Night fell, but the Erdtree's territory remained brightly lit.
Inside Stormveil City, which usually slumbered in tranquility, the dwarves' folk songs rang out.
The songs drifted from windows where dim lights flickered, notes blossoming in the night sky, soaring towards the streets and into the heavens.
Arthur truly enjoyed these dwarves; they seemed to be full of vitality at all times, natural entertainers who brought joy to others.
Inside the City Lord Hall, Thorin looked at his compatriots, who, having drunk too much, were already standing on the dining tables and clapping along to the songs.
He said to Arthur with some embarrassment, "I apologize, my people have caused you trouble."
Arthur, however, smiled broadly as he looked at the lively hall, saying carelessly, "It's fine, Thorin. This city hasn't been this lively in a long time. Let them make noise for a while longer. Anyway, the tables they're dancing on are all cleared of food, so no food is being wasted."
Thorin glanced at his dwarf compatriots who had already started playing throwing games, precisely tossing fruits, cheese, and ham into each other's mouths, and slowly a smile appeared on his face: "My people haven't been this relaxed outside the Blue Mountains in a long time, Arthur."
Then he saw Kili also wanting to join the dwarves' food game, and his expression subtly changed.
Fortunately, Fili, noticing Thorin's expression, quickly pulled Kili back. He picked up his wine glass while elbowing Kili in the waist. Kili looked down, saw Fili's suggestive glance, then glanced at Thorin's side, and immediately sat back down, pretending to diligently finish the bacon on his plate.
Thorin's expression then returned to normal.
The City Lord Hall, where the banquet was held, was not only filled with dwarves but also some of the Golden Lineage and Mills.
As for the Elves sent by Elrond to help, they did not attend this banquet.
Arthur had invited them, and the Elves had initially agreed happily, but after hearing Thorin's name, they politely declined Arthur's invitation.
"We do not wish for discordant voices to appear at your banquet, honored wizard," the leading Elf explained gently. "The Durin line of dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, once had a conflict with another branch of our kin far away in Mirkwood. The dwarves' stubbornness and prejudice will surely mistake us for our kin from Mirkwood, so to prevent such misunderstanding, we will not disturb your banquet. May you have a pleasant evening, Lord Arthur."
Therefore, at the banquet, besides the Elves, there were only Humans and dwarves.
The demi-humans, meanwhile, were in their own caves. Compared to attending a human banquet in a sturdy castle at night, they preferred to rest in their deep, spacious caves.
During this time, Arthur had not forgotten Kenneth Haight's request for the demi-humans before he went to Thorndale.
Not long after he returned, he summoned a demi-human queen.
This demi-human queen, whose standing height reached that of a troll, very rationally expressed her gratitude to Arthur, then happily led the demi-humans to settle down and live peacefully in the countryside near Morne Castle.
If one could call the demi-humans gathering around their queen during the day and sleeping beside her at night "living peacefully and contentedly."
Anyway, Kenneth, who was most familiar with demi-humans, said that this was normal demi-human life.
The lingering afterglow of the banquet drifted away with the night wind, and the laughter of the Golden Lineage gradually faded into the air. The hands of the clock silently swept by, the lights in the banquet hall began to dim, and in the quiet, the snores of the dwarves rose and fell.
Their sleeping figures, sprawled haphazardly among the tables and chairs, appeared both unrestrained and uninhibited.
There was not a single speck of food residue on the gold and silver tableware on the tables; these dwarves truly managed to play and not waste any food.
The Golden Lineage, with lingering joy on their faces, bowed to Arthur on the main seat, then quietly bid each other farewell.
They remembered these dwarves, a simple and pure joy, without any pretense.
Mills and the others also greeted Arthur before returning.
Outside the City Lord Hall, the night was deep, and stars dotted the sky.
The moonlight, seemingly infected by the banquet's liveliness, also seemed to gently sway.
Thorin and Arthur came outside together. Because Thorin was mindful of his image and hadn't drunk excessively, he wasn't sprawled on the floor like the dwarves inside the hall.
As for Fili and Kili, unfortunately, their snores were quite loud now.
However, Thorin's flushed cheeks still betrayed his somewhat tipsy state at the moment.
He enthusiastically pulled Arthur's arm, lifted his head to look at the bright moon in the star-studded night sky, and said, "I am truly happy today, Uncle Arthur."
"Good that you're happy," Arthur replied, following Thorin's words.
He had not drunk, so he was sober.
Thorin's fingers slowly loosened. He turned his body, his gaze hazy, towards the twin Erdtrees so close at hand.
Their branches and leaves were lush, emanating a gentle and peaceful light. Those specks of light flickered in the night, like countless stars, adorning the entire Stormveil City like a golden dream.
The surrounding air became soft due to the Erdtree's light. A gentle breeze swept through, the treetops swayed softly, making rustling sounds, and golden fragments of blessing quietly fell.
"Magnificent Erdtree," Thorin praised softly, "Its light shines even in the deepest night, like an eternal sun that constantly brings hope and warmth to people."
Arthur smiled when he heard Thorin's praise.
The golden light before him seemed to open a door to past memories for Thorin, casting him back to that era illuminated by gold in his mind.
Thorin's voice was low and trembled slightly, like a distant echo, carrying an endless longing for the past: "Uncle Arthur, do you know? This golden light reminds me of the Lonely Mountain. Once, countless gold flowed from within the Lonely Mountain, and dwarves, Humans, and Elves alike gathered near it. The dwarves toiled diligently, excavating the gold veins hidden deep underground, while Humans and Elves sang in the green fields at the foot of the mountain."
Thorin's words filled the air with an unusual atmosphere, as if the glory of the Lonely Mountain was right before their eyes, and the flowing gold seemed to be right in front of him.
"But the mountain of treasures eventually attracted the covetous gaze of the dragon from the North. It brought fire and death, destroying the human towns at the foot of the mountain, and the stench of death still lingers among those ruins to this day. Then it broke into the Lonely Mountain and occupied it. My people were thus driven from their homeland, lost their pride, and have been wanderers for so many years." Thorin's voice gradually lowered.
Thorin's fists clenched, knuckles white, as if he could still hear the terrifying roar of that dragon.
Arthur listened to Thorin's nostalgic tale, gazing into the distance, as if trying to pierce through the tunnel of time, returning to the Lonely Mountain of the past, seeing that once prosperous but now desolate homeland of the dwarves.
Before his eyes appeared a scene of towering mountains, with golden riverbeds inside, but an evil dragon lay there in slumber.
Arthur gently patted Thorin's shoulder and said, "Your homeland will surely re-bloom with its own light, just like my homeland, Thorin."
"Yes, it will, it will," Thorin took a deep breath and nodded forcefully.
Then Arthur asked, "Speaking of which, when do you plan to depart for the Lonely Mountain after the meeting concludes?"
Thorin looked a bit troubled: "I can't say for sure. It depends on the outcome of the meeting half a year from now. If the representatives of the seven dwarf kingdoms don't agree, I might have to wait another year or so. If the representatives of the seven dwarf kingdoms do agree… to be honest, before I came to you, I didn't have much confidence in them agreeing to this."
Arthur smiled, motioning for Thorin to relax, and asked, "Why the lack of confidence? This isn't like the Thorin I know."
"Because 140 years ago, in the year 2799, we dwarves had just ended a war with the orcs, the Battle of Azanulbizar," Thorin said with a somber expression. "Although that war ended in a dwarf victory, it was a pyrrhic one. On the night of the victory, there was neither feast nor song, only about half of the dwarves were still able to stand, or had hope of recovery. The pain of that war still affects us to this day."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully: "So that's how it is. If the representatives of the seven kingdoms agree to your plan, it means they have to be prepared for a war with a dragon. I'm afraid this is something the dwarf kingdoms, which haven't yet recuperated and adjusted, are unwilling to face."
Thorin nodded and smiled at Arthur: "You're right, Uncle Arthur. So I'm truly happy that you can stand by my side and support me."
Arthur said, "Although you might not believe it, in my homeland, I actually slew many dragons. I'm not sure about the dragon deep within the Lonely Mountain, but my past experience tells me that facing such an overlord of the sky, confronting it with an army is not a good choice. I'm not looking down on your dwarf warriors, Thorin, but please believe me, many people, when faced with a dragon rushing down from the sky, will be so scared they forget to breathe. People with insufficient mental fortitude, facing such a behemoth, will only needlessly throw away their lives."
Thorin was silent for a moment, but the memories in his mind told him that Arthur was not wrong.
Most people, even well-trained warriors, were frozen in place when Smaug attacked.
Thorin spoke with difficulty: "You are right. What I need is not an army, but warriors full of courage, who are not afraid of death."
Seeing Thorin's expression, Arthur, fearing he might go from one extreme to another, quickly said, "You misunderstood my meaning. I only said that you cannot let the army directly confront the dragon, but they can still provide assistance. For example, once we enter the Lonely Mountain and the dragon is heavily wounded by us, if it is determined to escape, given its size, it would indeed be difficult for us to stop it. So, at that moment, what if there was a well-trained archer unit ambushing outside?"
Simply put, Arthur was advising Thorin not to directly clash with Smaug with an army.
Thorin's eyes lit up. He said, "Yes, we dwarves once forged Black Arrows capable of piercing dragon scales. We could set up several wind-bows at the main gate."
Then Thorin frowned: "However, not many Black Arrows were forged at that time, and the forging technique for Black Arrows… I'll look for it when I get back, I should still be able to find it. And I need to select warriors who will go into the Lonely Mountain with me and be able to heavily wound the dragon…"
Arthur smiled: "Don't worry, my dear Thorin. Take it one step at a time, you're not facing that dragon tomorrow. As for the warriors capable of heavily wounding the dragon, pick a few from those you trust. I will also select about three candidates from my side. I assure you, these three are absolutely great heroes, each worth a thousand."
Thorin's brow relaxed, and thinking of Nepheli Loux whom he had met today, he smiled and said, "I cannot refuse your kindness. And I promise you, after we reclaim the Lonely Mountain, you will definitely have a share of the treasures within."
However, Arthur was unaware that Thorin thought he would send Nepheli Loux; his true choice for the dragon-slayer was someone else, and he already had a definite target in mind.
Thorin took another breath of fresh air and said to Arthur, "It's getting late. I'll go inside and wake Fili and Kili. As representatives of the Durin royal family, these two got carried away and actually got drunk at the banquet. It's truly because I haven't educated them well enough."
Arthur, silently praying for the dwarf brothers in his heart, followed behind Thorin and said with a smile, "For my sake as their teacher, Thorin, just let them relax."
Thorin replied helplessly, "Alright, but just this once."
When Arthur re-entered the City Lord Hall, the attendants responsible for cleaning up were looking at the drunken dwarves, who were snoring loudly on the floor, with some difficulty.
They were important guests of Lord Arthur, so the attendants did not want to force them awake, fearing they might displease these dwarves.
"Don't worry about them, the dwarves' bodies are strong enough, just let them sleep here," Thorin said to Arthur, seeing the attendants' difficulty.
Arthur instructed the attendants: "Then bring some blankets and cover them."
"Yes, Lord Arthur," the attendants bowed slightly and left.
Arthur glanced at Thorin, then at the sleeping dwarves below, and pointed: "Do you want to sleep here with them, or go to the room I prepared for you?"
Thorin glanced at Kili, who had rolled over, hugging his leg and mumbling in his sleep, showing an expression of not wanting to look, then sighed lightly and gently pulled his leg out, saying, "I don't want to sleep on the cold floor, and besides, how can I refuse a room prepared for me by a wizard?"