"That dragon and I had a blood feud."
"You hold no appeal for the dragon, Bilbo. It won't fly into a rage over a Hobbit it has never even seen."
"Li Wei won't do either. He can stand against the dragon head-on. If he suddenly runs away, it will definitely grow suspicious."
Thorin stood among the others.
"Only I—I am the true heir to Durin's throne, and I will one day return as King Under the Mountain. Only I am someone it would desperately want to kill, someone it would never pass up a chance to destroy."
"Only I can make it lose its mind."
A hint of madness gleamed in Thorin's eyes.
Li Wei saw it all.
Yes, Thorin was indeed right—but the reverse was true as well. This dragon could also drive the heir to the Dwarf throne mad. Ever since setting foot inside Lonely Mountain, Thorin had been drawing ever closer to madness. The curse lingering over this land had already wrapped itself tightly around him.
Once he truly sat upon the throne, the greed rooted within him might even surpass that of the dragon.
In that case, let the madness come completely.
Li Wei had had his fists and milk ready for a long time.
"Li Wei, what do you think?"
After laying out the plan, Thorin asked out of habit, just as they had once asked Gandalf.
"Go for it."
Li Wei gave an affirmative reply. He also guided the Dwarves around through the passage he had dug earlier, and they smoothly completed the assembly of the Wind-bow behind the corridor.
At the end of the secret passage, Bard looked at the finely crafted Wind-bow before him, which had even been refurbished, then at the Black Arrow in his hand. He took several deep breaths