The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 72 The Third Era

under night.

Ino gazed at the distant, mist-shrouded mountains, then looked at the vast grasslands around him.

After much hesitation, he finally decided to enter the farm in front of him.

"A lock-picking spell... I'm not even as quick-witted as Hermione!"

Looking at the farm's tightly closed gates, Ino belatedly sighed in realization.

Although he sighed, he had no regrets whatsoever.

In that situation, if you had rashly entered the farm and hadn't had time to close the gate, you would have been surrounded in the confined space, with no way to escape, since the giant bear was chasing you so closely.

"The Arahomon Opens!"

As the incantation was recited, the farm's tall wooden gate opened in response.

As Ino entered the farm, she looked around and found that everything, from tableware to supplies, including tables, chairs, beds, and wardrobes, seemed to be enlarged.

Interestingly, he also noticed that the surrounding beams and pillars were covered with various rough patterns, resembling some kind of totem or casual graffiti, which always seemed somewhat mysterious.

Similarly, along one side of the room, there were piles of huge weapons: a sword over three meters long, an execution axe even larger than the sword, and even a scythe with a blade diameter of over one meter.

Although these weapons no longer look shiny, the rust spots and dark purple patches on them seem to prove that they are more than just decorations.

……

As time went on.

The area outside the farm seemed unusually lively at night.

Inside the room, Ino heard the low growls of various wild beasts, even interspersed with chilling screams.

This put him on high alert once again; sleeping was out of the question. He opened his briefcase, took out a bottle of vitality tonic, and drank it all in one gulp.

It's no wonder it was made by a potion master. As the bitter potion entered my mouth, the fatigue from the previous battle and the sleepiness of the late night all disappeared, and a feeling of being full of energy arose spontaneously.

Feeling his own condition, Ino smiled with satisfaction after a moment.

Given the current situation, even if the giant bear attacks, he is confident that he can continue to fight for several hours, and even kill it in mid-air.

However, upon considering the unknown story, he quickly dismissed the idea, since any slight change could lead to unpredictable changes in the entire story.

……

"I feel like everything changed after I entered Hogwarts..."

Sitting in the huge chair, Ino pondered to himself.

It seems that the fantasy world has changed since the start of the school year; the scenes of small villages and towns that used to exist have never appeared again.

Whether it was Narnia last time or the story now, the entire terrain is unusually large, and various dangers follow one after another.

In the dead of night, time always seems to drag on.

Although he drank the magic potion, the drawback of having so much energy also became apparent: he had nowhere to vent it.

However, given the current situation, it is clear that we cannot act rashly.

He could only sit on the huge chair, listlessly scattering snowflakes while quietly waiting for dawn.

Time passed by, second by second.

Finally, as a commotion came from the doorway, Ino jumped off the chair, gripping her wand tightly in her right hand.

"Come out! I know you're in there." A rough, hoarse voice rang out from outside the room.

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, we must face it eventually.

He breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the sounds outside the room. It was good that they could communicate; what he feared most was an attack that started with a sense of mortal enmity.

He slowly walked out of the room.

What came into view was a giant standing in the courtyard, about twenty feet tall. His nearly five-meter-tall body, coupled with his thick hair, looked very intimidating.

"I'm sorry! I entered uninvited." Ino bowed slightly. "Yesterday, I was chased by wild beasts, and I had no choice but to take refuge here temporarily."

The moment he saw the figure opposite him, he knew that this must be the giant's home, so he immediately began to explain his uninvited intrusion.

"My name is Bion, the last skin-changing human in Middle-earth. In my beast form, I have difficulty controlling my behavior."

The giant seemed surprisingly kind; not only did he not pursue the matter, but he also offered an explanation.

Skinners…Middle-earth, a string of familiar words echoed in my ears.

As a shining gem in the history of fantasy, Ino is very familiar with this long story.

As for Bion, the magical skin-changing man, he also had some understanding of him, and overall he was a pitiful and tragic person.

The Bion family was brutally murdered by the orcs, and he himself was shackled and chained, treated like a pet and watched by the orcs. After narrowly escaping, he lived outside the Misty Mountains, hunting down the minions of the dark forces all by himself.

But it seems that Bion has a certain degree of goodwill towards humans, and is not as indifferent to dwarves as depicted in the story.

Thinking of this, Ino smiled and said:

"Ino the bard! I've heard your reputation, Mr. Bion! I meant no harm, let's just let last night's misunderstanding be forgotten."

"You shouldn't have come here," Bion's hoarse voice rang out again. "The infiltration of evil forces has made the Misty Mountains unsafe."

Meanwhile, Ino was already pondering in his mind.

Although the story's background has been confirmed, he currently knows nothing about Middle-earth, not even what era it is.

If you accidentally wander into Helm's Deep or Minas Tirith and find yourself caught in a major war, that would be truly disastrous.

However, there was one thing he was certain of: this was definitely not the terrifying Second Era, after all, the living Bion standing right in front of him was the best proof.

Speaking of this, we must mention the tremendous changes in Middle-earth. In the era of the First Age, during the time of the Daedric Lord Gouz, dragons like Smaug were merely created henchmen, and there were even active Ancient Balrogs.

In the Second Age, during the time of Sauron, even powerful skin-changing beings like Bion could only be kept as pets while shackled.

But in the Third Age, after the Elves and Men joined forces to destroy Númenor, Middle-earth experienced a precipitous decline, as if it had entered the End of the Dharma, and all extraordinary powers were rapidly receding.

As a result, Bion can now easily enter the Misty Mountains alone, thus protecting this land that has not yet been tainted by evil. He can easily kill any orc, dire wolf, or even troll.

Although one's mind is racing, in reality it's just a fleeting moment.

After a slight hesitation, Ino spoke up:

"Thank you for your advice, Mr. Bion! I'll rest for a bit and then leave."

"Whatever you want!" Bion stopped trying to persuade him, grabbed the huge hand axe beside him, and began to work in the courtyard on his own.

Wooden stakes with a diameter of more than one meter are like soft cakes in Bion's hands, easily split into firewood of uniform size.

In the courtyard, Ino stood quietly to one side.

He is now waiting for Bion to finish his work, to inquire about the map and the current time, before deciding on the next leg of his journey.

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(End of this chapter)