Once You've Dug Up the Treasure, Of Course You Run

"What is your purpose?" Smaug asked, intrigued. "Tell me."

Aaron paused for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Want your dragon's life? You definitely can't say that, or you'll just tear off the mask of civility.

Want Arkenstone? You can't say that; it's like pulling teeth from a dragon's mouth.

Seemingly sensing Aaron's dilemma, Bilbo immediately spoke up, "Smaug possesses unparalleled wealth. We merely wish to behold your majesty and see if you are as great as the ancient legends claim. We do not believe those tales..."

Before he could finish speaking, Smaug stepped out from the vast pile of gold coins, revealing his true form to the two men.

"So what now?"

Bilbo stared at the enormous dragon body before him, which was tens of meters wide even without its wings. His legs trembled uncontrollably as he suppressed the urge to faint and stammered in admiration, "It's true! Those stories and songs don't even begin to show your ferocity, Evil Dragon Smaug!"

"Yes! It's true." Aaron was somewhat shocked, wondering if his Dragon Cub would grow to be that big in the future, but at the same time he was also delighted, because Smaug's left chest did indeed have a small patch that was not covered by Dragon Scale, which was a fatal weakness.

"You flatter me well. Considering you came with the Dragon Speaker, I can spare your life."

"That's great." Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief, but Smaug's next words made his heart leap into his throat.

"But I need you to answer a few questions," Smaug sneered. "You may know my name, but I've never smelled your scent before."

Excuse my curiosity, but who are you? Where do you come from?

"Bilbo." Aaron showed him the Compass in his hand. The needle pointed in front of them, presumably because Smaug had brought the Arkenstone with him when he moved.

The two exchanged a glance; Bilbo was tasked with stalling for time, while Aaron was responsible for finding the Arkenstone.

"I came from the foot of the mountain," Bilbo said, trying to catch his breath. "I crossed thousands of mountains and valleys to get here."

"I admire you." Smaug circled Bilbo, and the golden torrent moved with him.

Aaron was saddened to find the pointer twitching again, pointing towards Smaug's body.

Damn it, snatching food from a dragon's mouth, does it have to be this exciting?

What other titles do you have?

"I am... Luckwearer and Riddle-maker."

"Keep the cute names." Smaug pressed his face against Bilbo's, his mouthful of fangs emitting a foul stench that made one want to S.P.E.W..

"The Barrel-rider".

"The barrel is getting more and more interesting," Smaug teased with a laugh, his massive body moving once more.

This time, however, the Compass needle pointed to their feet, and through the golden gaps, they could vaguely see a milky white light. The two were almost certain that the Arkenstone was there.

"And where are your little dwarf friends? Where are they hiding?"

"Dwarves?" Bilbo feigned doubt, shaking his head. "No, no, no, there are no dwarves here. You've got it wrong."

"I'm not mistaken." Smaug turned his gaze to Aaron. "There have been very few Dragon Speaker throughout the ages, but each one is a wise Prophet among mankind, a genius with an extraordinary talent for learning."

Aaron:...

Oh, this... I'm flattered, truly flattered.

Bilbo looked at Aaron with sudden realization. No wonder the kid knew so much and was incredibly strong.

Prophet, a genius, personally certified by Evil Dragon Smaug.

"Dragon Speaker, you should know that they are targeting you."

"They sent you here to do the bad stuff, while they themselves hid outside," Smaug said. "Don't even think about deceiving me, or stealing a single penny from here, though I won't let even you get away with it."

"You are mistaken, Smaug, whom all men revere!" Bilbo exclaimed respectfully.

"As a thief and a swindler, you are polite," Smaug said rather bluntly. "But I know the scent and smell of dwarves better than anyone, and I know they have come for gold."

They love gold like flies love carrion. I knew this day would come; those hypocritical dwarves would eventually climb the mountain.

Smaug spoke, he slapped down with his paw.

Gold coins flew everywhere, and the Arkenstone appeared before the two for the first time, but then slid down the steps.

Bilbo instinctively wanted to chase after him, but Aaron held his arm tightly.

"Ah!" Smaug looked at the two with amusement. "It seems you've found the Heart of the Mountain."

"You want to help Oakenshield, that wretched dwarven usurper, who sent you to Arkenstone, didn't he?"

"No, no, it's not..." Bilbo said hastily.

"Yes." Aaron shrugged, looking at Bilbo's confused eyes, and explained, "Let's stop playing games now. Dragons aren't stupid; they have intelligence comparable to humans."

"Hmph! I guessed his schemes a long time ago."

But it doesn't matter. Oakenshield's plan will not succeed. Darkness is coming, engulfing every corner of the world.

"The necromancer Sauron?"

"You know?" Smaug looked at Aaron with some surprise. "Yes, you should know."

However, Sauron's magic had not fully recovered, so he could only stay in Dol Guldur to recover his strength.

But his vanguard will set off soon; Lonely Mountain is their first stop.

"Aren't you from Lonely Mountain?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Would they dare to come?"

"Of course they wouldn't dare," Smaug said with a cold smile. "But I have no need to stop them, nor am I bothered to, as long as they don't touch my treasure."

"Ha!" Aaron shook his head. "Gandalf is right, you will definitely cooperate with them."

"Gandalf? Since when did a mere Grey Wizard dare to meddle in my business?"

"Who knew? The guardian of the world always seems to like to worry about things."

"You've been used," Smaug quipped. "Coward Oakenshield has already weighed your lives; you're worthless."

"No, you're lying," Bilbo couldn't help but say.

"What did he promise you? Did he share a portion of the treasure with you?"

It's as if the treasure belongs to him.

"We know," Aaron chuckled. "We knew what we would be facing before we even came. To be honest, the guy next to me fainted from fright after he found out we might be seeing a dragon."

However, Thorin didn't hide anything from us; he allowed us to quit halfway through, and just now, a dwarf even advised us not to force ourselves, saying that if we didn't want to, we could simply quit—it wasn't shameful.

Smaug paused for a moment, then looked at the two men with a meaningful expression. "In order to see Oakenshield suffer, I considered having you take the gem, so that I could see it destroy him, devour his mind, and drive him mad."

Upon hearing this, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Is the Arkenstone really that the Grim?" Aaron frowned.

"Before obtaining the Heart of the Mountain, Thrain was considered a wise ruler, but after obtaining Heart of the Mountain, he quickly became arrogant and disdainful, even thinking himself superior and deserving of congratulations from all directions."

If I hadn't taken over Erebor, he might have gone to war with the elves, since he had no intention of returning the White Gem to them.

Do you understand? The Arkenstone doesn't possess any magic, but its influence might be more terrifying than Sauron's One the One Ring.

Aaron glanced instinctively at the ring Bilbo was holding in his left hand. "This is the One Ring? What are its effects?"

"Try it on and you'll see," Smaug said enticingly. "But I've changed my mind now, the little game is over."

The Arkenstone is right there. If you don't take it, you can leave safely. If you take it, I'll...

"Gemstones, Accio!" Aaron used the Accio, and the Arkenstone and a bunch of gold coins flew out, which he caught in his hand.

Not taking it? Are you kidding me?

The first System Mission was this broken stone. If he didn't take it, all the suffering he had endured over the past six months would have been for nothing. As an ambitious young man about to embark on his dream journey, he couldn't swallow this insult.

Besides, the first System Mission is to slay a dragon! We'll have to tear off the mask of civility sooner or later, so why be so polite now?

"This is the Arkenstone!" Aaron clicked his tongue. "I heard it was dug out from underground. The texture is alright to the touch, and it does look big and white."

But to put it bluntly, it's just a glowing stone!

"Aaron." Bilbo nudged his arm, swallowing hard. "I think we should run, right now, immediately."

Smaug one claw against a pillar, blocking the stairs with his massive body, and squinted at the two of them.

"You've made your choice, haven't you?"

"It's obvious." Aaron tossed the Arkenstone in his hand. "We must fulfill the contract if we voluntarily sign it; it's one of our family's ancestral precepts."

"What a pity." Smaug sighed regretfully, a crimson light appearing on his abdomen, the intense heat spreading up his neck. "Dragon Speaker should have been the dragon's most natural ally, but you didn't seize the opportunity."

A fierce Dragon Fire spewed from Smaug's mouth, and Aaron swung his right hand forcefully, causing a golden torrent of gold coins to strike Smaug's left cheek.

The flames deflected by more than ten degrees and shot towards the left side of the two men.

Even so, the intense heat made the two of them feel palpitations.

"Warlock!" Smaug roared angrily, his vertical pupils coldly fixed on Aaron. "Your magic is somewhat different from the others. Who are you?"

"Uh... I don't want to." Aaron said awkwardly.

"You're right, we really don't want it." Smaug shrank back, opened his mouth, and bit down with lightning speed.

"Petrificus Totalus."

Aaron unleashed a Petrification Spell, but a pale red light struck Smaug's head, only causing him to pause for a moment.

"Damn! This magic resistance is ridiculously high." Aaron cursed inwardly, but his hands moved quickly, pulling Bilbo away from the dragon's fangs with great difficulty.

"It hurts a bit, feels like a woodpecker," Smaug mocked. "But my armor is indestructible, impervious to blades and spears."

"I can see that." Aaron chuckled self-deprecatingly. He realized he was still too weak. If his strength could be increased by one level, he might be able to cause some damage to Smaug.

Smaug grinned, slowly spread his wings, and then flapped them forcefully.

A massive storm swept over them, blowing the two dozens of meters away, and they landed on a pile of gold coins.

"Hahaha." Aaron quickly got up, unable to contain his smile. "I'm very satisfied with this dragon."

"You're still laughing? You'd better start thinking about what to do!"

"What can we do? We've already got the stuff, of course we're running." Aaron said, casting an Disillusionment Charm on himself. He only had half his magic power left, so he wasn't foolish enough to go toe-to-toe with Smaug. He'd just test its power a bit; the real battlefield wasn't here.

Seeing this, Bilbo hurriedly put on the One Ring and carefully moved back the way he came.