Bard's fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of his sleeve, repeating in a low voice, "Thorin Oakenshield?"
He had only felt the name was somewhat familiar, but then Arthur also mentioned that the other party was the heir to the Durin royal family, which made Bard recall it instantly.
Arthur keenly caught the change in his expression: "You've heard of him?"
Bard hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Although I haven't seen him in person, my ancestors once met Thorin a few times. I learned about him from books passed down by my ancestors."
Arthur asked curiously: "From Legolas's words earlier, I gathered that the arrogant King Thranduil would personally meet you. Now you say your ancestors met Thorin. I'm afraid your true identity is more than just a Lake-town Guard, right?"
Bard smiled bitterly: "You observe very carefully, Sir Arthur. I am actually a direct descendant of Lord Girion of River Valley Town, but that's all past glory. The former River Valley Town has long turned to scorched earth, and the last bloodline of the Girion family is nothing more than a guard who fled for his life with his son. Only under the wooden houses of Lake-town are the stone bricks brought from River Valley Town still buried."
Arthur's palm rested briefly on Bard's shoulder, a slight warmth coming through the coarse linen fabric: "Come with me. Let the descendant of Durin decide this fate personally."
Bernal was leaning over to examine the festering wounds of the injured, and hearing this, he looked up and made a gesture of understanding.
Igon wiped the silver scraper covered in ointment and nodded slightly to Bard: "Go ahead, don't worry. Your compatriots' injuries are not serious."
Millison quietly trailed at the end of the group, the moonlight casting the dark patterns on her cloak into flowing streams.
Bilbo tiptoed to avoid the scattered bandages on the ground, and whispered to Bard, "Don't worry, Thorin and the others are a bit loud, but they are all very kind dwarves."
Bard originally wanted to say that he didn't think the dwarves of the Durin royal family were very kind, but seeing Bilbo's unconditional trust in Thorin's smile, he could only nod silently.
On the way, Arthur asked Bard: "When Smaug was rampaging in Lake-town, did you counterattack? I want to know if that Dragon has any obvious weaknesses."
Bard fell into memory: "When Smaug first flew to Lake-town, I personally led a few soldiers who trusted me to counterattack him. But what made me despair was that Smaug's black Dragon scales were extremely hard, and ordinary weapons could not harm him. Even when I used a wind crossbow to shoot, the crossbow bolts bounced off his scales. I'm sorry, I tried every method, but I don't know where Smaug's weakness is."
Arthur showed a surprised expression after hearing Bard's words.
He didn't expect that this human, when facing a Dragon descending from the sky, not only didn't lose courage but tried everything to fight.
The descendant of the dignified Lord of River Valley Town truly lived up to his reputation.
Arthur sighed in his heart.
But ordinary weapons can't harm Smaug? However, The Lands Between's weapons should be able to.
No, I can't jump to conclusions yet. After all, it's a Dragon, and you can never be too cautious.
Before an unavoidable close-quarters battle with the Dragon, it's best to attack with Glintstone Magic first.
I just don't know whether Smaug's Dragon scales or the Ancient Dragon's stone Dragon scales are harder.
They quickly arrived at the house where Thorin and the others were, and Thorin and Balin were standing outside the house.
Thorin's expression was somewhat gloomy, and Balin's expression was full of helplessness. It seemed they had just had an unfriendly exchange.
It was unclear what the content of their exchange was.
The footsteps of Arthur and the others were noticed by Thorin and Balin, and the two dwarves looked over.
Arthur took the initiative to ask: "Thorin, why did you come out?"
Thorin noticed the human Arthur brought, motioned for him to come to his side alone, and then said in a low voice: "We had a disagreement about whether to continue to the Lonely Mountain."
Arthur subconsciously glanced at Balin, then also lowered his voice and asked: "What exactly happened?"
At the same time, he secretly sighed that these dwarves were truly troublesome; they had only left a short while ago and were already stirring up trouble again.
Thorin nudged Balin, and this dwarf, who had always been known for his amiability, said: "I proposed it. I believe that with that Dragon awake now, it's not suitable for us to continue to the Lonely Mountain."
Arthur nodded, indicating that he was listening carefully.
Balin continued: "Before, that Dragon was sleeping inside the Lonely Mountain, and our goal was only to find the secret door and have that hobbit go through the secret door to steal the arkenstone. With the arkenstone, Thorin's legitimacy as the heir to the Durin royal family could be guaranteed. But now that Smaug has awakened, the possibility of stealing the arkenstone is almost zero."
Thorin retorted in a low voice: "But it's still possible to steal the arkenstone, isn't it? We've all seen Bilbo's stealth talent these past few days. Maybe he really can steal the arkenstone from under the dragon's nose."
Balin smiled bitterly and persuaded: "What if it doesn't succeed? Not only will Bilbo die inside, but that dragon will definitely know that a dwarf of the Durin royal bloodline sent him. Then the dragon will rush out of the Lonely Mountain, and we will also be discovered by it and die under Dragonfire. Thorin, you cannot die there. Your life is very important. Our compatriots in the Blue Mountains still need you."
Thorin replied without hesitation: "When hiring Master Bilbo, it was clearly written in black and white on the contract that he needed to bear the risk of being killed by the Dragon. If stealing the gem could be done without any risk, why would I hire a hobbit who can't even fight? Moreover, my lifelong wish is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, which is far more important than my life."
Balin looked at Arthur helplessly: "It's because of this that Thorin and I argued. Arthur, do you also want to face an awakened Dragon directly?"
This dwarf saw that Thorin could no longer be persuaded by himself, so he tried to persuade Arthur.
He knew that Arthur was very strong and knew many powerful spells.
But Balin believed that only when Smaug was in a deep sleep did Arthur have a greater chance of defeating the Dragon.
Arthur replied after hearing Balin's words: "From a rational perspective, I think what Balin said is correct. The moment Smaug awakened, the Lonely Mountain Expedition was practically no different from being disbanded."
A surprised expression appeared on Balin's face. He didn't expect Arthur to actually agree with his idea.
Thorin, on the other hand, looked at Arthur with an incredulous expression, opening his mouth wide and saying: "How could this be? Why are you, Arthur, also like Balin? Didn't you promise me you would eliminate that Dragon?"
Arthur pressed heavily on Thorin's shoulder and said, "Don't be impatient, Thorin, I haven't finished speaking. If I hadn't just met Bard, I would most likely agree with Balin's suggestion. After you return to the Blue Mountains, Bernal, Millison, Igon, and I would go and deal with the Dragon."
Then he looked at Balin, shaking his head slightly: "But I just learned a very important piece of news from Bard, and it concerns you, especially Thorin."
"Is Bard the human you brought?" Thorin asked.
Arthur nodded, then stood up and called out to the long-waiting Bard: "Bard, that thing you showed me before, please show it to these two dwarves again. This is Thorin, and the white-bearded dwarf next to him is Balin."
Upon hearing this, Bard walked over and took out the fragment of animal hide with Azog's mark, handing it to Thorin.
As he walked over, he carefully scrutinized Thorin, finding that the dwarf indeed bore a striking resemblance to the portrait he had seen in books.
Thorin did not notice Bard's scrutiny, or rather, even if he did, he didn't care.
Because at this moment, Thorin's attention was completely drawn to the animal hide fragment in Bard's hand.
He grabbed Bard's hand, snatched the animal hide, and spread it open in his own hand, his pupils contracting slightly: "This is Azog's mark. Even damaged like this, I can confirm it's his mark."
Then Thorin suddenly raised his head, his eyes fixed on Bard, and asked in an almost growling voice: "Where did you pick this up?!"
Bard shrugged, not at all intimidated by Thorin's appearance. Instead, with a relaxed expression, he pulled out several more fragments of animal hide clothing with the same mark from his embrace and shrugged: "Hmm, if you're interested in this kind of thing, I don't mind selling it to you."
Thorin's expression clearly froze, followed by confusion.
Balin had the same expression, but he looked at Arthur and asked, "Sir Arthur, could you explain what's going on right now?"
Arthur said, "Let's go inside and talk with the others. Otherwise, Fili and Kili, who have been eavesdropping at the door, will get tired."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of noisy footsteps came from behind the door behind Thorin and Balin, accompanied by some groans from the dwarves.
"You stepped on my foot!"
"Shut up! You just pulled out a few of my beard hairs!"
Thorin expressionlessly walked to the door, pushed it open, and the quiet atmosphere inside immediately became noisy.
The other dwarves in the room, from the moment Thorin pushed open the door, began to pretend that they hadn't been eavesdropping at the door, but were instead laughing loudly with their companions, as if they had all been discussing something interesting.
Thorin's eye twitched a few times. He remembered that when Balin called him out of the room, these dwarves were arguing fiercely, red-faced and with spittle flying, over Smaug's awakening, their beards even shaking with anger.
It was nothing like the harmonious scene now.
Thorin's Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and his final words turned into a sigh: "Arthur, come in and tell us all what's going on."
It didn't take long for Arthur to tell the dwarves the news and his conjectures he had just learned. All the dwarves, including Thorin, fell silent.
Bilbo blinked. He noticed that Bofur, who usually liked to tell jokes, had a serious expression.
He didn't like this heavy atmosphere, but he didn't know what to say to lighten the mood.
If Gandalf were here now, it would be great.
He had the exact same thought as Arthur.
Dwalin was the first to speak, breaking the silence: "Sir Arthur, are you saying that you suspect the awakening of that Dragon is related to Azog? Is that really possible? How could that arrogant Dragon obey the commands of orc scum?"
Arthur replied: "You are right, Dwalin, dragons would not put Azog in their eyes. But Gandalf has always been telling me he is worried about a certain enemy making a comeback. The reason he agreed to Thorin reclaiming the Lonely Mountain is also because the Lonely Mountain is a very important strategic location. So I believe the one who awakened that Dragon from its slumber is the enemy Gandalf has always been worried about, and Azog is carrying his orders, sending his subordinates here to the Lonely Mountain."
Gloin patted his face and stroked his fiery red beard, saying, "Whether that's the case or not, we must be prepared—prepared for a Dragon attack."
Kili suddenly raised his hand, then asked in confusion: "Gloin, why should we prepare for a Dragon attack? Didn't Teacher Arthur say that Dragon wouldn't listen to Azog at all?"
Fili pressed down his younger brother's hand and explained: "That Dragon won't listen to Azog, but that doesn't mean Azog has no way to make the Dragon attack us. For example, when Azog delivers his master's command, he only needs to add one line: 'Kill all the dwarves of Durin's royal family.' Moreover, the Lonely Mountain is inherently closely related to us, and that dragon itself has a deep blood feud with us, so there's a high probability it will actually do that."
Balin said worriedly at this moment: "Then shouldn't we leave the Woodland Realm even more and return to the Blue Mountains to gather forces and prepare to face Smaug?"
Thorin shook his head slightly: "No, we cannot go back. Balin, have you forgotten how the representatives of the seven dwarf kingdoms rejected me? The painful experience of the Lonely Mountain is still vivid. If they truly knew Smaug would fly to the Blue Mountains, I can already imagine them hiding in the mountains, afraid to come out."
Balin pursed his lips and said nothing more.
Arthur also spoke: "I also don't approve of going back now, but my reason is different from Thorin's: I need Thorin as bait to attract the Dragon. My plan is to kill that Dragon in the palace you dwarves built, while it's still fond of nesting on the piles of gold in the Lonely Mountain."
Kili said confusedly again: "Teacher Arthur, why is that again?"
Fili didn't stop his younger brother from asking this time, and also showed the same confused look.
Arthur said: "Whether it's you or Bard, all of you who have seen Smaug, without exception, have mentioned that Smaug can fly, and can fly very high. Outside the Lonely Mountain palace, even I would not be able to kill a dragon flying in the clouds. But if it's inside the Lonely Mountain palace, where there's a height restriction—"
"—then I might have many ways to kill it."