Chapter 614
Lonely Mountain Fortress
Chapter 614 Lonely Mountain Fortress
Another month passed, during which Mike, who possessed endless treasures, hired a large number of people from what is now the Kingdom of Vale to build walls around Lonely Mountain.
This provided the residents of the River Valley Kingdom with another means of making a living.
Similarly, Mike intended to build Lonely Mountain into a fortress that could stop the orcs from invading Middle-earth.
After all, Mike can't stay on Lonely Mountain forever; once things improve, he'll definitely have to go back to his original world.
Meanwhile, David and Sam, who had traveled to the Northern Highlands, also brought back thousands of Northern Rangers to Lonely Mountain.
These people were then incorporated into the Lonely Mountain Patrol and placed under the unified management of Aragorn.
With a city and an army, Gushan is developing in a positive direction.
Having recovered his strength in the Golden Forest, Gandalf arrived at the Lonely Mountain to find it thriving and prosperous.
“Gandalf, you promised to help the dwarves reclaim Lonely Mountain. Now that Lonely Mountain has been taken by outsiders, you must stand up for us…” Thorin, who had been unable to make a choice until now, seemed to have grasped at a straw when he saw the Grey Wizard arrive, and immediately began to complain.
Seeing Lonely Mountain getting better and better in Mike's hands, this descendant of the Durin dwarves was green with envy.
In his mind, all of this should have belonged to him.
“I happen to have something to discuss with Mike, and I’ll also take this opportunity to tell you about your situation.” Gandalf gestured for Thorin to calm down before following the patrol into the Great Hall of the Lonely Mountain.
According to the original plan, the Grey Wizard should have come to Lonely Mountain long ago.
After hearing that Mike had defeated the dragon in Lonely Mountain, he took a short break and spent some more time recuperating in the Golden Forest.
The reason for this visit was that they had received word that the orc leader Azog had organized an army of tens of thousands of orcs to attack Lonely Mountain.
Gandalf's purpose in coming here was to support Mike and help him defend Lonely Mountain Fortress.
“Long time no see, Gandalf. You look much better than before.” In the Great Hall of the Lonely Mountain, Mike greeted the grey-robed wizard with a smile.
"It's all thanks to you. Your name, the Dragon Slayer, has spread throughout Middle-earth." Gandalf walked over to Mike with a relaxed expression and sat down opposite him. He then picked up the fruit that the elves had brought him and tasted it.
It's clear that although the situation of the orcs is not optimistic, the Grey Wizard is relatively at ease with Mike in charge of Lonely Mountain.
"By the way, what are you planning to do with the Durin dwarves? I just saw Thorin outside, and he seemed a bit off." After finishing his fruit, Gandalf brought up the matter of the dwarves.
Because of jealousy, Thorin is now like a powder keg, radiating negativity.
Moreover, his attitude, as if everyone owed him millions, successfully made the dwarves the most unpopular people on Lonely Mountain.
“What, didn’t Thorin tell you? I gave them two choices…” Mike then told the grey-robed wizard about the two development paths he had set for the Durin dwarves, and finally said, “But judging from Thorin’s current appearance, he seems to want even more.”
The dwarves hadn't really helped much in the recapture of Lonely Mountain. Getting the Arkenstone back or enough money to rebuild the kingdom below was already considered a great act of kindness from Mike.
Judging from the current situation, Mike's generosity seems to have fueled Thorin's greed.
After hearing Mike's description, Gandalf also felt that the Durin dwarves were a bit ungrateful.
Just as he was pondering how to balance the conflict between Mike and the Durin dwarves, Bilbo excitedly entered the hall. "Gandalf, it's been a long time! How have you been?"
The hobbit could sense that the grey wizard had always been kind to him.
Therefore, they also regarded the other party as an elder.
Seeing each other here made Bilbo, who was naturally optimistic, extremely happy.
"Bilbo, it's been a long time... I hope you don't resent me for taking you out of the Shire..." Seemingly infected by the hobbit's optimism, Gandalf smiled kindly. He then apologized for disturbing Bilbo's life.
After all, in the wizard's view, Bilbo left Hobbiton because the dwarves promised him a quarter of the wealth in Lonely Mountain.
Now that Mike has taken Lonely Mountain, the dwarves' promise is naturally no longer valid.
“No, I have never blamed you. This journey has broadened my horizons considerably. And things are going quite well now…” Bilbo is now quite free on the Lonely Mountain.
With plenty of food, drink, and free time, his life here is no worse than in Hobbiton.
Bilbo, who is easily satisfied, has grown to love his current life.
"That's good~" Gandalf smiled and patted the hobbit's head, relieved that he had been thinking about something.
Then he looked at Mike and said, "The conditions you offered the dwarves aren't bad. I'll go and persuade Thorin and the others later."
Gandalf also realized that the reason he had helped the dwarves was so that they could take back Erebor and use it to stop the orcs from invading Middle-earth.
Now Mike has the Lonely Mountain, and he's done a better job than the dwarves.
This also made the wizard unconsciously lean more towards Mike.
“Now, I need to talk about the orcs. I have received definite news that Azog's orc army will soon attack Lonely Mountain. You need to prepare in advance.” As he spoke of serious matters, Gandalf's expression gradually became serious.
"Don't worry, the orcs' movements can't escape my eyes. If they dare to come, I'll definitely give them a surprise," Mike said confidently.
Having occupied Lonely Mountain, he had already sent out scouts to monitor the movements of the Mordor orcs at all times.
Furthermore, King Sezer of Rohan, who recently signed an alliance pact with Mike, also sends information about the Orcs to Lonely Mountain every now and then.
“It’s good that you know what’s going on.” Gandalf was pleased with the natural leadership qualities that Mike exuded. He then added, “I’ve also brought a flock of giant eagles and Bion the skin-changing man with me. They will fight alongside us against the orc army when needed.”
It's not just the orcs who are concerned about Lonely Mountain; various factions across Middle-earth are also watching its safety.
In the following 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 Blackwood elves, entered a state of emergency preparedness under Aragorn's command.
It is worth mentioning that Bard of the River Valley Kingdom has also organized a royal guard of over a thousand people, ready to fight alongside the Lonely Mountain patrol team at any time.
During this time, Gandalf also took the opportunity to visit Thorin. However, their meeting did not seem to go well.
So much so that Thorin seemed to hate Gandalf after that.
Thranduil, the Elvenking, seems to have a lot to say about this situation.
In this tense atmosphere, two more days passed by in the blink of an eye.
That day, while Mike was on the throne exchanging affections with the female elves from the Black Forest, Bilbo rushed into the hall.
It's worth mentioning that, as the situation has become increasingly serious recently, the Elven King Thranduil has also led his Elven warriors to occupy the Lonely Mountain.
Among them were several female elf warriors.
Whenever they have free time, they come to the Lonely Mountain Hall to chat with Mike or something.
"Oh no, Mike! The dwarves and elves are fighting outside Lonely Mountain!" Bilbo then entered the Great Hall of Lonely Mountain, bringing everyone bad news.
(End of this chapter)