Chapter 246: Setting Off Again and the Orcs of the Misty Mountains

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days had passed. The expedition team had stayed in Rivendell for about two weeks.

During this time, Wayne had barely learned basic Sindarin, could read some simple books written in Sindarin, and even added a skill to his auxiliary skills called Alien Language Talent, which was directly upgraded to level two.

Alien Language Talent LV2: Alien language learning speed +20%.

However, what Princess Arwen and King Elrond did not know was that in the process of learning Sindarin, some books in the library had been unknowingly copied by Wayne. They were not precious books, but all were within the scope permitted by King Elrond, those that were open to him.

And facing his newly accepted little apprentice Aragorn, Wayne could be considered to have done his best.

Not only did he spend two hours every day carefully guiding him, but after the guidance, he would also assign him various after-school training, specifically creating a training ground for Witcher apprentices in a remote forest.

Under the careful teaching of this sword master, the teenager who had just turned ten grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly adapting to the physical pain and mental torture generated during training, his movements becoming cleaner and more decisive, and his swordplay showing significant improvement.

This feeling of becoming stronger rapidly made the teenager's eyes always full of passionate flames, and his gaze toward Wayne became increasingly respectful.

However, all good things must come to an end. Although Aragorn was very reluctant and did not want to leave Wayne, this good teacher, the time for parting soon arrived.

This future Human Emperor had a maturity beyond his age and did not cry or act shamelessly like other children. He cherished and blessed Wayne and presented a gift he had made himself.

He also expressed his hope that after Wayne successfully hunted Smaug and returned, he could continue to serve as his sword instructor.

When this little boy learned that the purpose of Wayne's journey this time was to hunt the world-famous dragon Smaug, his shining eyes were full of admiration and longing. Clearly, in the hearts of children at this age, being able to become a hero who hunts dragons was their lifelong wish.

And Wayne neither chose to refuse nor immediately agreed. He discovered that after he finished the courses in Rivendell, the task of teaching Aragorn was not completed. This was a task without a time limit, and he could choose when to complete it himself, which actually raised the idea of continuing to teach Aragorn in his heart.

It was not only because Aragorn had a prominent status in the future Middle-earth, but also partly because this little boy was indeed very obedient and sensible, with excellent talent, and was a talent worth molding, which made him feel a sense of cherishing talent in his heart.

And I don't know since when, Wayne could clearly feel that King Elrond's attitude toward him had changed greatly, as if he was intentionally trying to win him over. It was not just about Princess Arwen; the two also conducted a transaction that was not a secret during this period.

Wayne used a large amount of intermediate healing potions, several magic items, and blueprints for master-level crossbows to exchange for a batch of warhorses from the Sindar Elves, totaling over one hundred.

They were all tall warhorses unique to the Sindar Elves, possessing special bloodlines, fast speed, strong endurance, and amazing strength. In terms of physical performance, they were several notches stronger than the elite warhorses of the Wizard World. It is estimated that each one was a precious warhorse that could be sold for over two thousand Orens in the Wizard World.

He prepared to wait until the Lonely Mountain mission was over and he left Middle-earth with the Deathclaw before taking this batch of warhorses away. Not only could they be gifted to his Witcher brothers, but they could also be used as bargaining chips to trade with Francesca's Elves.

Good things like warhorses were strategic equipment in short supply in the upcoming North-South War, and their value was high.

Not only that, after he established friendly relations with the Dwarves, Elves, or other races in Middle-earth, many specialties of Middle-earth would become best-selling products in his future Chamber of Commerce, earning him huge profits.

Therefore, even if it meant sacrificing some short-term interests, he would establish friendly relations with other powerful races in Middle-earth as much as possible. These were all powerful aids for the future Witcher Order.

And in Rivendell, it is estimated that the one most reluctant to see Wayne leave was Princess Arwen. Perhaps it was the Witcher's handsome appearance, perhaps it was his humorous eloquence, or it might even be the delicious and sweet cakes he took out from time to time.

Although the two did not spend much time together, it could be considered quite pleasant. This princess rarely met a member of her own race with whom she could communicate on equal terms. So on the day of parting, she did something unprecedented in front of the expedition team and King Elrond: she walked up lightly, stood on tiptoe, hugged Wayne, and presented a blessing kiss on his side face, wishing him victory in the battle against the dragon Smaug, and placed a beautifully woven wreath on his head.

After the hug ended, facing the various meaningful gazes of the surrounding Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and Wizards, Wayne suddenly felt a bit of a scalp-tingling sensation. He tried his best to maintain a gentle smile on his face and did not look at King Elrond's expression.

Then he whispered thanks to Arwen, whose cheeks were a bit flushed, and took out the exquisite Elven dagger, which was found together with the two ancient Elven swords and later named Sting, from his space bracelet as a gift for the Elf princess.

Then he left Rivendell with the others of the expedition team, as if fleeing.

………………

Because this time, with the departure of the Wizard Gandalf and Wayne, the encounter of Thorin and the other Dwarves was not as miserable as in the original work, where they were tied up and taken to the Orc Town, and then rescued by Gandalf like a god descending from heaven.

However, it seemed that because the number of Orcs and Wargs Wayne killed last time was too large, it aroused the vigilance of Azog and the Orc clans of the Misty Mountains.

This time, as soon as they entered the territory of these Orcs, they immediately attracted the attention of the Orc scouts, and the whereabouts of the expedition team were thus exposed, suffering attacks from the Orc clans.

A large number of Orcs gathered in groups, driving many Wargs, and soon launched attacks on the expedition team every few days—poisoning, traps, shooting arrows, night raids, using every despicable means possible.

However, such a situation happened to fit Wayne's ideas. Ignoring Gandalf's idea of keeping a low profile, he directly slowed down the team's marching speed, obtained an expert-level task of hunting Orcs from the Dwarf Prince Thorin every day, and began a hunting journey of killing wherever they went.

Perhaps these stupid Orcs thought that the Misty Mountains were their home field and could cause damage to the expedition team through traps, ambushes, or sieges.

But in their barren brains, they could not imagine what kind of lethality the Deathclaw Robin, this terrifying top-tier killer of the apocalypse, could erupt with in such complex terrain.

Any Orc arrow shot at the Deathclaw was just scratching an itch for him, and those giant rocks falling from the sky were just like soft fists, unable to cause any substantial damage to Robin.

With this terrifying giant beast as the vanguard, the Orcs' methods were all rendered useless and could not play any role at all.

Even in a forced siege, as long as Gandalf and Thorin found a terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack before the battle began, and then let Robin act as a meat shield to guard the canyon entrance below.

No matter how many Orcs participated in the attack, they would turn into piles of minced meat under the Deathclaw's sharp claws and teeth.

And at this time, Wayne was a killing machine with powerful destructive power. He could ride a magic flying carpet, fly in mid-air, fire with full power, using Signs, alchemy bombs, and archery, wantonly slaughtering the Orcs below, without being under any threat himself.

And facing Wayne's bomber-like lethality, these Orcs who had never seen the world were soon scared away, leaving behind hundreds of corpses in less than ten minutes.

If it weren't for the fact that Azog, the cunning Orc King, did not appear during the attack, Wayne might have been able to directly complete a master-level task for Prince Thorin.

That night, Wayne and the others found a mountain top, a cave that was easy to defend as a place to stay, with the Deathclaw Robin guarding the entrance, directly isolating any possible attacks from the outside.

As the chef of the team, Wayne just casually cooked a pot of mushroom and jerky soup, some roast meat, and bread for everyone. The simple food immediately won everyone's praise.

After a long time together, as well as the baptism of various battles, as the most powerful one, his status in the entire team had risen to a level on par with the leader, Thorin.

If it weren't for the status of the Dwarf Prince, perhaps this team would be led by him.

Drinking a bottle of fruit mead traded from Rivendell, he leaned against a clean rock wall and said to Gandalf and Thorin:

"Thorin, Gandalf, I have already found an entrance to the Orc Town in the Misty Mountains."

"I am prepared to launch a surprise attack on their lair before their second siege is ready."

Gandalf, upon hearing this, took a puff of his pipe, stroked his snow-white beard, and said:

"You are preparing to act alone again, Wayne?"

"I still think such an action is too risky."

"Although your strength is very powerful, the Orcs have been able to survive until now, and they are not so easy to deal with."

"And as the Orc lair of the Misty Mountains, no one knows how many dangers are buried inside."

"With your strength, as long as we wait until we reach the Lonely Mountain and unite those warriors who have been suffering from Orc persecution for many years, we will definitely be able to defeat these Orcs."

Regarding Gandalf's persuasion, Wayne knew his good intentions, but whether it was out of confidence in his own strength or for the master-level task of severely damaging the Orcs of the Misty Mountains, he clearly did not want to be passively defensive all the time.

And Thorin's thoughts were similar to Wayne's. While using a whetstone to sharpen his long sword, which had become dull from killing Orcs, he nodded to Wayne and said: "I agree with your view, Wayne. We should indeed take the initiative to attack."

"The reason why these Orc scum had no results in their first siege against us, I think, is that they were too contemptuous of the enemy."

"If we wait for them to make their second preparations, even with the help of your Deathclaw, we might suffer casualties, and our brothers might die because of it."

"Taking advantage of the fact that they are not ready, let's launch an unexpected surprise attack together. Not only can it disrupt their plans, but it will definitely deal them a heavy blow."

"Let these dirty Orcs no longer be able to block our path to the Lonely Mountain."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 247 =====