Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1098 1080. Solitary Mountain Gold!

Thorin and Balin were dwarves from the Lonely Mountain who lived here before Smaug's raid.

Also a high-ranking person among the dwarves.

Other dwarves also know the road generally, but certainly not as detailed as the two of them.

 So the two of them behaved very familiarly after entering the secret door, and their past memories of Gushan were being recollected by them.

According to the plan that Thorin and Gandalf made together, the dwarves whose scent was recorded by the evil dragon can no longer go deep into the Lonely Mountain.

 The dragons’ senses are otherworldly, so it’s best for them to stay in a small, remote area not far from the secret door to avoid waking up Smaug.

So Balin was alone, taking the poking-headed flannel ball and Bilbo to continue walking into the Lonely Mountain.

 Originally, Thorin also wanted to lead the way.

But Balin and Velvet Ball grabbed the corners of his clothes almost at the same time. The dwarf prince looked at Ellu Cat and his old dwarf friend, and finally pursed his lips and agreed.

 I wonder if you are also aware of the [Dragon Disease] spread in your family? Still, he overcame his urgent homesickness and rationally waited until he got the gems and assembled an army, then came back to see his former home.

 After taking Flannel Ball and Bilbo for a long time deeper into the winding mountain, they found another rock wall corridor extending in all directions.

But Bahrain looked at the intersection directly ahead, carefully bowing his waist and lowering his voice.

It seems like I'm a little worried about Smaug finding out here.

"So." Balin's actions made Bilbo nervous. He looked around habitually and whispered.

“We went down to find a gem? Just a gem, right?”

 “Yes. A large white, bright and shiny gemstone.”

 Balin's eyes flicked between Bilbo and Ball-Flannel, making sure they both heard him clearly.

“That’s it, meow?” Fluffy Ball scratched his triangular ears with his paws, “But as you said before, the treasures in Gushan are super huge! There must be a lot of gems!”

Flannel Ball drew out his voice to emphasize his doubts.

 But Bahrain was unmoved and even seemed confident.

"It's just one piece. The Arken gemstone is unique. Once you see it, you will never mistake it with other gemstones. There is no chance."

“In other words, if you feel a little hesitant or unsure after seeing it, it’s definitely not it.”

 Bahrain’s words were categorical, and he seemed to think that these few sentences were completely sufficient to describe the Arken gem.

Elu Cat and the hobbit looked at each other, each pondering this sentence.

Bahrain took advantage of this brief silence to look towards the end of the corridor with a very worried look.

 Then as if he had made some kind of decision, he took a deep breath and spoke seriously to the flannel ball and Bilbo.

 “I gotta tell the truth, guys”

The old dwarf's lips moved hesitantly, and his big white beard also trembled.

“I have no idea what you will encounter if you go further down, really.”

"If you don't want to go, don't force it. No one has the right to gossip even if he shrinks in front of the evil dragon."

 flannel ball and Bilbo looked at each other, but unexpectedly, the hobbit, who always liked stability and was not very courageous, spoke first.

 “No, no, no, Bahrain.”

Bilbo's face was dull, and his eyes were wandering uneasily. He had a confused feeling that "his mind was not clear about what he was talking about at this time."

 But the words that came out of his mouth did not come from his calm and rational mind, but from his passionate heart.

“Well, I promised to help you, my friends, regain their homeland. Since I promised, then... uh... I must do it! Hmm!”

 “Although my role in the team is that of a snitch, I consider myself an honest person. Hmm!”

Bilbo stuttered.

The flannel ball also jumped up next to him: "You have lost your home, and the people in Changhu Town also left their homes because of fear and fire. It was all caused by it, meow! Look at me stealing that evil dragon's gem!"

Balin looked at Bilbo and Velvet Ball. It took a long time for the old dwarf to suddenly come to his senses, covering his face with his sleeves and sniffling.

 “Suck~Yeah. I forgot how brave you are.”

“In this case, my two respectable gentlemen, please bring all your luck and courage!”

Amidst the buzzing sounds of Bahrain, the two short figures nodded to him first, and then walked towards the depths of the lonely mountain.

Hobbits and Ellu cats have pads of flesh under their feet, so they walk silently on the rocky ground of the Lonely Mountain.

They went all the way inward and downward, aiming for the place Thorin and Balin told them - the treasure room of the Lonely Mountain Kingdom.

 It is said that the place is extremely vast, and the height of the hall alone is more than 100 meters!

If you want to go down from the rock cave in the ceiling to the ground floor, you have to walk up a long flight of stairs. The dwarves move up the stairs like tiny ants.

The horizontal width of the treasure hall is even greater. It is supported by many huge stone pillars that cover an area as large as a house, so that the dug hall is not crushed by the weight of the solitary mountain.

Before the Gushan Kingdom was destroyed, such a huge hall was shining with golden light everywhere, and there were mountains of treasures piled up!

The further you walk toward the treasure hall, the more solemn textures begin to appear on the originally simple rock walls.

In order to be hidden, the secret door is located in a relatively edge and hidden corridor in the lonely mountain.

 But the treasure hall is the best part of Gushan, and of course it will be well decorated.

With the angular style of the dwarves, straight lines made of gold are pressed against the rock wall and extend all the way as decoration.

“I said velvet ball, do you smell anything?”

Bilbo's eyes moved nervously, and at the same time he spoke softly as if he was exhaling.

 “I smell it, meow. It stinks! And it’s not an ordinary stink!”

The flannel ball also meowed in a low voice, but even though it said "it stinks", as an Elu cat who grew up in the Miasma Valley of the New World, it still suppressed its physiological resistance very professionally.

 This is a strange smell that seems to stick to rock walls, floors, and everywhere. It has strong adhesion, strong penetration and long-lasting effect.

Logically speaking, given the environment in which flannel **** grow, they should be indifferent to the rotten smell in nature.

 But the smell makes people feel disgusted from the bottom of their hearts.

 “It’s the dragon smell!”

Bilbo whispered. He had been with Thorin and the others for a year, and of course he had heard the dwarf's description of Smaug.

 The stench of evil dragons is always a topic that cannot be avoided.

It is said that wherever the evil dragon has been entrenched for a long time, there will be this kind of stench.

 Even if the dragon does not put food remains and excrement in the place where it lives, it will be the same.

“Flannel ball, let’s see through each other. Have you ever stolen anything?”

There was not even a sound of footsteps from the two of them. The dead silence inside the mountain made Bilbo feel uneasy, so he unconsciously started talking to the flannel ball.

“Of course, meow, before I went on an adventure with the investigation team, I was a thief cat of the predator tribe! We are very good at getting good things from monsters, lairs, and footprints in the territory!”

“Although I haven’t stolen an ancient dragon yet, ordinary dragons are fine, meow!”

Bilbo nodded frequently, looking vaguely relieved.

Although he didn’t quite understand the terms ‘investigation team’, ‘predator clan’, ‘ancient dragon’, etc., he understood ‘thief cat’.

It’s just that he didn’t expect the kitten to suddenly react after he finished speaking. Its big watery eyes suddenly opened even wider, and then it turned its head to look at Bilbo.

"Meow?!"

　　The hobbit suddenly became embarrassed after being seen through.

 “Bilbo, have you never stolen anything?! Aren’t you the master of snitches? Meow!”

 “Of course I’m a master snitch! Of course!”

Bilbo puffed up his chest unconfidently and straightened his neck.

 Some people will get exhausted if they feel guilty, but Bilbo is the kind of character who subconsciously has to put on a show.

 But in the end, the honest hobbit still hesitated to reveal his secret.

“I, I’ve always been a decent person, flannel ball. I’ve never been sneaky.”

 “Then what should we do? Meow!”

 The flannel ball jumped anxiously.

 It had not known that Bilbo was a complete novice in stealing.

"Don't worry, don't worry." At this time, Bilbo put his finger in front of his lips, and pressed down with his other hand to signal the flannel ball to stabilize.

“Don’t worry about me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve! As long as I’m prepared, no one can see me!”

The small triangular ears on Velvet Ball's originally depressed head drooped down. After hearing this, he raised his head with a little suspicion.

 “Really meow?”

Bilbo puffed out his chest again, but much more calmly than before.

“Believe me! I have also been traveling for a year! I must be capable!”

The hobbit and Ellu just whispered like this as they walked up the stairs Balin pointed out to them.

The moment they walked out of the stairwell and entered the original treasure hall of Gushan Kingdom, the conversation between them stopped abruptly.

 Because unknowingly, both the hobbit and Ellu were stunned by the sight before them.

 Only the feeling of shock is left in my mind.

 Because the treasure hall is indeed as huge and majestic as the dwarves described to them.

It is even more exquisite, because some of the large pillars supporting the ceiling are carved into tall dwarf warriors, while others are angular but full of solid beauty.

 But even more shocking was the gold.

 Countless gold, piled and spread in this hall like an ocean!

 Because the light is not strong, the mountains and seas of gold are not too splendid.

 Instead, it takes on a dull golden color.

But this kind of dimness makes people can't help but imagine what a spectacular scene it would be if the fire was bright.

 Even Elle Cat, who didn't care much about money and didn't even have much contact with it, was shocked by the scene before him.

Even the Hobbits, who like a comfortable life and pastoral scenery, were stunned.

But in less than ten seconds, Ellu Cat and the Hobbit invariably withdrew their eyes from the mountains of gold and silver, and looked at each other.

“Why don’t I feel so evil? I heard Bahrain say before that we would all go crazy when we come down.”

 After the initial shock, Bilbo scratched his head and whispered.

 Because of the stern reminders from the dwarves before, he now wonders if he is weird.

 But fortunately, the flannel ball's answer made Bilbo feel a little more at ease.

“I think so too. So much gold is so dazzling, meow.”

 Shaked his head, the velvet ball's little paws tugged on Bilbo.

 “Don’t worry about the gold, let’s do the work first!”

 “You’re right, we still have a mission.”