American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

"Now it's time to settle our score." With no one in the way, Mike picked up Sophia and carried her into the room.

It must be said that half-elf women have their own advantages; they are beautiful, but their bodies are not as slender as those of elven women.

Chapter 594 Departure

"We haven't been to those distant places either. We only know that many dark creatures have recently appeared in the Dark Forest (Valley) and the Northern Mountains (Misty Mountains)..."

"Among them, ogres, orcs, and giant spiders are the most dangerous. Rangers of average strength can only run for their lives when they encounter them."

"Of course, these dark creatures also have their weaknesses. For example, ogres and orcs are terrified of sunlight. So, on a sunny day, the outskirts of the forest are relatively safe..."

David is indeed a seasoned veteran; he has a wealth of information and experience.

At this moment, he was sitting obediently opposite Mike, and dutifully told him everything he had been holding back.

Beside him, the young ranger Sam obediently squatted down. Every now and then, he would steal glances at the handsome young man in the upper position with an "admiring" look.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window and shone on Mike's profile, giving him an air of mystery.

As for the half-elf Sophia, she had already gone to the back room to rinse her mouth several times. Now she was rubbing her knees while glaring "resentfully" at Mike beside her, who seemed to be doing nothing at all.

"What, you're not convinced?" After listening to the old ranger's words of experience, Mike finally had a chance to turn and look at Sophia.

As a normal man, he wouldn't be polite to a bad woman.

"Hmph~" As if she had been greatly wronged, Sophia snorted coldly and turned her head away, her gaze somewhat evasive.

You should know that last night, she suffered terribly at the hands of this man who was disguised as a fat sheep.

"Very well~" Seeing that the half-elf woman had no objections, Mike glanced at the three people before him and said, "Just like I said before, we're even now. From now on, we'll go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other~"

Although these three had ill intentions, they did not deserve to die. Mike had already punished Sophia last night, and now he had learned more about Middle-earth from David and Sam.

The two sides have reached a settlement.

"Well then, goodbye~" Mike stood up to say goodbye, "I hope you can all turn over a new leaf and become good people in the future."

Watching the other person leave so casually, Sofia looked lost and forlorn.

"Big Sister, are you alright?" Sam the Invisible Man asked with concern. He had never seen Sophia with such a complicated expression before.

“I’m fine,” Sofia said through gritted teeth, her eyes flashing. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to Lonely Mountain too.”

"Huh? The three of us combined are no match for that man. Chasing him to Lonely Mountain wouldn't make a difference, would it?" Sam analyzed in a simple-minded way.

At this moment, David, who was older, shook his head as he looked at Sam's silly appearance.

His half-elf leader was clearly "bewitched" by that Mr. Mike, and his pursuit of Lonely Mountain wasn't necessarily for revenge.

A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea.

"Getting to Lonely Mountain requires traversing the entire Middle-earth, and we're bound to encounter many unknown dangers along the way. With our team's strength, it's unlikely we'll be able to reach it safely..." David, having regained his composure, explained the difficulty of reaching Lonely Mountain.

“We can go to the northern mountains first and gather some powerful rangers. I believe some of them will be interested in the dwarven treasure in Lonely Mountain.” After calming down, Sophia quickly came up with a feasible plan.

The wages of avarice is death.

It's no secret that the Lonely Mountain hides a treasure of dwarves; there are always reckless people tempted by that immeasurable wealth.

Moreover, Mike had just asked David a lot about the northern mountains, and Sophia had a premonition that she would see him there again.

So, without Sam's knowledge, Sophia and David came up with a plan to first recruit people in the northern mountains and then head to Lonely Mountain.

Meanwhile, in Hobbiton, Thorin, not wanting Mike to get there first, led the dwarves on their journey to the Lonely Mountain at the crack of dawn.

When Bilbo, who loved to sleep in, woke up, the dwarf and wizard were no longer in the house.

Only the wealth-sharing agreement left by Thorin remained on the dining table.

“Perhaps I should go and help the dwarves reclaim their homeland. Maybe I can see Mr. Mike again on Lonely Mountain…” Last night’s experience felt like a dream, but it also truly ignited the adventurous spirit in Bilbo’s bones.

Moreover, his first human friend, the gentle-natured Mr. Mike, had also said he would go to Lonely Mountain.

Bilbo pondered for a long time in the empty room. Finally, in a moment of impulsiveness, he forgot about enjoying his breakfast, grabbed the contract on the table, and ran outside.

"Do you think Bilbo will catch up?" Balin, who hadn't even left Hobbiton, looked uncertainly at the old wizard riding a tall horse beside him.

After Gandalf's explanation last night, the dwarves have come to a clear understanding: they need a skilled "flying thief" to help them retrieve the Arkenstone from the dragon Smaug.

Bilbo Baggins, a halfling with large feet, was the perfect candidate for "The Snitch".

"Who knows?" Upon hearing the question, Gandalf couldn't help but glance back, as if to make sure Bilbo had caught up.

Seeing that the old wizard was not in high spirits, Balin could only turn to the other dwarves around him and exchange ideas.

"It's a dangerous journey, and I don't think that hobbit has the guts..."

“Indeed, he has a good life and doesn’t need to go on an adventure with us…”

"Perhaps he's enjoying his breakfast in that cozy little house right now..."

Most of the dwarves were not optimistic, but Bilbo had the courage to take the risk.

Only the gentlemanly Chili said to Bilbo, "I can tell that the hobbit is kind, so I think he is very likely to come and help us."

When the dwarves saw that Qili was speaking up for an outsider, they all started to jeer.

“Oh, wanna make a bet, Kili? I bet all the money I have on me… ten gold coins. The hobbits won’t catch up…”

“Count me in, I also bet the hobbits won’t catch up… three gold coins…”

"I only have two gold coins..."

The naturally optimistic and carefree dwarves quickly livened up the atmosphere again.

Kili, who acted as "guarantor" for Bilbo, accepted all bets from all the dwarves except Thorin.

At this moment, Thorin, riding his dwarf brown horse at the front, naturally heard the dwarves' conversation and also knew the importance of the "Flying Thief" to the adventure team.

Therefore, although he didn't say it, he actually tried to slow down the pace of the procession so that the hobbits could catch up.

"Gandalf, do you want to play a round too?" a dwarf suddenly asked the old wizard.

“Let’s play a game, ten gold coins… I’m betting Bilbo will appear…” Gandalf thought for a moment and then gave the hobbit his trust.

Just then, Bilbo, whose big feet had traversed almost half of Hobbiton, appeared behind them, having climbed over a small hill.

"Hey, wait for me... I've decided to become a 'flying thief' and help you get back the [Arken Gem] that belongs to you..."

Upon seeing the dwarves, Bilbo ran and shouted excitedly.

At his shout, the old wizard and the dwarves turned around and smiled one after another.

"Looks like I won the bet. I'll honor my loss and pay up!" Qi Li's smile was particularly bright.

It's the satisfaction of receiving positive feedback after giving trust.

The dwarves who lost the bet weren't angry; they all opened their purses and threw them to Kili and the old wizard.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Bilbo caught up with the adventure team and witnessed this strange scene.

"Welcome, Bilbo. We've already prepared a miniature pony for you..."

The dwarves naturally didn't want Bilbo to find out about their bet, so the dwarves who lost money greeted Bilbo and then enthusiastically helped him climb onto an empty pony.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's continue!" Thorin, who was already eager to get to Lonely Mountain, nodded to the newly joined Bilbo and quickened the pace of the whole group.

Meanwhile, where no one could see, a relaxed smile appeared on Thorin's lips.

……

Chapter 595 Ogres and Villages

"Mr. Mike, we're heading into the depths of a dark forest. We're preparing to turn back the way we came. Would you like to come with us?"

At the outer edge of the dark forest (valley), a bearded ranger approached Mike for instructions.

The Middle-earth is a vast continent. A week has passed since Mike left the Shire, and he, who walks only on two legs, is still wandering around the outskirts of Mirkwood.

"My goal is precisely to cross this dark, dense forest and reach the northern highlands (the Misty Mountains)," Mike said, rising with a smile. "So let's part ways here. Have a safe journey back!"

During his time in the Dark Forest, Mike had encountered several goblin-hunting teams. If circumstances allowed, he wouldn't mind traveling with them.

It was under these circumstances that Big Beard Gru's team encountered Mike.

At the time, Gru and a dozen rangers were hunting a group of green-skinned goblins when they unexpectedly encountered a squad of orcs.

Just then, Mike happened to pass by and easily eliminated the orc, saving Gru and the others.

Out of gratitude, Gru's team escorted Mike deep into the forest for most of the day.

It's time to part ways now.

Gru had originally intended to dissuade Mike from venturing into the depths of the forest, but remembering Mike's impressive skill in eliminating orcs, Gru swallowed his worries and instead offered his blessing: "I also wish you a safe journey to the northern highlands."

"If you have the chance in the future, you can come find me in the small mountain town outside the dense forest. I will treat you to the finest wine then~"

The rangers who had also been saved by Mike extended invitations and wished him a safe journey.

"See you again sometime~" Mike said goodbye to the rangers again and turned to walk into the depths of the dark forest.

Furthermore, deep within the dark and dense forest, the vegetation is tall and lush, and the ground is perpetually shrouded in an unyielding black mist, making it difficult for sunlight to reach this area.

This makes the danger level deep in the dense forest several times greater than that of the outer areas.

"Do you think Mr. Mike can safely cross the dark forest?"

“I don’t think it’s a big problem… I’ve heard there’s a lone ranger in the northern highlands called ‘Big Step,’ who often traverses the mountains alone. Mr. Mike’s skills shouldn’t be any worse than his…”

"Big Steps" is not a very nice nickname. It refers to a wandering knight who suddenly appeared in the northern highlands in recent years. Because of his eccentric personality, love of going alone, and high skills, he was given this strange and derogatory name.

Of course, "Big Step" is also a celebrity among the wandering knights.

Just as the group was getting into the conversation about who was more capable, Mike or "Bigfoot," Gru spoke up to stop them, saying, "We've all witnessed Mr. Mike's abilities, and we're confident he can get through the jungle safely. Let's not discuss it any further."

"Now we should focus on ourselves and set off before it gets dark!"

While the outer edges of the dense forest are relatively safe, they are still very dangerous at night.

After being reminded by Gru, the group stopped dawdling, packed their belongings, and retreated out of the dense forest.

On the other side, Mike, who had entered the depths of the dense forest, could clearly feel that the forest had already darkened even before the sun had set.

That misty feeling was like someone had covered your eyes with a veil.

"What a terrible environment~" Looking at the black mist floating around him and the stench of decay filling his nostrils, Mike frowned and decided to quicken his pace to get through the depths of the dense forest as soon as possible.

Although he really wanted to experience life in the Middle-earth, there was no need to force himself to suffer.

The next day, Mike, who had been traveling all night, had not encountered any humans since entering the depths of the forest, but he did see several dilapidated villages.

They also encountered several groups of wandering orcs, and two lone trolls.

There's not much to say about the orcs; these legendary hybrids of humans and orcs wouldn't even survive a second hit from Mike.

The two ogres, on the other hand, had skin as hard as rock and were both over five meters tall, running like heavy tanks.

Mike used a bit more effort to eliminate them. Of course, he also gained a considerable amount of gold coins afterward.

Yes, these trolls are different from the roaming orcs; they have a strong sense of territory.

Once they occupy a territory, they will devour all the surrounding resources and also collect the wealth left behind by their prey.

To humans living in the dense forest, ogres are even more terrifying than orcs.

"Hmm, such a strong smell of blood~"

Mike, who had been traveling all night, was about to rest for a while when he suddenly smelled a strong scent of blood.

"It's not far from here, it looks like a medium-sized village..." Mike, who had flown high into the sky, saw thick smoke and heard the noisy wails of humans.

Without thinking twice, he immediately flew at full speed toward the scene of the incident and arrived there in the blink of an eye.

This was indeed a medium-sized village, with many wooden houses demolished by brute force, and limbs and flames scattered everywhere.

In the center of the village, three ogres were herding hundreds of villagers together like sheep. Any human who resisted would be smashed into mincemeat by the ogres' weapons.

"Bot, be careful. This is our rations for the next while. If you smash it, it won't taste good..."

“William is right…only whole rations can give you that burst of flavor…”

"Okay, I'll try to be careful. It's just that these two-legged sheep are too fragile..."

Their enormous appetites and volatile tempers make it difficult for ogres to get along with each other, and they usually travel alone.