Luke's brows furrowed at the sight, and his appetite instantly vanished. He put down his knife and fork.
Bilbo was dumbfounded and hadn't had time to question when the door was knocked on again.
This time it was a white-bearded Dwarf, Balin.
He also walked in unceremoniously and greeted Dwalin familiarly.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house?"
Bilbo tried to stop them, but they acted as if they hadn't heard him, and even started rummaging through his pantry.
Immediately after, the door was knocked on repeatedly.
A group of Dwarves arrived one after another: Kili and Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori... Each one swaggered into the house and then squeezed around the small dining table.
The house instantly became crowded and noisy.
Bilbo stood to the side, looking at these uninvited guests with a helpless and shocked expression.
His home seemed to have become a gathering place for Dwarves, and he had become an outsider.
He looked at the Dwarves, who were rummaging through all the food and wine stored in his pantry, with a tearful expression. He could only look pleadingly at Luke: "Luke~"
Seeing Bilbo's frustrated expression, both angry and daring not to speak, Luke chuckled with a hint of sympathy. He patted Bilbo's shoulder, deciding to help him vent and teach these impolite Dwarves a lesson.
"Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus! Petrificus Totalus..."
The living room instantly fell silent. Twelve Dwarves were frozen in place, in various poses, with only their eyes darting around, revealing looks of terror.
Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief and said with gratitude and relief, "Thank goodness for you, Luke!"
But before he could fully relax, the door was knocked on again.
Bilbo was somewhat shaken and dared not open the door.
Luke had no choice but to walk over and open the door.
Standing outside the door was Thorin Oakenshield.
"Thorin."
"Luke."
The two nodded in greeting to each other.
"Has Gandalf arrived?" Thorin asked as he walked through the door.
Luke shook his head, "Not yet. He must have been delayed by something."
Thorin frowned at his words.
When he walked into the living room and saw the petrified Dwarves, his pupils instantly constricted, his expression became solemn, and he questioned Luke in a deep voice, "What's going on? What have you done?"
Luke's expression was calm. "They were a bit impolite. I just temporarily made them quiet."
Thorin's expression turned somewhat ugly. He felt that Luke was trying to assert his dominance. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Please, Wizard Luke, undo the Magic on them. I will apologize to you on their behalf!"
Luke shook his head. "The one they should apologize to is not me, but the owner of this place..."
"Sorry, I'm late!" Gandalf's voice suddenly came from the doorway, interrupting the tense atmosphere inside. Gandalf walked in, bending at the waist, and looked at everyone with a smile, asking, "Did I miss anything?"
"Gandalf, you're here!" Bilbo looked as if he had seen a savior, rushing forward with excitement. The oppressive atmosphere just now had almost made him unable to breathe.
"Hello there, Bilbo!" Gandalf greeted him with a smile, then saw the petrified Dwarves stiffly standing at the dining table, his eyes flashing. "It seems you've all met each other, so I don't need to introduce you, do I?"
Seeing Gandalf come out to ease the atmosphere, Luke also had no intention of completely antagonizing the Dwarves. He waved his hand and lifted the Petrificus Totalus from the Dwarves.
The Dwarves, whose bodies had been stiff for a long time, instantly collapsed together weakly, groaning and moaning as they rubbed their sore limbs.
At the same time, their gazes towards Luke held a hint of awe.
After some twists and turns, everyone calmed down again. Although they didn't particularly welcome the Dwarves, Bilbo still took out all the food and wine from the pantry to entertain everyone.
At the dining table, Luke and Gandalf sat together, while the Dwarves, led by Thorin, sat together.
Only Bilbo was constantly busy going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining table.
Everyone discussed the expedition while eating dinner.
"We don't need to confront the Dragon Smaug directly. We just need a key person—he's flexible enough and not easily discovered, then he can quietly sneak into the Lonely Mountain's hall and steal the Arkenstone," Gandalf said.
"With the Arkenstone, Thorin, as the heir of the Durin family, you can gather a Dwarf army and reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the Dragon's hands."
Hearing Gandalf's words, Thorin was somewhat moved. He looked at Gandalf, "Do you have a candidate?"
Gandalf didn't answer but turned his gaze to Bilbo.
Thorin also followed Gandalf's gaze and immediately frowned, questioning, "Gandalf, are you sure?"
In Thorin's opinion, this Hobbit was completely useless except for cooking. He was shorter than a Dwarf, and his arms were not as strong as a Dwarf's, making him very weak and of no use at all.
Bilbo was somewhat flustered by everyone's gazes and tried to shrink behind Luke.
Seeing this, Thorin's frown deepened.
However, Gandalf didn't think so. He explained, "hobbits are small in stature, light-footed, and possess an innate instinct for stealth. They are skilled at moving unnoticed (such as secretly picking mushrooms or avoiding neighbors), making them the perfect choice for a burglar."
"Moreover, hobbits are never noticed by evil Dragons, unless they are trampled underfoot—and Smaug's eyes and nose are sharp enough. He is familiar with the scent of Dwarves, Elves, and Men, but he has never seen a Hobbit, nor can he imagine what they could do."
Thorin was somewhat convinced by Gandalf's words, but he still remained skeptical about Bilbo as a candidate.
Seeing Thorin remain silent, Gandalf turned to Bilbo and said with a very serious attitude, "Then, Mr. Bilbo Baggins, are you willing to join the expedition and venture to the Lonely Mountain?"
"Me?" Bilbo was caught off guard, his expression shocked, and then he shook his head frantically, "No, I can't! I never go on adventures, find someone else!"
Gandalf watched Bilbo hide behind Luke but didn't give up.
"Bilbo, don't you want to experience a great adventure? Think about those adventure books you've read. Don't you want to personally experience those places described in the books? And when you return from your adventure, you can even write your own adventure book, so that your future descendants will know about your adventures and be proud of you!"
"And Luke will be accompanying you on this adventure. Don't you want to go with him?"
When Luke was mentioned, Bilbo looked at him with some confusion, "Luke, do you want me to go too?"
Luke shook his head, not joining Gandalf in persuading him, but sincerely said, "No matter what decision you make, I will support you."
Although he knew that Bilbo would leave the Shire, encounter the One Ring of his destiny, and that his choice would even determine the direction of the entire Middle-earth, making him a key character in the saga of the Ring.
But if Bilbo was content with an ordinary life, only wishing to live as a common Hobbit in the Shire, he would also unhesitatingly choose to support him.
Hearing Luke's words, Bilbo's expression showed struggle and hesitation, with rationality and courage constantly in conflict.
Finally, he took a deep breath and said to everyone, "I am willing to join!"