From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 292 Taking stock of gains
The Mithril Staff that Thorin and Gandalf gave to Ivy is a very powerful magical item.

Ivy calls it: The Heart of the Mountains, the Friendship of the Lonely Mountain.

Because of its mithral texture, the staff also counts as a +3 light reach mace or staff, and Ivy automatically gains proficiency with the corresponding weapon when wielding it.

When it exists as a staff, it can strengthen any spell related to "earth element", "earth", "rock" and "dwarf".

When Ivy stands on the ground with this staff, she automatically gains the benefits of Stoneskin, and gains a bonus against any effect that lifts the staff holder off the ground. In addition, when certain benefits that only dwarves can use or gain appear, Ivy holding the staff will be considered a qualified dwarf.

This staff also allows Ivy to use many earth-related spells without consumption.

This includes three casts of stone spells, two casts of stone wall spells, two casts of stonewalk spells, and one cast of earthquake spells per day.

While making dragon items in Lonely Mountain these days, Ivy also took the time to study the evil spirit of Smaug that he had collected.

After his research, he found that these evil spirits were no different from Voldemort's soul fragments. Perhaps because the Hall of Mandos did not accept those who devoted themselves to darkness, many dark souls in Middle-earth had no destination.

With the help of the Dragonsmith specialty, Ivy also made a spell book out of the evil dragon's evil spirit and soul.

It was an evil spell book written by the soul of an evil dragon, containing a lot of dragon knowledge.

Ivy named it [Secret of the Evil Dragon], and the explanation given by the Grimoire of Destruction is as follows.

Studying and reading [Secrets of the Evil Dragon] must take 8 hours a day and be continued for 30 consecutive days. Once the study is completed, many secrets of the real dragon will be known to the reader, which will give the reader a +3 insight bonus to dragon-related confrontations. In addition, the reader will also gain low-light vision and immunity to magical sleep and paralysis effects.

If the reader of [Secrets of the Dragon] has a warlock level, he or she will also gain 1 point of charisma and enough experience points to reach half of the next experience level. These experience points must be used to increase the warlock level.

Other characters who study the book carefully do not gain these effects, and any individual can gain the benefits of the book only once in their lifetime.

So, taking into account the experience points accumulated from several battles, Ivy successfully upgraded the career level of [Supreme Warlock] to level 20.

And gained a new professional feature - [Magic Revival].

The effect of [Magic Revival] is that every time Ivy completes a short rest, she can recover 4 magic points.

As a level 20 occupational feature, it only has the effect of endurance, which is a bit too weak to be honest.

But the most powerful occupational feature of the [Splendid Warlock] has already been obtained at level 18, so Ivy doesn't think that the level 20 feature is shabby. It's better to have it than not.

[Splendid Warlock] is Ivy's first profession to reach level 20. As he guessed at the beginning, level 20 is not the end, but a new beginning.

If Ivy were to upgrade his [Supreme Warlock] class level again, he would truly be entering the realm of legend.

The amount of experience points needed to upgrade to legendary level is quite high. Ivy needs to gain another 20 experience points, which is equivalent to walking the path from level 19 to level 20 four times.

Looking at this huge amount of experience points, Ivy knew that it would be difficult for him to obtain the legendary level in a short time. However, there were still many possibilities waiting for him to explore in the multiverse. This time, just participating in the expedition to Lonely Mountain allowed Ivy to upgrade [Dazzling Warlock] from level 1 to level 20. Next time he participated in the War of the Ring, wouldn't he be able to get more?

But even if Ivy stayed in Lonely Mountain, it would still take about a hundred years before the war in Middle-earth began.

According to the information Ivy got from Elrond, the Dunedain child he adopted was only 10 years old, and Aragorn was already over 80 years old when he ascended the throne. The time span in between was long enough for an Earthling to grow old, get sick and die.

In addition to the staff, various dragon products and materials, and new professional features, Ivy also gained a new expertise and a new professional level.

As a world born in the Great Music, Arda has a special preference for poetry, so the [Bard] profession that Ivy obtained is very special.

First of all, at level 1, Ivy acquires the core ability of the bard [Bardic]. This ability does not simply refer to singing, but can also be playing music, reciting poetry, or performing dance. In short, it is the way the bard communicates with magic.

By activating [Bards], bards can bring about a lot of magical abilities, including benefiting friendly units, casting spells with melodies, bewitching people, interfering with enemy magic, and causing sonic damage.

You can even give up your expertise in exchange for a [Masterpiece] with outstanding effects. As a mage with unlimited multi-tasking possibilities, Ivy has too many expertises and can use them freely.

However, he currently does not have much time to research this new profession, so he can only explore it slowly in the future.

Another expertise worth mentioning is the [Words of Creation]. Ivy learned this expertise from Ilúvatar, the only god in the world of Arda. It can be said to be divine knowledge.

The [Holy Words of Creation] is a mysterious language used to create the world, and it possesses incredible power.

After a period of research, Ivy discovered that it can not only be combined with the bard's [Chanting] ability to double the effect.

It can also double the duration of conjuration spells with creative components, which is equivalent to a super magic effect without consuming spell points.

And when Ivy applies the [Word of Creation] to item manufacturing, it can also reduce the experience points, money and time required to create items, and improve the effect of manufacturing items. This is too powerful for Ivy, who can't buy equipment and has to make everything by himself.

Ilúvatar, who shared the Words of Creation with Ivy, is a good god. Therefore, when using the Words of Creation to strengthen good-type spells or create magic items that can only be used by the good camp, the spells and magic items will also receive additional enhancements.

Unfortunately, Ivy's alignment is [Lawful Neutral]. Even though she is moving towards goodness, she cannot be said to have completely joined the goodness camp. So Ivy basically has no chance of using this rule.

In addition to the above three situations, [The Holy Words of Creation] also includes the study of [True Name].

Once Ivy learns the true name of a creature through magic research, he can use various methods to exert his power on that creature. All creatures in the world have their true names, whether they are elemental creatures summoned by magic, or angels and demons. Once Ivy masters their true names through research, it will be difficult for these guys to resist Ivy's power.

However, the research on the True Name requires the caster to know how to cast one of the following: Legendary Knowledge, Alien Detection, or Divine Communication. It also requires a lot of effort and money, and Ivy may not necessarily need to use it.

It is always good to have many skills. Maybe Ivy will need them during the long years of studying magic.

----

After the coronation ceremony of the King Under the Mountain, the guests leaving the banquet venue passed by Thorn Hall and saw that the white cloth covering the statue had been removed.

It was a group statue of elves, dwarves, humans, wizards and giant eagles fighting side by side. There was also a giant bear lying beside them, and on the back of the giant bear was an inconspicuous hobbit. These warriors trampled the orcs under their feet, and everyone had a determination and desire for victory on their face.

Although this hall is still called Thorn's Hall, everyone can see Thorin's intention - to commemorate the Allied soldiers who fought bravely in the Battle of Five Armies.

"Did they carve you too short, Bilbo?" Ivy said as he stood before the statue, with Bilbo and Gandalf beside him as they set out to return to the Shire.

"What..." Bilbo was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Evy's question clearly, so he had to repeat it. "No, no, no!" Bilbo smiled widely, "That's just right! Or rather, I'm too tall! I've never seen myself so tall before! Do you think I'm taller than the dwarves next to me?"

"Of course you are taller than the dwarf! Master Baggins!" A voice sounded from behind. It was Balin. His white beard had been carefully combed into a whip, and his clothes looked very decent. He no longer looked as dusty as he did during the expedition to Lonely Mountain.

"You know what I mean. I'm not talking about height, but greatness." Balin raised a finger and gave Bilbo a big hug.

"Great? This word seems to have never been associated with me." The humble Hobbit seemed a little troubled.

"Do I need to remind you? The Arkenstone." Balin said with a smile.

"Oh..." Bilbo looked embarrassed. "You all know."

"That's my fault," Ivy said nonchalantly. "The dwarves at the banquet kept pouring wine into my mouth and asking me questions over and over again about 'how I found the gem'. Perhaps after a particularly mellow glass of wine, I accidentally let it slip."

"Don't feel guilty, Bilbo." Balin patted the hobbit on the shoulder. "Thorin has turned the gem into a wizard gem. It no longer symbolizes the ruling power of Durin's family, and it is not that important to us. What's more, Thorin is very grateful to you. No matter what, you are his sincere friend."

"Actually, Thorin wanted to see you off, but he used the excuse of being the king." Balin gestured in the air with his fingers. Ivy guessed that he meant writing. "You know, he's busy with official duties. But if you ask me, he's afraid of crying. I watched him grow up, and he often cried when he was a child!"

"What? Thorin? Really?" Bilbo couldn't help laughing. He couldn't imagine a serious bearded dwarf crying.

"Of course it's fake, Master Baggins." The king's voice came from behind the statue. Thorin and the other dwarves of the Lonely Mountain Expedition were all present. "I knew I had to come in person once, otherwise you don't know how you will frame me, Balin."

"I wish you could stay here longer, Bilbo," said Thorin sincerely. "There will always be a place for you here."

"Thank you, Thorin." Bilbo and Thorin hugged each other tightly. "As long as you don't blame me."

"It was your kindness and the wizard's magic that saved me." Thorin patted Bilbo's shoulder. "How could I blame you?"

"That's great!" Bilbo smiled again. "Then I can go back to the Shire and my Bag End with peace of mind. I'll write a story about this adventure, especially about the adventure I had with you. If you ever pass by Bag End, you're welcome to come and have tea with me. Tea is at four o'clock. Of course, even if it's not four o'clock, I'll take out all the cakes for you!"

The dwarves in the expedition bowed together to greet him, and tears glistened in the eyes of many of them.

"But..." Bilbo hesitated and said, "Don't knock on the door next time, okay?"

The dwarves laughed together, and Bilbo waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Wait, Bilbo," Ivy called to him. "You still have a gift to receive. It's from a wizard."

"Really?" Bilbo asked expectantly. "I thought you had forgotten me!"

"Of course not. I just don't know what a happy and satisfied hobbit needs." Ivy took out a bone whistle, of course it was made of Smaug's bone, "But I know how many dangers there are on this journey, so I prepared this for you. As long as you blow it, you can summon a fast phantom horse, which can greatly shorten your return time. Maybe you can stay in Rivendell for a while."

"Oh! I really need this!" Bilbo took the bone whistle happily and blew it impatiently. A translucent shadow warhorse suddenly appeared in the air, looking very majestic. Moreover, Ivy deliberately adjusted the size of this phantom horse to suit the hobbit's body shape.

"Now everything is ready. We can finally set off, Bilbo." Gandalf extinguished his pipe and also mounted a horse. "See you later, everyone!"

The two figures, one tall and one short, gradually went away. The dwarves in front of the gate of Lonely Mountain were reluctant to leave for a long time, until the figures of the old wizard and the master thief completely disappeared below the horizon.

"You won't disappear suddenly, will you, wizard?" Thorin asked. "We are planning to build a tower for you, a wizard tower. I heard that the white wizard lives in the high tower of Isengard. I think you may also need one. Elves and humans are ready to participate. Where do you think it would be best to put it?"

"Mage tower?" Ivy couldn't help laughing. As a 9th ring spellcaster, he really needed a tower of his own, but Alda was not his permanent world. If he built a mage tower here, he didn't know how long he could live there. "Don't waste your time. You know, we wizards rarely stay in the same place all the time."

"Really?" Balin rubbed his hands. "Then maybe you are willing to take on a new task? I am planning to launch an expedition to Moria, and I am in need of a wizard! There is a Durin's Nemesis in Moria, and we don't know how to deal with him. If you are a knowledgeable and powerful wizard like you, you will definitely be able to help us deal with it!"

"Moriya was originally called Khazad-dûm, where the dwarves first discovered mithril. If Balin can recapture it, mithril will appear in Middle-earth." Thorin also persuaded, "If you are going to other places in Middle-earth to fight evil, why not start with Moria? Balin will not be stingy in providing you with mithril."

"That's a very dangerous thing, Balin." Ivy shook his head. The Balrog under Moria was related to the opportunity for Gandalf the Grey to transform into a white wizard. Ivy didn't know what impact it would have on the great music of Ilúvatar if he eliminated it in advance. He had finally established a good relationship with this great god. If he failed, it would be a waste of time.

"Durin's Bane beneath Moria is a Balrog, a very corrupt dark creature. They are all followers of Morgoth. A team of dwarf adventurers alone cannot defeat him." Ivy advised, "Don't take any risks, Balin. The creature is still active and has not left the underground space of Moria."

"Don't you have any solution, wizard?" Balin asked with a sigh.

"Of course I can help, but..." Ivy thought for a moment before continuing, "At least don't go on adventures in Moria until I come back, okay?"

"Okay, okay, I promise you." Balin waved his hand. "I'm too old to wield a battle axe anymore. Last time I rode a goat to look for Dain, my waist was exhausted. Dwarves are not like wizards, who are never affected by time. So you must come back early. I will always be ready for the expedition to Moria!"

Ivy wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to let the old dwarf wait for him, but it was obviously not a good idea to rashly lead a group of dwarf boys to feed the Balrog.

"Okay, I'll try to come back within a hundred years, okay?" Ivy asked.

"A hundred years? That's too long!" Balin's beard curled up. "I don't even know if I can live to that age!"

"Then I can teach you a secret to longevity, which is effective for all those who are troubled by their life span." Ivy said mysteriously, "That is to keep breathing. Don't die."

"Hahaha!" The dwarves laughed together, obviously enjoying the joke.

"Since you are not in a hurry to leave, why don't you come and see our expansion plan for Lonely Mountain?" Thorin suggested again, "We have named the lava lake 'Lake of Destruction', which is named after your last name. Everyone thinks it is a good name, and it also means that we used the lava lake to destroy the orcs together."

"We plan to dig a channel from the Lonely Mountain to connect the forge area and the lava lake, and use its heat to forge items!" Thorin's face was full of longing for the future. "That is a magical lava lake. Maybe the weapons and armor forged from it can also have some magic!"

The place where Sauron forged the One Ring was Mount Doom. The crater can of course be seen as a lava lake, but Mount Doom is higher. Since the ring forged at Mount Doom has magical powers, the Lake of Destruction may not be much different. Even their names are not much different.

Ivy was very interested in the dwarves' creative ideas and couldn't wait to join in.

　I will sort out the character cards tomorrow!

　　I wonder if you are still interested in Middle-earth? Not only the Lord of the Rings trilogy, maybe I can also write about the plots of Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. Orc Pokémon is indeed quite interesting.

　　As for the question about the Spirit Path mentioned by book friends, Wrath of the Righteous is a world that will definitely be visited, sooner or later, but it will definitely be after Baldur's Gate 3.

　　After Goblet of Fire comes Strixhaven. The main storyline of Magic: The Gathering is definitely the event of Overthrow of Evil, which is then interspersed with the two universes of Ravnica and Eldraine. However, I have not found the official novel of "Wanderers of Eldraine". Is there anyone who knows about it who can help me? It would be best if it is a Chinese version.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)