Chapter 627
The One Ring Appears
Chapter 627 The One Ring Appears
"Oh, Frodo, how are you?"
On the path leading into the Shire, the wizard Gandalf sat in his small carriage, smiling and greeting the children playing by the roadside.
"Gandalf, you've arrived. You've even changed your clothes this year!" Frodo ran excitedly to the carriage, noticing that the wizard's grey robes had turned pure white.
"Haha, it's just a piece of clothing." Gandalf said casually, but a happy expression was already showing on his face.
In terms of magical power and status, the white-robed wizard is a level above the gray-robed wizard.
For the past sixty years, Gandalf has spent most of his time on the front lines of the Northern Highlands, except for the occasional break in the Old Forest.
Thanks to his and the Northern Rangers' tireless efforts, the dark creatures surrounding the Northern Highlands have been largely eradicated.
In addition, Gandalf's contributions in the fight against Sauron, the Dark Lord, sixty years ago, have finally earned him the title of Wizard of the White.
In other words, he is now one of the most powerful wizards in Middle-earth, on par with the White Wizard Saruman.
Such an achievement was something even Gandalf couldn't resist showing off to the children he knew.
Then there's Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins' nephew, who, like Bilbo, was a kind and simple-minded hobbit.
Gandalf saw a faint resemblance to Bilbo in the other man, and therefore felt a special affinity for the little fellow.
"Greetings, wizard, Sam greets you." On the other side, Sam, who had come to the carriage with Frodo, bowed slightly to greet Gandalf.
This robust hobbit boy came from a family that had worked for the Baggins for generations, and through this upbringing, he learned early on to have a sense of awe for the strong.
In Sam's eyes, the mysterious wizard was undoubtedly a powerful figure.
"Hello, Sam," Gandalf greeted the polite hobbit boy with a smile.
At this point, Gandalf clearly preferred the simple-minded Sam to Frodo's other two mischievous playmates.
"Gandalf, you do look much better in white than you did before, when you were all disheveled..."
"So many fireworks, and there's even a 'thunderclap'! This year's fireworks display is sure to be spectacular..."
Yes, Frodo's other two playmates, Pippin and Merry, had already climbed into the carriage. One was studying Gandalf's white robes while his eyes were fixed on the wizard's long pipe.
The other was studying the various fireworks on the carriage, while also secretly hiding several giant fireworks in his pocket.
“Pippin, you should wash your hands first… and Merry, the job of setting off fireworks will be yours later…” Gandalf looked at Pippin’s handprints on his white robe and Merry’s bulging clothes, and couldn’t help but gently tap the two little ones on the head with his long pipe.
"hey-hey……"
Amidst silly laughter, Pipin, having wiped the dirt off his hands, loosened the wizard's robe, while Merri awkwardly pulled out the fireworks hidden under his clothes.
"Come on, let's get ready for this year's spring party." Seeing that the two little ones were behaving themselves, Gandalf shook his head and invited Frodo and Sam to get on the carriage as well, and together they headed towards Hobbiton.
Because they admire the hobbits' simplicity and kindness, wizards visit Hobbiton every spring to celebrate the New Year with the locals.
It will bring a grand fireworks display to the residents here.
This "custom" has been going on for several decades.
“By the way, Frodo. How is your uncle Bilbo doing lately?” Gandalf chatted leisurely with Frodo, observing the peaceful scene in the Shire.
“He’s still the same as before, locking himself in that little house every day, saying he wants to record his adventures and write them into a book…” Frodo frowned as he thought of his uncle and said, “I’m worried that if this continues, he’ll turn into a strange old man.”
Sixty years have passed, and Bilbo is now over 110 years old, which is considered old age for a hobbit.
It must be said that the Baggins family truly has an adventurous spirit. After the Battle of Lonely Mountain sixty years ago, Bilbo only stayed on Lonely Mountain for a little over a year before embarking on his life of travel.
Protected by the Elven sword, the Dagger, and the Ring, he would leave the Shire every now and then, passing through the Dark Forest, and traveling to places like Rivendell and the Golden Forest.
To the other hobbits who preferred a peaceful life, Bilbo was already a man with an eccentric personality.
"Is that so? Bilbo must be very happy to be able to do what he's interested in," Gandalf remarked.
It could be said that Bilbo was someone the wizard watched grow up, and then watched him grow old.
This feeling is amazing.
As a result, Gandalf felt a familial affection for Bilbo. Therefore, he had no intention of changing Bilbo's lifestyle.
……
As evening fell, with the help of the children, Gandalf put on a spectacular fireworks show for the people living in Hobbiton.
Among the crowd, Bilbo, who had just finished recounting his adventures, also joined the grand gathering.
After the fireworks display, the Hobbiton elder even went up onto the stage.
Because of their adventurous bloodline, the Baggins family has always loved adventure, which has allowed them to accumulate enormous wealth.
Despite his eccentric personality, Bilbo was very wealthy, which made him a respected figure in Hobbiton.
Therefore, as soon as he stepped onto the stage, he immediately attracted the attention of all the hobbits present.
"Today is my 111th birthday, and I'm very happy to spend it with everyone. Therefore, I would like to perform a program for you all..."
Having a "treasure" but no one to share it with is a painful thing. Bilbo had carefully guarded the secret of the "One Ring" for sixty years, and on this day, he finally wanted to "show off" a little. "Enjoy, Bilbo's Vanishing spell!"
Bilbo, standing on a box, quietly put his hand into his pocket and put on the magical ring as he spoke.
And then, in the next instant, he vanished from everyone's sight in a spectacular fashion.
"Oh, that's amazing!!!"
"This is the most amazing magic show I've ever seen..."
"..."
When Bilbo disappeared without warning, the hobbits present gasped in amazement and cheered.
On the other side, Bilbo, now wearing the Ring, smugly enjoyed the astonished expressions on people's faces.
He seemed quite satisfied with his "masterpiece".
"Did you see that? Your Uncle Bilbo really disappeared. It's amazing. I wish I could do that kind of magic..."
"Yes, if we had that ability, Mom wouldn't be able to catch us when we make mistakes."
"..."
When Pippin and Merry saw Bilbo disappear without a trace, their eyes widened with envy.
"By the way, could you ask your uncle to share the secret to disappearing with us?"
Then, the two little ones turned their attention to Frodo.
"I...I don't know either. I've never seen my uncle perform like this..." Frodo's face also showed surprise.
In his mind, his uncle Bilbo was just an ordinary person with strange behavior, and this was the first time he had ever seen him perform the [disappearance] trick.
Filled with doubt, he turned to the wizard beside him: "Gandalf, do you know what's going on?"
"Oh? Sorry, I was a little distracted..." Unlike the surprised crowd around him, Gandalf's gaze remained fixed on the spot where Bilbo had disappeared.
His expression was extremely solemn...
The next morning, Bilbo, preparing to travel again, summoned Frodo to the front.
"After I leave, this place will be yours. Especially this adventure biography, it might inspire you..." As if making his final arrangements, Bilbo solemnly handed his newly written adventure biography to his nephew Frodo.
The Baggins family has an adventurous spirit, and Bilbo wanted to inspire his nephew to embark on his own adventure through his own experiences.
In a way, this can be considered a kind of inheritance.
"Lonely Mountain, dragons, orc armies..." Frodo flipped through his uncle's adventure biography and was quickly captivated by the thrilling stories inside.
Then he noticed a box in the corner next to him, which was filled with gold coins, gems, and pure gold ornaments.
"Are those the treasures of Lonely Mountain?" Clearly, the glittering gold coins and gems were more appealing to Frodo than the adventure stories.
“Yes, those are souvenirs that Mr. Mike gave me…” Bilbo couldn’t help but smile as he thought of his first human friend.
"The Mr. Mike you're talking about, is he the Lord of Lonely Mountain and the King of Men?" Mike's name had long been known throughout Middle-earth, and Frodo was surprised that his uncle actually knew him.
“Yes, Mr. Mike also has titles such as ‘Ogre Slayer,’ ‘Healer,’ and ‘Dragon Hunter.’ He’s a remarkable person,” Bilbo replied admiringly.
"Can you tell me his story?" Frodo continued to press, like a little fanboy.
But this is understandable, after all, the story Mike wrote in Middle-earth is indeed "legendary" enough.
“It’s a long story. I remember it was Gandalf who led them to Bag End…” Bilbo began to reminisce.
He then tried to select some of the most interesting parts to tell his nephew, and even so, by the time he finished speaking, the sun had already risen high in the sky.
Even though it was just a simple introduction to Mike's legendary experiences, Bilbo still spent half a day on it.
"Alright, I've recorded the rest of the story in the book. You can flip through it if you're interested..." Seeing his nephew's eyes growing brighter and brighter, Bilbo knew that his efforts had not been in vain.
The adventurous bloodline of the Baggins family has already been activated in the other party.
One day, the other person will also have their own adventure story.
“Alright, it’s time for me to leave. Before that, I have two more gifts for you.” With that, Bilbo took off his close-fitting mithril armor and handed it, along with his elven sword, to his nephew Frodo.
Knowing that the other party will embark on an adventure sooner or later, how can we do without self-defense equipment?
"Goodbye, Frodo. My good boy~" After the handover was complete, Bilbo gave his nephew a tight hug, then shouldered his bag and left Bag End with a flourish.
……
Meanwhile, Gandalf, who was 80 percent certain that the ring in Bilbo's hand was the One Ring, released a communication butterfly that flew towards Lonely Mountain.
(End of this chapter)