Chapter 143: Banquet Invitation

With the castle completed, Kael held another banquet, and it was an even grander banquet than the last one. Participants included not only the dwarf craftsmen and villagers from down the mountain, but Kael also invited distinguished guests from across Middle-earth. Bard, Lord of Dale; Beorn from the east bank of the Anduin Valley; Elrond from Rivendell, along with the twin sons Elladan and Elrohir; Lord and Lady Celeborn and Galadriel from Lórien, along with Princess Evenstar Arwen; and Thranduil from the Woodland Realm. Radagast the Brown from Rhosgobel; Tom and Goldberry from the Old Forest. Kael also sent an invitation to Thorin Oakenshield of the Lonely Mountain. Of course, he didn't forget Bilbo either. And as neighbors, Kael also sent invitations to the mayor of Bree and the innkeeper of the Prancing Pony. Basically, wherever there were fireplaces connected to the Floo Network, Kael invited them all. The only one he couldn't contact was Gandalf. Ever since getting his flying broomstick, Gandalf had become even more unpredictable in his movements. No one knew where he was. Besides celebrating the castle's establishment, this banquet was also Kael's formal declaration of ownership over Weathertop and the surrounding territories. On the day the banquet was held, Weathertop was unusually lively. The villagers from Hogsmeade below the mountain dressed in their finest clothes and arrived early at Hogwarts Castle, each taking their assigned roles to prepare for the evening feast. Hogsmeade Village was now vastly different from before. In just a few months, the village population had grown to over a thousand people. And this was after Village Chief Luke had screened them, excluding ruffians, thieves, and bandits from those who came seeking refuge. Otherwise, Hogsmeade's population would have at least doubled. On the road from Bree to Weathertop, a rather luxurious carriage was traveling rapidly. Besides a coachman and a servant outside the carriage, there was also a small squad of militia on horseback providing escort. Inside the carriage sat the Mayor of Bree, Graeme Tenderlarch, along with the Prancing Pony's innkeeper, who had hitched a ride, Mr. Butterbur. Mayor Tenderlarch's ancestors had once been nobles. Though he no longer held noble titles, he still took pride in his ancestry. The Tenderlarch family had lived in Bree for generations and held absolute ruling power over the town. The Prancing Pony's owner, Mr. Butterbur, though appearing to be just an innkeeper, had a family that had operated the town's only inn for generations. Merchants from all over, rangers, minstrels, dwarves, and even Elves would stop there. Besides running the inn, providing lodging, and selling food and wine, he also dealt in various information trading. He also held considerable status in Bree. That's why he could hitch a ride in the mayor's carriage to attend Kael's banquet together. "Mr. Butterbur, you've had the most contact with Wizard Kael. Do you know what kind of person he is?" The portly Mayor Tenderlarch, with his large belly and prosperous appearance, asked the traveling innkeeper somewhat anxiously. The Mayor had only met Kael once, back when the Lonely Mountain expedition passed through Bree and he had personally awarded a gold medal for dealing with the Barrow-wights. This matter had originally been something Tenderlarch didn't need to pay much attention to. As long as it didn't affect his rule over Bree, he didn't care. Until over a year ago, when Amon Sûl Tower reappeared atop Weathertop and became the territory of the Black-Robed Wizard Kael, he paid it slightly more attention. After all, Weathertop wasn't far from Bree. The appearance of a tower with an owner there, would it affect Bree? Especially his own position? Worried, he sent people to investigate the situation after Amon Sûl Tower appeared. When he learned that the tower's master, the Black-Robed Wizard Kael, hadn't stayed at Weathertop long before continuing east, he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that though this black-robed wizard knew some strange spells, he wasn't worth too much attention. Until half a year ago, when a group of villagers from the east settled at the foot of Weathertop, claiming to be villagers rescued by the Black-Robed Wizard Kael who had come to seek his protection, this caught his attention again. Especially when his old rival Luke, after being suppressed by him, left Bree with his family to directly join those villagers and became their village chief. Tenderlarch just sneered coldly, thinking Luke was giving up in despair, leaving prosperous Bree to run to the foot of Weathertop where there was nothing, becoming chief of a bunch of peasants with no hope at all. But his schadenfreude didn't last long. When that Black-Robed Wizard returned to Weathertop with a dragon and accepted Luke and those villagers as his subjects, he began to feel uneasy. That was a wizard who owned a dragon! Now that he had accepted subjects and become lord of Weathertop, he would inevitably claim territorial boundaries. Bree was too close to Weathertop. What if that wizard included Bree in his territory too? What should he, the Mayor, do then? Surrender? Or surrender? As for resistance? Don't be ridiculous. That was a dragon! Especially after personally witnessing the dragon fly from near Bree to the Chetwood, incinerate the branches of several towering ancient trees with one breath of dragon fire, then flap its massive wings to uproot the charred trunks and soar toward Weathertop. That massive dragon body radiating powerful presence and those sky-blocking wings had nearly made him wet himself with fear. After that, he never had any thoughts of resistance. The innkeeper Butterbur guessed some of Tenderlarch's thoughts. He shook his head and said, "Mayor, you're making things difficult for me. Though I've met Lord Kael a few times, we've never had in-depth conversations. How can I make evaluations?" "However, in my view, Lord Kael is a very merciful and kind lord. I heard he only collects 1% tax from his territorial subjects, and all that tax revenue is used entirely on the villagers themselves. He doesn't touch a bit of it." Hearing this, Mayor Tenderlarch looked incredulous. Not collecting any tax revenue? How was that possible! Wasn't this charity work? "Then how does he maintain castle upkeep costs? And various entertainment banquets?" Tenderlarch asked in disbelief. Innkeeper Butterbur shook his head, his face full of envy and admiration. "Mayor, you don't know. It's said that when Lord Kael tamed the dragon at the Lonely Mountain, he also obtained the dragon's treasure. They say it's treasure as high as a mountain!" "With so much wealth, any single item is priceless. Even squandering it for several lifetimes wouldn't use it up! So Lord Kael doesn't need that bit of tax from his subjects." "Treasure as high as a mountain!" Tenderlarch was dumbfounded. Imagining such treasure, he immediately swallowed hard. "With so much treasure, isn't Lord Kael afraid someone might covet it?" "Who would dare covet it?" Innkeeper Butterbur glanced at him sideways. "All that treasure is guarded by a dragon. Who has the ability to steal even a single gold coin from under a dragon's nose?" Tenderlarch immediately recalled that dragon's terrifying figure and quickly shook his head. Unless one was insane, who would dare face a dragon? Just then, the coachman's voice came from outside the carriage. "Master Mayor, we've reached Hogsmeade Village!" Hearing this, the conversation inside the carriage immediately stopped. Mayor Tenderlarch and innkeeper Butterbur both looked out through the carriage windows. They saw a wide, smooth road branching off from the Great East Road, extending north through a village. The village backed against a lake, surrounded by endless fertile fields that had been ccultivated andplanted full of grains and vegetables. The village was surrounded by high stone walls. Along both sides of the main road passing through the village were various shops, taverns, and such. It looked more like a small town than a village. The village was very clean, without a speck of filth visible. Along both sides of the roads, garbage bins were placed at regular intervals. There were even public toilets and public bathhouses. The village even had people responsible for cleaning the streets, their wages coming from that 1% tax revenue. At this time, most people in the village had gone up the mountain early to help at the castle, leaving only some young children and elderly in the village, preparing to attend the banquet in the evening. An old man responsible for guarding the village gate saw the carriage coming from the main road along with the accompanying militia but didn't panic. He stood up and came outside the village, bowing slightly to those inside the carriage. "Sir, are you here to attend the banquet?" The servant on the carriage immediately jumped down, handed an invitation to the gatekeeper to see, and said, "Our master is the Mayor of Bree. He's been invited by Lord Kael to attend the banquet." Seeing the invitation, the old man immediately became enthusiastic. "So it's the Mayor! Please come in!" Then he opened the gate, letting the carriage party enter the village. Tenderlarch inside the carriage looked at the village scene. Besides shock in his eyes, there was also a trace of envy. He couldn't help but speak with a sour tone. "It seems Luke really had good luck to encounter such a lord." Though Mayor Tenderlarch was obsessed with power, he could still see Hogsmeade Village's prospects. With such a powerful lord's protection, more and more people would probably settle here in the future. By then, not to mention surpassing Bree, it might even become a city-state. The carriage passed through the village and came to the great lake behind it. What met their eyes was a stone bridge spanning the lake surface. The bridge was built by dwarves to be both sturdy and beautiful, the only path to Weathertop. Looking at the great lake before them, Mayor Tenderlarch and innkeeper Butterbur were shocked again. In their youth, they had also come here, but then it was just an endless swamp. Because the swamp was dangerous and full of mosquitoes, it was called the Midgewater Marshes. They never expected it would now be transformed into a great lake. Such a massive project, how was it completed? Under the azure sky, the lake surface was like a huge mirror, reflecting all of Weathertop on the water. Following the lake's reflection upward, a magnificent castle stood atop the mountain, with the tallest Amon Sûl Tower reaching toward the clouds. Two tall golden and silver trees sparkled with dazzling, brilliant light under the sun's illumination, bathing the castle in golden and silver radiance, making it appear sacred and solemn. Whether it was the mayor and innkeeper inside the carriage or the coachman and militia outside, they all opened their mouths wide. Had they arrived in fairyland?