Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1123 1105. My pleasure

After Lan En got the Arken Stone in his hand, he did not take it into his arms. Instead, he leaned down and looked at the hobbit who handed over the stone seriously.

 “And you, Bilbo Baggins?”

 “You gave me this gem, what will you do?”

"I?"

Bilbo was stunned at first, as if he had never thought about this matter about himself.

 He ​​seemed a little at a loss as to what happened, but in the final analysis, he never changed his mind and never took another look at this radiant gem.

Bilbo's hands subconsciously grabbed the corners of his clothes and rubbed them.

"According to the contract, I own a quarter of the treasure in this lonely mountain. Although I don't know if it is appropriate, but I think it makes sense to exchange this quarter of the treasure for the Arken gems?"

 “I’m turning it over to you now, hoping you can use it to save Thorin, well, that’s it.”

Bilbo pursed his lips when he spoke. It was obvious that he didn't have much confidence in what he said. After all, the value of the king's gem is too great, and it is not only about value, but also about power.

Lan En frowned and still didn't relax.

"I'm not asking you about the legality of this gem. What I'm asking is: Have you been on this arduous and dangerous journey for a year, and in the end you have to give up all the gains from your adventure?"

 “Aha.”

Hearing this, Bilbo chuckled and breathed a sigh of relief, as if the issue of interests brought up by Lan En was countless times easier than the legal and moral issues just now.

 “You mean the reward for taking the risk? No, I don’t care. Really, not at all.”

The hobbit seemed to become more relaxed when he talked about this aspect. He straightened his chest and raised his head, and the hand that was rubbing the corners of his clothes uneasily was inserted briskly into his belt.

"Of course, traveling far in the wilderness, being chased by orcs, and being blocked by various monsters are difficult and dangerous experiences. But...enough is enough, Lan En."

 The hobbit had a satisfied smile on his face.

“I have met many friends and seen many things. I will definitely add these things to the book I write after I return!”

“I also picked up an acorn at Beorn the Skinchanger’s house. I will plant it in my garden when I return to Bag End.”

“These are the rewards of my adventure. It’s nice to have gold as a reward, but now”

The hobbit's tone became serious and uneasy.

"It's obvious that something is wrong with Thorin. And his problem may bring all the dwarves into danger. They are all my friends, and of course you are also my friend."

“I know that dwarves are very stubborn, difficult, suspicious, mysterious, and have bad daily habits, but I have traveled with them for a whole year, and I also know that they are brave, kind, and loyal to their friends. "

“If I can give up my wealth to save my friends from danger, I guess I have nothing to care about.”

“Lan En, I love my friends, so I am willing to do my best to save them.”

The brazier that the dwarves temporarily moved to the city gate made a small popping sound, and the firelight also swayed on several people.

Lan looked seriously at the face of the equally serious hobbit opposite him and remained silent for a long time.

 Suddenly, the witcher's lips turned into a smile.

This smile came from sincere admiration, so it was so radiant and beautiful that it even made the hobbits temporarily forget the brilliance of the Arken Stone and became a little dazed.

 “It is a great honor, Mr. Baggins.”

"What?"

Bilbo asked blankly.

“It’s my honor to be your friend,” Lan repeated, explaining.

The hobbit opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

But the Ellu cat next to him had already pounced on Bilbo, rubbing its furry face hard against the hobbit's face.

 “So handsome, Bilbo!”

The calico kitten looked at the hobbit and almost had starry eyes.

Bilbo was at a loss and wanted to push the velvet ball away: "No, wait! What? Your hair is on my head!"

Lan En, on the other hand, became serious after standing up straight, and walked towards the depths of the lonely mountain.

As he walked inside, he also passed the King's Hall, which was filled and solidified with liquid gold. The shocking gold floor shone with a psychedelic light.

 It seems that just by looking at it, you have experienced a dream of wealth and luxury.

 But Lan En noticed even more that the gold exuded the smell of the buried dragon.

These golds have been entrenched by evil dragons for a long time, and they carry the evil aura of the evil dragons.

 Lan En’s spirit has already proven his resilience and strength in the world of fire and Eldridge’s darkness, so for him, these golds only look good at best.

Following the trail, Lan En also arrived at the kingdom’s treasure house in the lonely mountain. But before entering the door, he found several dwarves standing dejectedly at the door.

 “Is Thorin in there?”

 Lan asked directly and neatly.

　　Sitting on the large piece of gravel next to the door, Kili nodded slowly and slowly with his hands on his knees.

 At this time, all the dwarves put on armor and weapons.

  Dwarf armor is the same as their architectural style. It uses many geometric lines to make the armor appear angular, hard and thick, just like an iron pillar.

Smaug raided the Lonely Mountain back then, so there was still a sufficient amount of weapons and equipment in the armory that had not been consumed. Coupled with the dwarves' superb craftsmanship and high-quality ore raw materials, these weapons and equipment can still be used even now.

 “Are you preparing for war?”

Lan En asked as he looked at the group of dejected and obviously depressed dwarves.

"In order to defend the Lonely Mountain, each of us is willing to sacrifice our lives." Qili first raised his head and said, but then he lowered his head again in confusion.

"But it shouldn't be like this. This is not the glorious battle we expected."

Opposite Qili, Fili was holding a helmet feebly: "We are not afraid of sacrifice for the lonely mountain, but at least we have to die with honor to be considered a sacrifice, right?"

“I’m sorry, Lan En. We just invited you to be our guest. We also ate the food distributed to us by the refugees from Lake Town in Riverdale City and used their blankets to keep out the cold. But now”

Feli's fingers tangledly caressed the helmet in his arms, and his gauntlets scratched the edges, making bursts of monotonous steel friction sounds that echoed in the dead and empty lonely mountain.

“It’s such a sad life these days.” Orui sighed in a monotonous and hollow voice. "Even if we are hungry and sleeping in the wilderness in the wilderness, we are more comfortable than now. At least our hearts are clean and full of hope."

 Ori is a dwarf who has the same hobbies as Bilbo. He often carries a notebook and pen with him to record his experiences.

But Bilbo wanted to write a wonderful book, while he wanted to simply record it as information.

Bombo, who has always been generous and fat, also nodded frequently.

"The people of Changhu Town suffered a disaster because of us and took care of our people. They should be compensated and rewarded anyway. They don't want much, even if they deduct it from my share? The result is like this. It makes us feel uncomfortable.”

 After finishing speaking, he seemed to realize that his wording was not quite right, and Bombo quickly made amends.

"Of course, I'm not complaining about Thorin. May his beard grow forever. But I have to say. Why is he suddenly so stubborn these days? Even I think he is stubborn."

After Bombo finished speaking, Kili nodded in agreement, then raised his head and looked at the witcher.

"Lan, aren't you a wizard? Like Gandalf? Can you use magic to find the Arken Stone? When he once led us, Thorin was a humble and sensible man. Now Thorin is focused on this stone, Maybe it will be better if you find it!”

Lan En had not yet responded, but Groin, who was standing aside with an ax in his arms, opened his mouth to retort.

"You don't understand, Kili. You and Fili were born and raised in the Blue Mountains. You have never seen the Arken Stone, and you don't really know what it is."

 “But I’ve seen it.”

Gloin was holding a necklace pendant in his hand. Inside was a small portrait of his wife and child. Lan En heard that the child was called Jimli.

“I was young when the Arken Stone was dug up, but I remember that something was not right in the Lonely Mountain Kingdom from then on. Thror became increasingly restless and asked the dwarves to dig deeper.”

“It’s like forgetting what our ancestors woke up from the depths of Moria because they dug too deep and too recklessly, which ultimately led us to flee our original home.”

"The smelted gold has also been reduced in circulation. If it doesn't circulate, wouldn't it just be a stone? But Thrall just likes to watch the gold pile up, just like in a treasure house."

"If you ask me, Thorin has taken over the responsibilities of the king during our most difficult time, and he has performed it well. He has brought a bunch of our displaced dwarves to settle down again. Who else can do a better job than him? ?”

“Now that he has recaptured Elbor, he is the king! No gems are needed to prove it!”

 Kili still has hope for the Arken Stone.

 “But I heard from the story that the gemstone is so bright that it can bring strength to its owner!”

Groin's response to this was also very direct. The dwarf snapped the necklace pendant closed and sneered.

 “Hey, it’s shit!”

 Kili and Fili are young after all. Since they have never seen the Arken Stone, they have no confidence to refute Groin.

Several dwarves expressed their opinions more or less. Lan En nodded slightly to show that he understood.

"I'll go in and talk to Thorin. No matter what, the current situation can't be delayed any longer."

 Lan patted the stone wall of this dwarven city.

“The townspeople of Lake Town cannot afford to wait, the elves are also aggressive, and the credibility and reputation of the dwarves will only get worse and worse.”

"Yes." Fili couldn't help but nod, "The family's reputation and glory are more important than anything else!"