It was deep winter, the season when all things withered. When Allen left Dale, the first snow over the Lonely Mountain had already begun drifting through the sky.
With the Misty Mountains and the Grey Mountains blocking most of the incoming cold air, temperatures in the Anduin River Valley were far milder than those around the Lonely Mountain.
Even in December, with the new year approaching, the river still flowed without pause, though its flow was nowhere near as strong as in the warmer seasons.
With the grasslands dry and yellow, Allen led most of his army back to Wilderness Town along the road, bringing the wealth Thorin had given him.
By the time he reached Wilderness Town's eastern gate with his army, it was already the afternoon of December 3.
In truth, Allen had not brought all the treasure back, only a small portion of it.
It was probably less than a third, yet even that had exhausted the Lonely Mountain's supply of portable containers.
Ymira, who had come outside the town to welcome Allen, looked at the piles of chests and sacks with some dismay.
She knew what was inside them, but Wilderness Town still had no place to store gold, silver, and jewels, so she could only put them in the warehouse for the time being.
Allen would also arrange for Alayen to guard the warehouse with a strong contingent of troops, to prevent anything untoward from happening.
This situation would not last long, however. After learning the details from Alayen, Ymira had already arranged for Tyr to begin designing a treasury. Dwarves were skilled at such things.
Meanwhile, Wilderness Town's other engineer had already set off for Dale with a detachment of soldiers. The Lonely Mountain was now blanketed in ice and snow, so the elderly