"Alright, alright, put down your weapons. This is our companion. Bombur, Dwalin, forks and spoons can't be used as swords and shields. Bofur, you'd better put down that flute... it poses no threat to his armor..."
Gandalf soothed them one by one, like coaxing children to make the dwarves lower their guard with gentle authority that cut through the chaos.
"Is he the powerful companion you mentioned, Gandalf?"
If anyone present was the calmest, it had to be Thorin. This dwarf with kingly bearing hadn't made any major movements from beginning to end, only keeping his piercing eyes fixed on Levi without looking away for even half a second.
He was familiar with that smell... orc blood.
"Oh yes, he'll definitely be of great help to our journey. I guarantee it with my own name."
On this side, after first greeting Bilbo with warm familiarity, Levi said to Thorin, who had been staring at him with calculating intensity: "Greetings to you."
"We seem to have met somewhere before." Thorin searched his memory for this face with the precision of a king who remembered every encounter.
"Yes, I once traveled far to visit the Blue Mountains. We met once in the workshop of the great hall."
"Hey, aren't you the human who stayed at the inn by the entrance a few months ago?" a dwarf asked with sudden recognition sparking in his eyes.
Levi nodded and smiled as he greeted the many dwarves with genuine warmth.
Suddenly, another dwarf spoke up with excitement: "I think I heard that a few months ago, a human traveler drank under the table the best drinker in that area."
"Really?"
The dwarves found it hard to believe, their voices rising in incredulous murmurs.
"Him, a human, could out-drink a dwarf? Don't be ridiculous!"
"Boo!"
"But it seems to be true. Many people were present at the time."
Someone's comment silenced the dwarves like a thunderclap.
"I don't believe it unless he drinks with me!"
The dwarves began to make a commotion, their voices overlapping in competitive enthusiasm.
"Alright, alright, now isn't the time to discuss this..."
Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control in another direction, Gandalf quickly stepped in to mediate with practiced ease.
"You have a strong smell of blood on you, Levi. Did you encounter some danger on the road?"
Levi nodded matter-of-factly: "Not exactly danger, but I did encounter some short-sighted wargs and orcs."
"Strange, they actually dared to attack you?" Gandalf raised an eyebrow with genuine surprise.
"What wouldn't those beasts dare to do?" said a dwarf who didn't understand the situation.
The Anduin Valley was too far from the Blue Mountains for the news to have fully spread yet.
But what Levi had done would eventually radiate throughout Middle-earth, becoming a kind of legend.
"I also found it strange. This squad was quite different from those I'd encountered before. They were fully equipped with everything they needed, and there seemed to be a powerful leader behind them, which gave them considerably more courage."
"But they were still completely annihilated by me."
"Although their wargs ran very fast and would scatter in different directions, obviously my horse ran even faster."
Gandalf nodded, unsurprised by Levi's matter-of-fact statement.
The dwarves looked at each other and whispered among themselves. Some thought this warrior looked strong but was quite the boaster.
Bilbo was completely confused, having no idea what Levi was talking about.
Orcs, wargs?
All unfamiliar terms, but from the conversation, Bilbo could determine one thing:
"Oh, so you know each other, Gandalf... Levi. Well, good, as expected, hmm."
Bilbo blinked and took a deep breath.
He decided to find an opportunity to quietly remind Levi to be careful when making friends.
After the small interlude, Bilbo brought a stool for Levi so he could sit on the other side of the table and join the meeting.
Now the table was packed full without a single gap.
At least Levi had a seat, while Bilbo could only stand on his toes behind Thorin to look at the table.
"We must seize the opportunity and reclaim Erebor." After analyzing the pros and cons with the gravity of a king planning war, Thorin made his declaration.
"But there's no way into the mountain anymore."
Balin was always the most rational among the dwarves, his voice heavy with practical concern.
"My dear Balin, that's not quite right."
Gandalf bent down and pulled out a key and a map from his robes with a theatrical flourish, saying to Thorin:
"This was given to me by your father Thráin for safekeeping, of course."
"Now, it belongs to you."
Thorin took the key and gripped it tightly in his hand, his knuckles white with emotion.
"Where there's a key, there's naturally a door..."
"There's another way in!"
The dwarves saw hope blazing in their eyes like stars suddenly appearing in darkness.
"Even if we can enter the mountain, searching for the gem will still be very dangerous." Gandalf said slowly with the weight of prophecy: "But as long as we're careful and clever, it's still possible."
"So we need a burglar."
A dwarf said with practical determination.
Everyone's gaze focused on Bilbo like spotlights converging on a stage.
However, Bilbo had never stolen anything in his life and naturally couldn't accept this task. Soon the dwarves began questioning him, then broke into noisy arguments that filled the room with chaos.
"Enough! I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then he is a burglar!"
Gandalf stood up, releasing his overwhelming presence like a storm breaking. The dwarves immediately fell silent as if their throats had been seized, with no one daring to question further.
The only ones present unaffected by this aura were Levi and Thorin.
Thorin was a king among dwarves and naturally wouldn't be easily influenced by mere presence.
As for Levi, he thought the special effects were quite good.
"Give him the contract."
Bilbo began carefully reading the very long contract with the meticulous attention of someone examining his own doom.
"One-fifteenth, hmm, very fair..."
Thud.
However, after reading the contract and being deliberately frightened by several dwarves, this hobbit accustomed to comfortable living still fainted to the ground.
This was too exciting.
A moment later.
"Bilbo, I can't guarantee you'll definitely return."
"But if you do return, everything will be different."
Gandalf was giving Bilbo psychological counseling in the living room with the gentle wisdom of ages.
Bilbo pondered Gandalf's words and remembered the exciting stories Levi told each time he visited, beginning to hesitate.
"No, I still can't sign."
Bilbo flatly refused with trembling determination.
On the other side, the dwarves were discussing matters at the door in hushed, urgent tones.
"That Levi fellow seems reliable enough, but that burglar..."
Someone shook his head with doubt.
"Nothing's going smoothly."
"After all, even we aren't particularly strong warriors... just a bunch of toy makers, tinkers..."
Thorin disagreed with these words, his voice rising with kingly authority.
He began his speech, rallying everyone's spirits with the fire of ancient kings.
"To me, any one of these dwarves is stronger than the armies of the Iron Hills, because they answered my call. Loyalty, courage... these are enough."
Gandalf listened to the dwarves' discussion while looking at Levi with calculating eyes.
"You can face that dragon, right?" he quietly asked.
Levi glanced at him and replied softly: "I don't know. Actually, I've never seen that dragon either, but if necessary, I can try."
Gandalf said nothing for a moment, then turned to instruct Balin:
"Leave a copy of the contract at Bag End."
Early the next morning.
Hobbiton gained a running figure racing through its peaceful lanes.
In the forest, Levi controlled his horse to walk as slowly as possible to avoid accidentally running ahead and leaving the main group behind.
No choice... the ponies these dwarves rode could only be described as mediocre in speed, really incomparable to Levi's max-speed horse.
"Hey, is that diamond covering your horse?"
After walking for half a day, someone finally couldn't resist asking. Actually, the dwarves had been staring at Levi's horse armor almost the entire way without blinking.
"Yes, it's very sturdy and useful in combat."
"Can I touch it?"
"Of course, feel free."
"My goodness, so extravagant. How long would you have to mine to put together such a large piece of armor..."
Just as this dwarf was marveling with wonder-struck eyes, a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Wait, wait for me!"
It was Bilbo, arriving with the signed contract clutched in his hand like a declaration of war against his own nature.
Seeing this scene, most of the group groaned, while a few whistled with approval.
"Welcome to Thorin Oakenshield's company, Mr. Baggins."
Before long, Bilbo mounted a pony and rode alongside Levi and Gandalf, chatting with nervous energy.
"They placed bets on whether you'd join. Most bet you wouldn't, a few bet you would."
"What about you?"
Slap.
Gandalf raised his hand, caught a small bag of silver coins with practiced ease, and pocketed it with a chuckle.
"I never doubted you."
Bilbo turned his head to look the other way with curiosity.
Another small bag of coins was tossed over, caught by Levi with fluid grace.
"I'd be happy to add a character named Bilbo to the next adventure story I tell."
"Being inside a story... it feels quite wonderful, doesn't it?"
[Chapter Complete]
***
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