Chapter 211 War

In this clash between light and darkness, the final outcome was Queen Galadriel driving Sauron's spirit back to his old home in the East.

From a distance, Chen Nuo could feel the explosion of that power.

One could only say that Her Majesty the Queen truly lived up to her reputation as the strongest Elf in Middle-earth.

Unfortunately, the current environment and version didn't allow for such an overpowered existence; Queen Galadriel's outburst had almost completely exhausted her strength, and there was no telling when she would recover.

Away from the dark lair, Gandalf's condition recovered at a visible rate; after some self-healing, he had completely emerged from his state of heavy injury.

"Nuo, I saw with my own eyes groups of fully armed Orcs heading toward the Lonely Mountain. A war is about to break out, and we must go to support them immediately. They need a Dragon Rider."

Gandalf said with a solemn expression.

"This is a bit different from what we agreed upon at the start."

Chen Nuo's expression turned playful.

It was never mentioned that he would have to join a war.

Besides, is a Ranger the same price as a Dragon Rider?

"What do you mean?"

Gandalf asked with trembling lips, already anticipating the answer.

"You gotta pay more."

Chen Nuo said as he extended his hand toward Gandalf, pressing his index finger and thumb together and rubbing them gently.

...

...

Thranduil led his Elven troops to take up positions in the long-abandoned city of Dale.

This was a strategic location and a natural barrier for the Dwarves.

When Smaug first attacked, this city was the first to be destroyed.

The reason Thranduil went to the trouble of summoning an Elven army even when facing only thirteen Dwarves...

...was because he knew very well that once Thorin reclaimed the Lonely Mountain, other Dwarven tribes would naturally respond to their King's call.

No one understood Dwarves better than Elves.

Their past relationship had been more than just close.

It was precisely because he understood them that Thranduil had no intention of negotiating with Thorin and the others.

Of everyone present, perhaps only Bard whole-heartedly wanted to prevent this unnecessary war from happening.

However, his voice carried very little weight now, and it didn't even reach Thranduil's ears.

Just as the war was about to begin, a dragon's roar interrupted the Elves' march.

The elk Thranduil sat upon let out a panicked neigh, and even Thranduil's own facial muscles twitched uncontrollably; no one knew the terror of dragon fire better than him.

It was one of the most powerful fire magics in the world.

Watching that massive silhouette approach from the distance, Thranduil immediately made a judgment and commanded his troops to retreat and defend Dale.

As for the Master of Lake-town and his soldiers, the dragon's roar caused them to break ranks instantly, leading to a stampede.

"Dragon! The dragon has returned!!"

"Run for your lives!!"

"Someone help me, my leg is broken, I can't run!"

"..."

Thranduil frowned as he noticed something was wrong; there seemed to be two figures on the dragon's back.

Just as he was hesitating, Smaug glided down and landed steadily between the Lonely Mountain and Dale.

Now Thranduil could see clearly; there were indeed people riding on the dragon's neck, and they were old acquaintances. Half of his anxiety vanished.

"Nuo..."

"King Thranduil."

Gandalf slid down from the dragon's back and walked quickly toward Thranduil, calling out anxiously, feeling relieved that they had arrived just in time.

"It is you, Gandalf."

The solemn expression on Thranduil's face relaxed slightly as he responded to his old acquaintance's call.

Though unlike Lord Elrond, his relationship with Gandalf wasn't that close.

"It seems Middle-earth is about to see its first human Dragon Rider."

Thranduil's gaze lingered briefly on Gandalf's face before refocusing on Chen Nuo.

He could not imagine how a human Ranger had made Smaug submit.

Look at how this evil dragon, feared by all races in Middle-earth, was now behaving in such a fawning and submissive manner.

It actually laid its head completely on the ground, allowing Chen Nuo to step on it as he walked down.

This truly made Thranduil feel a bit disgusted.

Had he actually feared such an evil dragon?

"Yes, King Thranduil. Nuo is no ordinary mortal; he has even slain a Balrog. It is only natural for him to achieve such a feat. However, I have come to give you a warning."

Gandalf briefly skipped over the topic of Chen Nuo riding the dragon and hurried to speak of the war.

"The Orcs of Dol Guldur have come out in full force. You are all in mortal danger. Now is not the time to be feuding with Dwarves."

Hearing this, Thranduil finally moved his attention away from Smaug and back to Gandalf, his tone carrying a hint of suspicion.

"Then where are these enemies you speak of?"

Thranduil never acted rashly; he had actually sent scouts to track the Orcs' movements long ago and had found no trace of them near the Lonely Mountain.

Therefore, he did not entirely believe Gandalf's words.

Thranduil understood the way Wizards worked; often, to drive home a warning, they would slightly exaggerate the situation.

Gandalf did not deny this; he had indeed done so before.

Thus, Thranduil had reason to suspect that Gandalf was fabricating a great enemy just to stop this war, which was very much in line with the usual behavior of these Guardians of Middle-earth.

"I am not sure of their current location, but someone can vouch for me."

Gandalf said as he turned his head, but even after turning it a full hundred and eighty degrees, he could not find Chen Nuo.

"..."

"..."

"Beautiful Miss Tauriel, it is truly a pleasure to see you."

Chen Nuo had somehow already sidled up to Tauriel's side.

Tauriel instinctively curled the corner of her lip, but immediately flattened it back down, responding with feigned indifference.

"Hello. It seems you have done something quite extraordinary these past few days."

"It was nothing. Would you like me to take you for a spin on the dragon..."

"Nuo, now is not the time for greetings! Come here quickly and vouch for me to the King."

Gandalf pulled Chen Nuo away from Tauriel and dragged him forcibly to Thranduil's side.

This old fellow's strength was truly not small.

"Good day, Your Majesty."

Chen Nuo adjusted his expression to at least appear somewhat serious.

"Good day."

Thranduil nodded in return.

A Dragon Rider deserved to be treated with courtesy by any King.

"What Gandalf says is true. While riding Smaug earlier, I did indeed discover a massive army of Orcs heading toward the Lonely Mountain. I just don't know by what means they are currently hiding themselves."

Chen Nuo was telling the truth; on the way here, he and Gandalf had tried to find the Orcs' tracks but had failed to discover anything.

He didn't know which mountain range the Orc army was currently hiding under.

"...Since you are willing to vouch for Gandalf's words, I will believe you both this once. But do not forget your promise to me."

Thranduil pondered for a moment before deciding to listen to Gandalf.

Regardless of whether the matter was true or false...

With Gandalf supported by Chen Nuo, even if he didn't agree, they could forcibly stop this war.

An adult evil dragon could entirely determine the course of a battle.

"Naturally. I will return Your Majesty's treasures to you."

Chen Nuo promised once more.

Seeing that he had successfully persuaded Thranduil, Gandalf's expression relaxed slightly. He turned to look toward the Lonely Mountain; from a distance, he could see the Dwarves standing on the ramparts.

Presumably, they were also in a panic over Smaug's reappearance.

Persuading Dwarves was much harder than persuading Elves; Gandalf was already starting to get a headache thinking about the upcoming conversation.

"Nuo, I must trouble you to accompany me once more."

Gandalf tugged at Chen Nuo's clothes.

"No need. You should know that no one can persuade Thorin right now. Better to prepare for the coming war."

Chen Nuo didn't want to talk to Thorin right now; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist giving the guy a smack, which would make the situation ugly.

"You're right... but my burglar is still in there."

Gandalf also knew the sickness within the line of Durin, and he understood that the greatest problem Thorin faced after reclaiming the Lonely Mountain had always been himself.

"Then you'll have to wait a bit."

Chen Nuo turned his head to look toward the mountain; following his gaze downward, a row of neatly lined Dwarven soldiers appeared on the ridge.

Leading them was Thorin's cousin, the Lord of the Iron Hills, Dáin Ironfoot—the Dwarf who rode a boar.

"I hate the smell of Dwarves, Master."

Smaug came to Chen Nuo's side and said in a low, slow voice.

An organized elite Dwarven force was still somewhat dangerous to it, especially before it had taken flight.

But without its master's command, Smaug didn't dare take to the sky.

"You're not much better. When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"

Chen Nuo pushed Smaug's head aside in disgust.

"...I use dragon breath to clean my mouth," Smaug explained weakly.

"Dáin Ironfoot... he is not an easy Dwarf to communicate with. Compared to him, Thorin has always been the most reasonable one."

Looking at the aggressive Dwarven army and thinking about having to negotiate with them, Gandalf couldn't help but look pained.

Could there be anything more torturous than this?

"But that pig between his legs is quite cute, isn't it?"

Chen Nuo's focus was a bit peculiar.

Smaug nodded in deep agreement upon hearing this; such a sturdy pig would definitely have very firm meat. Just thinking about it made the dragon salivate.

One must remember that it had been hungry ever since it woke from its slumber.

"Master, something is moving underground."

Smaug suddenly became alert.

Even before it spoke, Chen Nuo had already sensed something.

Before Thranduil could realize the reason for these words, they felt a faint vibration coming from the ground.

They looked toward the source.

The mountainside cracked open as Were-worms suddenly burst through, and a massive number of Orc troops emerged from the tunnels.

The Orc troops had picked a good time.

It wasn't hard to understand; having marched underground, they didn't know the situation on the surface, so it was natural they couldn't perfectly grasp the tactical moment.

But the Orcs didn't intend to 'grasp' anything; their military discipline was what it was, and Azog, feeling he had an absolute numerical advantage, had intended to annihilate both Dwarves and Elves from the start.

"We need to unite with the Dwarves. The Orc army is too numerous."

Gandalf said to Thranduil.

"No, we will hold our ground here."

Thranduil shook his head in refusal. Facing Orcs, the Elves might dare to leave their backs to the Dwarves, but they had already set up defenses in Dale and had no reason to abandon their tactical advantage.

Gandalf hesitated upon hearing this but ultimately agreed with the decision; fighting on two fronts wouldn't be good for the Orcs either.

"Then what about us?"

Bard squeezed out from the crowd.

"Where is your Master?"

Chen Nuo glanced at the Lake-town contingent and didn't see their leader.

"...That fellow was so scared when he heard the dragon's roar just now that he fell off the steps and broke his neck."

Bard said as he stole a glance at Smaug.

He saw the missing scale on its chest, which confirmed the rumors were true: his ancestor had indeed not missed his mark.

"What a casual way to die."

Chen Nuo let out a scoffing laugh and continued.

"Then you shall lead the soldiers of Lake-town. If you can't hold the Orcs back here, you know the consequences."

"I understand."

At the thought of his family in Lake-town, Bard wouldn't dare not to give his all.

One comforting thought, however, was that this time the evil dragon was on their side.

It truly made one's heart feel complicated.

The first to face the Orcs' blades were the five hundred or so vanguard troops led by Dáin Ironfoot.

The Dwarven forces were more than just this; more troops were still arriving in response to their King's call.

The Dwarven chariots and ram riders were incredibly impactful on the battlefield, easily tearing through the Orc ranks.

Most of these Orcs were cannon fodder and lacked the ability to deal with elite Dwarven cavalry.

The only ones who could counter them were the Olog-hai.

These massive biological weapons were a type of Troll.

However, they did not fear sunlight, and the hard horny scales on their skin could deflect most blades.

The Orcs could equip them with various heavy weapons for sieging and conquering, which could very effectively restrict the Dwarven chariots and cavalry.

As soon as these behemoths appeared, Chen Nuo received the attention of Gandalf and the others beside him.

Smaug's power certainly shouldn't be wasted on ordinary Orcs—dragon breath wasn't infinite—but for dealing with these behemoths, it was a perfect match.

"Won't you give me an Elven blessing?"

Chen Nuo looked at Tauriel beside him.

"May the power of the Valar be with you,"

Tauriel whispered a blessing in Elvish.

Chen Nuo took a step back, stepping into Smaug's palm, letting the dragon lift him up to its neck.

To become a complete Dragon Rider, Chen Nuo was at least missing a saddle.

To be honest, the dragon scales were too hard and poked his backside a bit.

Chen Nuo gripped the flaming whip reins and shouted loudly,

"Let's give the Orcs something hot!"

"As you command, Master."

Smaug responded respectfully. With a flap of its wings, it soared into the clouds like a dry-land onion being pulled up, heading toward the battlefield.