The Wizard, clad in a grey robe, holding a staff of vine wood as tall as himself in one hand and a pipe in the other, walked to Hobbiton.
Instead of heading straight for his destination, the Wizard entered the town and first went to the Green Dragon Inn.
The Hobbit inn was not very friendly to the Wizard's height; he had to stoop all the way to the bar, where he called out to the innkeeper, "A pint of ale for me, please!" Then he plopped down on a stool and straightened his back with a sigh of relief.
The inn fell silent for a moment, and all the hobbits looked at him with surprise and curiosity.
The innkeeper was a chubby little old man; when he saw the Wizard, he paused for a moment, then, with a look of pleasant surprise, exclaimed, "Gandalf! When did you come to the Shire?"
The grey-robed Wizard smiled and greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Boffin, I am traveling, and I happened to pass through the Shire, so I came here to rest my feet and catch my breath."
The innkeeper clearly knew Gandalf, and he handed him a pint of ale, saying, "This one's on me."
"Gandalf, you haven't been to Hobbiton in a long time, it feels like it's been more than ten years. Where have you been all these years?"
"Oh, thank you! I've been traveling around, and in recent years, I've been to the East," Gandalf said simply, taking a sip of his drink, then casually asked, "By the way, have there been any new happenings in the Shire recently that you could tell me about?"
"New happenings? There are quite a few!" The innkeeper became enthusiastic at the mention of this. "...Gandalf, you wouldn't believe it, but besides you, another Wizard has come to the Shire recently. But he's much younger than you, and he's currently staying in our village, living with Bilbo Baggins!"
Gandalf seemed to have his curiosity piqued. "Oh, a young Wizard? Could you tell me about him?"
The innkeeper, as if he had found the best listener, immediately began to speak volubly: "That young Wizard's name is Luke. Like you, he enjoys traveling. He went on a journey once before and made a great name for himself. It's said he helped the residents of Buckland resist the invasion of trees from the Old Forest, so he also has the title 'Tree-Feller'..."
As he listened to the innkeeper's endless narrative, Luke's image gradually formed in Gandalf's mind. A flicker of thought passed through his deep blue eyes, and the smoke he exhaled obscured his expression.
Meanwhile, at Bag End, Luke had been very busy these past few days.
Because the Mandrake had entered adolescence, it began to become moody and taciturn, and even tried to escape once by climbing directly out of its pot because it was uncomfortable living in it.
Fortunately, Luke discovered it in time and used Petrificus Totalus to freeze the Mandrake, which had almost run out into the yard.
Otherwise, if it had truly escaped and matured in the wild, it would have been deadly!
To prevent these two Mandrakes from escaping again, Luke simply used Transfiguration to create a small glass greenhouse near Bag End. This was partly to provide them with a suitable growing environment and partly to prevent their escape.
Moreover, as the Mandrakes matured further, their cries became even more dangerous.
To prevent himself or Bill from suffering, he also set up multiple glass covers for the two Mandrakes, maximally blocking their sounds from escaping.
Due to the late cold snap, Luke also had to put socks and scarves on the two Mandrake pots to prevent them from catching a cold and getting sick.
The socks and scarves were lovingly contributed by the skillful Bilbo, woven from wool in a single evening.
It could be said that the Mandrakes were being cared for as diligently as children.
That afternoon, just as Luke and Bilbo were enjoying their afternoon tea, a knock sounded at the door of Bag End.
The two exchanged glances, a puzzled expression on their faces. Who could be coming?
Bilbo put down his biscuit, hurried to the door, and opened it.
He saw a tall figure blocking the doorway, so tall that he couldn't even see his head.
Bilbo stepped back a few paces, tilted his head back, and looked up. Seeing the visitor's appearance, he showed a surprised expression: "Gandalf! What brings you here?"
Luke, who was drinking tea, heard Bilbo's surprised voice, paused his hand, immediately put down his teacup, and leaned over to peer towards the doorway.
Standing at the door was indeed the grey-robed Wizard, Gandalf. Leaning on his vine wood staff, he bent down and chuckled as he greeted Bilbo, "Hello there, Bilbo. I just happened to be passing through the Shire and thought I'd stop by your place for a temporary rest. I wonder if I'm welcome?"
"Of course, you are most welcome!" Bilbo quickly said, then stepped aside and invited him in, "Please come in, Gandalf. You've come at a perfect time; we're just having afternoon tea. You're welcome to join us!"
"Oh, it seems I've arrived at just the right moment," Gandalf said with a happy expression.
Bending down to enter Bag End, and handing his hat and staff to Bilbo, he immediately saw Luke sitting in the living room. Their gazes met, and a sparkle appeared in Gandalf's eyes as he smiled and said, "It seems there's another guest here besides me."
Luke stood up and walked towards Gandalf, politely introducing himself, "Nice to meet you, Gandalf. I am Luke, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
Gandalf looked the young black-haired, black-eyed Wizard up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the black Wizard's robe he wore, revealing a surprised expression. "Do you know Goldberry, the River-daughter of the Old Forest?"
Luke noticed Gandalf's gaze and understood that he had recognized Goldberry's blessing on his Wizard's robe. He smiled and nodded, "Yes, I know Goldberry and Tom. I was previously invited to stay at their home for a period of time. They are both very friendly and good people."
Hearing this, Gandalf regarded Luke with even greater importance.
Although Goldberry and Tom Bombadil do not participate in the conflicts of Middle-earth, those who are invited to be their guests are generally upright individuals.
Not to mention that Luke also wore a blessed robe woven by Goldberry from black swan feathers and silver threads, which is not a treatment that ordinary guests would receive.
"Alright, come and have afternoon tea together," Bilbo called out, inviting the two to sit down with him.
The three sat around the fireplace, enjoying tea and sweet biscuits while chatting.
"Gandalf, where have you been all these years?" Bilbo asked curiously.
Gandalf took a biscuit, tasted it, and then slowly said, "Oh, I've mostly been traveling in the East these past few years. First, I lived with the Elves for a few years, then I went to the Northern Wastes, and finally, after staying in the Misty Mountains for a while, I returned to the plains of Eriador."
Hearing Gandalf's words, Bilbo's face showed a longing expression, and he couldn't help but ask, "Gandalf, are Elves as beautiful as the legends say?"
Gandalf looked at Bilbo, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and said, "The beauty of Elves cannot be simply summarized with a single word; you have to witness it yourself to truly understand. If you are curious about them, you can go to the Elven territories; they welcome all friendly visitors."
Although Bilbo longed for it, he still shook his head. "I'm just an ordinary Hobbit; adventuring is not for me. It's too dangerous, and it would make me miss breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, and also dinner and supper. That would be terrible!"
Seeing this, Gandalf did not continue to persuade him, but instead looked at Luke, who had not interjected, and asked with a curious expression, "Luke, where did you come from before? Looking at your hair and eye color, did you come from the Rhûn?"
Luke shook his head. "No, I haven't been to the East. The place I come from is very far away. This is my first time coming to Middle-earth."
Hearing this, Gandalf looked deeply at him. His profound wisdom granted him the ability to discern truth from falsehood; he could tell that Luke was not lying, and at the same time, he fell into confusion.