I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 67 Arrival at Bree
Although Thorin's voice was not loud, it reached the ears of the people around him.

Bilbo pricked up his ears, but he didn't know whether he should listen or not.

The nearest dwarf looked over. Gandalf was smoking a cigarette with a smile, but it was obvious that he was also curious about Thorin's question.

Tanes saw the desire in Thorin's eyes, sighed softly and said, "That is not an easy power to master, Thorin."

Thorin stubbornly said, "But that is the powerful force that can transform into a dragon. If I can possess this power when facing Smaug, the possibility of defeating him will be much greater."

Tanes glanced at Aegon, who then said, "Tanes is right, Thorin. Although the Dragon Feast has restored my dignity, I am not a docile person."

Kili came over and, having just overheard Egon's words, asked in surprise, "Wait, is that a kind of prayer? Like the beast prayers Fili and I learned?"

Egon said hoarsely, "Yes and no. Beast Prayers, I've heard of these prayers. They were created by the [Beast Priest] Gulanger, which means anyone can learn them. There's no barrier to entry."

Kili and his brother Fili, who had come over after hearing the conversation, nodded at the same time.

Although they still had not mastered the two beast prayers, they did not feel any difficulty in getting started.

Thorin then asked, "So, the threshold for Dragon Feast prayer is very high?"

Aegon laughed loudly, his laughter even a little scary. "You guessed right, Thorin. Dragon Feast, Dragon Feast, as the name suggests, requires you to devour a dragon's heart to learn. And once you devour a dragon's heart, the curse will always be with you, making you thirst for dragon blood and devour more hearts, until you are finally turned into a flying earth dragon that can only crawl on the ground."

Bilbo listened to Egon's words and noticed the golden vertical pupils under his hood. He immediately thought of the dragon's head and shuddered subconsciously.

Thorin fell silent. Learning the Dragon Feast prayer required a dragon heart, but where could he get one now?

The only giant dragon he knew of was still lurking deep in Lonely Mountain, and was the target he wanted to destroy.

Thorin finally gave up on learning the Dragon Feast prayer and nodded respectfully to Aegon, saying, "I believe your explanation of the dangers of the Dragon Feast, Mr. Aegon. It's all thanks to you that we were able to escape the old forest today. On behalf of all the dwarves in the expedition, I express my gratitude to you."

When Tanes saw Thorin give up, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he still had quite a few dragon hearts in stock in his space backpack.

But as Egon said, the side effects of the Dragon Feast Prayer are too powerful, and there is no need for Thorin to take the risk to learn it.

Bilbo waited until Thorin left before quietly approaching Aegon and asking with concern, "Mr. Aegon, are you feeling well? Is praying the Dragon Feast painful? I have some snacks. They won't help you with the pain, but they might help distract you."

Aegon was stunned. He had not expected the hobbit to ask such a caring question. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Bilbo. But don't worry about me. The Dragon Feast has restored my dignity, so I gladly accept everything about it. As for the pain, ha, that's nonsense. Using the Dragon Feast doesn't hurt me at all."

Of course, there was one thing Egon didn't say, which was that every time he used the Dragon Feast Prayer, a subtle part of his body would transform into an Earth Dragon.

However, after hearing what Egon said, Bilbo trusted him very much. Without asking any more questions, he turned around and went to prepare the tent for the night.

Tanes came to Aegon only after Bilbo left.

Egon looked at Tanes and said, "Are you here to ask me what's wrong with you?"

Tanes was stunned, then laughed and shook his head: "No, how could that be. Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't care about you..."

Egon interrupted, "That's good. I'm probably not at the stage where I need a cane to walk. Tell me, what do you want from an old man like me?"

Tanes pointed to the hilly, rock-covered mountains in the distance, as well as the tombs scattered throughout them, and said, "I'm here to talk about keeping watch. Tonight, I think it's best to pay more attention to your surroundings."

Egon said, "Isn't this just the same as last night?"

Tanes said, "There are some differences. You, Bernard, and Millicent, I and you will not rest. You and Bernard will be responsible for keeping an eye on the direction the team is coming from."

He paused and looked at the road they had come from. In the distance, he could vaguely see traces of the old forest.

Then Tanes spoke up. "I'm not sure the trees in the Old Forest will chase us. After all, they were only scared off by your dragon's roar. The Huorn are truly strange, their movements are almost silent. If you don't listen carefully, you won't even notice their movements. If you spot any trees approaching, wake Thorin and the others immediately."

Egon patted his chest and said, "No problem, let me do this little thing."

Tanes patted his shoulder, then nodded to Bernard beside him, and finally walked towards Millicent.

At this time, Millicent was helping Bilbo unload the bag from the horse. When she saw Tanes coming, her bright and lively golden eyes looked over.

"You and I will be responsible for the security of the Barrow Mound tonight. You can rest for a while after dinner. I will wake you up in the middle of the night." Tanes said gently.

Bilbo saw the two talking, and while making a gesture to not disturb them, he left with the heavy tent stand in his hand.

Millicent smiled and nodded in return, then looked up at the dim sky and said, "Is this the first time I go on an adventure with you?"

Tanes smiled. "If we don't count the time we went from the ancient ruins cliff to the Yatan Plateau and then all the way to the Windmill Village at the border, this is indeed the first time."

Millicent withdrew her gaze from the dim sky and teased Tanes, "Or should I say the ninth time? After all, you chose to respect me and went through the same journey eight times, preventing me from being captured by the scarlet flower."

Tanes coughed lightly, looked at the dwarves who had already started a fire, and said, "Don't worry about the crimson corruption in your body on this journey. Enjoy yourself. This world is very beautiful."

As the afterglow of the setting sun spread across the entire camp, the busy figures of the dwarves appeared particularly warm in the golden light.

The bonfire was lit, and the blazing flames illuminated the copper-red faces of the dwarves.

They gathered in a circle, and as Bilbo called out, the dwarves' pots and pans clattered and clattered.

Their cooking movements are rough and skillful. The iron pot gleams with metallic luster in the firelight, and various spices and ingredients fly and jump in the pot, stirring up waves of tempting aroma.

"I think I will never be able to accept dwarves. They cook like an acrobatic performance. It's disrespectful to the ingredients!" The Hobbit came to Tanes and couldn't help complaining.

Tanis said soothingly, "Calm down, Bilbo, they didn't drop the food on the floor, did they?"

Bilbo grumbled, "But the food I brought this time is only on the second day, and I've already eaten half of it. Will I have to eat those hard dry food for another day?"

After hearing Bilbo's muttering, Millicent couldn't help but laugh at the hobbit's words.

She also comforted the hobbit: "You don't have to worry about food, Mr. Bilbo. After we pass the Barrowdown tomorrow, we will arrive in Bree, and we will replenish our food there." Bilbo then cheered up and his eyes brightened: "Bree? Oh, I know it! It's a town where both humans and hobbits live. Great, maybe I can replenish my tobacco there!"

As the smoke rises, the rich aroma wafts into everyone's mouth and nose.

Although the dwarves' cooking skills were not as delicate and meticulous as Bilbo's, their passion and dedication to food were fully reflected in every bite.

On the flat grass, the dwarves spread a few table mats and placed the golden roasted potatoes on them. Sweet starch was hidden under the cracked skin.

There are also some roasted bacon, but it has undergone some special processing methods. When cooked by the dwarves, it has a rough flavor.

The dwarf brothers Fili and Kili walked steadily, with proud smiles on their faces, each holding a plate filled with delicious food, and handed it to their teachers, Tanes and Benar, very sensibly.

Groin noticed this scene, and a deep regret flashed in his eyes.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Bernal.

But Gloin was not discouraged. His eyes unconsciously followed the steps of Fili and Kili, and he silently thought about how to show his kindness in advance when the expedition stopped for a meal next time.

Bilbo, Bofur, and Bombur sat huddled together on the same table mat, their eyes scanning the delicacies prepared by the dwarves with sharp eyes.

His eyes seemed to penetrate the golden baked potatoes, and his nose seemed to be able to smell whether the seasoning was just right.

Bilbo ate all the food on his plate while he was complaining about the dwarves' cooking methods and seasoning ratios.

This is not because it tastes good, but because I don’t want to waste even a little bit of food.

Bilbo convinced himself in this way.

Night comes and goes, and time seems to be frozen in this tranquility.

However, before one knew it, the eastern sky gradually began to turn pale.

It was the first ray of dawn, quietly and silently peeking out.

The sky gradually changed from dark blue to light blue, and slowly, layers of orange-red glow began to accumulate on the horizon.

Nothing unexpected happened that night. No Huorn came chasing from the old forest, and no strange creatures ran out of the ancient tomb.

In addition, eerie, inhuman cries could be heard from the ancient mound all night long.

But fortunately, the dwarves all rested well, except for Fili and Kili who stayed up all night to stand guard. They almost fell asleep on their horses.

Dwalin was about to wake up Fili and Kili, but Thorin stopped him with a raised finger.

"Shh, let them sleep for a while." Thorin said softly, his eyes full of pampering.

He slowed his mount slightly, and together he and Dwalin tied Fili and Kili securely to their respective ponies to prevent them from falling off if they fell asleep.

Bilbo rode on the pony, wrapped himself tightly in his clothes, and watched the movements of the dwarves in front of him. He then curiously asked Tanes and the others, who had also not slept all night but were not sleepy at all, "Aren't you sleepy? The two dwarf brothers are so sleepy that they are lying on their horses."

Tanes closed his eyes and felt his body, then opened them and shook his head: "I do feel a little tired, but I wouldn't call myself sleepy."

"Well, I do seem a bit foolish to ask a wizard such a question." Bilbo curled his lips and teased himself.

Another day passed, and when Bilbo felt that his buttocks were about to turn into two hard stones on the saddle, the expedition finally arrived at the town of Bree.

A deep ravine ran halfway around Bree Hill, enclosing the town of Bree on its slope.

The inner circle of the ditch was surrounded by a dense hedge, with a gate on the west and south sides of the hedge. At this time, the expedition was at the west gate of Bree.

"Dong dong dong."

Thorin dismounted and politely knocked on the closed west gate of Bree.

There is a small door in the west gate. After hearing the knock, footsteps and the sound of a lantern shaking were heard from behind the door.

"Where are you going?"

The night watchman at the west gate opened the small observation window at the bottom of the door, looked at the dwarves outside and asked.

Thorin whispered back, "We're going to the Prancing Pony."

The young night watchman closed the observation window, opened the small door, and raised the lantern in his hand to shine on Thorin and the others: "One, two, three... a total of thirteen dwarves, five humans, and even a hobbit? Are you from the Shire? What are you doing in Bree?"

A silver coin appeared in Thorin's hand and he threw it to the Night's Watchman, who caught it subconsciously.

"We are just staying at the Prancing Pony Inn. The rest has nothing to do with you, Night's Watch." Thorin said in a low voice, with a sense of authority.

The night watchman took the silver coin with a delighted smile and said, "I have no other intentions, generous dwarf. Please come in. After dark, it is my duty to ask passers-by their intentions."

Kili whispered behind Fili, "Does that mean we don't have to give him the silver coin?"

Then he was slapped on the head by Philip in anger.

Then he struggled to open the west gate and let Thorin and the others ride in.

The streets of Bree were deserted, and the occasional passers-by looked at this magical team composed of humans, dwarves and hobbits with curiosity, and then hurried home without any concern.

Thorin stopped in front of an inn. A long wooden stake protruded from the eaves of the inn, and hanging from the stake was a decoration with a relief of a white horse and the words "The Prancing Pony Inn" clearly written on it.

"We're here," Thorin said.

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(End of this chapter)