chsdbacks Chapter 118 Divide the treasure
Chapter 118 Divide the treasure
Chapter 118 Divide the treasure
Inside the Hall of the Dwarfs of Lonely Mountain.
Thorin sat on the throne at the head of the table.
Dui, Gandalf, Dain, Bilbo, and Bud sat on either side.
As for Beon, after the defeat of Orcs, he hitched a ride with the Great Eagles and had already returned home.
The purpose of everyone gathering here is for the mountain of treasure in the vault.
Thorin looked at the crowd below, his eyes flashing slightly, and said, "I have already distributed the treasure these past few days. The purpose of bringing everyone here is to ensure that everyone can receive their share of the treasure."
"The only pity is that we didn't find the Arkenstone in the vault. This treasure of our people is probably lost forever, and we won't be able to let everyone see its brilliance!"
As he spoke, he glanced around at everyone, subtly observing their reactions.
"What? The Arkansas is missing?" Dain was the most agitated. "How could the Arkansas be missing? Wasn't it hidden in the vault? How could it not be found?"
The Arkenstone is like the Imperial Seal of the Kingdom to the dwarves; it is a symbol of land power, and only by possessing it can one command the seven dwarven tribes. It is of paramount importance.
Now that this treasure is gone, Dai Yin has no choice but to be anxious.
After all, Thorin, who possessed the Arkenstone, was the true King of the Mountain, the king acknowledged by all the dwarves.
Otherwise, Thorin would only be the king of the Durin tribe, but would not be able to command the other dwarves.
The difference between the two is significant:
The seven dwarf clans are the Longbeard, Firebeard, Broadbeard, Ironfist, Hardbeard, Blackhair, and Stonefoot. The Longbeard clan is the same as Thorin's clan, the Durin clan.
The seven races of dwarves live in different parts of Middle-earth, and while they are relatively independent, they are also connected.
The Seven Rings of the Dwarves that Sauron gave away were bestowed upon the leaders of these seven tribes.
During the reign of Thorin's ancestor Theraine I, the Arkenstone was unearthed from the depths of the Lonely Mountain and crafted by dwarven artisans.
This precious diamond was recognized by the seven dwarven families, who swore allegiance to the owner of the Arkenstone.
Therefore, whoever possesses it is considered the king of the dwarves and can command all the dwarves.
The others were also very surprised to hear that the Arkenstone was missing.
Besides being surprised, Bilbo felt somewhat guilty.
He thought that if he had been more careful back then, he might have already obtained the Arkenstone and instead of going missing.
In Bilbo's view, since the Arkenstone could not be found, it was very likely that, as Duyle had said before, it had long been destroyed in Smaug's dragonfire.
Upon hearing this, Gandalf was not only somewhat surprised, but also gave Bilbo and Duy a thoughtful look.
As for Dui, he appeared indifferent, as if it were none of his business.
Thorin looked at the reactions of the crowd below and then turned his gaze to Dui.
"Duir, I want to ask you for a favor."
"Could you lend me the Crystal of True Knowledge so I can investigate the whereabouts of the Arkenstone, to fulfill a wish I have?"
All eyes turned to Dui.
Dui raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes flashed, and he said in a calm voice, "It is possible, but the True Knowledge Crystal has already been discovered by Sauron. He once tried to corrupt me with the crystal, and I was only spared because of the protection of Lady Lorean."
"If you use it, be prepared to be discovered and corrupted into darkness."
Upon hearing Dui's words, before Thorin could even speak, Gandalf's expression changed, and he shook his head with a very serious look.
"The fact that Soren can see Duir through the True Knowledge Crystal means he also possesses one. He can see everything here through the crystal, and even influence people, causing them to fall into darkness and become his servants!"
"Sauron's dark power is more dangerous than dragon disease. You never know when you'll fall victim to his attacks. It's too dangerous!"
Thorin, you can't risk using the Crystal of Knowledge!
Even after Thorin regained his sanity, he remained the same stubborn dwarf.
"The Arkenstone is of vital importance to my family, the Durin. Gandalf, I'm willing to take the risk. You don't need to dissuade me; I'm willing to bear all the consequences!"
With that, he stepped down from the throne and approached Dui, looking him directly in the eye: "Dui, please grant me this request!"
Dui did not avoid the other person's gaze, and chuckled, saying, "Since you insist, then I have no reason to refuse."
As he spoke, he took out the True Knowledge Crystal from his spatial bag and placed it on the table in front of him.
"Please!"
Thorin glanced at Dui, his eyes darting around.
Thank you!
As he spoke, he picked up the True Knowledge Crystal with both hands, stared intently inside, and focused his attention on the location of the Arkenstone.
The mist inside the crystal quickly dissipated, revealing a scene from the treasure vault.
Thorin was overjoyed. Could it be that the Arkenstone was still in the vault?
But as he tried to find the Arkenstone in the image, all he saw were mountains of treasure, with no sign of the Arkenstone at all.
Thorin continued searching, unwilling to give up, but after a long time he still found nothing.
He put down the Crystal of Truth with great disappointment.
"Was the Arkenstone really destroyed by dragonfire?"
Thorin muttered to himself, looking lost and confused.
Dui ignored his emotions and put the True Knowledge Crystal away again.
"Alright, Thorin, now that we've finished our investigation, let's get down to business."
Thorin was somewhat dejected at this moment. He waved his hand, signaling Balin and the others to lead everyone to the treasure vault to retrieve their share of the treasure.
He stared silently at the empty space on the throne, inlaid with an Arkenzie.
When everyone arrived at the treasure vault, they were once again awestruck by the treasures inside.
The treasure vault was enormous, and all the treasures were divided into several portions, each piled high like a mountain.
"Duir, this is your treasure, one-tenth of it."
Bahrain led Dui to the tallest golden mountain and explained it to him.
"And these nearby houses belong to Lord Dain, Lord Bard, and Bilbo, respectively."
He then pointed to a few shorter golden mountains nearby and said to Dain, Bard, and Bilbo.
When Dain saw the mountain of gold that belonged to her, her eyes lit up with joy.
After all, no dwarf could refuse so much treasure.
Bard was also very happy. With so much treasure, he could rebuild the city of Vale and restore the glory of his ancestors.
Bilbo, however, was very uneasy about the mountain of gold that had been allocated to him.
He felt he hadn't completed his mission of helping Thorin obtain the Arkenstone, and therefore shouldn't have received such a large share of the treasure.
So he shook his head and took a few steps back, feeling ashamed of himself.
"No, I didn't complete my mission, I shouldn't receive a share of the treasure, I can't accept it!"
Philip and Beaufort pushed Bilbo back, laughing as they said:
"Alright, Bilbo, don't be shy. Even if you didn't find the Arkenstone, you're still a member of our expedition."
Don't forget that in the Dark Forest, it was you who rescued us from the giant spider's jaws and released us from the elven dungeon. You deserve all of that.
Even so, Bilbo still felt he didn't deserve so much.
This was the first time anyone had ever seen a hobbit so indifferent to money.
In the end, Bilbo still only planned to take a small amount.
Thorin had calmed down and went into the vault. Seeing that Bilbo didn't want the mountain of gold, he felt even more favorably toward him.
He immediately took out a piece of mithril armor from the vault and put it on Bilbo.
Mithril armor is priceless. It feels weightless when worn, yet it is impervious to blades and spears; even the sharpest elven sword cannot penetrate it.
This is perfect for protecting Bilbo.
Then they prepared to fill Bilbo's bag with gold coins and jewelry that he could take with him.
Dui didn't want Bilbo to suffer a loss, so he immediately cast a Seamless Stretch Charm on a money bag and then stuffed almost half of the mountain of gold into it.
The spell was only stopped reluctantly when Bilbo shouted, "Enough! Enough!"
Thorin twitched his lips when he saw this, his expression almost cracking open.
He'd completely forgotten about Dui, that unreasonable guy!
Dui didn't care what Thorin thought. He took out a leather money bag and used his wand to continuously expand the space inside until it reached the size of half a football field before stopping.
Then, like a whale swallowing its prey, the pocket automatically jumped onto its own golden mountain, continuously sucking in the treasures.
Thus, one-tenth of the treasure that belonged to him fell into his hands.
These treasures were enough to make him the second richest man in the entire Middle Continent, second only to Lonely Mountain.
Bard and Dain, who witnessed this scene, were dumbfounded, followed by envy and longing.
They also wished they had a money bag that could hold an entire mountain of gold.
Dui also cast a spell on their purses, but neither could match the space in Dui's.
Even so, the two regarded it as a treasure, since such a money bag, capable of holding a huge amount of space, was no less valuable than the treasure in front of them.
Having claimed his share of the treasure, Dui didn't linger.
He left the Lonely Mountain with Gandalf, Bilbo, and Bard, and first returned to Dale.
After spending a few days in Dale, Dui, Gandalf, and Bilbo set off again amidst Bard's and the residents' reluctant farewell.
As for the fireplace in Riverdale, Dui still kept it and even gave Bard a small bottle of Floo Powder, welcoming him to visit Windrise Peak in the future.
The house where Dui and his companions lived was later renovated by Bard into a magnificent building, second only to the lord's mansion.
Furthermore, Bard permanently retained Dui's ownership of the house, declaring him a permanent member of the River Valley and free to reside there at any time.
However, these details are currently unknown to Dui.
He was riding on Smaug's back with Gandalf and Bilbo, heading towards Mirkwood.
Having promised Thranduil that he would visit the Woodland Kingdom, he naturally wouldn't go back on his word.
More importantly, he also had to take Smaug to the Valley of the Dead so that Elrond, the great healer, could heal Smaug's wings.
Dui's current Unseen Stretching Spell is still not enough to successfully fit the dragon Smaug into a space.
After all, Smaug was over 140 meters long, with a head 12 meters high excluding the horns, and a wingspan of 120 meters!
With such a massive body, the only way to fit him completely inside and still move around freely is probably with Newt Scamander's suitcase.
But clearly, Dui doesn't have that capability yet.
So they had no choice but to take the most cumbersome method: to take Smaug across the Misty Mountains to the valley on the other side of the mountains to treat him.
Of course, Duy also tried to persuade Gandalf and Bilbo to teleport directly from the fireplace in Dale to the Valley to wait for him.
However, the two clearly preferred the cooler activity of riding a dragon.
Instead of arriving at the destination in the blink of an eye, there's no sense of participation in the journey.
These words came from a grey-robed wizard who wished to remain anonymous.