Soon, everyone at the chairman's table reached a consensus on the distribution of the Lonely Mountain treasure.
All the treasures of the Lonely Mountain were divided into fifteen parts, one of which was given by Legolas to the humans of Lake Town, and the remaining fourteen were all left in the Lonely Mountain because of Bilbo. Among these fourteen treasures, one tenth will be given to Daenerys.
At the same time, since Daenerys only asked for mithril, crystals and gems, these 1.4 portions of treasure almost accounted for 70% of the reserves of Lonely Mountain.
In other words, Daenerys obtained 70% of the mithril, crystals and gems in Lonely Mountain through a war without any suspense.
This kind of profit is much greater than what she gained from conquering Horseking's City, and Daenerys is very satisfied with it.
As the meeting was about to end, Bard, who had remained silent, suddenly stood up, took a deep breath, walked in front of Daenerys, looked at the delicate and surprised face of the silver-haired queen, and knelt on one knee respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the Dragon Queen, Bard, son of Girion, the former Lord of Riverdale, is willing to pledge his loyalty to you!"
When these words were spoken, everyone, including Gandalf and Legolas, could not help but be shocked.
Daenerys looked at him with interest, chuckled and asked, "You want to pledge your loyalty to me?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Bard sighed and said, "Now that Lake Town has been burned down by the dragon, Lonely Mountain has regained its king. Riverdale, which was once a dead end, finally has the possibility of revival. So, Your Majesty, I want to lead the remaining people of Lake Town to rebuild Riverdale, but this requires your protection and help. If you are willing to accept me and accept the loyalty of Riverdale, then I am willing to offer our share on behalf of the people of Lake Town!"
As he spoke, Bud knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectfully.
Daenerys looked at him deeply, and suddenly said calmly: "You should know that I do not belong to Middle-earth, right?"
Bard nodded gently. "Yes, but you have the ability to teleport long distances, so the enclave is not a burden to you. Moreover, Riverdale City is located at the foot of Lonely Mountain, with a superior geographical location. Once rebuilt, it will once again become a transportation hub and trade city in the north. I can guarantee that I will be able to pay tribute to your kingdom steadily every year..."
Daenerys shook her head. "I care not for tribute, but for loyalty... Do you have loyalty?"
Facing Daenerys's indifferent gaze, Bard said without hesitation: "Of course, Your Majesty, the Honorable Dragon Queen, from now on, your will is the will of me and Riverdale, and the direction of your sword is the direction of my and Riverdale's progress!"
Daenerys silently looked at Bard, who had a calm expression and a sincere tone, and suddenly asked, "Are you a knight?"
Bard was slightly startled, then bowed his head respectfully and replied, "Of course not, Your Majesty!"
Daenerys nodded, then stood up, drew out the Valyrian steel sword with a dragon head carved on the hilt, and looked down at Bard who was kneeling on one knee.
"Hold your head high, son of Girion."
Bud opened his eyes wide, and quickly raised his head, suppressing his excitement.
Everyone at the conference table seemed to understand something, and their expressions became serious.
Even Bilbo understood what Daenerys meant and his eyes widened in anticipation of what would happen next.
Daenerys raised the sword in her hand, placed it on Bard's shoulder, and whispered, "Son of Girion, Bard of the Dale, are you willing to swear before the gods and the queen to protect the weak and women and children, to be loyal to the king and the people, and to fight bravely and fulfill your mission no matter how difficult or dangerous the future may be?"
"I do."
Bud replied without hesitation.
Daenerys nodded and placed her sword on Bard's other shoulder. "I, Daenerys of the Targaryen family, Queen of Dragons, officially anoint you a Targaryen Knight and the Earl of Riverdale!"
After saying that, Daenerys put away her sword, sat back in her chair, looked at the new Earl of Riverdale and said with a smile: "Stand up, Lord Earl, welcome to join the Targaryen Dynasty!"
This is Middle-earth, so the enthronement ceremony of the Seven Gods cannot be used.
So Daenerys simplified the process of enthronement and directly enthroned it in her own name.
Bard stood up from the ground excitedly and bowed deeply to the smiling silver-haired queen sitting on the chair.
Gandalf, Thorin and others who were watching the simple investiture ceremony also smiled.
"Congratulations, Lord Earl."
Legolas smiled and congratulated Bard, the new Lord of Riverdale.
At this point, the treasure of Gushan that made everyone in the world jealous was finally distributed.
Daenerys discussed with Bard about assisting in the reconstruction of Dale, then left the lord's mansion and came to the largest watchtower that still remained at the ruins of Dale.
At this time, a tall figure was sitting on the edge of the watchtower. It was Lin Zhongtian with fluttering white hair.
Next to Lin Zhongtian was the black dragon Skye, who was lying on the top of the watchtower. He looked well-behaved and allowed Lin Zhongtian to stroke his dragon head.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Lin Zhongtian turned around and asked with a smile, "Have you discussed everything?"
Daenerys nodded and said, "Well, I got 70% of the mithril, crystals, and gems in the Lonely Mountain, and about 1/15 of the gold and silver."
Lin Zhongtian was a little surprised: "So many?"
Daenerys chuckled, patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, Boss. If you give me some special treatment, I will definitely repay you. How about this, all the gains except the gold and silver will be split 40% and 60% with the Alliance. I get 40% and the Alliance gets 60%. How about that?"
Lin Zhongtian smiled, shook his head and said, "Give me half of the mithril, and keep the rest for yourself!"
Daenerys blinked her eyes and did not refuse Lin Zhongtian's arrangement. She walked to Lin Zhongtian and sat on the edge of the watchtower. She looked at Lin Zhongtian's profile and cautiously asked, "Boss, Bard wants to rebuild the Dale City and is also planning to pledge allegiance to me."
"Yeah?"
Lin Zhongtian stroked Black Dragon Skye's head and said without turning his head: "Then just accept him!"
"I've already accepted it." Daenerys said with a blink of her eyes. "It should be okay, right?"
Lin Zhongtian glanced at her and said, "What's the problem? Didn't I tell you that after this battle, as long as you don't interfere too much with the important plot, you can develop in this world. Not to mention that you just take over Dale City, even if you lead hundreds of thousands of Dothraki cavalry to unify all the human kingdoms in the north, there will be no problem at all - of course, the premise is that you can complete the plot of The Lord of the Rings in their place..."
Daenerys said thoughtfully: "So, as long as the main line of the general direction is correct, everything else will not be a problem, right?"
Lin Zhongtian nodded and said, "That's right."
Daenerys breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'm relieved! I plan to leave 3,000 cavalrymen and 100 Unsullied to help Bard rebuild Dale. By the way, they will serve as the military force of Dale to deter the villains who covet the treasure of Lonely Mountain."
"Can."
"Then can you fix the Alliance's portal in Riverdale City?"
“After taking advantage of Lonely Mountain, you want to take advantage of the Alliance, right?” Lin Zhongtian rolled his eyes and said unhappily, “River Valley City has been included in the category of affiliated forces by you. It has the qualifications to activate the fixed portal. If you want to open a portal here, you have to use up a quota yourself. Don’t think about taking advantage of the Alliance all day long…”
"All right."
Daenerys nodded obediently, like the girl next door, no longer looking like the queen she was before.
Meanwhile, Legolas and Bard walked through the empty streets of Dale.
"Bard, I still don't understand. Dale City has such a great geographical location. As the future Lord of Dale City, you have maintained good relations with the dwarves of Lonely Mountain and the Woodland Kingdom of Mirkwood. Even if you develop independently, you can prosper quickly. Why do you have to be loyal to Her Majesty the Queen?"
“…”
Bard stopped and looked at Legolas with a complicated expression and said, "You really don't know why?"
Legolas frowned and said, "Is it because of the orcs... Indeed, the power of darkness is spreading. The north will become very dangerous in the future. The population of Dale is too small. Even if we absorb refugees from the north, it will be difficult to become strong in a short period of time. Therefore, we need external help. But the Lonely Mountain and the Woodland Kingdom can also help you. Why do you have to sacrifice your freedom in exchange for the help of Her Majesty the Queen?"
Bard looked at him deeply and said calmly, "Legolas, since we are friends, I will speak frankly. The Lonely Mountain belongs to the dwarves, and the Woodland Kingdom belongs to the elves. Sandwiched between the dwarves and the elves, Dale will still be controlled by others. Rather than letting Dale be controlled by you and become an appendage of the Lonely Mountain and the Woodland Kingdom, it is better for us to choose our own backers."
"Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Although this sentence is unpleasant to hear, it is a true saying. Especially for the survivors of River Valley City like us, it is a personal experience that we can empathize with."
"Yes, I participated in the Battle of Five Armies, and I also slayed a dragon with you, the elven prince, and sent a message to the Woodland Kingdom on your behalf. It can be predicted that until I die, Riverdale will maintain a good friendship with the elves and dwarves, but this friendship has its limits."
"Just like a few days ago, when facing the powerful dragon Smaug in the Lonely Mountain, the elves only wanted to protect themselves, and the dwarves only wanted to conquer the Lonely Mountain. Who would really care about the city of Dale that was also destroyed by the dragon?"
Hearing Bard's frank words, Legolas couldn't help but fall silent.
Bard said softly, "As your friend, I know you are completely trustworthy, but as the lord of Riverdale, I must be responsible for Riverdale and the people under my rule. There is nothing wrong with self-protection, and there is nothing wrong with giving priority to one's own family. So I think so too. We have tried to rely on elves and dwarves, but the results were not ideal, so now I plan to rely on my own people, just like you..."
After saying that, Bard patted Legolas on the shoulder and turned to leave.