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

"That's right." Gandalf nodded, giving an affirmative answer.

"I have a feeling that things will go much smoother if I go with you this time, and maybe we'll escape unscathed."

Dui expressed skepticism about Gandalf's premonition.

He knows his own limitations. Even Gandalf is no match for Sauron. Adding a weakling like him would just be adding insult to injury for Sauron.

"Gandalf, how about we contact some more helpers, like Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel?"

"It's too late!" Gandalf shook his head.

"Beon said that the orcs have been gathering in Dorgon these past few days, which must mean they're planning something big. We need to find out the situation immediately and make preparations in advance, before Lady Galadriel and the others arrive."

"No, Gandalf, there's still time," Dui said, a confident smile spreading across his face. He took a bottle of Floo Powder from his pouch, shook it, and said, "Have you forgotten I still have this?"

Duy doesn't fight unprepared battles. Since he knows that Dorgon is dangerous, he doesn't want to risk it alone. Instead, he and Gandalf face the powerful demon king Sauron.

"I've already connected the fireplace in the Beon family home to the Floo Network. It leads directly to the fireplace in the Valley of the Dead. We can now return to the Beon family home immediately, use the fireplace to go to the Valley of the Dead, and request Lord Elrond's reinforcements."

Although we can't contact Galadriel for the time being, inviting Elrond would be a powerful boost and a source of confidence.

In particular, Elrond is not the only powerful elf in the valley. There is also Lord Glorfindel, whom I only met once before, whose strength is no less than that of Elrond.

Upon hearing Dui's words, Gandalf suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his forehead in frustration.

"As people get older, their minds become rigid, and they can't keep up with the flexible thinking of you young people."

“But we don’t need to go back to Beorn’s house. I have a better idea,” Gandalf suggested. “Before we head to Dorgon, we should visit an old friend whose house is in the southern part of Greenwood, closer to Dorgon. We can use his fireplace to get to the Valley.”

"Are you referring to Darigast the Brown Robe?"

"It's him."

Duy then accepted Gandalf's invitation, parted ways with the expedition, and went with him to explore Dorgus.

Sorin expressed strong dissatisfaction with this.

"I disagree!" Thorin objected vehemently, his angry eyes fixed on Gandalf. "You can leave, but Duir must stay with us!"

"I don't care what orcs or necromancers Dorgon has, that has nothing to do with our journey to Lonely Mountain! Our only and most important task is to reach Lonely Mountain before the Day of Durin, then obtain the Arkenstone and reclaim Lonely Mountain!"

Dui, somewhat helpless, patiently explained to the furious Thorin, "Thorin, I assure you, we will meet up with you before you reach Lonely Mountain."

"Dolgudu is crucial to the entire situation in Middle-earth. We need to go there to investigate and prevent the dark forces from rising again, and also to prevent them from affecting your recapture of Lonely Mountain."

But Thorin clearly didn't accept this explanation, coldly scoffing and stubbornly declaring, "What Middle-earth situation? That has nothing to do with us. I only want the Arkenstone and to reclaim my kingdom!"

Then, fixing his gaze on Duy, he gritted his teeth and threatened, "Duy, are you sure you want to go with him? Don't forget you signed a contract with me. Do you want to break it?"

Dui was also having a headache with Sorin, who was obsessed with restoring his kingdom.

"Since I promised to help you reclaim Lonely Mountain, I will not go back on my word. We will reunite with you before the Day of Dulin and help you defeat the dragon and reclaim Lonely Mountain."

Seeing Dui's resolute attitude, Thorin's face grew even more somber.

"I hope so. If you can't fulfill the contract, don't even think about getting a single copper coin from me!"

The two sides parted on bad terms.

Dui and Gandalf headed south to Dorgus, while Thorin and his party prepared to travel east via the old forest road.

Bilbo preferred to follow Dui and Gandalf rather than the dwarves.

But Gandalf dissuaded him and told him to continue following the dwarves.

After parting ways with the expedition, Duy and Gandalf rode their horses southward along the Anduin River until they reached the southernmost edge of the Great Greenwood, also known as Mirkwood.

After releasing the horse, the two walked along a path into the forest.

At the end of the road stood a small cabin in the woods, built of stone and wood. The cabin looked as if no one had ever cleaned it; the thatched roof was overgrown with weeds, the stones were covered with moss, and mushrooms were growing on the wood.

If it weren't for the smoke still billowing from the chimney, one would have thought it was an abandoned, deserted cabin.

The wooden door opened from the inside, and the brown-robed wizard Darrigaster stepped out of the cabin, a look of surprise on his face.

"Gandalf! What brings you here?"

"Darigast".

Gandalf greeted him with a smile.

"Duir and I just happened to be passing by, so we thought we'd stop by as guests. Would you be welcome?"

"Of course you're welcome, come in!"

"Darigast said enthusiastically, then his gaze fell on Dui, and his eyes lit up."

"I remember you, young wizard, the one who lured away the orcs and dire wolves with me last time."

"It's nice to see you again." Dui smiled and nodded.

Darrigas invited the two into the cabin and warmly poured them a pot of tea brewed with unknown herbs.

Du Yi took a sip; the taste was somewhat bitter, similar to the traditional Chinese medicine he had in his previous life.

However, what caught his eye was that the tea actually contained magic, quickly relieving the fatigue of the long journey.

[Hogwarts Check-in System: Location: Darkwood - Darrigar's Hut, do you wish to check in?]

The system suddenly issued a prompt.

Dui's eyes lit up with joy; he hadn't expected to find something unexpected here.

"Check-in".

[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on gaining herbal knowledge from Professor Sprout, the master of herbal medicine!]

Countless pieces of knowledge about the cultivation, planting, harvesting, and processing of magical herbs were imprinted in his mind, as if someone had used a memory spell to forcibly stuff someone else's memories of knowledge into their brain, waiting for him to digest and absorb them so that he could become a master of herbalism.

Dui was overjoyed. He had originally planned to compare the magical herbs of the Harry Potter world with those of this world once he had mastered a certain level of herbal knowledge, find substitutes with similar effects, and thus create more magical potions.

Unexpectedly, he was given all of Professor Sprout's herbal knowledge in one go.

He took another sip of the tea made from the roots, and the corresponding magical herbs immediately popped into his mind.

Darrigast sensed Dui's cheerful mood and assumed that he really liked the herbal tea he had brewed. He felt like he had found a kindred spirit and happily poured Dui another full bowl of tea.

Having drunk Chinese medicine in his previous life, Dui said it was no problem. Under Gandalf's admiring gaze, he very politely drank it all in one gulp and even asked what herbs it was made of.

As the most skilled herbalist among the five wizards, he readily shared his knowledge when he saw Dui's interest.

As a Maia, a secondary god of the plant goddess Yavanna, Darigast was extremely knowledgeable about the properties and effects of various herbs and plants in Middle-earth, from which Dui gained a great deal.

Darrigas was also very surprised and delighted by Dui. Dui's various ingenious ideas and applications of herbs inspired him and he quickly regarded him as a close friend.

The two were engrossed in their discussion, oblivious to everyone else, until Gandalf coughed a few times in exasperation, interrupting their conversation.

"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot you were here, Gandalf," Darrigus said apologetically to his old friend, then remembered to ask, "By the way, what brings you here?"