Capítulo 160: 160
Wayne followed Thorin through half the town, reaching a low-rise dwelling where dwarves resided. Outside, they found Balin, a wise-looking old dwarf smoking a pipe. After brief introductions, Wayne was invited inside and offered a glass of pure dwarven ale.
"This is Balin, a master architect among dwarves. He has participated in designing many famous buildings in our kingdom, including the royal palace," Thorin introduced. "This is Wayne. He wants to hire dwarf craftsmen to build a manor in the Shire."
Without much fuss, they moved on to the business at hand. With Wayne's eloquence and financial resources, the negotiation went smoothly, and a contract was quickly signed.
According to the agreement, thirty dwarf craftsmen would travel to Hobbiton to help build Wayne's manor. As they were an out-of-town crew, Wayne would provide food and lodging and pay a one-third deposit upfront, around 280 Middle-earth gold coins. This price aligned with Ford's estimate and market rates, indicating the dwarves' fairness.
After finalizing the details, Balin informed Wayne that the dwarf craftsmen would depart in two days, as they needed time to gather tools and organize personnel. Wayne had no objections, adhering to his principle of leaving professional matters to professionals.
With time to spare, Wayne remembered the bounty on the notice board and the 300 gold coin reward. He declined Thorin's dinner invitation, saying, "Prince Thorin, Mr. Balin, you go ahead and prepare dinner. I'm going to see if I can find Bisog the black bear. Perhaps I can join you for dinner upon my return."
As he parted ways with the dwarves, Wayne chuckled, recalling their surprised expressions. He knew that to impress others, actions spoke louder than words. He quickly asked for directions and found the female painter in Bree, a woman in her thirties named Sodanina. She was attractive and had a happy family, which Wayne respected.
After learning his purpose, Sodanina, seeing he was alone, urged him not to venture into the forest alone. She suggested he form a team to hunt Bisog. However, Wayne was determined and confident. Seeing her pleas were futile, Sodanina shared what she knew about the discovery of her brother's body and speculations about the black bear's whereabouts.
Wayne had successfully obtained an expert-level quest from the painter, a welcome change from the mundane tasks he had been taking from the hobbits lately. The difficulty level hinted that the black bear wasn't overly powerful.
Bidding farewell to Sodanina and her family, Wayne unfurled his flying carpet, ignoring the surprised stares, and soared towards Bisog's territory. The carpet was swift, ignoring terrain, and in less than half an hour, he reached the area the bear frequented. Unfortunately, from this point on, he had to rely on luck to find it.
But luck seemed to be on his side. After searching for dozens of minutes, a loud bear roar reached his keen witcher senses. He immediately flew towards the source of the sound. The forest outside Bree had lush vegetation, but due to logging, the trees weren't too dense. Through the gaps, Wayne easily spotted a massive black bear chasing an injured deer.
The bear was fast. Despite the deer's evasive maneuvers, it was tackled after a few hundred meters. The black bear opened its bloody maw and bit down on the deer's neck.
Wayne was pleased. Most beasts were relaxed while eating. No matter how strong the black bear was, a sneak attack could still be fatal. While Bisog scanned its surroundings vigilantly, it devoured the deer. Wayne's flying carpet hovered silently above the bear. He drew the sword and casted an enhanced Quen shield on himself, and then crouched on the carpet, aiming for the bear's heart.
After a few minutes, when the bear was engrossed in its meal, Wayne jumped from a height of over ten meters, driving the two-handed sword through the bear's fur, bone, and organs, piercing its heart and pinning it to the ground. The bear's dying thrash threw Wayne off, but also enlarged the fatal wound, hastening its demise.
After delivering the blow, Wayne kept a cautious distance, watching as the bear staggered away with the sword embedded in its chest. However, it only managed to run two hundred meters before collapsing, leaving a trail of blood as it succumbed to its injuries.
As mentioned before, no matter how powerful a creature, they are vulnerable to a well-timed sneak attack. After waiting ten minutes, until the black bear's bleeding slowed, Wayne approached, stepped onto its back, retrieved his sword, and recalled the flying carpet. He carefully sheathed his sword.
Looking at the massive carcass, Wayne frowned in thought. Fortunately, he had brought a thick rope in his storage bag. Although the magic flying carpet wasn't designed to carry such weight, increasing the magic output would allow it to fly.
By the time Wayne returned to Bree, suspending the bear carcass beneath the carpet, only three hours had passed since he left town. Onlookers recognized the bear as Bisog, and news of its demise quickly spread.
Wayne didn't shy away from the attention. He stowed the carpet, held his sword, and confidently stood in the town square, basking in the admiration of the crowd.
About ten minutes later, a middle-aged dwarf official pushed through the crowd and found Wayne. After an excited conversation, the official respectfully presented the bounty and announced Bisog's defeat to the crowd. He praised Wayne as a hero and declared him an eternal friend of Bree.
To further enhance his reputation, the generous Wayne handed the 300 gold coins back to the official, announcing that he would use the sum to treat everyone in town to drinks and a celebration. This act of generosity ignited the town's excitement and admiration. Men, women, and children alike looked at him with respect and awe.
Among those admiring him, Wayne noticed Thorin, Balin, and other dwarves with complex expressions. However, he didn't approach them immediately. Instead, he found the female painter, Sodanina, crying tears of joy in the crowd. During a conversation filled with relief and blessings, he completed his expert task.
Then, with the townsfolk watching, he walked up to the dwarf prince and said with a smile, "Thorin, there's no need for you to prepare dinner tonight. Why don't we use my bounty and have a good drink together?"
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