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

Chapter 99 Bud's Reward

After hearing what Tanes said, Bard's eyes widened and he asked, "But the dragon's scales are harder than black iron! This is too dangerous, Mr. Tanes. I know you are a wizard, but you just saved my son. I can't watch you die."

Balin also shook his head in objection. The old dwarf's silver beard rose and fell violently with his rapid breathing. His calloused hands pressed on Thorin's shoulders: "I don't agree either, Mr. Tanes. Letting Thorin be bait? That's simply sending him into the dragon's mouth!"

"We can go be bait!"

Kili and Fili suddenly shouted in unison, and then the dwarf brothers smiled at each other.

Because they are also descendants of Durin's royal family, they will definitely attract Smaug's attention.

After hearing what the brothers said, Balin turned around abruptly and glared at the twins with disappointment, veins throbbing on his wrinkled forehead.

The old dwarf was almost saying "Why are you causing trouble?"

The house suddenly exploded, and the other dwarves also started to make noise.

Groin slammed his fist on the wooden table, Noli pushed the chair with a dull thud, and the noise of more than a dozen dwarves almost blew the roof off.

Dwalin's gruff voice rose above the clamor. "Thorin as bait? Only if you step over my dead body first, I shall be the bait."

Ori squatted in the corner and said weakly, "But can we really succeed? That's Smaug, the most terrifying creature alive."

Tanes placed his hands together, signaling the dwarves to be quiet. He then looked at Thorin seriously and said, "There is danger for sure. After all, what we are going to do is slay a dragon, not a pig to be slaughtered at will. But what is more important is whether Thorin himself is willing to be bait. If he disagrees, I have other ways, although it is likely that the chances of the dragon escaping from the Lonely Mountain will be higher."

Thorin also looked at Tanis and asked in a low voice: "If I become bait, how confident are you in killing Smaug?"

Tanes said firmly: "I am 99% sure that I can kill it. The reason I didn't say 100% is because I don't know what will happen next. But I can ensure your safety, even if I don't kill Smaug, as long as you trust me completely."

Thorin looked at the dwarves around him who were watching him, raised one hand and clenched his fist, and said loudly without thinking: "Then why should I hesitate! Of course I agree! Let us work together with Tanes to kill the dragon!"

"Oh!!! Kill the dragon!!!"

The dwarves also raised their hands and cheered with Thorin.

Thorin shouted again, "Reclaim the Lonely Mountain!"

"Take back the Lonely Mountain!" the dwarves continued to shout.

When Balin saw this scene, he could only sigh and acquiesce to Thorin's approach.

Thorin smiled with satisfaction, then looked at Bard standing aside and asked doubtfully, "Why are you still here, human? I am grateful for the information you provided to Tanes, but you can leave now."

Bud resisted the urge to roll his eyes and explained politely, "Mr. Tanes asked me to come here. I have a commission, and he said you might be able to help."

Tanis nodded. "Yes, he is Bard, one of the guards of Lake Town. When Smaug attacked Lake Town, he organized people to fight back. Of course, he has another identity, which you may be more familiar with."

Thorin looked up at Bard. He didn't think there was anything special about this human, who was dressed like a refugee or a homeless person. "What kind of identity could he have that deserves our attention? Could he be related to the mayor of Long Lake Town?"

Tanes said, "He is a descendant of Girion, the former Lord of Riverdale. I believe you and Balin are familiar with him."

Balin suddenly realized, and a trace of reminiscence flashed in his eyes.

He took the initiative to greet them, his voice as gentle as the embers in an old hearth. He also explained to the other dwarves, "Ah, so you are of Lord Girion's bloodline. No wonder your features seemed so familiar when we first met. You look very much like your ancestor, Mr. Bard. When the dragon attacked, your grandfather bravely stood up and defended Riverdale, buying precious time for the others to retreat."

Thorin folded his arms and nodded slightly, his wristbands rubbing against his clothes making a sound, which was the most solemn greeting of the dwarf royal family.

Bard shook his head, then asked anxiously, "Let those old memories lie dormant in the ashes. Now I only want to rescue my two daughters trapped in Long Lake Town. They could be sacrificed to the dragon at any time. Can you help me rescue my daughters? I am willing to pay a reward commensurate with their lives."

As Bud spoke these words, he rubbed the quiver straps hanging from his back, the leather creaking under the weight.

The dwarves looked at each other but said nothing.

Only Gloin, also a father, rapped the wooden table with his rough knuckles and asked, "I think you should explain the whole story to us. Otherwise, we dwarves never wield weapons for muddled matters."

Then he took off the water bag from his waist and pushed it over: "Drink some water to moisten your throat, and speak slowly and clearly."

Bud took the water bag but had no intention of drinking it. Instead, he explained the whole story in detail.

After Thorin finished listening, he frowned and looked at Tanes. "It sounds like this has nothing to do with our plan to kill the dragon. What was your reason for recommending him to entrust us with this, Tanes? I believe you must have your own plans."

Tanes cleared his throat and said, "There are two reasons why I think you should accept Bard's commission. First, it will allow you to leave the Woodland Kingdom smoothly. Thorin, do you think that with your relationship with Thranduil, which can be described as 'poor', he will let you leave his territory so easily? So, if you accept Bard's commission, at least Thranduil won't openly prevent you from leaving, otherwise it will affect his reputation if this matter gets out."

Thorin sneered, "Of course not. Even if the old dryad agrees for us to leave his territory, he will definitely make things difficult for us in other ways."

Even Bofur waved his recorder and said, "If he dares to obstruct us, I will weave this incident into a song in the mouths of bards, and let all Middle-earth know the coldness and ruthlessness of the pointed ears."

The other dwarves also nodded. It was obvious that they were very hostile to the elves of the Woodland Kingdom, so Tanes's reason convinced them.

Tanes continued, "The second reason is that, as Bard said, the mayor of Lake-town has, for some unknown reason, completely degenerated into a lackey of Smaug. Smaug may not care about Lake-town, but the Orcs ordered to awaken Smaug may not care. I think if we go to Lake-town, we will have a chance to capture and interrogate those Orcs alive, and find out what Azog and his men are planning." Upon hearing the name Azog, Thorin immediately said, "Yes, you are right, Tanes. We must find out what this Orc scum is planning. If I don't kill it and use its blood to comfort my grandfather and my compatriots, I will not be able to face their sacrifice."

He then looked at Bard and nodded to indicate that he accepted his commission: "I swear in the name of Thorin Oakenshield that I will rescue your daughter from the clutches of the mayor."

But Thorin frowned again: "But judging from the way you are dressed, do you really have enough money to pay us?"

Bard said confidently, "If Mr. Tanes had introduced me to someone else, even another dwarf, I wouldn't have enough money to pay him. But since your goal is to slay the dragon, I will definitely be able to pay you, even if it's not gold coins."

When the dwarves first heard Bard say that he didn't have enough money to pay the reward, they all showed disgusted expressions, but when they heard what he said later, they all looked at Bard with interest.

Thorin found the words of this descendant of the former Riverdale town quite interesting, and he let out a playful smile. "Tell me, human. Why are you so sure we would accept rewards other than gold coins?"

Bard smiled as well. "Black Arrow, dwarven gentlemen. I intend to pay you with a black arrow for rescuing my two daughters."

After hearing the name "Black Arrow", Thorin's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and he asked excitedly, "Black Arrow? You actually have a Black Arrow in your hand?"

Tanes also felt that the name sounded familiar. Then the memory of the name emerged in his mind. He said to Thorin: "Is it the arrow that can penetrate dragon scales that you mentioned?"

Thorin nodded: "Yes, Smaug will never imagine that we still have the Black Arrow. If we give the Black Arrow to old Mr. Aegon..."

But before Thorin could finish his words, he quickly calmed down and looked at Bard: "But how can we be sure that the Black Arrow in your hand is the real one? Why don't you take it out now and show it to us? Dwalin and the others are all skilled master blacksmiths. They can tell whether the Black Arrow is real or not."

But Bard shrugged and said: "Unfortunately, the Black Arrow is not in my hands now, but I swear in the name of Bard, it is absolutely the real thing."

Thorin's expression turned cold. "Words are not enough. How can we believe you just based on what you say?"

Balin showed a hesitant expression at this time and said, "Maybe what he said is true."

The other dwarves looked at Balin, and even Bard looked at the white-bearded old man with some surprise.

He didn't expect that a dwarf would speak for him, not to mention that this dwarf had previously opposed Tanes and Thorin's plan to slay the dragon.

Thorin asked, "Tell me, Balin, why do you think what he said is true?"

Balin fell into reminiscence. "Girion, Lord of Riverdale, once purchased a batch of fine weapons forged by the dwarves of Lonely Mountain from Lonely Mountain, including several black arrows capable of slaying dragons. I'm very sure this is true because I was in charge of the transaction with Girion at the time. If Bard is a descendant of Girion, then the probability of a black arrow passing down to him is very high."

Bard added, "Yes, my ancestors bought three black arrows in total, two of which were used when defending Riverdale. The remaining black arrow was not even shot before my ancestor Girion died in Smaug's dragon flame, and it has since been passed down to me."

Thorin listened to the two of them silently, glanced at Bard, sighed slightly, and said with some emotion: "If only your ancestors could aim more accurately that day, the result would be different now."

Bard retorted in a disgruntled voice, "Since you are Thorin Oakenshield, you should know that both of Girion's black arrows that day struck Smaug, lopping off a dragon scale on the left side of his chest. One more arrow and Smaug would surely die."

Thorin said nothing, but Dwalin laughed.

He looked at Bud and raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm. "That's just a fairy tale, human. Although I understand that the protagonist is your ancestor, and I stand up for him. But unfortunately, what you said is all false. The historical truth is not like that."

Bud shook his head and said again, "Forget it. Now is not the time to argue about this matter. Are you willing to accept my commission? As long as you rescue my daughter, I am willing to offer you the black arrow with both hands."

Thorin observed Bard and said, "Of course we accept it, but it's not just the Black Arrow. You need to pay extra... Let me think, thirty, no, ten gold coins."

Bard frowned. "If it's ten gold coins, I can certainly afford it. But I also have one condition: my two daughters must return to me alive and well."

Thorin nodded happily and glanced at Tanis inconspicuously. "Of course, no problem. As long as your daughters are still breathing, I promise to reunite them both with you safely and completely. Balin, you draft three contracts and give them to me, Bard, and... Bilbo respectively."

Bilbo's eyes widened and he pointed at himself: "Wait, why is there something about me in this?"

He listened to the conversation between Tanes and the others and thought that what happened afterwards had nothing to do with him.

After all, the evil dragon has awakened, so there is no need for him to sneak into Lonely Mountain to steal the gem.

Bilbo was planning to spend more time in the Woodland Kingdom to see how it was different from Rivendell, but he didn't expect Thorin to call his name.

Thorin said as a matter of course, "Since we want to rescue Bard's daughters, we must first find out where they are imprisoned. It is obvious that so many of us dwarves have entered Long Lake Town, so we need you, a thief who is good at stealth, to find the place where his daughters may be imprisoned. But this has nothing to do with the commission from Lonely Mountain, so I need to draft a new contract to entrust you. Of course, the reward is negotiable."

Bilbo hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly, "Then let me accompany you to the end. It's better to go to the human-inhabited Long Lake Town and get the two imprisoned girls than to sneak into the Lonely Mountain and steal things under the nose of the dragon."

Soon, the three contracts were signed.

Tanes looked at Thorin and Bud, who had put the contract away, and asked, "When do you plan to leave?"

Bard said, "Of course, the sooner the better. I don't know when Smaug will eat next. If you don't object, we can set out tonight. I will lead the way, but I can only take us to the outskirts of Lake Town."

Thorin nodded: "Then we will set off tonight."

　PS: I wish all readers a happy and enjoyable third day of the Lunar New Year! Delicious meals every day!
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(End of this chapter)