Inside the hall,
After Celeborn and Gandalf exchanged pleasantries, they turned their gaze to Luke, Bilbo, and Legolas.
However, their gaze was primarily on Luke.
"This must be the Black-robed Wizard Luke, who subdued the dragon Smaug, killed the Orc kings Azog and Bolg, and turned the tide in the Battle of Five Armies, right?"
Celeborn's tone was filled with admiration, "It's truly better to meet in person than to hear by reputation; you are even younger and more extraordinary than I imagined!"
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Celeborn."
Luke bowed his head in greeting and accepted Celeborn's compliment with a smile.
This Lord of Lórien, though not as widely renowned as Elrond and Thranduil,
and even his wife Galadriel's prestige, status, and power in Middle-earth far surpassed his,
did not mean he was an ordinary person.
If he were not exceptionally powerful, how could he have won Galadriel's favor?
Therefore, Luke had never looked down on him because of the saying "the man behind Galadriel."
Celeborn saw Luke's humble yet unyielding demeanor, and a hint of appreciation appeared in his eyes.
"Galadriel once told me that Middle-earth would welcome an unparalleled Wizard; it seems her vision is as sharp as ever."
"Lady Galadriel flatters me; I am merely an ordinary Wizard."
"An ordinary Wizard cannot subdue a giant dragon." Celeborn smiled, his gaze turning to Legolas. When his emerald eyes met the Elf Prince's, they held a gentle warmth befitting an elder.
"Thranduil's son is indeed as bright as a star. I see some of your father's former grace in you. Is your father well?"
Legolas bowed respectfully, his voice even more deferential: "My father is well, Lord Celeborn. I convey his greetings to you. He often speaks of you, saying that you are more imbued with the wisdom of ages than the ancient trees of Mirkwood, and possess deeper, more profound wisdom than the deep lakes of the Misty Mountains."
Although Thranduil and Celeborn were not related by blood, they both belonged to the Sindar Elves, making them naturally closer.
So Celeborn treated Legolas like his own junior.
After exchanging a few words with Legolas, he then offered warm greetings to Bilbo.
Galadriel, meanwhile, stood beside her husband, watching everyone gently without speaking.
Once everyone had finished their greetings, she instructed the Elves to prepare a dinner to entertain the guests who had traveled so far.
The dinner was not grand, but the atmosphere was solemn and gentle, without clamor.
The Lord and Lady sat at the head of the table, dining with Gandalf, Luke, Bilbo, and Legolas.
In addition, another Elf joined the banquet: Arwen, the daughter of Elrond, the Princess of Twilight, who had lived in Lórien since childhood.
She was also the granddaughter of Celeborn and Galadriel.
Arwen possessed long, lustrous black hair, bright and deep grey eyes, skin as fair as jade, a graceful figure, and a light gait. Her every movement exuded a vibrant and elegant aura.
She carried the bloodline of the demigod Maia, combined with the blood of the three great Elven royal houses, and also the common bloodline of the three ancient human families.
Such a complex and noble lineage endowed her with the divinity of the Maia, the elegance of Elves, and the free will of humans.
Looking at the Elf Princess nestled against Galadriel, Luke's eyes were filled with wonder. If Galadriel's beauty was like the moon, radiant and dazzling, a queen of the night sky that inspired awe,
then Arwen, like her title Twilight Star, possessed a gentle and pure beauty. She was like a star in the night sky, emitting a soft yet brilliant light that captivated the eye.
Arwen was clearly much beloved in Lórien. She carried a maidenly vibrancy, nestled close to Celeborn and Galadriel.
And the two powerful Elf Lord and Lady always watched her with eyes full of loving kindness.
As Luke observed the Twilight Princess,
she, too, was curious about Luke, the Wizard who had subdued a dragon.
Their gazes met.
Arwen paused, then offered a gentle and polite smile, nodding at him.
Luke, feeling no guilt about being caught staring, maintained his calm gaze and politely nodded in return.
In his heart, he felt a pity that such a beautiful Twilight Star chose to become mortal for love, and only left the world after losing everything she had.
He remembered that in the very end, after all the Elves had sailed west, and the aged Aragorn had passed away,
this Twilight Star chose to leave the human kingdom and return to the forests where the Elves once lived, spending the remainder of her life in solitude and sorrow.
At that time, he wondered if she had any regrets?
However, none of this had happened yet. In fact, Aragorn was still just a little kid at this point, so there was no such thing as love at first sight.
Luke thought mischievously, perhaps he could intervene and connect the fireplaces of Lórien and Rivendell.
Then he could send Arwen to Rivendell, so she could meet the child version of Aragorn early.
In such a situation, if Arwen could still fall in love with Aragorn,
then he could only say it was fate.
However, before he could continue his wild thoughts, the system, after a long silence, gave a prompt:
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Location Lothlórien. Sign in?]
Luke came back to his senses and silently thought, "Sign in."
[Sign-in successful. Congratulations on acquiring the Prophecy talent!]
Prophecy talent? Luke was stunned.
Professor Trelawney's eccentric, rambling, and mad image instantly flashed through his mind.
If it was that kind of talent, what if he didn't want it?
The next second, Luke felt a sudden clarity in his mind.
It was as if a third eye had been opened, and he looked at the world from a perspective he had never experienced before.
A mysterious and profound aura enveloped him, making him suddenly very rational and enigmatic.
This change was very subtle, but it could not escape the perception of the powerful individuals present.
Galadriel, Gandalf, and Celeborn all turned to look at Luke, their faces filled with surprise.
"That is—" For the first time, Celeborn's composed face showed a change, filled with doubt and astonishment.
"It is the power of fate." Galadriel's eyes flickered as she spoke with certainty.
"Luke, how are you?" Gandalf, on the other hand, asked with some concern.
Luke looked at Gandalf, just about to answer.
Suddenly, some images he had never seen before appeared in his mind.
And he spoke involuntarily: "The Age of Elves will end, and the Age of Men is about to come. On the day the broken sword is reforged, the crownless will again be king. Darkness will rise again, and the Dark Lord seeks his lost treasure—"
His voice was deep and devoid of emotion, calmly narrating the prophecy.
Everyone stared at Luke, whose eyes were hollow, listening in deathly silence to his emotionless voice.
It was only after Luke finished the last sentence, and his hollow eyes refocused, that he lightly coughed.
Only then did everyone come back to their senses, looking at Luke with newfound curiosity.
"Luke, you never told me you could also prophesy?" Gandalf asked with a complex expression, sighing.
Luke coughed again, a little uncomfortably: "Actually, I just found out too."
Gandalf shook his head. He knew Luke had some secrets, but he himself had secrets too, so he had no intention of prying.
He then turned to Galadriel and Celeborn: "What do you make of Luke's prophecy just now?"
To be honest, prophecies in Middle-earth were not uncommon.
For example, Glorfindel, the Lord of the Golden Flower, had once prophesied about the Witch-king of Angmar, saying that he would not die by the hand of man.
The word "man" here was used as "man," which could refer to a person or a male.
Ultimately, the Witch-king of Angmar was killed by Éowyn, the Princess of Rohan, and the hobbit Merry, who grievously wounded him with a dagger, was also not a human.
This outcome perfectly fulfilled Glorfindel's prophecy.
There was also Malbeth the Seer of Arthedain, who prophesied that Aragorn would pass through the Paths of the Dead and summon the ghosts to fulfill their oath.
Even Elrond and Galadriel possessed the ability of prophecy.
Of course, their prophecies were not an innate talent, but rather a foresight into future possibilities gained through wisdom and long years of experience.
So, while they were surprised that Luke could prophesy, they were not overly shocked.
Their attention was focused on the content of Luke's recent prophecy.
Their boundless wisdom allowed them to easily decipher the vague meanings within the prophecy and understand its true message.
"The prophecy is clear: the forces of darkness will rise again, and Sauron and his minions are attempting to find the lost one ring." Galadriel's deep gaze looked towards the far east, her face showing concern.
"Evidently, we were all mistaken before. The one ring did not, as we thought, flow down the Anduin River into the ocean.
Otherwise, Sauron would not be trying to find it."
Celeborn's brows furrowed upon hearing this:
"When Isildur was killed by Orcs at the Gladden Fields, the one ring was lost. Orcs, humans, and even Elves searched there, but found nothing.
But if the one ring isn't there, then where could it have gone?"
"It's hidden somewhere, or in someone's hands, after all." Gandalf said.
Upon hearing their words, Bilbo's expression became somewhat uneasy. He lowered his head, unconsciously reaching into his pocket to touch something.
Since entering here, the one ring in his pocket had become unusually quiet, almost like an ordinary gold ring.
Luke also noticed Bilbo's unusual behavior.
He had originally brought Bilbo here with the intention of letting Galadriel and the others discover the one ring.
After all, this one ring was not a good thing; the longer it was in contact, the more it would corrupt Bilbo's body and mind.
He thought that perhaps he could destroy the one ring by throwing it into Mount Doom early, before Sauron fully recovered, directly sending Sauron offline ahead of schedule.
There was no need to wait seventy-odd years later for Frodo to escort the one ring.
Anyway, he didn't intend to follow the plot.
Was he supposed to wait for Sauron to recover and then have another great war?
Wasn't that just asking for trouble?
So Luke, seeing Bilbo's hesitant and struggling expression, quietly walked to his side and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Bilbo's body trembled, and he stiffly turned his head to look at Luke.
Luke patted his shoulder and said in a voice only they could hear:
"Do you remember what I told you before? And think about Gollum's appearance. Do you want to become like that?"
When Bilbo heard this, Gollum's image involuntarily popped into his mind, and he immediately shivered.