Another month passed, and during this time, Mike, who possessed endless treasures, hired a large number of people from the current Riverrun Kingdom to build city walls around the Lonely Mountain.
This provided an additional means of livelihood for the residents of the Riverrun Kingdom.
Similarly, Mike also intentionally planned to establish the Lonely Mountain as a fortress capable of blocking Orc invasions into Middle-earth.
After all, Mike couldn't stay in the Lonely Mountain forever; once the situation improved, he would definitely return to his original world.
Meanwhile, David and Sam, who had gone to the Northern Highlands, also brought back over a thousand Northern Rangers to the Lonely Mountain.
Subsequently, these individuals were incorporated into the Lonely Mountain Patrol, under the unified command of Aragorn.
With a city and an army, the Lonely Mountain was developing in a positive direction.
When Gandalf, who had recuperated in the Golden Forest, arrived at the Lonely Mountain, he witnessed a scene of prosperity.
"Gandalf, you once promised to help the Dwarves reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Now that the Lonely Mountain has been seized by an outsider, you must uphold justice for us..." Thorin, who had been unable to make a choice, seemed to grasp at a lifeline when he saw the Grey Wizard arrive, and immediately began to lament.
Watching the Lonely Mountain flourish under Mike's control, the eyes of this descendant of the Dwarves turned red with envy.
In his view, all of this should have belonged to him.
"I happen to have something to discuss with Mike, and I will also mention your situation." Gandalf motioned for Thorin to calm down, then followed the patrol into the Lonely Mountain Great Hall.
According to the original circumstances, the Grey Wizard should have visited the Lonely Mountain much earlier.
However, upon hearing that the evil dragon in the Lonely Mountain had been eliminated by Mike, he took a small vacation for himself, recuperating in the Golden Forest for a while longer.
This time, he came because he had received word that the Orc leader, Azog, had organized tens of thousands of Orcs and was preparing to attack the Lonely Mountain.
Gandalf's purpose in coming was to support Mike and help him defend the Lonely Mountain Fortress together.
"Long time no see, Gandalf. You look much better than before." In the Lonely Mountain Great Hall, Mike smiled and greeted the Grey Wizard who had arrived.
"That's all thanks to you. Your title of 'Dragon Slayer' has spread throughout Middle-earth." Gandalf relaxed and walked to the opposite side of Mike, sat down, and then picked up some fruits sent by the elves from the table, tasting them.
It was evident that although the current situation with the Orcs was not optimistic, with Mike stationed in the Lonely Mountain, the Grey Wizard felt relatively at ease.
"By the way, how do you plan to arrange the Dwarves? I just saw Thorin outside, and his mood seems off." After finishing the fruit in his hand, Gandalf brought up the matter of the Dwarf Clan.
Because of envy, Thorin was currently like a powder keg, radiating negative energy all over.
Moreover, his demeanor, as if everyone owed him millions, successfully made the Dwarf Clan the most unwelcome people in the Lonely Mountain.
"What, didn't Thorin tell you? I gave them two choices..." Mike then informed the Grey Wizard about the two development paths he had set for the Dwarves, finally saying, "But looking at Thorin now, he seems to want even more."
Originally, the Dwarves didn't help much in reclaiming the Lonely Mountain this time. Being able to retrieve the Arkenstone or receive enough money to re-establish the Kingdom Under the Mountain was already Mike's act of great kindness.
However, looking at the current situation, Mike's generosity seemed to have fueled Thorin's greed.
After hearing Mike's description, Gandalf also felt that the Dwarves was a bit ungrateful.
Just as he was contemplating how to balance the conflict between Mike and the Dwarves, Bilbo excitedly entered the Great Hall, "Gandalf, long time no see. How are you?"
The Hobbit could sense that the Grey Wizard had always been kind to him.
Therefore, he regarded him as an elder.
Being able to see him here made the naturally optimistic Bilbo incredibly happy.
"Bilbo, long time no see... I hope you don't resent me for taking you out of the Shire..." Seemingly infected by the Hobbit's optimism, Gandalf's face showed a benevolent smile.
He then apologized for disrupting Bilbo's life.
After all, in the Wizard's view, the reason Bilbo left Hobbiton was because the Dwarves had promised him one-fourteenth of the Lonely Mountain's wealth.
Now that Mike had taken the Lonely Mountain, the Dwarves's promise naturally became null and void.
"That's good," Gandalf smiled and patted the Hobbit's head, relieving a worry.
Then he looked at Mike and said, "The terms you offered the Dwarves are not bad. I will go and persuade Thorin and his companions later."
Gandalf also realized that the reason he had previously helped the Dwarves was to have them reclaim the Lonely Mountain so they could block Orc invasions into Middle-earth from there.
Now Mike had taken the Lonely Mountain, and he was doing an even better job than the Dwarves.
This also caused the Wizard to unconsciously lean more towards Mike.
"Next, I need to talk about the Orcs. I have received confirmed news that the Orc army led by Azog will attack the Lonely Mountain soon. You need to prepare early." When discussing serious matters, Gandalf's expression gradually became solemn.
"Don't worry, the movements of the Orcs cannot escape my eyes. As long as they dare to come, I will give them a surprise," Mike said confidently.
Having occupied the Lonely Mountain, he had already dispatched scouts to monitor the movements of the Mordor Orcs at all times.
Moreover, Thengel of Rohan, who had signed an alliance treaty with Mike a while ago, would also send intelligence about the Orcs to the Lonely Mountain periodically.
"It's good that you have it under control." Gandalf was very satisfied with the leadership aura that Mike unconsciously exuded, and then revealed, "I also brought a flock of Great Eagles and the skin-changer Beorn with me this time. When needed, they will fight alongside us against the Orc army."
It could be said that not only the Orcs were paying attention to the Lonely Mountain, but various forces in Middle-earth were also concerned about the safety of the Lonely Mountain.
In the next few days, as the intentions of the Mordor Orcs became increasingly clear, the Lonely Mountain Patrol, equipped with dragon armor forged with the help of the Black Forest elves, entered a state of emergency preparedness under Aragorn's command.
It is worth mentioning that Bard of the Riverrun Kingdom also organized a guard of over a thousand people, ready to fight alongside the Lonely Mountain Patrol at any time.
During this period, Gandalf also took the time to meet Thorin once. However, their meeting did not seem to go well.
So much so that after that, Thorin seemed to have come to hate Gandalf as well.
Regarding this situation, King Thranduil of the Elves seemed to have a lot to say.
And in this tense atmosphere, two more days passed unconsciously.
On this day, as Mike was on his throne, engaging in conversation with the female elves from the Black Forest, Bilbo rushed into the Great Hall.
It should be mentioned here that as the recent situation became increasingly severe, King Thranduil also led his elven warriors to garrison the Lonely Mountain.
Among them were several female elven warriors.
When they had free time, they would come to the Lonely Mountain Great Hall to chat with Mike.
"It's bad, Mike! The Dwarves and the elves are fighting outside the Lonely Mountain!" Bilbo, who then entered the Lonely Mountain Great Hall, brought bad news to everyone.