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

Chapter 98 A sure way to kill Smaug

Bard's fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of his sleeve and he repeated in a low voice, "Thorin Oakenshield?"

He originally just felt that the name was somewhat familiar, but when Tanes also mentioned that the other party was the heir to the royal family of Durin, Bard suddenly remembered it.

Tanes keenly caught the change in the other person's expression: "Have you heard of him?"

Bard hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Although I haven't seen him in real life, my ancestors have met Thorin several times. I learned about him from the books passed down by our ancestors."

Tanis asked curiously, "I heard from Legolas' words earlier that the proud King Thranduil would actually meet you in person. Now you say that your ancestor has met Thorin. I'm afraid your true identity is not just a guard of the Long Lake Town Guard, right?"

Bard smiled bitterly. "You've observed very carefully, Mr. Tanes. I'm actually a direct descendant of Lord Girion of Riverdale, but that was all a glorious past. The former Riverdale has long since been reduced to scorched earth, and the last descendant of the Girion family is nothing more than a guard who fled with his son. Only under the wooden houses in Long Lake Town are the stone bricks brought from Riverdale that year still buried."

Tanes's hand lingered on Bard's shoulder, and a slight warmth came through the coarse linen. "Come with me, and let the descendants of Durin decide this fate for themselves."

Bernard was bending over to examine the wounded man's festering wound. Upon hearing this, he looked up and made a gesture of understanding.

Egon wiped the silver scraper stained with ointment and nodded slightly to Bud: "Don't worry, your compatriots' injuries are not serious."

Millicent sat quietly at the end of the group, the moonlight casting the dark patterns on her cloak like flowing streams.

Bilbo tiptoed to avoid the bandages scattered on the ground and said to Bard in a low voice, "Don't worry. Thorin and his companions are a little loud, but they are all very kind dwarves."

Ba originally wanted to say that he did not think that the dwarves of Durin's royal family were kind, but when he saw Bilbo's smile that showed his unconditional trust in Thorin, he could only nod silently.

On the way, Tanis asked Bard, "When Smaug was wreaking havoc in Lake Town, did you fight back? I want to know if the dragon has any obvious weaknesses."

Bard lost himself in memories. "When Smaug first arrived at Lake-town, I led a few soldiers I trusted to fight back. But to my despair, Smaug's black dragon scales were incredibly tough, and ordinary weapons couldn't damage them. Even when I fired my wind crossbow, the arrows bounced off his scales. I'm sorry, I've tried everything, but I can't figure out Smaug's weakness."

After hearing what Bard said, Tanes showed a surprised expression.

He didn't expect that this human not only did not lose his courage when facing the evil dragon that fell from the sky, but instead tried every possible way to fight.

He is the descendant of the lord of the ancient river city, and his reputation is well-deserved.

Tanes sighed in his heart.

But ordinary weapons can't hurt Smaug? But weapons from the borderland should be able to.

No, we can't jump to conclusions. After all, it is a giant dragon, so we can never be too cautious.

Before engaging in hand-to-hand combat with a dragon, it is best to attack with spells first.

I just don't know which one is harder, Smaug's dragon scales or the ancient dragon's rock dragon scales.

They soon arrived at the house where Thorin and his friends were, and Thorin and Balin were standing outside the house.

Thorin's expression was somewhat gloomy, while Balin's expression was full of helplessness. It seemed that the two of them had just had an unfriendly exchange.

It's just not clear what they were communicating about.

The footsteps of Tanes and others were noticed by Thorin and Balin, and the two dwarves looked over.

Tanes took the initiative to ask: "Thorin, why did you come out?"

Thorin noticed the human Tanes had brought with him, and after motioning for him to come to him alone, he spoke in a low voice, "We have a disagreement about whether or not to continue on to the Lonely Mountain."

Tanes subconsciously glanced at Balin, then lowered his voice and asked, "What happened?"

At the same time, he secretly sighed in his heart that these dwarves were really troublesome. They caused trouble again not long after they left.

Thorin nodded to Balin, the dwarf who had always been known for his kindness, and said, "I was the one who suggested it. I think it is not appropriate for us to continue to the Lonely Mountain now that the evil dragon has awakened."

Tanes nodded to show that he was listening carefully.

Balin continued, "Before, the dragon slept in the Lonely Mountain, and our goal was to find the secret door and have the hobbit enter through it and steal the Arkenstone. With the Arkenstone, Thorin's legitimacy as the heir to Durin's royal family was guaranteed. But now that Smaug has awakened, the possibility of stealing the Arkenstone is almost zero."

Thorin retorted in a low voice, "But it is still possible to steal the Arkenstone, is it not? We have all seen Bilbo's talent for stealth in recent times. Perhaps he can actually steal the Arkenstone from under the dragon's nose."

Balin smiled bitterly and advised, "What if it fails? Not only will Bilbo die in there, but the evil dragon will also know that he was sent by the dwarves of Durin's royal blood. If the evil dragon breaks out of the Lonely Mountain, we will be discovered by it and die in dragon flames. Thorin, you can't die there. Your life is very important. Your compatriots in the Blue Mountains still need you."

Thorin replied without hesitation, "When I hired Master Bilbo, it was clearly written in black and white in the contract that he would have to bear the risk of being killed by the dragon. If I could steal the gem without any risk, then why would I hire a hobbit who can't even fight? Besides, my lifelong wish is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, which is far more important than my life."

Balin looked at Tanes helplessly: "It was because of this that Thorin and I had a quarrel. Tanes, do you also want to face an awakened dragon?"

The dwarf saw that Thorin could no longer be persuaded by him, so he wanted to persuade Tanes.

He knew that Tanes was very strong and knew many powerful witchcrafts.

But Balin believed that only when Smaug was asleep would Tanis have a greater chance of defeating the dragon.

After hearing Balin's words, Tanes replied, "From a rational point of view, I think what Balin said is correct. From the moment Smaug awakened, the Lonely Mountain Fellowship was effectively disbanded."

Balin showed a surprised expression on his face. He didn't expect that Tanes actually agreed with his idea.

Thorin looked at Tanes with an incredible expression, his mouth wide open, and said, "How could it be? Why are you, Tanes, the same as Balin? Didn't you promise me to destroy the dragon?"

Tanes pressed down hard on Thorin's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Thorin, I haven't finished what I was saying. If I hadn't met Bard just now, I would most likely agree with Balin's proposal. After you return to the Blue Mountains, I will go with Bernal, Millicent, and Aegon to deal with the dragon." Then he looked at Balin and shook his head slightly: "But I just learned a very important piece of news from Bard. It's related to you, especially Thorin."

"Is Bard the human you brought?" Thorin asked.

Tanes nodded, then stood up and called to Bard who had been waiting for a long time: "Bard, please show the thing you showed me before to these two dwarves. He is Thorin, and the white-bearded dwarf next to him is Balin."

Hearing this, Bard came over, took out the piece of animal skin with Azog's mark and handed it to Thorin.

As he walked over, he took several careful looks at Thorin and found that he was indeed very similar to the portrait he had seen in the book.

Thorin didn't notice Bard's gaze, or even if he did, he didn't care.

Because at this moment, Thorin's attention was all attracted by the piece of animal skin in Bard's hand.

He grabbed Bard's hand, took the hide in his own, and spread it out, his pupils shrinking slightly. "This is Azog's mark. Even though it's damaged like this, I can confirm that it is its mark."

Then Thorin suddenly raised his head, stared at Bard intently, and asked in a voice that was almost a growl: "Where did you pick this thing up!"

Bard shrugged, not frightened by Thorin's appearance. Instead, he took out a few more pieces of animal skin clothing with the same mark from his arms with a relaxed expression and shrugged: "Well, if you are interested in this kind of thing, I don't mind selling it to you."

Thorin's expression was obviously stunned, and then puzzled.

Balin had the same expression, but he looked at Tanes and asked, "Mr. Tanes, can you help us explain what's going on?"

Tanes said, "Let's go inside and talk with the others. Otherwise, Fili and Kili will be lying at the door and eavesdropping on our conversation, which is quite tiring."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a noisy sound of footsteps behind the door behind Thorin and Balin, accompanied by the cries of some dwarves.

"You stepped on my foot!"

"Shut up! You just pulled out some of my beard!"

Thorin walked to the door with an expressionless face and pushed it open. The quiet atmosphere inside immediately became noisy.

The moment Thorin opened the door, the other dwarves in the room began to pretend that they had not been eavesdropping at the door, but instead laughed out loud with their companions, as if they were all talking about some interesting topic.

The corners of Thorin's eyes twitched a few times. He remembered that when Balin called him out of the house, these dwarves were arguing over Smaug's awakening, their faces red and their necks thick, spitting directly in each other's faces, and even their beards were shaking with anger.

There is no such harmonious scene as now.

Thorin's Adam's apple moved a few times, and the last words he wanted to say turned into a sigh: "Taneis, come in and tell us what's going on."

It didn't take long for Tanes to tell the dwarves the news and speculation he had just learned, and the dwarves, including Thorin, fell silent.

Bilbo blinked, noticing that Bofur, who usually loved to tell jokes, had a serious look on his face.

He didn't like this heavy atmosphere very much, but he didn't know what to say to liven it up.

If only Gandalf were here at this moment.

The same thought as Tanes's came to his mind.

Dwalin was the first to speak, breaking the silence. "Sir Tanes, are you suggesting that you suspect Azog is responsible for the dragon's awakening? Is that even possible? How could such a mighty dragon obey the orders of an Orc scum?"

Tanis replied, "You are right, Dwalin, the dragons will not take Azog seriously. But Gandalf has been telling me that he is worried about the return of an enemy. He supports Thorin's plan to retake the Lonely Mountain because it is a very important strategic location. So I believe that the one who awakened the dragon from his slumber was the enemy that Gandalf had been worried about, and Azog sent his men to the Lonely Mountain with his orders."

Gloin patted his face, stroked his fiery red beard, and said, "Whether it is true or not, we must be prepared—prepare for the dragon's attack."

Kili suddenly raised his hand, then asked in confusion, "Gloin, why do we have to prepare to face the dragon? Didn't Teacher Tanes say that the dragon wouldn't listen to Azog at all?"

Fili pressed down his brother's hand and explained, "That dragon won't listen to Azog, but that doesn't mean Azog can't have the evil dragon attack us. For example, when Azog conveyed his master's orders, he only needed to add 'kill all the dwarves of Durin's royal family.' Moreover, the Lonely Mountain has always had a close relationship with us, and the evil dragon itself has a blood feud with us, so there is a high probability that it will really do so."

Balin said worriedly at this time: "Shouldn't we leave the Woodland Kingdom and return to the Blue Mountains to gather our forces and prepare to fight Smaug?"

Thorin shook his head slightly. "No, we can't go back. Balin, have you forgotten how the representatives of the Seven Dwarf Kingdoms rejected me? The tragic experience of the Lonely Mountain is still fresh in their minds. If they really knew that Smaug would fly to the Blue Mountains, I can already imagine them hiding in the mountains, not daring to come out."

Balin pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Tanes also spoke up: "I do not agree with going back now, but for different reasons than Thorin's: I need Thorin as bait to attract the evil dragon. I plan to kill it in the palace you dwarves built while it still likes to nestle among the gold in the Lonely Mountain."

Qili said again in confusion, "Teacher Tanes, why is this happening?"

This time, Fili did not stop his brother from asking questions, and showed the same confused look.

Tanes said, "Whether it's you or Bard, all of you who have seen Smaug have mentioned that Smaug can fly, and can fly very high. If we were outside the Lonely Mountain Palace, even I would not be able to kill a dragon flying in the clouds. But if we were inside the Lonely Mountain Palace with its height restrictions—"

"—Then there might be many ways for me to kill it."

　PS: Dear readers, happy second day of the Lunar New Year!! I wish you all the best and may the God of Wealth come to you!!!

　　Asking for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets (the tough guy kneels down)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)