lake, supporting the largest human settlement in the Great Wilds of Rhovanion. All buildings in Long Lake Town were made of wood, but people living here did not have to worry about fires, because the lake below the town provided a lot of water vapor. Except for the small island where the town square was located, Long Lake Town had very little land.

People traveled around on wooden bridges and boats, and unless they had made a living on the Long Lake all their lives, they would usually get lost in the town.

This was the case with the dwarves and hobbits who were floating down the river in barrels. They ran to the mayor's warehouse to look for the black arrow, but were discovered by the guards and pushed and shoved to the square in the center of the town.

Who is the person who can enjoy the only piece of land in Changhu Town?

Of course, it was the mayor who built a tall, long house in the square with a attic and storage room.

Rather than calling it the town hall of Long Lake Town, it is more like the mayor's private mansion. Unlike other cramped and fishy houses in Long Lake Town, the air here is fresh and dry, and it seems to be deliberately trying to make itself taller than the surrounding buildings.

"What's going on?" The mayor, dressed in luxurious sable fur, ordered his flatterer to open the door, then stood on the steps and looked down at the dwarves who were surrounded below.

The guards of Long Lake Town held torches and surrounded the town square. Many townspeople who were awakened by the noise also came over to watch the fun. You know, this town hasn't seen dwarves for many years.

"These dwarves are stealing our weapons," the captain of the guard said, bending over.

"Oh, so they are our enemies?" The mayor's orange beard trembled proudly.

"We are just a group of traders from the Blue Mountains..." Before Noli could finish his explanation, he was interrupted by the flatterer beside the mayor.

The sycophant wore a black felt hat, his greasy hair was tied into curls, and his deliberately hunched back made the mayor standing next to him look even taller.

"Mr. Mayor, these dwarves are definitely not merchants..."

"Shut your stinky mouth!" Dwalin still remembered the man who had made things difficult for the sailors at the gate of Long Lake Town. At that time, they were squeezed in a wooden barrel with some stinky fish, and Dwalin was almost dumped into the lake along with the fish by the guards.

"Do you know who you are talking to?" Dwalin pointed to Thorin behind him, "This is Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thorne, grandson of Thor, King under the Mountain!"

"We are all dwarves from the kingdom under the mountain." Thorin stepped forward slowly, "We are here to reclaim our long-lost kingdom!"

Thorin looked at the residents gathered in the town square. Most of their clothes were covered in dirt, and their felt hats and cotton boots were also quite old. They were a group of people struggling to survive on the Long Lake. Even though they controlled the trade channels with the Woodland Kingdom, they were unable to make the town on the lake prosperous.

"I still remember the original scene of this town. The docks were full of merchant ships traveling to and from various places, filled with silk and gems. It was not the desolate and dilapidated border town it is now! This is the most prosperous human society in the entire north!"

Thorin's words caused a commotion in the crowd, and many older people began to nod frequently.

"I will turn it back to the past. I will reignite the dwarven alchemical furnace, and let wealth and glory flow once again at the foot of the Lonely Mountain!"

The townspeople began to cheer, and some even threw their hats into the air.

"Death! Fire!" A voice from the end of the crowd stopped the cheering. The tall archer Bard squeezed through the crowd. "This is all you can bring us! Your rash actions will destroy the entire town. The evil dragon will fall from the sky with flames! If you wake it up, Long Lake Town will not have a second ending."

"Perhaps some people have doubts, perhaps some people doubt our power, but I assure you that the dragon will be killed by us, and all you need to do is bring the Black Arrow to me!" Thorin walked up a few steps so that everyone could see his face. "Once the dragon is really killed by us, I will share the gold in the Lonely Mountain with you... Or you can think that the King under the Mountain is asking you to buy the Black Arrow! It was a gift forged by the dwarves and given to Girion. We are willing to use gold to redeem it as a weapon to end the dragon's rule!"

"...Don't forget why the dragon came to Lonely Mountain and destroyed Dale City!" Bard was startled when he heard the word "Black Arrow", and then he loudly refuted Thorin's words, "It's because the dwarf king of the kingdom under the mountain is greedy, short-sighted, and arrogant! And he only cares about protecting his own interests!"

Thorin, the descendant of the King Under the Mountain, hadn't spoken yet, but the mayor standing behind him spoke first: "No, no! We can't accuse others at will."

There was no other reason for the mayor's words, because everyone in the town knew that this guy monopolized all the profits from the trade with the elves and locked all the gold he got into the treasury under the town hall. The words that Bard used to describe the dwarf king just now were not exaggerated when used on him.

"But everyone must not forget that it was Girion, the leader of Riverdale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the dragon with the black arrow, right?" The mayor, who had just said not to blame others casually, began to blame Bard's ancestors.

"Yes, Lord Mayor!" The flatterer was eager to be the first to agree with the mayor, and no one competed with him. "He shot arrow after arrow, but none of them hit the target..."

"Are you a descendant of Girion?" Thorin turned his head suddenly. He never expected that the place where he led the dwarves to live for two days was actually the most likely hiding place of the Black Arrow. No wonder when he asked the townspeople for the Black Arrow, many people looked at the sailor Bard in front of them.

"You must have the Black Arrows, then? How many are left? Name your price, Bard!" Thorin stared at the archer eagerly. "Why don't we pay you twice as much as we agreed to when you helped us in last time? No matter how many you want, we'll pay you twice as much!"

"There are no more black arrows." Bard said coldly. "Girion has used up all the black arrows. You can't kill the dragon. Turn back, Thorin! It's not too late to turn back now... before you wake up the dragon and turn Long Lake Town into a second Dale City, turn back."

"We can help you restore the glory of the Girion family and become the king of the Dale again!" Thorin continued to make his promise, "We have a wizard! His power is unmatched. We will definitely kill the dragon that monopolizes the treasure and take back the Lonely Mountain!"

Alfred, the sycophant who had been interrupted several times while fawning on the mayor, quickly jumped out to show his presence: "How ridiculous! Wizard? Look at all of you, is there any one who looks like a wizard? Could it be the shortest guy? He has no beard and is only half the height of a human!"

"What?" Bilbo, wrapping his robe tightly, pointed at the tip of his nose. "Me? No, no, I'm not a wizard..."

"He is our master thief!" shouted Gloin, who had reddish-brown hair and a beard. "He does know a little bit of wizard magic!"

"Oh! Actually, that's a wizard's magic scroll..." Facing everyone's gaze, Bilbo's voice became smaller and smaller. For some reason, he gave up and said, "I do know a little magic."

"Then let us see it for ourselves!" said the flatterer Alfred.

The residents surrounding the town square also stretched their necks, trying to look at the halfling standing among the dwarves.

Bilbo raised one hand, his face confused and bewildered, while his other hand had already quietly reached into his pocket, where Sauron's One Ring lay.

"Enough!" Thorin shouted. "We still have time, Bard, we still have time to convince you! We will wait here for the wizard..."

"You have no time, Thorin." A black horse leaped across the gloomy night over the lake and stood on the top of the bell tower of the town hall.

"Wizard!" the dwarves shouted happily, "We have just arrived in Long Lake Town! We have found the person who holds the Black Arrow! It's him, Archer Bard!" "The Black Arrow no longer exists!" Bard still tried to refute.

Ivy dispersed the phantom horse under his crotch and slowly floated down from the top of the clock tower to the center of the town square.

"It seems that our Master Thief has indeed completed his mission. He did a great job." Ivy looked around and nodded to the dwarves and hobbits in the expedition team. "But the Black Arrow is not the most important thing right now."

"Who are you? A guy who broke in without permission! Pretending to be a wizard? I think you are a swindler who wants to defraud money from the great mayor of Long Lake Town!" Alfred, the flatterer, walked up to Ivy with a pair of bow legs, pointed his finger at him and shouted at him.

Ivy glanced at him, and with a simple wave of the staff in his hand, he used telekinesis to throw the blind flatterer across the crowd and into the river.

As a town built on a lake, every household living here has a toilet that connects directly to the river. Although the fish under the water will clean up people's excrement, the smell is never very pleasant.

There were exclamations from the crowd, and some people cheered in relief. The mayor standing on the steps took a few steps back and hid behind a young guard. However, even though the guard was wearing bulky armor, it still couldn't hide the mayor's waist, which was thicker than a wine barrel.

The mayor, who was standing behind the guards, seemed to have gained the courage to speak. He screamed, "You! What on earth are you doing? Are you here to rob the town's treasure?"

"These pale-faced residents can't possibly have any savings left. I guess you put all your money in the basement?" Ivy glanced at him and slammed his staff on the ground, making his voice spread far away. "But I'm not interested in your money. I want you to open the warehouse and distribute weapons and equipment to all those who are capable of fighting. Let the archers prepare their quivers and the guards sharpen their spears. A war is about to take place at the foot of Lonely Mountain!"

"Whose war? Do you want us to go to Lonely Mountain to die?" Bard asked loudly.

"Not only these dwarves are out of time, all of you are out of time. I'm here to convey a warning. An army of orcs is bypassing the Mirkwood, and their goal is also the treasure in the Lonely Mountain. Unlike the dwarves in front of you, the orcs will not share their gold with anyone." Ivy ignored Bard and continued to tell her plan. "I have asked the elves of the Woodland Kingdom for help on your behalf. King Thranduil promised to give you food and fuel as compensation. Of course, after tonight, you must start moving tomorrow! Leave this city on the lake and go to the river city. The city walls there will be your support!"

"And what about us, wizard?" Thorin asked hastily. "And what about the dragon in the Lonely Mountain?"

"Let's go to Lonely Mountain now. When I kill the dragon, you can use the ravens of Lonely Mountain to ask for help from the dwarves of Iron Hills. Ask them to respond to the call of the King Under the Mountain and fight together with the elves and humans against the orc army that may appear at any time." Ivy replied.

"I assure you, wizard, the elves are not qualified allies! They only want the gold in Lonely Mountain!" Thorin's prejudice against the elves was deep-rooted, so even with Ivy's warning, he was unwilling to believe that the elves would help them.

"If the orcs take over the Lonely Mountain, the entire north will fall into their sphere of influence. That will not benefit the elves or the dwarves!" Ivy raised her voice, "Don't waste my breath!"

Thorin snorted heavily, turned away and said nothing more.

"But we can't get in now!" Balin rushed to Ivy, "It's still several weeks before Durin's Day! If there really is an army of orcs on the way, they will work with the dragon to block us in the valley under the Lonely Mountain!"

"Relax, Balin, I'm a wizard." Ivy patted the white-bearded dwarf on the shoulder.

Balin was stunned, nodded and said, "That's true! We have wizards!"

"We need weapons, wizards, and black arrows." Dwalin, who also experienced the fall of Lonely Mountain, said seriously, "We can't face a dragon with bare hands! Even if we have to die, we must hold weapons and die with dignity."

The dwarves standing around nodded in unison, their expressions serious and resolute. Even Bilbo was affected and squeezed the dagger Sting at his waist.

Ivy sighed and looked at the mayor who was still hiding behind the guards. "Why are you still standing there? Let your guards open the warehouse, distribute weapons, notify all residents in the town, and of course, arm these dwarves as well."

"Don't even think about giving me orders! I'm the mayor of Changhu Town! This is my territory! Only my words count!" The chubby mayor was timid and backed away slowly. "Guards, catch him! Throw him in the cell!"

The guards who had seen Ivy's methods looked at each other in bewilderment. No one dared to take action. Only the captain of the guard, who was a supporter of the mayor, put on his helmet again and prepared to follow orders.

"My patience is limited! Don't make me say it again!" Ivy said word by word, and at the same time, he knocked the staff in his hand on the ground. The oil lamps in front of the town hall, the torches held by the guards, and the braziers placed in the square to drive away moisture and provide lighting all burned fiercely. The flames even reached the roof. "Quick!"

The captain of the guard, who had already come to Ivy, collapsed to the ground in fear, while the mayor, who had half a foot in the door of the town hall, screamed: "Do as he says, do as he says!"

The dwarves smiled, and Bofur said briskly, "I have never seen anything like it before! You should have done it long ago, wizard!"

The guards gathered in the square dispersed the crowd and led the dwarves towards the place where they were captured. They had previously believed that the Black Arrow was kept in the armory, so after entering, they planned to take away some weapons, but Kili's injured leg made a lot of noise, and they were discovered by the guards guarding the armory in the town.

"Wizard!" Fili supported Kili and came to Ivy. Next to him was Oin who was holding the receiver. "Please take a look at Kili! He is injured, but he won't get better!"

"It is a poison I have never seen before," Oin added. "I have used all the antidotes, but none of them have any effect! Perhaps only witchcraft and magic can save him."

"Help me, wizard," said Kili weakly. "I don't want to die before I enter the Lonely Mountain..."

"Drink, Kili." Ivy pulled the golden cup from his pocket and held it to Kili's mouth. "You will get better."

Qili stretched out his hand with difficulty to take the golden cup, put it to his lips and took a sip. As soon as he drank the first sip of water, he felt his numb legs coming back. Pain and itching gathered around the wound. Qili did not reach out to scratch it, but quickly drank the second sip. After this sip of water, he felt completely healed, and his cheeks, which had been pale and painful due to the torture of the poison, became rosy again.

"I'm fine! I'm completely fine!" Qili shouted in surprise, holding up the golden cup and hugging his brother and laughing.

After returning the golden cup to Ivy, Qili thanked him repeatedly: "I am so grateful to you, wizard! You saved my life! I want to give you my share of the treasure! Fili and I can just take one!"

"That's a good idea!" Philip rubbed his brother's head vigorously, "It also lets people know that we, the Changhu people, are all men who know how to repay kindness!"

"I don't actually need so much gold..." Iveco didn't expect that just a sip of water from the golden cup would allow him to gain another treasure.

Kili interrupted him. "You have that magical little house that can hold a lot of things. What's wrong with taking a little more gold? The Lonely Mountain has plenty of gold! Come on! We're going to get weapons!"

As Kili, Fili, and Oin were happily heading towards the armory, a roar suddenly spread across the night sky: "Orc bastards! They're coming!"

　4 words in 5000 hours, I can do it!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)