Chapter 4 The Foothold

Three days later, 16 figures appeared on the plain between Fengyunding Mountain and Nangang.

Looking at the slow-moving team, Carl was rarely enjoying the surrounding scenery with a happy mood.

There are places in Middle-earth, although the environment is very harsh, such as the Doomsday Volcano of Mordor and the dark jungle of Varonian, but there are also beautiful and beautiful places, Bilbo's hometown of Shire, and the Elf Queen Galadriel's located Rivendell is like that.

Although the scenery of the plain surrounded by mountains is not comparable to the fairy dwelling of the elves, the environment is really much better than the planet where Carl lived in the previous life.

However, this time he agreed to follow the dwarves Thorin to "drive" the dragon, not to enjoy the scenery along the way, of course, not for the so-called treasure.

Gold coins were useful to him, but Carl's main purpose was the prey he might encounter along the way.

They are going to Lonely Mountain this time, the journey is long, and it is obviously impossible to reach it safely, because those ferocious dark and cruel creatures will not obediently give way because you are Sorin.

Although Carl's current skills are very good, it is still a little dangerous in some places to force a person. Therefore, since there is an Oak Shield to help him pick and roll, he naturally has to take advantage of this opportunity.

Just as he was thinking about it, a loud conversation suddenly came from the front.

"No, I don't agree." Thorin shook his head and said to Gandalf with a displeased face.

Gandalf actually said he was going to Rivendell? It was where the elves of Damn it lived. He had always had a bad impression of those elves who boasted of being high, so how could he be willing to go to the place where they lived?

"Sorin, the map of Lonely Mountain needs to be interpreted, and only the elves can solve the riddle above. If we don't go, even if we reach Lonely Mountain, we won't be able to enter the underground city." Suo looked at humanity. Lin, Gandalf was bitter.

Hearing this, Sorin still frowned.

Let him beg those elves? How does this work?

Thinking about it, his eyes turned slightly, but he saw Carl who was leisurely beside him, and his heart couldn't help but get angry, but then, another thought flashed, and then he said to Gandalf:

"Gandalf, didn't you say that our ranger guide was a wise man? Why didn't you read the map to him?"

"Huh?" Gandalf was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that he had forgotten about this, and after thinking about it, he turned to Carl.

With Carl's intellect, it was indeed possible to solve the riddle.

"I only promised you to help you drive away the dragon, but I didn't promise you to help you solve any riddles." Looking at Gandalf's hopeful eyes, Carl shook his head directly, "Of course, it's not impossible if you really want my help, unless you."

Saying that, Carl rubbed his fingers, meaning it was self-evident.

Everyone has already seen Carl's greed. Seeing this, how can they dare to ask him? This guy will tear off a large piece of meat as soon as he opens his mouth. Now that half of his wealth has been swallowed, how could they still let this guy continue to blackmail him?

Sorin was also a little depressed, on the one hand because of the fact that he was defeated three days ago, and on the other hand, because he couldn't help Carl.

Carl always ran against him for various reasons, he seemed to be indifferent, and his temper was a little different from him, which made him unable to not be depressed.

"Anyway, I won't go to Rivendell, Gandalf, I hope you can think of other ways." Thorin said, "I don't believe that our sons of dwarves can still be turned away from our own house."

Hearing this, Gandalf was a little helpless. Thorin was so stubborn, what else could he say?

Carl saw Gandalf's eyes twinkle, but he snickered in his heart.

This old man, his mind is not so good? Did he really not go to Rivendell as Thorin said? What the hell is going on now?

Alas, only these poor dwarves, and the hobbits, would believe that this kind-faced old man was a selfless and good man. Carl had some sympathy in his heart.

Of course, Gandalf, as one of the five wizards in Middle-earth, is compared to Radagast, a bird-breeding expert who is not doing his job properly, as well as the ambitious Saruman, and the two blue-robed wizards who have disappeared from beginning to end. Indeed, it can be regarded as the most charitable, merciful, and just existence.

But justice doesn't always mean good things, at least...for some people.

After this little episode, everyone went on the road again. After rushing for a day, there was a big blue river in front of them. The river was a bit wide and the water flow was a bit turbulent. It was a little troublesome to cross it directly.

This is the Cangquan River, a branch of the origin of the Les Ethel River. Only by going up can you find the estuary that it crosses.

Helpless, everyone drove their horses to catch up, and it took another half a day to finally cross the river.

Because of the wasted time, the sky has begun to get dark.

"It seems that we can only camp here temporarily tonight," Thorin said.

They had wanted to reach a village before dark, but now it seemed impossible.

Carl's performance was rather listless, and he didn't encounter anything unsightly along the way, which made him unable to get interested.

"Hey, Thorin, there is a forest over there; let's go in and camp," Bilbo said, spotting a green shade in the distance, his eyes lighting up.

Compared to spending the night on bare sand, it is clear that staying in a sheltered forest can make people feel more at ease.

Upon hearing Bilbo's words, Carl's previously indifferent eyes lit up slightly. Yes, he seemed a little obtuse. Since there were no prey coming to them, why not take everyone to find it themselves? Or better yet, why not stumble upon it by chance?

"Bilbo, you have a good idea," Thorin nodded in agreement.

He didn't see anything wrong with this suggestion.

As they drew closer, the thick tree branches and dense foliage gradually replaced the surroundings.

Walking through the forest, Carl's nose suddenly twitched, and then his eyes lit up. "What's this smell?"

As a ranger, after traveling for so many years, he had long been aware of the potential threats lurking in the surrounding wilderness. So when he detected these scents, he felt a twinge of excitement.

That's a troll. He hadn't encountered one in a long time, but this time, he hadn't expected such good luck.

After walking for a while, the sun had already set, leaving only a dim yellow hue in the once-blue sky, veiled by a few solitary gray and black clouds. The forest had plunged into darkness.

Once they found a clean, well-lit spot, everyone began to prepare for cooking and rest.