From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 283 The Shadow of the Evil Dragon

When Ivy finished decorating Hogwarts in his dream and woke up refreshed, he met an old friend outside the gate of Lonely Mountain.

Gandalf the Grey Wizard.

"You did it, Ivy." Gandalf, who had been nourished by Lothlorien, looked at the dragon blocking the gate of Lonely Mountain. "Smaug is really bigger than I imagined. I didn't expect you to be able to do so much... I thought you still needed a little help from fate."

"Normally, fate doesn't work very well for me." Ivy stepped forward and admired her masterpiece side by side with Gandalf. "But here, who knows. If fate really wants to help me, let it save its strength for next time."

"Hahaha..." The old wizard laughed heartily, which made the wrinkles on his face glow with vitality again.

After laughing, Gandalf took out a wooden pipe, stuffed the finest tobacco from the Shire into it, and then took out a sky-blue crystal and inserted it on the top of his twisted staff.

Gandalf held his pipe close to the hedron and tried to blow on it to make a fire, just as he had done when he had led the dwarves up to the top of the pine tree and used the pine cones to light a fire for the Warg.

The quick way he used to do it didn't work, Gandalf stared at the crystal on the top of the staff in confusion, and wiped it carefully with his sleeve again. This time the crystal flickered slightly, like a light bulb with poor contact.

"Isn't that your staff, Gandalf?" Ivy snapped her fingers, and the pipe in Gandalf's mouth was immediately lit. He gave up adjusting the crystal and took a deep puff.

"I took it from Radagast." Gandalf blew a puff of smoke and then made it turn into a dragon flapping its wings. "It was he who led me through Mirkwood and brought me ahead of Lord Elrond."

"How do you plan to deal with this dragon? It is obviously not a good idea to let it block the main gate of Lonely Mountain." Gandalf blew out several puffs of smoke in succession, turning them into various flying animals and circling around him. "I can't see our dwarf friends. What are they doing?"

"I plan to make use of Smaug's corpse, and make armor out of his scales, and weapons out of his bones. Isn't the hilt of the Beast Bite sword made of dragon teeth?" Ivy said truthfully, "As for those dwarves in the Lonely Mountain...Thorin is now suffering from dragon sickness and I don't know what's going on there."

"Although I don't know how you broke Smaug's scales with the beast-biting sword," Gandalf shook his head, "I still want to warn you. Although Smaug is dead, the evil spirit in his body will not disappear. If it is not worn out over a long period of time, I am afraid that wearing equipment made with materials from Smaug will drive people crazy, right?"

"Look at Thorin and his grandfather, and you will understand that the gold of the Lonely Mountain has the same evil spirit as Smaug, which is why he left the mountains in the north and broke into the Lonely Mountain to seize the treasure."

Ivy raised an eyebrow. The treasure of Lonely Mountain reminded him of "Gold of the Rhine". Aren't Smaug and Fafnir both terrible dragons guarding treasures? The Ring of Power also has a lot in common with the Ring of the Nibelung.

If the dragon disease that caused the corruption of Durin's descendants really came from the evil spirit of the evil dragon, then there is a way to use this power.

Thinking about my own black magic and necromancy, there is a possibility that I could use them in a different way.

"If I extract the evil spirit from Smaug's body and seal it up, then can I safely use the materials from his body?" Ivy suggested another possibility.

"I've never heard of such magic. I also suggest that you don't try it lightly. Even if you do, what if the sealed evil is opened by someone who doesn't know about it one day?" Gandalf didn't agree with Ivy's idea. "We should throw Smaug's body into the Long Lake and let the endless water of the Running River send all the evil spirits into the sea."

"What about the people in the lower reaches of the Rushing River? As far as I know, the Rushing River will eventually flow into the Inner Sea of Rhone. There are many tribes of humans and dwarves living along the way, and Thranduil's favorite Dorwinian wine is produced on the west bank of the Inner Sea of Rhone." Ivy asked back, "Just because they are close to the east, we can't assume that they have succumbed to the control of darkness like the Dongyi. Even the Dongyi have the possibility of returning to the light."

"Okay, okay." Faced with Ivy's moral blackmail, Gandalf compromised and said, "This is your trophy. You have the right to dispose of it yourself. Besides, your magic is much stronger than mine. I believe you can do it."

"Very good." Ivy nodded with satisfaction, "Let's try it now."

The battle with Smaug was too intense, and he did not have the time to prepare a soul cage to imprison the dragon's soul as he had done in the past, but he believed that the evil spirit mentioned by Gandalf was still a material worth collecting.

Ivy first took out the crystal bottle containing the light of the Great Star of Hope that Galadriel had given him. Ivy was no stranger to the spell of binding starlight, after all, the starlight gems embellishing the Ravenclaw crown were made by him personally.

He gently touched the crown on his head, releasing all the sapphires inlaid on it, which contained the starlight from another world.

The colorful starlight appeared very bright even under the sun, simply because they were all enhanced by Ivy's magic.

Stars bloomed with halos, circling around Ivy and the huge dragon corpse in front of the Lonely Mountain. He raised the starlight crystal bottle in his hand and released the light of the brightest star in the night sky of Arda.

Although they belong to different worlds, the nature of the shining starlight is similar, and they all contain magic that is unknown to this land.

Under Ivy's manipulation, the shadow of the dragon's corpse began to be gradually illuminated by the starlight, and it became thicker and thicker.

Until the shadow of the dragon's corpse completely turned into a solid darkness, Ivy raised the Starlight Crystal Bottle in his hand again.

The ominous darkness condensed into the shape of an evil dragon, and roared loudly at the two wizards in front of the Lonely Mountain. Although it could not make any sound, it made the knowledgeable Gandalf break out in a cold sweat.

The starlight surrounding Ivy merged into a flowing galaxy, easily engulfing the darkness born from the shadow of the evil dragon, and then took it on a circle in the air and returned to the starlight crystal bottle.

The light of the Great Star of Hope that sealed the evil spirit of the evil dragon only dimmed a little, but the Starlight Crystal Bottle had been occupied by the evil spirit of the evil dragon, so Ivy guided the light and re-entered the largest gem inlaid in the Ravenclaw crown on his head.

Gandalf, who witnessed the whole process, was so surprised that he couldn't speak. It took him a long time to come back to his senses: "You really did it? Oh my God! This is amazing!"

He closed his eyes and felt it quietly for a while: "It disappeared! The land that has been infected by Smaug's evil spirit for more than a hundred years has finally been liberated..."

Gandalf carved a few runes on the ground with the staff from Radagast, and then dug a few holes in the ground. Then he squatted down and stared at the small holes quietly.

After several days of digging, Ivy had a very clear idea of what the land around Lonely Mountain looked like. Under the compacted soil were hard stones, which were the stones used to build the walls of River Valley City.

Therefore, it is undoubtedly very difficult for plants to grow on such land. There is not a single tree in the desolate Smaug Desert, and even the grass is malnourished and withered.

"Look, Ivy!" Gandalf cried with delight, not even noticing that his long beard was dragging on the ground. "They are growing! I have never been able to use that spell before, not even with Radagast's staff!"

Sure enough, in the several pits that Gandalf had dug with his staff, a hint of tender yellow had already broken through the ground. Those were the new shoots of grass.

Perhaps the spells Gandalf mentioned should be classified as druids' natural magic.

"This land has been saved!" Gandalf stood up from the ground. "It won't be long before the city of Dale will return to its former prosperity. This is all thanks to you, Ivy. Now let's go and see our dwarf friends! Maybe Thorin has gotten rid of the dragon disease!"

The agile old wizard passed the dragon's corpse and headed towards the interior of the lonely mountain, shouting loudly: "Thorin! Gloin! Balin! Where are you? Why didn't anyone come to greet me?"

Ivy shook the Starlight Crystal Bottle, admired the black shadow inside it bouncing back and forth, and followed Gandalf's footsteps.

"The stoves here are all still cold." Without the heat generated by Smaug, the inside of Lonely Mountain was terribly cold. Fortunately, the Slytherin relic robe on Ivy had the function of magical insulation, otherwise he should have added a new spell for himself at this time.

"The dwarves have not made any preparations for war, even though I have already warned them." Ivy sighed. Not far from the entrance hall of Lonely Mountain was the guard's room, and then a small armory. Some of the weapons inside had been taken down, but more weapons were still covered in dust and cobwebs.

"We should be patient, Ivy." Gandalf waited for Ivy in front, stretching his head to look down, "I saw a little fire... maybe they are right there. Can you still use the spell that makes us fall slowly? That's much easier than relying on two legs."

"Jump." Ivy tapped Gandalf and jumped down.

Gushan was originally a mine, and all the city structures were expanded on the structure of the mine, so it is a cave city extending to the bottom of the mountain.

Ivy and Gandalf floated past the banquet hall, past the larger armory, past the alchemical furnaces and the craftsmen's area, and finally arrived at the throne room.

So he had put on a gorgeous fur cloak, looking somewhat like a king, but there were no subjects around him in front of his broken throne.

Thorin just stared at the broken back of the throne, where the Heart of the Mountain, the Arkenstone, was originally inlaid.

"Don't you welcome your old friend, Thorin?" Gandalf said unhappily as he landed on the long bridge in front of the throne. "This is really rude!"

"The Arkenstone has been destroyed..." This was Thorin's first sentence, sounding like a patient with withdrawal symptoms. "Really?" Gandalf breathed a sigh of relief, "I think this is a good result! Now you should thank Ivy quickly. I heard that he hasn't met you since he slayed the dragon! Not only did he accomplish the feat of slaying the dragon, he even helped you get rid of the shadow of Smaug that shrouded this land! I can't see that in ten years, the Lonely Mountain area will return to its former prosperity, or even better..."

"What's the point!" Thorin suddenly turned around and roared.

His roar echoed in the empty hall. Smaug collected all the gold and brought it to the bottom of the Lonely Mountain. In the past, the dwarves used to decorate the throne room with vessels made of gold.

The astonishment on Gandalf's face had gradually faded, replaced by intense anger.

His voice was higher and stronger than Thorin's, like a humanoid dragon speaking: "The Dwarves have reclaimed the Lonely Mountain! Durin's people will be revived! The Great Wilds of Rhovanion will be freed from the shadow of Smaug forever! This is its meaning!"

The throne room trembled even more at Gandalf's voice, and many old ashes left their hiding places and floated in the hall.

"Without the Arkenstone, without the King's jewel, there is no meaning!" Thorin still refused to back down. Although he was only about half the height of Gandalf, the explosive power in his voice was no less powerful.

"You still have your country! Your people!" Gandalf must have often used the magic of amplifying his voice to increase the persuasiveness of his words, so much so that when facing Thorin who didn't buy it, he frowned a little uncomfortably.

"Without the King's Gem, I have no country, no people..." Thorin's voice gradually faded away, and he sat dejectedly on the half-collapsed throne.

"What about the members of the expedition? What about those who have been with you through thick and thin?" Gandalf's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"They..." A light seemed to ignite in Thorin's eyes, but then it went out again. "They are my relatives... Without the King's Stone, I am nothing, and even they will abandon me..."

There were other footsteps approaching.

Appearing at the other end of the throne room were the brothers Balin and Dwalin.

"Thorin..." Balin looked at Ivy and Gandalf and decided to talk to his king first. "We have been searching down there for a whole day without eating or drinking... and Bilbo said it very clearly. He saw the Arkenstone destroyed by the dragon's fire when the wizard was fighting the dragon..."

Thorin buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply, falling into an awkward silence.

Just when everyone thought he was going to give up, he pointed at the ground and shouted to Balin: "Keep looking! You are not allowed to stop without my order! Quick! We must find the Arkenstone!"

Balin's cheek twitched, but he said nothing.

"We need to repair our weapons and prepare for the Orcs' invasion." Dwalin stared into Thorin's eyes. "The wizard said clearly that a large army of Orcs is approaching the Lonely Mountain."

"The ravens have returned from the Iron Hills and handed all the orcs over to Dain and his Ironfoot Army." Thorin stared at Dwalin and spoke word by word, "Our only mission here is to find my King's Gem!"

"You've heard it clearly, Thorin!" Gandalf could no longer bear to watch, "The Arkenstone has completely disappeared! It was destroyed by the dragon's fire! There is no such gem in the world anymore!"

Thorin paid no attention to Gandalf's words and just kept repeating the meaningless phrases "Arkenstone" and "find it".

"Perhaps you need my help, Thorin," Ivy said with a sigh. "The help of magic."

Thorin's eyes lit up again and he looked at Ivy steadily.

Gandalf was shocked: "How can you use magic to find a destroyed object? I have never heard of magic that can do that..."

Seeing the hope in Thorin's eyes dim, Gandalf quickly lowered his voice.

"Remember what Bilbo said when we were outside the secret passage in Lonely Mountain?" Ivy asked.

Thorin slowly recalled: "To open the secret passage, we need the last ray of sunlight of Durin's Day... Bilbo said that you can make time go forward to Durin's Day..."

"I answered, 'Magic is everything, as long as you know the knowledge. But I can't do that yet.'" Ivy recounted what he had said. "After I slayed the dragon, I have acquired similar abilities."

Ivy opened one hand, and the Arkenstone suddenly floated above his palm. The pure light attracted everyone's attention.

While everyone was immersed in the brilliance of the King's Gem, Thorin suddenly stood up from the throne and pounced on the gem in Ivy's hand.

Although Ivy could definitely dodge it with his current agility, he just stood there motionless, and even let the gem fall to the ground, allowing Thorin to grab it.

Thorin closed his hands behind the Arkenstone, but he did not grasp anything. The Arkenstone passed through his palms and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"An illusion?" Gandalf looked closer, but still could not see any flaws.

"Why can't I pick it up?" Thorin, kneeling on the ground, still tried to pick up the Arkenstone, like a monkey trying to fish the moon out of the water.

"Because it is an illusion that exists in the past," Ivy replied. "I just let its shadow arrive from the past to the present. In fact, its body still exists in Smaug's arms."

The Arkenstone on the ground was not an illusion from the past, but a projection created by Ivy based on the real Arkenstone. As long as the sound and light effects were realistic enough, it would be enough to fool a few people who didn't understand magic.

"Help me!" Thorin stopped looking at the phantom of the jewel on the ground and jumped up to grab the hem of Ivy's clothes. "Help me get him back. You can choose from all the treasures in the Lonely Mountain! Wizard! You have seen my wealth! You know how many treasures there are here. I can give you all the mithril! As long as you can help me get the Arkenstone back from the past."

Ivy just shook her head. "I told you a long time ago, Thorin. Worldly gold means nothing to me. I can make gold myself - if you don't believe it."

He picked up the hammer that Dwalin had hammered on the ground and unleashed the great alchemy from the Philosopher's Stone.

The dark steel faded away from the rust and stains, and gradually turned into gold starting from the place where Ivy held it.

He deliberately slowed the process down so that everyone in the throne room could see it clearly.

The three dwarves and a wizard held their breath, looking at the golden hammer in Ivy's hand in shock.

"Ivy, you have surpassed my knowledge of magic more than once..." After Ivy completed the alchemy, Gandalf stepped forward, weighed it, covered his forehead and fell into self-doubt - who is the fake wizard?

"I didn't join this adventure for the gold. I told you that from the beginning." Ivy returned the golden hammer to Dwalin, whose strong arms sank because of the sudden weight. In fact, Ivy was able to hold the solid golden hammer with the help of telekinesis, after all, the density of gold is much greater than that of steel.

"I am for the peace of this area, to drive out the shadow entrenched in the great wilderness of Rhovanion." Ivy said passionately, "For this reason, Gandalf and I believe that the Lonely Mountain should be liberated, and a wise and vigilant king should be responsible for the defense of this area."

"We all thought that the king would be you, Thorin." Ivy shook her head. "But look at yourself, Thorin. Apart from the Arkenstone, you can no longer see anything. You don't look like a king, not at all."

"As long as I get the Arkenstone, I will become the king!" Thorin pounded his chest hard, as if this could prove his bravery and wisdom.

"No, no, no, you're wrong." Ivy shook his head again, "Only the true king is worthy of this gem, not the one who gets the gem will become the king."

"If the Arkenstone gives its holder the rights of a king, then why don't I become the King under the Mountain myself, instead of letting you do it, Thorin?" Ivy asked with a smile.

"What should I do? What should I do to become a true king?" Thorin felt lost and kept talking to himself.

"I'm not sure." Ivy kicked the phantom of the Arkenstone off the platform of the throne room and watched it fall deeper. "But I think a true king will fulfill his promise, unite his people, maintain good neighborliness with the different races around him, and fight against the threat from further north together... A challenge is approaching, Thorin. Let me see your awareness as a king."

(End of this chapter)