"It didn't seem to be here," Baggins whispered. But as soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly covered his mouth—every tiny sound seemed incredibly clear in the vast, silent hall.
An Yang said nothing. He merely pointed at the thick layer of gold covering the floor, indicating that it was sleeping beneath it.
Baggins nodded, but he did not dare say anything more.
An Yang turned and gestured to Bard. Together, they tiptoed down the stone steps. Once they reached the hall, they found coins scattered everywhere, clinking with every step. They could only proceed even more carefully, trying not to touch the coins. But Bard was carrying the wind crossbow, so it was inevitable that it would make faint rustling sounds.
Fortunately, the dragon was not awakened by the noise.
They circled behind the stone steps and carefully set down the wind crossbow. Then they began assembling it and loaded the black arrow.
Once everything was ready, Bard cast an inquiring look at An Yang, then swept his gaze around as though searching for the dragon.
An Yang pointed in a direction. Bard immediately held his breath and slowly turned the wind crossbow that way.
Then An Yang frowned and hesitated for a moment before pointing at the thick pile of coins ahead. He leaned close to Bard's ear and said, "The dragon's eyes will probably see through this spot. I'll use magic to isolate the sounds there. Let's move quickly and hide inside the pile of coins!"
Bard's eyes widened at that, but after a brief hesitation, he nodded firmly.
An Yang then silently recited an incantation and pointed toward that location. A flash of white light immediately passed over it.
Go!
An Yang made a gesture.
Bard carried the wind crossbow with him. It made a soft