Since I had leveled up my
I used cloth from the shop, and made clothing from Earth in a more practical manner for the people of this world. I didn't enchant them, yet, because the enchantments I could make only lasted for a month or so before needing a reset, but the Hobbits were big fans of 'my' fashion. I managed to make a zipper using molds and dies, which were much more convenient than buttons. I was finally able to upgrade my own clothing, which I did enchant with cooling, repairing, cleaning, and durability. My form had filled out a lot over the years, so my old clothes were tight on me, anyways. I stood at a solid six-feet in height, and weighed in at just under two-hundred pounds. Despite living in a world where bathing wasn't as common, I looked much better than I ever had on Earth. My working theory had to do with the magic in me.
After a while, I wanted to make jewelry, too, so I built a station and tools for it. I was able to enchant a few rings to strengthen the wearer, diminish the need for food and water, and to protect from heat, which all made my workday more efficient. Selling them, in addition to my weapons and potions, over the course of the next five years brought me up to a pretty 10,424,102 credits. Why was I saving so much, instead of buying more magic and better materials? Several reasons.
The first was that insulating foam was expensive, at 500 credits per square foot. I needed about 900 square feet for the average single Hobbit house, and there were two-thousand houses in the Shire. That was almost a million in and of itself, but I thought it well-worth it. I also made back a tenth of that from what I charged the Hobbits. It wasn't only expensive in terms of credits, but in time. People on Earth would take four or five days to lay insulation for a single house the size of a hobbit hole, but I had to do 2189 within the next five years.
I wasn't in any way obligated to save the Hobbits who were meant to die during the Long Winter, but I knew I could. I didn't want to be like the rich people of Earth, or even the lord and ladies of this world, who sat upon their fortunes while letting their people starve. I had come to know a great many of the Hobbits in the Shire, and didn't want them to suffer when I could do something about it. Besides, it was just a bit of time and money. Speaking of, there was no way I could do all of those houses in the span of five years, which brings us to my second purchase.
By reaching the
Summoning magic was rather interesting, as it worked much like my inventory in that each summon was a constant strain on my magical stamina. Putting it numerically, if I had 100 maximum 'mana', each summon would reduce that maximum by fifteen points for as long as they stuck around. I could summon up to seven of them at any one time, but they remained for as long as I needed them - or until they were destroyed for one reason or another. Buying all of those skills cost me 640,000 Credits.
With eight 'people' working for sixteen hours every day, we were able to put insulation on three houses in a single day. It still took more than two years of constant work to get it done, though. When that was all said and done, I could finally get back to work in my forge, which was when I decided to make a few upgrades. To work with materials like titanium, tungsten, better steels, platinum, and certain alloys. This included mithril, galvorn, and tilkal from Ea. To help with this, I bought an advanced runes guide and materials for a better forge.
I then spent a few months devising the perfect runic array before implementing it to replace both my forge and my anvil. The forge received upgrades to make it burn hotter with less fuel consumption, while also preventing that heat from escaping its boundaries and infusing the metal with magic to make it more receptive to enchantments. The anvil was inscribed with runes that maintained the temperature of anything placed upon it while remaining cool, along with durability, sound-absorption, and vibration-absorption. I finished just as the winter of 1156S.R rolled around, leaving exactly two years to the beginning of the Long Winter.
I wasn't done yet, though, because I knew insulation alone wouldn't ensure the survival of every Hobbit in the Shire. Every day for the next fourteen months, I forged simple iron rings with the crest of whichever family I intended to give them to. At this point, I could do eighteen minor enchantments before needing to do a focused meditation, allowing me to enchant 36 rings every day until I had a good sixteen-thousand of them.Selling one to each Hobbit in the Shire, each one having a temperature-regulation enchantment on them powered by a rune that absorbed the proper amount of magic from the air, would protect them from the cold.
The next problem, which I had eight months to solve, was that of food. I could buy food from the shop, but it cost nearly three-times as much as it cost me to just walk down to the market. I wasn't afraid of spending the credits to feed the Hobbits that would need it during the Long Winter, but I would prefer to avoid that. To solve this problem, and to other ends, I left the Shire for the East. A couple friends of mine were happy to look over my land until I returned, as I was something of a legend after a decade spent helping the people within it.
It took me two days to ride to Bree, where I sold goods I had prepared in advance for supplies and money before continuing East for another twelve days. It was there that I entered the lands of the West Elves, and was intercepted by an Elf attempting to disguise himself as a Human. Elves on Middle Earth didn't have pointed ears, like those in other worlds, but the make of his bow and sword were so obviously-Elvish that I immediately recognized him as one. Else, he had killed one and stolen their weapons.
"Greetings, traveler; what brings you up this road?" The Elf waved at me as I approached. His words confirmed his upbringing to me, as no man I had met thus far spoke so elegantly, or with that tone of voice. The way the Elf carried himself was also so elegant - as if he were dancing even when standing still, and his motions and even his words were practiced.
"Greetings, Elf friend; I seek council with Lord Elrond Half-Elf of Rivendell. I know it is rather presumptuous of me to walk into your lands unbidden, but I have no choice. The lives of thousands depend on it," I said, much to the Elf's surprise. He rested a hand on the pommel of his sword, narrowing his eyes at me. I maintained his gaze, making no threatening move. "I can promise you, I hold no ill will towards you or your people. I am but a man who seeks to save lives. I can offer many things in return for assistance, but I will only reveal those things to your Lord."
The Elf regarded me tensely for a short time before relaxing. "Very well, Human. Follow me, and I will take you to the heart of Rivendell. If you should turn on your word, however, me and my companions will fill you with arrows." As if to punctuate, several arrows stuck into a tree to my right, indicating the presence of several more Elves than I could sense or see. I wasn't fazed by the action, and simply nodded.
"I thank you for your kindness, Elf Friends. I will not act against you, unless I am forced to do so. Lead the way."
It took a day for me and my new entourage - four Elves with golden hair, fair skin, and bright eyes - to reach Rivendell, where I was escorted to the palace. The Elven city was beautiful, rife with life and a great number of Elves. They danced and sang and participated in arts and crafts. It was a wonderful thing, bearing witness to their culture. The thing I loved most about the ride, though, was the Elven architecture. The gentle curves and points of the buildings, surrounded by the tall trees and covered in all manner of shrubbery. The smell in the air was wonderful, too. Even if I didn't get what I wanted from this tip, seeing this place was worth it.