After leaving the Chamber of Secrets, Bilbo tiptoed his way to the treasury.
The treasury was a wide hall, filled with mountains of gold, silver, and jewels, reflecting a dazzling, covetable glow under the faint light.
Bilbo was stunned by the sight of such an immense treasure, but then fell into distress.
The mountains of treasure stretched as far as the eye could see, making it like searching for a needle in a haystack to find an arkenstone the size of a fist among so much wealth!
Not to mention there was also a Dragon guarding it.
Speaking of the Dragon, Bilbo quickly looked around, but couldn't find any trace of him.
Where did the Dragon go?
Bilbo was a little uneasy. Had he hidden himself?
However, seeing himself invisible and the protective magic Luke had cast on him, he felt a little more at ease.
Then he carefully stepped on the gold coins, searching everywhere for the arkenstone's whereabouts.
Because a hobbit's big feet made no sound when walking, and with Luke's magic assisting him, Bilbo walked as if weightless, making no sound even when stepping on the gold coins.
Thus, he didn't disturb the hidden Dragon.
The difficulty of finding a gem among mountains of treasure was like searching for gold in sand—not easy at all.
However, perhaps it was Bilbo's luck, for after searching for a long time, he finally found it at the top of the highest gold mountain.
Before coming, Bilbo had asked Thorin about the appearance of the arkenstone.
But Thorin hadn't explained, only telling him that the arkenstone was different from other gems, and he would recognize it at first sight.
At the time, Bilbo didn't understand.
But upon seeing the gem now, he was certain that this was the arkenstone.
The arkenstone was a pure, flawless white gem, emitting a brilliant light, as if it contained a galaxy within, making its extraordinary nature apparent at first glance.
The arkenstone, also known as the Heart of the Mountain, was excavated from deep within the Lonely Mountain. The Dwarves poured all their efforts into forging it into a shining gem and embedding it in the throne, making it a symbol of the rule of the Kingdom Under the Mountain.
Seeing the arkenstone, Bilbo was instantly delighted and quickly started to climb the gold mountain to retrieve it.
But just as he finally managed to climb up and was about to lean down to pick up the gem, the gold mountain beneath his feet suddenly shook.
The gold mountain slid down like a landslide, and even the arkenstone merged into the river of gold and disappeared.
A colossal figure emerged from beneath the gold mountain.
Bilbo's eyes widened in terror, for he was currently standing on the Dragon's head!
Bilbo gasped, immediately jumped off the Dragon's head, rolled onto the gold mountain, and quickly ran away.
The Dragon opened his eyes, his giant vertical pupils locking onto Bilbo's hazy, indistinct figure.
"Little thief, you have neither the scent of Dwarves nor humans on you. What are you? And what magic have you cast on yourself? Why can't I see you?"
With a flick of his long tail, the Dragon encircled the fleeing Bilbo, blocking all escape routes.
"But I smell your scent, hear your breathing, and sense your presence. You have nowhere to hide!"
Bilbo looked at the Dragon's massive body and the terrifying aura he exuded, and couldn't help but swallow.
He tried to calm his wildly beating heart, and facing the Dragon's gaze, he cautiously said, "Uh, Smaug, the Immeasurable, I am a hobbit. I accidentally stumbled in here, I'm very sorry, I'll leave right away!"
"Stumbled in?" The Dragon's eyes showed mockery. "Hmph, hmph, a lying little thief. I've seen countless people who coveted my treasure. Each one of them was overconfident, and when discovered, they'd use all sorts of sweet talk, trying to make me spare their little lives."
"But do you know what their final fate was?" The Dragon's cunning vertical eyes were full of Banter and malice.
"W-what?" Bilbo had a bad feeling and quietly slipped one hand into his pocket.
"They were burned to ashes by my Dragon-fire!" A scorching heat surged from the Dragon's chest, and flames were about to erupt from his mouth.
Seeing the dire situation, Bilbo immediately pulled the One Ring from his pocket and put it on his hand, instantly entering the wraith-world and becoming invisible.
The Dragon completely lost sight of Bilbo.
"Where are you, little thief? Come out, don't be shy, come into the light."
"I sense something unusual about you. It's something of yours, made of gold, but far more precious than that!
It looks like something from an old friend I knew, containing extraordinary magic!"
The Dragon's words carried a hypnotic, seductive magic.
By the time Bilbo reacted, he had already taken off the One Ring and reappeared in the Dragon's sight.
"Ah ha, so you're here!" The Dragon's eyes instantly lit up, as if he had caught his prey.
Seeing Smaug's expression of "I've got you," Bilbo's breathing quickened. He quickly pulled out a Mandrake from his magically enchanted pocket and threw it forcefully at the Dragon.
A soul-shattering shriek instantly erupted in the treasury. The sound echoed continuously in the empty chamber, carrying a deadly magic.
The Dragon was struck hard, his expression instantly contorted in pain.
Although the Mandrake's cry couldn't kill him, it caused him immense suffering, as if sharp steel needles were piercing his ears and even penetrating his mind.
The Dragon desperately shook his head, trying to get away from the painful sound.
But the entire treasury was filled with this sound, where could he hide?
The tormented Smaug thrashed wildly, letting out painful roars.
It wasn't until he rolled over and buried the Mandrake under the gold coins, successfully silencing the Mandrake, that the Dragon finally escaped the ordeal.
The Dragon felt a lingering fear, followed by endless rage and hatred.
"Little thief! I will have my revenge!!!"
"I will kill you! And your kin, I will find them all and destroy them with Dragon-fire!!!"
Bilbo had already taken the opportunity to run far away, but upon hearing the Dragon's vow of revenge, panic and regret rose in his heart.
"No, you can't do that!"
"The other hobbits are innocent, they don't even know about this!"
Bilbo couldn't even imagine the Shire suffering the Dragon's retaliation and being engulfed in flames because of him.
The Dragon quickly locked onto Bilbo's direction, as if he had found his weak point, his eyes filled with the thrill and triumph of revenge.
"They will be consumed by Dragon-fire because of your offense against the Dragon! And you will be powerless to stop it!"
Bilbo was unsettled by the Dragon's words.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes resolute. He absolutely couldn't let the Dragon have a chance to leave the Lonely Mountain!
Otherwise, the Shire would probably face utter destruction.
Thinking this, he immediately took out the gold coin Luke had given him and tapped it repeatedly with his finger.
"Got you!"
The Dragon suddenly appeared in front of Bilbo, his huge vertical eye staring at him, revealing a ferocious, evil smile.
Watching the Dragon's open maw about to spew flames at him, Bilbo's expression was terrified.
"Avada Kedavra!" A dazzling magic instantly struck the Dragon.
"Luke!" Bilbo exclaimed with joy, as if he had seen a savior.
Luke, riding a flying broom, swiftly rushed towards Bilbo, picked him up, and swung him onto his back, dodging the Dragon's flames.
Luke looked gravely at the unharmed Dragon.
The Dragon's defense was too strong; even a powerful magic couldn't break his scales or cause him harm.
"Wizard?" Smaug stopped his attack, looking at the suddenly appearing Luke with surprise.
"Who are you? And where do you come from?"