Chapter 008: The Iron Hills

Wang Bo took in everyone's expressions and said slowly, "Since no one has stepped forward, that means you all agree with my view. In that case, I will appoint the mayor of Lake-town."

He glanced around and said, "I recall that in Lake-town, there is a man whose ancestors once fought against Smaug. Where is he?"

They looked at each other, none understanding what Wang Bo meant—could it be that he was settling old scores?

A disheveled long-haired man stepped out from the crowd. Standing before the red dragon, he looked up at Wang Bo and said, "My ancestors once fought against Smaug. If you, my lord, seek revenge for Smaug, then kill me. This has nothing to do with the other people of Lake-town."

"What is your name?" Wang Bo looked down at the disheveled man.

"Bard."

"A good name." Wang Bo couldn't help but praise upon hearing it. He remembered that in the plot of The Hobbit, it was this man who killed Smaug.

Wang Bo studied Bard closely; he was just an ordinary man, with neither sorcery nor magic.

Yet he could kill Smaug.

Thinking about it, Smaug's death seemed quite pathetic.

A mighty dragon, who might not even lose to Gandalf, yet died at the hands of an ordinary human—truly a twist of fate.

"You are very brave, Bard," Wang Bo said. "But rest assured, I am no tyrant, but a benevolent and great king. Your courage has earned my appreciation, Bard."

He pointed with one hand, and coins of gold appeared out of thin air, falling to the ground with a pleasant sound.

Under everyone's gaze, the coins visibly piled up into a small hill.

This pile of gold was brought by Wang Bo from the Lonely Mountain, but it was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the entire hoard.

The residents of Lake-town stared at the gold, their eyes growing greedy. If not for the red dragon's presence, they might have swarmed forward and snatched it all.

Such is human nature; Wang Bo could do nothing but turn a blind eye.

"Bard," Wang Bo said. "From now on, you are the mayor of Lake-town. This pile of gold is yours to manage. I have a task for you—do you dare accept it?"

Bard never expected that a man who had tamed a dragon would think so highly of him. After hesitating a few times, certain he had no way to resist, he bowed his head and agreed.

"I am willing."

"Very good." Wang Bo nodded with satisfaction. "My goal is simple: I want Dale to be restored to its former glory. From now on, use this gold to help me rebuild Dale."

Upon hearing that Wang Bo wanted to rebuild Dale, Bard grew even more astonished. In truth, he had harbored the same thought but lacked the means. Now, with Wang Bo's support, he became excited.

He quickly knelt on one knee. "I obey your command, great King under the Mountain."

"Very good." Wang Bo waved his hand and produced a large amount of food from the Time Villa, placing it beside the gold, also piled into a small hill.

"This food and gold are all for you. As long as you are willing to accept my rule and work for me, I will not treat you unfairly."

Seeing Wang Bo so generous, the people of Lake-town, one by one, followed Bard's example and knelt at Wang Bo's feet.

"We are willing to accept your rule, great King under the Mountain."

Wang Bo jumped down from the red dragon and walked up to Bard. "The rebuilding of Dale is in your hands, Bard. Do not disappoint me."

"Rest assured, great King under the Mountain." Bard pounded his chest vigorously, his face resolute. "I will not let you down."

"Very good." Wang Bo pointed at the red dragon Margaret. "I will leave this red dragon here to assist you. If you encounter any problems you cannot solve, you may seek the red dragon's help at any time."

Bard was startled and looked at the red dragon.

The red dragon nodded to Wang Bo. "I obey my master's command."

Wang Bo patted Bard on the shoulder and then left.

He left the red dragon there to protect Bard and also to maintain order.

After all, Bard was promoted by Wang Bo and had little foundation, while the former mayor of Lake-town had been elected by the people and possessed some skill and ability.

If evil arose in his heart and he plotted against Bard, Bard might not be able to withstand it.

So Wang Bo left the red dragon Margaret. With her there, even if the former mayor was unwilling, he would not dare to act rashly.

The red dragon Margaret was different from the pathetic Smaug. She was one of the rare dragons in the Marvel world with magical power. After being baptized by the magic pool, her power increased tenfold, and she had learned many spells from Wang Bo.

Though her size and stature were not as imposing as Smaug's, if it came to a real fight, with her many spells, she could defeat Smaug without issue.

In this world, aside from the Ainur, probably no one could match Margaret.

Not even the Maiar.

So as long as Wang Bo left the red dragon Margaret here, he had no fear of Bard coming to harm.

After settling matters in Dale, Wang Bo returned to the Lonely Mountain. He summoned a group of mechanical soldiers from the Time Villa, dressed them to look like humans, and sent them as envoys to the Iron Hills.

The Iron Hills were not far from the Lonely Mountain, lying to the northeast—a stretch of rolling hills. The Iron Hills were the source of the River Carnen and, as the name suggested, rich in iron ore, and also the home of the Longbeard Dwarves.

The Iron Hills produced iron ore, but gold mines were probably not as abundant. Though the dwarves of the Iron Hills could be considered prosperous, they were not as wealthy as their other kin.

After the fall of the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves there had once sought help from the dwarves of the Iron Hills, hoping they would send troops to help reclaim the mountain.

But without a doubt, the dwarves of the Iron Hills refused.

They did not want to waste their strength on Smaug.

After all, Smaug's power was evident to all.

Wang Bo sent envoys to the Iron Hills with a simple goal: to establish trade relations with the dwarves there. After all, dwarves were skilled craftsmen, and the weapons they forged far exceeded ordinary imagination.

The fine weapons crafted by humans were far inferior to those made by dwarves.

For instance, the weapon that killed Smaug was forged by dwarves.

Without such a weapon, Bard might not have been able to kill Smaug.

So Wang Bo wanted to purchase some weapons from the dwarves as collectibles, and of course, if the dwarves could forge a weapon no less than Gungnir, that would be even better.