When Arthur and Gandalf emerged from the corner, they saw Fili and Kili just stepping out of the guest room.
Kili, upon learning that his uncle Thorin's father had been rescued, had his familiar silly grin return to his young Dwarven face.
"Where are you two headed?" Arthur asked.
Kili replied without hesitation, "Oh, Thorin sent Fili and me to the Lake-town market."
Balin then walked out from inside the door and said, "Of course, I'm coming too. Thorin wouldn't trust just you two young ones to go out alone."
Balin then bowed to Arthur, and as he raised his head, he asked with a smile, "It looks like you and Gandalf have finished discussing what you needed to?"
Arthur nodded, but noticed that neither Balin, Fili, nor Kili pressed for the results, but continued to walk downstairs.
Balin seemed to have sensed what Arthur was thinking and added with a smile, "Thorin instructed us not to ask you about the results. He said that, ultimately, this is a matter for the dwarves. And you have already provided more than enough help. Whatever choice you make, he will consider you an eternal ally."
After he finished speaking, he motioned for Fili and Kili to go downstairs.
The Dwarven brothers, after respectfully bowing to Arthur, also left.
After the three of them went downstairs, Gandalf said with some surprise, "It seems you've gotten along very well with the dwarves while I was away. This is the first time I've seen dwarves actively refuse an ally's help."
After all, the dwarves were withholding Thranduil's jewels and still believed the Elves had betrayed them when the Elves didn't send troops to help.
Arthur thought about his interactions with the dwarves over the past few months and showed a weary expression, replying, "I earned it."
Gandalf immediately understood Arthur's experience with the dwarves over the past few months, wearing an "I understand" expression.
Arthur greeted Millison and Bernal outside the door again, then re-entered the dwarves' crowded guest room with Gandalf.
Thorin looked over and asked, "Do you still have time to complete Bard's commission?"
Arthur smiled faintly and nodded, "Of course, this matter must be seen through to the end."
Gandalf reminded him, "However, Arthur only has two days at most. After that…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but Thorin understood Gandalf's meaning.
So he nodded, "Balin has already taken Fili and Kili to the market, and they have enough manpower for now. Then I'll trouble you and Bilbo to walk around Lake-town and gather some information."
Arthur nodded, then looked at Gandalf, "Are you coming too?"
Gandalf quickly shook his head and said slyly, "Spare my old bones. I haven't rested these past few days trying to find you all. And I used a little trick when I entered Lake-town, so no one noticed me. If I appeared with you, it would definitely attract troublesome attention."
Arthur pouted. He knew from Gandalf's expression that the old man didn't want to go out.
Therefore, when Arthur and Bilbo walked out of the inn and breathed the cold Lake-town air, only Millison followed behind them.
Bilbo opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Arthur noticed Bilbo's demeanor and asked curiously, "What do you want to say, Bilbo?"
Bilbo crossed his arms, glanced left and right, then leaned in close to Arthur, stood on his tiptoes, and whispered, "Um, I heard your conversation with Thorin and Gandalf. Is there going to be a war here?"
Arthur bent down and also whispered, "I'm not sure, but from Gandalf's words, it's highly probable. But Bilbo, you don't need to worry, I will send you to a safe place before the war begins."
However, Bilbo said surprisingly, "Me? Oh, no, I'm not worried about that."
He whispered again, "I mean, if you need to steal something from the enemy, perhaps I can help. I like you, and those dwarves too. Although those dwarves are a bit stubborn and sometimes rude. But, I don't want you to lose, so I want to help a little too."
After hearing Bilbo's words, Arthur was stunned for a moment, only regaining his senses when Bilbo cleared his throat.
He looked at the hobbit whose eyes were no longer filled with timidity, and sighed with emotion, "You've truly grown a lot, Bilbo. The hobbit who used to only want to stay in Bag End to read, eat, smoke, and pass the time, has now become a man who wants to actively help his friends, even if such a choice might mean sacrificing himself."
Arthur then patted Bilbo's shoulder firmly, and the other's body only swayed slightly.
If it were before, Bilbo would probably have cried out in pain, right?
With this thought, Arthur straightened up and walked forward, signaling Bilbo to follow him, "Don't worry, if there's a real need, I will ask for your help."
Bilbo showed a pleased expression, then remembered something and quickly caught up, saying, "I think what you just said was ambiguous. I don't intend to sacrifice myself for you. I just want to do what I can."
It was as if, in that moment, he was still the old hobbit.
Arthur smiled and shrugged, "Of course, being alive is definitely a good thing."
Bilbo mumbled, "Why do I feel like you didn't understand what I meant…"
Millison, who had been following behind the two, heard Arthur's comforting words and Bilbo's soft complaints, and a faint smile curved on her lips.
Just as the three were about to try their luck at the fish market on the south side of Lake-town, they were called over by a shifty middle-aged woman.
She wore a somewhat worn and faded orange headscarf, wrapped in an equally worn gray thick cotton jacket, with a few fish scales clinging to the hem, emitting a slight fishy smell.
When this middle-aged woman spotted Arthur and his two unfamiliar companions, she first hid beside a wooden house on the street, cautiously peeking out to confirm there were no guards nearby, then discreetly waved them over, "Hey, you three, yes, you, come here a step closer to talk."
Bilbo looked at the woman suspiciously, then blinked and looked at Arthur.
When he didn't understand the situation, it was better to simply stop thinking and let Arthur decide.
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the middle-aged woman. At the same time, Millison softly said beside him, "Her hands show clear signs of labor, and her movements don't seem trained. Her build is also quite sturdy, so she probably often helps with heavy work."
Arthur nodded faintly, "Hmm, but we should still remain vigilant. She might be the Mayor's lackey."
After he finished speaking, he put on a benevolent expression for the middle-aged woman and walked in front of Bilbo.
At the same time, Millison also moved behind Bilbo, protecting the hobbit between the two of them.
It wasn't until they reached the corner where the middle-aged woman was, and no one else appeared, that Arthur relaxed.
The middle-aged woman saw Arthur and his companions approach and immediately asked impatiently, "You three are from outside Lake-town, aren't you?"
Arthur nodded. There was nothing to hide about that.
The other party had lived there for many years and could certainly spot unfamiliar faces at a glance.
The middle-aged woman showed a joyful expression, then said with worry, "This is truly wonderful. What's the situation outside now? Ever since that Dragon attacked Lake-town, the Mayor has stopped letting anyone go out. Even for fishing, you have to go with his guards."
Arthur frowned. He didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Why won't the Mayor let you go out?"
The middle-aged woman showed a confused expression and shook her head, "I don't know. Especially after Bard and some of his followers were expelled, the Mayor became even more tyrannical."
Arthur pointed at Millison and said, "There's no change in the situation outside, but the news of Lake-town being attacked by the Dragon has spread. She and I are mercenaries hired by a dwarf caravan owner. They originally planned to go directly to Iron Hills. But precisely because they heard that this place had been attacked by the Dragon, they thought there might be many things you need, which could sell for a good price. However, more caravans, after hearing that the Dragon in the Lonely Mountain had awakened, all detoured and went to other places."
This wasn't something Arthur made up; rather, he had heard the Elves complaining in Woodland Realm that the caravans recently dared not come anymore.
After all, Woodland Realm wasn't too far from the Lonely Mountain.
The middle-aged woman's expression became even more sorrowful after hearing this: "Alas, where do we have money to buy your boss's things? Your boss is definitely going to lose money, and it's even possible that the Mayor will find fault and confiscate your goods for various reasons. If Bard were here, it would be great. Before the Dragon came, he had always been helping us fight against the Mayor, trying to make our lives better."
Arthur skipped over her description of Bard and asked in confusion, "Why would the Mayor confiscate my boss's goods?"
The middle-aged woman still shook her head, indicating she didn't know, and babbled on: "Who knows? Maybe the Mayor is trying to gather enough gold to build a statue for that Dragon. Ever since that Dragon arrived in town, everything has gone awry, not to mention the Mayor directly knelt before the Dragon and swore by his own name not to betray it. It was after that that the Mayor became even more avaricious in collecting money, making the people in our town miserable, with hardly any coins in their hands. That's why I said the dwarves who hired you will lose everything, because no one can afford your goods."
Arthur nodded faintly, indicating he understood, then politely bid farewell to the middle-aged woman.
The middle-aged woman said somewhat gratefully, "You are the first outsiders willing to tell a talkative old woman like me about the outside situation. Alas, if it weren't for the Dragon incident, I would have invited you to be guests in my home and let you taste Lake-town's local specialty fish. It's a pity my home is destroyed now, and I can only stay at a relative's house…"
Bilbo had already prepared to leave, but then he noticed Arthur staying put.
"What's wrong?" Bilbo asked curiously.
Arthur replied thoughtfully, "There's one thing she said that I'm quite concerned about."
Then he turned to the middle-aged woman and asked, "We aren't the first group of outsiders you've seen entering Lake-town, are we?"
The middle-aged woman nodded and replied, "Of course not. Just the day before yesterday, another group of people came in from outside. But they were all wrapped up tightly, so you couldn't see what they looked like. They didn't respond when I spoke to them, and they seemed to have a strong, unwashed odor about them. Later, I heard from others that these people seemed to be mercenaries hired by the Mayor to fill the positions left vacant after Bard and his followers were expelled from town."
Then she waved her hand: "Anyway, everyone is saying that; I don't know the exact situation."
Arthur nodded, reached into the cloth pouch at his waist, hesitated, and then exchanged the gold coin he had originally felt for three silver coins, which he handed to her.
"Do you know where they usually rest?"
The middle-aged woman's eyes immediately widened. She vigorously rubbed the corner of her clothes, then reached out and took the three silver coins.
She originally wanted to rub them a few more times, but then she thought of something and her face instantly changed. She looked left and right, and only after seeing that no one else was looking their way did she sigh in relief and quickly put the silver coins into her pocket.
The middle-aged woman first thanked him, then whispered, "Don't blame me for not telling you, but don't easily do this to others. They might be the Mayor's lackeys and report to the Mayor that you are very rich. The Mayor is very greedy for money now, and even if you are outsiders, it won't matter; it will definitely cause trouble for your employer. As for those outsiders you asked about, they live in a house near the Mayor's."
Arthur quickly indicated that he understood.
After they left, Bilbo asked, "At first, she was asking us questions, but why did you end up giving her money?"
Arthur smiled: "Because the question I asked was indeed very important. Let's go, now let's go check out the place she mentioned."
Bilbo looked bewildered, trotting behind Arthur: "Wait, I still don't quite understand why the question you asked was so important."
Millison smiled and explained for Arthur: "Sir Bilbo, since that woman said those people might be hired by the Mayor to fill the void left by Bard and his group, and she also mentioned that Bard had always been helping them fight against the Mayor. If you were the Mayor, who detained Bard's daughter, would you prefer to have those outsiders guard Bard's daughter, or let the people of Lake-town fill those positions?"
Bilbo answered without hesitation: "It would definitely be the outsiders; they don't know Bard and haven't received his kindness. According to what that woman said, Bard has a high reputation in Lake-town. If you chose someone from Lake-town, it's very possible that Bard had previously shown them kindness, and what if they let Bard's daughter escape?"
Then Bilbo looked at Arthur and blinked: "Is that what you were thinking, Arthur?"
Arthur shrugged and said with a smile, "More or less."
The three continued to walk through the streets of Lake-town. The Mayor's house was very easy to identify, so they quickly arrived in an alley near the Mayor's.
"Oh, are those the outsiders hired by the Mayor?"
Bilbo crouched behind the corner, watching the people walking on the street, completely covered in black lightweight leather armor.
Arthur nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, but why do I feel like their walking posture and way of communicating are somewhat familiar… like I've seen them somewhere before."
Then he looked down at Bilbo and asked, "Do you remember?"
Bilbo poked his head out again, then pulled it back: "No, I definitely don't know these people who won't even show their faces… By the way, why do you keep staring at me?"
He noticed that ever since he had poked his head out to look, Arthur had been staring at him, and he couldn't help but ask.
Arthur pointed to Bilbo's waist and said hesitantly, "Did you bring some glowing blue gemstone from Thorin and his group? There's a blue light constantly shining from your waist."
Millison also chimed in: "Yes, it's been glowing since just now."
Bilbo raised an eyebrow, looked at his waist in surprise, and twisted his body to reveal a short blade.
He said indifferently, "Ah, it's not a gemstone; it's just this Elven sword, which you had me choose from the Troll cave last time, that's glowing. I remember Gandalf said that it would glow whenever orcs were nearby…"
Bilbo's eyes widened at the end of his sentence, and he looked at the mercenaries who had their bodies wrapped up.
This made Arthur silent too, but he said, "Don't rush, let's move away from here first and see…"
Before he could finish speaking, Bilbo, carrying the Elven short blade, left his spot and ran to a street they had come from.
Arthur and Millison both noticed that the Elven short blade in Bilbo's hand had dimmed again.
Then, as Bilbo approached Arthur and Millison, the Elven short blade lit up again.
Arthur narrowed his eyes and looked at the outsiders hired by the Mayor, saying, "The situation is getting a bit complicated… What exactly is the Mayor of Lake-town up to?"