Early morning.
Bright and early, Bilbo wandered aimlessly among the balcony railings, strolling about and admiring the breathtaking scenery that surrounded him like a living painting.
"A place where elves live..."
Just as Gandalf had said, when he was small, in search of the legendary elves, Bilbo had run very far by himself, all the way into the forest. When he returned at midnight, his feet were covered with leaves and pebbles.
The heart of adventure had first sprouted at that time. Now that he had truly seen elves, it could be considered fulfilling a childhood wish.
Walking along while feeling emotional, suddenly a broken sword came into view, causing this hobbit to curiously stand on his tiptoes to look up.
Opposite this sword was an exquisite mural depicting a figure wearing fearsome black armor and a terrifying helmet, and wielding a black mace with malevolent power.
Most eye-catching was the ring worn on that person's hand—that touch of gold was particularly conspicuous in this mural.
"Hmm, feels a bit like Levi, but looks more fierce than Levi."
Bilbo gave his assessment with innocent honesty.
The feeling was... not as good-looking as Levi's armor.
Leaving this mural behind, Bilbo immediately put these things out of his mind and continued standing on a certain balcony, admiring the beautiful scenery.
Tap tap.
Light footsteps came from behind, accompanied by Elrond's reassuring, steady voice:
"Not with your companions?"
"Uh, no, they wouldn't miss me anyway."
"Actually, they all think I shouldn't have embarked on this journey."
"Is that so?" Elrond looked at this hobbit and said: "I've heard that hobbits are very adaptable to their environment."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"I've also heard that they especially love the comfortable environment of home."
Bilbo looked at this lord and thought for a moment before saying: "I've heard that seeking elven advice isn't very wise—their answers are both yes and no."
Upon hearing Bilbo's words, Elrond fell completely silent.
This was a verbal trap.
This statement left Elrond with only "yes" or "no" as possible answers, but if he actually answered yes or no, it would precisely confirm what Bilbo had said.
After thinking seriously for a few seconds, Elrond suddenly realized this was a joke.
However, what he was about to say next was no joke:
"We would very much welcome you to stay here, if you have that inclination."
As the most powerful lord of Rivendell, Elrond, like the wizards, could vaguely perceive some future developments.
This hobbit would encounter many hardships in the future that he shouldn't have to endure, because of his bravery, kindness, and compassion.
And the suffering he would bear would play a great role in the safety of this world.
After saying this, Elrond turned and left, leaving the morning tranquility to Bilbo.
"My lord, our chefs are overwhelmed, and the wine is nearly gone. How much longer do you think they'll stay?"
At this moment, it had been two weeks since the dwarves arrived in Rivendell. The elves responsible for hosting this group of dwarves were all exhausted. After tallying the supply situation, Lindir hurried to seek help from Elrond.
"Continue hosting them. We'll deal with the supply issues later."
It had to be said, this elven lord's magnanimity was truly great—he could endure having his territory ravaged like this.
As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind, but unfortunately, as the lord walked along, he encountered a bunch of dwarves bathing in their clear fountain.
Elrond took a deep breath, wondering if he should put up a "No Bathing" sign by the fountain in the future.
Having lived for thousands of years, he'd never seen such a scene.
Compared to these dwarves, Levi seemed much more polite.
Returning to his residence, Elrond sighed and pulled out a golden apple from his robes, examining it carefully.
This was a gift from Levi.
Setting aside the craftsmanship of this golden apple and the precious nature of its materials, just from the life force it contained, it was undoubtedly a treasure—the kind that was both beautiful and life-saving.
Quite valuable.
So much so that Elrond hadn't yet figured out what gift to give in return.
This one golden apple had directly increased Rivendell's reputation by 30 points.
However, before that.
On the first day of arriving in Rivendell, Levi had first gone to visit Aglar.
After more than half a year apart, this elf was still the same, living an unchanging life. The passage of time felt quite slow to elven perception, so much so that when Aglar saw Levi again, his first words were:
"Oh, you're back?"
He even felt like Levi had just stepped out for a moment.
"Ah, yes, right, I'm back." Levi chose to go along with it.
"I heard about it—during your trip out, you did quite a lot in the Anduin valley east of the Misty Mountains."
"Many elves are curious about that human who could make orcs feel fear in such a short time. However, when they discuss the rumors, I can say that I know him."
"Oh my, this..."
Levi felt somewhat embarrassed—this elf spoke so nicely.
"Ah, right, I came to find you because I have something."
Levi pulled out a golden apple and solemnly handed it to Aglar.
"To thank you for your previous hospitality, I specially brought a small gift. I hope you'll like it."
"In certain critical moments, I believe it can help you."
"This..." Aglar looked at this apple made of gold and shook his head: "It's too precious. I only did what I should have done—this isn't necessary."
"Sometimes I really get a headache from your excessive modesty."
Levi said this while forcibly pushing the apple over.
"This can serve as a testament to our friendship."
"Friendship..."
Aglar caressed the golden apple in his hands. Although elves generally preferred silver items that resembled starlight, they wouldn't refuse exquisite crafts either.
You could tell that Aglar really liked this golden apple.
"If I were a female elf, I might even enact an elf-human romance with you."
Pfft!
Levi nearly choked on his saliva.
"No no no no, maybe you should give the golden apple back to me..."
"Haha, just joking. But this gift is indeed quite precious. If you encounter any trouble in the future, please don't hesitate to mention it."
"I will remember this gift."
Whether it was his imagination or not.
As Aglar said these words, there seemed to be a trace of faint sadness in his speech.
Elves and humans.
Yes.
Levi couldn't help but sigh.
Elves had unlimited lifespans—as long as nothing unexpected happened, they could live forever.
But human lifespans were at most only a hundred years.
All friendships with short-lived species would eventually become sorrowful memories.
Emotions were heavy for them, which was why some elves would die from sadness, their lives withering along with their feelings.
However, while human lifespans were normally indeed only a hundred years, for Levi... that really wasn't certain.
But all speculation needed time for verification.
"Ah, don't think so much about it. Everything's pretty good right now, isn't it?"
Levi said this with genuine warmth.
Regardless, from the results, golden apples were indeed within elven aesthetic standards and quite suitable as gifts for elves.
That was pretty good.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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