Cold wind and drizzle swept over the charred rooftops of Lake-town, carrying ashes and the scent of blood as they swirled upwards.
After the orc army was completely routed, Arthur, Thorin, Bard, and Dain stood amidst the ruins, gazing at the devastated ambush area, each filled with their own emotions.
Bard stood before the ruins near the dock, his brow furrowed, his fingers deeply dug into the brass buckle of his belt, as he looked at the houses consumed by the flames.
Behind him, several Lake Town Guard were leading the last group of women and children, wrapped in blankets, towards temporary tents, while hot fish soup in wooden barrels steamed in the cold air.
He took a deep breath, turned, and issued orders to the Guards beside him: "Clear these ruins as quickly as possible, assess the damage, and provide temporary shelter for those whose houses were burned."
Although Thorin had promised to rebuild, the homeless townspeople needed a warm place to stay now.
The Guards immediately sprang into action, busily organizing the townspeople for the cleanup work.
Arthur, Thorin, and Dain exchanged glances, then instructed their own Soldiers, who had just submerged the orc bodies in the lake, to help the Lake Town Guard clear the ruins.
After a while, a Long Lake-town Guard jogged over to report: "Bard, at least thirty families have nowhere to stay for the winter…"
Bard closed his eyes, then turned to look at the Storm Soldiers who were moving stones.
These warriors from the Erdtree were silent as machines; several of them together could lift half a collapsed stone wall with their bare hands.
Arthur walked up beside him, the edge of the wandering knight's cloak still stained with orc blood: "Bard, if you need, I can have the Storm Soldiers build wooden houses all night."
Bard shook his head, his gaze sweeping over a Storm Soldier's shoulder armor, which had been pierced by an orc's desperate attack: "Your Soldiers are not carpenters; they are better suited for the battlefield. I'm not sure if another orc army will come, so I don't want your Soldiers to waste too much stamina."
In the recent battle, Bard had witnessed the combat capabilities of these Storm Soldiers.
Undoubtedly, they were the most elite Soldiers Bard had ever seen; their combat posture, completely obedient to orders and solely for victory, made it seem as if these Soldiers were born this way.
Bard felt that perhaps only the Elven warriors under the proud Elven King of Mirkwood could compare to Arthur's Soldiers.
Arthur thought to himself, 'Then you might have underestimated the stamina of the Soldiers from The Lands Between; the intensity of this battle just now was at most a warm-up, just enough to break a sweat.'
This wasn't to say the Storm Soldiers were incredibly powerful; it was simply that the orcs were too weak.
After the Orc Chieftain was killed by Thorin, they still had a numerical advantage but didn't even put up a decent resistance.
Of course, there was also the reason that the orcs were ambushed with ballistas and flame-throwing devices beforehand, which meant the Storm Soldiers didn't have to expend too much effort.
Arthur said to Bard: "Don't worry about my army's stamina; with their help, your speed in clearing ruins and building wooden houses can at least triple."
Then, the figures of Kenneth Haight, Edgar, and Nepheli Loux appeared in his mind, but all of them were asking him for people.
Arthur blinked, looked at Bard, and increasingly felt that this human was an excellent talent.
And the people of Lake-town were currently under the dual threat of orcs and Smaug…
My home is quite large, and if you get tired of playing, you can just sleep directly, no problem!
Thinking of this, Arthur said: "The Erdtree's territory also has empty houses; if the people of Lake-town are willing to migrate…"
"Migrate?" Bard was surprised for a moment, then shook his head in immediate refusal: "Making fishermen leave the water is like making dwarves give up ale. Besides, the Erdtree is at least half a year's journey from here. What if we encounter an orc ambush on the way? The food within Lake-town is also not enough for my people to travel that far, not to mention having to cross the harsh Misty Mountains…"
Then Bard realized his tone had been a bit harsh, paused, and softened his voice: "Thank you for your suggestion, Arthur. But the people of Lake-town would rather sleep on the ice than abandon their ancestors' boats."
Hiss, he doesn't seem to realize how I brought the Storm Legion here in such a short time.
Arthur was about to say that he had a way for the people of Lake-town to reach his territory in a very short time, but then a rough burst of laughter suddenly erupted from among the dwarf Soldiers nearby.
The owner of the laughter was Dain; he kicked aside an orc helmet blocking his way, carrying a waterskin as he walked towards the two: "If you ask me, you should move to River Valley Town!"
"River Valley Town?" Bard frowned.
Thorin also strolled out from behind Dain, shaking his head at Dain's words: "That pile of broken stone houses? It was crushed to dust by Smaug over a hundred years ago."
Dain took a large gulp of water, droplets splashing on his red beard, and said with a laugh: "You're wrong there, Thorin! Smaug wasn't interested in crushing houses back then; he merely symbolically destroyed River Valley Town's defenses and then left. The dwarves from Iron Hills who sometimes return from trade have seen River Valley Town from afar, and most of the civilian houses inside are intact, and the city walls were built by dwarves. You wouldn't think our dwarf craftsmanship couldn't last a hundred years, would you?"
Thorin replied: "Of course not."
Dain put down his waterskin: "Then there you have it. What do you say, human? Although River Valley Town needs to be cleaned up, it's better than having your townspeople displaced and living in flimsy tents in the middle of winter."
Bard's fingers trembled slightly; he, of course, knew River Valley Town.
One hundred seventy-one years ago, his ancestor Girion had shot the Black Arrow from the arrow tower of River Valley Town, only to be reduced to scorched bones in Smaug's dragon fire.
Bard stared at Dain, but still refused: "The city walls might be usable, but there's no fishing ground there, only cold, desolate land. Moreover, since the orcs are targeting Lake-town, River Valley Town would only be more conspicuous."
Dain, however, said impolitely: "So you think Lake-town, which is drafty everywhere, is better for resisting the orc army, do you? Or are you hoping these houses made of stacked wooden planks can protect your people from Smaug's dragon fire?"
Just as Bard was about to say something else, Arthur patted his shoulder: "Bard, what Dain said is actually not wrong."
He picked up a charcoal stick and drew a simple map on the charred ground: "I've looked at the map; River Valley Town is backed by a branch of the Lonely Mountain, and below the eastern cliff is a tributary of the Long Lake. As long as those city walls at the pass are repaired, with my Storm Soldiers, the defensive capability will be ten times stronger than here."
Arthur then threw the charcoal stick back on the ground and continued to Bard: "And you are aware of Lake-town's defensive capabilities; this time, it was only by relying on traps that so many orcs could be eliminated. But next time, Azog will surely realize he has lost control of Lake-town, and he will definitely retaliate against Lake-town. To put it bluntly, I do not believe Lake-town has the ability to resist a large orc army."
After all, Lake-town is essentially just a large fishing village, not a town.
At this moment, Thorin also spoke to Bard, saying, "Azog doesn't just want the Lonely Mountain; It wants to use the Lonely Mountain as a stronghold to occupy the entire North. It will not be satisfied with just eliminating us dwarves. Bard, if Dain and we are annihilated, Lake-town will be next."
Bard sighed heavily, "Not to mention that Lake-town only lost some houses, with no casualties among the residents. Even if I agree to go to the River Valley Town ruins, I have to consult with the townsfolk. After all, this is their home, and they have the right to decide whether to stay or leave."
Dain shrugged, "Alright, you're right. But if we can think of this, Azog can certainly think of it too. I hope that by then, the River Valley Town ruins will only have weeds and bushes, not stinky orcs."
Just as Arthur was about to discuss matters concerning Lake-town with Bard, Thorin pulled Dain to the other side.
Dain asked in confusion, "What's so secretive about this?"
Thorin whispered, "Did you send a request for aid to my father, Thráin?"
Dain nodded and said, "I did send a request for aid…"
Before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed, clearly realizing that his request for aid would put Thráin in danger.
Dain slammed his fist on a wooden barrel, splinters flying, "Damn it, I should have thought of this earlier. Our kinsmen in the Iron Hills are besieged by orcs, and your father couldn't possibly stand by idly. Azog must have already laid an ambush in the Misty Mountains! Thráin will surely rush his march after receiving my request for aid, and he will definitely fall into Azog's ambush!"
After Dain finished speaking, he stood frozen, not daring to look directly at Thorin, the firelight making his pale face flicker between light and shadow.
However, Thorin's reaction was somewhat unexpected by Dain; Thorin only sighed slightly and said, "I can only hope my father is alright."
Dain wanted to say something, when a grey robe entered his line of sight at that very moment.
And behind this grey-robed wizard, followed a peeking hobbit, tiptoeing to sneak a glance at a Storm Soldier using lightning to shatter an orc corpse.
Gandalf's figure appeared at the end of the street. Seeing Thorin and Dain, He quickly walked over, a comforting smile on his face, "Dain, don't worry too much. I have already explained this matter to the Eagle King of the Great Eagles, and they will keep a close watch on the valley from the clouds. They should be currently searching for Thráin's army within the Misty Mountains."
Dain froze for two seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.
He strode forward and gave Gandalf a bear hug, his iron armor clanking against the wizard and making him wince, "Oh, Gandalf! Thorin mentioned you in his letter, no wonder he reacted like that. I knew you old fellow had a backup plan!"
Gandalf struggled to pull out his arm, then turned to look at Bard, who had noticed the commotion and was walking over, saying, "Bard, I just happened to be looking for you. Azog knows that a large army of his was destroyed in Lake-town, and he will definitely retaliate. The wooden houses of Lake-town cannot withstand orcs."
Bard walked over, and upon hearing this, a helpless bitter smile appeared on his face, "Are you also here to persuade me to go to River Valley Town, Gandalf?"
Gandalf was startled for a moment, "Also?"
Bard shrugged, pointed to Arthur who had followed, and then to Thorin and Dain who were standing together, saying, "Just a few minutes ago, they said similar things to me."
Then Gandalf looked at Arthur and the others, and Arthur briefly explained the situation to Gandalf.
Gandalf nodded, looking at Bard, "What they said is similar to what I want to say. Most of the houses in Lake-town are wooden, without the protection of thick city walls. If Smaug were to fly out of the Lonely Mountain again, it would certainly cause devastating damage here. However, the houses in River Valley Town are mostly built with sturdy bricks and tiles, especially those built with the help of the dwarves back then. Even after more than a hundred years, they are still sturdy and reliable. Not only can they largely withstand Smaug's dragon fire, but in the face of an orc army, they can also rely on the tall and thick city walls and sturdy houses to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
After hearing Gandalf's words, Bard took a deep breath, the cold wind from the lake filling his lungs, "Gandalf, I know everything you said is correct, but just like my answer to Arthur and the others earlier, I need to ask the townspeople for their opinion."
Gandalf, however, keenly sensed the unnaturalness in Bard's tone and asked, "What are you worried about?"
Bard did not answer, remaining silent, only the hem of his leather coat flapping in the wind.
He looked up at the dimly undulating black silhouette in the mist across the lake, which was still the direction of River Valley Town.
Memories surged like a tide in Bard's mind. His father, on his deathbed, clutched his hand and told Bard his true identity in a weak voice, as well as the courage of their ancestors who fought to the death against Smaug.
And his mother had also hummed songs about River Valley Town on her sickbed.
That was the town ruled by his ancestors, and also the place abandoned more than a hundred years ago during Smaug's attack.
Now suddenly having to return made Bard's feelings very complicated.
No, those are things of the past. I must now be responsible for my trusting kinsmen.
Bard looked at Gandalf and said, "Don't worry, no matter what, I will ensure the safety of the residents. For now, let the living have a hot meal. Especially the dwarves from the Iron Hills; they were chased by orcs all the way and just went through an intense battle, they need to replenish their strength."
Then he let out a long breath, "No matter what, we just won a victory, and a great one at that. There should be a feast tonight to celebrate this victory, and I can also use this opportunity to ask the townspeople about migrating to River Valley Town. This feast will also serve to welcome Dain and the dwarves from the Iron Hills, but please don't mind, many of Lake-town's ingredients are fish, there isn't much else."
And Bard also hoped that through this feast, he could soothe the uneasy and confused hearts of Lake-town's residents.
Upon hearing this, Dain's eyes gleamed, "As for food, we don't care about the taste or texture. But I hope you can provide enough ale! As long as we dwarves drink ale, we'll be full of spirit!"
Bard looked at the many dwarves around him and said with some uncertainty, "I hope the previous mayor's cellar has enough reserves."
"Then tonight's patrol and defense will be left to my Soldiers," Arthur said.
Bard was startled, "You're not attending the feast?"
Arthur shook his head, then gestured for Bard not to worry, he would reward his Soldiers.
Having just eliminated so many orcs, Arthur's soul collector had absorbed quite a few souls. He now only wanted to quickly return through the teleportation gate and summon more manpower.