Bear School Astartes

Bilbo followed Sorlin and the others, openly walking out of Bard’s house, preparing to receive equipment in the square in front of the mayor’s mansion as Lann had instructed.

This was Bilbo’s second time walking the streets of Long Lake Town; the first was when they had just disembarked from Bard’s smuggling ship, stealthily heading to his home.

However, this town still didn’t leave a good impression on Bilbo.

Bilbo had never visited a human town before today; Long Lake Town was very different from what he imagined in his mind.

Very...undignified.

The streets were filled with the smell of canvas soaked in fish oil, which had hung on fishing boats for years, long since rotted into an unhealthy rancid odor.

And every human here was undignified as well, wearing tattered clothes, their faces full of worry and hidden anger.

Trash was carelessly strewn on the ground, and even the pigs raised by humans weren’t as cute as the pigs in Hobbiton where Bilbo lived.

But anyway, their journey could continue.

Because the mayor was so concerned about the safety of his treasure that ’a group of dwarf merchants smuggling into the town’ — such a small matter — was completely ignored under the mayor’s orders.

The passing guards saw a group of conspicuous dwarves in Long Lake Town and had no intention of intervening.

They all knew the mayor wanted these dwarves, who looked like they were good at fighting, to help defend the town.

Moreover, the mayor wanted to distribute some of the equipment from the arsenal, giving limited armaments to brave townsfolk, allowing them to temporarily join the defense.

As for the weapons in the townspeople’s hands, once used, they could be easily collected.

So the mayor rang the assembly bell.

The dwarves followed the crowd all the way to the square, everything was as Lann had said.

The mayor had no intention of pursuing their smuggling, instead naturally distributing arms to them.

Although the weapons and armor couldn’t compare to dwarf craftsmanship, at least they were genuine items for fighting.

Far better than the homemade stuff at Bard’s house.

The dwarves didn’t know how Lann had negotiated this, so their expressions carried caution and apprehension, with a hint of awkward laughter, but they still took small steps to the square to receive their equipment.

The mayor was standing on the steps of his mansion’s entrance, below was a vast crowd of townsfolk.

The dwarves were at the forefront of the townsfolk, watched with curious eyes, as they began to don armor and wield weapons, fumbling as they did.

”Hey, Lann was absolutely right!” Dwalin, who wasn’t fond of the wizard, now regained his warrior’s sense of security after having armor and weapons again, murmuring praise.

”I find him more useful than Gandalf!”

”Don’t be happy too soon,” Sorlin said lowly, while grabbing a two-handed axe that fit his grip, shaking his shoulders to get used to the feel of the weapon.

”Weapons and gear are in place, but we still have to find a way to get supplies. Even crossing Long Lake, it will take a day to reach Lonely Mountain. We must reach the mountain’s gate by the day after tomorrow; this is the last chance!”

Next, the mayor, with his assistant Alfred standing beside him, was ready to speak to the townsfolk below.

”My dear citizens, you may wonder why I opened the arsenal today and handed these cruel things to good and pure-hearted you, and armed these dozen dwarves.”

”It’s because an evil force has wandered near our Long Lake Town! That is—Beastmen!”

With a ”boom,” the townsfolk, who had come with a mindset of watching the excitement, suddenly burst into a clamor.

Beastmen, although they hadn’t been seen in this area for a long time, were a race known as dark servants before the sun and moon existed in this world; no one hadn’t heard of them.

The mayor was ready to give a speech to boost morale, capitalizing on the townsfolk’s panic.

But from the back of the vast crowd of townsfolk, a voice interrupted the mayor before he could speak.

”Wait!”

It was Bard’s voice, and due to his great prestige among the townsfolk, they spontaneously made way for him to enter.

His gaze was not on the mayor on the platform, but on Sorlin among the dwarves.

”Before discussing the matter of beastmen, I think we first need to know the identities of these dwarves, folks!”

Bard looked around, meeting each person’s gaze.

”This isn’t merely a dwarf merchant caravan passing through Long Lake Town and each person happens to know some skills! In this region now, what business does any caravan have?”

”Don’t you agree?” Bard redirected his gaze back to Sorlin, ”Sorlin Oak Shield. Son of Serafine.”

Suddenly, a discussion erupted, rivaling the commotion when hearing about the beastman attack.

”Is it him?”

”King Under the Mountain? Master of Silver Springs?”

”Is the legend true?”

Bard raised his hands, signaling the townsfolk to be quiet for a moment and listen to him.

And Balin and the others brought by Bard pursed their lips, walking towards Sorlin, giving him a look: There’s nothing to hide anymore; if we want supplies and a ship, we must convince them.

Sorlin gravely nodded at Balin, indicating understanding.

”Beastmen are indeed dangerous and urgent, but the actions of this group of dwarves can’t be ignored! After all, we all know King Under the Mountain can only be here for one goal. And within that goal...”

Bard spoke in a low and dangerous tone at this point.

”There’s a sleeping dragon!”

This revelation, even more despairing than the Beastmen, left the townspeople speechless.

Bard turned to look at the Dwarves.

”We need to defend against the Beastmen who could come at any time, and also ensure you don’t enter the Lonely Mountain.”

”Not allow us to enter the Lonely Mountain? What right do you have to say this?”

Sorlin stepped forward; with the Lonely Mountain just one day’s journey away, he could no longer hide his identity.

”Elbo is our country, it’s only right we reclaim it!”

Sorlin’s defiant retort momentarily left Bard speechless.

And Sorlin wasn’t finished.

Though he hadn’t been Crown Prince for many years, having been expelled from Elbo for a long time, the education and training he received as the Dwarf Crown Prince had not gone to waste.

He knew he didn’t need to convince Bard right now; he needed to persuade the townspeople and observers present.

Debates are not meant to be won; their purpose is not victory but to gain extensive support beyond the opponent.

So Sorlin extended his arms in a circle, as though embracing all of Long Lake Town.

At the same time, he spoke in a voice full of nostalgia.

”Long Lake Town... is not a shabby, foul-smelling little village in my memory!”

”Back when Elbo prospered, this town and River Valley City beside the Lonely Mountain comprised the most prosperous trade area in the northern Middle-earth Continent!”

”Everyone present wore silk garments at the time, adorned with finely crafted jewelry, and every meal was plentiful and satisfying! The grain discarded each day could feed all the fish in the lake!”

”I still remember the thriving trade scene in Long Lake Town back then. The harbor was bustling with merchant ships filled with gemstones and gold, nothing like now!”

Sorlin’s words stirred emotions among the townspeople, contrasting their current hard life with the prosperous past. Who wouldn’t want to return to that glorious era?

Sorlin continued: ”I want this area to return to its former glory! Prosperous and wealthy! I want to return to the Lonely Mountain and reignite the Dwarven alchemy forge! Let the gold flow!”

Seeing the townspeople becoming increasingly engrossed and delighted by his words, Bard stepped forward, his body turned sideways, bending at the waist and gesturing at Sorlin.

He shouted: ”Gold! All that’s been spoken is gold! Yet you avoid mentioning... death! And destruction!”

”There’s still a dragon inside the mountain! You’ll wake it up! Then we’ll all die without a trace! Every one of us!”

”Don’t speak about whether there’s gold or not? Even if there is gold, what good is it without life to spend it?”

”I accept differing opinions, but in the end, this matter is up to everyone,” Sorlin said, spreading his arms towards the townspeople.

”I promise, if I reclaim the Lonely Mountain with the help and investment of Long Lake Town, then I, Sorlin Oak Shield, King Under the Mountain, vow to share the mountain’s wealth with everyone!”

”The gold that flows out will be enough to cover the lake’s bottom! Enough to rebuild Long Lake Town ten times over!”

On one side is the legendary gold, on the other the legendary dragon.

Yet humans tend to believe what they wish to believe, which often has a beautiful facade.

So compared to the dislikeable dragon, most townspeople now are filled with dreams of life after obtaining gold.

But Bard wouldn’t forget about the dragon.

”Everyone, wake up! Have you forgotten the tragedy of River Valley City? How many survived from that city? They ended up living in Long Lake Town as refugees! Aren’t those who lived through the ordeal among us?”

Bard’s reminder had some effect, starting to noticeably divide the townspeople into two groups, murmuring among themselves.

But then...

”Silence! Silence! Please listen to me!”

The mayor, standing on the steps, spoke, as the person with the most control on site, his words held power.

”We face a crucial matter now, and no one can decide recklessly, as we must uphold democracy, right?”

”Yet don’t forget...”

As Bard watched the mayor’s gaze shift to him, his unease suddenly magnified.

Indeed, Lann used the Yakxi Rune to slightly twist the mayor’s greed for gold into a sense of crisis, making him tense and strengthening the town’s defense.

But the mayor was still the mayor, his character hadn’t changed.

He perceived Bard as a threat, and now... it was the perfect time to undermine his prestige.

”It’s precisely because the lord of River Valley City, Jirian, your ancestor, failed to slay the dragon, that we have today’s hardships!”

Sorlin and a group of Dwarves and Hobbits looked at Bard in shock, this scruffy fisherman and archer.

They had just learned that Bard was a descendant of the lord of River Valley City.

Bard bit his molars hard in resentment.

He knew, as the mayor disregarded the current situation and shifted the blame to his ancestor’s mistake, everything was already predetermined.