The Worst-Case Scenario, Gandalf's Request

Aaron was a little confused. What was going on? The Woodland King had extended an olive branch to him?

The elves' friendship was right in front of him, but after hesitating for a moment, Aaron shook his head. "Thank you for your high regard, but Thorin and the others are my friends."

"Legolas can be your friend too," Thranduil chuckled. "His character is a thousand times better than that of a stubborn dwarf; you two will definitely get along."

Aaron:...

How can you say that? Who was it that locked us up in the dungeon?

An untimely laugh rang out inside the tent, and Bilbo blinked awkwardly.

"Uh... many people admire him: dwarves, Smaug, humans, and now elves."

"Wait a minute," Gandalf asked in surprise, "You mean Smaug?"

"When Smaug was in Erebor, he proposed to cooperate with Aaron that they could create a vast kingdom like never before, but Aaron refused."

As soon as he finished speaking, the human representatives, the elven king, and the Grey Wizard inside the tent all stared at Aaron in astonishment, wondering what kind of magic this child possessed that could attract the dragon's favor.

"Haha, don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing." Aaron said awkwardly. "I'm just an ordinary magician, I only know a little bit of Dragon Language."

"Who exactly are you?" Bard asked curiously. "Your abilities don't match your age at all."

Do you really want to know?

Bard nodded blankly, and the others were also intrigued.

"Alright, since you've asked so earnestly, I'll reluctantly tell you." Aaron cleared his throat, raised his head and said, "I am the sole heir of the Gaius family, and the most outstanding one of the year. My father and grandfather both believe that I will restore the family's glory, and in fact, I am doing just that now."

Everyone:...

He seemed to say something, but then again, he didn't say anything at all.

"Let's get back to the point!" Gandalf broke the strange atmosphere in the tent. "King Thranduil, three days will prove everything."

"But if I don't get what I want, then we'll have to fight," Thranduil said. "The elves' anger is no less than the dwarves', and I hope you, especially one of you, won't disappoint me."

"Definitely not," Gandalf assured him. "We need to go to Erebor and have Thorin inform Dain that his temper is even more volatile, and it would be terrible if he couldn't control the Ironfoot Army."

"Wait a minute." Aaron stopped him, his expression turning serious. "I overlooked something. The orcs will take at least two days to reach Lonely Mountain. What about the earliest?"

"Then we have even less time. If we send an urgent force, the enemy might arrive in a day."

"What time of day is it?" Aaron pressed Yu. "Morning, noon, or evening?"

Gandalf frowned, pondering as he said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be around noon."

"What if something goes wrong?" Aaron looked nervously at the slowly setting the Sun outside. "This is war. Intelligence errors can be fatal. We have to prepare for the worst."

Gandalf was stunned for a moment, and after pondering for a while, he said in a slightly flustered manner, "Li Ai, at the earliest, Li Ai's orc army will be at the city gates."

"So fast?" Bilbo was somewhat incredulous; they hadn't even had time to prepare before the enemy's army was about to attack.

"It's that fast," Gandalf said anxiously. "King Thranduil, please have the army ready and prepared for battle at any time."

Thranduil frowned slightly and pondered, "The elves will be arrayed in front of River Valley City. You need to explain this clearly to Oakenshield. If he misunderstands, I won't hold back either."

"I will do my best to persuade him."

"Bard," Aaron said, "You should also prepare the people of Long Lake for battle. It's better to believe it's true than not to."

Also, the gold you requested might be delayed for a few days, until the war is over.

Bard nodded and then left the tent.

Gandalf also went to Erebor with Aaron and Bilbo.

Upon reaching the foot of the city wall, Gandalf looked at the rope hanging there and inexplicably sensed a hint of malice.

Couldn't they have used a hanging basket? Is it really appropriate for someone his age to climb the city wall on a rope?

"Gandalf," Kili on the city wall urged Yu, "What are you standing there for? Grab the rope, we'll pull you up."

Gandalf shook his head helplessly, tied the rope around himself, and was pulled up by several dwarves.

"Why does his expression seem so awkward?" Bilbo frowned.

"It's going to get even more awkward from here on out." Aaron tied a knot in the rope around Bilbo. "Thorin isn't so easy to persuade."

"That's true, it's troublesome just thinking about it."

As soon as the group climbed the city wall, a group of dwarves surrounded them.

"How did the talks go?" Balin asked Yu. "What did Bard say?"

"If the money is right, he won't start a war."

"That's good." Balin breathed a sigh of relief. "We can fight the elves, but there's really no need to fight the humans."

"Gandalf, where have you been?" Bofur looked at him in confusion. "Why are you only arriving now?"

"Something terrible has happened, Bofur."

Where is Thorin? He needs to be informed of this.

"Thorin ..." Balin paused slightly, "He is sitting on the throne in the hall."

"Good heavens!" Gandalf rolled his eyes. "He's following in his grandfather's footsteps, and at this very moment."

"No way!" Bilbo said. "He already agreed that we gave some of the gold to the people of Long Lake!"

"That only proves that he was still able to stay conscious before, but it's really hard to say now." Gandalf said wearily, "Never underestimate the magic of gold, especially gold that has been occupied by evil dragons for a long time. Anyone who enters this mountain will have their souls tainted by the evil aura of the dragons."

"Not everyone." Aaron looked at Bilbo, then at the dozen or so dwarves beside him. "Absolutely not. I have faith in Thorin; he won't become his grandfather."

"I hope so!" Gandalf sighed and quickly went down the stairs.

Upon entering the main hall, the three stood amidst a vast array of gold coins, looking up at Thorin, who wore a crown.

Thorin seemed somewhat unfamiliar to them at this moment; his eyes were lifeless and almost devoid of color.

Aaron and Bilbo exchanged a glance. They had only been gone for half a day, and Thorin's changes were far too great.

"Thorin."

"Gandalf, you're back. Did you come to celebrate with me?"

"No, I'm here to inform you."

The orc army is advancing; they are preparing to attack Erebor.

"The Ironfoot Army of Dáin will kill them all. Anyone who tries to steal my gold deserves to die."

Aaron frowned slightly. "What about what we promised the people of Long Lake?"

"This, I, this is different." Thorin hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "I will give it to them, but isn't one-fifteenth a bit too much?"

Aaron chuckled and shook his head, hoping Thorin would come out on his own, otherwise he would have to resort to some unconventional methods.

"One-fifteenth is indeed a bit too much, let's just halve it again!"

One-thirtieth is fine.

"Aaron," Thorin smiled with relief, "That's more like it! You don't need to wrong yourself for those irrelevant people."

What do you want?

"The army of orcs," Gandalf emphasized anxiously. "They will attack Erebor as early as tomorrow, or at the latest the day after."

We hope you can explain to Dáin that we shouldn't start a war with the elves yet; facing a powerful enemy is the most important thing right now.

"I know," Thorin said nonchalantly. "Dáin is my cousin, he'll listen to me, but he doesn't like elves like I do."

"Thranduil is fine," Bilbo said. "The Elven army will be stationed in Dale and won't be attacking Erebor anytime soon."

"They don't have the ability either." Thorin's eyes flashed with disdain. "You all rest well. Tomorrow, put on your armor, take your weapons, and protect our gold."

The three looked at each other, but since their goal had been achieved, there was no need to waste any more time.

After leaving the main hall, Bilbo's other dwarves at the City Gate recounted the contents of their negotiations in River Valley City, emphasizing the possibility of the orcs returning to attack Erebor and urging everyone to prepare for battle.

Gandalf, however, turned to Aaron and said, "I should apologize to you. If I'm not mistaken, the hardest work in the team must have fallen on you!"

"Speak your mind." Aaron rolled his eyes. "Although I'm young, don't try to fool me like a child. You can't fool me."

Gandalf was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I mean it."

"I'm being honest." Aaron shrugged. "So, can we be a little more open about it?"

"Alright!" Gandalf hesitated for a moment. "I can see that you really don't want to participate in the war, but I still hope that you can give your all and contribute more to the Allied forces."

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Aaron clicked his tongue, looking at Gandalf with a half-smile. "When we left the group halfway, Thorin and the others were almost eaten by the giant spiders of the Mirkwood. Since you weren't there, I risked my life to lure away more than a dozen spiders and saved everyone's lives."

When we were imprisoned in the dungeon by the Woodland Elves, you weren't there. I had to pry open the cell door and let Bilbo out to find the water, which was how we barely escaped.

We were relentlessly pursued by Bolg. Kili was struck by Morgul arrow and nearly died from the poison. You weren't there, but it was the medicine I prepared that saved his life.

After finally finding the Durin's Day, Thorin and his companions couldn't find the secret Secret Door again. You weren't there, so I took out... the Faro and found the keyhole.

What's most outrageous is that you weren't there when we were fighting Smaug to the death. It was I who expended a huge amount of magic and a Magic Crystal to set a trap in Long Lake Town to kill him.

The repeated "you're not here" hit Gandalf's heart hard, making him so embarrassed that he couldn't lift his head. The words "I'm sorry" just slipped out. After all, he was carefree back then, but most of the pressure fell on Aaron, a young boy, which was somewhat unfair.

"Although your apology is not very sincere, I will still accept it reluctantly."

But what I want to say is that I've already shown respect for the elderly by refraining from hitting you. What gives you the audacity to ask me to go the extra mile?

Gandalf:...