However, as the saying goes, to do a good job, one must first sharpen their tools.
Luke specifically went to the Buckleberry blacksmith shop and commissioned a Hobbit craftsman there to create a set of wand carving tools according to his drawings.
After obtaining the tools, Luke began to process the willow wood.
He carefully peeled off the bark with a small knife, then cut and carved it little by little according to the envisioned wand shape and size.
But the result was that his mind had learned, but his hands and feet had not.
Wand carving is a delicate task that requires full concentration and no deviation, otherwise it will affect the balance and feel of the wand later on.
So, without surprise, his first work failed.
The discarded willow wood could no longer be made into a wand, so Luke could only helplessly throw the half-carved wand into the fireplace to burn as firewood.
Looking at the remaining two willow logs, Luke dared not continue carving them, otherwise if they were all wasted, he would have to go to the Old Forest to find the Old Willow Tree again.
He was not confident he could guarantee his safe return with more willow branches from the Old Willow Tree.
So he turned his attention to the pile of other wood he had brought back, planning to practice with these first, and only tackle the willow wood when he felt confident.
For the next two days, Luke was carving wands from wood.
Although none were successful, his craftsmanship gradually matured, and the wands he carved gradually took shape.
But on the third night after he returned from the Old Forest, a loud, piercing bell rang throughout Bucklebury, waking Luke and Drogo from their sleep.
Drogo, looking panicked, knocked on Luke's door. "Luke, wake up quickly! We need to go to Brandy Square immediately!"
"What happened?" Luke asked, puzzled, as he saw Drogo's expression and got up.
Drogo quickly explained, "The bell ringing now is Bucklebury's alarm bell. Once it rings, it means Buckleberry is in danger! The last time it rang was fifteen years ago when the Brandywine River flooded! I wonder what's happened this time?"
Luke's expression also became serious upon hearing this.
The two didn't delay, quickly changed their clothes, and immediately headed to Brandy Square, encountering other hobbit on their way who were also going there.
The square was densely packed with people, and only Luke, being so tall, stood out among the many hobbit.
At the very front of the square were a row of ready-to-go hobbit, members of the Brandybuck family, the rulers of Bucklebury, and their leader, Rory Brandybuck.
"Silence!" Rory Brandybuck shouted, facing the hobbit below. His expression was serious and solemn as he announced very bad news to everyone.
"Everyone, Bucklebury is currently in danger. The trees of the Old Forest have suddenly rioted and are now trying to cross the High Hay to invade our homes. We cannot let them succeed!"
"Therefore, I need everyone, except the elderly and children, to follow me and repel the trees' attack!"
Upon hearing this, all the hobbit in the square erupted in an uproar, and feelings of tension and fear instantly surged.
Luke, however, felt a sudden pang in his heart. The Old Forest and Bucklebury had always been clearly separated, and there hadn't been any conflict for hundreds of years.
This inexplicable riot and invasion, could it be because of him?
The situation was urgent. Regardless of their tension and fear, all the hobbit picked up axes, sickles, hoes, and other usable weapons, following the Brandybuck family members to defend their homeland.
Drogo Baggins held an axe, his expression tense and uneasy, but he still whispered to Luke, "Luke, this is our home defense battle against the trees of the Old Forest. You are not a hobbit, so you don't have to participate."
Looking at Drogo, who was sincerely trying to persuade him, Luke felt a little guilty. He shook his head and refused, "One more person means one more strength. I can't stand by and do nothing while you defend Bucklebury. Besides, have you forgotten that I am a Wizard? Maybe I can help."
Subsequently, everyone arrived at the High Hay wall.
At this time, the battle on the High Hay side was fierce. Countless Huorn emerged from the Old Forest. They pulled their roots from the ground and quickly surrounded the High Hay wall, pounding the hedge with their thick branches, trying to destroy the hedge and march straight into Bucklebury.
Although the thick hedge temporarily stopped the attack of the Huorn, under the continuous destruction by the Huorn, it was already on the verge of collapse, and some places even began to show gaps, ready to be breached at any moment.
The Hobbit who had arrived earlier were continuously firing flaming arrows, trying to repel the Huorn's attack with fire.
Rory Brandybuck, the lord of Bucklebury, stood on a hillside, directing the Brandybuck family members to set up several trebuchets, placing barrels of oil and wine on them, which were then launched high into the air to fall onto the Huorn behind the High Hay wall.
Immediately after, lit fireballs were thrown, igniting the scattered oil and wine, instantly engulfing the Huorn in a sea of flames. Some Huorn, drenched in oil and wine, even turned into burning trees, emitting low, agonizing screams.
Seeing this scene, Luke couldn't help but cheer for Rory Brandybuck's actions. Such intelligent and decisive measures, even he couldn't think of a better way.
But what astonished Luke and all the hobbit was that despite heavy losses, the Huorn continued to charge forward relentlessly, attacking the High Hay wall furiously, using their massive bodies to ram the hedge, and their thick roots to pierce the ground and tear out the hedge's roots!
Soon, a huge opening was smashed in the High Hay wall, and a Huorn crossed the hedge, swinging its thick roots and branches, striking at the terrified hobbit.
If the small bodies of the hobbit were hit by the Huorn, they would likely be turned into a pulp of flesh.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A dazzling light shone exceptionally brightly in the night sky, instantly hitting the Huorn. The Huorn's attacking motion stopped instantly, as if it had been frozen in place.
The few hobbit who had almost been crushed to death were still shaken, looking at Luke, who had saved them, with awe and gratitude.
"You all leave here quickly. Leave this to me!" Luke said calmly to the hobbit, then walked straight past them towards the gap.
He couldn't bear to watch the hobbit die, especially when he believed it was very likely due to him that the Huorn had rioted and attacked.
"Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus! Expelliarmus!"
Luke took the initiative to attack, and dazzling spells flew out continuously, as if entering an unmanned territory, freezing, knocking back, or locking down the approaching Huorn...