Chapter 59: The Arkenstone

A true princely title, huh...

The honorary noble rank overwritten by the Transcendence Hall when it smuggled him in was still the one he had chosen himself, except that the rank had reverted to the initial level.

It was entirely natural for Claude to notice it.

Coincidentally, the residents of Lake-town also addressed him as the King of Xia.

Li Xia let out a soft sigh, thinking of his Prince of Xia title. Three years, and another three years, and yet another three years... What if one day, he truly ended up becoming a prince of the Hall of Light? What on earth should he do then?

Would he have to tell Transcendence not to contact him anymore, lest the Hall of Light misunderstand?

However, that was likely a very distant matter... Li Xia sat on the hillside, watching the busy crowds below.

His mind was a whirl of thoughts. Claude had mentioned that he would probably advance to Tier 2 upon his return. This combination of dynamic difficulty and dynamic advancement was the challenge the Hall bestowed upon the strong.

Tier 2, huh...

Li Xia let out a long breath and simply lay down on the grass-covered hillside, stretching out his limbs.

The grass on the slope was dense and soft, the clear sky as blue as a sapphire, and as a warm breeze blew past, waves of grass rippled across the field in layers.

He suddenly recalled a brief conversation he once had with Transcendence regarding the future—a question that arose when he learned he would eventually have to compete with the agents of the other five halls.

Those agents had been agents for God knows how long. Once someone became an agent, they basically belonged to the most powerful echelon of beings, and it was exceedingly difficult for them to die.

Li Xia felt that the gap between them was simply insurmountable; after all, the agents were progressing as well.

Yet Transcendence's reply was that accumulation was no longer useful to the agents. They had reached a dead end, with nowhere else to go, and could only wait there, awaiting a turning point.

As long as that turning point failed to appear, they would remain standing in place, and this was his opportunity.

"Oh, you're here... well... what I mean to say is, it's truly a splendid weather, quite suitable for afternoon tea and puffing on a pipe."

A somewhat hurried voice sounded not far away.

Li Xia turned around and saw Bilbo Baggins standing a short distance away, his furry, oversized feet stepping uneasily upon the turf.

This was likely the reason why he had approached Li Xia without being noticed.

"Mr. Baggins? Good day~"

Li Xia smiled and waved. He had a rather favorable impression of this one-meter-tall fellow.

Baggins hesitated for a moment before finally coming over to sit beside him.

"Actually—"

His pointy ears kept twitching, and the hesitation on his face grew increasingly obvious. Yet, in the end, he let out a long sigh and visibly relaxed.

"There's something I want to talk about with you and the Elvenking."

Having made up his mind, Baggins did not hesitate and spoke directly:

"I heard Thorin plotting how to cheat you out of the money that should rightfully be yours after everything is over. I don't like this. The residents of Lake-town helped us in our most desperate hour.

And it was because of me—er, us—that Smaug destroyed Lake-town.

I feel that Lake-town deserves compensation, and besides, you killed Smaug."

Li Xia was slightly stunned. He wasn't particularly surprised by Thorin's intention to renege on the debt; the dwarf had not yet recovered from "dragon-sickness," and his thirst for gold was almost pathological.

Moreover, he didn't really care whether Thorin paid up or not. Li Xia's benefits came from contribution points; as long as the Three-Way Pact was successfully concluded and the Quartermaster could be shared, that was all that mattered.

Once the trial ended, everything here would be reset, waiting for the next batch of apostles to arrive for their trial—perhaps for other missions in Middle-earth, though none of that concerned him.

This was a dungeon forged by the Hall, possessing absolute control.

So, right now...

Li Xia suddenly realized: a side quest?

Sure enough, the prompt from the Hall popped up the very next second:

【Battlefield Side Quest: The Burglar's Guilt】
【Quest Objective: Ensure the smooth completion of the Three-Way Pact】
【Quest Reward: Bilbo Baggins' Little Gift】

The quest was very simple. In the original work, a guilt-ridden Bilbo Baggins had also stepped forward, attempting to stop the war and make Thorin pay up, even willing to give up his hard-earned 1/14th share of the treasure.

Therefore, the reward should be quite ordinary as well.

Still, a quest was a quest, and there was still some time before it officially began. It was worth doing!

...

"I knew it..." the Elvenking said coldly. "Just as Orcs can never learn manners, the Dwarves of Erebor can never be cured of 'dragon-sickness'!"

"That's why I came here," Bilbo said, pressing his lips together. "So I have a proposal—"

He pulled out something wrapped in a ragged cloth, looked around nervously, and then simply dropped the tent's flap.

With a swift motion, he discarded the cloth, and in an instant, the entire tent lit up as a dreamlike moonlight radiated from a single gemstone.

This gemstone seemed to contain the stars of the universe. It was as if a sphere filled to the brim with moonlight had been caught in a net woven from the light of cold stars, suspended right before their eyes.

Thranduil had witnessed countless miraculous and beautiful treasures throughout his long life, but he swore that this was undoubtedly the most magnificent gem he had ever laid eyes on.

Li Xia gazed at the gemstone as well, but felt utterly no interest, because hanging brightly above it was the label:

【Arkenstone (King's Heirloom): A pretty gem, nothing more】

Apostle Formula: Strong stats = Breathtakingly beautiful = Key to growing stronger, Beautiful = Statless = Trash.

"This is Thrór's Arkenstone," Bilbo said. "The Heart of the Mountain. It is also Thorin's pride and joy; he values it more than a river full of gold. I am giving it to you, and it will lend you strength in the negotiations."

With that, Bilbo handed the wondrous gem to Li Xia. His body could not help trembling slightly, and his eyes involuntarily cast a yearning glance toward it.

Li Xia curled his lips in disdain and directly shoved the Arkenstone into the hands of the Elvenking, telling him to admire it properly.

Bilbo Baggins had never seen anyone able to resist the charm of the Arkenstone so effortlessly, which made him all the more convinced that he had done the right thing.

Thranduil blankly took the gem with both hands. Staring at it infatuatedly, he murmured, "How is it that it falls to you to give it to us?"

"Oh, about that—" the Hobbit said uneasily. "It can't really be considered mine, but I am willing to use it to forfeit the reward I am due.

I suppose I am a burglar—at least, that is what they say. I am going back now, and whatever the dwarves choose to do with me, I only hope you can make good use of this."

Thranduil tore his gaze away from the gemstone and looked at Bilbo in astonishment, as if truly seeing the Hobbit for the first time.

After a moment of thought, he said solemnly, "You command my respect, Mr. Baggins. I understand the dwarves perhaps a bit better than you do, and I advise you to stay here. You will find honor and welcome among us.

If you return, I fear that dwarf afflicted with 'dragon-sickness' will kill you!"

"Thank you very much for your kindness—" Bilbo bowed deeply, "—but I don't think I ought to leave my friends like this. After all, we have faced life and death together."

"Well done! Mr. Baggins!" The tent flap was suddenly pushed open, and a wizard clad in grey robes with a snowy-white beard strode inside.

His clear eyes first cast an approving look at Bilbo.

Then, he walked up to Li Xia and bowed slightly:

"When I heard that someone had assassinated the wicked tyrant Smaug, I was deeply astonished. Only upon seeing you do I realize that another 'Maiar' (Lesser Spirit) of Valinor has descended upon Middle-earth."

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