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.