Chapter 25: Purification

Extra Chapter for 200 power stone~

"Lord Rynar, greetings!" As Rynar rode in, Thorin offered his respect.

"Hmm, I'm here to claim what is rightfully ours," Rynar said coldly from atop his horse. The sacrifice of the Rapid Infantry left his tone less than friendly.

Seeing Rynar covered in dark blood, Thorin opened his mouth to say something, but then hesitated as he noticed the knights and archers arriving behind him.

"Of course, you deserve this reward. The wealth of Erebor is yours to take," Thorin bowed, still the simple and kind dwarf prince he had always been.

"I apologize for the heavy casualties among your men…" Thorin started, but the sight of Rynar's bloodshot eyes made him quickly fall silent.

"Then please allow us to clear the battlefield…" Thorin glanced at the chaos in front of Erebor, where elves, dwarves, and half-orcs lay dead and wounded. 

A regiment of Ironfoot soldiers was meticulously searching through the carnage for any surviving dwarves and elves, finishing off any half-orcs that still clung to life.

At this moment, Thranduil and Bard, who had settled in at the Woodland Realm, also led their forces down to Erebor.

…

"King Rynar! Thank you for extending your hand in this crisis; the Elves will remember your kindness," said a mud-streaked Thranduil with a slight bow. 

Rynar's intervention had indeed eased the pressure on both Thranduil and Bard, and Caslow had successfully helped stabilize the situation in the Woodland Realm.

"I'm glad you could come to our aid!" Bard said, his eyes misting with gratitude. 

Previously, the elven archers had suffered greatly in the close-quarters combat defending the Woodland Realm, but with the help of Rynar's dragon riders, they managed to create distance from the half-orcs, allowing the elven archers to utilize their true strength.

"Are you looking for a repeat of the Battle of the Lonely Mountain?" Rynar asked, raising his Dragon Slayer sword and pointing to the scattered soldiers behind them.

"No, we just want to reclaim the wealth promised by the King to help us rebuild our homeland," Bard replied calmly.

"We only hope to receive the white gems," Thranduil added, looking at Thorin Oakenshield.

"Thorin…" Rynar called.

"Uh… of course, you're entitled to that," Thorin said, looking at the disheartened remnants behind them, then gazing back at the dwarves searching the battlefield with a sigh.

"Everyone, come to Erebor! Tonight, we will hold a feast to celebrate the retaking of the Lonely Mountain," Thorin invited.

…

"Hey! Baggins! Thank goodness you're alive and well!" Rynar exclaimed upon seeing Bilbo, who was standing around idly. This kind-hearted hobbit always brought joy to everyone.

"Lord Rynar? It's so good to see you again! I thought you might have already been at Rivendell…" Bilbo stammered.

"Rest assured. The knights of Zaltarion are incredibly strong! Orcs can't bring us down!" Rynar declared confidently.

"What do you plan to do next?" Bilbo asked, looking up.

"Well! I plan to establish a small town at the mouth of Long Lake, and I'd love for you to come visit," Rynar smiled as he replied.

"By the way, take me in to have a look; I've never been to a dwarven city before," Rynar said, glancing at Thorin, Bard, and others who were negotiating. 

He had no intention of interfering in the disputes between dwarves, elves, and men.

As soon as they entered Erebor, Rynar felt the Dragon Slayer sword tremble. 

The last time he had felt this was during the battle against Smaug, but it was understandable, given that this place had once been home to the dragon and still bore the remnants of its presence.

"Something's not right!" Compared to Rynar's mild surprise, Caslow's reaction was intense. He stared grimly at the grand dwarven hall, gripping his sword hilt tightly.

"There's indeed something wrong. An evil curse lingers here; the greed of the dragon has manifested, and the shadow of death looms…" Priestess Aivy said, a look of disdain on her face as she surveyed her surroundings, clearly unhappy with the place.

"Hey, friends! What's going on?" Dain asked upon seeing Rynar's group stalled at the entrance, his expression puzzled.

"Uh, my subordinate seems to dislike the atmosphere here…" Rynar shrugged as he explained.

"Get out of here, my lord!" Suddenly, Caslow yanked Rynar and tried to drag him back outside.

"What the heck? What's happening?" Rynar exclaimed, bewildered.

"Enough! Caslow!" Reynard stopped Caslow's rude behavior.

"I apologize, my lord. The curse here has a significant impact on those in power…" Caslow expressed his regret for his earlier rudeness.

"A curse? What's going on?" Rynar asked, puzzled.

"You foolish child… The king is a paladin! Have you ever seen a paladin afraid of curses?" Reynard felt Caslow had embarrassed them all in Zaltarion.

"..." Caslow was rendered speechless.

"Alas, my lord, the evil dragon that once dwelled here placed a curse on its wealth…" Aivy couldn't hold back and started explaining.

"It makes one greedy!" Gandalf appeared at the entrance.

"Hello, Wizard Gandalf!" Rynar bowed, for even the old man deserved some respect.

"Gandalf, do you have any solutions?" Thorin, Bard, and Thranduil entered, eager to hear his advice.

"Well, it requires a purification spell. Fortunately, Thorin, you have three individuals before you who can successfully purify this curse," Gandalf said, pulling out his pipe and appearing nonchalant.

"There are four! Grey-robed Wizard! You're one of them too," Aivy suddenly chimed in.

"Uh…" Gandalf's smile froze on his face.

Rynar shot a curious glance at Gandalf and nearly laughed. Was he caught slacking off? 

Who didn't know whose problem it was to deal with the expedition to the Lonely Mountain? You can't just slip away!

"Could you help us remove the curse here? We're willing to pay a reward," Thorin looked at them earnestly.

…

"What the heck!" Rynar was stunned by the scene before him. What is a mountain of gold? What does it mean to have wealth at home? 

Rynar felt that the depiction of Erebor in movies paled in comparison to the real treasure within, where dozens of golden hills towered, scattered with magnificent gems…

"Gulp!" Caslow swallowed nervously.

Rynar couldn't help but shed some unrestrained "tears." 

It was too overwhelming! No wonder the orcs coveted the Lonely Mountain!

Rynar wondered if he could organize his forces and take the Lonely Mountain while it was still possible. He was quite anxious!

"Let's get started…" Aivy, back to her senses, discreetly wiped the drool from her lips.

"Purification!" Four gentle white lights illuminated the entire dwarven treasury. 

Aivy's purifying light had the broadest range, but Rynar and Reynard's purifications were the most effective; the holy attribute greatly enhanced their dispelling abilities. 

As for Gandalf's purification… well, it was better than nothing, given you couldn't expect a wizard specializing in prophecies and curses to be adept at purification.

…

"All done!" Aivy said with a sweet smile as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Thank you! My friends!" Thorin exclaimed, his excitement evident.

"My friends, the wealth here is yours to take! As much as you can carry!" Knowing that Rynar had large storage equipment, Thorin generously offered.

"Really?" Rynar asked, utterly astonished.

"Absolutely! Our friendship is more genuine than gold!" Thorin patted his chest.

"Then I won't hold back?" Rynar ventured, testing the waters.

"Take what you deserve! This is your rightful reward!" Thorin was incredibly generous.

Encouraged by Thorin, Rynar reluctantly descended and activated the magic ring system he possessed. 

Immediately, a massive amount of gold coins was converted into wealth points. 1, 2… 10,000… As the wealth points continued to soar, the golden hills began to collapse and disappear…

At this moment, Thorin on the steps had his eyes wide open, utterly unable to believe what was happening before him. Was this some kind of money-disappearing act?

Finally, when Rynar's wealth points reached 1 million, he decisively stopped converting the gold coins. 

At this point, nearly one-seventh of the treasury had been cleared out, leaving only scattered gems where the "mountains of gold" once stood…

"Oh! By the beard! Did Erebor get robbed?" Dain came looking for Thorin but was shocked to see the area of the treasury that had vanished.

"No! It didn't…" Thorin replied, dazed.

"Uh, Thorin, are you alright?" Rynar asked with concern, worried he might faint from shock.

"I'm fine! I will keep my promise; what you can take is yours," Thorin forced a smile that looked more painful than crying.

"The banquet is about to start, and we still need you to host it! Would you like to celebrate with us, Lord Rynar?" Dain turned to Rynar after speaking to Thorin.

"Of course! I'd love to experience the warmth of the dwarves!" Rynar answered with a smile.

Only Thorin was left looking as if he had lost his soul, being dragged away by Dain.