Entering the Lonely Mountain

Josh did not specify the exact number, so Thorin agreed readily.

If Thorin had known that Josh’s true intention was probably to empty out the entire treasure hoard of the Lonely Mountain, he likely would not have been so pleasant now.

Thorin was indeed extremely happy, because after such a long stretch of bad luck, he had finally received news that made him happy.

His father, Thrain, was still alive! Ever since his father had disappeared during the Battle of Erebor, nothing good had happened to him. Although he had always believed that Thrain was alive, after so much time had passed, that belief existed only in his heart.

Time was always the most heartbreaking thing, yet it was also the thing most capable of healing a person’s wounds.

After a long period of adjustment, Thorin had gradually grown accustomed to a life without a homeland, wandering like a stray dog. He had also gradually grown used to the days without his father.

No matter how persistent or resolute he was, as time passed, he had slowly come to believe that his father was dead.

But now, he had finally received news of his father—good news! His father was still alive!

And Thrain was now rushing toward them, which put Thorin in an especially good mood.

As for questions like why Josh could stab Sauron full of holes without killing him, Thorin had no interest in asking. In their eyes, Sauron was simply too powerful and too terrifying!

That fellow seemed capable of reviving endlessly. Every time he was defeated or killed, he could come back to life again.

Even over thousands, tens of thousands of years, that was how he had survived. And every revival brought immense harm to Middle-earth! He would not die; he could be defeated, but he could not be truly harmed!

Josh was powerful, but Thorin did not believe Josh could truly kill Sauron. So he would not ask such questions. Besides, Thorin had not forgotten his real task. He needed to open the gates of Erebor within the Lonely Mountain and welcome his father’s return!

Opening those gates should not have been too difficult, because all they needed to do was solve a riddle.

But when they truly began working on the gates, they were shocked to discover that they could not even find the keyhole.

As the sun slowly sank, Thorin’s previously good mood began to sour. Where the hell was that keyhole?

Josh sat to one side, watching them bustle about, and gave a bored yawn. These dwarves were moving far too slowly.

Bard, who was sitting nearby like Josh, seemed to notice Josh’s mood. He remained deeply wary of this terrifyingly powerful mage.

He was neither a wizard nor a human, yet he could wield frightening power capable of destroying heaven and earth!

And this fellow had just defeated someone even more terrifying—Sauron. That made Bard’s heart tremble somewhat.

Fortunately, someone like him stood on the side of justice. If he were like Sauron, this world would truly be finished.

The dwarves were now searching for a way to open the Lonely Mountain. Every one of them was busy, yet this mage, the Elf King, sat there as though nothing was happening, as if he were watching a show. Bard seemed to guess something from that.

"Your Majesty, have you discovered something? A way to open the Lonely Mountain?"

"Huh? You figured that out?"

Neither Josh nor Bard hid their voices, so their conversation was naturally heard by the dwarves, who were frantically busy and even beginning to despair.

Thorin immediately walked respectfully to Josh and bowed slightly.

"Your Majesty, can you really open these gates?"

"Of course. The gates merely had their keyhole hidden by magic. Finding it is very simple. First, solve their riddle. You have the riddle, don’t you?"

"Yes!"

Thorin immediately took out the riddle scroll and handed it to Josh, but Josh did not take it.

As his level rose higher and higher, even if his memory was not particularly good, he could still retrieve information from the ocean of his past memories. Josh had long known what the riddle was.

"When the thrush knocks, stand by the gray stone, and the setting sun, by the last light of Turin’s Day, will shine upon the keyhole. I know this riddle, so there’s no need to give it to me."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Thorin was not surprised that Josh knew the riddle. He had obtained it from Rivendell, and Josh was the Elf King of Rivendell, so it was perfectly normal for him to have learned it there.

"The riddle is actually very simple. Doesn’t it already tell you? You have to wait for the thrush to knock against the stone, so what did you think you were going to find? And have you forgotten what script this riddle was written in?"

"Uh… Moon-letters?" Thorin considered for a moment before answering.

"Exactly. Does Turin’s glow have to mean the setting sun? Why can’t it be moonlight? The moonlight at the end of autumn—wouldn’t that be the time of Durin’s Day?" Josh spread his hands and spoke casually.

The riddle was indeed highly misleading. It had even driven the dwarves to such despair that they had turned around and left.

If Bilbo had not refused to give up, thought hard, and finally found the answer to the riddle, there probably would have been no story afterward.

It had to be said that Bilbo was far more likable than Frodo. At least, Josh himself preferred Bilbo.

Frodo’s personality was not bad either, but he lacked Bilbo’s optimism and positive outlook. Though he was a realistic protagonist, he was not especially likable.

"Your meaning is that we still need to wait?" After hearing Josh’s explanation, Thorin immediately believed him. There was no need for Josh to deceive him over something like this, and Josh wanted the treasure within the Lonely Mountain, so he would not set them up.

"Why wait?" Josh suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

"Uh, didn’t you say the time had not come yet?"

"It hasn’t. But do you think this kind of magic can stop me?"

"…"

Josh’s indifferent attitude truly made the dwarves want to jump up and hammer his head. But they knew perfectly well that even if they all attacked together, Josh would probably kill them in an instant. So they could only stand there obediently and listen.

"This is nothing more than an illusion spell. Honestly, I could get inside even without the key. But this magic has one flaw—or perhaps an advantage. It can alert whoever is inside that someone is intruding."

"You’re afraid… of waking the dragon inside?" Bard was clever and immediately understood Josh’s concern.

"Afraid? Not really. It doesn’t matter whether he wakes up or not.

"It’s just that once he wakes up, I’m worried he’ll realize the people facing him are impossible to deal with. Dragons have very strange and varied personalities. If his pride is too strong and he refuses to submit, he might choose to perish with us and destroy the entire Lonely Mountain. Then my money would be gone."

"…"

So you were willing to wait here for us because you were worried about losing your money? Was that really so straightforward?

The dwarves and Bard truly wanted to ask just how badly Josh needed money. But they did not dare ask that. They could only look at Josh awkwardly, unable to say a word.

Yet there was one exception among them: Bilbo, whose thoughts were comparatively simple.

In Bilbo’s eyes, Josh’s actions were perfectly reasonable. He did not care whether Josh was the Elf King or not. He only felt that effort deserved reward. Besides, Josh was helping them solve such a huge problem. Waiting a little to secure his own payment was not a problem, was it?

"If… cough, cough, I mean if… if we hadn’t arrived in time, what would you have done?"

"Hmm, I actually thought about that question long ago."

Josh rubbed his chin and, without hesitation, directly stated his plan. "If I waited and you still hadn’t arrived, I probably would have blasted open the gates and gone in. As for whether that dragon would melt all the treasure down, I wouldn’t care."

Josh paused there, then looked at Thorin and shrugged. "Of course, this is where saving Thrain shows its value. The Lonely Mountain needs a new king, and that person would be you, Thorin. I saved your father, and the other dwarf kingdoms would be grateful to me as well. When the time came, I could ask them for what I needed. I don’t think either you or they would refuse, right?"

"O-of course."

Thorin nodded with a bitter expression. What else could he do besides agree? Refuse?

Thorin truly could not bring himself to do such a thing. He could only reluctantly agree before falling into endless silence. The other dwarves were much the same. This Elf King was far too greedy, wasn’t he?

"Enough of that. Let’s deal with this dragon first. I’ve never seen a giant dragon over a hundred meters long. Akathosh won’t do, and neither will Hosdena."

Josh shrugged, directly asked Thorin for the key, and walked toward the wall.

Massive, terrifying magic surged forth in an instant. The peak of the Lonely Mountain seemed to tremble, and then a visible mass of silvery-white mist drifted into the air.

Josh lifted his hand lightly, and the silver mist immediately gathered toward him before rapidly vanishing. The entire Lonely Mountain seemed renewed, especially the stone gates that had blocked their way, which revealed where they could be opened.

There were actually two spells protecting the Lonely Mountain. One was an illusion spell that prevented others from moving forward, and it could also be considered a seal.

Its purpose was simply to keep others from discovering where the gates could be opened. The other was a protective spell, though Josh felt it was more accurately called an alarm spell.

He inserted the key into the keyhole and twisted it slightly. Josh clearly felt the magic within beginning to dissipate, and he nodded.

Though the spell’s level was not particularly high, its design was undeniably quite good.

"All right, the gates of the Lonely Mountain are open. Now it’s time to face the dragon."