Chapter 118: Dividing the Treasure

Inside the great hall of the Lonely Mountain, the ancient seat of dwarven power gleamed with restored magnificence. Thorin sat regally upon the throne at the head of the chamber, his bearing finally reflecting the dignity expected of a true King Under the Mountain. Kael, Gandalf, Dáin, Bilbo, and Bard occupied seats arranged respectfully on either side of the throne, their positions reflecting their importance in recent events. As for Beorn, after the Orcs were thoroughly defeated, he had gladly accepted transportation with the Great Eagles and had long since returned to his peaceful home in the wilderness. Everyone had gathered here for one singular purpose: the division of treasure that lay piled like golden mountains in the vast treasury below. Thorin surveyed the assembled group, his eyes reflecting newfound wisdom as he spoke with measured authority. "I have carefully divided the treasure over these past days. The purpose of summoning you here is so that each of you may claim your rightfully earned share of our recovered wealth." "My only regret is that we have not located the Arkenstone anywhere within the treasury. This most precious treasure of my clan has apparently gone missing, and we cannot display its legendary brilliance for you to witness!" As he spoke these words, his gaze swept across everyone present, carefully observing their various reactions to this troubling news. "What? The Arkenstone is missing?" The most visibly agitated was Dáin, his voice rising with obvious concern. "How could the Arkenstone possibly disappear? Isn't it supposed to be hidden safely within the treasury? How could such a thing not be found?" The Arkenstone functioned like an imperial seal for all dwarf clans, serving as the ultimate symbol of royal authority. Only by possessing this legendary gem could one rightfully command the seven great dwarf clans, making its importance absolutely paramount. Now that this irreplaceable treasure had vanished, Dáin couldn't help but feel profound anxiety about the political implications. After all, only Thorin wielding the Arkenstone would be recognized as the true King Under the Mountain, acknowledged by every dwarf throughout Middle-earth. Without it, Thorin could only rule as king of Durin's folk specifically but couldn't legitimately command the other independent dwarf clans. The difference between these two levels of authority was tremendously significant. The seven great dwarf clans were the Longbeards, Firebeards, Broadbeams, Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots. Among them, the Longbeards represented Durin's direct lineage, to which Thorin belonged. These seven clans lived in various locations throughout Middle-earth, maintaining relative independence while remaining connected through ancient bonds of kinship and shared heritage. The seven dwarf rings that Sauron had distributed were given to the leaders of these seven clans during the Second Age. During the prosperous reign of Thorin's ancestor Thráin I, the Arkenstone was discovered deep within the Lonely Mountain's heart, and the finest dwarf craftsmen devoted all their legendary skills to perfecting this natural wonder. This magnificent gem was formally acknowledged by all seven dwarf clans, and the great families had sworn sacred loyalty to whoever possessed the Arkenstone. Therefore, whoever owned it was considered the rightful King of all Dwarves and could command absolute loyalty from every dwarf clan. Hearing the shocking news that the Arkenstone couldn't be located, the others also expressed obvious surprise and concern. Besides surprise, Bilbo felt a stab of personal guilt eating at his conscience. He thought that if he had been more careful and thorough during his initial exploration, he might have successfully obtained the Arkenstone instead of allowing it to go missing under his watch. In Bilbo's troubled mind, since the Arkenstone couldn't be found anywhere, it was very likely as Kael had predicted earlier. The precious gem had probably been destroyed long ago in Smaug's devastating dragon fire. After hearing this disturbing news, Gandalf felt not only genuine surprise but also looked thoughtfully between Bilbo and Kael, his ancient wisdom sensing undercurrents he couldn't quite identify. As for Kael, he maintained a carefully indifferent appearance, as though the missing Arkenstone had absolutely nothing to do with him personally. Thorin observed everyone's varied reactions below and focused his penetrating gaze directly on Kael. "Kael, I want to request something important from you." "Could you lend me the palantír so I can investigate the whereabouts of the Arkenstone? This would fulfill a desperate wish of mine." Every eye in the chamber turned toward Kael with obvious expectation. Kael raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes flickering with calculation, and replied in a deliberately flat voice. "It's certainly possible, but you should know the palantír has already been discovered by Sauron himself. He once attempted to corrupt me through the crystal's connection, and I only escaped that terrible fate thanks to Lady Galadriel's protective blessing." "If you choose to use it, be prepared to be discovered and potentially corrupted into darkness by the Dark Lord himself." Hearing Kael's ominous warning, before Thorin could respond, Gandalf's weathered face changed dramatically, and he shook his head with obvious alarm. "If Sauron can observe Kael through the palantír, it means he also possesses a seeing-stone of his own. He could witness everything happening here through that crystal connection, even influence people's minds, making them fall into darkness and become his willing servants!" "Sauron's corrupting power is far more dangerous than dragon-sickness ever was. You never know when you might fall into his carefully laid trap. This is extremely dangerous! Thorin, you absolutely cannot risk using the palantír!" But even having regained his mental clarity, Thorin remained fundamentally that same stubborn dwarf who had always defined his character. "The Arkenstone is absolutely crucial to the future of Durin's folk. Gandalf, I'm completely willing to accept this risk just once. You don't need to waste effort persuading me otherwise. I'm prepared to bear all consequences of this decision!" With these determined words, he walked down from his throne, approached Kael directly, and looked straight into his eyes with unwavering resolve. "Kael, please agree to grant this request of mine!" Kael didn't avoid his intense gaze and chuckled lightly with apparent amusement. "Since you absolutely insist on this course of action, I have no reasonable justification to refuse your request." He then withdrew the palantír from his enchanted storage and placed it carefully on the table before him. "Please, proceed as you wish!" Thorin looked at Kael with obvious gratitude, his eyes flickering with complex emotions. "Thank you for trusting me with this!" He then cupped the palantír reverently with both hands, staring intently into its mysterious depths, concentrating all his mental energy on discovering the Arkenstone's location. The swirling mist within the crystal quickly dispersed, revealing clear scenes of the treasury chambers below. Thorin felt immediate delight surge through him. Could the Arkenstone still be hidden somewhere within the treasury after all? But as he searched desperately for the legendary gem within the revealed scene, he saw only endless mountains of treasure piled throughout the chambers, with absolutely no sign of the precious Arkenstone anywhere. Thorin continued his unwilling search for a considerable time but achieved no positive results whatsoever. He disappointedly lowered the palantír with obvious dejection. "Could the Arkenstone truly have been destroyed by dragon fire as we feared?" Thorin muttered with crushing disappointment and visible confusion. Kael paid no attention to his emotional state and calmly retrieved the palantír once again. "Very well, Thorin, since you've completed your investigation, let's proceed to the actual business at hand." Thorin now appeared somewhat dispirited and waved his hand with resignation, directing Balin and the other dwarves to escort everyone to the treasury so they could claim their earned shares of treasure. He remained behind in brooding silence, staring at the empty setting on the throne where the Arkenstone should have been magnificently inlaid. When everyone arrived in the vast treasury, they were once again completely overwhelmed by the incredible wealth contained within. The treasury space was enormous, with all the treasure carefully divided into several distinct portions, each piled into impressive golden mountains. "Kael, this represents your treasure, one-tenth of the total wealth." Balin led Kael to the tallest golden mountain and explained with obvious respect. "And these nearby portions belong to Lord Dáin, Master Bard, and Bilbo, respectively." He gestured toward several shorter but still impressive golden mountains nearby, addressing Dáin, Bard, and Bilbo with equal courtesy. Seeing his own personal golden mountain, Dáin's eyes lit up with pure joy and satisfaction. After all, no dwarf in existence could refuse such magnificent treasure. Bard also felt tremendous happiness. With so much wealth at his disposal, he could completely rebuild Dale and restore his ancestors' former glory. But facing the golden mountain assigned specifically to him, Bilbo felt deeply uncomfortable and unworthy. He believed he hadn't successfully completed his mission of helping Thorin obtain the Arkenstone and therefore shouldn't receive such generous compensation. So he shook his head firmly and stepped back several paces, feeling completely undeserving. "No, I didn't complete the assigned mission. I shouldn't receive any treasure at all. I simply cannot accept this!" Fili and Bofur immediately pushed Bilbo back toward his treasure, laughing with obvious affection. "Come on, Bilbo, don't be so unnecessarily modest! Even if you didn't locate the Arkenstone, you're still a valued member of our company." "Don't forget that in Mirkwood, you personally rescued us from the giant spiders' deadly grasp and freed us from the Elven dungeons. You've more than earned every coin of this." Even with such encouragement, Bilbo still felt he shouldn't claim so much wealth. Faced with such a genuinely ungreedy hobbit, everyone was witnessing this remarkable character for the first time. In the end, Bilbo was only prepared to take what he personally felt was sufficient for his modest needs. Thorin had recovered his composure and arrived in the treasury. Seeing Bilbo refusing the golden mountain, he felt even greater fondness for the humble hobbit. He immediately retrieved a precious mithril shirt from the treasury's finest artifacts and personally dressed Bilbo in it. The mithril shirt was absolutely priceless. It felt completely weightless when worn but remained impenetrable to any weapon. Even the sharpest Elven sword couldn't pierce through its magical protection. Perfect for safeguarding Bilbo during future adventures. Then he began attempting to load Bilbo with all the gold coins and precious jewels he could possibly carry. Kael didn't want Bilbo to lose out on deserved compensation, so he immediately cast an Extension Charm on a leather money bag, then packed nearly half the golden mountain into its magically expanded space. Only when Bilbo loudly protested, "Enough, enough!" did he reluctantly cease the spell. Witnessing this scene, Thorin's mouth twitched involuntarily, his expression nearly cracking with dismay. He had temporarily forgotten about Kael, this utterly unreasonable magical existence! Kael paid no attention to Thorin's reaction. He withdrew a leather money bag and continuously expanded the internal space with his wand until it reached the size of half a football field. Then the enchanted bag, like a feeding whale, automatically leaped onto his golden mountain and began continuously sucking the treasure into its dimensional space. Thus, his rightful one-tenth share of the treasure fell completely into his possession. This wealth was sufficient to make him the richest individual in all Middle-earth, second only to the Lonely Mountain's treasury itself. Bard and Dáin, who witnessed this incredible magical display, stood completely speechless, then felt obvious envy and longing. They also desperately wanted such money bags that could contain entire golden mountains. Kael graciously cast similar spells on their money bags, though the expanded spaces weren't quite as vast as his own. But even so, both men treasured these gifts immensely, recognizing that bags with such enormous spatial capacity were themselves no less valuable than the treasure they contained. Having claimed his share of treasure, Kael didn't linger in the treasury any longer. He departed the Lonely Mountain with Gandalf, Bilbo, and Bard, first returning to Dale for final preparations. After staying in Dale for several peaceful days, amid the reluctant but warm farewells of Bard and all the grateful residents, Kael, Gandalf, and Bilbo set out once again. As for the magical fireplace in Dale, Kael chose to keep it active and even gifted Bard a small bottle of Floo Powder, warmly welcoming him to visit Weathertop in the future. The house where Kael and his companions had lived was later renovated by Bard into a magnificent structure, becoming second only to the lord's mansion in architectural grandeur. Bard also permanently reserved Kael's ownership of this residence, declaring him a permanent citizen of Dale who could return to live there whenever he wished. But Kael remained unaware of these generous gestures for now. He was currently riding on Smaug's broad back with Gandalf and Bilbo, heading steadily toward the mysterious depths of Mirkwood. Since he had promised Thranduil he would visit the Woodland Realm, he naturally wouldn't break his word to the Elven king. More importantly, he needed to transport Smaug to Rivendell so that Elrond, the master healer, could properly cure the dragon's injured wing. The Extension Charm Kael could currently cast wasn't yet sufficiently advanced to successfully fit Smaug into a spatial container. After all, Smaug measured over 140 meters in length, his head alone stood 12 meters high without counting the impressive horns, and his wingspan reached 120 meters when fully extended! With such a truly massive body, to contain him completely inside a space where he could move freely would probably only be possible with something like Newt Scamander's legendary magical suitcase. But obviously, Kael didn't possess that level of advanced spatial magic yet. So they could only choose the most basic method of transportation: taking Smaug directly over the Misty Mountains to reach Rivendell on the other side for proper medical treatment. Of course, Kael had attempted to convince Gandalf and Bilbo to simply travel through the fireplace connection from Dale to Rivendell and wait for him there. But the two companions obviously preferred the far more exciting activity of dragon riding rather than arriving at their destination instantly with no sense of participating in the actual journey. These words came from a certain grey-robed wizard who preferred to remain unnamed in this particular matter. (TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)