Chapter 25: Dain II of the Iron Hills

At first, Thranduil sent his subordinates to pilot an Elven boat along the Mirkwood River, directly delivering Allen and his group to Long Lake Town.

After disembarking, Allen also saw this Human town, which was quite famous in the movies.

However, the group did not stay there, but instead headed straight for the Iron Hills at the urging of Lao Fuding.

Knowing that he could return home soon, Lao Fuding was undoubtedly in a happy mood, but this good mood also had a slightly awkward aspect.

Because Legolas was traveling with them, and he often whispered with Allen, though it was unclear what they were talking about.

Lao Fuding always felt that Allen, this young Human man, had been bewitched by the Elves' Magic, but he found it difficult to say anything.

Because in the Woodland Realm, those Elves had treated him very well; they had neither mistreated him nor done anything bad to him.

Finally, on the day before they were to arrive at the Iron Hills, Legolas departed.

Before leaving, this handsome Sindar Elf told Allen that he would wait for Allen in Long Lake Town, and at that time, he would return to Thranduil's halls together with Allen.

Along this journey, Legolas had already established a good friendship with Allen.

They often discussed the stories that had occurred over these thousands of years together, and Allen, relying on his rich knowledge and good character, gained Legolas's approval, and the two became friends.

Allen was very satisfied with this result; Legolas would surely be a good friend.

The Iron Hills, as the name suggests, are hills rich in iron ore.

The Dwarves have been mining iron ore here for thousands of years, and the Dwarves here belong to the same Durin's Folk as the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain of the past.

Even the King here, Dain II, and Thorin Oakenshield are cousins; if that is still unclear, it means that Dain II's grandfather and Thorin Oakenshield's grandfather were brothers.

However, the Lonely Mountain has already been occupied by the dragon Smaug, so at this time, the Dwarf kingdom of the Iron Hills is the strongest, or rather the only, Dwarf power in the North.

At this moment, Allen was walking on the road to the Iron Hills, observing the desolate environment all around.

It could be seen that the Dwarves did not engage much in agricultural production; they only needed to rely on their skills in forging, carving, and the like to have no worries about food and drink.

There was no lack of water sources here, as it was, after all, the source of the Carnen River; of course, there were also traces of Human activity, just not many.

On the road, one could see caravans heading to or leaving the distant Dwarf fortress from time to time; Allen looked at these caravans with some envy, as his own village had no commercial activity at all.

Soon, Fudin brought Allen to the Dwarf fortress, and the Dwarves guarding the gate clearly recognized Fudin.

When these guards learned from Fudin that only three of those who had gone out together had survived, they all showed expressions of sadness.

The Dwarf race has difficulty with reproduction, and population has always been a major reason hindering their development, and many Dwarf women choose not to marry, living their lives carefree.

And some male Dwarves are obsessed with honing their skills for their whole lives, and they do not take wives either.

These various reasons made the Dwarves' birth rate go from bad to worse.

Through Fudin's narration, the guards also learned of Allen's deeds, and they all expressed their gratitude to Allen.

For this reason, Allen's group very smoothly entered the Dwarf fortress under Fudin's escort.

If Thranduil's halls were a combination of trees and Magic, then the Dwarves' place was a combination of stone and craftsmanship.

They had excavated their home directly into a mountain range.

When Allen first entered the fortress, because the surrounding environment was relatively dim, it made it somewhat difficult for him to see the situation inside clearly.

But soon, as his eyes gradually adapted to the light inside the fortress, the magnificent and spectacular scene slowly unfolded before his eyes.

Several straight, neat, and wide roads extended to various places within the fortress; the corridors and arches were full of the works of Dwarf masters, and sunlight shone through windows in the mountain, providing soft light to the fortress.

Standing on the stone road leading to the throne room and looking down, Allen saw a bottomless cave, with countless Dwarves busy under the glow of firelight; the prosperity and flourishing of the Iron Hills were fully displayed here.

Not long after, Fudin brought Allen before Dain Ironfoot.

Compared to Elves, the Dwarf race is much simpler; their personalities are straightforward and stubborn.

When a person appears before them, they judge extremely quickly whether they are an enemy or a friend; unless some particularly major event affects them, they will absolutely not change their minds.

In fact, such people and events are extremely rare, so to a certain extent, they are indeed the best candidates for friends; as long as they have accepted you, your friendship can last until the end of life.

Dain II's actions fully illustrated all of this; after he understood the sequence of events, he directly announced that Allen had gained the friendship of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills.

For this, he prepared ten sets of armor that Humans could use as his gift of thanks for Allen to take away.

This series of events made Allen feel that the Lao Fuding he had saved was definitely not as he had described himself.

His kinship with Dain was not distant; he must be a quite important figure among Durin's Folk.

However, the Dwarves' gratitude was practical and direct, which left Allen not knowing how to bring up his own needs; in the evening, Dain held a banquet and started drinking with Allen at the banquet.

Allen took the opportunity to talk to Dain about whether it was possible to arrange for a few Dwarves to go to his territory, and Allen indicated that he would pay a good reward.

Dain laughed loudly and waved his hand, indicating that it was not a question of reward or not, but as a king, he could not force his own people to do things they were unwilling to do.

However, Dain changed the subject, indicating that if Allen could outdrink him at the wine table, he would not mind arranging a few good blacksmiths to help his good friend.

In this land of Middle-earth, the ones who can drink the most are actually not the Dwarves, who appear hearty and fond of alcohol.

The ones who can drink the most are actually the Elves, especially the Silvan Elves who live in Mirkwood; most of them are alcoholics, and old alcoholics who have lived for countless years at that.

There are some Humans living in the eastern part of Mirkwood who have built some vineyards, and the Wine brewed there is particularly liked by the Silvan Elves of Mirkwood.

Of course, Dwarves are also relatively capable of drinking; at the very least, they can drink more than the average Human.

It is just that Allen is not an average Human; his constitution is extremely strong, and the banquet that started with Dain in the evening lasted until late at night.

Others had either drunk too much or gone back to rest; except for the guards, only these two were left continuing to drink.

Both had become somewhat tipsy, and they chatted as they drank, the more they talked, the more they hit it off; from Allen's village to the glory and twists and turns of Durin's Folk, somehow, they ended up talking about Moria and the Battle of Azanulbizar.

Allen blinked his somewhat hazy eyes and said, "Friend, I... I know, that... that was truly a tragic war, but fortunately, you won, yes, you won."

Dain had also drunk a bit too much, and when speaking of this matter, his expression was somewhat desolate: "Won, yes, we won, but so what? In that battle, we not only lost countless elite warriors, but also lost one king and two princes; the one who went missing is still unaccounted for to this day. Our pride, Khazad-dum, our homeland, the place where Durin's Folk have lived for generations, is still occupied by Orcish, and there... there is still..."

Speaking to this point, Dain's drunkenness seemed to have cleared up quite a bit, and a look of slight fear appeared on his face.

Allen was indeed drunk at this moment; no matter how strong he was, he was only a Human after all.

He usually did not like drinking much either; Allen did not think alcoholic beverages tasted good, and he was not particularly fond of that flavor.

But he especially liked drinking with friends; alcohol could not bring Allen happiness, but the atmosphere of drinking with friends would make him very, very happy.

At this moment, Allen seemed to have experienced that happiness again, the feeling of drinking and chatting with friends, so he did not notice Dain's expression.

Allen drank another full cup of the fine Dwarf wine and, with a thick tongue, said incoherently: "Ye... yes, there should also be the nemesis of your Durin's Folk, the lackey of Morgoth, the fallen Maia, a clown who ran away before the war, the Balrog, right? I know, I know."

Saying this, Allen squeezed his eyes shut against the dizziness, head tilted back as he leaned against the stone chair.

To suppress the churning in his stomach, he let out a heavy breath and continued, "Ah~~, Dain, please believe me, friend, one day, you, you will return to your lost ancestral home, that Balrog, he, he will also surely meet his deserved end, I, uh~~ I swear, this will certainly come to pass, if, if there is a need, I will definitely help, I definitely will..."

As he said this, Allen's voice grew softer and softer, his head lolled to one side, and he fell asleep just like that, leaning against the chair.

His body slowly, slowly slid from the chair to the floor; it was truly a display of utter lack of composure.

At this moment, Dain's intoxication had mostly dissipated after the fear and shock; he looked in surprise at Allen, who had slid to the floor, and fell into deep thought while recalling Allen's words.

When Allen woke up, it was already noon the next day.

He was lying in a magnificent guest room; the bed was soft and comfortable, and the blanket covering him was light and warm, so comfortable that Allen wanted to sleep for another round.

Immediately, realizing something was wrong, Allen opened his eyes, stared at the relief on the ceiling, and began to recall what he had done last night.

He only remembered that he had made a request to Dain yesterday, wanting to hire a few Dwarf blacksmiths for his territory; for a king as great as Dain to actually force him to a drinking contest before he would even consider it, sigh, really now.

Allen did not remember if he had won the contest; his memory only remained at the point where Dain mentioned that they had lost one king and two princes in that war.

Allen also knew about this matter; in the movie, King under the Mountain Thror died at the hands of Azog during the war.

The first prince mentioned in the movie, Nain, also died in that war; Nain was the father of Dain II and the son of the previous King of the Iron Hills, Gror.

As for the second prince, Thrain II, he should still be suffering in Dol Guldur at this time, until Gandalf went to find him before the Battle of the Five Armies, where he died at the hands of Sauron.

Allen sat up and shook his head, telling himself not to think about these memories anymore; he should think more about what happened last night.

But no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't remember what happened in the end; Allen could only assume that when it reached that point, he had gotten drunk and fallen asleep.

At this time, hearing movement inside the room, Alayen knocked on the door; he had been guarding here for the whole morning.

He was annoyed at his own drunkenness from yesterday; if he opened his eyes and Allen had disappeared again, he really wouldn't know where to go to find him.

After the knock came Alayen's voice: "My Lord, are you awake?"

Allen decided not to think about it anymore, forget it, and replied: "Awake, awake, I'll be out in a moment."

"Very well, my Lord, just now old man Fudin came to notify me that after you wake up, you can head to the banquet hall at any time; the luncheon is about to begin."

Listening to Alayen's words, Allen hurriedly put on his clothes; although there was some smell of wine on them, there was no vomit.

Allen felt that he must have maintained the last bit of dignity at the drinking table last night, which was not vomiting.

Having tidied up, Allen followed Alayen to Dain's banquet hall.

For some reason, Allen always felt that today's Dain seemed even more enthusiastic than yesterday.

This left Allen somewhat confused, but he considered it a good thing, and there was even better news: Dain had agreed to Allen's request and decided to dispatch five superb blacksmiths to Allen's village.

Allen solemnly thanked Dain at the banquet; Dain waved his hand, smiled brightly, raised his wine cup, and said: "Don't mention it, my friend, this is what you won; let us toast to friendship."

Allen also raised his own wine cup.

Although he was puzzled about whether he had actually won last night, it did not hinder him from responding to Dain's toast.

Allen likewise said: "To our friendship." After finishing, Allen drank the fine wine in his cup in one gulp.

After the banquet, Allen proposed to leave; Dain Ironfoot still wanted to keep Allen for a few more days, but was politely declined by Allen.

Because Allen had been out for long enough on this trip; although everything went smoothly along the way, it had still taken about a month.

It was foreseeable that the return journey would not be any shorter than this; by the time Allen returned to Wilderness Village, it would probably be autumn.

Dain expressed his understanding; after all, Allen was also the leader of a faction with busy affairs, so it was not convenient for him to force him to stay.

Afterwards, he expressed that he welcomed Allen to visit at any time, and then waved goodbye to Allen at the castle gate.

Allen and his party followed the road from the Iron Hills to Long Lake Town, taking nearly a week to return to this human town.

Just as Allen walked to the bridge of Long Lake Town, he saw Legolas waving at him.

After meeting up with Legolas, Allen learned that in order to wait for Allen to return to the Woodland Realm together, Legolas had already stayed here for half a month.

The Town Mayor here, upon learning of Legolas's identity, had served him with the utmost care.

Of course, in Legolas's view, it was just so-so, barely passable; hearing this, Allen laughed out loud, thinking to himself that the Town Mayor's efforts had been in vain.

After all, the commercial activities in Long Lake Town relied entirely on trade with the Silvan Elves; the Town Mayor fawning over Legolas was a completely normal operation, but unfortunately, Legolas could not perceive the Town Mayor's deep intentions.

Allen ultimately did not enter this largest human gathering point in the north, but returned to Thranduil's halls with Legolas, and at the King's invitation, resided in the Woodland Realm for a few days.

Even though the Silvan Elves were known as the most savage and uncivilized Elves.

Allen felt very happy living with them; most of them were straightforward and keen on banquets and hunting.

In their infinite lives, they chased after happiness and a stable life; as long as one gained their approval, they were a group of very good Elves.

They were not stingy and were happy to share their food and their joy with friends.

Allen participated in the hunt organized by Thranduil; in this area where the Silvan Elves lived, it was not as stifling or dull as the Elf Path, and the scenery here was beautiful.

And these Silvan Elves who had lived here for years were very familiar with this place; they could always find the location of the prey.

Allen also displayed his archery, which was not inferior to that of an ordinary Elf, which gave Legolas the idea of wanting to compete with Allen.

However, as everyone can probably guess the final result, even though Allen had become stronger again, he was still no match for Legolas.

While chatting, Allen also talked to Thranduil about the issue of trade.

Allen was now in urgent need of obtaining food through other channels and could not rely entirely on purchasing it from the Simulator with Dinar.

Moreover, with the increase in the population under his command, and the wall construction that would likely not stop even in winter, Allen estimated that the grain harvested in autumn might not be enough to last until next autumn.

This reminded Allen that the King of the Woodland Realm before him was a famous drunkard; perhaps he could use Dinar to purchase the Wine produced by the Simulator, and then use this Wine to exchange for food with the Woodland Realm, completing the trade through the Elf Path.

Upon hearing Allen's proposal, Thranduil became interested: "Allen, I think I can agree to your request; you know that an Elf, in a long life, always needs to have some interests; it just so happens that I have done much research on Wine, but you must guarantee that your wine is qualified to appear at my banquet, otherwise I will not agree to such a trade, even if we are friends, you cannot make me lower my taste for Wine."

Regarding this point, Allen felt there was no problem; the items sold by the Simulator were of the best quality, and Allen could provide two different kinds of Wine; the magic world of Pendor also had Wine.

"Your Majesty, thank you for the opportunity; I will definitely provide the best Wine. After I return, I will immediately arrange for a caravan to come over; at that time, you can taste it first. In fact, I can provide two different kinds of Wine."

Thranduil smiled slightly upon hearing this: "Bring some of both, Allen; you can come here through the Elf Path at any time. I was originally prepared to abandon that path, but now I will arrange for patrols to guard it, and they will bring you over at any time."

Having received such a reply, Allen was already very satisfied; after all, the Woodland Realm had never lacked a supply of Wine, and Thranduil had only agreed to this trade request for the sake of friendship.

After staying for a few days, Allen also bid farewell to Thranduil.

Thranduil prepared twenty Longbows of the Woodland Elves as a gift of thanks to give to Allen.

Afterwards, accompanied by Legolas, the group passed through Mirkwood once again and arrived at the entrance of the Elf Path.

Because Legolas still had to return to report, he once again politely declined Allen's invitation to visit Wilderness Village, stating that there would surely be an opportunity in the future.

Afterwards, they waved goodbye and each set off on the road home, only this time, there were five Dwarf blacksmiths added to Allen's party.