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

"Wasn't your crystal ball already broken? How can you still see it?" Balin asked skeptically.

"Exactly, it would be more reliable if everyone splits up and searches separately."

Dui ignored the dwarves, holding the crystal ball in his hands, and focused on finding Bilbo's location.

This time, Bilbo's figure finally appeared on the crystal sphere.

"Bilbo, it's Bilbo! He's looking for a way out!"

The dwarves excitedly crowded around, pressing their heads close to the crystal sphere, their eyes fixed on Bilbo in the image.

"It seems your crystal ball is working again."

Dui glanced at the screen, then turned left. "Follow me, let's meet up with Bilbo first, and then leave this place."

Gandalf followed closely behind Dui, and the other dwarves followed suit.

Guided by the Crystal of Knowledge, the group followed a winding path until they finally spotted Bilbo in the distance, trying to find an exit.

"Bilbo!" the dwarf Bomb shouted.

Hearing the sound from afar, Bilbo turned around immediately, his face lighting up with surprise, and waved his hands excitedly: "I'm here!"

When the two sides met, the dwarves happily gave Bilbo a hug.

"You're really lucky, kid. You fell from such a height and you're still okay! If Duir hadn't said you were alright, we would have been worried sick!" Balin said.

"How did you know I was here?" Bilbo asked excitedly and curiously.

"You forgot? Duir has the True Knowledge Crystal. That thing can find people, so naturally it can see you here."

"However, that thing works sometimes and it doesn't. There was a period when we couldn't find you at all, and we don't know what went wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Bilbo looked somewhat uneasy, unconsciously reaching into his pocket to feel around before glancing tentatively at Dui, only to meet a pair of meaningful eyes.

He immediately looked away nervously, his eyes unsure of where to look.

Gandalf also noticed Bilbo's unusual behavior and exchanged a glance with Duy.

Unlike the dwarves who suspected the Crystal of Knowledge was broken, Gandalf and Duy both knew that the Crystal of Knowledge was the hardest substance and could not possibly be damaged.

Therefore, the reason why the True Knowledge Crystal couldn't see Bilbo before was not because of the True Knowledge Crystal itself, but because Bilbo encountered something unusual that concealed the True Knowledge Crystal's vision.

Although Gandalf was somewhat curious, he had no intention of getting to the bottom of Bilbo's adventures.

As for Dui, he already knew about Bilbo's situation.

So neither of them asked any questions.

This relieved Bilbo, but also made him feel ashamed and uneasy.

"Duir, I just encountered..." Bilbo hesitated.

But before he could continue, Gandalf glared sharply at the shadows opposite him and shouted, "Who goes there!"

"Shatter to pieces!" A spell shot out from Dui's hand, striking directly at the shadow.

Under the dazzling light of the magic spell, a hunched, pale-skinned monster with bulging eyes was revealed to everyone.

The spell struck the stone in front of it directly, shattering it instantly and blasting the monster away.

That's Gollum? The previous owner of the One Ring? Dui realized.

But before he could make another move, Gollum looked at Dui with fear and terror, then glanced at Bilbo with resentment, before turning around and disappearing into the rocky cave.

"What the hell is that? It doesn't look like a goblin." The dwarves were surprised and puzzled.

"Bilbo, have you seen this thing before?"

"Uh, yes, I've met him." Bilbo nodded hesitantly. "He said his name was Gollum, and he fed on fallen goblin corpses. He's a bit mentally unstable and often talks to himself. I stalled for time with him by playing riddles, and finally found a chance to escape."

"Wow, it's a talking monster. It's a pity our magic didn't kill it and it escaped," the dwarves lamented.

"Alright, forget about that, we need to find an exit and get out of here," Gandalf interrupted, then looked at Dui.

"Duir, please lead the way for us."

Dui glanced at the crystal ball in his hand, nodded, and said, "Let's go, let's get out of here first."

Guided by the crystal sphere, the group successfully found an exit and arrived at the other side of the Misty Mountains.

"They're finally out!" the dwarves cheered.

Dui put the crystal ball back into the leather bag, then took out a money bag and handed it to Bilbo.

"This is my enchanted money pouch. It has two cubic meters of space inside, and it already contains some of the treasure I obtained from the goblin cave. There's still some space left, so you can put any extra luggage in it to make things easier."

Bilbo took the money bag, opened it, and was pleasantly surprised and moved by the spacious interior and the dazzling gold and silver jewelry inside.

"Thank you, Duir!"

After struggling and hesitating for a moment, glancing at the distance of the others, he whispered to Dui, "Dui, actually, I found something at the bottom of the cave..."

Dui stopped himself from speaking, shook his head slightly, and his smile deepened.

"I'm glad you're willing to tell me, but this is your opportunity, Bilbo, you don't need to tell me."

Bilbo was surprised by Dui's words, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished.

"I understand, Duir. I'm only telling you this."

"I found a ring at the bottom of the cave. The ring seemed to have magic. When I wore it, it was like entering another world. No one could see me. It was like I became invisible."

Dui nodded; he already knew all this. However, looking at his excited friend, he still warned, "Bilbo, don't wear this all the time unless absolutely necessary, or it will bring you unpredictable consequences."

Although hobbits are naturally resistant to the Ring, it does have an effect on them.

After the War of the Ring, Bilbo was invited to Valinor to spend his later years, not only because he was the first owner of the Ring, but also because his long-term contact with the Ring had left indelible marks.

This kind of harm does not affect the body, but rather the mind and soul.

Therefore, only by going to Valinor could Bilbo be cured and live out his old age in peace.

To give Bilbo a clearer understanding, he revealed, "Bilbo, be careful of that ring. You've already met Gollum, but you don't know that he was originally a hobbit, but after he got that ring, he was gradually changed and became what he is now."

Bilbo was stunned by the news; he couldn't believe it: "Duir, you're saying Gollum is a hobbit? How is that possible?"

"But that's just how it is."

Bilbo was restless. He wanted to choose not to believe, but considering that Gollum was about the same size as him and that his language style and way of thinking were similar to those of a hobbit, he had no choice but to believe.

Not to mention that the ring was also very tempting to him, making him want to possess it, and sometimes even having dark thoughts, such as the evil idea of ​​killing everyone who knew about the ring.

He himself was startled by this idea.

Thinking of this, he felt the ring in his pocket become extremely hot to the touch, and he wished he could throw it away immediately, but he was also deeply attracted to it and couldn't bear to part with it.

His consciousness seemed to split into two people, one rational and the other obsessed, constantly arguing and wrestling with each other.

"Duir, what should I do?" Bilbo asked Duir for help, completely at a loss.

"Don't be nervous or worried. I'm just saying this to keep you vigilant and prevent you from being tempted and addicted," Dui reassured you. "As long as you stay rational and don't overuse it, it won't have too much of an impact on you in the short term."

After finishing their conversation, the group continued on their way.

But soon, the distant howls of wolves made everyone's expressions change.

"It's a wolf!"

In the distance, down the hillside, thousands of well-equipped Orks rode giant wolves and moved rapidly toward them.

"Be prepared!" Gandalf shouted.