Luke did not answer Smaug the Dragon's question.
The Dragon's words carried magic, similar to a charm, capable of hypnotizing and bewitching people, making them obey him involuntarily.
Smaug's gaze could even directly exert mind control, creating illusions and manipulating victims through words and gazes; ordinary humans and Dwarves were utterly unable to resist, and once they met his eyes, they could be controlled.
Even the treasures that the Dragon had been in contact with for years would possess magic, causing people to fall into obsession and madness.
Thorin's bloodline inherited Dragon sickness, which originated from this.
It could be said that Dragons were creatures with almost no weaknesses; they were not only extremely intelligent, possessed extraordinary perception, could cast evil Dragon curses and mind control, could breathe scorching Dragon fire, and had extremely high physical and magic defense attributes.
They were powerful and perfect creatures created by the dark Morgoth.
And at this moment, facing Smaug, the only active Dragon in Middle-earth.
Luke immediately unleashed his most powerful attack.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A very dazzling green light shot from Luke's wand, instantly striking Smaug the Dragon.
Smaug the Dragon immediately let out a piercing shriek, then fell into the treasure, the light in his eyes instantly extinguished.
"Is he dead?" Bilbo, sitting behind Luke, asked with wide eyes.
Luke was also somewhat surprised and uncertain at this moment.
Could it be that the Dragon was killed by him just like that? Was it that smooth and easy?
But before he could go to check, a rapid sound of footsteps approached.
It was Gandalf and the Dwarves hurrying over.
When they saw the Dragon lying as if dead on top of the treasure, the Dwarves were first shocked, and then erupted into loud cheers and celebration.
Especially Thorin Oakenshield, the look of ecstasy on his face was beyond words.
His nightmare had actually died just like that!
Then his treasure and his kingdom belonged to him again!
Gandalf was also startled to see Smaug's corpse, but then his expression changed, and he shouted, "Get back! The evil Dragon is not dead yet!"
Before he finished speaking, flames instantly reignited in the Dragon's eyes, filled with endless hatred and venom, and he opened his massive mouth, spewing scorching Dragon fire towards the group.
"Protego Maxima!"
Luke reacted quickly, casting the strongest protective charm.
The next second, the scorching Dragon fire collided with the magical shield, causing a violent reaction.
The temperature of the Dragon fire was extremely high; wherever it touched, gold instantly melted into liquid, and even Luke's magic barrier was scorched and on the verge of collapse.
Even though it blocked the direct scorching of the Dragon fire, the intense high temperature still made everyone very uncomfortable.
What was even more deadly was that Smaug the Dragon, while furiously breathing fire, was also swinging his powerful tail, the end like a battering ram, smashing towards the group.
Gandalf made a decisive move: "Quickly retreat into the hall, don't stay here!"
Hearing this, the Dwarves quickly retreated, using the massive stone pillars as cover, running towards the hall.
Gandalf also ran close behind.
Luke and Bilbo, who remained at the very end, quickly dodged on their flying broomsticks one second before the defensive barrier shattered.
"Revenge! I want revenge! Wizard, Dwarves, hobbits, I will destroy all of you with Dragon fire!" The Dragon roared madly.
Luke carried Bilbo on his flying broomstick, constantly circling around giant stone pillars and caves, avoiding the Dragon's fire and pursuit.
Smaug used his massive body to crash through thick stone walls and used his hammer-like tail to shatter one stone pillar after another, trying to bury them alive.
At this moment, Smaug's hatred for Luke had far surpassed that for anyone else, and he pursued him frantically.
Although Luke's Avada Kedavra failed to kill Smaug, it made Smaug feel the threat of death for the first time.
If his soul had not been strong and resilient enough, that Avada Kedavra would have almost shattered his soul!
Smaug had never been so terrified and enraged; he could feel that the spell had the ability to kill him, and once that young Wizard became stronger, he would be the one to die.
"Ah! Luke, the Dragon is catching up!"
Bilbo, sitting behind Luke, turned his head to see Smaug the Dragon flying with his wings, and shrieked in terror.
Luke quickly made a sharp turn, dodging the flames spewed by Smaug.
Watching the Dragon relentlessly pursue them, Luke suddenly remembered a spell from the magical world used to deal with Dragons.
He immediately changed direction and charged towards Smaug the Dragon, aiming his wand at the Dragon's eye and casting an Eye-Blinding Curse.
Smaug was unprepared, or rather, he was very confident in his body's magical resistance.
But the next second, his eyes plunged into darkness, completely losing his sense of direction, and he crashed heavily into the mountainside.
Clearly, although Smaug's body was powerful, his eyes were still a vulnerable spot.
He was unsure how long the Eye-Blinding Curse's effect on Smaug would last, but seeing the Dragon wildly breathing fire in all directions, he could only choose to avoid him for now.
Temporarily escaping the Dragon's pursuit, Luke quickly rode his broomstick, carrying Bilbo, towards the hall.
Upon arriving there, Gandalf and Thorin and the others were already waiting.
"Bilbo, did you get the arkenstone?" Thorin immediately asked as soon as they met.
Bilbo shook his head: "Sorry, I didn't have time to get the arkenstone; Smaug had already found me."
Hearing this, Thorin's expression instantly darkened, and he sneered:
"Clearly, our Master Thief failed to complete his mission, only caring about escaping!"
Bilbo felt very guilty at being told this, and lowered his head.
"I'm very sorry."
Luke pulled Bilbo behind him, gave Thorin a cold look, and scoffed:
"Now that the Dragon has been attracted by us, perhaps you can secretly go to the treasury to look for your arkenstone. But you'd best pray that the gem is hard enough and wasn't burned by the Dragon fire, otherwise, you might not be able to be your King Under the Mountain."
Hearing Luke's words, Thorin's expression became even more unpleasant and he grew more anxious and uneasy.
The other Dwarves looked at each other in dismay.
The Dragon's flames were not ordinary; common metals melted instantly upon contact, and even four of the seven Dwarf Rings were destroyed by the Dragon's flames, which showed how high the temperature of the Dragon fire was.
If the arkenstone in the treasury encountered the Dragon fire, it would certainly not survive.
"Alright, the most important thing at hand is how to deal with Smaug the Dragon!" Gandalf interjected.
"If we don't deal with him, not only will we suffer heavy losses, but even the residents of Lake-town will be implicated!"
Except for Thorin, who was still immersed in his obsession with finding the arkenstone, the other Dwarves all offered suggestions.
The Dwarf Elder Balin suggested: "Perhaps we can lure Smaug into the forge, and attack him with molten lava."
Balin's brother Dwalin also suggested: "I know a pool of acid water that can even corrode metal; perhaps it can corrode the Dragon's tough scales!"
"Also, we can prepare explosives; even if they can't kill Smaug, they can attract his attention," Fili also said.
After a discussion among the group, they quickly began to divide tasks and operate.
Meanwhile, Luke's attention was also drawn by a system prompt.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Lonely Mountain located. Do you wish to sign in?]
"Sign in!"
[Sign-in successful. Congratulations on obtaining "The Book of Abraham"!]
The Book of Abraham? Luke was somewhat puzzled.
He opened the first page and looked, and instantly his pupils contracted, and his breathing became somewhat rapid.