The person is at Hogwarts, but the system is in Middle-earth!

Saturday morning, the sky was overcast.

Lo Wei got up very early.

Or rather, he didn't sleep much at all.

As the first rays of dim morning light pierced through the round window, he was already seated in an armchair by the fireplace, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet that had just been delivered.

"Love?"

Harry and Ron crawled through the hole in the portrait (they had arranged to visit Hagrid that day). They were both startled by the sight of Rowe.

"You...you look like you're going to war," Ron said.

"It's not 'going'," Rowe said, gripping the edge of the newspaper. "The war has already begun."

He threw the newspaper on the table.

The front page headline was a black-and-white photograph with the headline in huge bold: Latest Investigation into Gringotts Break-in.

[System intelligence analysis in progress...]

[Source: Gringotts Wizarding Bank -> Moria Mines]

[Event: Vault No. 713 was forcibly opened -> The secret chamber on Lonely Mountain was breached]

[Conclusion: The defenses have fallen. The forces of darkness have infiltrated the core area.]

"Listen, recruits." Rowe stood up, his eyes as deep as a still pool. "The dwarves' defenses are the strongest in the world. If even that has been breached, it means... that thing has been moved."

"What is it?" Harry asked instinctively.

"I don't know. But it's definitely something crucial to the Dark Lord." Rowe lowered his voice. "Maybe it's the Arkenstone, maybe it's another One Ring. Whatever it is, it's at Hogwarts now."

Harry shuddered. He remembered the dirty little bag Hagrid had taken from Gringotts earlier.

"Don't scare me, Rowe," Ron tried to ease the tension. "He's probably just a regular thief."

"An ordinary thief?" Rowe sneered. "Being able to evade the guards of dragons (fire dragons) and orcs (fairies) is something only the leader of the Ringwraiths can do."

He grabbed his bag: "Let's go. Let's go see that forester. Maybe he knows something."

...

Hagrid's cabin is located on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

In Rowe's system filter, this was not just a wooden hut, but a massive fortress. The surrounding pumpkin patch was marked as the giant's vegetable garden, while the dark forbidden forest was a gloomy thicket, exuding a corrupting stench.

Harry went up and knocked on the door.

The door opened, revealing Hagrid's enormous, disheveled face.

"Harry! Ron!" Hagrid called out excitedly, then looked down and saw Rowe fully armed. "Oh, and Mr. Baggins?"

"Homage to you, King of the Forest, Bion the Skinflint." Rowe stepped back, placed his right hand on his chest, and performed an extremely ancient beastly salute. "May your bear spirit remain strong forever."

Hagrid paused for a moment, then burst into thunderous laughter: "Ha! This kid is interesting! 'King of the Forest'? I like that title! Come in, come in quickly!"

Just then, a huge black hoghound pounced out from behind Hagrid and charged straight at Harry.

"Tooth!" Harry called out.

But in Rowe's eyes, it was a dire wolf with drooling and bloodshot eyes.

"Back off!"

Rowe instantly drew his wand and stood in front of Harry, assuming a standard defensive stance.

"Don't move! This beast hasn't been tamed yet!"

Tooth was startled by Rowe's imposing presence, whimpered, and tucked its tail between its legs behind Hagrid.

"Don't be afraid, Rowe," Hagrid said with a laugh. "Toothie is just a coward."

Rowe remained vigilant. He kept his eyes fixed on the dire wolf until Hagrid pinned it to the ground, at which point he slowly put away his wand.

"Never turn your back to a beast," Rowe whispered to Harry. "That's the rule for surviving your first night in the wasteland."

...

It was very hot inside the hut, with the stove fire burning brightly.

Hagrid brought them tea and a large plate of something as hard as rock.

"These are rock crust pastries," Hagrid said proudly. "They're freshly baked."

Harry picked up a piece and tried taking a bite.

Boom.

He felt like his teeth were about to break.

"This..." Harry covered his cheek, tears welling up in his eyes.

Ron wisely didn't move, but simply pretended to drink his tea.

Only Lo Wei.

He picked up a piece of rock-skin cake and examined it closely.

[Item Identification: Rock Skin Cake]

[True Name Determination: Dwarf Marching Rations]

【Attributes: Hardness 10 (granite grade), satiety +50, palatability -100】

[Description: Highly compressed dry rations eaten by dwarves during long marches. It is said that one piece can sustain an adult dwarf for a whole day. It can also be used as a throwing weapon.]

"Good stuff," Lowe exclaimed.

Hagrid's eyes lit up: "You like it too?"

"This is true warrior's food," Rowe said solemnly. "Only the weakest elves eat that kind of soft bread. This food can temper one's will and strengthen one's physique."

As he spoke, he broke the rock-skin cake in half and then soaked it in boiling tea.

"Look, Harry," Rowe demonstrated, "you have to soften its outer shell with hot water first, so the tea flavor can seep in."

He waited for ten seconds, then picked up the slightly softened pancake and took a bite.

Although it's still hard, at least I can chew it.

[Gain Buff: Stamina Regeneration (Slight)]

[Experience gained: Stamina +1]

"Mmm..." Luo Wei chewed vigorously, making a crunching sound. "The taste is very pure. It's full of the power of the earth."

Harry and Ron were stunned.

They followed Rowe's example and soaked the cakes in tea.

"It's really edible," Harry said in surprise. "It's still a bit tough on my teeth, but... I feel like an explorer."

"That's right!" Hagrid rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Finally, someone knows what they're doing! Eat up, Rowe, I have another bucket here!"

"A barrel?" Rowe's eyes lit up. "Can you pack it up? This kind of strategic material is hard to come by in the castle."

"Of course! Take them all!"

...

When Rowe left Hagrid's hut, his bag was full of rock bread.

His mood improved slightly. With these food reserves, he could hold out for three to five days even if he were trapped in the Moria mine.

"Love," Harry suddenly spoke, holding the Daily Prophet in his hand, "about the war you mentioned before. Are you serious?"

Luo Wei stopped walking.

He glanced back at the castle behind him.

"Look at that," Rowe said, pointing towards the castle's tallest tower.

There was nothing there, only a few crows circling overhead.

But in Loewy's system filter, a flame was burning at the top of the tower, and a huge, eyelidless eye was slowly opening.

"Darkness is gathering, Harry," Rowe said softly. "Gringotts is just the beginning. The thief didn't find what he wanted. So he'll come here. He'll come for you."

Harry's heart skipped a beat.

"Looking for me?"

"You are a Ringbearer." Rowe looked into Harry's eyes (that is, into the lightning bolt scar), "Although you may not yet know what you bear, fate has made its choice."

He patted Harry on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. The Fellowship of the Ring will protect you. As long as I still have my sword, as long as my frying pan hasn't broken..."

Luo Wei's voice was carried away by a sudden gust of cold wind.

"No one can hurt you. Not even the Dark Lord himself."