"Bilbo, are you sure you want to do this?"
Luke hadn't expected Bilbo to volunteer and reminded him very seriously.
"The Dragon has awoken, and it might be waiting for us to walk into its trap. It will be very dangerous if you go, you might even die!"
Facing Gandalf and Luke's worried and disapproving attitudes, Bilbo smiled brightly.
"After all, isn't this what I came here to do?"
"My luck has always been good. Maybe I'll find the arkenstone as soon as I go in, and I won't even encounter the Dragon!"
Regarding Bilbo's words, which seemed to comfort them as well as himself, Gandalf was full of worry, even regretting having dragged this innocent hobbit into this trouble.
Luke, on the other hand, watched Bilbo's hand unconsciously slip into his pocket, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Although Bilbo was speaking words of comfort, wasn't it also a display of confidence in himself, or rather, confidence in the one ring in his pocket?
Since Bilbo, the main person involved, had agreed, Luke and Gandalf naturally had no reason to object on his behalf.
However, before Durin's Day arrived, the night of the full moon appeared first.
Luke took out the Mandrake leaf he had kept under his tongue for a whole month and put it into a small crystal vial filled with his own saliva.
He then added a strand of his own hair and a silver teaspoon of dew to the crystal vial, which was illuminated by the moonlight.
The dew was collected by Luke when he passed through Mirkwood earlier. The dew must be collected from a place that has not been exposed to sunlight or human contact for seven full days, and Mirkwood has many dark and inaccessible places.
Finally, Luke added a Death's-head Hawkmoth.
After all this was done, he now only needed to place this mixture in a quiet, dark, undisturbed place until the next thunderstorm arrived. Then, he would dig it out, drink it in one gulp, and complete the final Animagus transformation.
However, a thunderstorm cannot be predicted, so the waiting time for the storm to arrive could be weeks, months, or even years.
This is also why Animagus is difficult to succeed, as the probability of success is entirely dependent on luck.
However, this step was not a problem for Luke.
If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.
Since the arrival of a thunderstorm cannot be predicted, he would go to a place with frequent thunderstorms, bury the crystal vial there, and not have to wait anxiously for the storm to arrive.
And Luke happened to know such a place.
So Luke temporarily bade farewell to everyone that night, used a Reparo Charm to repair a fireplace in Lake-Town, connected it to the fireplace in Rivendell using the Floo Network, and then threw a handful of Floo Powder to teleport to Rivendell.
In Rivendell, Elrond had not yet returned. After a brief greeting with the Elf twins, Elrohir and Elladan, Luke mounted his broomstick and flew towards the Misty Mountains.
The place he was heading to was the High Pass in the Misty Mountains.
Thunderstorms are common there year-round, making it the best place to bury the crystal vial.
Luke rode his broomstick smoothly all the way to the High Pass. The Stone Giants who used to play there were gone, leaving only traces of havoc caused by massive boulders. Luke found a quiet, dark, and undisturbed spot in the pass's canyon, and then deeply buried the small crystal vial in the earth.
He also used magic to set up protection around it, just in case.
Having done all this, he now only needed to quietly wait for the thunderstorm to arrive.
Luke looked up at the cloud-covered sky, full of anticipation.
Given the year-round weather conditions here, it wouldn't be long before a thunderstorm arrived.
Luke then left the place, returned to Rivendell, and then went back to Lake-Town through the fireplace.
"Everything went smoothly, Luke?" Gandalf asked as Luke emerged from the fireplace.
Luke smiled and nodded, in good spirits: "Very smoothly. Now we just wait for the next thunderstorm."
"That won't be long then. I remember there are many thunderstorms in the Misty Mountains," Gandalf said, chuckling.
"I think I'll soon see your Animagus. How exciting!"
"I'm really curious what animal you'll transform into? Besides the Skin-changers, this is the first time I've seen magic that allows one to transform into an animal."
Luke was also very curious about what animal his Animagus would be.
Although the form of an Animagus is generally the same as one's Patronus, this is not absolute.
Some people's Patronuses change with significant shifts in their personality, such as Severus Snape's Patronus, which transformed into a doe after Lily Evans' death.
So, while a Patronus has some reference value, it doesn't necessarily mean one will transform into the same animal.
Of course, if his Animagus were an owl, that would also be good. Not only could he fly, but he would also have night vision, making it very suitable for concealment or stealth.
The only slight regret is that Animagus transformations are usually limited to non-magical creatures. Transforming into a magical creature can lead to severe, unpredictable consequences.
Otherwise, if one had an Animagus like a Phoenix, Dragon, or Thunderbird, it would definitely push the Animagus to its limits.
Thinking of this, Luke couldn't help but recall Beorn, who could transform into a Giant bear.
Beorn's Giant bear form was not an ordinary bear; not only was it massive and powerful, but it also possessed super strong defense, making it not an exaggeration to call it an Earth Bear.
According to Gandalf, Beorn's Skin-changer race were originally just humans living in the Misty Mountains, and only gained the ability to transform into Giant bears after receiving blessings from nature spirits.
Luke was very curious about this and, if he had the chance, he wanted to study its mysteries to see if it could be applied to Animagus.
If he could upgrade his Animagus to a magical creature, that would be a huge gain!
However, this kind of thing cannot be rushed. He hasn't even completed his Animagus yet, so he temporarily put this idea aside.
As Durin's Day approached, everyone set off again.
This time, Luke acted as the driver, taking everyone around to the back of the Lonely Mountain.
However, he didn't have Gandalf's patience to ferry people back and forth one by one.
So he directly cast a Levitation Charm on everyone, then tied everyone with a long rope, with the other end tied to his broom.
Then, amidst a chorus of frantic screams, Luke flew towards the Lonely Mountain, pulling a group of floating people like kites.
Gandalf, sitting behind Luke, watched this scene and chuckled heartily, regretting that he hadn't thought of this trick before.
At the back of the Lonely Mountain, starting from the foot, there was a carved zigzag staircase that extended all the way to the mountainside.
Luke rode his broomstick directly to the end of the staircase. This was a flat stone platform, with no path leading further up.
"This should be the place."
Gandalf said with certainty, looking at the stone platform.
Luke nodded, bringing his broom down to land on the stone platform.
As soon as they landed, Luke also untied the Dwarves and released them from the magic spells.
The Dwarves' beards and hair were disheveled, blown into various styles by the wind.
Thorin, the wolf-fox, looked a bit displeased, vowing that he would rather walk himself, no matter how hard, than ever ride Luke's flying broom again.
Bilbo, on the other hand, though somewhat disheveled, was full of excited thrill, truly living up to the adventurous blood of the Took family flowing within him, which was now fully awakened.
"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks, and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the key-hole."
Thorin took out the map of the Lonely Mountain and, following Elrond's translated information, began to search for corresponding objects.
"The grey stone, it should be this one."
Thorin immediately saw a huge grey stone in front of the mountain wall, his eyes lit up, and he immediately walked to the stone.
"Standing by the stone should allow me to see the back door, but where is the door? And where is the key-hole?"
Thorin stood by the stone as indicated on the map, but after carefully searching the surrounding stone wall, he found no sign of a door or a key-hole.
The other Dwarves also searched continuously, trying to find any clue.
Thorin, finding nothing, grew more and more agitated, even beginning to suspect that Elrond had lied.
"Calm down, Thorin," Gandalf said. "The closer we get to the final moment, the calmer you must remain!"
"Don't overlook the details. The map says that the last ray of the setting sun will shine upon the key-hole, so we just need to wait, after all, it's still very early before sunset."
Hearing Gandalf's words, Thorin calmed down a little, but his expression remained grim.
"Then I will wait, but if we still find nothing in the end, I swear, I will make the Elves of Rivendell pay for his lies!"
Gandalf frowned, speaking up for Elrond: "Elrond's credibility is beyond doubt; he has no need to lie about this matter.
Thorin, you cannot suspect him due to prejudice."
"Hmph, I hope so," Thorin said coldly, noncommittally.
Gandalf shook his head, walked over to Luke, sighed, and whispered, "The closer we get to the Lonely Mountain, the more Thorin loses his calm. I'm afraid we must prepare for the worst!"
"The madness inherited in the bloodline of their Durin royal family is uncontrollable; once it erupts, it will not only kill him but also implicate others!"
Gandalf's tone was heavy, his expression full of worry. Luke, however, was not as worried as Gandalf; he shook his head and comforted him: "There will always be a solution when the time comes, Gandalf, you don't need to worry too much."
"I hope so," Gandalf sighed.
Seeing Gandalf still worried, Luke changed the subject: "However, if you want to find the back door of the Lonely Mountain, I do have a way, perhaps without having to wait until sunset."
Hearing Luke's words, Gandalf was somewhat surprised.
"Do you have some magic that can find a hidden secret door?"
Luke shook his head and took out the Palantír.
"Besides being able to see distant scenes, the Palantír can also see past events, perhaps it can be used to find the location of the back door of the Lonely Mountain."
Luke's voice was not deliberately lowered, so others also heard him and immediately looked over.
Thorin even walked directly over, staring intently at the crystal in Luke's hand with burning eyes.
"Luke, quickly use it to see!"
If he hadn't known this was Luke's possession, Thorin looked as if he wished he could just snatch it and use it himself.
Luke frowned and gave Thorin a cold, warning look.
Is the effect of this dragon sickness so great? The current Thorin is like a different person from before; he has become completely agitated. Although not yet insane, he doesn't have much composure left.
Gandalf was a bit worried and reminded him: "The dragon is currently inside the mountain. When using the Palantír, be careful not to look at it, otherwise it can easily detect you, and it will be troublesome if it alerts the dragon."
Luke knew the seriousness of the matter, so he naturally avoided the dragon's location when viewing.
How far back in time the Palantír can see is determined by the user's mental will.
With Luke's current strength, it would be unrealistic to view events from ancient First and Second Ages, or even the era of the two trees.
However, viewing events from a few hundred years ago was not a problem.
A scene quickly appeared within the Palantír: a stout Dwarf wearing an iron crown appeared at the exact location where Luke and the others were now.
He walked to the grey stone, waiting for the twilight of the setting sun and the rising moonlight to converge, finally focusing the light on a single spot on the stone wall.
The Dwarf with the iron crown came to the stone wall, inserted a golden key into the small hole at the illuminated spot, and with a gentle twist, a stone door immediately appeared on the stone wall.
The stone door opened, and the Dwarf with the iron crown walked in. "That's my grandfather!" Thorin looked at the Dwarf displayed in the crystal ball, his expression somewhat excited and complex.
Then, he immediately located the secret door and the key-hole based on the images displayed in the Palantír.
"Where is the key-hole? The location is clearly here, so why is there no key-hole?" Thorin kept searching and feeling for the key-hole's location,
but there was only a bare stone wall, with no hole to insert a key.
Gandalf stepped forward and gently tapped the stone wall with his staff, explaining to the anxious Thorin and the others:
"I think the key-hole must be hidden, requiring a specific time and specific conditions to appear, such as when the last rays of the setting sun on Durin's Day and the moonlight intersect at one point, then the key-hole will appear."
"So, you mean we still need to wait until sunset?" Everyone suddenly realized.
Although Thorin was anxious, hearing Gandalf's explanation, he could only wait for the arrival of sunset.
Luke, however, was somewhat interested in the hidden key-hole. Although the Dwarves did not use magic, they could imbue their forged items with extraordinary properties through their incredibly high forging skills.
He wanted to see if his magic could have an effect on it.
"Let me try," Luke said.
Since the key-hole's location had been confirmed, Luke raised his wand, pointed it at the key-hole, and chanted: "Alohomora!"
A spell shot into the key-hole's location. The next second, a faint sound of gears turning echoed, and the mountain subtly trembled.
To the astonished expressions of the Dwarves, a rectangular stone door appeared from the stone wall and then opened automatically.
"Alright, it seems we don't need to wait until sunset," Luke said with a smile.
Clearly, the Dwarf craftsmen who built the secret door had considered various situations and had set specific times, specific conditions, and even required a key to successfully open the secret door.
But they had completely underestimated Luke's magic, which simply ignored these requirements and opened the door directly.
Looking at the secret door that Luke had easily opened with a single spell, Thorin was momentarily unsure whether to be happy that the secret door had opened or to worry about his own back door being as good as useless.
However, since the door was open, everyone stopped lingering and entered the secret passage behind the door one after another.
The Durin Dwarves had hollowed out the entire belly of the Lonely Mountain, and the Dragon's location was in the hall near the front door, so no one had to worry about being discovered by the Dragon upon entering.
As their former home, Thorin and Balin, along with the other elder Dwarves, knew the internal structure of the Lonely Mountain like the back of their hand, and successfully led everyone to a hidden room.
Along the way, many Dwarf skeletons could be seen; they were the Dwarves who had failed to escape when the Dragon occupied the Lonely Mountain.
After everyone arrived at the hidden room, they stopped moving forward.
The Dragon Smaug was very familiar with the scent of Dwarves and humans, and getting any closer would easily alert the Dragon.
Everyone's gaze fell on Bilbo, as to minimize disturbing the Dragon Smaug, only "Mr. Thief" could be relied upon to steal the arkenstone.
This way, they wouldn't have to face the Dragon directly; once they obtained the arkenstone, they would return the way they came and leave the Lonely Mountain, and Thorin could then, in the name of the King Under the Mountain, rally the Seven Clans of Dwarves to retake the Lonely Mountain.
Thorin walked up to Bilbo and patted his shoulder.
"It's all up to you now! I believe you can definitely get the arkenstone, right?"
Bilbo felt a bit uncomfortable under Thorin's gaze and turned his head away awkwardly.
"I'll try!"
His tone was a bit uncertain; after all, he was about to face a Dragon.
Then he felt the pressure on his shoulder increase.
"Not 'try,' but 'must'! You must get the arkenstone!"
Thorin's voice carried a hint of madness and obsession.
"Enough!" Luke waved his hand, instantly flinging Thorin far away from Bilbo.
Then he stood beside Bilbo, looking at Thorin with cold eyes.
"Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo is not your subordinate or servant; you'd best show him some respect!"
Gandalf also frowned, looking at him with disappointment.
"Thorin, clear your head; don't let madness consume your reason. Look at yourself; you're becoming less and less the Thorin Oakenshield you once were!"
"Perhaps bringing you to the Lonely Mountain was a mistake from the start. The closer you get to the Lonely Mountain, the more the Dragon Sickness lurking in your blood manifests. It's trying to make you self-destruct!"
"No, I have never been so clear-headed!" Thorin glared at Gandalf furiously. "Nothing is more important than the arkenstone! As long as I have the arkenstone, I can reclaim my Lonely Mountain, my treasure!"
"Compared to this, everything else is just fleeting clouds!"
"Your most important things have never been these, Thorin Oakenshield. Look around you; your companions and kin, they are your treasure.
Don't let greed blind your eyes!"
Gandalf tried to awaken Thorin's conscience.
Thorin looked at the Dwarves who were watching him with worry, his eyes wavering slightly, but soon they were suppressed by another insane obsession, and his gaze became biased and fanatical.
He shook his head, his tone cold: "No, they are insignificant."
"You truly are mad!" Gandalf's voice was somewhat weary.
"Alright, Gandalf, he doesn't have much reason left; you won't be able to persuade him," Luke said. "The closer he gets to the Lonely Mountain's treasure, the more pronounced the Dragon Sickness in him becomes."
"If it really comes to it, just knock him out and take him far away. Perhaps without the influence of the treasure, he might regain his calm."
"You all stop arguing! I'll go steal the arkenstone!"
Bilbo's voice suddenly rang out.
Seeing everyone's gaze turn to him, he said, "As long as we get the arkenstone, everything will be resolved, won't it?"
"Once the arkenstone is obtained, Thorin can rally the Dwarves, and my, Luke's, and Gandalf's missions will be complete, and I can go home."
Everyone instantly fell silent.
"So, trust me this once, okay?" Bilbo asked with an innocent smile.
Luke looked at Bilbo like this, touched, and took a deep breath, squatting down to meet his gaze, seriously asking again, "Bilbo, are you sure?"
Bilbo nodded firmly.
"Since you're going, I'll give you some protection."
Luke no longer tried to dissuade him, waving his wand over him and muttering incantations.
"Super Protego, Protego Totalum, Fortifying Charm, Impervius, Silencing Charm— "
Bilbo's eyes widened as multiple layers of protection were cast upon him, feeling only an invisible sense of bulkiness.
Then he saw Luke take a pot of Mandrake from his spatial pouch and directly hand it to him.
"Take this Mandrake with you. If you encounter the Dragon, just throw it out; it'll buy you enough time. Don't worry, I've already cast a spell on it so you won't hear it cry."
"And if you truly face a life-threatening crisis, tap this gold coin, and I'll know immediately. We'll come to save you right away— "
Listening to Luke's continuous admonitions, Bilbo's smile grew brighter and brighter, and he hugged Luke tightly, moved.
"I understand, Luke, thank you!"
Luke gently patted his back.
"Be careful not to put yourself in danger. Don't force it if you can't get the gem, alright?"
Bilbo nodded quickly.
Upon hearing this, Luke released him.
Gandalf liked to see such a sight. He chuckled and patted Bilbo's shoulder.
"Luke has done everything he can. I can only wish you good luck! Bilbo, may the Valar bless you!"
When he said the last sentence, the others felt nothing.
But Luke clearly felt a power imbued with blessings fall upon Bilbo.
Afterward, Bilbo, amidst everyone's blessings, left the Chamber of Secrets and headed towards the Dragon's treasury.
Before he left, Luke added another layer of Disillusionment Charm to Bilbo.
Although it couldn't guarantee to fool the Dragon's sight, it was an extra layer of protection.
After Bilbo left, the Dwarves sat restlessly in the silent atmosphere.
Thorin, in particular, gradually lost patience as time ticked by. He looked at Luke.
"Luke, can't your Palantír see distant scenes? Take it out and see how Bilbo is doing now? Or has he cowardly hidden himself?"
"Or why don't you directly check the location of the arkenstone, and we'll figure out a way to get it."
Luke gave him a cold look.
"Didn't you hear Gandalf say? Using the Palantír to check will alert the Dragon. If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"
"And Bilbo is a brave hobbit. He is currently risking his life to find the arkenstone for you. It's bad enough you're not grateful; if you slander and doubt him again, go find it yourself!"
He had no goodwill left for the current Thorin, whose eyes only saw the arkenstone.
Dragon Sickness, put simply, amplified Thorin's inner desires and obsessions. Although the trigger was the Dragon's treasure, it fundamentally stemmed from his own heart.
And just then, a deafening Dragon roar came from the treasury, its sound echoing throughout the entire Lonely Mountain.
Everyone present instantly changed their expressions, turning to look in the direction of the treasury.