A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"The barrel rider".

“The barrel is getting more and more interesting,” Smaug chuckled, as his massive body moved once more.

This time, however, the compass needle pointed to their feet, and through the golden gaps, they could vaguely see a milky white light. The two were almost certain that the Arkenstone was there.

"And where are your little dwarf friends? Where are they hiding?"

“Dwarves?” Bilbo feigned doubt and shook his head, saying, “No, no, no, there are no dwarves here. You’ve got it wrong.”

“I’m not mistaken.” Smaug turned his gaze to Aaron. “There have been very few dragon speakers throughout the ages, but each one is a wise prophet among mankind, a genius with an extraordinary talent for learning.”

Aaron: ......

Oh, this... I'm flattered, truly flattered.

Bilbo looked at Aaron with sudden realization. No wonder the kid knew so much and was so incredibly strong.

A prophet, a genius, personally certified by Smaug the dragon.

“Dragon Speaker, you should know that they are using you.”

"They sent you here to do bad things, while they hid outside," Smaug said. "Don't even think about deceiving me, and don't even think about stealing a single penny from here, or I won't let you get away with it."

“You are mistaken, the awe-inspiring Smaug!” Bilbo exclaimed respectfully.

“For a thief and a conman, you are very polite,” Smaug said rather bluntly. “But I know the scent and smell of dwarves better than anyone, and I know they are here for gold.”

They love gold like flies love carrion. I knew this day would come; those hypocritical dwarves would eventually climb the mountain.

As Smaug spoke, he slammed his paw down.

Gold coins flew everywhere, and the Arken Gem appeared before the two for the first time, but then slid down the steps.

Bilbo instinctively wanted to chase after him, but Aaron held his arm tightly.

“Ah!” Smaug looked at the two of them with amusement. “It seems you’ve found the Heart of the Mountain.”

"You want to help Oak Shield, that wretched dwarven usurper, who sent you to retrieve the Arkenstone, didn't he?"

“No, no, it’s not…” Bilbo said hastily.

“Yes.” Aaron shrugged, looking at Bilbo’s confused eyes, and explained, “Let’s stop playing games now. Dragons aren’t stupid; they have intelligence comparable to humans.”

"Hmph! I guessed his schemes a long time ago."

But it doesn't matter, Oak Shield's plan will not succeed. Darkness is coming, engulfing every corner of the world.

"The necromancer Sauron?"

“You know?” Smaug looked at Aaron with some surprise. “Yes, of course you know.”

However, Sauron's magic had not fully recovered, so he could only stay in Dolgodor to recover his strength.

But his vanguard would soon set off, with Lonely Mountain being their first stop.

"Weren't you on Lonely Mountain?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Would they dare to come?"

“Of course they wouldn’t dare,” Smaug said with a cold smile. “But I have no need to stop them, nor do I care to, as long as they don’t touch my treasure.”

“Ha!” Aaron shook his head. “Gandalf was right. You really do know how to cooperate with them.”

"Gandalf? Since when did a mere grey wizard dare to meddle in my business?"

"Who knows? The guardians of the world always seem to have a penchant for worrying unnecessarily."

“You’ve been used,” Smaug quipped. “Cowardly Oak Shield has valued your lives; you’re worthless.”

“No, you’re lying,” Bilbo couldn’t help but say.

"What did he promise you? Did he share a portion of the treasure with you?"

"It's like the treasure belongs to him."

“We know,” Aaron chuckled. “We knew what we would be facing before we came. To be honest, the guy next to me fainted from fright after he learned that he might encounter a dragon.”

However, Thorin didn't hide anything from us; he allowed us to quit halfway, and just now, a dwarf even advised us not to force ourselves, saying we could turn back if we didn't want to, and there was no shame in it.

Smaug paused for a moment, then looked at the two men with a meaningful expression. "In order to see Oak Shield suffer, I considered having you take the gem, so that I could see it destroy him, devour his mind, and drive him mad."

Upon hearing this, the two looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Is the Arken Gem really that ominous?" Aaron frowned.

"Thorne was a wise monarch before he obtained the Heart of the Mountain, but after obtaining it, he quickly became arrogant and disdainful of everyone, even thinking that he was superior and should be worshipped by all sides."

If I hadn't taken over Irubor, he might have gone to war with the elves, since he had no intention of returning the white gem to them.

Do you understand? The Arkenstone doesn't possess any magic, but its influence might be even more terrifying than Sauron's One Ring.

Aaron glanced instinctively at the ring in Bilbo's left hand. "Is this the One Ring? What are its effects?"

“Try it on and you’ll see,” Smaug said enticingly. “But I’ve changed my mind now, the little game is over.”

The Arken Gem is right there. You can leave safely if you don't take it, but if you do, I'll...

"Gemstone, come!" Aaron decisively used the Summoning Charm, and the Arken Gem flew out from a pile of gold coins, which he caught in his hand.

Not taking it? Are you kidding me?

The first system task was this broken stone. If he didn't take it, all the suffering he had endured over the past six months would have been for nothing. As an ambitious young man about to realize his dreams, he couldn't swallow this insult.

Besides, the second system mission is to slay a dragon! Sooner or later, things will inevitably come to a head, so why be so polite now?

"This is the Arkenstone!" Aaron clicked his tongue. "I heard it was dug out from underground. It feels alright to the touch, and it does look big and white."

But to put it bluntly, it's just a glowing stone!

“Aaron.” Bilbo nudged his arm, swallowing hard. “I think we should run, right now, immediately.”

boom!

Smaug slammed one paw against a pillar, blocking the stairs with his massive body, and squinted at the two of them.

"You've made your choice, haven't you?"

“It’s obvious.” Aaron tossed the Arkenstone in his hand. “A contract that we voluntarily sign must be fulfilled. This is one of our family’s ancestral precepts.”

“What a pity.” Smaug sighed regretfully, a crimson light appearing on his abdomen, the intense heat spreading up his neck. “Dragon Speakers should be the dragons’ most natural allies, but you didn’t seize the opportunity.”

Roar!

Fierce dragonfire spewed from Smaug's mouth, and Aaron swung his right hand forcefully, sending a golden torrent of gold coins crashing into its left cheek.

The flames deflected by more than ten degrees and shot towards the left side of the two men.

Even so, the intense heat made the two of them feel palpitations.

“Wizard!” Smaug roared angrily, his vertical pupils coldly fixed on Aaron. “Your magic is different from the others. Who are you?”

"Uh...that's not important," Aaron said awkwardly.

“That’s right, it really doesn’t matter.” Smaug shrank back and opened his mouth to bite at lightning speed.

"They all turned to stone."

Aaron decisively unleashed the Petrify Spell, but a pale red light struck Smaug's head, only causing him to pause for a moment.

"Damn! This magic resistance is ridiculously high," Aaron cursed inwardly, but his hands moved swiftly, pulling Bilbo away from the dragon's fangs with a narrow escape.

“It hurts a bit, feels like a woodpecker,” Smaug scoffed. “But my armor is indestructible, impervious to blades and spears.”

"I can see that." Aaron chuckled self-deprecatingly. He was still too weak. If his strength could be increased by another level, he might be able to cause some damage to Smaug.

Smaug grinned, slowly spread his wings, and then flapped them forcefully.

A massive storm swept over them, blowing them dozens of meters away until they landed on a pile of gold coins.

"Hahaha." Aaron quickly got up, unable to contain his smile. "I'm so satisfied with this dragon."

"You're still laughing? You'd better start thinking about what to do!"

"What can we do? We've already got the stuff, of course we're running." Aaron said, casting an illusion spell on himself. He only had half his magic power now, so he wasn't foolish enough to go head-to-head with Smaug. Testing its power was enough; the real battlefield wasn't here.

Seeing this, Bilbo hurriedly put on the One Ring and carefully moved back the way he came.

Chapter 265 Orc Night Raid, Dwarf Guard Room

Changhu Town.

Borg led a group of orcs slowly forward on the rooftops, carefully searching for their target.

Because they had no boat, they were blocked by the huge lake for a long time before finally catching up.

“Those wretched little dwarves are nearby, I can smell them.”

Following the scent of the dwarves, Borg sifted through the numerous houses, narrowing his search to the vicinity of Bard's house.

Inside the house, Bifu looked boredly at the steaming casserole. "Chili, just hold on for a few more minutes, it'll be ready soon."

"Thank you," Qili nodded weakly.

“I’ll go see my father!” Sigrid said, holding a piece of clothing. “I’m worried about him being alone in the clock tower.”

However, just as she reached the door, Aaron's mental form grabbed her right hand as she opened it.

"you..."

Sigrid blushed slightly, and before she could say anything, her thought pulled him back.

“Something’s not right.” The thought entity glanced at the people in the room with a serious expression. “Barn, you and your two sisters hide under the table and protect them.”

"Bever, Bove, take your weapons and guard your curiosity."

"Has the dragon come?" Bofor asked.

“It’s not Smaug, but it’s not much better,” the Psychic said seriously. “I hear a lot of footsteps, the closest ones are right above us.”

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Barn and the others were still confused, but the three dwarves had already realized who the enemy was.

After the three siblings had hidden themselves, the thought-provoking entity picked up a long sword and slowly walked to the door.

As expected, the moment the door opened, an Orc roared and pounced on it.

puff!

The Soul-Bearer pierced his chest with a sword, then kicked him into the lake and quickly closed the door.