Luke was overjoyed by Smaug's submission.
Gandalf, who was standing by, was also happy for Luke:
"Congratulations, Luke, from now on you are the only one in Middle-earth who can control a Dragon. This is an unprecedented achievement!"
As powerful creatures created by the dark Morgoth, the Dragon race once rampaged across Middle-earth, bringing fear and destruction to its people.
Although they belonged to the dark creatures, their power and terror were undeniable.
The Dark Lord Sauron had tried to subjugate Dragons to serve him, but he never succeeded.
This was because Dragons were only greedy for gold and silver jewels, but had no interest in ruling Middle-earth.
However, because of this, the greedy Dragons and the wealth-accumulating Dwarves formed a hatred that lasted for thousands of years.
Thorin's ancestors originally lived in the Grey Mountains north of the Lonely Mountain, but their wealth attracted the Dragon's wrath. The Dragon attacked and killed the Dwarf King Thráin I and his son Frór.
Only the surviving eldest son, Thráin, led some of his people to the Lonely Mountain to establish the Kingdom Under the Mountain.
But unexpectedly, the treasures of the Kingdom Under the Mountain attracted an even fiercer Dragon—Smaug's invasion—which ultimately led to the wandering lives of Thorin and the other Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain.
Now, this Dragon had been subdued by Luke, becoming his aid.
Luke's power underwent a drastic change, making him one of the most unprovokable individuals in Middle-earth.
After subduing the Dragon, Luke and Gandalf rode on the Dragon's back, preparing to leave the area.
After all, they were still in the lake.
One of Smaug's wings was injured, preventing him from flying for the time being. He could only walk, carrying the two people on his back towards Lake-town.
Lake-town did not suffer too many casualties thanks to Luke and Gandalf's timely intervention. However, the houses ignited by Dragon-fire continued to spread,
and were very difficult to extinguish with water.
As the residents of Lake-town grieved over their burning houses, they saw the Dragon in the distance approaching them from the lake, and were instantly filled with terror and despair.
Bard was even more startled, drawing his bow and aiming at the Dragon.
Although he knew it would have no effect on the Dragon, he did not want to sit idly by and wait for death.
However, with his sharp eyes, he quickly spotted Luke and Gandalf on the Dragon's back, and was instantly shocked. His intelligence led him to realize that things were not as he had imagined.
Bard took a deep breath. Amidst the residents' exclamations and worries, he quickly walked to the dockside, only a few meters away from the approaching Dragon, Smaug.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, facing the Dragon's radiating might and oppressive presence, his heart still raced.
If the Dragon were to suddenly open its mouth and breathe fire, or bite him, he would have no chance of escaping.
"Luke, Gandalf, what is going on with you?" Bard asked, full of surprise and doubt.
Luke said nothing, but directly waved his staff, continuously extinguishing the surrounding flames to prevent them from spreading further.
Gandalf, meanwhile, slid down the Dragon's neck and head, jumping directly onto the dock, and smilingly explained to Bard and the crowd:
"The Dragon has now been subdued by Luke. He now obeys Luke's commands and will no longer pose a danger to you!"
Hearing Gandalf's words, and seeing the Dragon Smaug making no aggressive moves, everyone looked on in disbelief.
As descendants of Dale, the residents of Lake-town were very aware of the terror and danger of the Dragon Smaug.
When Dale was destroyed by the Dragon, their ancestors had no choice but to abandon their homes and float downstream, establishing a new home in this long lake, thus avoiding Smaug's persecution.
Yet, they never expected that this Dragon, once their nightmare, would one day be subdued by someone!
Everyone looked at the person riding on a broom, waving his staff to extinguish the fire, and a sense of awe spontaneously arose.
Soon, Luke extinguished the large fire in Lake-town.
However, the burned buildings, being caused by Dragon-fire, could not be restored to their original state even with Luke's Repairing Charm.
Looking at the residents who were homeless due to their burned houses, Luke felt a little guilty at this moment.
After all, all of this was caused by the Dragon.
And now that the Dragon had been subdued by him and became one with him, the destruction caused by the Dragon seemed to have become his responsibility as well.
Luke took out a bag from his spatial pouch and handed it to Bard.
"This contains some gold coins and jewels. Please distribute them to the affected residents."
Bard looked at the small money bag in his hand, somewhat surprised.
However, when he opened the bag and looked inside, he saw a space of about two meters, filled with countless gold coins and precious jewels.
The value of so much treasure completely surpassed that of the wealthiest Master of the town.
Even if it were distributed among every resident of the town, it would be enough for everyone to live a prosperous life.
Bard was shocked by the quantity of treasures within, but he did not develop any greedy thoughts. Instead, he nodded gratefully to Luke, assuring him.
"Thank you for your generosity, Luke. I will accept this on behalf of the residents! Rest assured, I will distribute these treasures to the residents,
so they can smoothly get through this winter!"
Moreover, he also knew that Luke was helping him raise his prestige. The Master had previously abandoned the residents of Lake-town, fleeing with only a boatload of money, only to be noticed first by the Dragon, who directly sprayed him to death with Dragon-fire.
Now Lake-town was without a leader, and as a descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale, Bard naturally became the leader of the residents of Lake-town.
"What are you planning to do, Bard?" Gandalf asked him.
Bard looked at the many damaged buildings around him, and a surge of ambition rose in his heart.
He said, "We were forced to come and live in Lake-town. Now that the Dragon is no longer a threat, I want to lead the residents to rebuild Dale."
"Furthermore, if the Dwarves hadn't insisted on going to the Lonely Mountain and waking and angering the Dragon, the Dragon wouldn't have come out! So I need the Dwarves to give up a portion of the Lonely Mountain's treasure to compensate the residents and rebuild Dale."
"After all, when the Dragon attacked the Lonely Mountain and Dale, it plundered the treasures of Dale and took them into the Lonely Mountain. Logically speaking, as a descendant of Girion, Lord of Dale, I also have the right to a share of those treasures."
Luke and Gandalf had no objections to this; after all, it was a matter between Bard and Thorin Oakenshield.
After a conversation with Bard, Luke and Gandalf did not linger in Lake-town, but rode the Dragon Smaug towards the Lonely Mountain.
Although the residents of Lake-town knew that the Dragon would no longer harm them, they breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like they had narrowly escaped death, as they watched the Dragon depart.
The fear of the Dragon was deeply ingrained, and they couldn't help but be afraid.
One of Smaug's wings was pierced by the divine spear aeglos, making it impossible for him to fly for a short period.
So he could only move on the ground, carrying Luke and Gandalf.
However, even on the ground, the Dragon's movement speed was very fast.
Sitting on the Dragon's back, Gandalf chuckled with novelty, "Thanks to you, I never thought I'd get to experience riding a Dragon one day. It's absolutely wonderful!"
Luke was also a bit excited. He had never imagined he would have the experience of being a Dragon Rider one day.
The only regret was that the Dragon couldn't fly yet, which diminished the experience somewhat.
"Smaug, when will your wing heal?" Luke asked.
"Master, it was your divine spear aeglos that pierced my wing. The divine spear contains powerful energy, and it will prevent my wound from healing on its own. Without a miraculous elixir, I'm afraid I won't be able to fly for a very long time!"
Smaug's voice carried a hint of resentment and grievance.
Bound by the unbreakable Vow Charm, he dared not resent Luke. He could only lament his own misfortune, having encountered Luke, a being who countered him.
Upon hearing this, Luke became a little anxious for the Dragon. After all, a major advantage of Dragons was their ability to fly and exert aerial dominance over the ground.
If he could only move on the ground, the Dragon's combat power and threat would be greatly reduced.
Gandalf, seeing Luke frown, smiled and comforted him:
"This isn't too big of a problem. Once this mission is completely over, we can go to Rivendell and ask Lord Elrond for help.
He is the most powerful healer in all of Middle-earth. Even the most fatal injuries, he can heal. Smaug's injury is probably something he can resolve with ease."
Gandalf had previously worried that the Dragon Smaug would ally with the Orcs, which was why he organized the Dwarf expedition to the Lonely Mountain, intending to use the Dwarves' strength to kill the Dragon and eliminate the hidden danger.
But now that the Dragon had been subdued by Luke and became a force for good,
Gandalf naturally genuinely hoped that the Dragon would recover from his injuries as soon as possible, making their own forces stronger, thereby enabling them to defeat the forces of darkness.
Soon, the two individuals and the Dragon returned to the Lonely Mountain.
Upon arriving at the main gate, they saw that the entrance was already blocked.
"What's going on?" Gandalf frowned in confusion. "It wasn't like this when we left. Why is it blocked as soon as we return?"
"Did something happen here after we left?"
Luke looked at the tightly sealed gate, and a guess formed in his mind. He sneered, "Perhaps some people inside don't welcome our return."
Gandalf's brow furrowed further upon hearing this. Thinking of Thorin's situation earlier, he leaned towards Luke's speculation.
The Dragon Smaug, however, spoke up proactively. He looked eager, saying,
"Master, let me do it. These city walls can't stop me at all. I'll just attack directly, kill all the Dwarves inside, and then the entire Lonely Mountain and the treasures within will be ours!"
Seeing Gandalf's disapproving expression, Luke's face instantly darkened. He snapped, "Shut up!"
Even though this fellow was forced to submit to him, he still couldn't change his ways, remaining extremely greedy for treasure and trying to incite him to steal the treasure.
Seeing Luke angry, Smaug immediately shut up.
However, his two Dragon eyes flickered with restless light, still unwilling to give up on the Lonely Mountain's treasure.
After all, in his opinion, these treasures were plundered. Now that he had submitted to Luke, these treasures should belong to Luke.
In that case, the Master's things were his things, and the Master's treasures were his treasures, still not affecting his continued possession of these treasures.
He could even request to guard the treasures for the Master once the Master owned them.
Ensuring not a single coin would be lost!