Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 37 The Deal with Thorin
In Thorin's hall.

Dui saw Thorin Oakenshield again, and the interval was only half a day.

"It's you, black-robed wizard." Thorin's sharp eyes flashed with surprise at Dui's reappearance, and he frowned slightly. "So the customer who commissioned Bondi to reforge the ancient sword is you?"

Dui didn't have much affection for Thorin, but now that he wanted to ask him for help in reforging the ancient sword of the corpse demon, he had no choice but to go to him in person.

"Greetings again, Thorin Oakenshield, grandson of Thor, son of Thrain, King under the Mountain." Dui nodded, imitating Gandalf's words. "I once won the ancient sword from the hands of the wights of the Barrow-Downs, but the sword has been eroded by time and evil forces, and has long lost its former sharpness and toughness. I heard that the dwarves are unmatched in forging skills, so I would like to ask for your help to see if I can reforge it."

Even the dwarves knew of the Barrow-Downs' terrifying reputation, and the Barrow-Wights were even more terrifying.

Thorin had heard Gandalf say that Doir had gone to the Barrow-Downs alone, but he had never expected that Doir had even taken the ancient sword from the wight. This gave him a clear understanding of Doir's strength for the first time.

Even if Thorin was arrogant, he would treat such a person with caution.

So he got down from his seat and said to Dui, "Forging is as easy as eating and drinking for us. We'll take your business!"

"But before that, can you show me the ancient sword?"

Dui handed the ancient corpse sword he brought to the other party.

Thorin took the ancient sword. The heavy sword, which was longer than him, seemed weightless in his hand and he held it with just one hand.

He examined the ancient sword carefully, his face losing its kingly solemnity. For the first time, he displayed the seriousness and professionalism of a craftsman. "The sword's forging process is complex, and the blade is diamond-shaped, suitable for stabbing and slashing. The hilt is designed for one-handed use, and the guard is a bronze crescent, with a white tree symbol..."

"Is this a sword belonging to the royal family of the descendants of Númenor?" Thorin looked at Dewi with an affirmative tone.

Dui nodded and explained, "It once belonged to the last prince of the Kingdom of Cardolan."

Thorin suddenly realized that the history of the Dwarves recorded that Cardolan was a kingdom split from the Kingdom of Arnor. Naturally, he also knew that this kingdom founded by the descendants of Númenórean was finally destroyed by the Witch-king of Angmar.

The Númenóreans were taught skills by the Noldor, the most skilled forgers among the elves, and mastered superb casting techniques. Even the dwarves, who were naturally good at forging, would not underestimate the craftsmanship of the Númenóreans.

Thorin held the ancient sword, pondered for a moment, then said to Dui with a stern gaze, "I will forge this ancient sword of yours myself, and I will ask the best craftsmen in the clan to help. Not only will it be able to restore its former sharpness, but it will even become more powerful..."

After hearing Thorin's words, Dui's face did not show any joy. Instead, he stared at him seriously and asked directly, "What are your conditions?"

He didn't believe that Thorin would be so kind as to mobilize the entire clan to help him reforge the ancient sword.

"I would like to invite you to join the expedition to Lonely Mountain and help us fight the dragon of Lonely Mountain!" Thorin stated his purpose.

Dewi frowned and looked at the dwarf prince in confusion, "Have you forgotten that I have promised Gandalf that I will join your expedition?" Why would this be the condition?

Thorin shook his head. "No, you don't understand. I want to invite you to join my expedition, not Gandalf's expedition!"

Dui was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Thorin meant and was stunned.

My goodness, the expedition team hasn't even been formed yet, and this dwarf prince is trying to seize power. He actually wants to snatch the leadership of the expedition team from Gandalf!

Is this a way of poaching Gandalf now?
Duy was somewhat speechless, but he still shook his head and said, "Although I agreed to join the expedition, I'm only joining as a collaborator, and I'm not under anyone's orders, whether it's you or Gandalf leading the expedition!" Thorin's expression darkened upon hearing this. Ever since the dragons occupied Lonely Mountain and he was forced into exile, with no one offering him any help, he no longer trusted anyone. He didn't even trust Gandalf.

Retaking their home in Lonely Mountain was not only the obsession of his father, Thráin II, but also his ambition to revive Durin's clan.

So he proposed a new condition: "The previous conditions remain unchanged. As the heir of the Durin family, I formally invite you to join the expedition. You don't need to obey my orders, but you must promise to help me retake the Lonely Mountain with all your strength. How do you do it?"

Dui's eyes flashed slightly. He naturally knew that even without him, Thorin and others would eventually retake Lonely Mountain.

But he still shook his head and chuckled, "Your request is not low. A sword is not worth this price!"

Thorin gritted his teeth and said, "Plus one tenth of the treasure of the Lonely Mountain! As long as you help me take back the Lonely Mountain, I can share the treasure in the Lonely Mountain with you!"

Dui became excited when talking about this. He knew that the treasures of Lonely Mountain were piled up like mountains. It was the richest place in the whole of Middle-Africa. Even if it was only one-tenth of it, it would be a wealth that could rival a country!
"Okay, but you have to sign a contract!" Dui agreed and also put forward conditions.

After all, he remembered that this guy had a family-inherited dragon disease. Once he came into contact with the treasure of Lonely Mountain, he would lose his mind, become crazy and paranoid, and become full of greed and possessiveness for the treasure.

However, Thorin was not affected by the dragon disease at this time, and readily agreed to Dui's conditions.

He also believed that with the contract, Dui would be more dedicated to helping them retake Lonely Mountain instead of giving up halfway.

So, with mutual consent and witnessed by all the dwarf relatives and elders, Dui and Thorin signed a contract.

The contract stipulated that Dui must join the expedition and help the dwarves retake Lonely Mountain.

In return, the dwarves of Durin will use all their strength to help him reforge the ancient sword, and after retaking Lonely Mountain, they will give one tenth of the treasure of Lonely Mountain to Dui.

After that, Dui stayed in the dwarf territory.

Thorin and other dwarf craftsmen began to reforge the sword for Dui.

The place where the sword was forged was not in the dwarf town, but in a mine tunnel deep in the Blue Mountains, thousands of meters underground. With the help of the temperature of the underground magma, the ancient sword of the corpse demon was melted.

When the dwarves were forging, they did not avoid Dui, so Dui had the opportunity to ride the dwarf's cable pulley mine car and come to thousands of meters underground.

The temperature here is rising rapidly, and the ground is covered with red magma.

On the huge basalt forging table, Thorin and two other craftsmen, all with bare arms and wearing leather armor, were wielding huge hammers and hammering the red-hot iron blocks continuously.

The three men moved in a coherent and orderly manner, striking the iron block in a mysterious and complex rhythm, making a rhythmic clinking sound, sparks flying, and the sound echoing in the cave, as if they were playing a war song of iron horses.

Dui stood not far away, watching the scene quietly, his eyes full of anticipation.

The scorching heat around him seemed to have no effect on him. He was still wearing a thick and long cloak, which exuded a cool feeling, like a clear spring from a mountain stream, dispelling the heat waves around him.

(End of this chapter)