The dwarves stood in the dark cave and argued for a long time. Finally, Thorin said,"
"Now, we must admit that Mr. Baggins, who has made outstanding contributions, is our most trustworthy partner in this long journey.
As a Hobbit, he had courage and wisdom that outsiders could not imagine. Apart from that, if I may say so, he also has extraordinary good luck. At this moment, it is time for him to fulfill his sole goal of joining our team. It is time for him to earn his share of the reward!”
You all know how much Thorin talks at important moments, so I'll stop here. This was indeed a very important moment. Birbo felt very impatient. After spending so much time with Thorin, he knew Thorin's character very well. He knew what this guy would say in the end.
" Oh, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thorne, if you mean you think I should enter this secret passage first," he interrupted,""Please explain clearly! I might refuse. You have already been saved by me twice, which is not part of the original contract. Therefore, I think I have earned part of the reward. However, my dad always said,'you can't do it more than thrice.' I don't think I should refuse. Perhaps, I'm more confident in my good luck than before!”What he meant was, before leaving his residence;" But this seems to be centuries ago."" But I still think we should go and take a look quickly and end this matter. Who wants to go with me?"
He did not expect many people to volunteer, so he was not too disappointed. Philip and Kili looked very uneasy, and the others didn't even want to make a feint. The only exception was Balin, who was responsible for standing guard. He had a good impression of Birbo, so he was willing to go in for a while. If necessary, he would ask for help.
The situation of the dwarves was like this: They were prepared to pay Birbo a large sum of money in exchange for his services, because his purpose in coming here was to carry out a particularly dangerous mission for them. Therefore, it was of course best that this little guy was willing to volunteer. However, if he was in trouble, everyone would do their best to help him out. It was just like how they would still go to the cannibal woman's side to save him when they did not have a good impression of him in the beginning. Dwarves weren't brave and ruthless heroes. They were a race that calculated every step and cared a lot about money. Some of them were really cunning and bad guys, while others were honest ordinary people like Thorin, but you couldn't expect too much from them.
※※※
When the hobbits began to crawl into the cave, stars had already begun to appear in the sky. Entering was much easier than he thought. This wasn't an orc cave, nor was it a simple tunnel for the wood elves. This was a tunnel built during the dwarves 'heyday. It was straight as if it had been measured with a ruler. The floor was flat, the walls were smooth, and even the slope had been calculated from the beginning. There was no change at all. However, no one knew what kind of dark place it led to.
"Good luck," Balin said to Bilbo after a while.”，It stopped at a place where the entrance could be vaguely seen. Here, he could hear the conversation of the people outside by relying on the echoes of the cave. Then, the hobbit put on the ring, and knowing that the cave would have an echo effect, he advanced more carefully and silently. He was trembling with fear, but his little face showed determination. He was a completely different person from the Hobbit who had forgotten to bring a handkerchief. He had not used a handkerchief for a long time. He loosened the dagger at his waist, tightened his belt, and continued to move forward.
"Bilbo Baggins, you've reached your destination at last!”He said to himself,"That night, you stepped into this adventure. You have to find a way to pull your foot out now!" Heavens! I'm such a fool!" The part of him with the thinnest Tucker blood spoke,""The treasure guarded by the evil dragon is useless to me. I really hope that I can wake up and realize that this tunnel is my home.”
Of course, he did not wake up. He continued to walk forward until he could not even see the shadow of the door. He had fallen into a completely lonely situation. Soon, he began to feel that the place was getting warmer and warmer. "Is there some light in front of us?”He thought.
There was indeed. As he got closer and closer, the light became stronger and stronger, which made him more certain. It was a kind of light that was getting redder and redder, and the tunnel became warmer. Wisps of steam drifted past him, making him sweat all over. A sound began to jump in his head. It sounded like something bubbling in the pot, and it also sounded like a big cat's growl. Later, the sound slowly turned into the snoring of some huge monster sleeping in the red light.
Birbo stopped at this moment and wanted to continue walking. It was the bravest thing he had ever done in his life. Nothing that happened after that could compare to it. The most difficult battles happened when he was alone in the tunnel and did not even see the monsters. After a period of struggle, he decided to continue. As you can imagine, a small hobbit walked to the end of the tunnel, came to an opening about the size of the entrance, and stuck his little head out. In front of him was the bottom of the cave that the ancient dwarves had dug in the mountains. It was pitch black here, and Birbo could only guess how wide it was. However, in the middle of the floor, there was a glaring red light--
The giant red dragon lay there, sleeping without being disturbed. Wisps of black smoke came out of its sharp teeth and nostrils. The flame in its belly was not that strong when it was sleeping. Under its limbs and tail, as well as the entire cave, were all kinds of gold, silver, and jewelry. There were uncast gold and gems, as well as exquisite works of art. These treasures were all stained with a layer of bright red light.
Smaug's wings were folded, and he lay on the ground like a giant bat. It slept on its side, and Birbo could see its pale belly pressed against the priceless bed. Because it had been pressing its stomach on these treasures for a long time, many gems and gold were stuck on its stomach. On the wall behind Smaug, the hobbits could vaguely see chainmail, helmets, axes, swords, spears, and other things hanging on the wall. In the same place, there were many large urns that contained countless treasures.
It would not be too much to say that Birbo had forgotten to breathe. There was no language that humans learned from the elves to describe his excitement. Birbo had heard all the songs praising the evil dragon's treasures, but this brilliance, this temptation, this wealth that could rival a country's gold, silver, and jewelry had completely exceeded his imagination! His heart was filled with the same hunger as the dwarves. He looked at these priceless treasures without moving, completely forgetting about the terrifying guards.
He stayed there for almost a century. Finally, he couldn't help but run out of the shadows, across the ground, and came to the nearest treasure mountain. The dragon was still asleep, but it still looked extremely ferocious in its sleep. He picked up a heavy golden cup, almost as heavy as he could carry, and looked up fearfully. Smaug's wings moved, and he raised a claw. The rhythm of his snoring also changed.
Birbo ran away, but the dragon did not wake up. It was not time yet. It was just another dream filled with greed and violence. The hobbit ran back into the narrow tunnel, his heart pounding and his legs shaking, but he still held the cup tightly, his only thought: "I did it! They'll know later. Not like a Snitch, but more like a grocer. Let's see if they still dare to say it in the future."
Indeed, he had never heard such a thing again. Balin was delighted and surprised to see the hobbit return safely. He picked up Bilbo and ran outside quickly. It was still the middle of the night, and the clouds obscured the stars. Birbo lay on the ground with his eyes closed, enjoying the fresh air. He hardly noticed the dwarves 'excited reactions, or how they praised him, patting him on the shoulder and promising to have the dwarves' entire family, generations of dwarves, at his beck and call.
The dwarves were taking turns to pass the golden cup to each other, discussing the current situation. Suddenly, a low roar came from the mountain, as if an ancient volcano had awakened. The secret door behind them was closed to a small gap and blocked with a stone. However, through the echoes of the tunnel, they could still hear the shocking footsteps that shook the earth.
At this time, the dwarves had completely forgotten about their bragging and confidence not long ago. They all lay on the ground in fear. Smaug was still an opponent that could not be underestimated. If you lived near the dragon and forgot to plan for it, it would be a fatal crisis. The evil dragons might not really need the treasure, but they were able to calculate every single detail. It would be even more so if the treasure had been under his jurisdiction for many years, and Smaug was no exception. It had just had a nightmare (there was a small warrior in the dream, although unremarkable, he had a sword and full of courage, which made it very unhappy), which made it fall into a half-dream and then wake up again. There was a strange smell in the air. Could it have drifted over from that small hole? Although the hole was very small, it had never liked that hole. Why did it forget to block it up? Recently, it often thought that it heard some knocking sound from the small hole. It stretched its neck, ready to move its stiff body. Then, he realized that the golden cup was gone!
Thieves! Fire! Murder! Ever since it came to this mountain range, such a thing had never happened. Its anger was beyond imagination. It was like a rich man who suddenly realized that he was missing a treasure, even if it was useless to it. It began to spit out high-temperature flames. The entire hall was filled with thick smoke, and the mountain range shook. It tried in vain to squeeze its head into the cave. Then, it curled its body and roared like thunder underground. It came out of the deep underground cave along the huge tunnel, leaving the palace in the mountain and heading towards the gate.
At this moment, the only thought in the dragon's mind was to search the entire mountain and find this damned thief! It rushed out of the gate, and all the water instantly turned into steam. It flapped its wings and leaped into the air, circling in the clouds, engulfing half of the hillside with deadly red and green flames. When the dwarves heard the sound of its wings flapping, they immediately hid under the rocks in the valley, hoping to avoid the dragon's angry eyes.
If it wasn't for Birbo stepping out again, they might have all been burned to death there. "Hurry up! Hurry!" he shouted. "Enter! Go to the tunnel! It's useless here."
Hearing Birbo's cry, they crawled into the tunnel as if they had just woken up from a dream. At this moment, Bifo exclaimed again,"My cousins! Pang Bo and Bo Fu, we have forgotten about them, they are still in the valley!”
" They and our ponies and supplies will all be burned," the others wailed,""We can't do anything!"
"Nonsense!" Thorin finally regained his dignity." We can't abandon them. Mr. Baggins and Balin go in first, and Kili and Philip-we can't let the dragon kill us all at once. Where did the rope go? Hurry up!"
These few minutes were probably the worst they had ever encountered. Smaug's angry roar echoed in the valley. He could rush down at any time, spitting flames, or find them hanging on ropes on the ridge in the sky. Boffo climbed up, and no one had encountered any danger yet. Pang Bo panted as he climbed up. The rope creaked strangely, but the dragon still did not notice them. Then, they carried some tools and luggage. Danger was now heading straight for them.
They heard the rushing wind, and a red light shone on the rocks-the dragon was coming.
When Smaug flew from the north, burning the mountain walls with his flames, they had only a few seconds to drag all their luggage into the cave. The hot wind scorched the grass in front of the door and penetrated the gap left by the secret door, making the people inside feel extremely hot. When it flew over the sky, darkness enveloped everyone. The pony neighed in fear, broke free from the rope, and ran around. The evil dragon swooped down to hunt them down, and the latter disappeared just like that.
"Our poor pony is finished!”Thorin said,"Once Smaug finds out, nothing can escape. Unless someone wants to risk walking back under Smaug's watch, we have to continue hiding here!”
Just thinking about it made people afraid! They hid further into the tunnel. Although it was quite warm inside, many people still couldn't help but tremble. Finally, pale light shone in from the crack. They could hear the dragon's roar getting closer and further away. It was obvious that Smaug was hunting thieves around the mountain.
From the tracks of the ponies and the campsite, it speculated that these people had climbed up the river to where the ponies were. However, its eyes still could not find the secret door, and the col. was still not attacked by its fire. It searched for a long time in vain. After its anger subsided, it returned to the cave to sleep and recover its strength. It would never forgive a thief. Even if thousands of years had passed and it had turned into stone, it would not forgive the other party easily. However, it could wait. Slowly and quietly, it crawled back into the cave, half-closing its eyes.
After the dawn, the dwarves 'fear gradually disappeared. They now understood that similar dangers were inevitable when dealing with such guards. Even if they gave up now, it would be useless. Thorin pointed out that they could not escape now. Their pony had either escaped or been killed. Before Smaug relaxed his guard, they would have to wait for a long time before they could walk back carefully. Fortunately, they managed to save some food, so they could last a little longer.
They argued for a long time about what to do next, but they could not think of a way to get rid of Smaug. Birbo couldn't help but point out that this had been a major blind spot in their plan from the beginning. Because they had fallen into complete despair, the dwarves 'nature made them complain to Birbo. At first, they had praised the act of stealing the golden cup, but now it had become a heinous crime.
"What else do you think the Snitch would do?”" It's a warrior's job to kill the dragon," Birbo retorted angrily." My responsibility is to steal the treasure. This is a good start." Do you think I can just walk back with all of Saul's treasures? If anyone wants to complain, they're not as qualified as I am. You should have brought five hundred Snitches, not just me! I know you're proud of Grandfather's treasure, but you've never tried to explain to me how much it is. Even if I were fifty times older and Smaug was as amiable as a bunny, it would still take me a hundred years to move it all.”
After that, the dwarves pulled a long face and begged for his forgiveness. "Mr. Baggins, what do you suggest we do?”Thorin asked politely.
"If you are referring to transporting the treasure, I am not sure yet. This obviously depends on our good luck, and at the same time, we have to get rid of Smaug. I have no experience in killing evil dragons in my life, but I can think of a way. In my opinion, I don't think there's any hope. I'd rather we stay at home.”
"Don't worry so much! What should we do now?”
"Well, if you really want my advice, I think we should just stay here and do nothing. During the day, we should be able to sneak out safely and breathe in the fresh air. Perhaps it won't be long before we can send one or two people to the river to replenish our food. However, during this period of time, I suggest that everyone obediently stay in the cave at night. I might as well give everyone another suggestion: I'll put on the ring this afternoon and go down to see. If Smaug is still sleeping, then I'll try to see what he's going to do. Maybe we can learn something. My dad always said,'Every bug has a weakness,' but I'm pretty sure he didn't experience it himself.”
Naturally, the dwarves happily accepted Birbo's suggestion. They had already begun to respect this little Birbo. He had now truly become the leader of this adventure and began to have his own ideas and plans. At noon, he was ready to enter the mountain again. Of course, he did not like this kind of adventure, but after he had confirmed what was in front of him, he would not have to face the fear of the unknown like before. If he had known enough about the wisdom and cunning of the dragon, he might not have been so assured and naively thought that Smaug would sleep without defense.
When he set off, the sun was still shining outside, but the tunnel was as dark as the night. He did not walk far before the sunlight outside completely disappeared. His movements were soundless, almost incomparable to the smoke floating in the wind. As he got closer and closer to the other exit, he could not help but feel proud of himself. There was only a very faint light below.
" Old Smaug must be tired and asleep," he thought."It can't see me or hear me. Birbo, buck up!" He had forgotten that the evil dragons described in the story also had a very keen sense of smell. In fact, when they were suspicious, they could even sleep with their eyes half-closed.
When Birbo looked in from the entrance, Smaug did look like he was asleep. He did not snore at all, and there was only a thin smoke between his nostrils. When he was about to step out, he suddenly noticed a red light under Smaug's left eyelid---it was pretending to be asleep! It was paying attention to the entrance of the cave! Birbo hurriedly retreated, thanking the ring for its good luck. Then, Smaug spoke.
"Listen, thief! I smell you, I can feel your scent. I can hear your breathing. Come on! Take as much as you want!”
Birbo's understanding of dragons was not that shallow. If Smaug wanted to trick him into coming down, he would be disappointed. "No, thanks, Mr. Smaug of Big Tail!”He replied," I'm not here to get a gift. I just want to see you and prove that you're as great as the legends say. I really don't believe the descriptions in the legends.”
"What about now?" The evil dragon was flattered, but it was not stupid enough to believe anything the other party said.
"Oh, Lord Smaug, the greatest and most honorable of the beasts, those songs and legends are not even one ten-thousandth of the truth!”Birbo replied.
"For a thief and a liar, you are quite polite!”" You seem to be very familiar with me," the dragon said." But I've never smelled you before. Please allow me to ask about your origin and name. May I?"”
"Of course you can! I came from the foot of the mountain, my path passed through the mountains and over the hills. I can still fly in the sky, I am a mysterious person who comes and goes without a trace.”
" I believe you," Smaug said." But I'm afraid this is not the name you usually use!”
"I am the investigator, the man who cuts the web, the fly with thorns, and I was chosen to make up the lucky numbers.”
"What a cute name!" "But lucky numbers don't always work," the dragon said contemptuously.”
"I'm the one who buried my friends alive, threw them into the water, and let them leave the water alive. I came from the bottom of the bag, but I've never been covered by a bag.”
"That doesn't sound good!" Smaug mocked.
" I am the friend of the bear, the guest of the eagle. I am the one who wins the ring and holds good luck. I am also the brave one who rides the barrel.”Birbo felt that the process of his riddles was very fun, so he continued to speak.
"This is much better!" Smaug said,"But don't let your imagination run wild!”
※※※
This was the way dragons spoke. Generally speaking, if you didn't want to say your real name (which was a smart move), or if you didn't want to reject them rudely (which was also very smart), you would usually have to speak like this. No dragon could resist the temptation of playing riddles and wasting time to figure out the content. Smaug did not understand much of what Bilbo was saying (though, since you know so much about Bilbo's adventures, I think you know what he was referring to), but this time he thought he knew enough, and began to snicker inwardly.
"I guessed it last night!" He thought to himself with a snicker,"This must be the trick of the people on the lake, the poor barrel sellers, or I'd be a lizard!" I haven't been to that place for hundreds of years. This situation should change very soon!”
"Excellent, brave warrior on a barrel!" " Maybe Bucket is the name of your mount," it said loudly." Maybe it's not. Maybe you come and go without a trace, but you definitely can't walk here. Let me tell you, I ate six ponies last night, and it won't be long before I eat everything. To repay you for providing me with this feast, I'm willing to give you a piece of advice: Do not make contact with dwarves!"
"Dwarves!" said Bilbo, pretending to be very surprised.
"Stop pretending!" Smaug said,"I know what dwarves smell like. No one knows it better than I do. If I eat a dwarf's pony, I will know! If you keep dealing with these guys, you'll end up miserable. Thief riding a barrel, I don't mind you telling them that I said so.”He did not tell Bilbo, however, that there was a smell he had never tasted before-the smell of a hobbit; This made him very worried and frightened.
"I think you earned a lot from the golden cup last night, right?”"Come on," he continued,"didn't you? Ha, so there was nothing! Hmph, this was their style. I'm sure they're safe out there, leaving you to do the dangerous job of stealing when I'm not looking. They were all working for them, right? You'll get a big vote? You really believe it! You should be glad that you can keep your dog life!”
Birbo began to feel uneasy. Every time Smaug's eyes searched for shadows or swept across his body, he could not help but tremble. An unimaginable impulse overwhelmed his rationality, making him want to rush out and tell Smaug the truth. In fact, he was already on the verge of being caught by the evil dragon magic, but he still mustered up the courage to say loudly,""Oh, great Smaug, you don't know the truth. Gold alone is not enough to buy us.”
"Hah! Hah! You admit it's 'us',"Smaug laughed and said."Mr. Lucky Number, why don't you just say 'fourteen of us'? I'm glad to know that you have other missions besides my gold. This way, you won't waste all your time.”
"I don't know if you've ever thought about it, but even if you can spend a hundred years stealing my gold bit by bit, you won't be able to run far! It was useless to hide by the side of the mountain. Would hiding in the forest be enough? Hahaha! Have you never thought about it? Fourteen people, I think. That's probably what the contract says, right? What about the cost of transportation? What about the car fees? What about armed guards and fees?" Smaug laughed. He was very scheming and good at playing with people's hearts. He knew that his guess was not far from the mark. However, he suspected that the people behind everything were the humans by the Long Lake. They were prepared to transport all the treasures to the settlement on the lake called Iska when he was young.
You might find it hard to believe, but poor Bilbo was really thrown off his feet by these questions. Up until now, all his efforts had been focused on how to reach the lone mountain and find the secret door. He didn't spend any time thinking about how to transport the treasure, let alone how to transport the things that were given to him to Bag End at the bottom of the hill.
He began to wonder if the dwarves had forgotten the most important point, or if they had planned it all out from the beginning. This was the influence that the dragon's words had on inexperienced people. Birbo should have been more careful, but Smaug's persuasiveness was irresistible.
" Let me tell you." He tried to continue believing in his friend and not let himself be discouraged."The gold is just an extra reward for us. We have come all the way here for revenge. Oh, Smaug of great wealth, you must have realized that under your great achievements, you have made countless enemies?”
Smaug gave a real laugh, and the deafening sound made Birbo fall to the ground. The dwarves in the distance hugged each other in fear and began to wonder if the hobbit had met with misfortune.
"Revenge!" He snorted, and the red light in his eyes enveloped the entire hall in a blood-red light. "Revenge! The King had been dead for so long. Who among his descendants dared to take revenge? Lord Girion of River Cove Town is already dead. I ate his people like snacks. Which of his children and grandchildren would dare to approach me? If I want to kill, I will kill. If I want to eat, I will eat. No one dares to stop me. I killed the ancient warriors who were invincible. Compared to them, the current warriors are just weak rats. At that time, I was still young and soft-hearted. Now, I already possess countless years of wisdom and incomparably powerful strength. Thief in the shadows!" He boasted," My scales are like ten layers of overlapping steel shields, my fangs are like swords, my claws are like spears and halberds. With a slight wave of my tail, mortals feel as if they have been struck by lightning. With a slight flap of my wings, sand and stones fly between heaven and earth. My breath is enough to bring death!”
" I knew it before." Birbo's voice trembled with fear." The body of an evil dragon is actually very soft, especially in that-er-chest area. However, a great creature like you who is invulnerable must have thought of this long ago.”
The dragon suddenly stopped boasting. " Your information is already outdated," he said angrily."My entire body is covered in steel-like scales and gemstones. No blade can hurt me.”
"I should've guessed," said Birbo."No one in the world can compare to the invincible Smaug King. The diamond jacket you are wearing is really beautiful!”
" Yes, this is indeed a rare treasure." Smaug was quite proud. He did not know that the hobbit had seen his chest before. This time, for some reason, he wanted to confirm it again. The evil dragon turned over. "Look!" "What do you think?" he asked.
"Truly incomparably dazzling! It was too perfect! There were no flaws at all! It's so jaw-dropping!" said Birbo loudly, but what he was really thinking was,"Old fool! There was a gap on its left chest, as fragile as a snail with a broken shell!”
After confirming all this, Mr. Baggins only wanted to slip away as soon as possible. " Alright, I don't think I can disturb your rest anymore," he said,""Or waste your time. The pony must be difficult to catch, and so would the Snitch!”As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately ran back into the tunnel.
This last sentence really angered Smaug. He immediately spat out a hot flame and rushed to the cave entrance. Although Birbo was already running, his speed was still unable to completely shake off Smaug. Smaug stuffed his head into the hole. Fortunately, his whole head and chin could not squeeze in completely, but his nostrils still spewed flames and hot steam to attack the enemy. Poor Birbo was running desperately in the dark, almost dying in the tunnel. He had been quite satisfied with his response before, but his last sentence almost killed him.
"You fool, never make fun of a living dragon!”he told himself, and it became his catchphrase and a proverb. " Your adventure is not over yet," he said, and he was right.
※※※
When he staggered out of the cave and fell on the grass, it was already evening. The dwarves immediately woke him up and treated his burns. The hair on the back of his head and his feet had been burnt, and it took a long time for them to grow back. During this time, his friends tried their best to encourage him, and they were eager to hear the story from him, especially about why the dragon made such a loud noise, and how Bilbo had escaped.
But the hobbits were feeling rather worried and uneasy, and they were having trouble getting anything out of him. After careful consideration, he began to regret revealing so many things to the evil dragon, so he really did not want to bring up the old topic. The black bird was still perched on the rock next to them, listening to their conversation with its head tilted. Birbo was in a terrible mood. He even threw a stone at the black bird, but it flew back after dodging.
"Damned bird!" said Bilbo angrily,"I think he's eavesdropping. I don't like his looks.”
"Leave it alone!" Thorin said. "This black bird is a very friendly and kind bird. This is also a very old black bird. It might be the last offspring of the long-lived magic birds that live here. Those black birds were once domesticated by my grandfather and father. This one might be one of them back then. It might have already lived for hundreds of years. The humans of River Cove Town used to understand their language and use them to communicate with the humans by the lake.”
" Well, if this is its job, then it will have news to bring back to Long Lake Town," said Birbo."However, there might not be any living person who can hear the blackbird's cry!”
"What exactly happened?" "Hurry up and tell me!" the dwarf said anxiously.”
Birbo told the dwarf everything he could remember. He admitted that he had a bad feeling that the dragon had deduced too many clues from his riddles, ponies, and camp. "I think it must have guessed that we came from the long lake
Someone from the town helped us. I'm worried that it'll go to Sweep Dang next. I wish there hadn't been any mention of the barrel rider. In this part of the world, even a rabbit would have guessed it was a human thing.”
"Alright, forget it! "Forget about the past. It's hard not to spill the beans when talking to an evil dragon." Ba Lin was anxious to comfort him."If you ask me, I think you did a very good job. At least you found a very important piece of information and came back alive. I'm afraid not many people who have talked to Smaug have such experience. At least, we know that there is a gap in the old dragon's diamond vest.”
Everyone's topic changed as well. They all began to discuss the methods of slaying dragons in legends and historical records, as well as the effects of various thrusts, punctures, and slashes. They also discussed the techniques, devices, and strategies that had been developed. Generally speaking, everyone thought that it was not so easy to sneak an attack on the dragon while it was asleep. It might be more likely to be unexpected than to attack openly.
※※※
At the same time, the black bird listened attentively until the stars in the sky began to shine. Only then did it silently flap its wings and fly away. As they talked, Birbo grew more and more worried, and the foreboding grew deeper.
In the end, he interrupted the conversation."" It's not safe for us here," he said."It's best not to stay here. The evil dragon had burnt all the green lands, and the temperature at night was relatively low. They should not stay outside. I have a feeling that this place will definitely be attacked again. Smaug knows where I entered his cave, he can guess where the exit is, and if necessary, he will blow up the whole area to stop us. It wouldn't feel the slightest pity if we were buried in the rubble.”
"Mr. Baggins, you're too pessimistic!”Thorin said," If it wants to shut us out so much, why hasn't it sealed the exit over there? If it had done so, we would have heard it long ago.”
"I don't know, I really don't know. Perhaps it just wanted to trick us out first, or it was prepared to come back after tonight's hunt. Or perhaps it didn't want to ruin the bedroom's layout. I'm not sure, but I hope you won't argue with me anymore. Smaug will be here any moment. Our only hope is to hide in the tunnel and close the door!”
He was very insistent, and in the end, the dwarves did as he was told. However, they did not think that they should close the door so quickly because it was too risky. No one knew if the door could be opened from the inside. Moreover, being trapped in a tunnel that only led to the exit of the dragon's cave was not a very reassuring situation. Other than that, everything outside seemed very calm. Therefore, they sat not far away from the door, looked at the half-opened door, and continued to chat casually.
They talked about what the dragon had said to sow discord. Birbo wished he had never heard these words, or that he could believe the dwarf's version this time. They claimed that they really did not think about what to do after taking back the treasure. " We know this is a very big bet," Thorin said."We still think so. I still think that after we get the treasure, we will have time to think about how to transport it. As for your share, Mr. Baggins, I assure you that we will let you choose your own share, for our gratitude is beyond words. I apologize if the delivery part bothered you. I knew that we would definitely encounter great difficulties. The places we had passed through would only become more dangerous. However, I promise you that I will do my best to help you solve this problem. We will share the cost of transportation for you! Believe it or not, it's up to you!"
Then, everyone talked about the mountain of gold and silver, as well as Thorin and Balin's memories of it. The spears were forged for the troops of the great King Bradosin (who had passed away a long time ago). Each spear had a spear tip that had been forged three times, and the handle was inlaid with finely carved gold. However, these weapons were not shipped out in time, nor did they receive payment from the other party. There were also shields made for warriors who had died long ago, a huge golden cup that Saul held in both hands, carved by craftsmen, with the eyes of insects, fish, birds, and beasts inlaid with gems, and a chain mail painstakingly forged by craftsmen, plated with pure silver, making it invulnerable to swords and spears…The necklace of the King of River Cove, Girion, was made of 500 emeralds that were as green as grass. He used this practice to exchange for a chain mail tailored for his eldest son. It was made of pure silver, and each ring was hand-joined. It had also been specially processed by the dwarves, giving it the same hardness as three layers of steel. However, the most beautiful of them all was a huge white gem that the dwarves had dug up at the bottom of the mountain range. This was the heart of the mountain, also known as Thorne's family gem.
"Family heirloom diamond! Family heirloom diamond!" Thorin propped his chin in the darkness and murmured,"" It's like a ball with thousands of faces. Under the fire, it glows with silver light, like a lake reflecting sunlight, like snow under the stars or raindrops under the moonlight!”
However, Birbo was already immune to the mountain of treasures. Birbo's mind had already flown elsewhere in their conversation, half of his mind spent listening for any strange noise outside the door, and the other half listening for any commotion inside the door other than the dwarves 'voices.
The darkness grew thicker and thicker, and he became more and more uneasy. "Close the door!" "I'm already scared of the dragon," he pleaded."This silence is worse than the noise last night. Hurry up and close the door, or it will be too late!”
The fear in his voice made the dwarf feel the same uneasiness. Thorin slowly shook off his fantasy of treasure, stood up and kicked away the stone blocking the door. Then they pushed hard, and the door closed with a click. There were no traces of a keyhole in the door. They were trapped in the mountain!
Their luck was pretty good. They had not gone far when the other side of the mountain range seemed to have been hit by a giant's sledgehammer. The rocks kept shaking, the mountain walls cracked, and many gravel fell from the top of the cave. I don't dare to imagine what it would be like if the door wasn't closed. They were glad that they had escaped death and ran deeper into the tunnel. At the same time, they could hear Smaug's angry roar coming from outside the door. It crushed the rocks into powder and swept the mountain wall and the entire cliff with its huge dragon tail. In the end, the mountain depression, the narrow ridge, and the snail-covered mountain wall were all shattered by the dragon's anger. The huge landslide also buried the valley below.
Smaug had left the cave without a word and quietly flew into the night sky. He circled in the sky like a crow and glided to the west of the mountain range, hoping to catch these guys by surprise attack and see what route the thieves took. The earthquake just now was because it had come to a suspicious exit, but it was disappointed to find nothing. It was venting its anger in anger.
After that, it felt that since it had vented the anger in its chest, it should not waste time here. It had other revenge plans to carry out. "Bucket-Riding Hero!" He said contemptuously,"There is no doubt that your footprints came from the river. I've never smelled you, but even if you're not a member of the humans by the lake, they've helped you before. Now, it's time for them to see my true self and know who the real King of the Mountain is!”
It flew out of the flames and headed south toward the Rushing River.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。