Sixteen people emerged from Bag End, one after another, facing the rising sun, ready to depart.
Bilbo, walking at the very end, held a bundle in one hand and the dagger Luke had given him in the other, gazing longingly at his home.
"Let's go," Luke said, patting the Hobbit's shoulder, without saying much else.
However, before leaving, he still drew his Magic wand and waved it at the door lock.
Everyone who saw his action was puzzled.
"Luke, what are you doing?" Bilbo asked curiously.
"I'm putting a curse on your door lock to prevent anyone from occupying your house while you're away," Luke explained with a smile.
Hearing this, the Dwarves gasped, looking at Luke in horror. The word "curse" was no ordinary term; it instinctively made people think of evil deeds.
Bilbo was even more stunned, quickly flailing his limbs and stammering, "No, it doesn't need to be so serious, Luke, quickly remove the curse!"
The kind Hobbit's face turned red with anxiety, deeply afraid that others might suffer from the curse.
Luke waved his hand, reassuring him, "Don't worry, it's just a small curse. It will only make anyone who forcibly breaks the lock grow hair all over their body. It's a warning, not serious."
This was a minor curse he had learned from Curses and Counter-Curses, with no lethal power, more like a prank curse.
Upon hearing Luke's explanation, Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't a harmful curse.
Meanwhile, Gandalf, upon hearing it, looked at Luke in surprise, "Luke, do you have research on the art of cursing?"
"It's not research, just a little understanding," Luke waved his hand.
Gandalf gave him a meaningful look, not believing that he truly only had a little understanding.
When leaving, Luke did not forget to bring the last pot of Mandrake from the greenhouse.
Luke intended to use this Mandrake to save seeds. After it bloomed and bore fruit, the resulting seeds would be Magic seeds. As long as they were planted in a land rich in Magic, Luke would no longer need to water them with Magic for them to transform, and the Mandrake that grew would be a Magic plant.
Moreover, the cries of the Mandrake could sometimes play an unexpected role.
Departing from Bag End, Luke, as usual, used the carriage pulled by the pony Little Dull as transportation. Bilbo and Gandalf also hitched a ride.
As for the Dwarves, there were too many to fit, so they could only walk to the village first and then depart on horseback from the Green Dragon Inn.
After a brief stop at the Green Dragon Inn, everyone continued their journey, heading directly east along the East-West Road.
After several days of walking, they crossed the Brandywine Bridge and finally left the Shire.
Passing by the Old Forest, Luke made a brief stop and entered the Old Forest with Gandalf. He took a branch from a vine-like Huorn and then leisurely left the forest amidst the angry rustling of the trees.
He had previously promised to make Gandalf a Magic wand, and this section of vine wood was the staff he had chosen for Gandalf's Magic wand.
Because Gandalf's staff material was vine wood, Luke did not need to try various types of wood to match Gandalf; choosing vine wood directly was the most suitable.
Thorin was somewhat displeased with Luke and Gandalf's mid-journey departure and delay, but aside from his somewhat displeased expression, he didn't say much.
Everyone continued forward and soon arrived within the vicinity of the Barrow-downs.
Due to the delay in the Old Forest, they couldn't leave the Barrow-downs before nightfall, so they had to choose an open space to rest temporarily.
"Everyone be careful tonight. Although we are not close to the Barrow-downs, we must still guard against the appearance of wights," Gandalf warned everyone solemnly.
Hearing this, everyone became vigilant. Bilbo also clutched his dagger tightly, his eyes scanning around, always feeling as if a wight could rush out of the darkness at any moment.
Thorin was even more displeased, his eyes sweeping over Gandalf and Luke, and he snorted coldly, "If you hadn't gone into the Old Forest mid-journey and delayed us for so long, we would have already left the Barrow-downs, and we wouldn't need to be so careful!"
Luke frowned. If it weren't for his transaction with Thorin, sometimes he really wouldn't want to bother with this guy.
Gandalf didn't get angry at Thorin's accusation and still apologized with a cheerful smile, "Sorry, Luke generously agreed to make a Magic wand for me, and I was a bit impatient, which is why I dragged Luke into the Old Forest to find suitable wood."
"But there's no need to worry too much. wights generally don't easily leave the vicinity of tombs, so we just need to remain vigilant."
"Alright, I'll prepare some things for everyone so you can all have a good night's rest," Luke also stood up and said, then waved his Magic wand.
The carriage rapidly transformed and expanded, turning into a yurt large enough to accommodate everyone. The grass on the ground became a thick, soft carpet, and the leaves became green sleeping bags.
Seeing the changes Luke made with a wave of his hand, everyone was dumbfounded and deeply shocked.
"Am I drunk? Or is it an illusion?" asked Bombur, the fattest of the Dwarves, somewhat dizzily and doubtfully.
The other Dwarves also widened their eyes, unable to resist touching the transformed items around them. After confirming they felt real, they were even more astonished.
Thorin was equally shocked, his eyes fixed on Luke, unsure what to say. He found that Luke's abilities had exceeded his comprehension.
Bilbo, on the other hand, was relatively calm, as he had long witnessed Luke's various miraculous Magic, so he accepted it well.
Gandalf surveyed the surroundings, then picked up a sleeping bag and said cheerfully, "It seems we're in luck for the rest of our journey. These camping conditions are much more comfortable than staying in an inn!"
Luke did not stop casting. He continued to set up Magic spells around the yurt before telling everyone, "Alright, everyone go inside and rest. I have already set up a Magic barrier around, so there's no need for special night watch. We'll continue in the morning."
Having witnessed Luke's miraculous Magic, everyone had no objections to his words and entered the yurt one after another, preparing to rest.
At midnight, snores like thunder filled the yurt.
Thick dark clouds shrouded the sky in complete blackness.
Outside the yurt, besides the sound of horses chewing grass, the surroundings were completely silent, with not even the sound of insects.
At some unknown point,
a chill swept in, and the surrounding temperature rapidly dropped.
A mist appeared inexplicably, silently approaching the yurt, as if to engulf it.
The dozen or so ponies outside the yurt suddenly became restless, constantly pawing the ground and snorting, trying to break free from their reins.
Suddenly, a tall dark figure rushed out of the mist at a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch, ignoring the frightened and restless horses, and charged directly towards the yurt.
It smelled the scent of living people from inside the yurt, and many living people at that.
Just as the wight revealed a hideous smile, believing that in the next second it would break through the yurt and rush inside to massacre them, it collided with an invisible yet solid barrier.
The enormous impact bounced the wight directly back, and at the same time, caused ripples in the invisible barrier.