There is a saying that good things don't go out, and bad things travel thousands of miles.
Smaug's worst fears still happened.
A day later...
"Have you heard? Smaug the dragon is dead!"
"What? How is it possible? Who could kill it?"
"It's not quite clear. I seem to have heard that it was a person named Ka? Ka or something that killed it."
"It's Carl, Green," yet another voice seemed to intervene in the conversation.
"That's right, it's Carl Green, the guy who killed the dragon."
"A liar! He alone? Can kill Smaug? I don't believe it."
What kind of existence is the evil dragon Smaug? That huge body and fiery demonic flames! Even if an entire army were sent, it could not be annihilated.
Smaug has existed for thousands of years, and even the most common inhabitants of Middle-earth can only feel fear, power, and invincibility when they hear its name.
And now, news suddenly came out that such a powerful dragon was killed by a human named Carl Green. Who would believe it was possible?
"I've heard of that guy. He seems to be a very good ranger."
"So what? No matter how powerful he is, he is just a mortal. Can he compare to Smaug? Smaug is so powerful that he could snort him to death with a casual sneeze."
"Well, I heard that he did indeed die with Smaug," the man nodded again and said hesitantly.
"Hehe, stop joking. Unless I see it with my own eyes, I won't believe it, even if it kills me."
All the locals who received this news, whether in the tavern or on the dirt country lanes, had similar reactions whenever it was brought up.
Some people believe it, some people don't, and sometimes they get red-faced.
However, whether people believe it or not, the news keeps spreading.
Everyone who isn't living in seclusion in the mountains and forests will know this - there's a human ranger named Carl Green, and Smaug.
In a tavern, a tall old man in a gray robe listened to the discussion around him, his face showing displeasure.
What did he hear?
Carl died? That mighty guy actually died?
Gandalf didn't doubt the authenticity of this news because he knew Carl was indeed an unconventional person. He was daring enough to do anything, including confronting Smaug.
Yes, that guy could definitely do it.
And these rumors weren't baseless.
"Why? Why did this happen?" Gandalf walked out of the tavern slowly, then raised his eyes to the east.
That direction is the Lonely Mountain!
The old voice and appearance suddenly flashed before Gandalf's eyes again.
"Don't be so stingy, I just borrowed it for two days. What are you afraid of? I'm very good at fighting, Gandalf, you have to believe me." "This is my amulet, and I'm giving it to you now. I hope it can protect you and keep you safe."
Ah~ Gandalf's vision began to blur, his voice hoarse and choked, but in the end, he held back.
He just said lightly, "Carl, don't worry. I will wait for you to protect this land. Your name will never be forgotten by time. You will be remembered and honored forever by the people of Middle Earth."
Gandalf didn't want to dwell on it any longer. After saying that, he suddenly mounted his horse again and rode towards the west.
Carl had given him that powerful piece of paper, and he had survived, but Carl himself had met misfortune. Because of this, Gandalf felt he had to be stronger and carry out his will.
So, he has to stop something from happening.
Ever since he escaped from Dol Guldur, Gandalf had noticed that the Orc army had begun to move.
He found their news, found Azog.
That guy is leading the Orc army that it has accepted to the dark jungle, and the target is Lonely Mountain.
In the direction of Lonely Mountain, there are elves, dwarves, and contradictions, and he can easily guess what will happen next.
Facing the threat of such a huge Orc army, the elves and the dwarves still have to fight within each other, which is obviously certain to lose.
Therefore, he has already made two decisions. The first is that he will move the rescue troops and return to Rivendell to inform the Elf King.
Second, of course, he entrusted a dwarf he had rescued from Dol Guldur to persuade Thorin to put aside the conflict with the elves and fight Azog together.
Therefore, he had to work on a tight schedule and not be delayed. Even if he heard the news of Carl, he couldn't stop.
Above the Lonely Mountain, Thorin and the dwarves were standing outside the plank road at the height of the Lonely Mountain, looking towards the Long Lake.
Everyone was silent.
A long time passed.
"Carl!" Bilbo exclaimed suddenly.
Hearing this, all the dwarves involuntarily lowered their heads.
Thorin's expression was also slightly moved. He had already received the news, but when he heard the word again, his hand still clenched into a fist.
Another long silence.
"I know," Thorin said slowly, "I have persuaded him, but he himself does not want to listen."
"Enough," Bilbo interrupted Thorin, "Thorin, you're crazy, what are you talking about? Carl killed the dragon to fulfill the oath he made to the lake, to help you take back the Arken gem, and he died for it!"
"You understand? What did he do this for? He did it to help you!"
"Woo~" Bilbo suddenly burst into tears. He wiped his tears and said in a choked voice, "That guy obviously still has a lot of gold coins to spend, so he died like this. Isn't he the lover of money? Why? Don't go after spending."
The dwarves were silent.
The Arken gemstone in Thorin's hand was also gripped by him, but he remained silent.
What can he say now?
Now that everything has happened, Carl can't be saved. If he is buried under the Arken gem, will Carl be able to survive? No, yes, no.
If so, what can he do?
Woodland Kingdom.
"Father, have you really decided to send troops?" Legolas asked, looking at his father, Thranduil.
"Of course," Thranduil nodded. He originally thought that Thorin and the others would be killed by the evil dragon Smaug when they went to Lonely Mountain, but he didn't expect that an accident would happen.
That terrifying evil dragon, the one that even he could not deal with, was actually killed by that human in their ranks?
Although it was indeed unexpected, Thranduil seemed unable to hold back when he thought that the dragon had disappeared and Thorin had not died.
Of course, he wasn't peeking into the treasures of the city below the mountain, he just wanted Thorinti to pay his ancestors back what their dwarves owed him.
That precious white gem!