Elves were the first creatures to walk in Middle-earth, and in fact, the history of elves could almost be called the history of Middle-earth.

Especially after the First Age, almost all of the great events that took place in Middle-earth were related to the elves, and now that the glorious elven realms are gone, Rivendell is one of the few large elven territories.

Hidden in a beautiful valley shrouded in powerful magic, it has never been breached, it is a place of peace and tranquility, and in the lingua franca it is called the valley.

Since ancient times, elves, humans, dwarves, and hobbits have all come to the valley for help, and have been able to get advice from Elrond, where the good future or the bad future cannot affect people's mood for the time being, just enjoy life to the fullest, and listen to every dialogue and song.

Therefore, when the group passed through the long, narrow passage of the valley and saw the beautiful city that was halfway up the mountainside and surrounded by mountains, even the dwarves who did not agree with the elves could not help but exclaim.

It was a bit awkward, so Thorin coughed lightly, reminding the dwarves to keep their expressions in mind.

Elrond in front of him turned his head, with a smile in his eyes, and raised his voice, "Welcome to the Valley of Imras, distinguished guests. ”

"I have commanded the people to light a fire and pour it full of wine for the hospitality of your guests."

The thoughtfulness of the etiquette made it difficult for stubborn Thorin to refute it, so he could only pretend not to hear and walk with his head buried.

Elrond continued, "I noticed that in addition to the dwarves, there were hobbits and humans in the team—"

"I'm Bilbo Baggins." Mr. Baggins eagerly introduced himself: "From the Shire. ”

"Beautiful and peaceful place, welcome to come and stay in the valley for a long time." Elrond replied to Mr. Baggins and looked at Townsend again.

"This is a traveler." Gandalf preemptively introduced: "He's just passing through. ”

"......" Townsend glanced at Gandalf.

How much do you want the elves to have anything to do with me?

Naturally, he would not be rude like a dwarf, and said with a smile: "I come from afar, and I have heard of the beauty of the valley for a long time, and it really deserves its reputation. ”

"Welcome, traveler." The human in front of him looked extremely strange and mysterious, which made him indeed a little curious.

It's just Gandalf's anomalous behavior that keeps Elrond from his curiosity for the time being.

The group soon entered the elven city of Rivendell, and their eyes were filled with the golden glow of the sunset, the colorful tassels, the exquisite reliefs, and the elves of different appearances but all handsome.

Townsend didn't know how many times he had heard Mr. Baggins exclaim, and his gaze could not linger long in one place until he took a seat in a semi-open-air ballroom.

The banquet hall was already filled with food and wine on the long tables, and there were elves playing musical instruments and singing ancient melodious tunes in the setting sun, and anyone who came here would be unconsciously peaceful and quiet.

Of course, this obviously does not include the dwarves, whose feasts are never quiet, they will jump on the table and sing loudly while stepping on the thumping rhythm with their feet... It is not in their consideration that the singer is not beautiful, and happiness is enough.

So, this pure land became noisy.

"Why are they all vegetables? Is this for people to eat? I want to eat meat! ”

"Phew! It doesn't taste at all! ”

"What kind of wine is this? It feels more tasteless than water! ”

The dwarves complained loudly, making a mess on the table.

"Don't forget the curse in you." Townsend sat at the other table with Gandalf, Elrond, and Thorin, and reminded him, "I told you that you will never again experience any pleasure in food and wine, and that is the price. ”

"Damn! I'm starting to regret it! Pomber, the fattest of the dwarves, threw his knife and fork on the ground in frustration: "Isn't there something that makes people happy in this elven city?" ”

"To be fair, I think the wine here is pretty good."

"Huh?" All the dwarves looked sideways to see Chili and Fili feasting.

The movements of the two men suddenly froze.

Chili showed an embarrassed smile, quickly changed the subject, and whispered, "I personally don't like female elves. ”

"So thin, with high cheekbones, tender skin, and too little hair on my face."

Speaking of this, he paused and squeezed his eyes at the elf who was playing next to him: "However, this elf is not bad. ”

The dwarves were successfully distracted, and one of the dwarves looked at the elf carefully and frowned.

"This isn't a female elf."

“......”

The smile on Chili's face disappeared, no, actually, the smile didn't go away, it was only transferred to the faces of the other dwarves.

Listening to the laughter that erupted next to him, Elrond raised his glass: "So many dwarves, plus hobbits and humans, unusual traveling companions, Mithlandil. ”

Gandalf smiled awkwardly, "Actually, there are only thirteen dwarves and one hobbit, the rest are hired by travelers. ”

"We're starting from the Blue Mountains, and we're going to climb over the Misty Mountains and heading to—"

"Humph!" Thorin suddenly snorted coldly and interrupted Gandalf: "I don't think we need to announce our destination. ”

"It's not hard to guess, Thorin, son of Thorein." Elrond said leisurely, "The dragon Smaug has not appeared in sixty years, and many people are suspecting that perhaps it has left the Lonely Mountain. ”

"Even many people began to make a move, coveting the wealth of the lonely mountain."

"Does that include you?" Thorin said coldly, "Elves. ”

Elrond smiled and just said, "There's no need for Rivendell to be involved in these things. ”

"I just want to remind you that the dragon will not give up his wealth easily, even if it is not in the Lonely Mountain now, it will definitely return."

"Actually, it's in the Lonely Mountain." Townson's sudden interjection caught everyone's attention.

"How do you know?" Thorin frowned.

"Travelers know everything." This did not come from Townwend, but from Gandalf, who smiled helplessly: "I don't believe it entirely, but we should probably be ready." ”

"If Smaug is really still entrenched in the lonely mountain, then our group is just going to die."

"We still have hobbits." "At the very least, we'll have to give a portion of the dwarven wealth," said Thorin. ”

Elrond said, "Hobbits do have a natural light-footed and low presence, but I have to warn you. ”

"The dragon has a good memory, especially for shiny things, even if he loses just a gold coin, he will definitely find it and chase it back."

"So, are you really ready to face Smaug's wrath?"

Thorin gritted his cheek and said nothing.

"I have a solution."

Townsend said suddenly.

"I have an ominous premonition!" Gandalf covered his forehead: "Traveler, can't you just be a polite guest and keep silent well?" ”

Townsend glanced at Gandalf with a smile and ignored his complaints.

"Actually, things are far less troublesome."

He looked at Thorin and said seriously, "We just need to enter the Lonely Mountain, and—"

"Just kill that dragon."