Luke was invited by Lindir, Elrond's secretary, to Elrond's palace, accompanied by Elrohir and Elladan.
Inside the palace, Gandalf was also present.
"Father," the two elven brothers bowed to Elrond.
Seeing his twin sons, Elrond nodded, his eyes filled with love.
He and his wife, Celebrian, had two sons and one daughter; his wife had been ambushed and abducted by Orcs at the Redhorn Pass in the Misty Mountains while on her way to Lothlórien to visit her parents, enduring both physical and mental torment.
It was the twin sons who ventured deep into the Orc lairs of the Misty Mountains to rescue their mother, Celebrian.
However, her spirit and soul were severely wounded, so she could only sail west across the sea to the Undying Lands of Valinor, hoping to heal her pain.
As for their youngest daughter, Arwen, she was cared for by her maternal grandparents, Celeborn and Galadriel, and lived long-term in Lothlórien.
Therefore, only the twin sons remained by his side, living with him.
"Lord Elrond, what can I do for you?" Luke asked curiously after greeting him.
"Wizard Luke, may I see your wand?"
Hearing this request, Luke was somewhat surprised and looked towards Gandalf.
Gandalf smiled and nodded.
Seeing this, Luke did not hesitate and handed over his staff.
Elrond took the staff and examined it carefully, his face showing increasing astonishment.
"Truly an excellent invention, combining magical wood with magic-infused materials; a simple combination, yet it can produce special magical effects."
"If I'm not mistaken, is the staff made from the willow of a Huorn? As for the core..."
"The core is made from a strand of hair from Goldberry, the River Daughter, and a whisker from Tom Bombadil," Luke explained.
Elrond suddenly understood, and with keen interest, he gripped the staff and elegantly waved it.
The waterfall outside the palace was swept by a gust of wind, condensing into a tall water horse that charged into the hall, creating a cool breeze, then rushed out again, leaped high, and plunged into the river valley below.
"Very good!" Elrond evaluated with satisfaction, "Although your wand does not significantly amplify power, it is an excellent tool for channeling magic; even an underage elf can cast decent magical effects with your staff."
He returned the staff to Luke.
"Luke, would you be willing to craft wands for us?"
"Of course, as a condition of the transaction, we promise to give you a satisfactory reward."
"This..." Luke hesitated upon hearing this, glancing at Gandalf, who showed no particular attitude or expression.
"Lord Elrond, I am very willing to craft staves for the elves. However, crafting wands is quite time-consuming, and I am currently on an expedition with my companions, so I'm afraid I don't have much spare time to craft wands."
This was not Luke trying to shirk the task; after all, he hadn't even delivered the staff he promised Gandalf yet.
Gandalf's grapevine staff had been carved, but the core remained elusive. Earlier, when he was in the Troll Forest, he tried using Troll nerves for a staff, but it was a very poor match for Gandalf, so he had to give up.
Hearing Luke's answer, Elrond waved his hand.
"Time has no impact on us; we can certainly wait until you finish this expedition—a few years, a few decades, or even a few centuries, we can wait."
Luke was surprised to hear this; he had forgotten that elves were immortal, and quickly waved his hand: "It doesn't need to be that long. After this mission is over, I can agree to craft wands for Rivendell."
"However, the process of crafting wands is intricate. How many wands do you need me to make? If it's too many, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it."
Hearing Luke agree, Elrond's face broke into a smile.
"There's no need to feel troubled, Wizard Luke; you only need to craft wands for my two sons."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"That's fine."
"However, you will need to prepare the magical wood and magical materials for the wands yourselves; I will only be responsible for crafting the wands ."
Elrond readily agreed, then asked in return:
"Luke, you've helped us, what do you require in return?"
Before Luke could answer, Gandalf winked at him, cleared his throat, and spoke first: "Lord Elrond, Luke wishes to possess a staff, but the magical gemstone for it has not yet been found. Do you have any information about magical gemstones?"
Luke opened his mouth, not expecting Gandalf to make such an exorbitant demand on his behalf.
He instantly felt his face flush, worried that Elrond would think this was his idea.
Magical gemstones were incredibly precious; even if he crafted a thousand staves for Rivendell, it probably wouldn't be worth the value of a magical gemstone. Moreover, he was only crafting two staves for the elves now.
However, to Luke's relief, Elrond did not find the exchange unequal or get angry after hearing it.
Instead, he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, Rivendell does not have a habit of collecting gemstones, so we do not have the magical gemstones you seek here."
"However, I recall Lady Galadriel in Lothlórien having a few precious gemstones in her collection. I will contact Lady Galadriel and convey your request to her; as for whether she will agree, I cannot guarantee it."
Then his gaze shifted to Gandalf.
"But with you, Gandalf, given your relationship with Lady Galadriel, there should be a good chance of obtaining a magical gemstone."
Gandalf nodded upon hearing this, indicating his willingness to help.
After discussing the staves, Elrond's topic shifted to the Dwarves.
Although Thorin and the Dwarves tried to conceal the purpose of their expedition, they could not hide it from Elrond, who had lived countless years.
And Gandalf had no intention of hiding it from Elrond, so he sent for Thorin, intending to give the map to Elrond for deciphering.
"Our affairs are not concerned with elves..." Even at this point, Thorin was unwilling to show the map to Elrond; he still harbored hostility and distrust towards elves.
Gandalf, seeing this, became somewhat angry.
"My heavens, Thorin, put away your dwarven stubbornness and show the map to Lord Elrond."
"This is an heirloom of my people, and it is my duty to protect it, including its secrets," Thorin stubbornly refused.
"Don't give me that dwarven stubbornness again; your arrogance will one day be your downfall!" Gandalf said forcefully, "The one before you is one of the few in Middle-earth who can read that map; show him the map."
Thorin raised his head, his face grim, and stood in a stalemate with Gandalf, neither willing to yield.
Luke and Elrond, meanwhile, remained silent, quietly observing.
Finally, Thorin was the first to lower his head, taking the map from his Arms and handing it to Elrond.
Elrond paid no attention to Thorin's attitude; after taking the map, he began to examine it carefully.