I'm just afraid you might suddenly pull that thing out, Levi thought to himself, turning around with a helpless expression on his face, having prepared a row of milk bottles in his backpack just in case.
That ring was like a beacon in the darkness. Better to be extra cautious around it.
The small experiments on the One Ring soon began.
First step: lava.
"Bilbo, do you see that block of lava?"
"I see it, but what does 'block' mean?"
"It's a unit of length I'm used to using, roughly equivalent to the distance of one step for an adult human."
"I understand. What should I do then?"
Bilbo took out the ring and looked up at Levi expectantly.
The ring gleamed with dazzling luster beside the lava's glow, as if trying its best to spread its malevolent presence.
"Throw it in."
"Huh?"
"Throw it away, Bilbo. If it's really gone, I'll find you a new one somehow."
"Alright."
Ignoring the struggling One Ring, Bilbo closed his eyes and threw it into the molten lava.
There was no expected sound of an item being consumed by flames.
Not only was the One Ring not destroyed, it actually floated up, as if protected by some invisible force, showing no change for a long time despite the intense heat.
Levi collected the lava with a bucket, while Bilbo picked up the ring from the solidified stone.
After soaking in scalding lava for so long, it was still ice-cold to the touch.
"Come with me."
Before long, the two arrived near the Nether portal.
Levi looked left, right, and up at the sky, confirming there were no abnormalities before saying to Bilbo:
"Try throwing the ring into this portal."
"Is this some kind of magic door? I'm curious about its function."
Though he spoke this way, Bilbo didn't hesitate, reaching out to throw the ring into the swirling purple void.
The result was that the ring passed straight through and fell to the ground, as if the Nether portal didn't exist at all.
"Right."
Levi pulled out a small wooden box and said: "Bilbo, put it inside this."
Then, picking up the box, he began attempting various storage methods.
Could not be placed in backpack.
Could not be placed in chests.
Could not be brought through portals.
All methods of storing inanimate objects were completely ineffective against it.
That is to say, this thing seemed to be defined as something alive, something with its own will.
It could be carried by a living being, but could not be treated as a simple object.
"Never mind, take it back."
It seemed some things couldn't be destroyed just because you wanted to destroy them.
After all, doing so would be equivalent to suddenly interrupting a musical piece mid-performance, bringing an abrupt end to everything developing in proper order, with no continuation or finale, just ending awkwardly like that.
Commonly known as an incomplete ending.
Such behavior should indeed be prevented by the natural laws of this world.
After ending these experiments that seemed somewhat inexplicable to Bilbo, he didn't immediately leave but stayed at Roadside Fort for several days.
"Sometimes I really can't tell the difference between here and Rivendell," Bilbo mused.
Standing on high ground, looking over the entire territory, he sighed with genuine admiration.
"Except for having less natural scenery, everything here is no worse than Rivendell, including the people. They look very happy and content."
"If you're willing, you can live here permanently."
Faced with Levi's invitation, Bilbo hesitated thoughtfully.
An elven lord in Rivendell had extended the same offer.
After a long moment, he nodded:
"Thank you, but I think my Bag End is also quite nice. If you're free, you can also come to my place and stay as long as you want. Just go right in when you arrive, no need to knock. I'll have plenty of refreshments ready."
"Then you'd better be careful that your refreshments aren't enough."
"If you can eat them all, any amount is fine."
Bilbo replied, looking up at the darkening weather, then said: "It's about time."
"I should go back, Levi."
"Bag End must be very cold by now. I need to go home and light the fireplace."
"Alright, I'll escort you partway. Don't forget you still have a stack of golden apples stored with me. A stack means 64, in case you were wondering."
Bilbo swallowed his surprised response.
That day, the two left the city together, heading toward the Shire at an unhurried pace, as leisurely as if on a scenic hiking trip.
Until the third day after leaving Roadside Fort.
A single snowflake drifted down from the gray sky.
This time, winter had truly arrived.
When they reached Bilbo's house, quite a bit of snow had accumulated on the ground, piled up in the yard without a single footprint disturbing its pristine surface.
"The good news is no one came to my house while I was away this time."
"The bad news is it's probably no warmer inside than outside right now."
It took quite a while for Bilbo to get the fireplace going inside the house, gradually adding a bit of warmth to the cold rooms.
After stacking the golden apples in Bilbo's well-organized storage room, Levi asked Bilbo for directions to the Sackville house, then headed straight there, planning to visit this restless hobbit family.
Out of concern, mainly concern for the Sackville family's wellbeing, Bilbo hurried along as well.
Knock, knock, knock.
As the knocking sounds rang out, there was immediate movement inside the house, with a voice moving from far to near, gradually approaching the front door.
"Who is it? If you're a visitor, this isn't a good time. We're not ready to receive..."
Creak.
The door opened, and the words stopped abruptly.
"Bilbo?"
The hobbit who opened the door frowned with obvious irritation.
"What are you here for again? I'll have you know we returned all your things, absolutely didn't keep anything. Don't come looking for us if you've lost something!"
"No, no, no, it's not me who's come looking for you, Otho Sackville-Baggins."
Bilbo helplessly pointed to his side.
"It's my friend."
"Hello there."
"A human? What do you want..."
Otho's voice suddenly stopped the moment he raised his head and took in the imposing figure before him.
This outfit... haven't I heard descriptions of this somewhere?
Was it at a tavern or a farmhouse? Some tale told by traveling merchants?
"You might not know me."
While speaking, Levi forcibly pushed open the door, bending down to squeeze his tall frame inside the hobbit dwelling. This commotion alerted Lobelia, Otho's wife, inside the house, causing her to come out warily with a cast-iron frying pan raised as a weapon.
"Uninvited guests aren't welcome here!" she said with vicious determination.
"Yes, yes, that's certainly not very polite, so let me introduce myself properly."
Bilbo reached out his hand, wanting to say something diplomatic, but was gently pushed back by Levi.
"I'm an adventurer. That's how I'd introduce myself to ordinary, peaceful folk."
Levi walked forward step by step slowly, his tall figure and black armor quite imposing in the cramped hobbit hole, forcing the Sackville couple to retreat continuously down their own hallway.
He continued with growing intensity:
"But if you want to know more about who you're dealing with, then I can be the Bane of Orcs, Slaughterer of Wargs, Great Enemy of the Misty Mountains Orcs and Mordor, Ally of Elves and Dwarves, Dragon Slayer, Lord and Protector of Roadside Fort and Dale..."
He paused, allowing the weight of each title to sink in.
"My name is Levi Stonecraft."
Levi suddenly said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
By now, the Sackville couple had been backed into a corner of their own house, trembling like leaves in a storm.
During this brief but terrifying introduction, each time Levi spoke one of his legendary titles, their spirits weakened by one degree and their courage decreased by one measure. By the end, when Levi finished speaking, they seemed to be under some kind of paralyzing spell, standing in place not daring to even breathe loudly.
No one would doubt that if Levi took one more step forward, they would start weeping the next second.
"Relax, I won't do anything to you," Levi said in a deceptively gentle tone.
"I just heard that you not only tried to seize my friend's house but also planned to auction off the gift I gave him."
"Is that so?"
Hearing this direct accusation, the Sackville couple's hearts sank like stones, and one of them couldn't hold back tears of terror.
It was over.
He was in league with Bilbo!