Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1116 1098. The Desolation of Smaug

Lan En patted the chest that was pushed open by Qilin indifferently.

When he cut off the Qilin's Cang Horn before, he used a sword blade and the Qilin cooperated very well, so the fracture of the crystal horn was very smooth, unlike the last time when the Golden Lion was broken off by force, it looked like a jagged dagger. Like cutting off stubble.

But Qilin was not done yet. It was like a big dog approaching step by step. It lowered its head to challenge Lan En and deliberately showed him the broken horn on its head.

'How about it? Don’t you feel sorry for me? Um? ’

The meaning of ancient dragon is passed on through the variant [Yaxi Seal].

“Then what do you want to do?” Lan En pushed forward with both hands, pushing the head of Qilin away from him. "I want to train you, but you just have to run away first every time!"

Turning his unicorn ruby-like eyes, he seemed to have eight hundred eyes, but in fact his mind was still empty and innocent.

It seems that Lan En's words are indeed good when he thinks about it.

Every time it follows the witcher to a new place, as long as the environment doesn't look too dangerous, it will become more playful. Compared to fighting and exercising, it is more interesting to play by yourself.

After all, it is a young unicorn that is less than ten years old.

However, after finishing speaking, the demon hunter patted the Qilin's head without the pale horn with his hand, a little uncertainly.

"But... is it an illusion? Why do I feel that you are very accustomed to losing your horn now?"

“Your legs were weak for a day last time, right?”

Qilin himself also tilted his head a little strangely and kicked his hooves.

 “Whoops!”

 ‘I don’t know, I don’t care, it’s okay anyway. ’

 It is also a characteristic of Qilin that he doesn't bother to care about the changes in his body as long as it doesn't interfere with his body.

But this is indeed a good thing. Originally, Lan En was thinking of making a tow truck to drag the unsteady Qilin away.

 Now it seems that the unicorn can pull a cart.

 After Qilin scampered away, Lan gently hammered Smaug's body with his fist.

The scales of this corpse are still hard, and the dragon skin under the scales is still very tough.

Needless to say, before being burned by the light of Eärendil on the Sword of the Lady of the Lake, it was able to withstand the charged slash of [Turbid Current: Destruction] and the material did not deform at all, which really made Lan En feel Surprise.

It also gave him the urge to do something with Smaug's body materials. It happened that his armor was also broken now.

 This is also the reason why he did not directly leave 【turbid current·annihilation】 on the corpse last night.

He was afraid that after his sword ate up Smaug's corpse, it would affect the scale material of the corpse.

 After all, Lan En didn’t know whether Smaug’s extraordinary defense was connected to its soul or other aspects.

Since the weather is about to get colder now, the corpse is still in the burned-out Changhu Town and can be left there for a few more days.

If Thorin has restarted the furnace in the Lonely Mountain, he might be able to find some skilled armorers among the dwarves who have returned to the Lonely Mountain Kingdom.

"let's go!"

Bard, who couldn't wait to see his child, shouted not far behind Lan En.

The witcher patted Smaug's scales again, turned around and walked with him towards the outside of Long Lake Town.

—

The north shore of Changhu Lake is a large foothill **** extending from Gushan.

Although he has seen it from afar many times, this is the first time Lan En has walked to this land.

 This land is now known as the Desolation of Smaug.

 The origin of the name is naturally the evil dragon that wreaked havoc and destroyed towns in the Gushan area a long time ago.

 Before it got this name, it was a wealthy and famous area.

 The plain at the foot of the large gently sloping mountain is rich in water and grass. It is a natural pasture suitable for grazing and is full of cattle and sheep.

 The wealth of Gushan attracted a diverse population, and people built roads and maintained trade.

 Horses drove by day and night, carrying gold and gems mined from the solitary mountains.

With abundant resources, the dwarf craftsmen in Gushan generally have high level of craftsmanship, and the various handmade arts they produce are also the focus of trade.

At one time, the center of the toy market in the northern part of the continent was at the foot of the Lonely Mountain, and it became a wonder in Middle-earth.

Countless people, whether free men of Rohan or travelers from Gondor.

They are all willing to come here to see the world-famous wealth, and they also bring endless vitality to this place.

But now, the Desolation of Smaug lives up to its name.

There are no pastures or pastures anymore. The water source is obviously still there, and the light and temperature in the sky have not changed, but it has become a Gobi Desert full of gravel and loess.

There are only a few exceptionally tough weeds occasionally swaying in the wind on the ground, but the thinness and yellowness of these weeds do not make people feel comfortable and lively, but make them even more frightened.

There used to be lush woods here, but now there are only occasional burnt and carbonized tree stumps, which are the only traces of the woods.

“Just looking at the ruins of River Valley City, I can roughly imagine the prosperity of this city back then. But...”

Riding on the back of Qilin, Lan said to Bard who was riding another horse left by the elf.

“Just because I can imagine the prosperity of this city, the desolation surrounding the city now makes me feel even more abnormal.”

“This land can hardly support even a small village.”

Bard pulled the reins and shook his head. His ears had almost recovered under the effect of [Early Recovery Stone]. The small coat of arms was also returned to Lan En, so he could hear clearly and his voice was no longer shouting. of.

 “Smaug destroyed this place.”

“This place was once green and grassy and rich in products. But the breath of the evil dragon has been lingering on this land for a long time, and the vitality has been destroyed.”

 “But it doesn’t matter!”

 At first, Bud was very depressed, but then he cheered up. "Smaug is dead, but our people haven't lost much. It's a good thing that people are still here. Not to mention we still have gold!"

“As long as Thorin pays us gold as agreed, we can rebuild our home!”

 Gold will bring trade flows, which will not only bring materials, but also people who come and go.

 The breath of order and light will dilute the evil dragon's evil spirit. The conditions in this area are not bad. As long as the evil spirit disappears, the water and soil here will soon be rejuvenated.

Just like in Radagast’s home, when dark forces invade the past, vegetation and animals begin to die in an instant.

 But when the dark power is driven away, it can be restored quickly.

Bard’s view is more optimistic, but that’s OK.

Now that even Smaug, the biggest scourge in the Lonely Mountain region, is dead, their lives should get better, right? It should be okay to be optimistic.

By the time Lan En and Bard walked through the Desolation of Smaug, the lonely snowy mountain was already very close to them.

The River Valley City was built not far from the Gushan Kingdom. This distance shows the original harmony and trust between the dwarves and humans.

 It only takes less than an hour to walk.

 It has been a long time since so many people gathered in River Valley City.

The built -in buildings and walls that were originally burned were broken by the impact of Long Yan and the tower where the opening of the mouth was squeezed there in the town people in Changhu Town.

As soon as Lan En and Bard appeared, the townspeople cheered happily.

 And they poured out from the city gates and surrounded them in the center.

 People laughed or cheered to express their happiness and gratitude.

 In this geographical position, it was difficult to miss the scene like a brazier in Changhu Town last night.

The townspeople could also clearly see the scene where the evil dragon, which spread its wings enough to cover a fifth of the town, fell to the sky and never got up again.

Everyone knows that the biggest scourge in the Gushan area is dead!

Just last night, they witnessed the birth of a dragon-slaying epic!

 “Tell us, Bard! Tell us how you killed the dragon!”

People shouted as they walked towards the dilapidated city.

Bard smiled back at the townspeople who were cheering with joy and goodwill, but his arms tightly hugged the three children he rushed out for the first time.

Lan En, who was already known as the "Dragon Slayer", just smiled and walked away silently.

These appreciations and respects are best left to Bard.

After all, Bard is already the most prestigious person among the refugees in Long Lake Town, and he has demonstrated his sense of responsibility and ability in a series of emergencies.

In any case, he can be regarded as the leader of this group of townspeople.

He needs this prestige.

Of course, Lan En will also feel a little proud if the legendary story of archers and silver-haired warriors holding giant swords killing dragons comes out in the end.

 Lan still likes to hear others praise him.

 There is a dark and refreshing feeling.

Lan En, who was whistling, saw four dwarves not far from the gate of River Valley City, carrying packages and preparing to leave the city.

Kili, who was hit by an arrow in his leg, was almost healed by the dwarf's toughness.

　　His brother Fili, Oin and Bofur were each wrapped in a blanket and had weapons hanging on their bodies. The four of them were about to leave the city in light clothing.

 “Hey! Look, it’s Lan En!”

Bofur’s beard curled up, pointing at the witcher and shouting happily.

The other dwarves also shouted happily, they have always had a relaxed character.

 Lan also waved and walked towards them with a smile.

 “Where are you going?”

 Four dwarves have been helping the residents of Changhu Town move to the ruins of River Valley City since yesterday daytime.

And as rare warriors among the townspeople, they spontaneously picked up weapons last night and acted as guards.

In return, the townspeople also gave them precious food and blankets to keep out the cold.

 “We have to go to the Lonely Mountain. Smaug has rushed out, and I think things might not be good inside.”

Bofur heard Lan En ask, and the cheerful smile on his face stopped unconsciously, and he pursed his lips and said.

"But no matter how bad it is, we should always go in and take a look. Even if Thorin and the others are gone, we should go in to end this long journey. Let them have some dignity."

"I think you can be optimistic. Smaug was probably beaten out yesterday."

Lan En patted Fili beside him on the shoulder and said.

"Maybe."

 But it may be that Smaug's evil reputation was so heavy that Fili didn't dare to have too many good expectations, and just responded to Lan En's words in a low voice.

 Fili took this as Lan En's relief to them.

"But after all, we have to go in to find out." Fili forced himself to smile at the witcher.

“When we finish cleaning Elbor, we will definitely invite you to our king’s hall as a guest!”

 “I’m looking forward to visiting Gushan when the time comes.”

The dwarves and witchers patted each other as a farewell greeting.