After Ogha was resurrected from the state of a Spirit Ash, Arthur wasted no time and quickly summoned Jerian and Freya as well.
After briefly explaining the situation to them, Arthur returned to the vicinity of Lake-town through the portal.
In addition to Ogha, Arthur also resurrected two other Spirit Ashes, who remained as capable assistants for Nepheli Loux.
These two Spirit Ashes were Oleg and Ingwell, who were once the Storm King's right-hand men, but for unknown reasons, they failed to return to the Golden Tree and eventually became masterless Spirit Ashes, found by Arthur.
As the warmth on Arthur's face was just replaced by the chill of the night, he heard Gandalf's slightly complaining voice: "I thought you were going to leave me here alone."
By then, the sky had long since darkened, and night had fallen deeply.
Gandalf, seeing that Arthur had not returned for a long time and not daring to leave on his own, could only wait anxiously near the stone monument portal.
"I'm so sorry, Gandalf," Arthur apologized quickly, walking over to him.
Gandalf's gaze fell on the portal, and seeing no second figure appear, he asked, "Did Miss Sellen not come back with you?"
Arthur's mind recalled Sellen's tired look when she bid him farewell, and he replied, "She finished all her work and went to rest."
Gandalf's eyes lit up instantly: "So, your Golden Tree Territory is ready to support Thorin's army?"
Arthur patted his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, my army will arrive here within a month at most."
A hint of confusion flashed in Gandalf's eyes: "I'm a little curious, with such a magical portal, why would it still take a month?"
Arthur shrugged: "People can indeed come through the portal, but those inanimate war machines cannot. The fact that I can transport all the necessary war machines within a month is already thanks to the powerful helper I found; I can't ask for more."
Gandalf's voice was filled with surprise, and he asked loudly, "Wait, you're even bringing war machines?"
Arthur asked back with a strange expression: "What else? Lonely Mountain is currently in the hands of Smaug the Dragon. We have to kill him and reclaim Lonely Mountain to completely resolve the crisis Thorin and his people are facing. You can't expect my soldiers to charge into Lonely Mountain without any siege equipment, can you? That kind of combat would result in a high casualty rate for the soldiers."
Gandalf quickly explained with a chuckle: "I'm just surprised because transporting those massive, mountain-like war machines from the distant Minhiriath within a month is truly beyond my imagination."
Arthur waved his hand, interrupting the previous topic: "Never mind, let's not talk about that. Let's go back to Lake-town now..."
As he spoke, he turned to look at the stone monument portal behind him, frowning slightly: "Is your barrier reliable? What if this portal is discovered and destroyed by the enemy? It would take a very long time for my army to arrive then."
Gandalf stroked his beard and said confidently, "The barrier I set up is certainly reliable, but just in case, I'll still use sorcery to provide some more concealment."
Arthur, however, sighed and shook his head: "No, sorcery is just sorcery after all, there's always a chance it could be discovered by the enemy. Give me a few minutes, I'll go back and bring people to specifically guard this portal."
Gandalf shrugged helplessly and could only nod in agreement: "I hope you'll be back quickly this time. Don't make an old man like me wait out in the cold all night."
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon..." Before Arthur finished speaking, his figure vanished before the portal.
Just as Arthur said, in less than ten minutes, he reappeared in Gandalf's sight, followed by two tall, silver-armored knights.
Gandalf had visited Arthur's territory many times and naturally knew the strength of these two silver-armored knights like the back of his hand.
"With two Storm Knights guarding here, even if Azog's orc army passes by, they should be able to hold out until we arrive," Gandalf said, full of praise for the strength of these two Storm Knights.
Hearing Gandalf's praise, the two Storm Knights simultaneously raised their greatswords, gently touching their shoulder plates with the sword hilts, to express their confidence in their own strength and their gratitude for Gandalf's words of praise.
Arthur gave a few more instructions before turning and walking towards Gandalf: "They aren't the only ones guarding it; some Stormveil Castle guards are also on their way. I encountered these two Storm Knights on my way to find Nepheli Loux. When I went back earlier, I noticed these two guys seemed to have nothing to do and were just chatting in the castle corridor. This time when I went back, I saw them still chatting in the same spot. Since they're so idle, I just called them over to help me guard the portal."
These two Storm Knights were precisely the pair who, when Arthur and Radahn passed through the corridor earlier, felt they wouldn't have a chance to participate in this expedition.
As a result, they were brought here early by Arthur precisely because they appeared too idle.
In a sense, the wish of these two Storm Knights had come true.
After all, they arrived at the destination even earlier than the soldiers of the Red Lion Legion, which might be a unique kind of fate.
Arthur had no intention of bringing Oleg or Ingwell over, as he had just asked these two helpers to share some of Nepheli Loux's work. If he called them over in less than half an hour, Arthur felt that Nepheli Loux's resentment would likely surge towards him like a raging tide.
She might even directly request a sparring match with him, Arthur thought.
One of the Storm Knights, hearing Arthur's words, immediately said in a respectful tone, "Please rest assured, Lord Arthur! We will defend this portal with our lives!"
His voice was firm and powerful, as if he were making a military pledge.
"If you truly encounter trouble you can't resolve, remember to call for backup and assistance," Arthur nodded slightly, his tone serious, "Though I don't want to say this, the value of this portal is temporarily more important than both of your lives. No matter what happens, you must protect it until the soldiers of the Red Lion Legion arrive."
The two Storm Knights, now shedding the relaxed demeanor they had during their idle chat, became serious and solemn, responding gravely, "Yes, Lord Arthur!"
After Arthur and Gandalf's figures disappeared into the light of the portal, the two Storm Knights exchanged glances, a hint of unspoken understanding between them.
"I'll stay here, and you go scout the surrounding area and note down any places where enemies might be ambushed?" the Storm Knight on the left suggested.
The Storm Knight on the right nodded, saying, "Leave it to me," before striding away with agile steps, leaving a trail of deep footprints in the cold snow.
"Oh, Portal, if only you could speak, you would tell us if anyone tried to destroy you. But don't worry, we will protect you."
After his companion left, the Storm Knight on the left continued to talk to the silent Portal, but his relaxed demeanor had vanished, and his eyes became as sharp as knives, closely monitoring every corner of their surroundings.
Meanwhile, Arthur and Gandalf returned to Lake-town.
However, unlike when they left, this time they found that the guards at the Lake-town gate had been replaced.
Under the influence of Gandalf's sorcery, their figures were skillfully concealed, allowing them to successfully avoid the gaze of the Long Lake Town Guards.
"Is that...Bard?"
As the two entered the gate, the sharp-eyed Arthur unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure moving among the guards.
The flickering torches of the night, with their interplay of light and shadow, clearly illuminated Bard's handsome and upright face.
Arthur and Gandalf exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them; neither decided to directly question Bard about the situation, choosing instead to return to the inn where Thorin and his company were staying.
Along the way, though Lake-town remained cold at night, there were not many residents outdoors.
However, there were always a few strong men, the pillars of their families, who had not returned indoors; they were still organizing the fishing boats and gear they would need early the next morning.
And Arthur actually saw genuine smiles on the faces of these residents, rather than the previous lifeless numbness.
Arthur was surprised to find genuine smiles on the faces of these residents, rather than the previous lifeless numbness.
Gandalf also noticed this, and he quietly said to Arthur beside him, "It seems that in the half-day we were away, some good changes have occurred in Lake-town that we don't know about."
Arthur nodded in agreement: "Indeed, it's a good change; at least the residents' spirits are completely different from daytime. Only Thorin and his company probably know what happened."
The two quickened their steps and arrived at the inn, heading directly to the second floor.
As soon as Arthur stepped onto the stairs, he heard the dwarves' rustic singing, interspersed with the laughter of a little girl, her laughter as clear and pleasant as silver bells.
"It seems something good has happened?" Gandalf was the first to speak, asking with a smile and a hint of teasing in his voice.
He lifted his sorcery, and the dwarves were startled by the sudden appearance of the old wizard, their joyful singing even pausing for a few seconds.
However, the dwarves quickly recovered, turning their warm and joyful gazes toward Arthur and Gandalf.
Arthur scanned the room and found Bilbo, Thorin, and his Dwarven expeditionary force all present, but Bernal and Igon were nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, look who's back! Our good friend and the wizard have arrived!" Bofur was the first to speak, then blew his flute, and a light, bright melody emanated from the instrument, adding a touch of cheer to the cozy atmosphere.
Fili thoughtfully said, "Teacher Arthur, Teacher Bernal and Sir Igon are currently at the Mayor's house, guarding the former Mayor and his secretary."
Arthur nodded, indicating he understood, and did not ask further questions.
Thorin also smiled and raised his wine glass to Arthur and Gandalf: "You've worked hard. Would you like a glass of authentic Lake-town brew?"
Arthur looked at the relaxed Thorin, shook his head, declining the invitation for a drink, and instead asked, "What happened in Lake-town? I even saw Bard at the main gate. When did he return?"
Before Thorin could speak, a cute little girl darted out from behind the dwarves.
She bravely told Arthur, "My father was called back by the dwarf uncles. After my father came back, he told all the uncles and aunties in Lake-town about the bad things that bad Mayor did, and then he returned the money the bad Mayor stole to them."
Only then did Arthur notice that the little girl speaking to him was one of Bard's two daughters whom they had rescued earlier. She was the youngest, her large eyes sparkling with lively light, making her especially endearing.
Thorin nodded, downing the ale in his glass, but his eyes showed no hint of intoxication, and he clearly added, "What this human little girl said is largely accurate. That human named 'Bard' has an even higher reputation in Lake-town than we imagined. Especially after he distributed all the money the Mayor had extorted to the townspeople, his reputation reached its peak, and he naturally became the new Mayor of Lake-town."
Bilbo also chimed in, still holding half an unfinished sausage, and said with a smile, "Many of the Lake-town guards also supported Bard. They believed that on the night of the Dragon attack, Bard was the one who made a great contribution to resisting the Dragon. If it weren't for him, Lake-town would probably have suffered even more losses. So, Bard, along with the guards who supported him, locked all the guards who supported the Mayor in prison."
Then the hobbit mumbled softly, "Originally, Bard invited us to stay in a better place, but Thorin was worried that you and Gandalf would be anxious if you couldn't find us immediately upon your return, so we stayed here."
Arthur and Gandalf exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
Arthur let out a benevolent laugh and shook his head: "Well, it seems that during the daytime we were away, an exciting story unfolded that would take half a book to tell."
Bilbo agreed: "Exactly. I've already decided to write these things in my travel memoir when I go back. But if I'm to write it, it should only take four pages... Oh, no, five pages to clearly explain what happened in Lake-town."
Gandalf chuckled approvingly at Bilbo, while Arthur signaled Thorin with his eyes to come out, as he had something to say privately.
Thorin immediately understood, put down his wine glass, and walked out alone with Arthur.
Before Arthur could speak, Thorin first delivered good news: "I have good news. After Bard became the Mayor of Lake-town, he promised me that when the dwarves are attacked by orcs, the Lake-town guards will fight as our allies."