Regarding Smaug the dragon, Levi was very interested, especially in the materials on its body. He had long been scheming about this and absolutely couldn't miss the opportunity.
It just wasn't the right time yet.
He wasn't afraid of the dragon... at worst he could dig a hole and hide. But if it chased him out, the humans at the foot of the mountain would suffer.
Mass casualties weren't something Levi wanted to see, and he didn't yet have confidence in facing a dragon alone.
He refocused his attention.
The elf was introducing their forging techniques, and Levi nodded repeatedly, treating it as supplementary knowledge.
For elven craftsmen, creating a set of high-quality armor and weapons required first smelting refined steel, then slowly hammering and forging through various complex or delicate processes until completion.
However, he only needed to throw raw materials into an alloy furnace, invest a bit of experience, and after smelting, directly craft at a workbench.
Simple operation, mindless and fast.
At this moment, the elven smith beside him had no idea that in just one encounter, their core technology had already been cracked.
Although strictly speaking, Levi didn't know the specific forging techniques at all... everything was black box operation for him. He only knew how to use it, not the details and principles.
But it didn't matter... as long as it worked.
This trip to Rivendell was truly worthwhile.
He was so pleased his mouth could barely contain his smile. He couldn't wait to end the journey and go home to develop properly.
But he still had to deal with the current situation.
After leaving the smithy and touring Rivendell briefly, it was already noon.
For some inexplicable reason, Aglar had taken quite a liking to this human and wanted to befriend him, so he invited Levi to dine at his home.
"Welcome to my dwelling, Levi."
This meal was personally prepared by Aglar. Many ingredients were quite fresh, with plenty of meat... overall it looked quite good.
Although elves' dietary habits tended toward light fare, this didn't mean they wouldn't eat meat.
The reason certain dwarves found tables full of almost unseasoned vegetables when they came here was just the elves' small revenge for their unreasonable behavior.
Elven dining always seemed to include a glass of wine. Aglar personally filled a glass for Levi, indicating he should feel free.
"Thank you for your hospitality."
The two chatted while eating, quickly finishing all the food on their plates.
The meal ended with a glass of fine wine.
Looking at his saturation bar that was full and even overflowing slightly, Levi felt quite satisfied.
But speaking of elven food...
He suddenly spoke up. "I've heard that elves have a kind of magical travel bread called lembas. I'm actually quite curious about its appearance and taste."
Aglar was stunned, seemingly not expecting him to ask about this.
"Lembas... I do bring some when traveling. If you want some, I have a few pieces here."
With that, Aglar got up and left. Soon he returned with several square biscuits wrapped in golden-yellow leaves.
[Lembas]
Special effect: Health regeneration 10s.
Hiss...
This was Levi's umpteenth time being amazed by elven creations.
Looking at the biscuit in his hand, he treasured it like a precious find.
This piece of lembas not only provided a health regeneration buff, but just this small piece could directly fill an entire hunger bar.
It was truly a divine artifact for travel and combat.
If he'd had this when facing the warg cavalry squad in the Trollshaws, Levi would have even dared to face them head-on.
Good things were always rare.
Lembas... Aglar's household only had three pieces stored. Seeing that Levi seemed to like them very much, he gave them all to him.
"Lembas cannot satisfy one's appetite, Levi. Even if you eat it, you'll still crave the taste of bread and meat. But its effects are extraordinary... I believe it can help you at certain times."
"It will indeed be of great help to me, Aglar. Do you have more? If possible, I'd like to purchase some."
Lembas was good, but unfortunately there were only three pieces.
Aglar shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Levi. We don't normally sell lembas, and the quantity isn't large. I only happened to have stored a few pieces."
"Alright, thank you for your generosity."
Knowing he couldn't obtain more lembas in the short term, Levi wasn't disappointed.
Even getting just these three pieces made him quite satisfied.
In the current situation where he couldn't brew potions yet, each piece of lembas could serve as a trump card.
Rivendell was a magical place.
Here, one's sense of time became dull, making it difficult to perceive the passage of time.
Looking at the waterfall before the valley, when Levi recalled, he realized he had already lived here for a week.
Life here was good, like a paradise on earth.
But it was too peaceful.
Early the next morning, he dressed properly and led out his horse.
"Are you leaving, Levi?"
As if sensing it, Aglar came to the stables.
"Time waits for no one, Aglar. I still have many things to do and cannot stay here long."
"May your steps follow the wind."
"Thank you."
Upon hearing that Levi was leaving, the elf responsible for tending horses also breathed a sigh of relief.
This human's mount was too strange... for seven consecutive days, no matter what they did, it neither ate nor drank.
Because of this, he had approached Levi more than once to inquire, fearing the horse might develop problems from hunger. But Levi always said not to worry about it.
If he hadn't seen that the horse's condition remained healthy throughout, he would have thought Levi had some grudge against the horse and was deliberately starving it.
Now it seemed this horse was indeed extraordinary.
At least it was very resistant to hunger.
Before parting, Levi said to the elf who came to see him off, "Aglar, if you have time, please be sure to visit the castle located between Weathertop and the Last Bridge. I will entertain you without reservation."
During this time, this elf he'd met by chance had indeed helped him greatly and even given him good things like lembas. If there was a chance, Levi still wanted to repay him.
Originally, he had planned to give some precious items as mementos, but he really hadn't brought anything on this trip. Directly giving gold or silver ingots felt somewhat inappropriate, so he could only wait until next time.
Besides this, there was also a small regret that he hadn't been able to meet Aragorn.
At this time, Aragorn being in Rivendell was still somewhat of a secret, with not many people knowing. If he didn't come out voluntarily and the lord of Rivendell didn't mention it, Levi naturally couldn't say anything either, or there would be no way to explain.
So he could only let it go for now.
Journeys always came suddenly.
Levi rode his horse out of Rivendell, heading west all the way.
...
"Damn it, a bunch of useless trash!"
"You can't even defeat one ordinary human... what are you good for!"
Deafening roars echoed in the cave. On the wide stone in the center of the cave, a fat figure looked down at an orc with overwhelming pressure.
This was the leader of Goblin-town... possibly even the leader of all orcs in the Misty Mountains... the Orc King.
A human had annihilated the raiding forces he'd sent out in the distance, and recently had even escalated by coming to his doorstep and killing another cavalry squad.
This was naked provocation that simply couldn't be tolerated.
For some reason, the Orc King was particularly concerned about this human. News about him always spread especially quickly.
"But we encountered elves..." the orc explained tremblingly, "and he's now living on elven territory."
"Then why don't you go where there are no elves?"
"Huh?" The orc below expressed confusion.
However, this leader had already received the news early.
Orc scouts from west of the Trollshaws had already discovered that the sturdy castle where that human lived was now completely empty.
Ever since that human left, no smoke had risen from the castle for a long time. Some orcs had secretly crept to the walls to listen... inside were only the sounds of livestock, with no trace of human activity.
Other orcs had gone to the gate to shout insults and throw things inside, waiting a long time without anyone coming out.
"He's on elven territory, which means no one's home. Go destroy his house!"
"Then set up an ambush inside. I want to see his head."
The Orc King issued his orders.
If I can't deal with you, can't I deal with your home?
When the time comes, I'll squat at your house and wait for you to return... let's see how you run then.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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