Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth...

At that moment, Tom, whose identity was unknown, answered Dui and then went to the location of the old willow tree.

During Tom's song, the flames on the old willow tree had long since died out, leaving only two sections of its trunk, charred black, looking lifeless.

Looking at the pitiful state of the old willow tree, Bambadir sighed and said:

"The old willow tree wasn't always like this. But over thousands of years, he has witnessed countless of his kind being cut down and burned. His long-standing resentment drove him mad, making him hate all creatures that enter the old forest."

As he spoke, he walked over to the old willow tree, patted the lower half of the stump, and said, "Old willow tree, sleep well! Remember today's lesson, and don't cause any more trouble, or Bambadir won't care whether you live or die!"

Upon hearing Tom Bombardier's words, Dui looked at the half-destroyed tree stump in surprise.

"Mr. Bambadir, you mean the old willow tree isn't dead yet?"

"Old Man Willow is the strongest Huon in the old forest. He's not so easy to kill unless you dig up his roots and burn them all. Otherwise, as long as there's water and soil, he can grow back," Tom said.

Well, Dui wanted to eliminate the problem completely, but since they wanted to protect the old willow tree, he had no choice but to give up.

Anyway, the old willow tree has been severely damaged by him, and it's unknown how long it will take to recover.

He will definitely be stronger then and will not be afraid of the old willow tree at all.

"Alright, everyone, I'll take the old willow tree back to where it belongs." Tom easily lifted the lower half of the old willow tree stump with one hand, looking like an ant lifting something dozens of times its own weight, which was both bizarre and awe-inspiring.

Then, with a smile, he invited Dui, "If you have time, you are welcome to visit my home anytime. Just follow the Willow River upstream, and you will reach my house."

Dui was flattered and nodded, "Thank you for the invitation. I will if I have the chance."

After bidding farewell to everyone, Tom Bombadil carried the old willow root, humming a song as he walked happily into the old forest, eventually disappearing into the night.

Watching Tom's figure disappear, Lorry Brandy Deer couldn't help but sigh, "No matter how many times I see him, he's always the same, always full of joy!"

Hearing Rory's exclamation, Du Yi curiously turned his head and asked, "Mr. Brandy Deer, are you acquainted with Tom Bombadil?"

Lorry nodded and explained with a smile, "Actually, many people in Stagland know Tom. Unlike the trees in the Old Forest, he is a very friendly neighbor. He has helped many people who have wandered into the Old Forest escape their predicaments. It is said that my ancestor, Gohendard the Old Stag, was helped by Tom when he first came here, which is why he finally decided to establish Stagland here."

"Do you know his real identity?"

Lorry shook his head and recounted in an epic tone, "Tom is very old, older than the history of us hobbits. We have asked him about his identity out of curiosity, but he always says that Tom is just Tom and has no other identity."

If you ask him where he comes from, he says he was here before the rivers and forests existed; he remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn; he is the master of the trees, mountains, and rivers.

Upon hearing Rory's words, Du Yi gasped, shocked and even more curious about Tom's identity.

This statement reveals a lot: Tom says he existed before rivers and forests existed, and even remembers the first acorn in the river when a drop of rain fell, which means he existed when the world was born!

The identity of being the owner of trees, mountains, and rivers is even more extraordinary, making Dui somewhat doubt his previous judgment.

Could Tom really be the incarnation of Ilúvatar?

After all, no Vera possessed such immense power that he dared to claim himself as the master of the trees, mountains, and rivers.

Dui felt his thoughts were in complete disarray, with no clear direction.

If he couldn't figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and refocused his attention on the upper half of the old willow tree's trunk.

Tom Bombardier had only taken the lower half of the old willow tree earlier, but now, although the upper half was charred black, the exposed heartwood caught his attention.

He arrived at the spot where the trunk had broken and discovered that the heartwood of the old willow tree was a milky white color, like jade, and when struck, it produced a clear, metallic sound.

Dui was delighted; this heartwood was clearly extraordinary, and if used to make a wand, it might be even more effective than willow branches.

However, he was currently exhausted and unable to use magic to deal with the upper half of the tree trunk, so he had to ask Rory Brandy Deer for help.

"Mr. Brandy Deer, could you please do me a favor and remove the heartwood from this section of tree trunk?"

Lorry readily agreed and immediately organized the best carpenters in Bucktown to cut the tree trunk.

They also invited Dui and the entire town to a victory celebration banquet at Brandy Hall.

At the banquet, Dui unsurprisingly became the most eye-catching person.

Zogo Baggins benefited from the situation and sat next to Dui. Next to him was Rory's daughter, Dora Brandy Deer. The beautiful Dora instantly attracted Zogo's attention, and he couldn't take his eyes off her for a moment.

"Gentlemen, let us raise a toast to today's hero, Duir the Treeflayer!" Rory Brandy Deer stood up, raised his glass, and announced loudly to the crowd.

The other hobbits also raised their glasses, their eyes fixed intently on Dui at the head of the table.

"Homage to Duir the Tree-Cutting Man!" the crowd shouted in unison, the deafening sound echoing throughout the Brandy Hall.

Dui smiled and returned the greeting to the crowd, but inwardly he was cursing.

Tree cutter? What kind of title is that? It sounds like someone who cuts down trees. Couldn't they have discussed it with themselves before doing it?

The banquet lasted until very late before Dui and a reluctant Zogo returned home.

Exhausted, Dui fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed, and when she woke up again, it was already afternoon tea time.

After sleeping for so long, Dui's spirits had recovered considerably, but he still felt somewhat weak, as if he had overworked his brain, and his whole body felt drowsy.

Moreover, the aftereffects of the magic burst have made the magic power in his body somewhat unstable, so he tries not to use magic power for the next few days and waits until the magic power stabilizes.

Unable to use magic for the time being, Dui was somewhat at a loss, so he simply picked up the wood and continued carving the wand.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Several hobbit militiamen, acting on the orders of Lord Rory Brandyde, brought the heartwood of the old willow tree to Dui.

According to the militia captain, because the trunk of the old willow tree was too thick and hard, it took dozens of carpenters a long time to split the trunk and take out the innermost heartwood.

"Lord Duir, we did not know how long of the heartwood you needed, and we dared not make the decision on our own, so we brought you the whole heartwood."

What came into view was a white heartwood, almost four or five meters long, carried by two hobbit militiamen.

Unlike the massive trunk of the old willow tree, the heartwood is only as thick as a wrist, with a milky white color resembling jade and fine wood grain, making it both beautiful and mysterious.