The following days were very long and tiring. Most of the dwarves spent their time stacking and organizing the treasures. Thorin kept muttering about Thorne's family heirloom diamond, asking them to search every corner to find it.
"That's my father's family heirloom diamond. It's worth more than an entire river of gold, and it's priceless to me. Only that treasure belongs to me. If anyone knows about it and doesn't report it, I'll be irreconcilable with him.”
When Birbo heard this, he was very afraid. If they found the family diamond in the rag bag that Birbo used as a pillow, who knew what would happen next. However, he did not reveal anything. Because with the gods of the people
As he became more and more tense, a new plan came up in his little head.
Everyone was in a stalemate for a while. Du Wu brought new news. Dane and more than 500 dwarves had rushed over from the Iron Hills. They were now in the northeast, about two days 'journey from the valley.
" But they couldn't have crossed the mountain without anyone noticing," Rock said."I'm worried that there will be a battle in the valley. I don't think this is a smart move. Although they are brave and good at fighting, it will be difficult for them to break through the encirclement and come to your side. Even if they were lucky enough to pass, what would you get? Winter is almost here, and the first snow may fall at any time. How can you survive in a situation where everyone around you is hostile and hateful? Even if the evil dragon dies, these treasures might become your doomsday!”
Thorin remained unmoved. " The harsh winter and blizzard will also affect humans and elves," he said."They'll find it hard to withstand such drastic weather in the wilderness. With my reinforcements and Tianhou attacking from both sides, perhaps their stance on the negotiation table will soften.”
That night, Birbo made up his mind. The sky was dark and there was no moon. Once the sky was completely dark, he immediately walked to the corner of a small room and took out a bundle of rope from his backpack, as well as the dwarven family's precious diamond wrapped in rags. Then, he came to the top of the city wall. Pang Bo was the only one there because it was his turn to keep watch. Due to the shortage of manpower, the dwarves could only send one person on duty at a time.
"It's so cold here!" "I hope we can start a fire to keep warm like the camp down there!”
"It won't be so cold in there," said Bilbo.
" I think so too, but I have to stay here until midnight," the fat dwarf muttered."This is really sad! I'm not gossiping about Thorin behind his back. May his beard never fall. However, I must tell you the truth. He is a very stubborn dwarf.”
" Maybe. Oh right, my legs are already a little stiff," Birbo said,""I'm tired of stairs and stone floors. I would pay a lot of gold for a chance to roll on the grass.”
"I'm willing to pay a lot of gold for a cup of liquor. I also hope to get a big meal and then sleep on a soft bed!”Pang Bo also agreed.
"I can't give you this kind of enjoyment when we're surrounded. However, it has been a long time since I last took the night watch. If you want, I can stand guard for you. I can't sleep well tonight.”
"Mr. Baggins, you're such a good man. If anything happens, please wake me up first! I'll sleep in the room on the left. It won't be too far from here.”
"Don't worry, go to sleep!" "I'll wake you up in the middle of the night," said Bilbo,"so you can call the next watch.”
As soon as Pombo left, Birbo immediately put on the ring, tied the rope, and slipped down from the wall. He still had about five hours. Pombo would definitely fall asleep immediately (he could sleep anywhere and anytime, and ever since he experienced the beautiful dream in the forest, he had been trying to return to that dream); The others would be busy with Thorin. Even the curious Philip and Kili couldn't run out before it was their turn to stand guard.
The sky was very dark. When he left the newly built road and came to the lower reaches of the river, he was not familiar with the environment here. However, in the end, he still came to the place where the river turned. Only then could he continue to advance toward the other party's camp. Although the river was still very shallow, it was wider than before. It was not easy for the short Hobbits to cross the river. When he was about to reach the other side, he accidentally lost his footing and fell into the water. It was not easy for him to crawl out of the water and reach the other side. The elves came out with oil lamps, trying to figure out the source of the sound.
"There are no fish here!" One of them said,"There must be spies nearby! Put away your oil lamp! If this is the legendary servant, it will only make it easier for him to find us.”
"What are you doing, treating me like a servant!”Birbo snorted. Just as he was halfway through his humming, he suddenly sneezed loudly. The elves immediately gathered towards the source of the sound.
"Light up the lights!" "I'm right here!" he said. He took off the ring and jumped out from behind a rock.
Although the other party was very surprised, they still quickly captured him. "Who are you? Are you the dwarf's hobbit? What are you doing? How did you sneak past our guards?”They threw out a series of questions.
"I am Bilbo Baggins," he replied."If you want to know, yes! I am Thorin's companion. I know what your king looks like, but he probably won't recognize me when he sees me. But Bard must still remember me, and I hope to see him soon.”
"I see!" They said,"What is your purpose?”
"My dear elf, no matter what it is, it is my problem. But if you wish to leave this cold place as soon as possible,"he said, trembling," you'll be fine.""You'd better bring me to the campfire so I can dry myself. Also, talk to your leader as soon as possible. I only have one or two hours left.”
※※※
Just like that, two hours after Birbo left the main entrance, he was already sitting in front of a warm campfire next to a large tent to dry his hands. The Elf King and Bard were sitting beside him, both of them curiously sizing him up. After all, a Hobbit in elven armor and an old blanket was not a common sight.
"You should all know," Birbo was using all his skills to put on his best businessman tone."The chances of success are rather slim. Personally, I'm tired of all this. I hope to return to my hometown in the west as soon as possible. Everyone there is more reasonable, but I also have my own interests to consider. To be precise, according to the contract, I have one-fourteenth of the net profit. I believe the contract is still on me.”He pulled out a letter from his old jacket (which he wore over his armor), crumpled and torn. It was the letter Thorin had placed under his fireplace clock in May!
" Please note that it's one-fourteenth of the net profit," he continued,""I know very well that I hope to carefully evaluate your request as soon as possible. After a fair distribution, I will get the benefits I deserve. However, I'm afraid you don't know Thorin Oakenshield as well as I do. I assure you that as long as you people are still here, he would rather sit on a mountain of gold and silver and starve.”
"Up to him!" Bard said,"This kind of idiot deserves to starve.”
" You're right," Birbo said."I agree with you. However, winter was coming. Soon, snow will begin to fall, and your supplies will become very difficult. I believe that even the elves will be no exception. Have you heard of Dane and the dwarves of the Iron Hills?”
"We've heard of this name a long time ago, but what does he have to do with us?”The King asked.
"Just as I thought. It seems that I have some information that you don't know. Please allow me to tell you that Dane is less than two days away from here. He has at least 500 brave dwarves under him, many of whom have personally participated in the war between the dwarves and the orcs. I believe you have heard of them. By the time they arrived, things would not end so easily.”
"Why are you telling us this information? Are you going to betray your friend or threaten us?”Bard said with a serious expression.
"My dear Bard!" "Don't be so impatient," said Birbo. I've never met someone as suspicious as you! I just want to save everyone some trouble. The following is my suggestion!"
"Speak!" they answered.
"You will see it soon!" "It's this!" he said. He took out the dwarven family heirloom diamond and uncovered the rag outside.
The Elven King had seen all kinds of priceless treasures, but he could not help but feel excited. He stood up, and even Bard, who had a straight face, stared at it with his mouth agape. It was like a ball filled with the light of the moon, wrapped in a net woven by starlight.
"This is Thorne's family heirloom diamond!”" The Heart of the Mountain," said Birbo." It's also a treasure that Thorin longs for. He valued it more than gold and silver. I'm giving this to you. This will give you a great advantage in the negotiation.”Birbo suppressed the desire in his heart and suppressed the urge to take a few more glances before handing the gem to Bard. The other party held it in a dumbfounded manner, not knowing what to do.
"How are you qualified to give this to us?”He finally managed to squeeze out this question.
"Oh, so you're suspecting this!”said the hobbit uneasily."It's not entirely mine, but I'm willing to use it to offset all my due. Perhaps I was a Snitch, or at least they all thought so, but I never thought so myself. Even so, I was at least an honest Snitch. Anyway, I have to go now. The dwarves can do whatever they want with me. I hope you can make good use of it!”
The Elven King looked at Birbo with great respect. "Mr. Bilbo Baggins!" He said,"You are more qualified to wear this elven armor than many people of elven blood. Unfortunately, I don't know if Thorin will agree with me. Perhaps I know more about dwarves than you do. I suggest that you stay with us. We will respect you and take care of you in every possible way.”
" Thank you for your kindness." Birbo bowed deeply."But I think, after we've been through so much together, I shouldn't abandon my friend like this. Moreover, I promised to wake Uncle Pang up in the middle of the night! I really have to go."
They could not stop him no matter what they said, so they could only send soldiers to escort him away. When he left, the King and Bard saluted him. When they reached the edge of the camp, an old man in a dark cloak stood up from the tent door and walked towards them.
"Well done! Mr. Baggins!" He patted Bilbo on the back.”This person was Gandalf.
For the first time in many days, Birbo felt genuinely happy, but he did not have time to ask all his questions.
"You'll know when the time comes!" "Unless I'm wrong," said Gandalf,"it's almost over. You still have a difficult path ahead of you, don't be discouraged! You can still get through all these difficulties. There are many things that even Du Wu doesn't know. Good night!"
Birbo, somewhat confused but very excited, continued to walk forward. He was led to the ferry and walked over safely. Then, he said goodbye to the elves and carefully climbed up the door. He began to feel very tired, but when he climbed up the rope (the rope was still intact), it was still quite some time before midnight. He untied the rope and hid it. Then, he sat on the city wall and nervously thought about what would happen in the future.
In the middle of the night, he woke Pombo up and wrapped himself in a sleeping bag, not wanting to hear the dwarf's continuous thanks. He soon fell into a deep sleep (because he felt so embarrassed), and this time he slept until dawn, throwing all his worries out of his mind. In fact, he only dreamed of fragrant poached eggs and bacon.
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