At the same time, the dwarves sat in the darkness, not daring to make a sound. They ate very little and spoke very little. They did not know the passage of time and did not dare to move recklessly because their voices would cause a terrifying echo in the tunnel. Even if they dozed off, the tunnel was still dead silent when they woke up. They could not even see their fingers. They seemed to have waited for several days before they finally felt that they could no longer endure it and needed fresh air and light. They even began to look forward to the sound that the dragon would make when it returned. In the silence, they began to worry if everything was a trap, but they could not sit here forever.
" Let's see if we can open the door!" Thorin said.”He said,"If I don't get some fresh air, I might suffocate. I would rather be beaten to death by Smaug outside than suffocate to death here!”A few dwarves stood up and groped for the original position of the exit. Unfortunately, they found that the top half of the tunnel had collapsed and was filled with falling rocks. Neither magic nor keys could open the door again.
"We're trapped!" They wailed,"We're done for this time. We will all die here."
Just as the dwarves fell into despair, Birbo suddenly felt the pressure on his heart lighten a lot, as if a big stone had been removed from his chest.
"Come on, come on!" He said,"'As long as there is life, there is hope!'My dad always said, and don't forget,'never do things thrice.' I was prepared to enter the cave again. When I knew that there was an evil dragon there, I had already gone there twice. This time, I was prepared to go again under uncertain circumstances. Anyway, we can only go down. I think you'd better come with me this time.”
The despairing crowd had no choice but to agree. Thorin took the lead and walked beside Birbo.
"Be careful!" The hobbit whispered,"Try not to make a sound! Perhaps Smaug was not there, but it could still be hiding there. Don't take unnecessary risks!”
They walked down. Of course, dwarves were not as good at moving silently as hobbits. Their panting and complaining voices echoed in the tunnel. Although Birbo often warned everyone to stop because he was worried,
There was still no sound from below. When they reached the exit, Birbo put on the ring and walked over. However, he didn't really need the ring. It was completely dark there. Regardless of whether they were wearing rings or not, everyone was invisible. In fact, because it was too dark below, Birbo was caught off guard and missed his step, rolling out of the hole!
He lay face down on the ground, not daring to stand up or breathe loudly, but there was still no movement. There was no light here. The only exception was that when he raised his head, there seemed to be a faint light at the top of the cave. What was reassuring was that it was definitely not the flames of the evil dragon. Even so, the entire space was still filled with the stench of the evil dragon, and one could almost taste the steam it spat out in their mouths.
In the end, Mr. Baggins could not hold it in any longer. "Smaug, you stinky caterpillar!”He cursed loudly,"Stop playing hide and seek! Hurry up and light up this side. Come and catch me!"
His curses echoed in the hall, but there was still no response.
Birbo stood up and found that he could not make sense of north, south, east and west.
"I don't know what Smaug's up to, but I don't think he's home today (or tonight, who knows). If Ou Yin and Gloin hadn't lost the tinder box, perhaps we could have made some light and looked around while we were lucky.”He shouted,"Light up! Can someone make some light?"
※※※
When Birbo accidentally fell out of the cave, the dwarves were indeed very afraid. For a moment, they could only cower near the exit, not knowing what to do.
"Shh! Shh!" It was all they could do when they heard Birbo's voice. Although this did help the Hobbits confirm their location, they still did not dare to breathe for a long time. At the end, when Birbo stomped his feet desperately and shouted at the top of his lungs,"”Sorin finally could not hold it in any longer. Ou Yin and Gloin were immediately sent back to the luggage on the other side of the tunnel to look for something.
After a while, a faint light followed their footsteps back. Ou Yin held a lit pine torch in his hand, and Gloin held another pile of torches under his armpit. Birbo immediately ran in and took the torch, but he could not persuade the other dwarves to join him with torches. Thorin carefully explained," Mr. Baggins is still a professional Snitch and investigator in the team. If he decides to risk igniting the fire, that's his job. The others will have to wait for his report in the tunnel." Therefore, the dwarves sat at the door and watched carefully.
They saw the black forms of the hobbits searching around with small torches, and sometimes Bilbo would accidentally kick something on the ground and almost fall several times. As he walked further and further away, the light became weaker and weaker. After a while, the faint light began to illuminate the entire cave. Birbo was climbing up the pile of gold, silver, and jewelry. Very quickly, he reached the top. The dwarves watched him stop and bent down to check for a moment, but they could not guess why he did so.
That was because of the Heart of the Mountain, Saul's family heirloom diamond. Birbo guessed its appearance from Sorin's description. However, even in so many treasures, no, even in the whole world, it was impossible for there to be two similar gems. He kept climbing up. The unchanging white light kept pulling him up. Slowly, the light turned into a ball of pure white light. As he got closer and closer, the edge of the gem emitted a colorful rainbow, reflecting the red light of the torch into a colorful illusion. Finally, when he reached the gem, he could not help but hold his breath. There was his own shadow in the gem in front of his feet. Many years ago, the dwarves who dug it out from the bottom of the mountain carved it carefully. They cut the light inside into thousands of flat surfaces and transformed it into countless rainbows.
Birbo's hand disobeyed and reached out to pick it up. His small hand could not even hold it completely, but he could still hold it up. He closed his eyes and placed the gemstone in his deepest pocket.
"I'm a real Snitch now!”He thought," I should find a time to tell the dwarves later. They did say that I could choose my share. Let them take the rest of the treasures. I only want this one!"”At the same time, he also felt that the gemstone might not be included in the other party's self-selection. It might cause a lot of trouble.
Then, he continued walking forward. He walked along the treasure mountain to the other side, and the light of the torch disappeared before the dwarf's eyes. However, they soon saw the fire appear even further away. Birbo was crossing the cave.
He continued to walk forward and finally came to a door in the distance. The fresh air made him feel refreshed, but it also almost blew out his torch. He carefully looked outside and vaguely saw a rather majestic corridor with continuous stairs extending upward. And so far, he had not heard or seen Smaug's whereabouts. Just as he was about to go back, a dark figure suddenly pounced on him and swept across his face. He screamed and slipped backward, falling to the ground. The torch fell to the ground and immediately went out!
"I hope it's just a bat!" "What should I do now?" he asked unhappily. Where is the north, south, east, and west?"
"Thorin! Balin! Ou Yin! Gloin! Philip! Kili!" He opened his throat and shouted desperately. In this darkness, it seemed to be futile. "The torch has been extinguished, who can save me!”His courage seemed to have disappeared in an instant. The dwarves could vaguely hear his cry for help, but they could only hear the vague words,"Save me!"”
"What's going on now?" " It shouldn't be an evil dragon," Thorin said." Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep calling it that.”They waited for a minute or two, but there was still no sound from outside. In fact, there was no other sound other than Birbo's roar. "Go, anyone, bring a torch over!”Thorin ordered,"Looks like we'll have to help the Snitch.”
" It's time for us to help," Ba Lin said."I'm willing to go. Anyway, I feel that it should be quite safe now.”
Gloin lit a few torches, and then they all went out one by one, running as fast as they could along the wall. Before long, they met Birbo, who was walking back. When he saw the fire, he quickly regained his composure.
"It's just a bat knocking over a torch, nothing!”He answered their questions. Although they were relieved, this false alarm also made them full of complaints. If he had told the dwarves about the diamond, how would they have reacted? I don't know. As they lit their torches and advanced, the golden light of the nearby scene once again awakened the flames in the dwarves 'hearts. When the dwarves focused on gold and jewelry, even the most polite dwarves would become bold and even fierce.
The dwarves did not need any encouragement. Everyone wanted to take the opportunity to see this place carefully, and they were willing to believe that Smaug was not at home. Everyone grabbed a torch and began to look around. Slowly, they forgot what fear and caution were. They talked loudly and shouted at each other. They raised ancient treasures and carefully enjoyed them, letting the fire light up everything in front of them.
Philip and Kili were so happy that they almost went crazy. They found golden harps with silver strings everywhere, so they couldn't wait to pick them up and play with them. Because they were enchanted (and hadn't been destroyed by the dragon, because he had no interest in music), the pitch was still very accurate. The dark cave was immediately filled with beautiful notes that had disappeared for hundreds of years. However, most of the dwarves were more practical. They picked up gems everywhere, stuffed their pockets full, and sighed as they put back the things they couldn't take away. Although Thorin had the same desire, the thing he was looking for never appeared. It was the family diamond, but he was unwilling to tell others.
Then, the dwarves took off their armor and weapons from the wall and armed themselves. Sorin put on a gold-inlaid chainmail and a ruby axe at his waist, looking very much like the royal family.
"Mr. Baggins!" "This is your first reward!" he shouted. Take off your old clothes and wear this!"
Before he could finish, he put a chainmail on Birbo, which had been forged for a young Elven prince many years ago. It was made of silver steel, which was what the elves called mithril. It was matched with a belt made of pearls and crystals. The Hobbit wore a light leather helmet with an iron plate protecting it and white gems on the edge.
"I think it's great!" He thought,"But I might look a little funny." If this was my hometown, I wonder how they would laugh at me! I really wish there was a dressing mirror here for me to take a look!”
However, in the face of the temptation of these treasures, Mr. Baggins was still calmer than the dwarves. Before the dwarves got tired of it, he had already sat down and started to worry about how it would end. I'd rather use these golden cups, he thought."Exchange Beweng's cups and bowls for those drinks and food!”
"Thorin!" "What should we do next?" he shouted. We are fully armed, but what use are these weapons against Smaug? We haven't gotten those treasures back yet. Our goal now is definitely not the gold, but to find a way out. We have already wasted too much time on gold!”
"You're right!" Only then did Thorin regain his usual composure. "Let's go! I'll lead the way. Even after thousands of years, I will never forget the path here.”Then, he ordered the others to gather together and walk out of the door with torches held high. Many people still looked back at the cave behind them reluctantly.
They covered their shining armor with shabby cloaks and their shining helmets with faded hats. One by one, they followed Thorin. In the darkness, their footsteps often stopped, worried that the evil dragon would suddenly appear.
Although most of the old decorations here had been destroyed, and the monsters had come and gone, Thorin still knew every corner and every alley. They climbed a long flight of stairs, followed the winding tunnel, and then began to climb up the stairs again. The stairs were very smooth and neatly cut. The dwarves kept going up and did not encounter any creatures along the way. The only exception was some sneaky black shadows that fled in front of the light of the torches.
These stairs were not built for the calves of the Hobbits. Just as Birbo felt that he could not hold on any longer, the ceiling of the cave suddenly opened up, leaving the range of the fire. They could see white light coming in through the opening at the top, and the air was sweeter. Faint light shone through the broken, charred door.
" This is Thor's Hall," Thorin said."This is the place for gatherings and feasts. The main entrance is not far from there.”
They walked past the ruined hall. The tables and chairs were in tatters, and the remaining furniture was scattered all over the place. Some of them were charred black and some were rotten. Bones were scattered among the cutlery on the ground, and a thick layer of ashes was the only thing that allowed the bones to rest in peace. As soon as they stepped out of the door in the distance, they heard the sound of water splashing, and the gray light became brighter.
" This is the source of the Torrent River," Thorin said."It flows from here to the door. Let's follow it!”
From the opening in the rock wall came a very rapid flow of water. It ran out along the narrow river, which was the result of the ingenious work of ancient craftsmen. Beside the channel was a cobblestone road, wide enough for many humans to walk side by side. They quickly ran along the road and made a turn! Whoosh! The dazzling sunlight appeared in front of them. In front of them was a tall arched door. There were still carvings left behind by ancient unique techniques on it. However, these had been charred and broken by the evil dragon. The sun, which was surrounded by fog, rose from the mountains, and its golden light shone on the trail.
The bats that had been awakened by the torch swarmed out. As the group walked forward, the floor tiles that had been flattened by the dragons nearly caused them to fall. The surging water flowed past their eyes, rushing all the way to the valley. They threw their torches on the ground and looked at the scenery outside with their dazzling eyes. They had already reached the gate and were looking down at the valley.
"Alright then!" "I never thought I'd be able to look out of this door," said Bilbo,"nor did I expect it to be so pleasant to see the sun and feel the breeze again. Wow! This wind is really cold!"
Indeed, the cold wind blowing from the east hinted that winter was coming. It circled along the mountain range and finally blew into the valley, sighing beside the rocks. After hiding for a long time in the cave where the evil dragon wreaked havoc, they could not help but tremble slightly even under the sunlight.
Suddenly, Birbo realized that he was not only tired, but also very hungry. " It looks like it's still morning," he said."I think it's time for breakfast-if we have breakfast. But I don't think Smaug's gate is a safe place for breakfast. Let's find a quiet place to sit!”
"You're right!" "I think I know where to go," Balin said."We should go to a watchtower southwest of the mountains.”
"How far is that?" asked the Hobbit.
"I remember it should be a five-hour walk. The road is not easy to walk. The road from the gate along the left ridge seems to be completely destroyed. Look over there! The river made a turn in front of the ruins of the town. There used to be a bridge over there, leading to a steep staircase that extended all the way to the right bank, which is the Wuqiu we saw earlier. There used to be a road leading to the watchtower. Even if the stairs were intact, it would still take a lot of effort to climb up.”
"Good heavens!" "More mountains to climb, and no breakfast!" the hobbit muttered. How many meals did I miss in that dark cave?”
In fact, ever since the evil dragon broke the secret door, they had spent a day and two nights inside (it wasn't that they hadn't eaten anything in between). But Birbo had completely lost the concept of time. To him, it could be a night or a whole week.
"Come on, come on!" Thorin said with a smile. His spirits were lifted once again. As he spoke, he shook the precious jewels in his pocket. "Don't call my place a dark cave! When you see it cleaned and redecorated, you will know how beautiful it is!”
"Unless Smaug is dead, it won't be that fast!”"We don't even know where it's gone now," said Bilbo sullenly. I'm willing to exchange breakfast for this information. I hope it won't hide in the mountains and spy on our movements!”
This thought worried the dwarves, and they quickly agreed with Balin and Birbo.
"We have to leave this place quickly!”Dori said,"I feel like it's still watching me.”
" This is a cold and boring place," Pang Bo said."There might be something to drink here, but I can't tell what to eat. The evil dragon will never be full in this area.”
"Come on! Come on!" The others shouted,"Let's go with Ba Lin!"”
※※※
It was a dead end to walk along the right side of the mountain wall, so they could only follow the stones on the left bank of the river and go down. The lifeless environment quickly made everyone feel depressed, even Sorin was no exception. The bridge that Balin had mentioned had already fallen into the water. The original pier had now turned into a few piles of stones in the rapid stream. However, they still easily crossed the river and found the stairs to climb to the higher side. After walking for a while, they stepped onto the path left behind by ancient times and soon arrived at a depression between the rocks. They rested here for a while and ate some random food for breakfast, mainly dry food and river water made by humans. (If you want to know what dry food is, I can only tell you that I don't know how it is made, but it tastes like biscuits and can be preserved for a long time. It should make people feel full easily.) In fact, other than allowing the mouth to move continuously, it could be said to have no taste at all. This was made by the humans by the long lake to fill their stomachs during long-term trips.）
After that, they continued forward. The road turned west and left the river. The southern branch of the mountain was also getting closer and closer. In the end, they finally reached the road on the hill. They climbed the steep path slowly, one after another, until they reached the top of the ridge just in time to see the sun set wearily to the west.
They found a piece of flat land here. There was no shelter on all three sides. Only the north side of the mountain wall had an opening that looked like a door. From the entrance, one could overlook the east, west, and south.
" It's here," Balin said." We used to arrange watchmen here. The door at the back leads to a room carved out of the rock. That's where the guards live. There are many similar places around here. "However, when we prospered, no one seemed to need these watchmen. Perhaps these watchmen also relaxed. Otherwise, we could have received the warning of the evil dragon invasion earlier. Perhaps everything would have been different. Forget it. We'll hide here for a while and observe the situation outside at the same time. We don't have to worry about being discovered.”
" If we're seen coming here, it's no use hiding here." Dori kept looking at the top of the hill all the way. He seemed to think that Smaug would perch there like a bird.
" We have to take a gamble," Thorin said." We can't go again today.”
"Long live, long live!" Birbo shouted and lay down.
The stone room could accommodate hundreds of people. There was an even smaller room inside that blocked the cold wind from the outside world. There was no trace of human beings here. In the days when Smaug occupied this place, it seemed that even birds and animals were unwilling to approach this place. They unloaded their backpacks. Some of them immediately fell to the ground to sleep, while others sat at the door and discussed their future plans. No matter what topic they talked about, they would always return to the same question: Where is Smaug? They looked to the west where there was no movement. The east was also silent. There was still no trace of the evil dragon in the south. However, there were many birds gathering unusually. They looked at the scene and felt very curious. However, even when the stars jumped out, they still could not understand the mysteries behind it.
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