---Igris's Perspective---
It has been four days since we started our journey, and during this time, we've only encountered three hunting parties, but they aren't worth mentioning. I've logged into the system four times and won the following:
System: [Raffle in progress... 3... 2... 1 "Common Tier Militia Spear" won, congratulations to the server!]
System: [Raffle in progress... 3... 2... 1 "Sugar x 20" won, congratulations to the server!]
System: [Raffle in progress... 3... 2... 1 "Common Tier One-Handed Infantry Axe" won, congratulations to the server!]
At first, I doubted my luck and life after the first three raffles, but in the end, I hit the jackpot.
System: [Raffle in progress... 3... 2... 1 "Svadian Militia x 200" won, congratulations to the server!]
200 Swadian Militia! These infantry-class militia hail from the Mount and Blade: Warband universe, where Swadia is a powerful kingdom known for its heavy cavalry and knights, and they come from a continent that has been at war for 500 years. Compared to Bannerlord's militia, the Swadian militia is more powerful. They are medium-range infantry equipped with one-handed weapons, shields, and hunter crossbows; an excellent reward. However, I did not call them here; they would attract too much attention. Instead, I sent a letter through the system that redirected them elsewhere to fulfill their duty.
Bilbo started his Forest Ranger training and adapted quickly. Seriously, he struggled with archery on the first day, but by the third day, he began missing targets at close range. Is this legendary main character skill? Anyway, even without formal training, he was already taking down Orc heads with stones in Thorin's final battle when Dwalin was attacked.
Now, you're probably wondering how I convinced Halt, right? I told him that if he trained Bilbo, the warm moment at the inn would stay in the inn. Halt agreed, but he and Gilan will take turns training as they patrol the group in rotation.
Why? How logical is it for noisy dwarves to patrol instead of stealthy forest rangers? I must say, we're really on edge! Speaking of dwarves, Kili is also training with Bilbo as a Forest Ranger and has already started seeing the benefits! I'm also impressed with Kili's intellect—he didn't win Tauriel's heart by chance! He escaped Thorin's hellish training and torture before it even began. The training is tough, but compared to poor Fili, it's not that bad!
"Keep your legs firm!"
THWACK! "AGH!"
"Wrong, open your arms!"
THWACK! "AGH!"
"Didn't I tell you to breathe properly when swinging your sword?"
THWACK! "AHHHH!"
Fili collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
"Huff-huff, uncle, please let's take a break. We've been working non-stop for 4 hours since we took the break from the road!" poor Fili said in a hoarse voice, struggling in Thorin's Hell training. His face looked like a balloon fish. On the bright side, Thorin and Fili's forms are slowly improving.
Bang! "Ugh..."
"You can rest now." Before Thorin said this, he struck Fili's head with the mithril fist of love. Right now, Fili is lying on his back, and white substance is coming out of his mouth—his soul, perhaps!
"FILI, HOLD ON! DON'T LOSE YOURSELF! NO MATTER WHAT, DON'T WALK INTO THE LIGHT!" shouted Dwalin.
Fili momentarily woke up and said,
"Grandfather Thror? Is that you? Wait for me, I'm coming to you." He then fainted again.
"DON'T FOLLOW HIM! HE'S BEEN DEAD FOR OVER 100 YEARS!" Dwalin shouted.
If tough Dwalin is reacting this way, you can imagine what kind of training this is.
By the way, I was forced to take on the cooking duty. Really, forced. Here's how it went:
We stopped to take our first break, and as we set up camp, Bofur and Bombur said they would prepare the food. But I stopped them and said,
"I'll be in charge of the group's cooking!" I said urgently. The last time I ate food from a dwarf, there was hair in every spoonful! I've seen the modern world, and I'll never eat anyone else's food except my own again. Hygiene is on a very low standard in Middle-earth, maybe I'll only eat the hobbits' food—they're at least hygienic! I'll also eat Halt and Gilan's food. People are even below the hygiene standard! One of the reasons I want to establish a kingdom is this—I'll issue strict hygiene laws!
"We don't need that! We'll cook!" said Bofur, with Bombur nodding in agreement.
"I insist, I'll handle it!"
"Please, you and your companions have done enough already. We'll cook! You sit and relax!"
"Still, I insist—I'd like to show you my recipes!"
"Dwarf food is good, too!" said Bofur, smiling, and Bombur nodded in agreement.
My eye twitched, and I couldn't take it anymore, I quickly drew my sword and pressed it to Bofur's neck. I drew it so fast that a gust of wind followed.
"I'LL COOK! I INSIST!" I said coldly, word by word.
Bofur and Bombur froze and started trembling. Just then, Thorin and Gloin arrived.
"What's going on? What are you doing?" asked Thorin.
"I don't know, they were just about to prepare the food, but Igris wanted to do it himself. Bofur and Bombur kept insisting, and Igris drew his sword," said Dwalin.
"Did he draw his sword just for that?" Thorin asked in shock.
"Guno told me that Igris is sensitive about food. Even when he was a guest at their house, Igris always cooked. He only ate at Guno's house once." said Gloin, adding, "Guno and his wife were very happy about it, because Igris's food was really delicious! When he told us about it, he was drooling! I'd love some food from him too!"
"… So that's why that bastard kept trying to invite me to his house! They were almost going to keep me as a hostage!" I muttered.
"Anyway, Thorin, I'll take responsibility for the food, and it's better for the group to focus on training rather than cooking." I said, and Thorin agreed. That night, the beef stew I cooked won the hearts of all the dwarves! Unfortunately, I couldn't add the medicinal mushrooms I found for the dish—the crazy horse destroyed them! Beware of recipes from the modern age! Cooking is my hobby after all, I've been living alone as a man. While Bofur and Bombur were initially upset, I earned their favor by giving them the biggest cuts of meat. I even secretly gave Bofur a bottle of alcohol, there's plenty in the inventory even though I don't drink, I'm dealing with dwarves after all!
Also, over these four days, I checked the approval ratings of the group members from the system's features, and here are their ratings for me, both before and after the meal:
Halt: 60 < 70
Gilan: 70 < 72
Gandalf: 55 < 60
Bilbo: 76 < 85
Bombur: 50 < 85
Bofur: 55 < 69
Ori: 70 < 77
Balin: 70 < 80
Kili: 70 < 80
Fili: 60 < 70
Dwalin: 40 < 58
Thorin: 50 < 55
Gloin: 80 < 90
Dori: 66 < 72
Nori: 45 < 58
Oin: 52 < 64
Bifur: 45 < 55
I was shocked when I saw the values. I understand Halt and Gilan, they know all about me before even coming into this world; they know me better than I know myself! But why is the approval rating so high for the Erebor group? According to the system's explanation, 0 means neutral, positive values show affection, and negative values show dislike. Although Bilbo and I talked for a while and shared stories, we've only just met! The highest approval rating is Gloin's... That bastard, gluttonous, talkative Guno! What did he tell Gloin? Thorin's starting value is 50! I'm talking about the skeptical and distrustful Thorin Oakenshield!
For the last four days, the group has been making steady progress, but we need to take the map to Lord Elrond. I don't remember how much time we have left; I last heard about the contents of the map about 25 years ago! Gandalf is trying to convince Thorin.
"We need to know what's written on the map, don't you understand? Even if we reach the Mountain, what will we do if we don't know where the entrance is?" Gandalf said.
"This map was passed down from my ancestors! That Mountain and its wealth belong to my people! My group and I will figure it out. Don't expect me to ask for help from that vile, pointy-eared inferior race!"
"You're being foolish, Thorin! If you ask Lord Elrond for help, he won't turn us away! The fate of that mountain and its people depends on us reading the map!"
"This conversation is over!" and Thorin stormed off.
"Stupid and stubborn dwarves! Sometimes your stupid pride and stubbornness pull you down—why don't you understand?" Gandalf muttered.
"Since the map was with you, why didn't you have it read before giving it to Thorin?" I asked, walking up to Gandalf. He gave me a long look and asked,
"As a knight, you have your own beliefs and rules, right, Igris?"
"Yes, I do. I understand you! The map was given to you because they trust you. In the wrong hands, it could cause a disaster. It's a strategic map." He said and I continued,
"But Gandalf, when you made the decision to collect the map, you should have known that Thorin would never take the map to the Elves. You underestimated Thorin and the dwarves' hatred of Elves."
He looked at me, troubled, and sighed deeply. "You're right, but I wouldn't change my decision."
I sighed and said, "It's a foolish decision, but I respect it. I love old wizards like you."
He looked at me and smiled, then turned to gaze at the stars. Right now, we're in a sheltered cave within a grove. It's not a very deep cave, but it's in a blind spot.
"What a beautiful view, isn't it, Igris?"
"Yes." Even more beautiful than the sky after modding Skyrim. Something you can't experience in the modern world. We watched the sky for more than half an hour.
"Gandalf."
"Yes?"
"Let me talk to Thorin. I think I can convince him."
He looked at me, deep in thought, and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Just as much as I believe an Elf woman and a dwarf man could fall in love." I said, grinning mischievously, and Gandalf choked on his tobacco, laughing.
I heard Kili sneeze from the back.
"Kili, are you getting sick?" Fili asked, worried.
"No, brother, some dust got in my nose." Kili said, rubbing his nose.
I smiled and waited for Gandalf to calm down.
"Is it that hard?" he asked, shrugging.
"Faith, old man, faith."
He looked at me curiously, and I continued.
"My chances of convincing him are low, but yours are higher. Dwarves are suspicious and stubborn. That map was in your hands for a long time, right?"
He paused for a moment and slowly nodded. "Yes," he said.
"That's why Thorin doesn't trust you! After keeping it hidden for so long, you suddenly appear with the map. He probably thinks you have some ill intentions."
"I don't have bad intentions! I just—" He said, a bit angrily, but I interrupted him.
"Gandalf, calm down. I know your reputation and reliability, but Thorin is a dwarf. When was the last time you spent time with dwarves? I'm not talking about your fun and drinking with small groups, I mean actually living with them," I said.
He opened his mouth to say something, but paused and couldn't say anything.
"Here's where you're wrong, Gandalf! You think of dwarves like Elves and Men, but they're not. And you're so close with the Elves that it makes them instinctively cautious towards you. You should know the animosity between Dwarves and Elves better than anyone," I said, and he fell into thought. I continued.
"And the way you speak to Thorin is wrong. He's not just any dwarf, he's the king of all dwarves! Even the kings of the remaining Dwarf kingdoms respect Thorin. Maybe you're working for the good of Middle-earth, but he's working for the prosperity, peace, pride, and happiness of his people! Gandalf, dwarves have been in decline for so long. All that's left are the Iron Hills and the Blue Mountains. Even the Blue Mountains can't be called a kingdom! For Thorin, the Erebor expedition isn't just about reclaiming land and wealth, it's an opportunity for all dwarves to regain hope and morale. If you were in his position, would you leave the hopes of your people in the hands of an ally who has turned his back on them?" I said, waiting for Gandalf's response. Gandalf began to think, and I gazed at the stars.
A few minutes later, I asked again.
"Gandalf, you didn't answer my question."
He looked at me for a few seconds, then sighed deeply.
"I don't know..." he said.
"It's normal that you don't know, Gandalf, because you're not a king. You think about the good of the majority, you want to give hope to everyone, I understand that. But kings put their people's interests first. And if saving Middle-earth means sacrificing all dwarves for Thorin, what does saving Middle-earth mean to him?" I said, adding, "Think about this, old man, and leave convincing Thorin to me!"