Hearing this answer, Gandalf and Luke exchanged glances.
They were very surprised by this news.
They hadn't expected that Azog had only recently died, and his son Bolg had so quickly taken control of the Orc forces and inherited his position.
After all, the Orc throne was not inherited from father to son, but determined by strength.
For Bolg to inherit Azog's position in such a short time could only mean that his strength was not inferior to Azog's at all.
Luke continued to ask, "Did Bolg send you to hunt us down? Is he avenging Azog?"
The Orc Leader answered every question, "Partially. Bolg is very angry about Azog's death. He has put a bounty on the heads of Thorin Oakenshield and Black Robe Wizard Du Yi'er."
Gandalf frowned upon hearing this and asked in confusion, "Azog was killed by Duy'er, so a bounty on him is understandable. But why does Bolg also want to hunt down Thorin Oakenshield?"
The Orc Leader: "Because Bolg wants to prevent Thorin Oakenshield from becoming the King Under the Mountain. He wants to take the Lonely Mountain, then penetrate into the northern Angmar Kingdom, thereby bypassing the Misty Mountains and making a direct advance west."
Gandalf's expression grew even more perplexed.
"Why does Bolg think he can take the Lonely Mountain? Doesn't he know that a dragon lurks there?"
"Or has he already made a deal with the dragon?"
Gandalf voiced an even more serious speculation.
The Orc nodded.
"Yes, the dragon of the Lonely Mountain has awakened, and Bolg has already made a deal with him. As long as we kill Thorin Oakenshield and prevent the Dwarves from reclaiming the Lonely Mountain, the dragon will allow us to enter the North and reclaim the Angmar Kingdom."
Gandalf was startled to hear this, his expression solemn.
"No, we must go and stop Thorin and them!"
"That dragon has awakened; if Thorin and them go to the Lonely Mountain, it will be a complete suicide mission!"
Luke also hadn't expected such a result.
He clearly remembered that the dragon Smaug had not cooperated with the Orcs.
This time, due to Azog's death, such a major change had occurred.
It had actually caused the Orcs and the dragon to join forces prematurely!
Seeing Gandalf eager to stop Thorin and the others from going to the Lonely Mountain, Luke was not optimistic about it.
After all, Thorin's personality was very stubborn. Reclaiming the Lonely Mountain had become Thorin's obsession, even a demon in his heart. Even if he knew the Lonely Mountain dragon had awakened, he would certainly choose to continue the adventure without hesitation.
"Gandalf, there is still some time until Durin's Day. There's enough time. We can discuss this when we meet Thorin and them in Lake-town."
Luke said, then looked at the Orc Leader, who was controlled by Imperio.
"For now, let's deal with this Orc first."
Subsequently, the two continued to question him, stopping only after they had asked almost everything the Orc Leader knew.
"Alright, I have no more questions. Duy'er, do you have anything else to ask? If not, then let's get rid of him and immediately set off for Lake-town."
Gandalf drew his sword and asked Luke.
Luke stopped Gandalf's movement to kill the Orc, shook his head, and revealed a smile.
"Gandalf, don't kill him yet. He still has some use."
"Use?" Gandalf looked at him in confusion.
"He is now controlled by my Imperio and will only obey my commands," Luke explained with a smile. "We'll let him go,
and have him return to the Orc ranks to constantly relay news of the Orcs to us."
"At a critical moment, he can even stab Bolg directly when Bolg is unprepared."
Gandalf's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but he was still a little uneasy.
"Could he possibly break free of the control? If Bolg finds out, it might make him vigilant and cause more complications!"
Luke had a certain confidence in his magic.
"Imperio has no counter-spell. Unless he has a strong will and can break free of the control, or encounters a powerful magic user like Sauron who can forcefully break the Imperio I cast, it cannot be undone, and others will find it very difficult to detect."
"That's good." Gandalf put away his sword with relief.
They then released the Orc Leader, ordering him to return to Bolg's side to covertly lurk and transmit messages.
Of course, if there was an opportunity, it would be even better to directly eliminate Bolg!
However, such a possibility was very small, and they didn't hold out too much hope.
After letting the Orc Leader go, Luke and Gandalf continued their journey to Lake-town by small wooden boat.
Passing through the mist on the lake, the two rowed forward, following the direction of the guiding spell.
Finally, they arrived at Lake-town, located on an island in the center of the lake.
Most of Lake-town consisted of overwater buildings, and boats were the primary mode of transportation.
Most residents made their living by fishing.
As for trade with the Elves of the Woodland Realm, it was monopolized by the wealthy residents of Lake-town, led by the Master of the Town.
The two rowed their famous boat to the port customs and were stopped.
"Stop the boat!" A middle-aged man with a dirty brown hat walked out of a house, looking at them with suspicion and vigilance.
"Who are you?"
Luke looked at Gandalf; it was his turn to speak.
"Good evening, we are travelers from the West, planning to rest here for a few days," Gandalf said in a friendly manner.
The man scrutinized the two from head to toe, still somewhat suspicious.
"Travelers from the West? Do you have any documents? Or any goods?"
Gandalf shrugged and spread his hands.
"We carry no goods and have no documents, just a small boat."
The man looked at their small boat and found nothing.
"No goods means no need for customs declaration, but you still need to pay mooring fees."
"How much?"
"1 silver coin."
Upon hearing this, Gandalf turned to Luke, as he, being an old man, had no money.
Luke, however, was not short on money. He casually pulled out two silver coins from his money pouch and tossed them over.
The man skillfully caught the coins. Seeing two silver coins, his eyes immediately lit up, and his attitude became much more enthusiastic.
"Is there anything else I can do for you two gentlemen?"
"Have any strangers arrived in town before us?"
For the sake of the money, the man answered everything he knew.
"Just before you arrived, a group of Dwarves came here. They were taken to Bard's home in town. I wonder if this news is useful to you, sirs?"
Luke and Gandalf exchanged glances; they had finally found them.
"Thank you for the information, it is very useful."
The man then opened the gate, allowing Luke and Gandalf to smoothly enter the town via the waterway.
Meanwhile, at Bard's house,
the Dwarves were very anxious.
This was because Kili, the youngest of the Dwarves, had been shot in the leg by a Morgul Arrow.
Although the arrow was pulled out immediately, the potent poison and Dark Arts on the arrow shaft had already invaded Kili's body, making him increasingly weak.
It was fortunate that the Dwarves had strong constitutions, allowing them to resist until now.
If it had been an ordinary person, they would probably have died long ago.
The Morgul Arrow's poison was very strong, and ordinary medicine was completely ineffective. Fortunately, the Wood Elf Tauriel, who had been tracking the Dwarves, healed Kili's wound with King's Foil, saving his life.
Having had all their weapons confiscated by the Elves in Mirkwood, the Dwarves were now discussing how to acquire new weapons and then continue their journey to the Lonely Mountain.
Just as the discussion was heating up, a sudden knock on the door broke the noisy atmosphere.
The others also became vigilant and alert.
"Who is it?" Bard, as the host, walked to the door and opened it.
Then he saw Luke and Gandalf standing outside the door.
"It seems we've arrived just in time," Gandalf said with a chuckle.
"Gandalf!"
"Luke!"
Bilbo's eyes lit up, and he happily ran over, hugging both their legs.
The Dwarves in the house were also very pleasantly surprised.