Arthur and Thorin's party not only purchased enough dried rations and drinking water for the next three months at this human settlement, but also bought over a dozen horses.
It was fortunate that the dwarves only needed to ride ponies; otherwise, this settlement might not have been able to meet Thorin's requirements.
"This isn't Rohan, honored guests. If you wish to purchase top-grade horses, I suggest you continue south. You'll reach Lohan's territory in about a month."
This was the horse merchant's suggestion when he saw Thorin wanted to buy so many horses at once.
As a merchant, observation was a fundamental requirement, so he immediately recognized the dwarves' extraordinary origins.
Mainly because they were followed by a wizard and two knights in splendid armor, which was a rare combination.
Thorin didn't say much, only asking the horse merchant to prepare the horses they needed.
Meanwhile, Arthur and his group had also gathered the information they needed and returned to their agreed meeting point: a small grove not far from the human settlement.
Since this human settlement had no inns or taverns, it was more accurate to say that very few outsiders ever stayed there.
Without such a demand, there were naturally no facilities like inns. Arthur and his group noticed this and chose to meet outside the village.
Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin brought over the purchased horses together, while Balin, accompanied by Ori, Dori, and Nori, bought and prepared the dried rations and other supplies. By the time both groups returned, Arthur and his companions had already been waiting for a long time.
Arthur spoke first, "Millison and I have inquired in the village. It's not far from Lohan, and if we head south for a while, we'll reach Fangorn Forest. We didn't expect to deviate so far from our original route after leaving the Goblin's underground kingdom. It will probably take us more time than planned to reach Mirkwood."
Thorin's expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly, "Lohan? No matter, we still have plenty of time."
Gandalf was silent for a moment, stroking his long beard, and said, "Before we head to Mirkwood, I'm afraid I must take my leave temporarily."
The dwarves all showed surprised expressions and began to clamor, and even Arthur and Bilbo were no exception.
Thorin raised his hand, gesturing for the dwarves to quiet down, and asked in a deep voice, "May I hear your reason, Gandalf?"
Gandalf had no intention of hiding it: "Although I cannot tell you everything, giving you a general idea is fine. Do you still remember Radagast?"
Thorin nodded, "The Radagast the Brown? Of course I remember him. I also remember he gave you something."
Gandalf smiled and said, "My departure this time is because of the item he gave me. It's a very dangerous sword. And this sword comes from Dol Guldur, which is said to be occupied by a Necromancer. This place is relatively close to Fangorn Forest, which means Dol Guldur isn't too far from here either. I'll take this opportunity to go to Dol Guldur myself and see what's going on."
Thorin calmly said, "Since it concerns a wizard, please be extra careful, Gandalf."
Arthur also asked with concern, "Are you going alone, Gandalf? Do you need help? Bernal can go and assist you."
Gandalf shook his head repeatedly, smiling as he refused, "I've already found helpers. You know one of them, Lord Elrond. There are also two other helpers, Lady Galadriel and Saruman the White. Before entering Dol Guldur, I will use Glintstone Magic to notify them and wait for their arrival before entering."
Only then did Arthur relax. Given Gandalf's strength, those he called helpers must also be masters.
Then Arthur's heart tightened. What kind of enemy was Gandalf going to face, to actually bring three masters with him?
If they didn't eliminate this necromancer this time, he would directly go for the kill if he encountered similar enemies in the future. He absolutely couldn't be careless.
Perhaps Arthur's thought was too strong, but in any case, the Ring in a certain hobbit's pocket completely became indistinguishable from other ordinary gold rings.
Gandalf looked at Arthur and sighed, "If it were the old me, I might have gone to Dol Guldur alone, and at most, if I encountered trouble, I would use Glintstone Magic to notify Radagast and have him call for help. But ever since I met you, I realized that when doing something risky, one should call upon people they know to go together, so you can look out for each other."
So you've lived this long and only now understood this principle?
Arthur grumbled inwardly.
In The Lands Between, any competent warrior knows that having more friends in a battle is not just about having more lives.
Having friends can make an inherently difficult battle incredibly simple.
Of course, it could also make things worse, as he remembered some enemies who became stronger with more helpers.
"Oh, right. Before you enter Mirkwood, I hope you first visit Rosgobel. That's where Radagast the Brown lives, in the forest between Carrock and the Old Forest Road, near the southern border of the Black Forest. And once you enter Mirkwood, you must follow the paths within the forest; never stray from the road. Arthur, I'm entrusting Thorin and the others to you." Gandalf, before leaving, gave a final anxious instruction.
He was mainly worried about Thorin and the other dwarves; as for Arthur, Gandalf was a hundred percent at ease.
Thorin nodded. After Gandalf rode off on the horse he had bought, he looked at the others and said, "Then let's set off too."
But no sooner had he spoken than Gandalf hastily returned and said, "Don't rush, there's one more thing. Rosgobel is also home to a powerful shapeshifter named Beorn. He has a good relationship with Radagast and can also help you. Of course, he doesn't have a very good impression of dwarves, so I hope it will be you, Arthur, who approaches Beorn."
Thorin remained silent, not bidding farewell to Gandalf, just watching.
Gandalf, thinking Thorin would bid him farewell again, asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"
Only then did Thorin say, "I was actually waiting to see if you remembered another matter, because I just remembered it myself."
Gandalf asked curiously, "What is it?"
Thorin's eyes glanced at the adult steed Gandalf was riding and said, "I'm wondering when you're going to pay me for the horse. That horse cost me quite a few silver coins."
Gandalf's smile faded, his face cold, as he turned and rode away.
"You haven't paid for the horse yet!" Someone among the dwarves shouted, perhaps Gloin, or perhaps Dwalin.
Gandalf, without looking back, tossed a bulging coin purse over his shoulder, which Thorin easily caught.
He weighed it a few times, then put the money bag away with satisfaction.
A few months later, Arthur and Thorin finally returned from their deviated route to their original destination, arriving at Rosgobel.
In these few months, besides occasionally encountering a few waves of human bandits, they hadn't encountered any orcs, which made them feel a bit unaccustomed.
Before entering Rivendell, they were harassed by orcs every day, to their great annoyance.
But ever since they left Rivendell, those orcs, who clung to them like plasters, seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Though Thorin also felt a bit strange, it was ultimately a good thing not to have orcs constantly thinking about him during the expedition.
Bilbo also felt there was nothing wrong with it; the only thing he regretted was not being able to celebrate the New Year in Hobbiton and enjoy a delicious meal.
The weather wasn't as cold now, as spring had arrived.
Arthur, on the other hand, was pondering questions like whether everything was well in his territory after being away for so long, how the Erdtree was growing, and if Stormveil Castle would already be unable to contain it.
However, arriving at Rosgobel also meant that half of the expedition was over, which was at least exciting and happy news.
"So, Thorin, should we listen to Gandalf and greet Radagast the Brown?" Balin asked from atop his pony.
Thorin shook his head directly: "No, you've all met that Radagast the Brown; he seems a bit off in the head. I want to reach the edge of Mirkwood directly today, rest for a night, and then enter and cross the forest first thing tomorrow morning."
Balin also nodded in agreement: "Hmm, Mirkwood has those pointy-eared Elves we all dislike. The faster we cross the forest, the less likely we are to encounter them, and then our purpose of going to the Lonely Mountain won't be discovered."
Thorin nodded and began to call for the others to continue forward, not to linger in Rosgobel.
However, neither Fili, Kili, nor Bofur had any intention of moving forward.
Thorin asked curiously: "What's wrong?"
Fili was the first to raise his hand, pointing ahead: "It seems that Radagast the Brown is coming over himself?"
Thorin immediately frowned: "Then we can just speed up and shake him off, can't we?"
Kili added: "He's also accompanied by a bear as big as a small hill... it runs much faster than our ponies."
Dwalin nervously gripped his axe: "Radagast the Brown isn't bringing that bear to eliminate us, is he?"
Thorin hissed: "Stay calm, Dwalin. Everyone else, get out your weapons and see what Radagast the Brown wants."
As he spoke, he didn't forget to glance at Arthur.
Since Arthur had previously communicated with Radagast along with Gandalf, Thorin hoped Arthur could come forward with him to meet the other party.
In fact, Arthur was already prepared to communicate with Radagast even without Thorin saying so.
He had listened to the dwarves' discussions along the way and concluded one fact: none of the dwarves, including Thorin, were clear about the specific situation in Mirkwood.
This made Arthur feel a bit tricky; although Gandalf had left word not to deviate from the path, they first needed to find the correct path.
So when Thorin said he didn't want to see Radagast, Arthur was actually against it.
But before he could question Thorin's next plan, Radagast the Brown came over, bringing a giant bear.
This giant bear seems to be even bigger than a Rune Bear, hmph, it seems he could also summon more Rune Bears to roam in the forests of the Golden Tree Territory.
That way, if any clueless orcs still thought they could hide in the forest, they would surely encounter a surprise when they went inside.
As Arthur was thinking this, Radagast still arrived not far away on a sled (or rather, a dirt sled) pulled by large wild rabbits.
And the giant bear that came with him stood up under the astonished gaze of Arthur and the others, then its size shrunk, its fur lessened, and it transformed into a sturdy middle-aged human male, over two meters tall, with his upper body bare.
Could he be the shapeshifter Gandalf mentioned? So that's what he meant by shapeshifting.
Arthur's expression was very interesting, even enthusiastic.
If this was a Glintstone Magic he hadn't seen before, Arthur would really like to learn it.
He knew the Bear Feast Prayers, but to completely transform himself into a true giant bear, Arthur admitted he really couldn't.
Radagast's voice reached Thorin and the others before he even arrived in front of them: "Hey! Hey! Gandalf's friend!"
Arthur rode Torrent forward, then dismounted, and Radagast just happened to stop in front of him.
The man who had transformed from a bear to a human followed behind Radagast; the pressure Arthur brought upon him made him, still not fully free of his bestial nature from the transformation, cautiously retreat a few steps.
Radagast noticed the man's actions and greeted him with a chuckle: "Don't be afraid, Beorn. He is Arthur, Gandalf's friend."
Arthur nodded gently, then asked: "Was your transformation just now some kind of sorcery?"
Beorn looked at Arthur in confusion; he wasn't finding the other party impolite, but rather he didn't understand why he was asking this question.
Beorn replied: "That is an innate ability of mine, not sorcery."
Arthur nodded with a slight hint of disappointment: "I see."
It seemed he wouldn't be able to transform into a giant bear; he had originally wanted to turn into such a giant bear and then scare some of his old friends in The Lands Between.
After all, everyone had been taught a lesson by Rune Bears back then, and if he transformed into a giant bear, he would definitely see interesting expressions on their faces.
Beorn looked at Arthur, who suddenly showed a disappointed expression, with some incomprehension, but his attention was quickly drawn to the dwarves, and his eyes began to stare at them.
He had never seen so many dwarves standing alive in front of him.
Arthur immediately remembered Gandalf had warned him that Beorn was not very friendly towards dwarves, so he stood to the side, blocking Beorn's view.
"Radagast, do you know anything about Mirkwood?" Arthur asked aloud, also with the intention of diverting Beorn's attention.
Radagast said with a chuckle: "Of course, Gandalf instructed me that if I saw you passing by with a group of dwarves, I must come over to greet you and tell you about Mirkwood. Come with me, my hut is a bit far from here, but Beorn's house is nearby, which is why I called him to come along. We'll spend today at Beorn's house; he and I have prepared a lot of local specialty foods."