Chapter 101: The Dragon Smaug

After leaving the chamber, Bilbo carefully made his way to the treasury. The treasury was a vast hall filled with towering piles of gold, silver, and jewels that cast tempting glimmers in the dim light. Bilbo was awestruck by the enormous treasure hoard, but his wonder quickly turned to worry. The mountain of riches stretched endlessly before him, making the search for a fist-sized Arkenstone among such wealth like finding a needle in a haystack! And that was without considering the dragon standing guard over it all. Speaking of the dragon, Bilbo quickly looked around but couldn't find any trace of the dragon. Where had the dragon gone? Bilbo felt uneasy. Was it hiding somewhere? But looking at his invisible form and the protective spells Kael had cast on him, he felt slightly reassured. Then he carefully stepped on the gold coins, searching everywhere for traces of the Arkenstone. Because hobbits' large feet walked silently, and with Kael's spell assistance, Bilbo moved weightlessly as if floating, making no sound even when stepping on coins. This didn't disturb the hidden dragon. The difficulty of finding a gemstone in the mountain of treasure was like finding gold in sand, not easy at all. But perhaps it was Bilbo's luck. After searching for half a day, he finally discovered it at the top of the highest golden mountain. Before coming, Bilbo had asked Thorin what the Arkenstone looked like. But Thorin hadn't described it, only telling him that the Arkenstone was different from other gems. He would know it at first sight. At the time, Bilbo hadn't understood. But seeing the stone now, he was certain this was the Arkenstone. The Arkenstone was a pure, flawless white gem that radiated brilliant light, as if containing a galaxy within, making its extraordinariness obvious at first glance. The Arkenstone, also known as the Heart of the Mountain, was excavated from deep within the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves had exhausted their efforts to craft it into a brilliant gemstone and set it in the throne, making it a symbol of the Kingdom Under the Mountain's authority. Seeing the Arkenstone, Bilbo was delighted and hurried to climb the golden mountain to retrieve it. But just as he had climbed up with great effort and was about to bend down to take the stone, the golden mountain beneath his feet suddenly began to shake. The golden mountain slid down like a landslide, and even the Arkenstone was swept into the golden river and disappeared. A massive figure emerged from beneath the golden mountain. Bilbo stared in terror, for he was now standing on the dragon's head! Bilbo drew a sharp breath and immediately jumped down from the dragon's head, rolling onto the golden mountain and running quickly toward the distance. The dragon opened its eyes, its huge vertical pupils locking onto Bilbo's vague, blurry figure. "Little thief, you don't have the scent of dwarves or men. What are you? And what magic have you cast on yourself? Why can't I see you?" The dragon's long tail swept around, surrounding the fleeing Bilbo and blocking all escape routes. "But I smell your scent, hear your breathing, and sense your presence. You have nowhere to hide!" Bilbo stared at the dragon's massive form and the menacing aura surrounding it, and couldn't help but swallow nervously. He tried to steady his racing heart and, meeting the dragon's piercing gaze, said cautiously, "Uh, Smaug the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities, I am merely a hobbit. I accidentally wandered in here. I'm terribly sorry. I'll leave immediately!" "Wandered in?" The dragon's eyes showed mockery. "Tsk tsk, lying little thief. I've seen countless people covet my treasure, each one overestimating themselves. When discovered, they all use flowery words, trying to get me to spare their miserable lives." "But do you know what happened to them in the end?" The dragon's cunning vertical eyes were full of mockery and malice. "Wh-what?" Bilbo sensed something bad and quietly slipped one hand into his pocket. "They were burned to ash by my dragon fire!" The dragon's chest surged with scorching heat, flames about to burst from its mouth. Seeing the danger, Bilbo immediately pulled out the Ring from his pocket and put it on, instantly entering the shadow world and becoming invisible. The dragon completely lost sight of Bilbo. "Where are you, little thief? Come out, don't be shy, step into the light." "I sense something unusual about you. Something you possess that's made of gold but far more precious than that!" "It seems like something belonging to an old friend of mine, containing extraordinary magic!" The dragon's words carried a hypnotic, beguiling magical power. When Bilbo came to his senses, he had already removed the Ring and reappeared in the dragon's sight. "Aha, there you are!" The dragon's eyes immediately lit up like it had caught its prey. Seeing Smaug's expression of "got you," Bilbo breathed heavily and quickly pulled out the Mandrake from his magically enhanced pocket, throwing it forcefully at the dragon. The treasury immediately erupted with a soul-stealing, heart-wrenching cry that echoed continuously in the spacious chamber, carrying deadly magical power. The dragon was hit as if struck hard, its expression instantly becoming painful. Although the Mandrake's cry couldn't kill him, it caused him great agony, like sharp steel needles piercing his ears and penetrating deep into his brain. The dragon desperately shook its head, trying to escape this sound that caused him pain. But the entire treasury echoed with this sound. Where could he hide? The agonized Smaug rolled about frantically, letting out painful dragon roars. Until his rolling buried the Mandrake under gold coins, successfully silencing it, the dragon finally escaped this ordeal. The dragon was shaken, then filled with endless rage and hatred. "Little thief! I will have my revenge!!!" "I will kill you! And your people. I will find them all and destroy them all with dragon fire!!!" Bilbo had already run far away, but hearing the dragon's vow of revenge, panic and regret rose in his heart. "No, you can't do this!" "The other hobbits are innocent. They don't know anything about this!" Bilbo dared not imagine the scene of the Shire suffering the dragon's revenge and being consumed by flames because of him. The dragon quickly locked onto Bilbo's direction, as if grasping his weak point, its eyes full of vengeful satisfaction and smugness. "They will be consumed by dragon fire for your offense against the dragon! And you will be unable to stop it!" Bilbo was disturbed by the dragon's words. He gritted his teeth, his eyes determined. He absolutely couldn't let the dragon have a chance to leave the Lonely Mountain! Otherwise, the Shire might face a catastrophic disaster. With this thought, he immediately took out the gold coin Kael had given him and began tapping it continuously with his finger. "Caught you!" The dragon suddenly appeared in front of Bilbo, its huge vertical eye staring at him with a fierce, evil smile. Seeing the dragon's mouth opening toward him, about to spew flames, Bilbo was terrified. "Reducto!" A brilliant spell instantly struck the dragon. "Kael!" Bilbo exclaimed with joy, like seeing a savior. Kael, riding his flying broomstick, quickly rushed toward Bilbo, grabbed him, and swung him onto his back, dodging the dragon's flames. Kael looked gravely at the completely unharmed dragon. The dragon's defense was too strong. Even his powerful offensive spells couldn't break through its scales to cause damage. "A wizard?" Smaug stopped his attack, looking with surprise and suspicion at the suddenly appearing Kael. "Who are you? And where do you come from?" [Chapter Complete] *** Want more? Check out my Patreon for: ✓ Advanced chapters of all my stories ✓ Exclusive novels & fanfics ✓ Early access content [email protected]/meowthtl ???? Community Goal: 500 Power Stones unlocks a bonus chapter! Thanks for reading and supporting the story!