On the road west of the Shire.
Luke and Gandalf were sitting in a cart pulled by a pony named Little Stunner, leisurely traveling west.
Their journey was to the Blue Mountains.
After the evil dragon Smaug occupied the Lonely Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield led the dwarven refugees from the Lonely Mountain to settle in the Blue Mountains.
Gandalf needed to deliver the relic entrusted to him by Thráin II to Thorin Oakenshield, who resided in the Blue Mountains.
As for Luke, he accompanied Gandalf, ostensibly to meet the heir of the Durinfolk, but in reality, he wanted to check in and sign in at the Blue Mountains.
"Gandalf, there are only two of us in the expedition team now. Are you sure you can persuade Thorin Oakenshield to go to the Lonely Mountain?" Luke asked Gandalf, while using Petrificus Totalus to stop two Mandrakes that were uncomfortable from being shaken and trying to burrow out of the soil, preventing them from causing trouble.
Gandalf puffed on his pipe, smiling confidently, "I'm quite confident in my eloquence. Besides, the Lonely Mountain is the homeland of the Durinfolk. After being occupied by the evil dragon for so many years, I believe they, who have been displaced, will be willing to reclaim their home."
After speaking, he looked at the two Mandrakes petrified by Luke, shaking his head with some sympathy, "Poor fellows, why did you bring them? Wouldn't it be better to leave them in the greenhouse for Bilbo to take care of?"
Luke looked at him speechlessly, "I wouldn't dare to entrust Mandrakes to Bilbo. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd find his corpse when I returned!"
The Mandrakes were about to mature at any time, and the sound they emitted would be fatal. Even he had to handle them carefully, let alone entrust them to Bilbo.
The Blue Mountains, where Thorin Oakenshield resided, were located west of the Shire, not far away. Gandalf and Luke walked for a week before arriving at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
After the evil dragon Smaug occupied the Lonely Mountain, the Durinfolk were forced to flee, constantly moving from place to place, and finally settled in the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains once had two dwarven city-states, Belegost and Nogrod, but they gradually declined and became desolate, leaving behind many mine tunnels that extended deep into the mountain. The exiled Durinfolk lived in these mine tunnels, and a small town formed in front of the caves.
Luke accompanied Gandalf to the Durinfolk settlement.
This was his first time seeing Dwarves.
He looked at everything around him, feeling very new.
The Dwarves' height was only slightly taller than that of hobbits, reaching only Luke's waist.
However, unlike hobbits, Dwarves had rugged appearances, broad shoulders and waists, and full beards. Even female Dwarves had beards.
Luke was amazed. If it weren't for being able to distinguish them by clothing, he wouldn't even be able to tell the Dwarves' genders.
The Dwarves also curiously scrutinized Luke and Gandalf, these two tall strangers.
Gandalf didn't mind the surrounding gazes at all and even greeted the surrounding Dwarves in a friendly manner.
"We're looking for Thorin, Thorin Oakenshield. Can you tell me where he is now?"
Gandalf asked a dwarf.
The dwarf looked strangely at Gandalf and Luke, then casually pointed behind him.
"He's in the innermost blacksmith shop right now. If you're looking for him, go there."
After thanking the dwarf, Gandalf led Luke to the blacksmith shop.
Arriving at the blacksmith shop,
the furnace was roaring, and intense heat emanated from the forge.
A dwarf, dressed in leather and with bare arms,
was holding a hammer, intently striking a red-hot iron block, sparks flying everywhere.
He had long black hair and a long beard. He was short but exceptionally muscular. The heavy hammer was light in his hands, and he easily hammered the iron block into a rough shape.
Gandalf raised his hand to greet him:
"Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thráin, grandson of Thrór, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey Wizard."
Then he pointed to Luke.
"This is Luke, who is traveling with me, Luke the Black Wizard."
Thorin seemed not to hear and continued to focus on forging iron.
Gandalf didn't mind. He turned to examine the forge, then pulled out a heavy sword from a shelf, held it in his hand, and carefully felt it, commenting, "The dwarven weapon forging craftsmanship is indeed exquisite, not inferior even to that of the elves."
"Hmph!"
Upon hearing 'elves', Thorin, who was forging iron, immediately let out a cold snort.
His tone conveyed disdain and contempt.
He raised his head, looking at Gandalf and Luke with cold and suspicious eyes.
"What do you want with me?"
Gandalf went straight to the point.
"Thorin Oakenshield, as the royal heir of the dwarves, are you willing to take on the responsibility of an heir, reclaim your lost homeland, and retake the Lonely Mountain?"
Thorin was not provoked by these words. He gave Gandalf a cold look and sneered.
"Don't you know that the Lonely Mountain has been occupied by an evil dragon? The Dwarves are now hopeless. Do you think we are capable of dueling with a dragon?"
Gandalf shook his head.
"To my knowledge, that dragon has been sleeping for a long time. You don't need to directly fight the dragon; you only need to steal the arkenstone, the Dwarves' most precious treasure.
You can then, as the heir of the Durinfolk, use the arkenstone to rally other Dwarves and reorganize an army to drive the dragon out of the Lonely Mountain."
A glint flashed in Thorin's eyes, clearly indicating his interest.
But he still looked at Gandalf and Luke with suspicion.
"You're so eager to help us? What are your conditions?"
"I don't need anything. My goal is that dragon," Gandalf explained.
"These past few days, I've noticed the Orcs starting to stir. Their movements are orderly, which means a king must have emerged. To prevent the Orcs and the dragon from joining forces later, I need the strength of the Dwarves to first eliminate the dragon, this hidden danger."
"What about him?"
Thorin directly turned his questioning gaze to Luke, who had remained silent.
Luke frowned at Thorin's suspicious gaze.
"Don't mind me. I'm just here at Gandalf's invitation. I'm not interested in your affairs and won't interfere."
Noticing Luke's displeasure, Gandalf looked at Thorin with a serious expression.
"Luke is a powerful Wizard. He once helped the hobbits defeat the Huorn family of the Old Forest, and he even ventured deep into the Barrow-downs to defeat the barrow-wights and return unscathed. His name is widely spread across the Eriador wilderness, and his magic is beyond what I can achieve.
If you want to safely reach the Lonely Mountain, or even deal with the dragon, Luke is a guarantee."
Hearing Gandalf's serious and earnest words, Thorin's gaze towards Luke also became solemn.
Gandalf was not unknown among Dwarves, elves, and humans. Although his image was more often that of a wise man who frequently traveled to various places to organize different forces against darkness.
But no one would doubt his power.