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

After saying this, it was as if she had used up all her courage, and she shrank back again, hiding behind Dui.

Dui was stunned by Bilbo's quick reply.

Gandalf, overjoyed, raised his glass and declared, "Our Mr. Thief is back! Let us welcome Bilbo Baggins to the ranks!"

"Homage to Bilbo Baggins the Thief!" the dwarves shouted.

When Duy came to his senses, his emotions were somewhat complicated. He hadn't expected Bilbo to agree so quickly. He remembered that Bilbo had only made his final decision to catch up with the expedition after Gandalf and the others had left.

Clearly, this change originated from him.

However, since Bilbo had agreed, Dui supported his decision and immediately had Thorin and Bilbo sign a contract, specifying Bilbo's reward for helping the dwarves reclaim Lonely Mountain.

He didn't want Bilbo to do him a huge favor and then get no reward at all.

Thorin, in order to reclaim Erebor, was very generous and agreed to share the treasure of Erebor. He promised to give Bilbo one-fourteenth of the treasure if he found the Arkenstone and reclaimed Erebor.

As for Gandalf, he did not ask for any payment.

After receiving the contract and signing his name, Bilbo was a little dizzy.

If he receives one-fifteenth of the Lonely Mountain treasure as stipulated in the contract, he will become the richest hobbit in all of the Shire.

Midnight,

After devouring all the wine stored in Bag End Cave, the dwarves lay scattered on their beds, snoring loudly like thunder.

In the master bedroom next door, Bilbo tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

On the one hand, the dwarves' snoring was too loud, and on the other hand, it was for the upcoming adventure.

Duy and Gandalf, on the other hand, were sitting on the sloping lawn of Bag End roof.

One gazed up at the starry sky, while the other silently smoked his pipe.

"I went to the Wasteland during this time and exchanged information with some wandering knights. I discovered that the Orc army in the Misty Mountains has been making moves recently, and there have even been traces of several Orc squads in the Wasteland." Gandalf exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice somewhat solemn.

"So I'll separate from you halfway through the journey to explore the Misty Mountains. The expedition team will be in your hands then!"

Gandalf had told him about this before, so Dui was prepared.

He nodded, then turned to Gandalf. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

To be honest, he preferred to follow Gandalf rather than the dwarves.

Gandalf smiled and pointed to the sword at his waist. "I'd be quite happy to have you as an ally, but didn't you already make a deal with the dwarves to protect them?"

"By the way, your sword is really nice! Have you named it yet?"

"This sword is called the Blazing Sword."

Seeing Gandalf's interest in his sword, Dui, with a touch of showing off, drew it and handed it to him. At the same time, he answered Gandalf's previous question nonchalantly:

"I only promised to help them reclaim Lonely Mountain, not to take care of them like a babysitter. Besides, I don't think Thorin would want to see me or you surpass him in prestige within the group."

Speaking of Thorin, Gandalf also had a headache. Although the team had just been formed, the conflict between Thorin and Gandalf had already begun to emerge.

Thorin, a man with an extremely strong desire for control, has always tried to keep the expedition in his own hands.

Gandalf wasn't interested in vying for leadership, and was even willing to defer to Thorin most of the time. But as the initiator and organizer of the team, he naturally held prestige within the group due to his strength and authority.

Not to mention he's wearing the Ring of Fire, Naya, which gives warmth, courage, and hope to those around him, making people instinctively want to get closer to him and make him the center of their world.

So unless Thorin or Gandalf take the initiative to back down or leave, conflict will inevitably erupt sooner or later during the expedition.

However, this is not something Dui needs to worry about.

Gandalf didn't pay much attention to this. Now that Duy, the wizard, was in the party, he felt much more at ease and focused more on investigating the movement of dark forces.

Forgetting about Thorin, that troublesome fellow, Gandalf focused his attention on the sword before him, which looked as if it were forged from gold.

"The dwarves' craftsmanship is truly amazing!" Gandalf stroked the sword with admiration. As soon as he grasped the hilt, magic surged into the blade, and the sword instantly burst into flames of blazing gold, radiating light like the sun!

"The Blazing Sword truly lives up to its name!"

Dui was astonished when he saw the golden flames emanating from Gandalf's flaming sword.

This golden flame was different from his previous red flame; it was much hotter, more sacred, and more dangerous. Dui could sense that if he were to touch this flame, even just a tiny bit, he would be instantly reduced to ashes!

"Gandalf, what is this flame?"

"This is the Fire of Arno, the Fire of the Sun," Gandalf explained.

Dui was shocked to hear this. The Flame Sword in his own hands only released red magical flames, but in Gandalf's hands it actually released the fire of the sun!

The difference is huge!

Dui felt that even with the Flaming Sword in his hands, it was like a treasure being covered in dust, entrusted to the wrong person.

However, the thought that Gandalf was a Maiar disguised as a wizard made Duy feel a little better.

After all, the other party was a god, while he was just an ordinary wizard. It wasn't surprising that there was a gap between them, was it? Dui comforted himself with this thought.

As Gandalf extinguished the flames, he noticed the mysterious runes emerging from the sword. Intrigued, he asked, "What kind of script is this? I sense its mystery and power."

"This is magic script, you can also think of it as wizarding script." To avoid confusion with the dwarven runes, he offered a different explanation.

"Wizards' writing?" Gandalf was very surprised. He had never known that wizards had any kind of writing, but then a guess popped into his mind, and he stared at Dui in disbelief.

"Did you create this script?"

He couldn't think of any other explanation besides this conjecture.

"Gandalf, you think too highly of me!" Dui shook his head with a wry smile. He dared not lie to this wise grey wizard, but he could not reveal the system, so he could only choose to give a vague explanation.

"You can consider this a gift from heaven. Although I am currently the only one who possesses this magical script, I did not create it."

But this answer shocked Gandalf no less than his previous guesses.

The word "divinely bestowed" inevitably made Gandalf's thoughts wander, and he looked at Dui with an envious gaze, "The favor the Father of All Beings has shown you truly makes me jealous!"

Huh? Dui was confused. What was this "favor of the Father of All Beings"? Had Gandalf misunderstood something?

Gandalf offered no explanation, returned the flaming sword to Dui, and went back to Bag End to rest.

The next morning,

After finishing the last bit of food stored in the bag bottom cave, everyone prepared to set off.