The next day, just as dawn broke, the team set off.
While Thorin and the other dwarves were pleased that Gandalf had managed to borrow the deposit to hire this powerful mercenary force, they were far from happy about the fifty elves in gleaming white armor who had accompanied them. They believed that King Elrond had sent these elves with them because he knew their purpose: to take a share of the treasure of the Lonely Mountain after they reclaimed it—the wealth of the dwarven kingdom.
However, they also have their own plans regarding this.
Last night, in addition to borrowing money, Gandalf also took a map and asked King Elrond, who knew the ancient Elvish language, about the secret passage to the Lonely Mountain. He has already told Thorin about the information he obtained.
——————————————————
"Should we go that way? This isn't the road to Lonely Mountain!"
In the mountains, Gandalf pointed to the road to the right, then drove his mercenary group and their convoy to the left, heading deeper into the mountains.
The divergence in their paths immediately made Gandalf's heart race. Just as King Elrond had said, cooperating with the mercenaries was like playing with fire; mercenaries were only after money and had no moral compass. Even someone as experienced as him wouldn't completely trust these mercenaries. It was entirely possible that they would kill them or betray them after receiving the deposit.
“Don’t worry, we value our reputation.” Wang Han said with a smile. “However… as you know, you’re cooperating with us halfway through. Before taking over your business, we had another business to do, so we’ll be doing both at the same time. That’ll require a detour. Of course, it won’t take too long.”
"Then, can you tell us what the mission is?" Gandalf asked after a moment's hesitation, his gaze fixed intently on Wang Han's eyes. He hoped to glean something from Wang Han's eyes, but Gandalf hoped even less that he would see nothing, otherwise things would be terrible.
“Of course I can tell you, although it’s someone else’s business, you are still our employers after all,” Wang Han said with a smile. “It’s not a very important business, it’s just that someone paid us to destroy an orc dungeon and obtain something.”
"What?"
"Orc dungeons?"
"They deceived us."
"They were trying to lure us into the orc dungeon; they betrayed us."
Hearing Wang Han's words, though he spoke casually, the dwarves gasped in alarm. Their enemy was the orcs. Now they were being taken to the orcs' dungeon; they strongly suspected Wang Han was going to sell them to the orcs, and some even shouted and drew their weapons.
"You betrayed us?" Thorin glared at Wang Han with hatred. His weapon was already pointed at Wang Han. If the vehicle hadn't been full of mercenaries, they probably would have already attacked.
"Betray you?" Wang Han looked at Thorin with amusement. He said dismissively, "Are you even qualified?"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang..."
"Jingle bells..."
At Wang Han's words, the mercenaries on the cart immediately launched an attack. In just a few breaths, they subdued the dwarves with a few punches and kicks, knocking all their weapons to the cart, where they jingled. Thorin was also easily subdued and lifted up by Radon, who was standing next to Wang Han.
Under the menacing gaze of his teammates, Gandalf did not make a move. He calmly watched as the dwarves were easily subdued.
"You overestimate yourselves, Thorin!" Wang Han sneered as he looked at Thorin, who had been lifted up by Radon. "We only accepted your business because of the money. As for your identities and your motives, they mean nothing to us. If we wanted to sell you out, why would we need to betray or deceive us? We could have just attacked from the start. It would have saved time and effort, and all we needed were your heads. Those who want you dead don't care if you have limbs or torsos."
Hearing Wang Han's words and seeing everyone subdued with just a few punches and kicks, Gandalf understood, and Thorin understood too. These mercenaries were far stronger than they had imagined, and dealing with them required no strategy at all. Moreover, just as Wang Han said, those who wanted them dead only wanted their heads, so why should Wang Han and his men bother taking them alive? Even if they wanted them alive, they could just tie them up and take them away.
“I’m sorry, esteemed commander, they were just too nervous. After all, we’ve been being hunted the whole time,” Gandalf said, giving Thorin a wink.
"I'm sorry, we were too impulsive," Thorin said, bowing his head, trying to hide his resentful gaze. Their lives were in the hands of these mercenaries; a single wrong word could mean death for them all.
"This is the first and the last time," Wang Han said with a sneer, gesturing for the mercenaries to release them.
After being released, these impulsive dwarves sat quietly, and not one of them dared to speak.
...
After the minor incident on the bus, no one spoke except for Wang Han, who was directing the traffic.
After a day and a half of driving, the team ventured deep into the mountains and stopped in front of a cave at the foot of a mountain.
After everyone got off the vehicle, Wang Han's gaze fell on one of the mercenaries. "Ah Cha, confirm the number of people inside."
"Yes." Upon hearing this, the mercenary named Ah Cha immediately stepped forward. Under the strange and curious gazes of Gandalf and the dwarves, he placed one hand on the ground and the other on his forehead. After a long while, he said, "Captain, it's confirmed. There are a total of 6,783 orcs inside. Except for one deep in the underground fissure, the rest are all gathered in the open cave above. They have built many staircases and passageways inside using wood."
It turns out that Ah Cha's main focus in the team is spiritual cultivation, and perception is naturally one of his abilities.
"Six thousand seven hundred isn't that many!" Upon hearing this, Wang Han laughed, then ordered the mercenaries, "Leave a quarter of them here. The rest of you, charge in and kill them all. The one at the very bottom, take him alive."
"yes!"
"roar!"
At Wang Han's command, the mercenaries immediately responded loudly and charged into the cave entrance with shouts.
"Gandalf, and you unlovable dwarves, wouldn't you like to come in and watch our battle?" After the mercenaries rushed in, Wang Han laughed and said to Gandalf and the others, "Of course! If you're afraid of being sold out and don't have the guts, you can just wait outside. The people left behind will ensure your safety. Hahahaha...!"
After saying that, Wang Han laughed loudly and walked into the cave.
“They don’t need much trouble to deal with us. Let’s go in and see what they’re made of,” Gandalf said, exchanging a glance with Thorin.
"Okay." Thorin hummed in agreement and called out to his companions behind him, "Everyone, keep up."
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