Chapter 232: Amnesia? Righteous ignorance
The first time Aaron saw the old man, he couldn't help but swallow.
He instinctively felt that the other party was not simple; although his clothes were worn, his demeanor was exactly like that of Albus Dumbledore.
Bad luck!
Aaron silently complained in his heart.
He had just arrived and already encountered someone who seemed to be a big shot, and he didn't know if it was good or bad.
"Child, is this thing yours?" the old man asked again.
"Yes," Aaron politely nodded, "It's mine."
"Then take it!" the old man smiled and handed over the Magister, "Human Magisters are quite rare.
Child, you are very talented, can you tell me your origin?"
Looking at those wise blue eyes, Aaron felt a faint pressure, and his mindset couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
Being so direct right off the bat was particularly unfriendly to him, a visitor from another world.
He knew nothing about this world, so how could he answer?
After a moment of silence, a hint of confusion appeared on Aaron's face, and he shook his head, puzzled, "I don't remember."
Feigning amnesia was a sudden idea of Aaron's; it was the best and most suitable approach for his current situation, because he truly knew nothing.
"Don't remember?" the old man frowned slightly, carefully examining Aaron, "If you don't remember, how do you know this Magister is yours?"
"I can feel it's very important to me." Aaron didn't hesitate at all, speaking words that were purely instinctive.
"Then what else do you remember?"
"Gaius, Aaron Gaius, that's my name."
"Gaius?" The old man's pupils widened slightly, but quickly returned to normal, though his gaze held a hint of eagerness.
"Have you heard that name?" Aaron asked tentatively; he wasn't sure if his ancestors had ever visited this world, but judging by the old man's expression, they probably had!
God, no, may the Goddess of Fortune bless him; if any ancestors had been here, please don't leave any traps for him, a descendant.
"No, never heard of it." The old man slowly shook his head, saying meaningfully, "But I can feel a subtle guidance; Gaiusis very special and will be of no small help to the side of good."
Aaron raised an eyebrow; after all, he was a human trafficker who had trafficked human traffickers, so this kind of talk sounded like nonsense, with no credibility whatsoever.
Even though the old man made him feel unfathomable, it only made him half-believe; it was better to keep his distance before ascertaining the other party's character.
"You're quite the joker, old man." Aaron scratched his head, "I don't think I'm special anywhere; for me, the most urgent task is to find a place to dry my clothes."
"You can use magic; there's no need to be reserved in front of me."
Aaron:... I won't, Flo specifically warned me not to use magiccasually.
"Old man, first of all, whether I can use magic or not, even if I could, what do you think I, in an amnesiac state, could do?"
"Instinct." The old man said seriously, "Wield the Magister, and use instinct to guide the magic within your body.
Believe me, you can definitely do it."
Aaron's eye twitched slightly, and he felt even more speechless in his heart.
This old man is even more troublesome than Dumbledore, is he never going to stop?
He picked up the Magister and waved it gently, but nothing happened.
"It might still need a bit of practice." The old man wasn't disappointed, "I'll take you to a warm place first; you need clean clothes and hot food."
No, I don't need it; I just finished eating.
Besides, if you weren't here, I wouldn't be so constrained and tied up.
Although he thought so, Aaron could only follow the old man for now; following a local was better than him bumping around like a headless chicken.
"By the way, I still don't know your name!"
"Gandalf," the old man said slowly, "a Grey Wizard, somewhat well-known."
"Hmm, never heard of him."
Gandalf smiled and shook his head, leading Aaron forward.
During the journey, Aaron also gained some shallow understanding of this world.
Many different races existed, with Humans, Elves, and Dwarves dominating.
magic existed, but very few people knew how to use it, to the point of being described as rare; civilization was brilliant, but technology was not advanced.
Knowing this, Aaron's mood lightened considerably.
First, this world was relatively peaceful, so he didn't have to participate in any major wars; second, with his strength as a Middle-Level Mage, self-preservation was not a problem.
After walking for nearly half an hour, the two arrived at a beautiful, secluded paradise.
"We've arrived, Shire, where the Hobbits live." Gandalfpointed to a cluster of green-covered holes in front of them, "What do you think of this place?"
"Hmm... suitable for retirement." Aaron smiled, "Blue sky, white clouds, flowers, a lake, and warm sunshine—these combined are synonymous with beauty."
"Well said." Gandalf nodded, leaning on his Magister, and approached a low fence where a Hobbit was comfortably smoking on a long bench.
Hobbits were only about a meter tall, with slightly pointed ears and broad feet, with tough pads and thick, curly brown hair on the soles of their feet, usually not needing to wear shoes.
The first impression this Hobbit gave Aaron was one of safety, no threat, even more harmless than his dragon; he looked like a peace-loving race.
As if sensing someone's arrival, the Hobbit on the bench opened his eyes.
Looking at the old man and the young boy outside the fence, he paused for a moment, then somewhat awkwardly averted his gaze, "Good morning."
"Are you simply wishing me good morning, or telling me that it is a good morning whether I want it or not, or that you feel good this morning, or that you want to do good this morning?"
"I think all of the above."
"Very good." Gandalf's lips curved slightly, then he nudged Aaron forward a small step, "Aaron Gaius, this child might need your help."
Aaron:... The Hobbit looked at Aaron, then noticed his wet clothes, "You might need clean clothes, but my clothes might not fit you.
However, my home is quite warm; if you need to, you can dry your clothes by the fireplace."
"This is truly making me feel a bit overwhelmed." Aaronhesitated for a moment, then Took out a gold coin from his pocket, "This is my thanks for your kindness."
"That's not necessary." The Hobbit politely refused, then opened the half-meter-high fence and invited Aaron into his yard, "Every Hobbit will lend a helping hand to those in need."
Gandalf smiled slightly, not entering his yard, but thoughtfully observing the Hobbit.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
"It's hard to say right now; I'm looking for companions for an adventure."
The Hobbit was stunned for a moment; he read from Gandalf's eyes that he seemed to have been placed on a shortlist.
"Adventure?
I imagine no one west of Bree would be interested; dirty, tiring, and uncomfortable things will make you miss dinner." The Hobbit puffed on his pipe, "Good morning, then!"
With that, he walked towards the door, his meaning quite clear: Don't look for me, I'm not interested.
"I never thought I would, in my lifetime, be dismissed like a peddler by Belladonna's son with a 'Good morning.'" Gandalf said, walking to the fence.
"What did you say?" The Hobbit turned and asked.
"You're going backwards, Bilbo Baggins."
"Excuse me, do I know you?"
"You know my name, but you've forgotten my face; I am Gandalf.
And Gandalf is..."
"The Grey Magister," Aaron added.
"Yes, just as Gaius said."
"Gandalf?" Bilbo seemed to remember something, pointing his pipe at Gandalf in surprise, "You're the wandering Wizard fireworks expert.
Old Took used to set them off at Midsummer; I didn't realize you were still in business."
"What else would I do?" Gandalf chuckled irritably.
Pfft!
Aaron couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It was truly regrettable that a powerful Archmage would be reduced to selling fireworks for a living.
Gandalf felt offended, "Aaron, although your memory is a bit problematic, basic courtesy is something you should not forget."
"Sorry." Aaron waved his hand, "I really couldn't help it.
Logically speaking, a Wizard of your esteemed reputation should be respected wherever you go."
"Hmph!" Gandalf snorted lightly, then looked at Bilbo, "Glad you still remember me, even if it's just about my fireworks.
Alright, it's decided.
It will be good for you, interesting for me, and meaningful for him."
"Wait." Aaron's heart sank, and he suddenly had an ominous premonition, "What do you mean 'meaningful for me' too?"
"You'll know when the time comes; I'm going to notify the others."
"Notify who?" Bilbo also sensed something was wrong, and immediately pulled Aaron to the doorway of his house, "Adventure is not welcome here, not today.
I suggest you ask around by the Hill or the River."
Although it was their first meeting, Aaron and Bilbocooperated exceptionally well at this moment, neither giving Gandalf a chance to speak, decisively opening the door and slipping inside.
The two leaned against the door, one on each side, and Bilbo, without hesitation, locked the door tight.
Just as the two let out a sigh of relief, an unusual sound suddenly came from their ears, as if something sharp was scratching the door.
Bilbo frowned, turned and walked to the window, but before he could see clearly, he met a pair of sharp blue pupils, which startled him into immediately retreating behind the wall, his reaction so quick that Aaron found it somewhat surprising.
Being timid was understandable, but there was no need to hide so far away!
Seeing Gandalf walk away from the window, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Baggins, I have a bad feeling."
"It should be fine, right?" Bilbo bit his finger uncertainly, "We both refused, so even if there really is an adventure, Gandalfcan't force us, can he?"
"No, no, no, you are still too young.
Underestimating people comes at a price, especially some older folks; none of them are easy to deal with."
"Haha." Bilbo pointed to himself, "Although Hobbits live longer than Humans, it's still quite embarrassing to be called young by a teenager; I'm already several decades old."
"Uh... my memory is a bit problematic, so I don't know much about that." Aaron said awkwardly, "After all, you look about twenty-something."
Bilbo nodded, then realized something, saying speechlessly, "Even if I were twenty-something, you wouldn't have the right to call me young."
"Okay." Aaron nodded, "But my intuition is always accurate; if possible, it's best if we go out and hide for a day or two, then it should be fine."
"I'm not going; if you want to go, you go." Bilbo said defiantly, "This is my home."
Aaron:... If it weren't for the pure goodwill I feel from you, I wouldn't remind you.
But then again, if I weren't unfamiliar with this place, I would have run away a long time ago.
"Alright, let's not talk about this for now.
You take off your clothes first, and I'll dry them for you."
Aaron blinked, "What do I wear if I take off my clothes?"
"Here." Bilbo Took out a thick set of bedsheets from the cupboard, "Although they're a bit old, they're definitely very warm."
"Uh... thank you, but I'll do it myself!" Aaron Took the bedsheets and walked towards the burning fireplace.
Sitting by the fire, Aaron surveyed the hole.
Each room was connected by a short, semicircular passage, with only a few rooms equipped with wooden doors.
Sunlight could penetrate, and there were kitchens, studies, living rooms, and even bathrooms, not luxurious, but warm and comfortable.
The only thing Aaron found inconvenient was that the doors were built a bit low; while perfect for Hobbits, they were a bit too short for a Human over one meter sixty.
"This place is really nice." Aaron said, "It's completely different from the caves I imagined."
"This is a Hobbit-hole." Bilbo said proudly, "It's my ancestral property."
"I can tell, Mr. Baggins is still quite wealthy."
"Wealthy is not the word, just enough to spend." Bilbo waved his hand, then said with some concern, "Aaron, Gandalf said your memory..."
"It's fine, no big deal, I'll get it back." Aaron spoke nonsense with a straight face, "Although many things are unclear, some things are ultimately carved into my bones, like carved with a knife and chisel; I can't forget them even if I want to."
"What are your plans next?"
"Well... Mr. Baggins, do you have a map to a Human town?
If not, that's fine, just point me in a direction, and after I've rested, I won't bother you."
Bilbo frowned, "But you're just a child; going that far alone could be very dangerous."
"Don't treat me like a child; my abilities are beyond your imagination."
"Okay, beyond imagination." Bilbo said with a smile, but in his heart, he didn't quite believe it; how strong could a child be, no matter how capable?
"You should stay a few more days; I have plenty of guest rooms here.
Also, I'll ask the neighbors around to keep an eye out for you; if any Humans come to Shire, you can follow them, and that way, I'll feel a bit more at ease."
Aaron pondered for a while, then reluctantly agreed to the suggestion, as he truly didn't know the way.