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

Chapter 122 Bud, I have something good at home.

The cold wind and drizzle swept across the charred roofs of Changhu Town, swirling upwards with ashes and the smell of blood.

After the Orc army was completely defeated, Tanes, Thorin, Bard and Dain stood in the ruins, looking at the devastated ambush area, each with a thousand feelings in their hearts.

Bud was standing in front of the ruins beside the dock, his brows furrowed, his fingers dug deep into the copper buckle of his belt, looking at the houses engulfed in flames.

Behind him, several Changhu Town guards were leading the last group of women and children wrapped in blankets to the temporary tent. The boiling fish soup in the wooden barrel was emitting white mist in the cold air.

He took a deep breath, turned around and gave orders to the guards around him: "Clear these ruins as quickly as possible, count the losses, and provide temporary shelter for those whose houses were burned down."

Although Thorin promised to rebuild, the homeless townspeople now need a warm place to live.

The guards immediately took action and began busily organizing the townspeople to carry out the cleanup work.

Tanes looked at Thorin and Dain, and ordered his soldiers who had just sunk the bodies of the Orcs into the lake to help the guards of Lake-town clean up the ruins.

After a while, a guard from Changhu Town came trotting over to report, "Bud, at least thirty families have no place to spend the winter..."

Bard closed his eyes and turned to look at the storm troopers who were carrying stones.

These warriors from the Golden Tree were as silent as machines. Working together, they were able to lift half of the collapsed stone wall with their bare hands.

Tanes walked up to him. The edge of the wandering knight's cloak was still stained with orc blood. "Bard, if you need it, I can have the stormtroopers build the cabin overnight."

Bard shook his head, his eyes glancing at the shoulder armor of a Stormtrooper pierced by an Orc's desperate weapon. "Your soldiers are not craftsmen, they are more suited to the battlefield. I am unsure if there will be another Orc army coming, so I don't want your soldiers to waste too much energy."

In the battle just now, Bard witnessed the combat capabilities of these storm troopers.

Without a doubt, they were the most elite soldiers Bud had ever seen. Their complete obedience to orders and fighting only for victory seemed as if these soldiers were born that way.

Bard felt that perhaps only the elven warriors under the command of the proud elven king of Mirkwood could be compared to Tanes's soldiers.

Tanes thought to himself, you may have underestimated the physical strength of the soldiers at the border. The intensity of the battle just now can only be regarded as a warm-up, which just makes the body sweat.

This is not to say that the Storm Troopers are so powerful, it's simply that the Orcs are too weak.

After the Orc leader was killed by Thorin, they still had the advantage in numbers but they couldn't even put up a decent resistance.

Of course, there was also the reason that they had ambushed the Orcs in advance using crossbows and flamethrowers, so that the storm soldiers did not have to spend too much effort.

Tanes said to Bard, "Don't worry about my army's physical strength. With their help, you can clear the rubble and build the wooden houses at least three times faster."

Then the figures of Kenneth Hyde, Edgar and Neferi Lu appeared in his mind, but they were all asking him for people.

Tanes blinked and looked at Bard, feeling more and more that this human was an outstanding talent.

And the people of Lake Town are now under the dual threat of Orcs and Smaug...

My house is quite big, so I can go straight to sleep when I’m tired of playing, no problem!
Thinking of this, Tanes said, "There are also empty houses in the Golden Tree's territory. If the people of Long Lake Town are willing to move..."

"Migrate?" Bard was surprised for a moment, then shook his head without hesitation. "Asking the fishermen to leave the lake is like asking dwarves to give up beer. Besides, the Golden Tree is at least half a year away. What if we encounter an orc ambush along the way? The food in Lake Town isn't enough for my people to travel such a long distance, let alone cross the harsh environment of the Misty Mountains..."

Then Bard realized that his tone was a bit harsh. He paused and spoke more slowly: "Thank you for your suggestion, Tanes. But the people of Long Lake Town would rather sleep on the ice than abandon their ancestors' boats."

Hiss, he didn't seem to realize how I brought the Storm Legion here in such a short time.

Tanes was just about to say that he had a way to get the people of Long Lake Town to his territory in a very short time, but suddenly a burst of rough laughter broke out from the dwarf soldiers not far away.

The laughter came from Dain. He kicked aside the orc helmet that was blocking his way and walked towards the two men, carrying the water bag. "If you ask me, you should move to Dale!"

"Riverdale?" Bud frowned.

Thorin also walked out from behind Dain. He shook his head at Dain's words and said, "Those broken stone houses? Smaug trampled them into rubble over a hundred years ago."

Dain took a swig of water, splashing it on his red beard. He smiled and said, "That's not true, Thorin! Back then, Smaug had no interest in trampling over houses. He simply symbolically destroyed Dale's defenses and left. Dwarves from the Iron Hills who went out to trade sometimes came back and saw Dale from afar. Most of the houses were intact, and the walls were built by the dwarves. You don't think our dwarven craftsmanship will last another hundred years, do you?"

Thorin replied, "Of course not."

Dain put down his waterskin. "That's all. What do you say, human? While Riverdale needs cleaning up, it's better than leaving your townspeople homeless in flimsy tents in the dead of winter."

Bud's fingers trembled slightly. Of course he knew Riverdale.

One hundred and seventy-one years ago, his ancestor Girion had shot the Black Arrow from the arrow tower in Dale, but was burned to ashes by Smaug's dragonfire.

Bard stared at Dain but refused. "A wall might work, but there are no fisheries there, only cold, desolate land. And since the orcs have set their sights on Lake-town, Dale will only stand out."

Dain said bluntly, "Do you think that the leaky Lake-town can better resist the Orc army? Or do you expect these wooden houses to protect your people from Smaug's dragonfire?"

Just as Bard was about to say something, Tanes patted him on the shoulder and said, "Bard, what Dain said is actually not wrong."

He picked up a stick of charcoal and sketched a rough map on the charred ground. "I've seen the map. Riverdale is backed by a branch of the Lonely Mountain, and a branch of the Long Lake is below the cliff on the east side. As long as we repair the walls at the pass and cooperate with my storm troopers, our defense will be ten times stronger than here."

Tanes threw the charcoal stick back to the ground and continued to talk to Bard, "You're well aware of Lake Town's defenses. This time, they relied on traps to eliminate so many Orcs. But next time, Azog will undoubtedly realize that he has lost control of Lake Town and will undoubtedly retaliate against it. To be frank, I don't believe Lake Town has the ability to withstand the Orc army."

After all, Lake-town is essentially just a larger fishing village, not a town. Thorin then spoke to Bard, saying, "Azog wants more than just the Lonely Mountain; he wants to use it as a base to dominate the entire North. He won't be satisfied with just destroying us dwarves. Bard, if Dain and we are destroyed, Lake-town will be next."

Bard sighed heavily. "Let's not talk about the fact that Long Lake Town only lost a few houses and no residents were killed or injured. Even if I agree to go to the ruins of River Valley Town, I still have to discuss it with the townspeople. After all, this is their home, and they have the right to decide whether to stay or go."

Dain shrugged. "Well, you're right. But if we could think of that, Azog would surely have thought of it too. Hopefully, by then, the ruins of Dale will be filled with weeds and brush, not stinking orcs."

Just when Tanes wanted to talk to Bard about the things in Long Lake Town, Thorin pulled Dain to the other side.

Dain asked in confusion, "What's so mysterious?"

Thorin whispered, "Have you sent a letter to my father, Thrain, for help?"

Dain nodded and said, "I did send a letter for help..."

Before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed. It was obvious that he realized that his letter for help would put Serlain in danger.

Dain pounded his fist on a barrel, sending sawdust flying. "Damn it! I should have thought of it sooner. Your father wouldn't have stood idly by while our people in the Iron Hills were besieged by the Orcs. Azog must have ambushed them in the Misty Mountains! Thrain would have marched hastily after receiving my letter for aid, and he would have fallen into Azog's trap!"

After Dain finished speaking, he froze in place, not daring to look directly at Thorin. The firelight made his pale face flicker.

However, Thorin's reaction was somewhat beyond Dain's expectations. Thorin just sighed slightly and said, "I can only hope that my father is okay."

Dain wanted to say something when a gray robe caught his eye.

Behind the grey wizard, a curious hobbit stood on tiptoe to watch a stormtrooper smash an orc's body with lightning.

Gandalf appeared at the end of the street. Seeing Thorin and Dain, he walked over quickly with a comforting smile on his face. "Don't worry, Dain. I've already informed the Eagle Lord of the Giant Eagles. They'll be keeping a close eye on the ravine from the clouds. They should be searching for Thrain's army in the Misty Mountains now."

Dain was stunned for two seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He strode forward and hugged Gandalf in a bear hug. The collision of his armor made the wizard grimaced. "Oh, Gandalf! Thorin mentioned you in the letter. No wonder he reacted like this. I knew you, old man, had a trick up your sleeve!"

Gandalf struggled to free his arm, turned to look at Bard, who had noticed the commotion and was coming over. He said, "Bard, I was just looking for you. Azog knows that a large army of his has been destroyed in Lake-town, and he will surely come back for revenge. The wooden houses of Lake-town cannot stop the Orcs."

Bard came over and heard this, a helpless smile appeared on his face: "Are you here to persuade me to go to Riverdale too, Gandalf?"

Gandalf was stunned for a moment: "Also?"

Bard shrugged, pointed to Tanes who had followed, and Thorin and Dain who were standing together, and said, "They said something similar to me just a few minutes ago."

Then Gandalf looked at Tanis and the others, and Tanis briefly explained it to Gandalf.

Gandalf nodded and looked at Bard. "What they said is pretty much what I was thinking. The houses in Lake-town are mostly wooden, without thick walls to protect them. If Smaug were to fly out of the Lonely Mountain again, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the area. Meanwhile, the houses in Dale are mostly made of sturdy bricks and tiles, especially those built with the help of the dwarves. Even after more than a hundred years, they remain sturdy and reliable. Not only can they largely withstand Smaug's dragonfire, but if they encounter an Orc army, they can rely on the high, thick walls and sturdy houses to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

After listening to Gandalf's words, Bard took a deep breath, the cold wind from the lake filling his lungs. "Gandalf, I know what you said is correct, but just like what I just said to Tanis and the others, I need to ask the townspeople for their opinions."

Gandalf, however, was keenly aware of the unnaturalness in Bard's tone and asked, "What are you worried about?"

Bud did not answer, but remained silent, with only the hem of his leather coat rustling in the wind.

He looked up at the dark outlines vaguely rising and falling in the mist on the other side of the lake, which was still the direction of Riverdale.

Memories surged in Bard's mind like a tide. His father held his hand before his death and told Bard his true identity in a weak voice, as well as the courage of his ancestors who fought to death when facing Smaug.

And his mother once hummed a ballad about Riverdale on her sickbed.

That was the town ruled by his ancestors, and it was also the place that was abandoned by Smaug's attack more than a hundred years ago.

Now that he suddenly had to go back, Bud felt very complicated.

No, that is in the past. I am now responsible to my fellow citizens who trusted me.

Bard looked at Gandalf and said, "Don't worry. I will ensure the safety of the residents no matter what. Now, let's make sure the living have a hot meal. This is especially true for the dwarves of the Iron Hills. They have been chased by the Orcs all the way and have just experienced a fierce battle. They need to replenish their strength."

Then he let out a long sigh. "Anyway, we just won a victory, a great one at that. We should hold a banquet tonight to celebrate this victory. I can also use this opportunity to ask the townspeople about the migration to Riverdale. This banquet will also be a good opportunity to welcome Dain and the dwarves of the Iron Hills. However, please don't mind that most of the food in Long Lake Town is fish, not much else."

Bud also hoped that this banquet could soothe the uneasy and confused hearts of the residents of Changhu Town.

Dain's eyes sparkled when he heard this. "We don't care about the taste or texture of the food. But I hope you can provide enough ale! As long as we dwarves drink ale, we will be full of energy!"

Bard glanced at the numerous dwarves around him and said unsurely, "I hope the mayor's wine cellar has enough."

"Then leave the patrol and defense tonight to my soldiers," said Tanes.

Bud was stunned: "Aren't you going to the party?"

Tanes shook his head, then signaled Bard not to worry about it, and he would reward his soldiers.

Having just annihilated so many Orcs, Tanes' soul collector had absorbed a lot of souls. He now only wanted to quickly take the portal back and summon more people.

(End of this chapter)