American TV series: Start with the little Sheldon's wool

Chapter 758 Things Have Changed
"Why are you all silent? Is it okay or not? Or do you have other opinions?"

After Mike made his bold statement, he found that the girls had all fallen silent, and every now and then one of them would glare at him with a resentful look.

This situation is like having a sharp blade hanging overhead, about to fall.

Even though Mike is very resilient, he was a little scared at this moment.

"Isn't it obvious?" Peggy, with her exceptionally high IQ, broke the silence with a look of disdain. "We've known about your womanizing for a long time, and silence means tacit agreement."

"But let's make this clear first, if you bring back any strange people, we definitely won't let her stay. At least not in the castle..."

To be honest, the girls were the weaker party, and Mike's philandering was a result of their gradual concessions and indulgence.

After making peace and compromises, the sisterhood has now achieved a harmonious relationship.

If Mike brings back any more women with eccentric personalities, it will inevitably disrupt this balance.

This is not good for anyone.

That's why Peggy brought up the unpleasant things upfront.

As she finished speaking, the other girls nodded in agreement.

“You can doubt my character, but you can’t doubt my judgment. The girls I value must at least be as gentle, considerate, and beautiful as you all…” Mike smiled and shrewdly praised the girls before making the final decision, “It’s settled then. I’ll go pick them up first.”

"If their personalities make them difficult to get along with and make you all feel uncomfortable, I will personally send them back."

……

Without giving the girls time to react, Mike opened a portal to Middle-earth after speaking.

More than a decade has passed since his last visit.

Now, Middle-earth, having lost its magical nourishment, can no longer give birth to a powerful demon like Sauron.

Even the dwarves who did not migrate to the Central Continent are slowly losing their abilities.

This is caused by the depletion of magic power.

From this perspective, the elves are indeed more intelligent than the dwarves.

After all, the moment the magic faded, the three elven races decisively chose to relocate as a whole to find a new home.

Judging from the process alone, being forced to leave their home must have traumatized the elves.

In the long run, however, it demonstrates how wise and decisive the three elven leaders—Queen Galadriel, Elrond, and Thranduil—were.

"Mike, is that really you? You're finally back!!!"

When Mike appeared at the Lonely Mountain Hall, he was embraced by two women on either side of him amidst gasps of surprise.

They are the elven princess Alwen and the half-elf Sophia.

Then, Éowyn, the former princess of Rohan, who had heard the commotion, also rushed over. When she found that there was no room in Mike's arms, she could only stand there and grin foolishly.

"Okay, I was wrong. I promise this won't happen again." Seeing the girls' expressions change from initial surprise to hurt and tears, Mike knew that it had been really unfair of him to leave for more than ten years.

"Really? So you're not leaving after you come back this time??" The elf princess's tear-streaked face was instantly replaced by immense joy.

Sofia and Iowa on the other side also had their eyes light up at the same time.

“No, what I mean is, I can take you with me this time.” Mike reassured Alvin and Sophia, then took a moment to give the long-awaiting Éowyn a warm hug.

The main feature is a central air conditioning system, ensuring no one is neglected.

"Take us with you, but what about here?" After her emotions had been fluctuating, the elven princess finally regained the ability to think.

First, there's Lonely Mountain, which is Mike's home turf; it would be a waste to just give it up.

Secondly, the elven princess also had her own selfish motives, namely, the fear that once she left, she would never have the chance to see her relatives who had migrated to the Central Continent again.

After all, given that Mike had disappeared for over a decade without a trace, he must have gone to a very, very far place. "Don't worry, we can return to Middle-earth whenever we have time or when you want to come back." The girl's worry was written all over her face, and Mike could easily see it.

So that reassured the other party.

"Oh, okay then. When are we leaving?" The fairy princess, relieved, immediately cheered up.

To be honest, now that she had no worries, she was still very curious about where Mike had been before.

It's astonishing that he's been gone for over a decade without ever thinking of coming back.

“No rush, we have plenty of time. At least we need to let Éowyn say goodbye to her brother, and I haven’t seen some of my old friends here in a long time, so it’s time to go see them.” Mike already had a general plan in mind.

Just as he said, because the time flow is different in the two worlds, even if you stay in Middle-earth for a day or two longer, only a dozen minutes or even a few minutes will probably pass in the main world.

This situation meant that Mike had plenty of time here.

Not only can it allow the girls to finish handing over their tasks, but it also gives you time to go out and explore.

More than a decade has passed, and no one knows what the rest of the Central Plains has become.

"Mike? It's Mike!! I never thought I'd see you again while I'm still alive."

Just as Mike was about to take Éowyn directly to the capital of Rohan, a frail old man, leaning on a cane, entered the hall.

Even with the healing power that Michael had bestowed upon him more than a decade ago, the already frail hobbit Baggins was now old and nearing the end of his life.

Hobbits are long-lived, but that's relative to ordinary humans.

Even so, their average lifespan is only around 120 years.

If we count the years, Baggins is now over 130 years old, which is quite advanced in age.

"Ha, look who's here? My old friend Baggins, you don't look too good." Mike smiled and stepped forward, giving him a light hug.

“Yes, I’m old and useless now. But you, you’re still as young as ever…” Seeing his old friend filled Baggins with emotion and nostalgia. “Do you remember, back then, you, me, and Gandalf the Wizard, we went through a thrilling and exciting adventure together…”

"It feels like it happened just yesterday..."

"I wonder how Gandalf is doing now..."

The old man kept nagging; it seems like everyone has this habit when they get old.

“Yeah, I also feel like it hasn’t been that long,” Mike chimed in, genuinely agreeing.

After all, due to the speed of the world's flow, what is a dozen years in Middle-earth is only a dozen days in the main world.

Who knew that in the blink of an eye, everything would change so drastically.

"Would you like to be given a chance to become young again?" Mike thought for a moment and then asked.

Back then, his strength hadn't reached the level of creation; at most, he could only help Baggins heal the wounds caused by the One Ring.

But things are different now. Having reached the Genesis level, he has already gained control over a portion of the power of the rules.

This includes the power of time, which is related to the passage of years.

If Baggins wanted to, he could easily make the other person young again.

“No, no need. Thank you for your kindness, but I have had wonderful adventures in my life and fulfilled my dream of writing a book. I am satisfied.” Hearing Mike’s words, Baggins was stunned for a while, but in the end he chose to go with the flow.

He had also worried about growing old, which made him understand even more that human desires are endless.

This is good enough. To face death with equanimity and without regrets is a kind of happiness.

"Alright. Before I leave, I can grant you one more wish. You can think about it carefully." Mike patted the other person's shoulder lightly, choosing to respect his wishes. At the same time, as an old friend, he also gave him some preferential treatment.

……

(End of this chapter)