The Prophecy About to Come True

"It's just a legend," Dwalin laughed. "That's all."

"No, all the legends have a factual basis," Aaron said seriously. "They are the original inhabitants of Long Lake Town, and no one knows the truth of the legends better than them."

"Alright, even if it's true, Smaug's left wing is injured, but what about Black Arrow?" Dwalin raised an eyebrow. "There's still one Wind Crossbow left, but I bet nobody has Black Arrow, not even one."

Aaron:...

You might need Black Arrow, but I might not.

"What are you talking about?" Bard frowned. "Why are you so concerned about the dragon?"

"That's none of your business." Thorin looked directly at him. "You took our money, so what about our martial arts?"

"Wait here."

After saying that, Bard went down the stairs.

"Sigh!" Aaron shook his head. "Thorin, you need to be mentally prepared and not have any expectations."

Thorin forced a smile. He knew that Bard might not be able to produce any powerful weapons, but at this point, there was nothing he could do. As long as they weren't too bad, they would make do.

A short while later, Bard returned carrying a wet, black bag.

The bag clattered as it was placed on the table, and Thorin and the others eagerly opened it.

"My God!" Aaron's eyes twitched slightly. "I've tried my best to lower the bar, but these things still refreshed my limits."

"Excuse me, can I sell these items for one gold coin at the market?"

Bard was silent for a moment, then nodded hesitantly.

Aaron sighed and rubbed his forehead, having guessed something from Bard's expression.

These things are certainly not worth a gold coin, but they are worth that price in Long Lake Town.

"What is this?" Thorin asked, picking up a 'martial arts weapon' with a grappling hook.

"Spear Hook, made from an old harpoon."

"What about this?" Kili picked up a black Hammer.

"We call it a ' Haft Hammer,' made according to the Hammer in the blacksmith's shop. It's a bit heavy to hold, but it's better than nothing for self-defense."

The dwarves looked at each other in disbelief, and had to admit that these things were truly shocking and utterly astonishing.

"We're giving you money to buy weapons. We want real, solid iron weapons." Gloin gave a negative review, displeased, because these 'weapons' were made of wood, except for a small tip.

"This is utterly ridiculous." Bofur threw the weapon in his hand onto the table in dissatisfaction, as did the others.

"You won't find anything better outside the town's armory," Bard said helplessly. "All the real weapons are locked up in the armory."

"All the real stuff?" Aaron thought for a moment, then scoffed, "Your mayor is a real bastard. If I'm not mistaken, he's worried about a rebellion against his rule!"

"Thorin, why don't we just take these and set off?"

"I can do it bare-handed, and so can you," Balin said, but he didn't notice that Bard's brow furrowed slightly when he heard the name ' Thorin '.

"If you ask me, let's set off right now."

"You can't go anywhere." Bard put away his treasured 'martial arts manual'. "There are spies watching this house, and even the entire dock in town may be under surveillance. You must wait until dark."

The group exchanged glances but didn't voice any objections.

At this moment, Aaron noticed that Kili slowly sat down, his face devoid of color.

"Bard, I hope you can get the medicinal herbs I need as soon as possible."

Bard nodded, stepped out of the house, and leaned against the railing.

He kept repeating Thorin's name, his mood gradually becoming heavy.

Suddenly, he realized something, turned his head to look at the towering mountain peak, and then understood what the dwarfs in the house were up to.

The door opened, Bain looked at his father. "Dad."

"Don't let them leave," Bard said hurriedly, about to go down the stairs.

"Wait, Father." Bain pointed to the room. "Aaron said he wants to stay with you."

"What? Doesn't he know there are people watching him outside?"

"So I changed my gear." Aaron emerged wrapped in a thick scarf, wearing a hat, and even changed his clothes to Bain's.

"I am a legitimate human being. If I only show one-third of my face, no one should be able to recognize me."

"Are you... really that serious?"

"Absolutely," Aaron said seriously. "Kili is about to collapse. As a healer, I need to prepare all sorts of herbs, and I might even have to test the medicine on that unfortunate thing."

Besides, I also have to pay for your things, since I don't even know how much I'm going to buy.

"Of course, I'll pay you for guiding me."

"Come with me, we need to hurry."

Bard took Aaron to the only pharmacy in Long Lake Town. Although he was somewhat prepared, the pharmacy still managed to break through Aaron's psychological defenses.

Although Long Lake Town is dilapidated, it is not small in scale. However, this only place that can treat the sick and save lives is not even comparable to a small clinic.

Smelling the pungent odor inside, Aaron couldn't help but sigh, "There must be quite a few people dying from disease every day in Long Lake Town!"

"The environment is a bit poor, but in critical moments we rely on this place to save our lives," Bard said, tapping on the counter.

"Hey! Bard, what do you want to buy?" a slightly overweight man asked.

"What do you want to buy?" Bard asked Aaron.

Aaron glanced at the dozens of medicinal herbs on the shelf, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "All of them."

"No," Bard immediately stopped Yu. "There's more than one patient in town. If you buy all the medicine, what will the people do?"

"That was something I didn't think of properly," Aaron said sheepishly. "How about this, give me two portions of everything."

"I need three servings of anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and pain-relieving medication, is that alright?"

"Sure, sure, but..." the slightly overweight man looked at Bard, "It's not cheap."

Aaron slammed ten gold coins onto the counter. "Is that enough?"

"That's enough, absolutely enough." The slightly chubby man happily accepted the gold coins; with this order, his family wouldn't have to worry about money this winter.

The two of them came out of the pharmacy just as the Sun was about to set.

Aaron was carrying a large package filled with various medicinal herbs, as well as a clay pot set that the pharmacy owner had given him as a bonus.

As they walked along the road, the townspeople's conversations reached their ears.

"A group of dwarves appeared out of nowhere, with full beards and fierce eyes. I have never seen anyone like them before."

What are the dwarves doing here?

"This is Prophecy, Prophecy about the Durin's folk dwarves."

"It seems that the ancient legend is true."

"A huge amount of gold and silver treasures."

"Is this true? Is the King of Silverfount returning?"

As Aaron listened to these words, his expression became increasingly interesting.

He knew that Yu's exposure was inevitable, but this was too fast; it was completely unexpected.

The townspeople know, and the mayor will soon find out too. When that happens, there will likely be many twists and turns if they want to leave.

"Prophecy? King of Silverfount, King of Stonecarving ..." Bard murmured gravely, "King of the Lonely Mountain."

He quickly pulled Aaron into a small alley and asked bluntly, "Who exactly are you people?"

Those dwarves aren't going to Iron Hills, they're going to Lonely Mountain, right?

"Uh... guess?"

"I'm not in the mood for jokes. I heard his name, Thorin."

I saw the King's family on a tapestry: Thrain, Thor, and finally Thorin.

If that's true, then you absolutely must not go to Lonely Mountain.

"Why?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Are you worried about that evil dragon?"

"Yes," Bard admitted frankly, "The people in town don't understand, but I do."

The Prophecy foretold that joyous bells would ring, celebrating the return of the King of the Lonely Mountain ...

"That sounds good; the King of the Lonely Mountain will return to his kingdom."

"But there's a second half," Bard said anxiously. "Then everything in the world will be reduced to nothing, and the Long Lake will be devastated."

"Oh dear!" Aaron swallowed hard, glancing instinctively at the Lonely Mountain not far away. "Things seem to have gotten a bit out of hand!"

He didn't know how Smaug was in the morning, but Long Lake Town was right next to Lonely Mountain. At the speed of a dragon's flight, it would take less than a minute to get there. And with the destructive power of a dragon, it would turn the town into ruins in less than half an hour. It seemed inevitable that life would be lost under the baptism of Dragon Fire.

"Now it's clear," Bard said with a complicated expression. "This is the real Prophecy. I can't let you go to Lonely Mountain."

"But you can't stop them," Aaron said. "We've faced countless dangers along the way: Ogre, orcs, Skin-changer, and even elves."

But none of them stopped; these dwarves were willing to risk their lives to achieve this goal.

Now that Lonely Mountain is right in front of us, just one step away, do you think it's possible for them to give up?

Furthermore, I also signed a contract with Bilbo, and we won't give up. In fact, you could say I came here specifically for Smaug.

"You, you guys... you're all utterly unreasonable!" Bard was furious, pulling Aaron back with him. "I have to try, no matter what. If I can persuade them, great; if not, I'll..."

"You can't beat us." Aaron looked at him with some sympathy. "There are more of us, fifteen of us!"

"And this is in your own home; you certainly wouldn't choose to solve the problem with violence for the sake of your three children."

"But I will have everyone come and reason with you. If the townspeople know the Prophecy, they will definitely not let you pass."

"That's not necessarily true," Aaron thought to himself, unable to bring himself to discourage him.

The residents of Long Lake Town spoke not of the evil dragon, but of the return of the King of the Lonely Mountain and countless treasures of gold and silver.

Human nature cannot withstand the test; most people only believe what they want to believe.

More importantly, the living conditions in Long Lake Town are extremely poor, and a huge treasure is enough to change everything. They will selectively forget the crisis.