Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 41: The Fire of Arno

After saying this, it was as if all his courage had been used up, and he shrank back again, hiding behind Dui.

Dewi was stunned by Bilbo's quick response.

Gandalf was very happy and raised his glass, "Our Mr. Snitch has returned! Let us welcome Bilbo Baggins!"

"To Bilbo Baggins, the Snitch!" the dwarves cheered.

When Dewi came to his senses, he felt complicated. He didn't expect Bilbo to agree so quickly. He remembered that Bilbo made the final decision to catch up with the expedition team only after Gandalf and the others left.

Obviously, this change came from him.

But since Bilbo agreed, Dewi also supported his decision, and immediately asked Thorin and Bilbo to sign a contract, which clearly stated the reward for Bilbo's help in retaking the Lonely Mountain.

He did not want Bilbo to do such a great service and then receive nothing in return.

In order to retake the Lonely Mountain, Thorin was also very generous and promised to share the treasure of the Lonely Mountain. As long as the Arkenstone was found and the Lonely Mountain was retaken, he would give Bilbo one-fourteenth of the treasure.

As for Gandalf, he did not ask for any reward.

After receiving the contract and signing his name, Bilbo felt a little dizzy.

If he obtained one-fifteenth of the Lonely Mountain's treasure as stipulated in the contract, he would become the richest Hobbit in the entire Shire.

Midnight,

The dwarves, having drunk all the wine from Bag End, lay scattered on their beds, snoring like thunder.

Bilbo, who was in the master bedroom next door, kept tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep at all.

On the one hand, it was because the dwarves were snoring too loudly, and on the other hand, it was because of the upcoming adventure.

Dewi and Gandalf sat on the sloping lawn of the roof of Bag End.

One was looking up at the starry sky, and the other was smoking his pipe silently.

"I went to the wasteland recently and exchanged information with some ranger friends. I found that the Orc army in the Misty Mountains has been making moves recently, and there are even traces of several Orc teams in the wasteland." Gandalf exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice a little solemn.

"So I will separate from you halfway and go explore the Misty Mountains. Then the expedition team will be handed over to you!"

Gandalf had told him about this before, so Dewi was mentally prepared.

He nodded and turned to look at Gandalf, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

To be honest, he would rather follow Gandalf than with the dwarves.

Gandalf smiled and pointed to the sword at his waist. "I would be happy to have you as a helper, but haven't you made a deal with the dwarves to protect them?"

"That's a nice sword you have, by the way! Did you name it?"

"This sword is called the Blazing Sword."

Seeing that Gandalf was interested in his sword, Dewi drew out his sword with a touch of show-off and handed it to him. At the same time, he answered Gandalf's previous question and said nonchalantly:
"I only promised to help them retake the Lonely Mountain, but I didn't say I would take care of them like a nanny. And I don't think Thorin would like to see my or your prestige in the team surpass his."

When it comes to Thorin, Gandalf also has a headache. Although the team has just been formed, the conflict between Thorin and Gandalf has begun to emerge.

Thorin, a man with an extremely strong desire for control, always tried to maintain control of the expedition. Gandalf, on the other hand, was unwilling to vie for leadership and was even willing to defer to Thorin most of the time. However, as the proposer and organizer of the expedition, Thorin naturally held prestige within the group due to his formidable strength and authority.

Not to mention that he was wearing the Fire Ring Naya on his hand. The ring would make people around him feel warmth, courage, and hope, and would make people instinctively want to get close to him and make him the center of attention.

Therefore, unless either Thorin or Gandalf takes the initiative to surrender or leave, conflicts will sooner or later break out during the expedition.

But this is not something Dui needs to worry about.

Gandalf didn't care too much about it. Now that the wizard Dui was in the team, he felt much more at ease and focused more on detecting the surge of dark forces.

Forgetting about Thorin, the annoying guy, Gandalf focused his attention on the sword in front of him that looked like it was made of gold.

"The dwarf's craftsmanship is truly amazing!" Gandalf stroked the sword with admiration. As soon as he grasped the hilt, magic power poured into the sword. The sword instantly burned with a hot golden flame, releasing light like the sun!
"The Blazing Sword, it truly lives up to its name!"

Dewi was shocked when he saw the golden flames released from the flaming sword in Gandalf's hand.

This golden flame was different from the red flame he had experienced before. It was even hotter, more sacred, and more dangerous. Dui could feel that if he touched this flame, even a little bit, he would be instantly burned to ashes!
"Gandalf, what is this flame?"

"This is the Fire of Arnor, the fire of the Sun," Gandalf explained.

Dui was shocked when he heard this. The flaming sword in his hand only released red magic flames, but in Gandalf's hands it actually released the fire of the sun!

This gap is too big!

Dui felt that the Flaming Sword in his hand was a treasure that had been covered in dust and entrusted to the wrong person.

But Dui felt better when he thought that Gandalf was a Maia disguised as a wizard.

After all, the other party is a god, and I am just an ordinary wizard. It is not surprising that there is a gap, right? Dui comforted himself in this way.

Condensing the flames, Gandalf discovered the mysterious runes emerging on the sword and was very curious, "What is this text? I feel it contains mystery and power."

"This is magic rune. You can also think of it as the wizard's writing." In order to avoid having the same name as the dwarf runes, he changed the explanation.

"Wizards' writing?" Gandalf was very surprised. He never knew that wizards had any writing. But then a guess popped up in his mind, and he stared at Dui in disbelief.

"Is this a word you created?"

Apart from this guess, he really couldn't think of any other explanation.

"Gandalf, you think too highly of me!" Dui smiled bitterly and shook his head. He didn't dare lie in front of the wise grey-robed wizard, but he couldn't tell him about the system either, so he could only choose to use a vague explanation.

"You can consider this a gift from heaven. Although I am the only one who currently masters this magic rune, I did not create it."

But this answer shocked Gandalf no less than his previous guess.

The word "divine gift" inevitably made Gandalf think wrongly, and then he looked at Dewi with envy, "The favor that the Father of All Living Things has shown you makes me jealous!"

"Huh?" Dewi was confused. What did this mean, the care of the Father of All Living Things? Did Gandalf misunderstand something?

But Gandalf had no intention of explaining. After returning the flaming sword to Dewi, he returned to Bag End to rest.

The next morning,
After everyone finished eating the last bit of food stored in Bag End, they packed up and got ready to go.

(End of this chapter)