Chapter 50: Allen's Expedition Has Already Ended

The autumn sun seemed golden, making the vast stretches of farmland around Wilderness Town appear as if they were shimmering with golden light.

Thanks to the gift from Lady Galadriel, those handfuls of soil contained the power of "Nenya."

Most of the crops in the fields this year grew very rapidly; the wheat planted in mid-May was, by early August, considered ready for harvest by Karl, who was in charge of agricultural affairs in Wilderness Town.

Otherwise, if the crops became too ripe, or if it rained, they would fall off and scatter into the soil, causing a great waste.

Faced with this miraculous phenomenon, and under the reminder of Allen, Karl prepared to utilize the increasing variety of crops in Wilderness Town in recent years, such as soybeans, wheat, potatoes, peanuts, and corn.

He planned to specifically clear a plot of land to experiment with whether they could be intercropped to achieve two harvests a year, which would make the land's benefits even more outstanding.

And now, in the golden fields, groups of people were working, rushing to harvest the crops, just like in autumns of the past.

Inside the town, in the meeting room of Lord Allen's house, intense arguing broke out; it was the voices of James and Artimenner.

"If you build it like that, it's a huge waste of manpower and resources. We are about to go to war, and I need to build some water reservoirs in the city; there aren't enough people to build houses for you."

"It is precisely because we are going to war that, according to Allen's character, he certainly won't abandon any subordinate who is still alive. By then, there will surely be a large number of wounded and sick returning from the battlefield. If the hospital can't hold them, are you going to let them wait outside to die?"

It turned out that James had come to see Yamila today to discuss the expansion of the hospital, as he had considered the situation after the war.

Although the people summoned by Allen had a great advantage in recovering from injuries, the native residents did not possess these traits.

Given the current ratio of military personnel, a large number of wounded would inevitably flood into the hospital after the war, and he needed more space to cope with this situation.

As for Artimenner, just as he had said, he wanted to build more water reservoirs throughout the town.

Because according to Allen's plan, the number of people living in the town would increase significantly, and there would even be horses; the existing reservoirs would certainly not be enough. He had considered this point and also came here to discuss it with Yamila.

Sitting in the main seat, the still youthful and beautiful Yamila looked helplessly at the two old friends before her.

Among Allen's important subordinates, these two could be said to be the oldest, but they were also the two who argued the most.

Both of them were typical intellectuals; regarding knowledge, James leaned more toward innovation and practicality, while Artimenner was more willing to believe in tradition and classics.

Precisely because of this, the two often did not see eye to eye, and as long as the matters they were responsible for overlapped, they would inevitably have a big argument.

Of course, Yamila, who had managed thousands of people for several years, was no pushover. At the beginning, she was very worried that the two would come to blows because of their arguments and often spent much effort trying to dissuade them.

But now, she was used to it; the combat effectiveness of both was a "five," and even if they used weapons and attacked together, they couldn't beat her.

Now, Yamila was no longer worried about what they might do; at most, they would just use their tongues, and they had never actually laid a hand on each other.

What Yamila was more worried about now was Fatis, who sat silently across the table.

This commander, who was qualified to mobilize all the troops of Wilderness Town after Allen left, had come to discuss sending out the troops with Yamila.

Because the speed of the main force was far slower than that of a small squad, and even more so after reaching the forest, in Fatis's plan, the army had to set out in September.

He hoped to gather all the troops in the near future to conduct a military exercise lasting several days, to test matters related to the main force's camping, reconnaissance, and defense, so as to avoid any unexpected situations when the time came to depart.

However, all the labor force in Wilderness Town was currently following Yamila's orders, rushing to harvest grain in the fields.

Looking at the three people in front of her, all of whom were asking her for money and people, Yamila felt a bit irritable.

Of course, such things were commonplace in the few years she had been the Town Mayor.

"Alright, stop arguing."

The seemingly gentle and considerate blonde girl slammed the table, and the crisp sound stopped the increasingly heated James and Artimenner, while Fatis, sitting opposite, also straightened his posture; he knew that there should be a result now.

"A few things. First, all the labor force is currently in the fields harvesting this year's harvest; this is the most important thing at the moment and cannot be delayed."

After finishing, Yamila fixed her gaze on Fatis and continued: "Fatis, the preparations for the military exercise will begin when most of the farm work is finished. By then, I will have the auxiliary troops, supplies, and weapons and equipment ready for you. Does that work for you?"

Fatis nodded, said "Thank you," and then stood up and left the meeting room.

James and Artimenner both looked at Yamila, waiting for the Town Mayor's decision.

"James, I will discuss the construction of the hospital with the Dwarf Tier, but your hospital can only start construction after the grain is completely put into storage."

Yamila turned back to Artimenner and said: "The matter of building water reservoirs is indeed very important; this should be something I consider. Thank you for the reminder. Likewise, you will also start construction after the grain is completely put into storage. By then, I will arrange enough manpower and materials to assist you both."

James and Artimenner exchanged a subtle look, and after saying "Thank you" and "Sorry for the trouble," they left the meeting room.

Yamila held her forehead and let out a deep sigh of relief.

Afterward, she stood up and called for a few guards; she wanted to go and inspect how the work in the fields was going.

And now, the Lord of Wilderness Town, Lord Allen, was in the mountain range on the west side of the Lonely Mountain, searching everywhere for the secret door mentioned in the map.

On the second day after arriving at Long Lake Town, Allen set off for the Lonely Mountain with the members of the Expedition.

By that time, he had changed back into his ranger attire. He had handed his armor to Holimion and instructed Holimion to make sure to store away that Wind Lance from Long Lake Town, as he would have great use for it later.

Afterward, Holimion returned to the Woodland Realm, preparing to rendezvous there with the army led by Fatis.

Allen and his party first rowed boats on Long Lake for two days, then entered the Running River, and after traveling upstream for more than ten miles, they stepped onto the Desolation of Smaug.

This place belonged to a part of Dale, and the environment was very desolate; almost no living things could be seen, the trees were sparse, and the vegetation was withered and yellow.

Smaug was truly worthy of being a dark creature created by Morgoth; even without him doing anything deliberately, just by lying on the Lonely Mountain every day, he had ruined what was once a lush, green, prosperous, and rich place into this.

And this land had been ruled by the dragon for over 170 years.

In fact, in 2941, Thorin Oakenshield was already 195 years old, which, for a member of the royal family of Durin's Folk, was the prime of his life.

At this moment, the closer this Dwarf Prince got to his homeland, the more uneasy he felt in his heart; after all, he had personally experienced the power of the dragon.

But he did not retreat because of this; instead, according to the map's instructions, he ordered most of the people to head to the western part of the mountain range to find the location of the secret door.

At the same time, Thorin Oakenshield personally took Allen, Kili, Fili, Balin, and Bilbo along the southern spur of the great mountain and arrived at Ravenhill, which was the place where Thorin and Azog perished together in the movie.

At that time, Allen stood on a high ground at Ravenhill, overlooking the gate of the Lonely Mountain and the situation of Dale.

This was also a very important purpose for his coming to the Lonely Mountain, which was to observe the terrain and location of the battlefield in advance, so as to prepare for his subsequent plans.

Dale had been abandoned for too many years, and most of the city's defensive facilities were no longer usable. Allen hoped that he could repair some of the defenses there when the time came.

As for Ravenhill, it was also a military outpost abandoned by the Dwarves, with a winding road leading to the gate of the Lonely Mountain.

Allen carefully observed this road; one could come up riding an Elf Horse, but after coming up, there was not enough space for the Cavalry to fight on horseback, and they would only be able to dismount and fight on foot when the time came.

He had to seize the time to familiarize himself with the terrain here; when the great enemy was at the gates, it would likely be too late to familiarize himself with it.

As for the others, they mostly started looking for the entrance into the Lonely Mountain.

Searching for a secret door only a few people wide in the great mountain was truly too difficult and too time-consuming; time slipped away bit by bit, just like flowing water.

At first, the Dwarves who came to the Lonely Mountain were very excited, but as time passed, their enthusiasm gradually wore off, and some even began to doubt the authenticity of the map.

Even Thorin Oakenshield would silently gaze at the location of the Lonely Mountain's gate at night.

But Bilbo Baggins and Allen, who had already finished familiarizing himself with the terrain, were not discouraged; Bilbo Baggins was so because of his extremely optimistic personality, while Allen knew that a secret door must be here.

Soon, time arrived at the beginning of October, and Allen, accompanying Bilbo Baggins, discovered a hidden staircase on the cliff of the western mountain range.

Looking at that staircase, Allen knew his mission was complete, and at this time, there was less than twenty days left until Durin's Day.

The overjoyed Dwarves climbed up one after another, and after comparing it with the map, they finally confirmed that this was where the secret door was located.

Thorin Oakenshield let out a heavy sigh of relief at this moment, looking gratefully at both Allen and Bilbo.

The matter of the Expedition was basically finished here; the remaining task was to watch the performance of the great Burglar in the team, Mr. Bilbo Baggins.

Yes, after Bilbo rescued all of them from the dungeon, the Dwarves believed that Bilbo Baggins's skills as a Burglar were extremely brilliant, practically master-level.

And such a formidable Burglar would surely be able to retrieve the "Arkenstone" from right under the dragon's nose.

It must be said that these Dwarves might have more confidence than the Burglar himself at this moment, and Bilbo Baggins, with a face full of smiles, did not yet know what he would face next.

But Allen had to leave; he said goodbye to everyone in the Expedition and urged them to be careful, adding that if it really didn't work out, they could wait for Gandalf to arrive before entering the Lonely Mountain after opening the secret door.

But Allen could not continue waiting with the members of the Expedition; time was running out for him, as there were still many things in Long Lake Town waiting for him to complete.

According to Allen's estimation, by the time he walked from the Lonely Mountain to Long Lake Town, Fatis should also have led the army to camp in the dense forest near Long Lake Town.

Facing Allen's farewell, Thorin Oakenshield did not say anything to ask him to stay; after all, according to the Contract, Allen's duty ended here.

The remaining matters were for the Burglar; as long as it went smoothly, once Thorin Oakenshield obtained the King's treasure, he would assemble the Dwarf army and, with the help of the Wizard, drive away Smaug and reclaim the Lonely Mountain.

Yawen.

Actually, Thorin Oakenshield had not expected that the Expedition could really reach this step; when he set off, he held a desperate, all-or-nothing mentality.

And now, the secret door was right before his eyes; standing in front of Allen, he was a bit dazed, but he quickly reacted, thanked Allen for his efforts along the way, and waved goodbye to Allen.

Afterwards, under the gaze of everyone, Allen left the Lonely Mountain, and when he rowed a boat alone to Long Lake Town.

His Captain of the Personal Guard, Holimion, was already waiting for him at the bridge of Long Lake Town.

In fact, this Twilight Knight would wait here every day; at that time, he did not understand why his lord was unwilling to take him along to the distant mountains.

But these days, he chatted with the nearby Humans and learned some reasons, and subsequently, he felt relieved.

And today, with his sharp eyes, he saw the lord on the boat from afar, and he began to wave to attract Allen's attention.

After this Human lord arrived, he did not even tidy his messy clothes before asking about the matter he cared about.

"Holimion, has Fatis brought the army? Was the journey smooth?"

Holimion handed the reins in his hand to Allen.

While saying: "Very smooth, my lord. Adjutant Fatis, Legion Commander Alayen, and Legion Commander Bandak have all brought their troops here. Most of the townspeople who assisted the army have also successfully returned to the village. Oh, right, a few Dwarf craftsmen followed; they hope to take this opportunity to go home and have a look."

After hearing this, Allen nodded, mounted the horse together with Holimion, and after sitting steadily, continued to ask: "Is there any news in Long Lake Town?"

After hearing this, Holimion thought for a moment and said: "Nothing too major happened, though it seems that for a period of time before, a townsperson was preaching every day that a dragon was coming to attack Long Lake Town, and then he was arrested by the Town Mayor on the charge of spreading rumors."

After hearing this, Allen nodded, thinking to himself that this was correct, fitting the personality of that guy Bard, and he also hoped that after experiencing this, he could understand some truths—some things cannot be accomplished just by talking.

Actually, before leaving Long Lake Town, Allen had specifically urged Bard to wait for his return to discuss how to deal with the dragon; clearly, this descendant of the lord of Dale did not take Allen's words to heart.

"Alright, I understand, let's hurry back to the camp."

After speaking, Allen and Holimion urged their horses and ran toward the camp of the Wilderness Town army.