This is a spacious and comfortable hall.
The dwarves carved the gray rocks into huge stones and stacked them using the mountains as roof ridges.
There was even a skylight in the east wall, allowing sunlight and the cold air of Eredluin to filter in.
In addition, the dwarf craftsmen also dug out a fireplace on the rock wall to the north. The rising flames drove away the dampness and coldness deep in the mountain.
But that's about it.
Due to financial constraints, not only the royal family is unable to meet even the most basic hospitality etiquette - the tea cups used to entertain guests are actually made of wood. This shows how...hard the life of the dwarves here is.
Compared with the palaces of the dwarves' old kingdoms in Erubah and Khazad-dum, the palaces they built were as simple as the dens of common people.
If he hadn't seen that the dwarf prince still retained an elite guard, Gandalf would have really worried that he had found the wrong person.
But even so, brave men like Dwalin began to worry about the future of the dwarves.
This can be seen from his reluctance to throw away the battle ax that has lost quality after being red-hot!
The gray-robed wizard calmly took in all this, but he did not show it. Instead, he smiled and took a sip of the dwarf's strong tea.
"Ah~"
He sighed slightly: "This is Shire's tender tea. It has a really nostalgic taste."
When the dwarf confirmed that the wizard came with some good intentions, Thorin's expression softened a lot.
He sat on a throne carved from rock, looking majestic.
However, the dwarf prince did not wear a crown on his head, and his clothes were plain. He only wore a gold belt around his waist with a ruby inlaid on it.
Beneath him sat the wise Balin and the mighty Dwalin.
"Honored Gandalf."
Balin spoke, and on behalf of the prince, he said tentatively: "It is an honor to see the wizard again in the hall of the dwarves. The descendants of Turin have never forgotten their outstanding vision and superhuman knowledge. They can always Solving the most difficult problems is like the gentle breeze blowing through the lake water!"
Gandalf put down the tea cup in his hand, a gentle smile appeared on his old face, and his eyes shone with wisdom.
"Yes, that's exactly it!"
The wizard begins his plan.
"Throl I once asked me about the strategy of governing the country!
Thrain II asked me about my lost destiny!
The royal family of Turin has a close relationship with me. I know many secrets of the dwarves. I have also witnessed the prosperity and decline of the descendants of Turin in Khazad-dûm, Irubar, and the Gray Mountains. It was a period of coexistence of glory and blood and tears. years! "
Hearing him mention the glorious deeds of their ancestors, the expressions on Thorin's and others' faces all darkened.
The gray-robed wizard smiled slightly and continued: "But all this has passed. Now, it is time for the descendants of Turin to embark on a new journey. The glory of the kingdom under the mountain needs you to revive it, Thorin Oakenshield!"
The wizard's voice was loud and seductive. Thorin and his cousins raised their heads in confusion and looked at each other.
"I know that dwarves all lack courage and determination for revenge, but if the descendants of Turin stay in the Blue Mountains, when will their hometown, which is half a mile away in Middle-earth, be recovered?"
"How can a warrior's sword remain sharp after being used for a long time?"
Hearing the wizard mention the homeland occupied by the evil dragon, on the throne, the weather-beaten dwarf prince's eyes flashed with blazing anger that could almost scorch a person.
"The dwarves have never forgotten the pain of losing their homeland, nor have they forgotten to sharpen our swords one day!"
He said.
"If anyone doubts this, just let him try!"
As he said this, Thorin looked at the gray robe wizard angrily, thinking that he deliberately said this to humiliate him and humiliate a noble dwarf.
Duvalin on the side was also very unhappy, mumbling and cursing something.
But Balin was much calmer, and he said loudly: "Gandalf the Gray Wizard, a wise advisor to the king, a man of profound knowledge!"
Covering up the voices of Thorin and Dwalin.
Gandalf looked at him with interest.
It is rare to see such a wise dwarf. It seems that in addition to making him grow more white beards, his wisdom is also something he has gained.
The wizard thought so.
"Although I don't know why the wise and knowledgeable gray-robed wizard visited the hall of the dwarves at this time of year, I think it must not be just to stimulate and ridicule us poor dwarves who have lost their homes, right?"
"of course not!"
Gandalf replied with a smile and put away his threatening words.
Thorin also reacted at this time.
He frowned.
He was very unhappy and said to the wizard: "Gandalf, if you have anything to say about the dwarves, you might as well say it bluntly. Glib words and flirtations are not the attitude a friend should have."
"But that's the nature of wizards."
Gandalf laughed, and his hearty laughter dispelled the hesitant atmosphere between the wizard and the dwarf.
"Dear, respected son of Thrain, the dwarves' bravery and determination to regain their homeland should probably not be questioned. I must apologize to the descendants of Turin for this!"
As he spoke, he stood up, held his staff, and bowed like an old man to the dwarf prince and his cousins on the main seat.
Thorin and the others were all stunned. For a moment, they didn't know whether to regard him as an ordinary human old man or a shrewd wizard in the city.
"never mind."
The dwarf prince leaned tiredly on the rock throne, rested his head on his hands, and said in a low tone: "I forgive you, gray robe wizard Gandalf."
The angry Dwalin then sat down.
Only Balin saw the smile on Gandalf's lips.
However, thinking that this was a mysterious wizard, the old dwarf wisely kept this in his heart.
Perhaps the temptation of going back and forth exhausted the dwarf's patience. On the throne, Thorin Oakenshield sat upright and said in a cold voice: "I don't know what your purpose is here. Wizards always use copying." You use ambiguous words to fool people and make them feel uneasy. Gandalf, I am tired. If you have nothing important to do, then please forgive me for not accompanying you."
He looked like he was chasing people away.
There was no other way, so Gandalf revealed his real plan.
"Honored, mighty Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain II, heir to the kingdom under the mountain, please hear my words."
The wizard's originally slightly ragged figure suddenly became taller, and his old face was now more energetic than that of a young man. His voice was high and contagious, and his eyes were piercing and intimidating.
"I have brought greetings and a message for help from Cirdan, the Northern Elf King, ruler of Linton, master of Gray Harbor, and great shipbuilder!"
"While the dwarves are still wallowing in their hometown and living in panic, the northern elves are shouldering the important task of stopping the evil invasion!"
"Yes, just three days ago, the ancient witch king of Angmar, Dukar Ndum, rose again. A terrifying evil force is gathering rapidly with the support of some dark and indescribable evil thoughts!"
"Among them are orcs, wolves, and dark humans and demons from the far north!"
"The leader is none other than the pale orc, Azog the Blasphemer!"
"impossible!"
The dwarf prince stood up in shock and anger, and a terrifying aura emerged from him.
"Azog, that dirty, ugly beast, has been dead for many years! He cut off his arm with my own hands, and was dragged back to the gate of Khazad-dûm by several dirty orcs, wailing, and Dain caught up with him. , a sword pierced his back of the heart, there is no way he is still alive!"
He yelled loudly, grabbing his hair in pain, and his expression was even distorted by the huge anger.
"His wails lasted for a full year, and then he died in pain. His wails of pain are still ringing in the mines of Khazad-dum!"
The dwarf prince shouted angrily at Gandalf: "Liar, you liar!"
The guards at the door thought that the two sides had broken down again, so they rushed in with swords drawn and surrounded him.
And Balin and Dwalin weren't much better.
They also experienced the Battle of Azanubiza in 2799, experienced that terrible war in which the dwarf elite was almost completely wiped out, and witnessed countless relatives and friends die in that war. Therefore, they were both frightened and angry. Looking at the wizard who brought this bad news, the overwhelming anger seemed to come out of his eyes.
But unfortunately, things are so cruel.
Facing the angry dwarves, the gray-robed wizard's eyelids twitched, but his answer was still: "I'm sorry, Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, I don't want to be the person who brings you bad news, but Unfortunately, Azog the Blasphemer was the commander of the evil army in this wave of darkness to attack the last and most sacred stronghold of the elves in the north - Gray Harbor! This was what the hummingbird just taught me. The message that comes must not be false.”
Thorin was stunned. The dwarf prince who had an endless blood feud with the pale orcs roared crazily, cursed, and countless terrible words poured out of his mouth.
"I curse him, curse him and his filthy, disgusting bloodline, curse them all to a bad death!"
"calm!"
Finally, the gray-robed wizard couldn't bear it any longer. The war opportunity was at a critical moment, and he didn't have much time to waste here with these stubborn dwarves.
Gandalf punched his staff in his hand, and a powerful wave centered on him, blowing through everyone present like wind, knocking down all the dwarf guards surrounding him;
The angry dwarf prince and his cousins were blown away and staggered;
Blow out all the fires in the fireplace.
And his figure became extremely tall again, and his voice was as loud and terrifying as if it was coming from the sky.
"I bring the enemy's message to the descendants of Turin, not to make them crazy and ignorant. Thorin, the northern elves are being attacked by the terrible evil army. As a member of the Ancient Alliance, the dwarves have the obligation to go to the rescue."
As if he had been awakened, Thorin, who was furious, now calmed down a little.
With red eyes, he signaled the guards not to take action yet.
Instead, he said coldly to the wizard who dared to break into his palace and sell him his sinister plan: "Why? The alliance between elves and dwarves has long been shattered!"
Not knowing what he thought of, Thorin gritted his teeth and spoke word by word with hatred and anger in his eyes.
"Why should I save the lives of these damn pointed ears who chose to stand by and do nothing when the dwarves needed it most?"
He asked questions loudly, and every sentence and every word struck a chord.
"Who turned a blind eye to our former allies when the evil dragon ravaged our homeland?"
"And who, when the dwarves were displaced and sleeping in the open, indifferently hid in their dark and despised caves and enjoyed their wine and food?"
Gandalf opened his mouth, speechless.
The weather-beaten dwarf prince said angrily: "It's an elf! A hypocritical elf!"
This time, even Bahrain couldn't help but nod in agreement.
What to say.
Those who hurt you the most are often the ones closest to you!
For the elves who chose to stand by and do nothing when the dwarves needed them most, being as wise and calm as Balin, they also secretly resented him!
Balin is like this, not to mention other dwarves.
The dwarf guards who got up from the ground glared at the tall wizard who was surrounded by them in the center, and looked at the staff in his hand with fear.
Gandalf sighed, put away his overwhelming momentum, and returned to the appearance of an old human being.
he said distressedly.
"Thorin, please don't let blind hatred obscure your reason."
"Lord Cirdan is a great man who deserves respect. Even in the long history, his achievements can be ranked among the top!"
"And the northern elves did not participate in the grievances between the descendants of Turin and the Silvan elves! To talk about grievances, it can only be traced back to the first era, when the dwarves robbed Nauglamir and killed the Lord of Doriath. , are you sure you want to debate this with me?"
Perhaps this deed was so famous that even Thorin and Dwalin, who were so strong and reckless, became speechless.
Although among the dwarves, there is a saying that the Lord of Doriath withheld the wages of the dwarves, so the dwarves robbed Nauglamir as compensation.
But any sane dwarf knows that there are too many loopholes in this statement.
For, if this were true, then why did you kill Elwy Thingol, Lord of Doriath, when you took this precious necklace?
Because of this, the thousand-year friendship between dwarves and elves was ruined.
Because of this, the two sides formed a huge feud.
Because of this, the two kingdoms declined and disappeared in the long river of history. It can be said that it is not thought-provoking.
Thorin and Dwalin had naturally heard of this legend, and they had more or less their own views on the feud between elves and dwarves.
Seeing the wizard cunningly using this excuse to block the dwarves, all the dwarves present cursed secretly.
Cunning wizard!
In addition, Cirdan of Gray Harbor is indeed a respectable elder.
Although the elves and dwarves had not interacted with each other for a long time, the deeds of the Northern Elf King were still spread among the dwarves, Gondor and other races with long histories. Therefore, Thorin hesitated again.
He looked at Balin and then at Dwalin.
in silence.
Seeing that the dwarf prince was beginning to waver, the gray-robed wizard stepped up his persuasion efforts.
"Thorin Oakenshield, what are you still hesitating about? Aren't the orcs the public enemies of all the good and free races in Middle-earth? Aren't the dwarves a part of the people living on this continent? If these evil minions are allowed to really The last and most sacred elf port in the north to be defeated, do you think that the descendants of Turin alone can face this terrifying force with this small force in the Blue Mountains?"
"It's time to make a decision, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain!"
The wizard said loudly: "Should we mobilize the dwarf army and go to Shuen Bend to rescue the trapped Northern Elf King?"
"There are your enemies there, and there are also rare treasures prepared for you by Lord Chirdan, who rules the north! You..."
"etc!"
The dwarf prince with a gloomy face and thick knuckles interrupted the gray robe wizard.
"What did you say?"
There was something strange about his expression.
And all around, the various bearded dwarf guards were also whispering.
Faintly, Gandalf also heard a few words like "treasure" and "gold", which made the originally tense atmosphere a little funny.
Gandalf's expression became subtle, one of helplessness and dejection.
"Your enemies are there..."
"No, next sentence."
"..."
Summer, 2931 of the Third Era.
After discussions with Balin and other important ministers - of course, the most important thing is that the dwarves and the gray-robed wizards entered into an employment contract of more than a hundred pages, with various fee standards clearly written on it. As long as one copper!
Then, the dwarves who had been arguing for almost three days finally blew the heavy horn.
Teams of elite dwarf guards were wearing heavy armor, holding steel spears and shields, riding horned sheep and driving chariots. They marched in neat steps along the winding mountain road of Ered Road from the north. Come.
The leader was none other than Thorin Oakenshield.
