American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

King Elrond walked to the stone table, unfolded the map of the dwarves, and let it bask fully in the bright moonlight.

"Well? Can you tell me what's written on it?" Thorin put away his arrogance and looked at the Elf King expectantly.

Even the ancestors of the dwarves probably never imagined that many years later the dwarves would break with the elves.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to leave text that only elves can understand on important maps.

Of course, this could also be said to be Thorin's own doing.

At this moment, facing the Elf King's "compromise" was entirely his own doing.

"Wait a little longer~" King Elrond didn't dwell on it. He held up the map and examined it carefully, then suddenly said, "It's here! It's indeed written in Moonlight Script..."

"When the thrush taps its wings... standing beside the gray rocks... the setting sun, with the afterglow of the Turin day... will shine on the keyhole... this is all that is written down."

The Elf King didn't keep them in suspense and directly helped Thorin translate the Moonlit script that appeared on the map.

"Thrush, grey rock, Durinri?" Thorin didn't immediately understand the code left by his ancestors. He frowned and looked at the Elf King, asking, "Is there nothing else?"

“Yes, if I’m not mistaken, this is what’s written here.” After saying that, King Elrond handed the map with the Moonlit script back to Thorin.

"Durin...Durin..." Sorin muttered to himself as he and Balin studied the text on the map by the moonlight.

However, the two dwarves could not understand the Moonlight script.

“Regardless, we should get to Lonely Mountain before Turin Day. Perhaps then we will know the answer,” Bahrain advised, drawing on his experience.

“If that’s the case, then we don’t have much time left. If we miss this year’s Turin Day, we’ll have to wait another year…” Thorin realized the seriousness of the problem and decided to call Gandalf and the others back to discuss the itinerary.

The dwarves' Dulin Day falls on the day between autumn and winter, specifically the first day of the last month of autumn, which is early November.

Nearly two months have passed since the dwarves set off, and it's now the height of summer. The adventure team has only completed a third of their journey to Lonely Mountain.

The path to the second half of Lonely Mountain will become increasingly difficult, partly due to the terrain and partly because the darkness will present a greater obstacle in the latter half.

Therefore, if the adventure team wants to reach Lonely Mountain before Turin, they must speed up their journey.

"You all go back first, I still have something to discuss with King Elrond." Gandalf still needed to talk to the Elvenking about the [Cursed Sword], so he naturally didn't have time to pay attention to Thorin's anxious mood.

To Thorin, who was very suspicious, this was a sign that the wizard had something to hide.

Finally, this descendant of the Dulin royal family glared at the wizard, then angrily called Balin and hurriedly left the palace.

"You go too, I want to speak with King Elrond alone." Gandalf gestured for Bilbo to leave as well.

Once everyone else was in the palace, King Elrond asked, "Tell me, what could be more important than helping the dwarves reclaim Lonely Mountain?"

“Look at this…” Gandalf took out a long, rectangular package from his person that exuded an ominous aura.

Unwrapping the tightly sealed leather, a black dagger was revealed inside.

"This is the [Cursed Sword], where did you get it?" King Elrond asked in surprise.

“Rudolph Highlands, Redagast and Mike went there. According to Redagast, they encountered the Witch-king of Angmar, the Ringwraith, and the Dark Lord Sauron there…” Gandalf emphasized his words at this point.

"Impossible... Sauron was killed by Emperor Isildur more than a thousand years ago, how could he possibly appear in Rudolf?" King Elrond was so surprised that he lost his composure.

However, at this moment, neither of the two people in the palace cared about this.

“But the One Ring wasn’t destroyed. Perhaps Sauron is using the power of the Ring to make a comeback. And the timing of the recent resurgence of dark forces in Middle-earth is too coincidental, as if someone is deliberately creating hype for the Dark Lord’s return,” Gandalf said, offering his speculation.

This is also the situation he fears most.

"No, the resurrection of the Dark Lord is too far-fetched. We must gather more people to discuss countermeasures... Hopefully, we're just overthinking it this time." With the [Cursed Sword] as evidence, coupled with the recent anomalies in the dark forces of Middle-earth, King Elrond was almost convinced of Gandalf's guess.

However, I couldn't help but have a sliver of hope in my heart.

“I suggest we also consider Mike. He is very powerful and might be helpful to the future situation in Middle-earth,” Gandalf then offered another suggestion.

……

Chapter 602 The Holy White Council and the Elf Princess

Meanwhile, the banquet at the mountaintop banquet hall had ended. Although the female elves who performed the dance had developed feelings for the handsome Mike, they, who advocated Platonic love, did not develop a closer relationship with Mike after just one meeting.

After escorting Mike to the elf's guest room, the female elves left while keeping an eye on each other.

"Sure enough, good looks alone aren't enough. Relationships need to be taken slowly..." Mike, who had already taken advantage of the female elves quite a bit tonight, wasn't disappointed by their departure.

Having composed himself, he sat on the stone bench and began planning his next steps.

According to the original plan, Mike intended to first tour the lands of the three elven races, but now it seems that this plan is a bit of a waste of time.

Having planned to explore every corner of Middle-earth in one trip, he could have continued eastward through the Moria Mines after leaving Rivendell and then visited the Gondorian defenses at the far east.

Next, travel downstream from the Anduin River, passing through Lothlórien (Golden Forest) and the Dark Forest (Sindar Elf territory), and finally arrive at the Lonely Mountain.

This kind of route planning is actually the most time-saving and labor-saving way to travel all over Middle-earth.

Just as Mike was readjusting his travel route, Thorin, who had just emerged from the Crystal Palace, arrived at the Elven rest area and found his dwarf companions.

As expected, Thorin informed the others about the runes on the map and the trouble the adventure party had encountered.

Upon learning that the adventure team needed to arrive before Dulin Day to enter Lonely Mountain, the dwarves all suggested setting off early the next morning.

Before that, the dwarves wanted to fill their stomachs to prepare for their departure the next morning.

So, with everyone's unanimous agreement, the dwarves secretly left the rest area and sneaked towards the elves' food storage room.

They had done this kind of thing before at Bilbo's house, so they were quite skilled at it.

Just then, Bilbo, who arrived a little later, saw the dwarves sneaking around.

"Hey, Bilbo, it's time to prove your 'Flying Thief' skills..."

Before Bilbo could ask a question, Chili and Fili quietly approached the hobbit and helped him to the group.

"You're going to steal the elves' food? That's not a good idea!" Bilbo looked surprised after learning of the dwarves' plan.

After all, stealing is never a good thing.

However, despite this, Bilbo, who had also been frustrated all the way, was eager to prove himself as a useful member of the adventure team, even if it meant taking on the role of a "thief".

So when he arrived at the Elven warehouse, Bilbo entered it alone under the watchful eyes of the dwarves, and then brought back a large quantity of sausages, smoked fish, various fresh meats, and several barrels of fine wine for them.

It must be said that the hobbits' large feet made them very talented at being "flying thieves".

"Well done..."

After praising Bilbo, the dwarves grabbed food and drinks, found a secluded grove, and prepared to have an open-air party.

"This is what humans should eat!! Bilbo, you're our lucky star, you saved the dwarves' stomachs..."

Before long, as the aroma of roasted meat and the smell of smoke filled the grove, the dwarves gradually became complacent.

Chili and Fili put their arms around Bilbo's shoulders and kept praising him, acting as intimately as brothers.

“Perhaps I can go and call Mike over; he didn’t eat much at the banquet today…” Bilbo, having received the praise, suddenly thought of his human friend.

That's why I say this person is easy to get along with.

The moment the hobbit spoke, the room fell silent. All the dwarves stopped what they were doing, their gazes shifting between Bilbo and Thorin.

The dwarves weren't stupid; they could easily tell that Thorin and that human didn't get along.

Bilbo's words were tantamount to provoking Thorin.

“You brought all this food, so of course you have the right to do with it. Besides, Mike helped us on the plains before, so he’s a friend of the dwarves…” Just as the atmosphere became tense, Kili spoke up to ease the awkwardness for the hobbits.

“Kiri is right, there’s plenty of food here, enough to feed one more person,” Philip said, adding that he was speaking up for Bilbo.

Kili and Fili are Thorin's nephews and descendants of the royal family of the Durin dwarves, and they also hold a certain degree of influence among the dwarves.

"Why are you all looking at me? Keep eating!" Thorin raised the roasted meat in his hand, not giving his nephews any face.

At the same time, by ignoring the hobbits' attempts to smooth things over, he was essentially agreeing to their proposal.

“Great, I’ll go and call Mr. Mike over right away…” Bilbo smiled as the scene returned to its lively atmosphere.

After greeting the dwarves, he ran towards the rest area.

A simple personality has its advantages; the hobbits' happiness is that simple.

"The dwarves are having a barbecue feast? Come on, let's go together!" Mike, who had already decided on his next route, decided to go and support Bilbo after hearing his description, and also improve his meals.

The vegetarian feast invited by the Elf King was quite delicious, but it lacked a bit of oil.

It's worth mentioning that although elves prefer vegetarian food, they actually eat meat.

Therefore, the vegetarian dinner that the Elf King prepared for everyone today may well have been intended to antagonize the dwarves.

While Mike was enjoying a life of leisure with the dwarves, King Elrond and Gandalf in the Crystal Palace decided to hold a temporary "White Council" meeting in Rivendell the next day.

It was a very large meeting, convened only when major decisions needed to be made in Middle-earth.

Such a meeting also requires the gathering of powerful individuals from various races, including elves, humans, dwarves, and wizards.

After extending invitations overnight to Galadriel in the Golden Forest and Saruman the White, the most powerful wizard, King Elrond and Gandalf also emerged from the Crystal Palace.

"By the way, was that dinner tonight intentionally aimed at the dwarves?" Gandalf asked the Elvenking beside him meaningfully, looking at the firelight in the distant grove and the laughter of the dwarves.

It's clear that Gandalf felt much more at ease after someone shared the burden of security issues in Middle-earth.

"Who knows?" King Elrond also saw the dwarves having a party in the grove, smiled, and showed no intention of pursuing the matter.

Furthermore, this Elf King even took away the surrounding Elf patrols.

Watching the Elvenking's departing figure, Gandalf smiled silently, then strode towards the direction of the dwarf gathering.

"I refuse to believe that humans can drink more than dwarves... For the glory of the Dulin dwarves, I'll have another drink with you..."

"Go, Groin! Don't lose to humans!!!"

"..."

When the wizard arrived at the grove, he saw Groin, who looked like a Predator, slurring his words and trying to have a drinking contest with Mike.

A group of dwarves nearby were jeering.

Of course, several dwarves also collapsed on the ground due to the drinking contest.

"Whether it's a one-on-one duel or a series of challenges, bring it on!!! I'll take any challenge..."

Mike's booming voice echoed from the crowd, and then he tilted his head back and downed a large glass of wine in front of him with gusto.

This generous and unrestrained demeanor instantly drew cheers from the surrounding dwarves.

Then it was Groin's turn. This dwarf warrior, equally unwilling to admit defeat, picked up a wine cup larger than a human head and took a long time to finish the wine inside.

Then, after shouting "Good wine!", he collapsed to the ground.

His unreliable appearance instantly evoked sighs of regret from the dwarves.

"Alright, stop fooling around. Gandalf is here." Seeing his companions' embarrassing behavior and how they were getting more and more familiar with Mike, the human, Thorin took advantage of the wizard's arrival to stop everyone.

They didn't let the dwarves continue their antics.

"Mike, are you alright? You just drank a lot of alcohol." At this moment, Bilbo also took the opportunity to go to Mike's side.

Although the hobbits were slow to realize, they could sense that Mike had been using the excuse of drinking to stand up for them.

"Do I look like I'm in trouble?" Mike asked with a smile.

“It doesn’t look like it…” Bilbo answered honestly.

Looking at Mike's calm and unbreathable appearance, he began to wonder where the several barrels of liquor the other had just drunk had gone.

Then, as Thorin deliberately controlled the dwarves' drinking, the nighttime gathering ended abruptly.

After enjoying a few pieces of roast meat, Gandalf bid farewell to the others and went to his resting place.

The next day, as sunlight streamed into the room, a female elf knocked on Mike's door.

"The Elven King and Gandalf are waiting for you at the mountain palace. They say they have something to discuss and ask you to come over." The female elf before her arrived with a mission.

“Oh, then besides King Elrond and Gandalf, who else is there?” Mike put on his clothes and walked over to the female elf.

Instantly, I caught a whiff of the fresh scent of mountain flowers and grasses; the aroma was delicate and pleasant.

The elf noticed Mike's rude behavior, but wasn't particularly annoyed. With a slight blush on her face, she turned and led the way, saying, "Besides King Elrond and Gandalf, the Elven Queen Galadriel and the White Wizard Saruman are also here today..."

Without a doubt, everyone qualified to attend the [Saint White Council] is a big shot.

"So, does that mean I'm someone of status in Middle-earth now?" Mike chatted and laughed with the female elf who was leading the way, as they followed her toward the crystal palace on the mountaintop.

The other female elves they encountered along the way all greeted Mike.