Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 235 The Pre-Departure Dinner and Proposals

Centuries ago, Smaug, with the power of a dragon, routed the entire Lonely Mountain dwarf race, causing countless deaths and injuries, forcing them to flee their homeland in disarray.

After it seized the treasure of the Lonely Mountain dwarves, the gates of the dwarven kingdom were closed, and it slept in the gold of Lonely Mountain ever since. Neither the elven kingdom, nor the human kingdom, nor the dwarven kingdom could do anything about this evil dragon, allowing it to roam Lonely Mountain for hundreds of years.

A dragon that even so many people couldn't defeat, certainly couldn't be handled by just a few adventurers.

Hearing Wayne's question, Gandalf wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he reached for another cookie, popped it into his mouth, and joked:

"Of course, Mr. Wayne, if we can do it, that would be the best outcome. The hero who kills Smaug will surely become a hero celebrated by all, and will be respected and loved forever in Middle-earth."

"However, our goal this time is not so grand. Our purpose is simply to retrieve one treasure from the Lonely Mountain Treasure Trove. The one who initiated this expedition is none other than the dwarf prince Thorin, a descendant of the King of the Mountain and the last heir to the Lonely Mountain Dwarf Kingdom."

"He hopes to invite a powerful adventurer like you to join us, and has offered a generous reward."

With that, Gandalf took a contract from his pocket and handed it to Wayne. The Witcher, who had lived in Middle-earth for a long time, was already able to read the language of this world.

Wayne reached out and took the contract. It was a dozen pages long, filled with dense text, with clear clauses and obligations. The reward listed in the contract was one-fifteenth of the Lonely Mountain treasure.

Upon seeing the reward, Wayne scoffed inwardly. Anyone who had read the original story knew that Thorin was exceptionally obsessive, arrogant, and mentally ill, suffering from a family-inherited mental disorder—the kind of obsession with gold that made him stingy with everything.

In the original story, after Bard, a human from Lake-town, along with the protagonist Bilbo and the dwarves, defeated Smaug, Bard went insane, refused to pay for the adventure, and disgustingly mocked the humans of Lake-town for taking advantage of their vulnerability.

Although he expressed regret and remorse for his choice before his death, Wayne, who had seen the movie, was still deeply impressed by the incident.

Moreover, he had long coveted the treasure in Lonely Mountain, but had always restrained himself because of the existence of a creator god in this world and did not want to incur the creator god's disgust and cause unpredictable disasters due to his reckless behavior.

However, one-fifteenth of the treasure would certainly not satisfy his appetite.

After Wayne finished reading the contract, the system notification sounded.

Ding! Quest triggered: [Obtain the Arkansas Gemstone], Master level. Accept?

However, he did not immediately accept this master-level mission.

Instead of agreeing or refusing, he smiled and spoke directly to Gandalf:

"Gandalf, I am very interested in this expedition."

"However, as a warrior, I cannot allow my goal to be as simple as taking something from the treasure plundered by the dragon."

"If I were to participate in this expedition to Lonely Mountain, my goal would be to kill Smaug and rid the world of this evil dragon."

"I have the ability, and I'm confident in my ability."

"So, let's leave this contract here for now. You can invite Prince Thorin and the other warriors who want to join the journey to Lonely Mountain to my Wayne Manor for a banquet. We can all have a good time and talk about revising the contract. How does that sound?"

After hearing Wayne's confident speech, Gandalf was first taken aback, and then couldn't help but feel very surprised, or rather, somewhat doubtful.

As the busiest Maiar in the world, and a wizard commissioned by the Creator to maintain order in Middle-earth, he was actually the one who first proposed this mission to the Lonely Mountain.

Gandalf's goal was to use the power of the dwarves to drive away or even destroy the dragon Smaug, and to eliminate the dragon's offspring before Sauron was resurrected, so as not to allow these two powerful evil tyrants to unite and strengthen the forces of darkness.

His original plan was to find a skilled thief among the hobbits to steal the Arkansas Diamond from the treasure on Lonely Mountain, and then have Thorin, the dwarf prince, gather the strength of other dwarf clans to fight the dragon Smaug.

Having not returned to the Hobbit kingdom for a long time, Gandalf had never even heard of Wayne before meeting Thorin, and knew nothing about his abilities, nor was Wayne involved in the plan.

It was only through the recommendations of Thorin, Balin, and some other dwarves that he learned of such a figure in the Hobbiton Kingdom—a powerful adventurer known as the Witcher Wizard.

Although he had some doubts about Wayne's strength, Gandalf couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope when he thought of the terrifying beast that Wayne had ridden beneath him, a beast that was eight meters tall.

Even if the master can't fight, that monster looks extremely powerful. Being able to persuade it to participate in the Lonely Mountain operation is definitely not a loss.

He stroked his beard, a smile on his face, his eyes unconsciously re-examining Wayne. Unfortunately, judging from appearance alone, he could only tell that the Witcher was strong and imposing, and not much else.

However, the Maiar, being mostly kind-hearted and yearning for the light, after a few seconds of thought, Gandalf chose to believe Wayne's words and nodded, saying:

"Yes, Mr. Wayne, I will pass on your message to Prince Thorin. If all goes well, I will be attending the banquet at Wayne Manor with the warriors who have traveled to Lonely Mountain with me in three days. I'll be leaving that to you then."

The Grey Wizard was very polite, and Wayne nodded politely in response. The two chatted about some interesting things in Middle-earth, and Wayne gave the Grey Wizard some pipe grass produced on his own estate, which Gandalf, the old smoker, quite liked.

The meeting was short. After the conversation, Gandalf quickly left Wayne's manor and, with his thoughts in mind, went to find the dwarf prince Thorin.

After the grey-robed wizard left, Wayne didn't rest. He began preparing supplies for the journey. The journey to Lonely Mountain was long, and even if he didn't consider the dwarves' consumption, he had to think about himself and Robin who was traveling with him. There was a lot of stuff he needed to bring.

Its enormous size and strong body give Deathclaw incredible fighting power, but its daily food requirements are also astonishing. Although it has no dietary restrictions on meat, it can digest more meat than a cow every day, and it will never feel full no matter how much it eats.

In addition, Deathclaws can digest small amounts of metal, using these metal elements to enhance the defense of their skin and flesh. The skin and body of adult Deathclaws can even withstand thermal weapons, and some exceptional individuals are even immune to fatal damage from miniature nuclear bombs.

Three days passed in a flash. That afternoon, Wayne had prepared a lot of dried meat and other tools for the trip, as well as cooking ingredients. With the help of some servants in the kitchen, he prepared a large table of delicious food.

Gandalf then arrived at Wayne Manor with a group of short, stocky dwarves, and, guided by Old Ford, went to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall at Wayne Manor is decorated quite luxuriously, but because Wayne, the owner, doesn't stay at home often, the banquet hall is rarely used.

Even so, the old butler Ford diligently fulfilled his duties, always sending servants to clean the hall. Under his care, the banquet hall remained spotless and brand new, awaiting its master's use.

When Gandalf and his companions arrived, they found that the banquet hall was lit with many candles and torches, illuminating the entire hall in a magnificent golden light.

In the center of the banquet hall stood a huge long table, laden with all sorts of food, including a whole roasted wild boar, waiting for the guests to enjoy.

As the owner of the manor, Wayne, dressed in a magnificent yet casual outfit, stood in the banquet hall. After Gandalf and his party entered, he gave a slight bow to welcome the guests.

"It has been a long time since we last met, Prince Thorin, Mr. Balin."

Suddenly, he raised an eyebrow, spotting that familiar yet unexpected figure among the group of dwarves. He couldn't help but smile slightly and say:

"It's quite surprising, Mr. Bilbo Baggins, that you'll also be participating in this dangerous expedition to Lonely Mountain. It seems the adventurous gene within you is stirring."

The group wasn't exactly strangers. A few years ago, when Balin led a dwarven engineering team to help Wayne build Wayne Manor, some of the dwarves in the expedition had come into contact with him. And considering the lifespan of dwarves, a few years wasn't a long time.

Thorin remained remarkably calm in the face of Wayne's welcome. He slightly raised his head, looking up at Wayne because of the height difference, and said:

"Thank you for your welcome, Mr. Wayne. It's been years since we last met, but I still remember how you took only a few hours to kill the giant black bear Bitsogg that was wreaking havoc in the forest, avenging many townspeople."

Even now, your name is still frequently mentioned in taverns, and many people still talk about your generosity and bravery.

"So, it was only natural that I thought of you for this expedition to Lonely Mountain. You are a powerful warrior. If you could join our team, it would definitely increase our chances of success and help us retrieve that treasure."

Wayne smiled and nodded, but didn't discuss these matters. Instead, he picked up a glass of red wine from the table, raised his glass, and said enthusiastically:

"Let's not talk about that now, my friend, as a guest who has come from afar."

"Let's enjoy this banquet to the fullest. The food on the table was all prepared by me, and the wines are quite rare and exquisite. I'm sure you'll love them."

"After we've enjoyed the fine wine and food, we can talk about the expedition to Lonely Mountain."

Thorin frowned slightly, glanced back at the old dwarf Balin and Gandalf, but still chose to comply with Wayne, the manor's owner, and the group began to enjoy the dinner.

As a dwarf who had always worked in human towns, Wayne's delicious food and wine quickly won over the palates of these dwarves. Even Bilbo, who was always very proud of his cooking skills, couldn't help but praise him repeatedly. Together with the others, they ate and drank heartily.

The dwarves who dared to accompany Thorin to Lonely Mountain and participate in this expedition were all elite warriors of the existing dwarf race. As a group of dwarf warriors, they had quite a good appetite. About two hours later, the table of delicious food and several barrels of fine wine prepared by Wayne were all poured into their bellies.

Even the grey wizard Gandalf ate a lot, and with a contented look, he lit a pipe, leaned back in his chair, and leisurely exhaled smoke rings.

After a hearty meal, the other dwarves patted their round bellies with blissful expressions, leaned back in their chairs, savoring the happiness of enjoying the delicious food, and occasionally uttered words of praise for Wayne.

Thorin, the dwarf prince, adjusted his expression, then looked at Wayne seriously and asked:

"Wayne, I've heard Gandalf's account, and he tells me you want to change the terms of the contract, is that right?"

Wayne nodded calmly, picked up a glass of red wine, took a sip, and said:

"Yes, Prince Thorin, it's not just a matter of contractual compensation; I also have different opinions on the objectives of this expedition to Lonely Mountain."

Thorin was somewhat displeased to hear that Wayne had objections to the compensation, but he still asked anyway:

"I originally intended to follow the principle of fair distribution and give everyone who participated in this mission the same reward. However, since you have objections, feel free to speak up. As long as you can get the consent of everyone present, I will not have any objections."

Seeing this, Bilbo tried to smooth things over. Of all the people in the group, he and Wayne were probably the closest. Although they hadn't met that many times, they had known each other for ten years. White Fang, the direwolf in the manor, was also a good friend of Bilbo's.

Wayne wasn't angry about Thorin's attitude. To be honest, as the original owner of that treasure and the sole heir of the Turin clan, his willingness to divide the treasure of Lonely Mountain equally among the fifteen people who participated in the Lonely Mountain expedition was already quite generous.

Although in the original story, he did not fulfill this promise during his lifetime due to mental illness in his family, it was still fulfilled after his death.

Although dwarves are stubborn, they also value promises and relationships.

Wayne smiled and said:

"Prince Thorin, if we simply follow the original contract and take one treasure from the Lonely Mountain treasure, I am certainly very satisfied with and willing to accept such a reward."

"However, you may not know my true strength. For me, what I want to do in this expedition to Lonely Mountain is to destroy the dragon Smaug and get rid of this evil dragon."

"Moreover, when dealing with Smaug, I don't need anyone's help; I can slay the dragon all by myself."

"Therefore, I would like to add a supplementary agreement to the contract."

"For example, after I killed Smaug all by myself and avenged the dwarves on the Lonely Mountain, I was given one-third of the treasure of the Lonely Mountain as a reward."

"What do you think of this suggestion, Your Highness?"

(End of this chapter)