Chapter 260 The Last Black Arrow
Seeing Aaron full of confidence, Bard lowered his head and was silent for a moment. "In that case, I can help you."
"Oh, come on, how can you help me?"
"That's a Dragon that can destroy the world. You only have one life. You should protect yourself and your family first..."
Mid-sentence, Aaron's voice trailed off, his gaze deeply drawn to a javelin-sized, jet-Black Arrow in Bard's hand.
The Black Arrow, an arrow rumored to be able to pierce Dragon scales.
Although he had never seen it, Aaron was quite certain of his guess.
This arrow was made of a special material, very hard and sharp. While not a divine weapon, it could certainly be called a formidable one.
"You've been hiding it well! Your ancestor, Girion, actually left you such a treasure." Aaron's lips curled into a smile. "Bard, your archery might have been destined for this very arrow."
"This is the last Black Arrow." Bard sighed with emotion. "In other words, we only have one chance. We must kill it with a single shot."
"No." Aaron shook his head profoundly. "I am a Wizard. I can create a second, a third, or even a fourth chance for you.
Originally, we had a fifty percent chance of success, but with a master archer, a windlass, and a Black Arrow, we have a seventy percent chance. The remaining thirty percent we'll leave to luck!"
"What do you plan to do?" Bard asked.
Aaron looked at the arrow tower outside, thought for a long time, and then said, "I plan to... first go find your Master of Lake-town."
"Why look for him?" Bard frowned tightly. "He will absolutely not help, and may even hinder us.
This isn't an exaggeration; if he wants to maintain his position, he will never allow a beloved hero to emerge in the town."
"I guessed as much." Aaron curled his lip in disdain, then tossed a money bag full of gold coins. "But I don't think a greedy person like him would refuse gold.
I'll negotiate with him as a member of the expedition. I don't ask for his help, but at this time, he absolutely cannot be allowed to cause us trouble. After all, all we need is time."
Bard was speechless. At this point, it was indeed necessary to avoid all accidents.
"What then?"
"We'll talk about that later. Otherwise, after Thorin and the others leave, he definitely won't take me seriously." Aaronsaid, "Don't leave the house before I return."
Stepping out of the door, Aaron grinned, unable to suppress the joy in his heart.
Originally, he had planned to fight Smaug to the death in Erebor. The chances of winning were slim, but he could protect himself and slowly look for opportunities.
But now, he could wait for the prophecy to unfold, make ample preparations in advance, and he had an excellent teammate. Slaying the Dragon was a sure thing.
Returning to the Master of Lake-town's residence, after the guards announced him, Alfred invited him in.
Alfred curiously sized up Aaron, not understanding why a teenager would join the Dwarves' company. However, thinking of the gold and silver treasures in Erebor, he decided to be a little more polite to the boy.
"This..."
"My name is Gaius, Mr. Alfred." Aaron showed a harmless smile. "I have something to discuss with the Master of Lake-town."
"The Master of Lake-town is resting. You can tell me directly whatever it is."
"Are you sure you can make the decision?" Aaron looked at him somewhat doubtfully. "This matter is related to Bard."
"Bard?" A hint of anger appeared on Alfred's pale face. He sneered, "It must be that his performance tonight angered the King Under the Mountain.
I can decide this. I'll immediately have the guards arrest him and throw him in jail."
"No, no, no." Aaron quickly waved his hand. "I'm not here to arrest him, but I need his help with something."
Alfred was stunned. He didn't want to give Bard a chance to shine.
"May I ask, what do you need his help with?"
"We have an injured person in our company. I need Bard's house as a temporary hospital; it's quite clean there."
"No problem, absolutely no problem.
I'll have his family kicked out immediately. His house is being requisitioned."
Aaron:...He's not just a minion, he's a complete scoundrel!
"Um... I also need him and his family to be my temporary nurses."
Alfred was a little disappointed, but stuffing two more people into Bard's house would also cause him trouble.
"Wait, this doesn't seem to require speaking to the Master of Lake-town specifically, does it?"
"That's not what I wanted to say either." Aaron said meaningfully, "I'm interested in Lake-town's bell tower and want to study the windlass on it.
Since Bard is a descendant of Girion, he might be able to offer me some small suggestions, so I wanted to discuss with the Master of Lake-town about hiring him for a few days."
"Ah, this..."
Alfred immediately became troubled. The Master of Lake-town was planning to deal with Bard these past two days!
"Don't worry, I know the rules." Aaron directly reached into Alfred's pocket and dropped ten gold coins into it.
Clink!
Feeling the weight of the gold, Alfred's pupils widened a few points, and his gaze towards Aaron became incredibly kind. He immediately patted his chest and guaranteed that the Master of Lake-town would agree to this matter.
Having dealt with Alfred, Aaron casually found a room to rest.
The room the Master of Lake-town arranged for them was quite ordinary, with only the most basic furniture, but ordinary residents of Lake-town truly couldn't afford to live there.
Lying on the bed, Aaron comfortably spread out his limbs in an 'X' shape, relaxing.
Heaven help him, he hadn't slept in a bed for over half a year.
Since joining the expedition, he had almost slept rough every day, always in a bedroll. Later, he didn't even have a bedroll to sleep in. He had endured until now purely by willpower.
"System, sign in."
"Host has signed in at Lake-town, gaining two magic points."
Only two?
Aaron raised an eyebrow. He now had ninety-eight magicpoints, and with these two, it was exactly one hundred.
"System, open the store."
[magic Category: @Transfiguration (1000 magic points, includes Animagus); @Flight (100 magic points, flight speed depends on personal strength); @Illusion Projection (700 magic points, creates a phantom of oneself, for long-distance projection); @Charm (500 magic points, literal meaning, but ineffective against those with strong will); @Astral Projection (300 magic points)]
[Material Category: @phoenix feather (30 magic points); @dragon blood (20 magic points); @Mandrake (5 magicpoints); @Bezoar (1 magic point); @Rhinoceros Horn (3 magic points)]
[Item Category: Blank; @magic Crystal (100 magic points, possesses powerful magic, can power magic arrays); @Wizard Chess (1 magic point); @Girion's Emerald (50 magic points, whoever obtains the gem will be plagued by misfortune); Blank]
Aaron looked at the clear store panel, his gaze wavering between Flight in the magic category and magic Crystal in the item category.
Indeed, money is always too little when you need it; he could only buy one item.
He was going to slay a Dragon next, and the ability to fly would provide him with some help.
But the magic Crystal was also something he urgently needed. Continuously running a magic array would consume his magic power, but the magic Crystal could solve this problem.
After much deliberation, Aaron still placed an order for the magic Crystal.
His magic points instantly reset to zero; his entire fortune was exchanged for a palm-sized blue crystal.
Aaron let out a long sigh, deciding to use this magic Crystal on the bell tower, hoping it could withstand a few more rounds under Smaug's attack.
He then split half of his magic power to create a thought form clone and handed the magic Crystal to him.
"Lake-town is in your hands. I will go to Erebor to fulfill the contract." Aaron said.
"Can we switch? Isn't putting me on the main battlefield a bit inappropriate?" the thought form said worriedly. His magicpower would disappear once consumed, making him unsuitable for intense combat.
"At the crucial moment, I will return in time."
...The next morning, the members of the expedition changed into brand new armor, took up sharp weapons, and walked towards the nearest dock.
"We're missing a few people, aren't we!" Bilbo asked, "Where are Kili, Bofur, and Bifur?"
"Kili is injured. They will stay here to take care of him." Thorin said.
"We must." Balin said, "To find the gate before dusk, we cannot afford to delay."
"Gaius." Fili looked at Aaron in confusion, "Aren't you supposed to be detoxifying Kili? Why are you coming with us?"
"Don't worry, it's all arranged. His poison can be controlled." Aaron confidently assured him. He had absolute faith in his thought form.
Everyone in Lake-town gathered at the dock, enthusiastically seeing Thorin and the others off onto the boat.
Alfred looked bewildered when he saw Aaron. "Didn't you say..."
"Damn it! I forgot about this scoundrel." Aaron inwardly cursed his miscalculation, instantly putting on a smiling face and quietly slipping him a few gold coins. "It should be fine for me to see them off, right!"
"Absolutely no problem." Alfred smiled gently. This was only natural, and besides, he wouldn't turn down money.
The farewell music began, and the expedition boarded the small boat, rowing out of the river channel with the blessings and expectations of the Lake-town residents.
At the same time, Bofur, who was snoring under the table, woke up.
"Oh my, it's time." Bofur muttered, but the next moment he realized he had missed the time. He immediately sat up, his head hitting the table.
Bofur rubbed his head and was about to rush out, but then a hand grabbed him from behind.
"Don't chase them. The boat has already left; you won't catch up." The thought form teased, "I really don't understand how you could miss such an important moment."
Bofur's face fell, and he was completely dejected.
"You didn't make it either?"
"No, Kili was poisoned. Thorin arranged for Bifur to stay and take care of him.
Seeing that you were still sleeping, he decided to leave you behind too." The thought form said seriously.
"Kili was poisoned? When?" Bofur reacted, asking worriedly.
"When we were escaping from the Orcs, his leg was shot by Borg with an arrow that had a potent venom on it. However, I've temporarily suppressed it with medicine, and Bifur is trying to concoct an antidote."
"Where are they now?"
"At Bard's house."