Luke's heart instantly tightened.
He had been attacked by the old willow's magical sound before, and already had a stress reaction.
However, he quickly discovered that the singing was not aggressive, but rather full of joy.
Listening closely, it was a man's voice.
It wasn't a proper song, the tune was arbitrary and willful, like a self-amused hum.
Before the person appeared, the singing had already come from afar.
The joyful singing seemed to possess magic; the raging wind ceased, the Huorn's wails and screams stopped, and even the raging forest fire quickly extinguished.
Luke's pupils constricted.
What kind of power was this?
He hadn't detected any magic fluctuations, yet the rampant fire gradually extinguished on its own!
As the singing approached, a figure appeared at the edge of the Old Forest.
He wore a tall, old hat with a wide brim, and a long blue feather was stuck in its band; he danced and leaped out.
Illuminated by the moonlight and the remaining firelight,
The person was only slightly taller than a hobbit, but much shorter than a human, making his race uncertain.
He wore a pair of large yellow boots on his sturdy legs, charging along like a large buffalo looking for water. The surrounding trees automatically parted for him, making a path.
He wore a blue coat, his cheeks were as red as apples, a large brown beard covered the lower half of his face, and a pair of blue eyes shone brightly in the night.
Luke knew him, Tom Bombadil, a very mysterious figure.
In hobbit songs, there was the story of 'The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'; he lived in the Old Forest, never deliberately hid his existence, and knew the Bucklebury hobbits on the outskirts of the Old Forest.
Before the Fellowship of the Ring, when Frodo, Sam, and the other four hobbits chose to enter the Old Forest to avoid the Nazgûl and were trapped by the old willow, it was Tom Bombadil who appeared and saved them.
Even the one ring, something that even Maia like Gandalf dared not touch, had no effect in Tom Bombadil's hands; instead, he treated it like a trick, making it appear and disappear.
Even when worn on his hand, there was no change at all, as if it were just an ordinary ring.
He could even see through Frodo when he put on the one ring and became invisible in the shadow world.
It could be said he was very mysterious and unfathomable.
If he had not been unwilling to participate in the war between light and darkness, perhaps the great music of the one ring in the Third Age would have already ended.
With his arrival, the last of the forest fire reluctantly extinguished completely, not even a spark remaining.
The Huorn, whose branches and leaves were burnt away and whose trunks had turned black and carbonized by the flames, also survived.
"Hey, trees, what are you thinking? You shouldn't be awake!"
"Go back to your places, eat your fill of dirt, dig your roots deep, and drink plenty of water, and fall into a deep sleep; I advise you not to cause trouble!"
He spoke loudly to the surrounding trees with a serious expression.
His voice seemed to carry an irresistible command; the trees turned and left, returning to the forest to root and sleep, drawing energy from the earth to restore their vitality.
After doing all this, he returned to his joyful self, dancing and leaping over the fence to the front of the group, greeting everyone with a smile: "Hello everyone!"
"Tom, why are you here?" Rory Brandybuck stepped forward and asked in confusion, his tone familiar, clearly indicating he was very familiar with him.
Tom Bombadil showed a look of helplessness, complaining in a joking tone: "Rory, you've caused me trouble."
"I was originally sleeping soundly with my beloved wife when I was woken by the wailing of the forest. To prevent the trees from disturbing my wife Goldberry's beautiful dream, I had to leave my warm bed and come to resolve this dispute."
Rory Brandybuck explained: "Tom, I'm sorry to disturb your and Goldberry's sleep, but these trees attacked our home without reason, so we had no choice but to fight back!"
"Oh, by the way, this is Wizard Luke. If it weren't for him, we would probably have suffered heavy losses today!" Rory then introduced Luke, who was standing nearby, to Tom Bombadil.
Tom Bombadil looked at Luke curiously upon hearing this, his blue eyes bright as stars, "I know you, a magical Wizard from another land, your magic is very interesting!"
Luke's heart skipped a beat. Who exactly was this mysterious Tom Bombadil? Did he know about his identity as a transmigrator?
Luke's mind was in turmoil for a moment. He tried hard to calm himself down and cautiously probed, "Hello, Mr. Bombadil, I am Wizard Luke. Do you know where I come from?"
Tom nodded and then shook his head, his gaze sincere and without concealment, "Tom knows the name of every person, every tree, every stone on the earth. The moment you stepped onto the earth, Tom knew you, but he doesn't know where exactly you come from."
"Speaking of which, I've met others who called themselves Wizards like you before; they also suddenly appeared on the earth like you, but I can tell they came from different places than you."
Hearing Tom's words, Luke breathed a slight sigh of relief. Clearly, Tom knew he was from outside Middle-earth, but he didn't know he was a transmigrator.
As for the other Wizards he mentioned, they should be Gandalf, Saruman, and the like.
Although Gandalf and others called themselves Wizards, they were actually Maia (lesser gods) sent by the Valar to help the inhabitants of Middle-earth fight the Dark Lord Sauron, but their powers were restricted, and they walked the world as Wizards.
Even though Luke knew Tom wasn't aware of his identity as a transmigrator, he still dared not underestimate him, and was also very curious about his identity.
The immortal beings in this world, besides the Valar and Maia, were Elves, as well as dark creatures like Dragons and Balrogs.
First, Tom Bombadil could be ruled out as a Dragon or Balrog. Second, based on his height, he was clearly not an Elf. Finally, only the Valar and Maia remained.
But if Bombadil were a Maia, the one ring, which even Maia like Gandalf dared not touch, was like a plaything in his hands, completely unaffected, so the possibility of him being a Maia was ruled out.
As for the Valar, besides Vala Melkor, also known as Morgoth, there were fourteen other Valar, all with names and residing in the Undying Lands of Aman.
No Vala matched Bombadil.
Clearly, Tom was not one of the chief Vala.
Of course, Luke also wondered if he was the Creator Iluvatar, but based on the previous answer, he clearly didn't fit that description either.
Luke didn't think that Iluvatar, as the Creator God of this world, would be unaware of his existence as a transmigrator?
He even suspected that his transmigration here might have been the work of this Creator God.
So the final conclusion was that the identity of this mysterious Tom Bombadil remained unknown.
At this moment, Tom, whose identity was unknown, came to the old willow after answering Luke.
During Tom's song just now, the flames on the old willow had long been extinguished, leaving only two sections of its trunk charred black on the outside, looking lifeless.
Tom Bombadil looked at the old willow's miserable state, sighed, and said, "The old willow wasn't like this originally. It's just that for thousands of years, he witnessed countless of his kin being cut down and burned. The long-standing resentment and anger drove him insane, making him hostile towards all creatures entering the Old Forest."
As he spoke, he walked to the old willow, patted the lower half of the stump with his hand, and said, "old willow, sleep well! Remember today's lesson, and don't cause trouble again, or else Tom Bombadil won't care if you live or die anymore!"
Hearing Tom Bombadil's words, Luke looked at the half-stump in surprise.
"Mr. Tom Bombadil, are you saying that this old willow isn't dead yet?"
"The old willow is the strongest Huorn in the Old Forest. He won't die so easily, unless you dig out all his roots and burn them. Otherwise, as long as there's water and soil, he can grow back again," Tom said.
Well, Luke had a mind to nip it in the bud, but since he wanted to protect the old willow, he could only give up.
Anyway, the old willow had already been severely injured by him. It would take an unknown amount of time for him to reawaken and recover.
By then, he would definitely be stronger than now and completely unafraid of the old willow.
"Alright, everyone, I'll first send the old willow back to where it stays." Tom effortlessly lifted the lower half of the old willow's stump with one hand, looking like an ant lifting something dozens of times its weight, appearing eerie and shocking.
Then he smiled and invited Luke, "If you have time, you are welcome to visit my house anytime. Just follow the Willow River upstream, and you'll reach my home."
Luke was flattered and nodded, "Thank you for your invitation. I will if I get the chance."
After bidding farewell to everyone, Tom Bombadil carried the old willow's root, humming a song cheerfully as he walked towards the Old Forest, finally disappearing into the night.
Rory Brandybuck watched Tom's disappearing figure and couldn't help but exclaim, "No matter how many times I see him, he's always the same, always full of joy!"
Hearing Rory's exclamation, Luke curiously turned his head and asked, "Mr. Brandybuck, are you very familiar with Tom Bombadil?"
Rory nodded and explained with a smile, "In fact, many people in Bucklebury know Tom. Unlike the trees in the Old Forest, he is a very friendly neighbor. He has helped many people who accidentally wandered into the Old Forest out of trouble. It is said that my ancestor, Gohendad Old Buck, received Tom's help when he first came here, which is why he ultimately decided to establish Bucklebury here."
"Then do you know his true identity?"
Rory shook his head, narrating in the tone of an epic, "Tom is very ancient, older than the history of us hobbits. We have also curiously asked him about his identity, but he always said that Tom is Tom, with no other identity.
If you ask where he came from, he said he was here before rivers and forests appeared, he remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn, he is the master of trees, mountains, and rivers."
Hearing Rory's words, Luke gasped, shocked and even more curious about Tom's identity.
The information revealed in this passage is not small. Tom said he existed before rivers and forests appeared, and even remembered the first drop of rain and the first acorn, which means he existed when this world was born!
And the identity of the master of trees, mountains, and rivers is even more extraordinary. Luke even doubted his previous judgment.
Could Tom really be the incarnation of Iluvatar?
After all, no Vala possesses such immense authority as to claim to be the master of trees, mountains, and rivers.
Luke felt his thoughts were a mess, without a clue.
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it. Luke refocused his attention on the upper half of the old willow's main trunk.
Just now, Tom Bombadil only took the lower half of the old willow. Although the remaining upper half was charred black on the outside, the exposed heartwood at the break caught his attention.
He came to the broken part of the trunk and found that the old willow's heartwood was a milky white, like jade. When tapped, it made a crisp sound like metal striking stone.
Luke was delighted. This heartwood was clearly extraordinary. If used to make a magic staff, it might be more effective than willow branches.
However, he was currently exhausted mentally and temporarily unable to process this upper half of the trunk with magic, so he could only ask Rory Brandybuck for help.
"Mr. Brandybuck, could I ask you for a favor, to extract the heartwood from this section of the trunk?"
Rory naturally agreed very readily and immediately organized the best carpenters in Buckleberry to cut this section of the trunk.
At the same time, he invited Luke and everyone in town to attend the victory celebration banquet at Brandy Hall.
At the banquet, Luke, without surprise, became the most watched person.
Drogo Baggins also basked in the glory, sitting beside Luke. Next to him was Rory's daughter, Dora Brandybuck. The beautiful Dora instantly captivated Drogo's gaze, and for a moment, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
"Everyone, let us raise a toast to today's hero, Luke the Tree-Feller!" Rory Brandybuck stood up, raised his glass, and happily shouted to everyone.
The other hobbits also raised their glasses, looking at Luke at the head table with shining eyes.
"To Luke the Tree-Feller!" Everyone shouted in unison, their deafening voices echoing throughout Brandy Hall.
Luke smiled and returned the toast to everyone, but inwardly, he was complaining.
Tree-Feller? What kind of weird title is that? It sounds like someone who just cuts down trees. Couldn't they have discussed it with him before giving him this title?
The banquet lasted until very late, and Luke and a reluctant Drogo returned home.
A very tired Luke quickly fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed. When he woke up again, it was already afternoon tea time.
After sleeping for so long, Luke's spirits had recovered a lot, but he still felt mentally weak, as if he had overused his brain, and his whole body felt sluggish.
Moreover, the aftereffects of the magic burst made his magic unstable, so he tried not to use magic these past few days, waiting for it to stabilize.
Temporarily unable to use magic, Luke felt somewhat idle for a while, so he simply picked up wood and continued carving magic staffs.
Not long after, there was a knock at the door.
It was a few Hobbit who, by the order of Lord Rory Brandybuck, brought the old willow's heartwood to Luke.
According to the Hobbit captain, because the old willow's trunk was too thick and hard, dozens of carpenters spent a long time splitting the trunk to extract the innermost heartwood.
"Lord Luke, we didn't know how long of a heartwood you needed, and we didn't dare to make our own decisions, so we brought you the entire heartwood."
What met his eyes was a white heartwood, almost four to five meters long, carried by two Hobbit.
Unlike the old willow's enormous trunk, the heartwood was only wrist-thick, a milky white like jade, with fine woody grain, beautiful and full of mystery.
Seeing this tree heart, Luke's eyes lit up.
He felt a strong magic aura from the tree heart, and from a Wand maker's perspective, this was simply the best Wand making material.
Not to mention, a tree heart this long was enough to make more than a dozen Wands.
Luke beamed with joy, reaching out to take the tree heart, and immediately his hand sank; its weight and texture were no different from metal, and he almost failed to hold it, no wonder it needed two people to carry it.
After thanking and seeing off the militiamen, Luke looked at the long tree heart and began to ponder how to deal with it.
Luke estimated the tree heart was about four meters long, a length that made it impossible to bring into the house, so he could only leave it in the yard for now.
Moreover, Luke did not need such long wood for making Wands at all.
Luke planned to first split the tree heart in half, and then cut a small section to use as raw material for a Wand.
But with one stroke of the knife, there was a crisp "ding" sound, sparks flew, and Luke felt as if he had chopped into an iron block, his hand numb from the shock.
Only a shallow mark was left on the tree heart.
So hard? Luke was a bit stunned; he couldn't quite understand how he had managed to cut the old willow into two pieces before.
Having no choice, Luke could only go find a professional carpenter for help, to use specialized tools to cut this tree heart.
The Hobbit carpenters were very grateful and respectful towards Luke, the hero who had helped them repel the tree-men. Upon hearing that Luke wanted their help sawing the tree heart, they agreed without a second thought and offered their services for free.
Finally, after ruining more than a dozen saw blades, the Hobbit carpenters managed to saw the tree heart in half, while also being drenched in sweat and their arms trembling from exhaustion.
"Luke, I can only help this much; this tree heart is truly too hard, no less so than iron. If you want to process it further, ordinary tools are useless, unless you use better equipment" the Hobbit carpenter sincerely advised.
"I understand, thank you," Luke accepted his advice, and seeing the carpenter panting, he felt a bit embarrassed and secretly placed the few remaining silver coins from his pocket on the table before leaving with the two halves of the tree heart.
Returning to Drogo's house, Luke looked at the two halves of the tree heart with a troubled expression, as just cutting it in half had been so strenuous.
To make it into a Wand would be an even more delicate task, requiring not only cutting and carving but also grinding the raw wood little by little into the ideal shape and size, a feat that ordinary tools could not achieve.
Just as Luke was distressed about how to handle the Willow Tree heart, Rory Brandybuck, hearing about the matter, offered a useful suggestion when inviting Luke to be a guest at Brandy Hall.
"Luke, you might be able to seek help from Tom Bombadil. You know, he has lived for a very, very long time, and his knowledge is far more profound than anyone else in this world, and he is always happy to help; perhaps he can solve your problem."
Rory Brandybuck said with a chuckle, "And didn't he invite you to be a guest? Isn't this an opportunity?"
Hearing Rory's words, Luke's eyes also lit up; he had almost forgotten about Tom's invitation.
And Rory was right, an ancient and powerful being like Tom Bombadil might have some divine weapon that could easily cut the hard tree heart.
Although he kept Rory's words in mind, Luke did not immediately visit Tom Bombadil. Instead, he remained at Drogo's house, recovering from the after-effects of his magic outburst while practicing Wand making with other wood.
As for Drogo Baggins, ever since the night of the banquet, he had fallen in love with Dora Brandybuck at first sight, and had been coming and going early and late, constantly running to Brandy Hall with a silly grin, almost treating it as his own home.
Regarding this, Luke, as a single man, after complaining about Drogo prioritizing his love interest over his friends, could only wish him an early success in winning the beauty's heart.
He remembered that this Dora Brandybuck should be the mother of Frodo Baggins, the future protagonist of the Ring, and he wondered if his actions, causing the two to meet earlier, would lead to Frodo Baggins being born earlier.
A month passed in a flash, and Luke had already stayed in Buckleberry for three whole months.
After consuming a pile of wood, on this day, Luke finally successfully carved a Wand.
The Wand was 12 inches long, made of willow wood, flexible, with unobstructed magic circuits, a standard Wand.
Seeing his first work, Luke's face showed a satisfied smile, and a sense of accomplishment naturally arose in his heart.
Having successfully made a Wand, Luke no longer lingered. After saying goodbye to Drogo Baggins and Rory Brandybuck, he took the tree heart and rode his pony south, all the way to the Willow River confluence, and then upstream along the Willow River bank.
When passing through the river valley where the old willow was located, Luke saw the old willow once again.
The old willow was still rooted by the Willow River, with no signs of disturbed earth around it, as if it had always stayed there and never left.
Only its charred bark and the remaining lower half of its trunk confirmed to Luke that it was the old willow that had forced him into a magic outburst.
The old willow had fallen into a deep sleep, showing no violent reaction to Luke's arrival; only a few newly grown green leaves indicated that it was still alive.
Luke glanced at the old willow, did nothing more, and continued upstream along the Willow River.
Soon, a riverside path appeared before Luke.
Seeing the path, Luke knew he was not far from Tom Bombadil's house.
Indeed, after continuing along the path for another hour, Luke finally saw a low house on a distant hill.
It was already evening, and the distant house was already lit up, with warm orange light shining through the windows and open door, guiding the way like a lighthouse.
Tom Bombadil's house was located at the eastern edge of the Old Forest, at the border with the Barrow-downs. The hills behind it were the Barrow-downs, and the source of the Willow River flowed out of the deepest gorge in the Barrow-downs.
Around the house was a neat green lawn, and a garden filled with various flowers. The path was paved with cobblestones, leading directly to Tom Bombadil's house.
Luke dismounted and came before the house, where he saw Tom Bombadil standing outside the door, having waited for a long time.
"Welcome! Luke, Wizard, come in quickly! My beautiful wife, Goldberry, has already prepared dinner for you, just waiting for your arrival!" Tom looked very happy, quickly stepped forward and gave Luke a big hug.
Hearing Tom's words, Luke was a bit surprised, not expecting them to know of his arrival in advance.
Tom led Luke into the house first, then took the pony to the stable.
As Luke entered, he saw various delicacies laid out on the table in the center of the living room. The aroma of the food wafted through the air, making one salivate.
And on the other side, on a chair facing the main door, sat a beautiful woman.
She had rich, shoulder-length golden hair, and wore a long emerald green dress, adorned with shimmering silver threads like dewdrops, and a golden belt tied around her waist.
At the woman's feet, however, were many clay pots, with many water lilies floating in them.