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

Upon seeing this, Dui frowned slightly, his appetite vanished instantly, and he put down his knife and fork.

Bilbo was stunned. Before he could even ask any questions, there was another knock on the door.

This time it was a white-bearded dwarf named Balin.

He walked in just as unceremoniously and greeted Duvalin familiarly.

"Who are you? Why are you in my house?"

Bilbo tried to stop them, but they acted as if they didn't hear him and started ransacking his warehouse.

Immediately afterwards, there was a series of knocks on the door.

A group of dwarves arrived one after another: Kili and Fili, Dori, Norri, Ori... Each of them walked into the house in a boisterous manner and then squeezed onto the small dining table.

The room instantly became crowded and noisy.

Bilbo stood aside, looking at these uninvited guests with a face full of helplessness and shock.

His home seemed to have become a gathering place for dwarves, while he became an outsider.

He watched the dwarves, tears welling in his eyes, as they ransacked his storeroom of food and wine. He could only look pitifully at Dui for help: "Duiel~"

Seeing Bilbo's frustrated expression, both angry and afraid to speak up, Dui patted him on the shoulder with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, deciding to help him vent his anger and teach these impolite dwarves a lesson.

"Petrify them all! Petrify them all! Petrify them all..."

The living room fell silent instantly. The twelve dwarves were frozen in place, each in a different pose, with only their eyes darting around, filled with terror.

Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief, saying gratefully and thankfully, "Thank goodness for you, Duir!"

But before he could even catch his breath, there was another knock on the door.

Bilbo was still somewhat shaken and dared not open the door.

Dui had no choice but to walk over and open the door.

Standing outside the door was Thorin's Oak Shield.

"Thorin".

"Duir".

The two nodded to each other in greeting.

"Has Gandalf arrived?" Thorin asked as he entered the room.

Dui shook his head. "They haven't arrived yet. Something must have delayed them."

Thorin frowned upon hearing this.

Upon reaching the living room and seeing the petrified dwarves, his pupils constricted, his expression turned grave, and he demanded in a deep voice, "What's going on? What did you do?"

Dui said calmly, "They were a bit rude, so we're just keeping them quiet for now."

Thorin's expression turned grim, sensing that Dui was trying to intimidate him. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Please ask Wizard Dui to remove the spell on them, and I will have them apologize to you!"

Dui shook his head. "They should apologize not to me, but to the owner of this place..."

"Sorry I'm late!" Gandalf's voice suddenly came from the doorway, breaking the tense atmosphere inside. Gandalf walked in, bowing slightly, and looked at everyone with a smile, asking, "Did I miss something?"

"Gandalf, you've come!" Bilbo greeted him excitedly, as if he had seen a savior. The oppressive atmosphere had almost suffocated him.

"Hello, Bilbo!" Gandalf greeted him with a smile, then his eyes lit up when he saw the group of petrified dwarves standing frozen at the table. "It seems you all already know each other, so I don't need to introduce you again."

Seeing Gandalf come out to ease the tension, Dui had no intention of completely antagonizing the dwarves, and waved his hand to break the dwarves' petrification spell.

The dwarves, whose bodies had been stiff for a long time, suddenly collapsed together, rubbing their aching limbs and groaning in pain.

At the same time, there was a hint of awe in his eyes as he looked at Dui.

After some twists and turns, everyone calmed down again. Although they weren't very welcoming to the dwarves, Bilbo still took out all the food and wine from the storeroom to entertain them.

At the dining table, Dui and Gandalf sat together, while the dwarves sat together with Thorin at the head.

Only Bilbo was constantly busy going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining table.

The group discussed the expedition while eating dinner.

"We don't need to confront Smaug the dragon head-on. We just need one key figure—someone agile enough and difficult to spot—to sneak into the Halls of the Lonely Mountain and steal the Arkenstone," Gandalf said.

"With the Arkenstone, Thorin, as the heir of the Durin family, will be able to gather the dwarven army and reclaim Erebor from the dragons."

Hearing Gandalf's words, Thorin was somewhat tempted. He looked at Gandalf and asked, "Do you have someone in mind?"

Gandalf did not answer, but instead turned his gaze to Bilbo.

Thorin followed Gandalf's gaze, his brow furrowing immediately. "Gandalf, are you sure?" he asked skeptically.

In Thorin's opinion, this hobbit was utterly useless except for cooking. He was shorter than a dwarf, his arms were not as thick, and he was very weak and had no use whatsoever.

Bilbo was somewhat flustered by everyone's gaze and tried to shrink behind Dui.

Thorin frowned even more upon seeing this.

Gandalf, however, disagreed. He explained, "Hobbits are short and agile, possess a natural instinct for stealth, and are adept at moving unnoticed (such as sneaking mushrooms or hiding from neighbors), making them ideal thieves."

"And hobbits never get noticed by dragons unless they are trampled underfoot—and Smaug has sharp enough eyes and nose to recognize the scents of dwarves, elves, and men, but he has never seen a hobbit and can’t imagine what they can do."

Thorin was somewhat persuaded by Gandalf's words, but he remained skeptical about Bilbo as a candidate.

Seeing Thorin remain silent, Gandalf turned to Bilbo and asked earnestly, "Mr. Bilbo Baggins, would you be willing to join the expedition and embark on an adventure to Lonely Mountain?"

"Me?" Bilbo was caught off guard, his expression one of shock, then he shook his head frantically. "No, I can't! I never take risks. Find someone else!"

Gandalf, seeing Bilbo hiding behind Duy, did not give up.

"Bilbo, don't you want to experience a great adventure? Think of all those adventure books you've read. Don't you want to go to those places described in the books and experience them for yourself? You could even write your own adventure book when you return, so that your descendants can know about your adventures and be proud of you!"

"Besides, Duir will be traveling with you on this adventure. Don't you want to go with him?"

When Duy was mentioned, Bilbo looked at him with some confusion, "Duy, do you want me to go too?"

Dui shook his head, not joining Gandalf in trying to persuade him, but sincerely said, "Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

Although he knew that Bilbo would leave the Shire, encounter the One Ring that was destined for him, and that his choices would determine the course of Middle-earth, making him a key figure in the Lord of the Rings symphony.

But if Bilbo were content with an ordinary life and only wanted to stay in the Shire as a regular hobbit, he would also choose to support him without hesitation.

Upon hearing Dui's words, Bilbo's expression showed struggle and hesitation, his reason and courage constantly torn apart.

Finally, taking a deep breath, he said to everyone, "I'm willing to join!"