Chapter 68: Work Before Leaving the Lonely Mountain

After the meeting convened by Thorin concluded, everyone left Thrain Hall one after another.

Lord Elrond said goodbye to Allen at the gate of the Kingdom of Erebor.

He had to take a portion of his soldiers back to Lothlorien first, while Lord Elrond left the unfinished business of the Lonely Mountain to Lindir to handle.

After watching Lord Elrond depart, Allen returned to Dale; he still had some things to do at the Lonely Mountain and could not leave.

On the morning the meeting ended, Allen issued tasks to Alayen, who had already recovered.

He instructed him to take two hundred soldiers and hurry to send the warriors who had sacrificed themselves in this war back to Wilderness Town, so their families could see them one last time.

Although their souls had already received the gift from Iluvatar and departed for other worlds.

Their physical bodies, according to the traditions of the Woodland Residents, still had to return to the earth under the witness of their families.

Allen felt he had to do this immediately.

This was something he had decided upon last night; although it was winter and the bodies would not easily decay, he could not let these soldiers who died for him lie casually on the streets of Dale.

Before Alayen left, Allen spoke with him for a long time, mainly regarding passing a message to Yamila about the compensation and pension for nearly two hundred families.

According to the long-standing tradition of Wilderness Town, Allen had to support the families of any soldier who sacrificed their life on the battlefield.

At the very least, until their children reached adulthood, Allen was obligated to ensure their livelihood.

In addition, Allen would also provide a sum of wealth sufficient for them to live on for ten years; the current Allen could fully pay this in gold.

And soon, gold would become the general equivalent in Wilderness Town, though this was something Allen would need to ponder carefully after returning, as he could not attend to it right now.

Furthermore, Allen also considered building a cemetery for these warriors, to be named Yinglie Lingyuan.

After thinking about it for a night, Allen decided to arrange the location of the cemetery on the hillside to the east of Wilderness Town.

That was a very high hill, and every day after the sun rose, it would be the first place to be illuminated.

Moreover, when the warm season arrived, white or yellow wildflowers would bloom on the surrounding hills, making it a very beautiful place.

Previously, due to the inconvenience of travel, the residents had not cultivated much land there, so now was the perfect time to utilize that hillside.

In Allen's vision, from now on, any soldier who sacrificed their life on the battlefield could be buried here, provided their family consented.

It would be best to build a wall around this cemetery and then arrange for a few gravekeepers to drive away any blind beasts or bad people who might disturb these warriors.

A road from Wilderness Town to the cemetery would certainly need to be built, and this road should be included in the patrol range of Desaiwei, which would also make it convenient for families to mourn their loved ones.

Once a person is dead, doing anything more is of no avail; one can only hope to comfort the families of those fallen soldiers.

After arranging all of this, Alayen led two hundred soldiers, transporting a portion of the wealth and the nearly two hundred warriors who had sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, and left Dale.

They would follow the Running River all the way south until they entered Long Lake, and then, with the help of the Woodland Elves, pass through Mirkwood to return to Wilderness Town.

Moreover, the Orcish of Mount Gundabad and the Misty Mountains had suffered such heavy losses in this battle.

For the next few years, there should be no need to worry about the safety of this route.

After seeing Alayen off, Allen prepared to go find the King of the Woodland Realm, King Thranduil.

Coincidentally, Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins were also looking for Allen at the same time.

The three met at the gate of Dale; it turned out that Gandalf and Bilbo had found Allen to prepare to return to Wilderness Town with him, so they could look out for each other along the way.

To Allen, this was an extremely simple request; Allen told the two that he might still need a few days to finish handling things here, and then everyone could leave together.

At the same time, Allen also invited the two to stay in Wilderness Town for a period of time, because it was currently winter and the Misty Mountains were extremely difficult to traverse; although the threat of the Orcish was gone, the weather alone could potentially cause harm to Bilbo.

As a friend, Allen certainly did not want to see such a thing happen; besides, after next spring, Allen also planned to lead troops himself to escort the two back to Eriador.

Because Allen planned to open up the lower passage of the High Pass at that time, and it would be best to establish an outpost or even a fortress there to connect the trade between the two regions.

Even if there was no trade, it would be good to strengthen the friendship between the Rhovanion City-State and Rivendell, and exchange insights on forging, architecture, and planting.

Therefore, Allen making a trip with troops was inevitable, and at that time he would bring the Dwarf Tier to survey the surrounding terrain and prepare for future matters.

Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins gladly accepted Allen's invitation, and the Hobbit added that after returning to Wilderness Town, he could show off his cooking skills to Allen, guaranteeing they would be better than that fat cook at the Green Dragon Inn.

Hearing this, Allen smiled slightly, and his mood, which had been somewhat heavy due to the sacrifice of the soldiers, felt a trace of warmth in the company of friends.

However, Allen quickly composed himself and said goodbye to the two, as he still had to go talk to King Thranduil about the issue of an alliance.

This was a very important matter, and now was also a very good opportunity.

This time, after Sauron was beaten up by the big shots of the White Council in Dol Guldur, he had slunk away from Dol Guldur and fled to the East.

But Allen knew that in a few years, Sauron would make a comeback, and by then, at the very least, three Nazgul would continue to occupy Dol Guldur.

Of course, now with Allen's intervention, the forces Sauron sent might be even greater and more fierce.

If nothing went wrong, Allen's power would also become a thorn in Sauron's side.

If Allen wanted to resist this force in a few years, or even engage in battle with them.

Then an alliance with the Woodland Elves and the Durin Dwarves was inevitable; at the very least, a defensive alliance was indispensable.

It was just that there was a small problem here that needed to be communicated with Thranduil first.

While deep in thought, Allen arrived at Thranduil's tent, and shortly after, the Elven guard informed Allen that he could enter.

Thranduil was somewhat surprised to see Allen, because the war had just ended yesterday, and as the leader of a faction, there should be many things to handle and think about.

In fact, the Woodland Elves had also suffered heavy losses in this war; on one hand, while defending the walls of Dale, those Elven Spearman had taken great care of Allen's subordinates, which led to their heavy losses.

Otherwise, the number of Allen's fallen men might not have been limited to just those two hundred.

On the other hand, when Thranduil led the Elven Sword-Shield Guard to charge out of Dale to save the Dwarves, they had resisted the attack of the Uruk soldiers alone, and during that time, their losses were also great.

Although the Woodland Elves did not compare to the Durin Dwarves, who had a death rate of over one-third.

Their casualty rate was also very high, around one-fourth, with many wounded being carried back by the militia of Long Lake Town and stabilized after simple treatment.

But there were over three hundred Silvan Elf who were confirmed to have returned to the Halls of Mandos, a death rate of over one-tenth.

These were all Elves, and the death list did not lack elite warriors who were of great age and had participated in the Last Alliance.

At this moment, Thranduil was also grieving for the deaths of these Woodland Elves; after all, he was a king who cared deeply about the lives of his people.

Of course, if it had followed the original trajectory, the number of Woodland Elves sacrificed would have been enough to make this Woodland King heartbroken enough to flee the battlefield.

Instead of looking like he was now, with a trace of surprise in his eyes, watching Allen who had come to visit him with a calm expression.

However, surprise aside, Thranduil was still very pleased to see Allen, and his tone was also very courteous.

After all, the King of the Woodland Realm, who was guarding Dale and keeping a constant watch on the battlefield, had also seen the war machines prepared by the Tielqiuling Dwarf.

Thranduil thought briefly about how much damage those massive crossbows could cause to his people if he were to truly lay siege to the gates of the Lonely Mountain and come into conflict with the Dwarf.

Subsequently, the Elven King did not wish to dwell on it further, feeling only a touch of gratitude toward Allen in his heart.

"Allen, welcome. Please, sit."

As he spoke, Thranduil poured a glass of Wine for Allen and said, "My friend, come to think of it, I have yet to formally thank you for arranging for people to treat my kin in time. Let us have a drink; after the great battle, this glass of Wine feels all the more precious."

Allen, sitting opposite Thranduil, was somewhat surprised by the King's courtesy; he nodded to thank Thranduil and drank a glass with him.

Setting down his glass, Allen did not overthink it: "Your Majesty, there is no need for such courtesy; this is what I ought to have done. I must also thank the brave warriors under your command for helping my men in this battle."

After finishing, Allen raised his glass to toast Thranduil again, the rich, fragrant aroma of the wine filling his throat.

Subsequently, Allen said, "Actually, I have come this time because there is a matter I wish to discuss with you."

Allen stated the purpose of his visit directly.

"It is actually about the matter of an alliance."

Allen had come here, of course, not to discuss the issue of an alliance between the Rhovanion City-State and the Woodland Elves.

Given the relationship between Allen and Thranduil, such an alliance would be essentially effortless.

What Allen wanted was a three-way alliance between Humans, Elves, and Dwarves.

Having been a king for thousands of years, Thranduil understood Allen's intention in an instant.

The Elven King knew that he would not refuse Allen's request for an alliance, and he believed Allen knew this as well.

Thus, if Allen could still use a consultative tone to propose this request to him, then it was easy to imagine that this Contract must necessarily include the Dwarves.

Thinking of this, Thranduil felt somewhat uncomfortable; the Elven King felt that Allen was overly partial to the Dwarf race, wanting to involve those Dwarves in everything, even at the risk of angering him.

Thinking of this, Thranduil looked at Allen and said in a still-courteous tone: "Between you and me, although it was not explicitly stated, an alliance has long existed; why the need to bring it up specifically?"

Allen did not know Thranduil's thoughts, but he knew that getting the Elves and Dwarves to form an alliance would not be easy.

It was not as if the two races could just fight a battle against the Orcish together and then let go of all past grievances and shake hands in peace.

One could only say that after this battle, the relationship between the two sides had eased just a little bit.

Allen was simply trying to take advantage of this small bit of warmth to make an attempt.

Allen swirled the Wine in his hand slightly and said, weighing his words: "Your Majesty, what I actually wanted to say is a three-way alliance between Humans, Elves, and Dwarves."

Thranduil raised his crystal glass with an "I-already-guessed-it" expression, signaling for Allen to continue.

After all, Allen had just helped Thranduil retrieve his family's Starlight Gem; he could not refuse right away, as that would damage the friendship between the two sides.

Allen, following Thranduil's signal, continued.

"Your Majesty, you also know that this time, under our multi-party strikes, the dark forces have retreated, and we can have a period of stability. However, our enemies will not let it go at that; they will soon return from the East. You and I are both very clear on this point. Facing such an enemy, I think we should unite all forces that can be united and prepare to resist the darkness. That is why I proposed the alliance."

After finishing, Allen looked at Thranduil, waiting for the Elven King's reply.

Thranduil was somewhat conflicted at this moment; he knew everything Allen had said. After all, he was present when Gandalf recounted the battle of Dol Guldur, and since Sauron had already made a public appearance, Mirkwood would not have many peaceful days left.

This King of the Woodland Realm certainly knew that a three-way alliance had many benefits, otherwise he would not have concluded an alliance with King Thror two hundred years ago.

It was just that King Thranduil did not want to agree to Allen's request so readily; his relationship with Thorin was not good enough for that, and he could not be the one to take the initiative.

Therefore, after thinking for a while, he kicked the problem directly back to Thorin.

"Allen, I know everything you have said, and I am also considering this issue. How about this: why don't you go and talk to the Dwarves first? If they agree, then we can discuss it further at that time."

Thranduil did not hold much hope for whether the Dwarves would agree to Allen's suggestion; after all, Dwarves were notoriously stubborn and not as easy to talk to as Elves.

Being able to get this answer, Allen felt it was already quite good, as King Thranduil had not refused outright.

After getting the answer he wanted, Allen finished the Wine in his glass and stood up to bid farewell to Thranduil.

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. Then, I shall take my leave. I wish you a smooth journey."

Yes, the Woodland Elves were already prepared to leave this place; barring any accidents, they would set out this afternoon.

Thranduil looked at the Human before him and also offered his own blessing.

"I also wish you a smooth journey, Allen."

Allen nodded, turned, and left Thranduil's tent.

Just at this moment, Thranduil called Allen back and took out a Longsword; it was Orcrist, Thorin's sword.

Allen looked at Thranduil with a face full of surprise, not knowing what the King intended to do.

This sword was one of the spoils of war obtained when Thranduil imprisoned Thorin; among those items, most were ordinary things, and only this sword appeared to be worth a fortune.

After retrieving the Starlight Gem, Thranduil felt that his grievances with the Dwarf race were more or less settled.

So, Thranduil felt it was necessary to return this sword, which belonged to Thorin, to the future King of the Lonely Mountain.

He did not want to send his own people to do this, but rather to entrust the sword at this time to Allen, who had a better relationship with Thorin, to complete the matter.

Allen took Orcrist, and complex emotions welled up in his heart—emotions mixed with three parts amusement, three parts gratification, and three parts relief.

Whether in the original work or the film, this sword eventually returned to Thorin's side, though the ending was invariably cruel: it was buried in the Lonely Mountain alongside the deceased Thorin.

But now, it would follow the current Thorin, and in the years to come, it could once again sever the heads of countless Orcish.

Allen readily agreed to this; he indeed had some matters to discuss with Thorin.

It was not the matter of the alliance; although this matter was important, it was not urgent. It would be better to wait a while, and Allen had plenty of time.

The main purpose for which Allen wanted to facilitate the three-way alliance, besides resisting Dol Guldur in a few years, was more for the War of the Ring eighty years later.

In the North, Thranduil of Mirkwood and Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien had indeed fought a good battle against the Orcish of the Misty Mountains and the Ringwraiths of Dol Guldur, liberating Mirkwood.

However, the Humans and Dwarves had suffered heavy losses; in the Battle of Dale, they had sacrificed two kings just to resist the Easterling army.

Now, in the north of Rhovanion, Allen was the strongest ruler, so in the face of the Easterling invasion, Allen would need to bear the greatest pressure.

From the Third Age 2941 to 3018, a span of over seventy years, seemed like a long time—it could even span the lifetime of an ordinary Human—but for Allen, it was still too short, because the power of light and darkness was too vastly disparate, and he needed to think of every possible way to strengthen his own power.

At the very least, he had to get the Woodland Elves to step out of Mirkwood to help the Humans and Dwarves resist the invasion of the Easterlings.

As for the Orcish from the Misty Mountains that originally invaded Mirkwood, Allen would handle them himself.

He had long since thought about the matter of blockading the Anduin River; if nothing else, this bit about infrastructure was a mark branded into his very bones.

As long as he could block the Orcish of the Misty Mountains, the Silvan Elf of Mirkwood would have enough troops to assist the Humans and Dwarf of northern Rhovanion in resisting the offensive of the Easterlings.

In this way, the pressure on the Humans and Dwarf on the northern battlefield would be smaller, and then Allen could also pull out more troops to reinforce Lothlorien and defeat Khamul, who occupied Dol Guldur, as early as possible.

By then, Allen also wanted to pull out troops to reinforce Rohan and Gondor, participate in the main battlefield, and have a head-on battle with the Great Eye Sauron; Allen did not want to become a name in the background in future records.

For example, in such-and-such a year, the King of Rhovanion in the north led his army and successfully resisted the offensive of the Misty Mountains Orcish.

Allen felt that would be too shabby.

Having drunk the Elixir of Life, he felt that he would certainly be able to participate in this great war; if that really didn't work, he would just find an opportunity to have another bottle.

At that time, although Allen would already be an old man of nearly a hundred years, his body would be no different from a young person's, and he could still lead his personal guards to slaughter his enemies on the battlefield.

Of course, this is just thinking about it for now; after all, that day is still very far off.