I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 111 Changhu Town’s Decision
After Oga was resurrected from the state of ashes, Tanes summoned Jeremiah and Freya without any delay.

After briefly explaining the situation to them, Tanes returned to the vicinity of Long Lake Town through the portal.

In addition to Oga, Tanes also resurrected two other ashes and kept them as Neferi Lu's right-hand men.

The two ashes were Orreg and Ingwill, who were once the Storm King's right-hand men, but for unknown reasons they were unable to return to the tree and eventually became ownerless ashes and were found by Tanes.

Just as the warmth on Tanis's face was replaced by the chill of the night, he heard Gandalf's slightly complaining voice: "I thought you were going to leave me here alone."

At this time, the sky had already darkened and the night was deep.

Seeing that Tanis had not returned for a long time and it was inconvenient for Gandalf to leave without permission, he could only wait anxiously near the stone portal.

"I'm so sorry, Gandalf." Tanis apologized quickly and walked over quickly.

Gandalf's eyes fell on the portal. Seeing that no second figure appeared, he asked, "Didn't Lady Ceremony come back with you?"

Tanes recalled the tired look of Seren when she said goodbye to him, and replied, "She has finished her work and is resting."

Gandalf's eyes lit up instantly. "So, your Golden Tree Territory is ready to support Thorin and his army?"

Tanes patted his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, my army will arrive here within a month at most."

A trace of confusion flashed in Gandalf's eyes. "I'm a little curious. With such a magical portal, why does it take another month?"

Tanes shrugged. "People can certainly come through the portal, but those inanimate war machines can't. I was able to deliver all the necessary war machines within a month, thanks to the powerful helper I found. I couldn't ask for more."

Gandalf asked in a surprised tone, "Wait, you are actually bringing war equipment with you?"

Tanis asked in surprise, "What else? The Lonely Mountain is now in the hands of the evil dragon Smaug. We must kill it and take it back. Only in this way can we completely resolve the crisis facing Thorin and his men. You can't just let my soldiers charge into the Lonely Mountain without any siege equipment. This way of fighting will only result in a high casualty rate for the soldiers."

Gandalf quickly explained with a smile, "I was just surprised. It was beyond my imagination to transport such a huge mountain of war equipment from far away Minsilias in a month."

Tanes waved his hand, interrupting the previous topic: "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go back to Changhu Town now..."

As he spoke, he turned and glanced at the stone portal behind him, frowning slightly. "Is your barrier reliable? If this portal is discovered and destroyed by the enemy, it will take my army a long time to arrive."

Gandalf stroked his beard and said confidently, "The barrier I set up is certainly reliable, but just in case, I'd better use some witchcraft to cover it up."

Tanes sighed and shook his head. "No, witchcraft is just witchcraft after all. There's always a chance it could be discovered by the enemy. Give me a few minutes. I'll go back and bring some people over to guard this portal."

Gandalf shrugged helplessly and nodded in agreement: "I hope you can come back faster this time, and don't let an old man like me wait outside in this cold all night."

"Don't worry, I will be back soon..." Before Tanes finished speaking, his figure disappeared in front of the portal.

Just as Tanis had said, in less than ten minutes he reappeared in Gandalf's sight, followed by two tall knights in shining silver armor.

Gandalf had visited Tanis's territory many times, so he was naturally well aware of the strength of the two silver-armored knights.

"With two Storm Riders guarding here, even if Azog's Orc army passes by, they will surely be able to hold out until we arrive." Gandalf said, praising the strength of the two Storm Riders.

Hearing Gandalf's praise, the two Storm Knights simultaneously raised their swords and gently touched their shoulder armor with the hilts to express their affirmation of their own strength and their gratitude for Gandalf's praise.

Tanis gave a few more instructions before turning back to Gandalf. "They're not the only ones guarding the gate. Some guards from Stonewell are on their way here. I met these two Storm Knights on my way to Neferi Lu. When I went back the other day, I noticed they seemed to have nothing better to do than chat in the castle corridor. This time, I saw them still chatting there. Since they were so relaxed, I decided to call them over to help me guard the portal."

These two Storm Knights were the same brothers who felt that they had no chance to participate in this expedition when Tanes and Latan passed by the corridor before.

As a result, they were brought here early by Tanes because they acted too leisurely.

In a sense, the wishes of these two Storm Knights have come true.

After all, they arrived at their destination earlier than the soldiers of the Red Lion Legion. Perhaps this was a different kind of fate.

Tanes had no intention of bringing Oleg or Ingwill with him. After all, he had just asked these two helpers to share some of Nefeli Lu's work. If he called them over in less than half an hour, Tanes felt that Nefeli Lu's resentment would probably surge towards him like a surging tide.

Maybe she would even ask him to compete with her directly, Tanes thought.

After hearing Tanes' words, one of the Storm Knights immediately said respectfully, "Please rest assured, Lord Tanes! We will defend this portal to the death!"

His voice was firm and powerful, as if he was issuing a military order.

"If you really encounter trouble that you can't solve, remember to call for backup." Tanes nodded slightly, his tone serious. "Although I hate to say this, the value of this portal is indeed more important than your lives for the time being. No matter what happens, you must protect it until the soldiers of the Red Lion Legion arrive."

The two Storm Knights changed their relaxed chatter and became serious and solemn. They responded solemnly, "Yes, Lord Tanes!"

When Tanis and Gandalf disappeared in the light of the portal, the two Storm Knights looked at each other, with a hint of tacit understanding in their eyes.

"I'll stay here, and you go explore the surrounding environment and take note of all the places where the enemy may be ambushed?" suggested the Storm Knight on the left.

The Storm Knight on the right nodded, saying, "Leave it to me," and walked away with a vigorous stride, leaving a trail of deep footprints in the cold snow. "Portal, if you can speak, tell us if anyone is trying to sabotage you. But don't worry, we'll protect you."

After his companions left, the Storm Knight on the left was still chatting with the silent portal, but in fact he had restrained his previous relaxed attitude. His eyes became as sharp as knives and stared at every corner around him.

On the other side, Tanis and Gandalf returned to Lake Town.

However, unlike when they left, this time they found that the guards at the gate of Changhu Town had been replaced by a new group of people.

Under the influence of Gandalf's magic, the two of them were cleverly hidden, successfully avoiding the sight of the guards of Long Lake Town.

"That's... Bud?"

When the two walked into the gate, the sharp-eyed Tanes unexpectedly discovered a familiar figure swaying among the guards.

The torches flickered at night, and the interweaving of light and shadow illuminated Bud's handsome and upright face clearly.

Tanis and Gandalf looked at each other, with a hint of tacit understanding in their eyes. They did not decide to go directly to Bard to ask about the situation, but chose to return to the inn where Thorin and the others were.

Along the way, although Changhu Town was still cold at night, there were not many residents outdoors.

However, there are always a few strong men who are the pillars of the family who have not returned to the house. They are still packing the fishing boats and fishing gear that will be used early tomorrow morning.

And Tanes actually saw some genuine smiles on the faces of these residents, instead of the previous lifeless numbness.

Tanes was surprised to find that these residents had smiles on their faces that came from the heart, instead of the lifeless numbness they had before.

Gandalf also noticed this. He whispered to Tanis beside him, "It seems that during the half day we were away, some good changes have taken place in Long Lake Town that we were not aware of."

Tanes nodded in agreement. "It's indeed a good change. At least the spirit of these residents is completely different from that of the day. I'm afraid only Thorin and the others know what happened."

The two quickened their pace, rushed into the hotel, and went directly to the second floor.

As soon as Tanes stepped onto the stairs, he heard the simple singing of the dwarves, mixed with the laughter of a little girl, which was as clear and sweet as a silver bell.

"It seems that something good has happened?" Gandalf spoke first, asking with a smile, with a hint of teasing in his voice.

He lifted the spell, and the dwarves were startled by the sudden appearance of the old wizard, and even their cheerful singing was interrupted for a few seconds.

However, the dwarves soon came to their senses and cast warm and happy glances at Tanis and Gandalf.

Tanes glanced around and found that Bilbo, Thorin and his dwarf expedition were all here, but he did not see Bernal and Aegon.

"Oh, look who's back! Our good friends and wizards are here!" Bofur was the first to say, and then he blew the recorder in his hand. The light and bright flute sound came out from the instrument, adding a bit of joy to the warm atmosphere.

Fili said considerately, "Teacher Tanes, Teacher Bernal, and Mr. Egon are currently at the mayor's house, guarding the former mayor and his secretary."

Tanes nodded to show that he understood and didn't ask any more questions.

Thorin also smiled and raised his glass to Tanis and Gandalf: "Thank you for your hard work. Would you like a glass of authentic Long Lake Town wine?"

Tanes looked at Thorin, who looked relaxed, and shook his head, declining his invitation for a drink. Instead, he asked, "What happened in Lake Town? I saw Bard at the main gate. When did he come back?"

Before Thorin could say anything, a cute little girl came out from behind the dwarves.

She bravely said to Tanes, "My father was called back by the dwarf uncles. After he came back, he told all the uncles and aunts in Long Lake Town about the bad things that the bad fat mayor had done, and then returned the money that the bad mayor had stolen to them."

Tanes then noticed that the little girl talking to him was one of the two daughters of Bard they had rescued earlier. She was the youngest, with big eyes that sparkled with a lively light, making her particularly endearing.

Thorin nodded and downed the beer in his glass. His eyes showed no sign of drunkenness as he added clearly, "What the little human girl said is almost correct. The human named 'Bard' is even more prestigious in Lake Town than we imagined. Especially after he distributed all the money the mayor had plundered among the townspeople, his reputation reached its peak, and he naturally became the new mayor of Lake Town."

Bilbo came over, holding a half-eaten sausage in his hand. He said with a smile, "Many of the guards in Lake Town also support Bard. They believe that Bard made a great contribution to resisting the dragon that night. If it weren't for him, Lake Town would probably have suffered even greater losses. So, Bard and his guards imprisoned all the guards who supported the fat mayor."

Then the hobbit muttered quietly, "Originally Bard invited us to live somewhere better, but Thorin was worried that you and Gandalf would be worried about not finding us when you returned, so we stayed here."

Tanis and Gandalf looked at each other, and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

Tanes laughed good-naturedly and shook his head. "Well, it seems that during our absence a wonderful story took place during the day that would take half a book to tell."

Bilbo agreed. "Yes, I have decided to write about these things in my travel biography after I return. But if I were to write it, it would only take four pages... oh no, five pages to explain what happened in Long Lake Town."

Gandalf smiled and expressed his optimism towards Bilbo, while Tanis signaled Thorin to come out with his eyes, as he had something to say to him in private.

Thorin immediately understood, put down his wine glass, and walked out alone with Tanes.

Before Tanis could speak, Thorin took the lead in sharing the good news: "I have good news. After Bard became the mayor of Lake-town, he made a promise to me: when the dwarves are attacked by orcs, the guards of Lake-town will fight as our allies."

(End of this chapter)