A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

Besides, I also have to pay for your things, since I don't even know how much I'm going to buy.

"Of course, I'll pay you for guiding me."

"Come with me, we need to hurry."

Bard took Aaron to the only pharmacy in Lake-town. Although he was somewhat prepared, the pharmacy still managed to break through Aaron's psychological defenses.

Although Changhu Town is dilapidated, it is not small in scale. However, this only place that can treat the sick and save lives is not even comparable to a small clinic.

Smelling the pungent odor inside, Aaron couldn't help but sigh, "There must be quite a few people dying from disease in Longlake Town every year!"

“The environment is a bit poor, but in critical moments we rely on this place to save our lives,” Bud said, tapping on the counter.

"Hey! Bud, what do you want to buy?" a slightly overweight man asked.

"What do you want to buy?" Bud asked Aaron.

Aaron glanced at the dozens of medicinal herbs on the shelf, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "All of them."

"No," Bud immediately stopped him. "There's more than one patient in town. If you buy all the medicine, what will the people do?"

"That was something I didn't think of properly," Aaron said sheepishly. "How about this, give me two servings of each."

"I need three servings of anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and pain-relieving medication, is that alright?"

“Sure, sure, but…” the slightly overweight man looked at Bud, “it’s not cheap.”

Aaron slammed ten gold coins onto the counter. "Is that enough?"

"That's enough, absolutely enough." The slightly chubby man happily accepted the gold coins; with this order, his family wouldn't have to worry about money this winter.

The two of them came out of the pharmacy just as the sun was about to set.

Aaron was carrying a large package filled with various medicinal herbs, as well as a clay pot that the pharmacy owner had given him as a bonus.

As they walked along the road, the conversations of the townspeople reached their ears.

"A group of dwarves appeared out of nowhere, with full beards and fierce eyes. I have never seen anyone like them before."

What are the dwarves doing here?

"This is a prophecy, a prophecy about the Turin dwarves."

"It seems that the ancient legend is true."

"A huge amount of gold and silver treasures."

"Is this true? Is the King of Silver Springs returning?"

......

As Aaron listened to these words, his expression became increasingly interesting.

He knew exposure was inevitable, but this happened too fast; it was completely unexpected.

The townspeople will find out soon, and the mayor will soon find out too. It will probably be quite difficult for them to leave then.

“Prophecy? King of Silver Springs, King of Stone Carvings…” Bard murmured gravely, “King of Lonely Mountain.”

He quickly pulled Aaron into a small alley and asked bluntly, "Who exactly are you people?"

Those dwarves aren't going to Iron Hills, they're going to Lonely Mountain, right?

"Uh... guess?"

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. I heard his name, Thorin.”

I saw the King's family on a tapestry: Thorne, Thor, and finally Thorin.

If that's true, then you absolutely must not go to Lonely Mountain.

"Why?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Are you worried about that evil dragon?"

“Yes,” Budd admitted frankly, “the people in town don’t understand, but I do.”

The prophecy foretold that joyous bells would ring, celebrating the return of the King of Lonely Mountain…

"That sounds good; the King of Lonely Mountain will return to his kingdom."

“But there’s a second half,” Bard said anxiously. “However, everything in the world will be reduced to nothing, and the long lake will be devastated.”

"Oh dear!" Aaron swallowed hard, glancing instinctively at the Lonely Mountain not far away. "Things seem to have gotten a bit out of hand!"

He didn't know how grumpy Smaug was in the morning, but Lake-town was right next to Lonely Mountain. At the speed of a dragon's flight, it would take less than a minute to get there. And with the destructive power of a dragon, it would turn the town into ruins in less than half an hour. It seemed inevitable that life would be lost under the baptism of dragonfire.

“Now I understand,” Bard said with a complicated expression. “This is the real prophecy. I cannot let you go to Lonely Mountain.”

“But you can’t stop them,” Aaron said. “We’ve faced countless dangers along the way: trolls, orcs, skin-changing people, and even elves.”

But none of them stopped; these dwarves were willing to risk their lives to achieve this goal.

Now that Gushan is right in front of us, just one step away, do you think it's possible for them to give up?

Furthermore, I've also signed a contract with Bilbo, and we won't give up. In fact, you could say I came here specifically for Smaug.

"You, you guys... you're all being completely unreasonable!" Bard was furious, pulling Aaron back with him. "I have to try, no matter what. If I can persuade them, great; if not, I'll..."

"You can't beat us." Aaron looked at him with some sympathy. "There are more of us, fifteen of us!"

And this is in your own home; you certainly wouldn't choose to solve the problem with violence for the sake of your three children.

“But I will let everyone come and reason with you. If the townspeople knew about the prophecy, they certainly wouldn’t let you pass.”

"That's not necessarily true," Aaron thought to himself, not having the heart to discourage him.

The residents of Changhu Town spoke not of the evil dragon, but of the return of the King of Lonely Mountain and countless treasures of gold and silver.

Human nature cannot withstand the test; most people only believe what they want to believe.

More importantly, living conditions in Changhu Town are extremely poor, and a huge treasure is enough to change everything, so they will selectively forget the crisis.

Chapter 258 The King Starts Making Empty Promises

The door opened hastily, and Bud looked at the room where only his three children were left. He was bewildered for a moment before becoming somewhat nervous.

“Dad, I’ve done my best to stop them,” Barn said.

How long have they been gone?

"It's been almost two hours."

"Two hours?" Aaron opened his mouth in astonishment. "They left not long after we left."

Wait, did they leave me any message?

“He stayed,” the younger daughter nodded. “Thorin said he believes you will catch up on your own, and the others say so too.”

Upon hearing this, Aaron's lips twitched slightly.

Being trusted is a good thing, but this kind of trust can be both laughable and frustrating.

"Where is Qili? Did he say anything?"

“He said he wanted us to thank you on his behalf,” Barn said. “And also to apologize.”

"Heh! I can't accept that!" Aaron waved his hand with a cold laugh. "I went to great lengths to save his life, but I didn't expect him to not cherish it."

"Why bring this up again?" Bud asked anxiously. "The important thing is, where did they go? Did they leave Laketown?"

“Definitely not,” Aaron said with certainty. “The dwarves are more stubborn than you can imagine. They will only leave when they get what they want.”

Bud was taken aback. "You mean?"

"The armory, it can only be there, and there is no other place like it."

"Then let's go quickly..."

"Go where?"

Your house is already under surveillance. Under these circumstances, what's the difference between going to the weapons depot and inviting trouble?

Furthermore, they wouldn't steal weapons during the day; the best time to act is after dark.

Bard paused for a moment, then asked, "Shall we go when it gets dark?"

“No.” Aaron refused decisively, and after thinking for a moment, he said, “The dock is the closest to the armory. They will definitely board the ship from there after they get the weapons.”

“That makes sense.” Bard suddenly realized. “I’ll go to the docks right now and stop them.”

No matter how many times I tell you, you can't stop me.

“But the townspeople will make them give up,” Bard said, slinging his bow and arrows over his shoulder and walking out of the house with a nonchalant air.

"Will my dad succeed?" Sigrid asked worriedly.

“No, he won’t.” Aaron shook his head with a sigh. “He is destined to fail, but he will not be in danger. The dwarves will not harm him.”

He was extremely confident in his judgment. Bard was not a bad person and could not bring himself to kill. Faced with the dwarf who was ready to die, he had no choice but to back down.

As for appealing to the townspeople, that's even more impossible. The townspeople are eager for Thorin to succeed, because only then can they live a good life.

"But why did Dad stop them?" Barn asked, puzzled.

“Because of a prophecy,” Aaron said, pursing his lips. “Our destination is Lonely Mountain, and he fears we will disturb the evil dragon within, thus bringing destruction to Lake-town. Do you believe this vague prophecy?”

The three siblings looked at each other, then nodded in unison.

"Uh...maybe I didn't explain it clearly."

If Thorin becomes the King of the Lonely Mountain, Lake-town will be transformed, and you will live a life of abundance.

"But all of this seems worthless compared to life!"

Barn's tone was complex, but his attitude was unwavering, and his two sisters gave him approving looks.

Aaron: ......

Bud is definitely a qualified father; his family education is truly exceptional.

As long as they don't die young, these three children will definitely be successful in the future.

“And what about you?” Sigrid looked at Aaron. “How do you plan to keep up with them?”

“I am a wizard, this question is simple for me.” Aaron pointed to the Lonely Mountain outside the window and smiled meaningfully. “Knowing the destination, I can go wherever I want, and no one can stop me.”

"But before that, there's something I need your help with." Aaron scratched his head sheepishly, then placed the package on the floor, revealing various kinds of medicinal herbs.