Seeing the fierce mercenaries surrounding them disperse and the tense atmosphere dissipate, Gandalf and the dwarves breathed a sigh of relief; at least their lives were spared. However, leaving would likely not be easy, as these men were mercenaries driven solely by profit.
"Honorable Commander, may we hire you?" Gandalf inquired. From his conversation with Wang Han, he guessed that the mercenary leader before him was probably interested in the dwarven treasure. The reason he had honestly stated their purpose was to lure these powerful mercenaries.
"So you want that hobbit to steal a few more things as payment? Poor hobbit, oh, I mean thief, he'll probably be exhausted, considering your predicament." Wang Han chuckled. "Or... are you planning to have us escort you to Lonely Mountain while you're being chased by orcs, then defeat that troublesome, powerful, and vengeful dragon Smaug, and pay us with our spoils?"
"You flatter me, esteemed commander." Gandalf, knowing that it's not easy to get something for nothing, smiled and said, "I know the rules of mercenary groups, we will pay a deposit first."
"Do you have any money? Your commission is too dangerous; we're going to charge a hefty price. The weapons you have, crafted by the First Age elves, are far from enough to cover the deposit," Wang Han said with a sneer. Mentioning the origins of their weapons was a way of showing that he was also a knowledgeable person, and a silent warning to Gandalf that he couldn't fool them.
Wang Han knew that since Gandalf had said so, he must have a way to pay the deposit. The most likely place was the Imladris Valley, which wasn't far from here, and another name for this place was... Rivendell.
“We don’t have any right now, but we can borrow some. My friend should be able to lend us enough money to pay the deposit. From here, it won’t be long before we get to my friend’s place,” Gandalf said with a smile. Just as Wang Han had guessed.
Thorin frowned upon hearing Gandalf's words, but said nothing. It wasn't just the current situation that forced him to do so; he genuinely wanted to hire this mercenary group.
"Oh, then you'd better pray that your friend can lend you enough money! Otherwise, we don't mind taking care of your friend too," Wang Han said with a smile.
Then he instructed Radon, "Prepare to depart and go find this wizard's friend."
"Men, prepare to go. Hopefully, this...running wizard can borrow enough money." Upon hearing this, Radon immediately shouted to his men. Then he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha...!" Upon hearing this, the team members burst into laughter and began packing up, preparing to set off.
Gandalf smiled at the mercenaries' expressions. He wasn't bothered by Wang Han's threat; once they arrived at their destination, they wouldn't have such thoughts anymore. Of course, the best outcome would be for him to borrow enough money to intimidate the mercenaries and force them to escort them to Lonely Mountain.
"My lord, what is this?" Gandalf asked Wang Han curiously as the mercenaries pulled back the tarpaulin, revealing twenty trucks and five buses underneath. "They must be made entirely of steel."
"A means of transportation." Upon hearing this, Wang Han smiled but didn't explain further. These trucks were all prepared for hauling the harvest, while the bus and two of the trucks, in addition to being used for transportation, also carried a lot of firearms, ammunition, small-caliber artillery, and shells.
A few minutes later, everyone was ready and had boarded the buses and trucks.
"Come on up, we'll need your directions after all," Wang Han said with a smile to Gandalf, inviting them onto a bus in front. The weapons on the bus had already been transferred to a truck behind. (The gasoline was redeemed by the system.)
Once on the bus, as the convoy started moving, Gandalf exclaimed in amazement. The dwarves also curiously touched and looked around, but in the end, seeing the fierce eyes of the mercenaries on the bus, they obediently sat in their seats.
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Having a vehicle made even walking faster and easier than walking, even on grass. About half a day later, guided by Gandalf, they arrived at Rivendell. It was a city built in a valley, somewhat like a village, filled with green trees and beautifully designed Western-style ancient buildings.
“Rivendell! The city of elves. Gandalf, your friend is no ordinary person!” Looking at the beautiful city in the valley ahead, Wang Han smiled and said to Gandalf, “Could it be Elrond, one of the Elven Kings? It seems that only he here has the financial resources to lend you enough money to pay the deposit. After all, these elves don’t love money.”
"So, esteemed Commander Wang Han, are you still willing to do business with us?" Gandalf asked with a smile.
The dwarves also looked at Wang Han with inexplicable smiles, ready to see this annoying mercenary leader make a fool of himself. After all, Wang Han had said before that if he couldn't borrow money, he wouldn't mind taking care of Gandalf's friends as well. They wondered if Wang Han still had the guts to deal with the Elven King, Elrond.
“Of course we’ll make money if we have it. We just hope you can borrow it. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite. After all, bringing you here wasted half a day of our time,” Wang Han said with a smile. Then he instructed the people behind him, “The road ahead is too narrow. Everyone get out of the carriage. Rodon, you stay here with one-third of the men. The rest of you take your weapons and go with the Grey Wizard Gandalf to find his friend.”
"Hahaha!" Upon hearing Wang Han's words, the team members burst into laughter, showing no fear whatsoever. They truly resembled a group of unruly mercenaries who had lived on the edge of death. They even retrieved a large quantity of firearms and ammunition from the vehicle.
"I hope the commander can give me a little more time, after all, the money borrowed is not a small amount," Gandalf said.
Seeing the mercenaries laughing confidently and displaying the mysterious weapons they had acquired, Gandalf felt a sudden unease. He hoped he could borrow the money smoothly; otherwise, these mercenaries might actually do something, causing conflict and unnecessary casualties. In truth, Gandalf wasn't entirely confident about lending the money himself.
"Of course," Wang Han said with a smile. He wouldn't pressure them too much, lest the cooperation fall apart. After all, his goal was to go with them and protect their safety—that was a system mission—and then seize the opportunity to make a killing; that was in his own interest. Plus, it would be a good opportunity to give his men some serious training.
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