Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 188 Kildan

Dui returned to the dock with the day's harvest.

The system suddenly issued a notification.

[Hogwarts Check-in System: Location: Grey Harbor, Check-in Now?]

Dui looked at the system that had finally arrived and thought to himself, "It's finally here."

He immediately thought to himself, "Sign in."

[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on obtaining the Apparition Technique!]

Apparition? Dui's eyes lit up.

I never expected to get this from this sign-in! It's a great skill for traveling and even for survival!

Apparition is a teleportation spell used for short or medium-distance movement.

However, due to certain risks, such as the possibility of splitting, one must be at least seventeen years old and pass the Ministry of Magic's Apparition exam to legally use it.

This spell was not recorded in Dui's spellbook, so Dui was never able to master this magic.

Now we finally have this opportunity.

As a mode of transportation for wizards, Apparition does not have the limitation of FlooNet requiring two fireplaces to be connected for teleportation, and can instantly teleport to any place it wants to go.

Moreover, the higher the wizard's magical power, the longer the teleportation distance.

Of course, Apparition is not a matter of going wherever you want. Usually, the user needs to have a clear understanding or memory of the target location. If you only know the name, it is easy to cause the teleportation to fail, or to go astray, or even to cause danger.

Regardless, with this magic, Dui's mobility was greatly improved, both when traveling and in battle.

Even if the situation turns bad, they can instantly teleport away, maximizing their survival skills.

Dui immediately decided that during his time in the Grey Harbor, in addition to collecting spiritual mercury, he would also focus on mastering Apparition.

So every day thereafter, Dui would spend his days by boat in the bay extracting spiritual mercury, and his nights studying the knowledge of Apparition.

Beginners to Apparition often experience the problem of splitting into multiple parts, so at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, professors are always present to watch over them and deal with any splitting situations.

But Dui is all alone here, and if he were to split apart, it would be a fatal situation.

He had no choice but to be extremely cautious.

More than a week passed in the blink of an eye, and Dui finally collected a small bottle of spiritual mercury.

The silvery spiritual mercury, like quicksilver, shimmered with starlight in the crystal bottle.

Dui carefully put away the bottle, the result of many days of hard work.

However, he did not stop there, but planned to collect a few more bottles in case he didn't have enough when making the Philosopher's Stone in the future.

At the same time, he began preparing to attempt his first Apparition.

Just in case, he also prepared some white essence in advance and planned to have the elf Aldo watch over him.

However, he hadn't even officially started yet.

Aldo then took the initiative to come to Dui and tell him some news.

"Wizard Duir, Lord Childan's white ship has entered the bay and will soon dock!"

"Lord Childan is back?" Dui asked in great surprise.

Later, at Aldo's invitation, Dui went to the dock with him to welcome the returning Cildan.

When we arrived at the dock, many elves were already waiting there.

Clearly, Cildan held a high position of prestige among the elves.

Led by his secretary Aldo, Dui stood at the front, watching a huge white sailboat slowly approach from afar.

The white sailboat is pristine white, untouched by a speck of dust, blending seamlessly with the white waves beneath it, as if it were formed from the condensed waves themselves.

The ship has a graceful curve, a swan-shaped prow, white oars, and silver-woven sails. A carved lantern with a warm yellow glow hangs on the prow.

Dui looked at the white ship with some amazement; it looked like a fine work of art.

Moreover, ever since Ilúvatar turned Middle-earth into a sphere, Valinor, which was once located on the other side of the western sea, was removed from the world of Arda and is no longer part of this material world.

Only by taking a straight route can one reach Valinor smoothly.

This white ship, however, can carry elves into Valinor, a dimension beyond, making it a truly divine object.

And Qi'erdan, who created this divine artifact, appears even more mysterious and extraordinary.

As the white ship slowly docked at the pier, Dui saw an elf standing on the bow.

That was a very unique elf.

He was tall, wore a dark blue robe, had silver hair, and, most importantly, a long gray beard.

This is not common among elves, because elves have eternal life and therefore generally maintain a youthful appearance.

Elves like Galadriel, Celeborn, Elrond, and Thranduil are ancient beings who have lived for a very long time, but the years have never etched a single line on their faces; only their eyes show the marks of time.

The elf before them, however, had grown a beard. This could only mean that he was even more ancient than Galadriel and other ancient elves.

He was Cildan the Shipbuilder, the lord of Linton and the Grey Harbor.

Dui had heard of Cildan from Elrond, who said he was the oldest elf in Middle-earth and one of the first elves to awaken.

As a white gangplank was placed between the ship and the dock by the elven sailors, Cildan stepped off the ship.

"Lord Cildan, welcome back. Did you have a safe journey?"

Secretary Alga stepped forward and respectfully inquired.

Childan had bright, piercing eyes and a handsome face, but his long gray beard and the vicissitudes in his deep eyes made him look much older than the other elves.

He nodded with a calm smile: "Everything went smoothly. Apart from a group of mermaids visiting along the way, we arrived at Swan Harbor without any trouble."

"Has anything happened in Grey Harbor recently?"

Alga introduced Dui: "My lord, this is Dui, the black-robed wizard and lord of Amonsur. He visited you a few days ago and brought a letter from Lord Elrond."

Following Alga's gaze, Childan looked at Dui standing to the side.

Dui stepped forward, nodded politely, and introduced himself: "Lord Childan, I have long admired your name. I am Dui, it is an honor to meet you!"

Childan smiled kindly. "Although we have never met before, I have long admired you. I have heard of your many great achievements, such as the Lord of Dragons, the nemesis of Orcs, and the slayer of Balrogs."

Mithrandir, Elrond, and Lady Galadriel all speak highly of you, saying that your arrival has brought new hope to Middle-earth.

Dui looked ashamed and unworthy of the praise, "The rumors are a bit exaggerated, and Gandalf and the others have given too much credit!"

“No need to be modest,” Childan said with a smile, shaking his head with admiration in his eyes. “I have received five wizards who have come from afar here, but only in Mislandil and you have I felt a sense of responsibility and mission far greater than in the other wizards.”

"This is not a compliment, but rather the last vestiges of an old man's keen eyesight."

Dui was taken aback by Childan's words.

Does he have a heavy responsibility and mission on his shoulders? How come he doesn't know it himself?
However, he didn't have time to think much about it and immediately handed Elrond's letter to Cildan.

Childane immediately opened the envelope and began reading its contents.

"I see." Childan nodded after reading the letter, then looked at Dui and said with a smile.

"Elrond already told me in his letter that since you are going to extract the silver water from the bay, you should continue to stay. If you need any help, just tell me or Alga."

"Thank you, Lord Childan. I will do my best if needed," Dui nodded in reply.

Childan then invited Dui to his residence.

Dui readily agreed.

Cildan's residence was not luxurious, but rather a palace resembling a dock, complete with a small private pier and shipyard.

A small but exquisite white swan boat is moored at the private dock.

In the private shipyard, there is also an unfinished ship.

Even in the reception hall, there are two ship models placed in two crystal bottles as decorations.

One of the ship models is the white ship that we sailed back today.

It's clear that Kildan really enjoys shipbuilding.

Dui looked at another ship with golden oars and asked curiously, "Lord Childan, which ship model is this? It looks so perfect?"

Speaking of the ship, Cildan was very happy, and he introduced it as follows:

"This is the Wenkilot, which I built with Eyarendil. It is made of birch from Nimbreshire and has golden oars, white hull, swan prow, and silver moon sails."

It carried Eyarendil and his wife across the sea, through the Enchanted Islands and the Shadow Sea, finally arriving at the Land of Blessed.

He then pointed to the star Eyarendil in the sky:

"Now it has long been canonized by the Valar and sent to the edge of the world, sailing in the ocean of the sky, carrying the star of Eyarendil through the heavens every day."

Clearly, even Cildan, known as the "King of Shipbuilding," felt honored to have created such a masterpiece.

Dui was also amazed by Childan's shipbuilding skills upon hearing this.

This white ship, capable of traversing the endless ocean to reach Valinor beyond the world, is already impressive enough, but to have an "airship" that can even travel through the sky is simply incredible!

Moreover, he could see that although Cildan was the oldest elf and the lord of the Kingdom of Lindon and the Grey Harbor, he was more like a pure shipbuilder.

His dedication and passion for this subject are comparable to those of the carpenter emperor in his previous life.

Seeing how passionate he was about shipbuilding, Dui suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Perhaps due to the limitations of the era, the ships built by Children at this time were all made of wood.

But what kind of expression would Kildan have if he knew about steamships and diesel ships?
Involuntarily, an image popped into Dui's mind: a steel ocean liner billowing smoke, carrying a group of elves, its horn blaring as it sailed toward Valinor.

He couldn't help but laugh.

The scene was so jarring!
(End of this chapter)