Chapter 93: Lake-town

Hearing this answer, Gandalf and Kael exchanged a glance. They were very surprised by this news. They hadn't expected that so soon after Azog's death, his son Bolg would so quickly subdue the Orc forces and inherit his position. After all, the Orc throne was not passed down from father to son but was determined by strength. For Bolg to be able to inherit Azog's position in such a short time could only mean his strength was not at all inferior to Azog's. Kael continued to question, "Was it Bolg who sent you to hunt us? Was it for revenge for Azog?" The Orc leader answered every question, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "That's part of the reason. Bolg is furious about Azog's death. He has put out a bounty for the heads of Thorin Oakenshield and the Black-Robed Wizard Kael." Gandalf frowned at this, asking with confusion, "Kael killed Azog, so it's understandable to have a bounty on him. But why is Bolg still hunting Thorin Oakenshield?" The Orc leader replied, "Because Bolg wants to prevent Thorin Oakenshield from becoming the King Under the Mountain. He wants to take the Lonely Mountain, then advance deep into the northern kingdom of Angmar, thereby bypassing the Misty Mountains to make a direct thrust into the west." Gandalf's expression grew even more perplexed. "Why does Bolg think he can take the Lonely Mountain? Doesn't he know a dragon resides there? Or has he already reached an agreement with the dragon?" Gandalf voiced a more serious speculation. The Orc nodded. "Yes, the dragon of the Lonely Mountain has awakened, and Bolg has made a pact with him. As long as we kill Thorin Oakenshield and prevent the dwarves from reclaiming the Lonely Mountain, the dragon will allow us to enter the north and retake the kingdom of Angmar." Gandalf was startled upon hearing this, his expression grave. "No, we must go and stop Thorin and the others! That dragon has awakened. If Thorin and his company go to the Lonely Mountain, they are walking straight to their deaths!" Kael hadn't expected such an outcome either. He clearly remembered that the dragon Smaug had not cooperated with the Orcs. This time, because of Azog's death, such a major change had occurred. It had actually caused the Orcs and the dragon to ally ahead of time! Seeing Gandalf anxious to go and stop Thorin's group from going to the Lonely Mountain, Kael was not optimistic. After all, Thorin's personality was extremely stubborn. Reclaiming the Lonely Mountain had become his obsession, even his inner demon. Even knowing the dragon of the Lonely Mountain had awakened, he would certainly choose to continue the adventure without hesitation. "Gandalf, there's still some time before Durin's Day. Time is sufficient. We can discuss this matter when we meet Thorin and the others in Lake-town." Kael said, then looked at the Orc leader controlled by the Imperius Curse in front of him. "For now, let's deal with the problem of this Orc first." Afterward, the two continued their questioning for a while, getting almost all the information the Orc leader knew before stopping. "Alright, I have no more questions. Kael, do you have anything else to ask? If not, let's finish him off and head to Lake-town immediately." Gandalf drew Glamdring and asked Kael. Kael stopped Gandalf's move to kill the Orc, shook his head, and revealed a smile. "Gandalf, don't kill him just yet. He still has value." "Value?" Gandalf looked at him with confusion. "He's under the control of my Imperius Curse now and will only obey my commands," Kael explained with a smile. "We'll let him go. Let him return to the Orc ranks and send us information about the Orcs at any time. At a critical moment, he could even stab Bolg in the back when he's unprepared." Gandalf's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but he was still somewhat worried. "Is there any chance he could break free from the control? If Bolg finds out, it might make him more vigilant and cause more complications!" Kael was quite confident in his magic. "The Imperius Curse has no counter-curse, unless he has an exceptionally strong will and can break free from the control, or if he encounters a magical powerhouse like Sauron who can forcefully break the curse I've cast. Otherwise, it's impossible to break and very difficult for others to discover." "That's good." Gandalf put away Glamdring with relief. They then released the Orc leader, ordering him to return to Bolg's side to lie low and pass on information. Of course, if there was an opportunity to directly eliminate Bolg, that would be even better! However, such a possibility was very small, and they didn't hold out much hope. After letting the Orc leader go, Kael and Gandalf continued their journey in the small wooden boat, heading toward Lake-town. Passing through the mist on the lake, the two rowed forward, following the direction of the pointing spell. They finally arrived at Lake-town, located on the island in the center of the lake. Most of Lake-town's buildings were built on water, with boats being the primary mode of transportation. Most residents made their living by fishing. As for the trade with the Elves of the Woodland Realm, it was monopolized by the wealthy, led by the Master of Lake-town. The two rowed their boat to the port customs office and were stopped. "Halt your boat!" A middle-aged man wearing a dirty brown hat came out of a house, looking at them with suspicion and vigilance. "Who are you?" Kael looked at Gandalf; it was now his turn to speak. "Good evening. We are travelers from the west, planning to rest here for a few days," Gandalf said with a friendly face. The man looked them up and down, still somewhat suspicious. "Travelers from the west? Do you have any documents? Or are you carrying any goods?" Gandalf shrugged and held out his hands. "We carry no goods, nor do we have any documents, just this small boat." The man glanced at their small boat and saw that there was nothing in it. "No goods, no need for customs declaration. But you still need to pay a mooring fee." "How much?" "One silver coin." Hearing this, Gandalf turned to look at Kael; the old man certainly had no money. Kael was not short of money. He casually took out two silver coins from his pouch and tossed them over. The man caught the coins with great skill. Seeing there were two silver coins, his eyes immediately lit up, and his attitude became much more enthusiastic. "Is there anything else I can do for you two gentlemen?" "Before us, have any other strangers come to town?" For the sake of money, the man told them everything he knew. "Just a short while before you arrived, a group of dwarves came here. They were taken to the home of Bard, a man from the town. I wonder if this information is useful to you, sir?" Kael and Gandalf glanced at each other. They had finally found them. "Thank you for the information. It is very useful." The man then opened the gate, allowing Kael and Gandalf to smoothly enter the town by waterway. Meanwhile, at Bard's house, the dwarves were extremely anxious. This was because the youngest dwarf, Kíli, had been shot in the leg by an Orc with a Morgul arrow. Although the arrow was pulled out immediately, the deadly poison and dark magic from the shaft had still invaded Kíli's body, making him weaker and weaker. It was thanks to the dwarves' strong constitution that he had held on until now. If it had been an ordinary man, he would have likely died long ago. The poison of the Morgul arrow was very potent, and ordinary medicine had no effect. It was thanks to the Wood-elf Tauriel, who had tracked the dwarves, that Kíli's wound was healed with Kingsfoil, saving his life. Because all their weapons had been confiscated by the Elves in Mirkwood, the dwarves were currently discussing how to obtain new weapons and then continue to the Lonely Mountain. Just as the discussion was heating up, a sudden knock on the door broke the noisy atmosphere. Everyone became alert and on guard. "Who is it?" As the master of the house, Bard went to the door and opened it. He then saw Kael and Gandalf standing outside. "It seems we've arrived just in time," Gandalf greeted with a cheerful smile. "Gandalf!" "Kael!" Bilbo's eyes lit up, and he happily ran over, hugging both of their legs. The dwarves in the house were also very pleasantly surprised. [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!