A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"Hmph!" Thranduil snorted coldly. "I hope you keep your word."

“That’s natural.” Aaron nodded and added, “There’s something I need to tell you in advance: the Iron Hills’ army will arrive in Irubor very soon.”

"What?!" Gandalf exclaimed in shock. "Dann's Ironfoot will come too?"

Thranduil was also uneasy. He had full confidence in his elven army, but he did not want to cause unnecessary casualties, as dwarf lives were not as valuable as elf lives.

"That's good news," Aaron said helplessly. "If the orcs really attack, we'll have a powerful ally."

"What good news is this?"

Thranduil still didn't believe that orcs would attack Lonely Mountain. If it weren't for his concern that Aaron might actually give up and run away with their national treasures, he would have sent troops immediately.

“Your Majesty, I don’t need to tell you this news, but I’ll tell you anyway.”

Firstly, it shows my sincerity; I've revealed Thorin's trump card to you.

I only need three days; I hope you won't let me down.

Secondly, it's to prepare you mentally, so you don't end up fighting the dwarf army without realizing it.

Thranduil smiled and looked at Aaron meaningfully, "I always thought Thorin was the soul of your team, but now it seems that your significance is no less than his."

Aaron Gaius, right? Not old, but quite capable and bold.

I admire you. You really don't need to worry about the dwarves. You could choose to ally with the elves; the woodland elves would never mistreat their allies.

Chapter 276 The Worst-Case Plan, Gandalf's Request

Aaron was a little confused. What was going on? The Woodland King had extended an olive branch to him?

The elves' friendship was right in front of him, but after hesitating for a moment, Aaron shook his head. "Thank you for your high regard, but Thorin and the others are my friends."

“Legolas can be your friend too,” Thranduil laughed. “His character is a thousand times better than that of a stubborn dwarf; you two will definitely get along.”

Aaron: ......

How can you say that? Who was it that locked us up in the dungeon?

puff!

An untimely laugh rang out inside the tent, and Bilbo blinked awkwardly.

"Uh... many people admire him: dwarves, Smaug, humans, and now elves."

“Wait a minute,” Gandalf asked, surprised. “You mean Smaug?”

“When Smaug was in Irubor, he proposed to cooperate with Aaron that they could create a vast kingdom like never before, but Aaron refused.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the human representatives, the elven king, and the grey-robed wizard inside the tent all stared at Aaron in astonishment, not understanding what kind of magic this child possessed that could attract the dragon's favor.

"Haha, don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing," Aaron said awkwardly. "I'm just an ordinary magician, I only know a little bit of dragon language."

"Who exactly are you?" Bard asked curiously. "Your abilities don't match your age at all."

"Do you really want to know?"

Bud nodded blankly, and the others were also intrigued.

“Alright, since you’ve asked so earnestly, I’ll reluctantly tell you.” Aaron cleared his throat and said with his head held high, “I am the sole heir of the Gaius family, and the most outstanding one in the last hundred years. My father and grandfather both believe that I will restore the family’s glory, and in fact, I am doing just that now.”

Everyone:......

He seemed to say something, but then again, he didn't say anything at all.

“Let’s get back to the point!” Gandalf broke the strange atmosphere in the tent. “King Thranduil, three days will prove everything.”

“But if I don’t get what I want, then we’ll have to fight,” Thranduil said. “The elves’ anger is no less than the dwarves’, and I hope you, especially one of you, won’t disappoint me.”

“Not at all,” Gandalf assured. “We have to go to Irubor and have Thorin inform Dann that he’s even more volatile, and it would be terrible if he couldn’t control the Ironfoot.”

"Wait a minute." Aaron stopped him, his expression turning serious. "I overlooked something. The orcs will take at least two days to reach Lonely Mountain. What about the earliest?"

"Then we have even less time. If we march at full speed, the enemy might arrive tomorrow."

"What time tomorrow?" Aaron pressed. "Morning, noon, or evening?"

Gandalf frowned, pondering, and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be noon."

"What if something goes wrong?" Aaron looked nervously at the slowly setting sun outside. "This is war. Intelligence errors can be fatal. We have to prepare for the worst."

Gandalf paused for a moment, then, after a long pause, said somewhat flusteredly, "Dawn, at the earliest, the orc army will be at the city gates by tomorrow."

"So fast?" Bilbo was somewhat incredulous; they hadn't even had time to prepare before the enemy's army was about to attack.

“It’s that fast,” Gandalf said anxiously. “King Thranduil, please have the army ready and prepared for battle at any time.”

Thranduil frowned slightly and pondered, "The elves will be arrayed in front of Dale tomorrow morning. You must explain this clearly to Oak Shield. I won't hold back if he misunderstands."

"I will do my best to persuade him."

“Bard,” Aaron said, “you should also tell the people of Long Lake to prepare for battle. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Also, the gold you requested might be delayed for a few days, until the war is over.

Bard nodded and then walked out of the tent.

Gandalf also went to Irubor with Aaron and Bilbo.

Upon reaching the foot of the city wall, Gandalf looked at the rope hanging there and inexplicably sensed a hint of malice.

Couldn't they have used a hanging basket? Is it really appropriate for someone his age to climb the city wall using ropes?

“Gandalf,” Kilimanjaro urged from the city walls, “what are you standing there for? Grab the rope, we’ll pull you up.”

Gandalf shook his head helplessly, tied the rope around himself, and was pulled up by several dwarves.

“Why does his expression seem so awkward?” Bilbo frowned.

“It’s going to get even more awkward from here on out.” Aaron tied a knot in the rope around Bilbo’s neck. “Thorin isn’t so easy to persuade.”

"That's true, it's troublesome just thinking about it."

As soon as the group climbed the city wall, a group of dwarves surrounded them.

"How did the talks go?" Baring asked. "What did Bard say?"

"If the money is right, he won't start a war."

"That's good." Balin breathed a sigh of relief. "We can fight the elves, but there's really no need to fight the humans."

"Gandalf, where have you been?" Bovary looked at him, puzzled. "Why are you only arriving now?"

"Something terrible has happened, Bofor."

Where is Thorin? He needs to know about this.

“Sorin…” Balin paused slightly, “He is sitting on the throne in the hall.”

“Good heavens!” Gandalf rolled his eyes. “He’s following in his grandfather’s footsteps, and at this very moment.”

“No way!” Bilbo said. “He agreed to let us give some of the gold to the people of Lake Long!”

“That only proves that he was still lucid before, but it’s really hard to say now,” Gandalf said wearily. “Never underestimate the magic of gold, especially gold that dragons have roamed in for a long time. Anyone who enters this mountain will have their soul corrupted by the evil aura of the dragons.”

“Not everyone.” Aaron looked at Bilbo, then at the dozen or so dwarves beside him. “Absolutely not. I have faith in Thorin; he won’t become his grandfather.”

"I hope so!" Gandalf sighed and hurried down the stairs.

Upon arriving at the hall, the three stood amidst a vast array of gold coins, looking up at Thorin, who wore a crown.

At this moment, Thorin seemed somewhat unfamiliar to them; his eyes were lifeless and almost devoid of color.

Aaron and Bilbo exchanged a glance. They had only been gone for half a day, and Thorin had changed far too much.

"Thorin."

"Gandalf, you've returned. Have you come to celebrate with me?"

"No, I'm here to inform you."

The orc army is on its way, preparing to attack Irubor.

"Dan's Ironfoot will slaughter them all. Anyone who tries to steal my gold deserves to die."

Aaron frowned slightly. "What about what we promised the people of Long Lake?"

"This...this is different." Thorin hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "I will give it to them, but isn't one-fifteenth a bit too much?"

Aaron chuckled and shook his head, hoping Thorin could figure it out on his own; otherwise, he would have to resort to unconventional methods.

"One-fifteenth is indeed a bit too much, let's just halve it again!"

One-thirtieth is fine.

“Aaron,” Thorin said with a relieved smile, “that’s more like it! You don’t need to wrong yourself for those irrelevant people.”

What do you want?

“A massive army of orcs,” Gandalf emphasized anxiously. “They will attack Irubor as early as tomorrow, or at the latest the day after.”

We hope you can explain to Dane that we shouldn't start a war with the elves yet; facing the powerful enemy together is the most important thing right now.

“I know,” Thorin said nonchalantly. “Dann is my cousin, he’ll listen to me, but he doesn’t like elves like I do.”

“Thranduil is fine,” Bilbo said. “The Elven army will be stationed in Vale and won’t be attacking Irubor anytime soon.”

“They don’t have the ability either.” Thorin’s eyes flashed with disdain. “You all rest well. Tomorrow, put on your armor, take your weapons, and protect our gold.”

The three looked at each other, but since their goal had been achieved, there was no need to waste any more time.

After leaving the main hall, Bilbo went to the city gate and told the other dwarves about their negotiations in Dale, emphasizing that the orcs might return to attack Irubor and urging everyone to prepare for battle.

Gandalf, however, found Aaron and said, "I should apologize to you. If I'm not mistaken, the hardest work in the group probably fell on you!"

"Just say what you want to say." Aaron rolled his eyes. "I may be young, but don't try to fool me like a child. You can't fool me."

Gandalf paused for a moment, then said, "I mean it."

“I’m being honest.” Aaron shrugged. “So, can we be a little more open about it?”

“Alright!” Gandalf hesitated for a moment. “I can see that you really don’t want to go to war, but I still hope that you can give your all and contribute as much as you can to the Allied forces.”

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Aaron clicked his tongue, looking at Gandalf with a half-smile. "When we left the party halfway through, Thorin and the others were almost eaten by the giant spiders of the Mirkwood. Since you weren't there, I risked my life to lure away more than twenty spiders and saved everyone's lives."

You weren't there when we were imprisoned in the dungeon by the woodland elves. I was the one who pried open the cell door, let Bilbo out, and found the waterway, which allowed us to barely escape.