Having obtained so many living magical herbs and flowers, Luke was momentarily dazzled.
Alpha looked at Luke's happy expression but still reminded him,
"Luke Wizard, although these herbs are still live plants, their growing conditions vary, so it might not be easy for you to transplant them successfully."
Saying it wasn't easy was already a euphemism.
These herbs came from all corners of the world; some preferred sun, some preferred shade, and the soil they grew in also varied. It would be a miracle if they could survive together.
However, Luke had previously requested live plants, and the Dúnedain, following his request, did their best to bring live plants to him, but they held no hope for these plants to survive.
Luke naturally understood Alpha's meaning.
However, he didn't care about it.
If it were anyone else, it certainly wouldn't work, but don't forget he had the help of magic.
So, with confidence, he smiled and said, "Don't worry. Since they've been sent over, there's definitely a way to make them survive."
"But I'll still have to trouble you to tell me the growing conditions for each of these flowers and plants so I can make adjustments."
Alpha didn't quite understand, but since Luke had said so, he could only agree.
Then, Luke used a spatial bag to store the large pile of wooden boxes containing plants and soil.
Alpha and the other Dúnedain, seeing this for the first time, were all dumbfounded.
Afterward, the group followed Luke back into the tower, where Luke led them to a room on the sixth floor.
As he cast the Undetectable Extension Charm with his wand, the space here expanded.
Everyone watched as the originally somewhat cramped space rapidly grew larger and larger. The ceiling above became higher and higher, and the surrounding walls moved further and further away, eventually forming a space as large as two or three football fields.
Everyone's eyes widened, and their mouths hung open as they looked at everything around them. They were like ants, tiny, as if they had entered a Giant's room.
After finishing all of this, Luke turned to Alpha: "Alpha, what are the growing conditions for the King's Herb? For example, the soil it grows in, the climate temperature, etc. Tell me everything!"
The shock on Alpha's face had not yet faded, and he stammered his reply to Luke.
Luke listened carefully to Alpha's answer, nodding thoughtfully.
He then continuously waved his wand, and thick soil appeared out of thin air, filling the entire floor of the space, forming a small hill.
And in the depression of the small hill, Luke summoned a large amount of clear spring water, forming a clear lake.
He pointed his wand at the ceiling, and the ceiling quickly transformed into a blue sky with white clouds.
A large yellow sun shot out from the tip of his wand, flying to the ceiling and emitting suitable temperature and light.
With another wave of his wand, a gentle breeze appeared, continuously blowing and creating ripples on the lake's surface.
Then, Luke took out watercress, yellow irises, and water lilies from his spatial bag and planted them in the lake.
Then, on the slope not far from the lakeside, he carefully transplanted the King's Herb one by one.
The King's Herb likes water but not being too close to it. It prefers a moderate temperature and needs plenty of sunlight.
Now, Luke, following Alpha's guidance, transformed the room's environment into the ideal growing conditions for the King's Herb.
Looking at the transformed room, Luke nodded in satisfaction.
Currently, there were only hundreds of King's Herbs on the bare hill, but he looked forward to them forming vast grasslands in the future.
And those who witnessed all of this were now silent, their faces filled with shock.
Even Gandalf, Bilbo, and others who had already seen Luke's various magical feats were astonished.
A young Dúnedain even subconsciously rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing was real.
Luke turned around, smiled, and beckoned, "Let's go to the next room."
Everyone followed, looking dazed, as they left the room.
And as the last person left, the door automatically closed, sealing off the small world inside.
There were other rooms on the sixth floor. Luke chose the adjacent room and again expanded the space using the Undetectable Extension Charm.
Then, he repeated the process, and after consulting Alpha and a few Dúnedain, he transformed the room once more.
This time, the environment became a dry grassland. On the lush, grassy hillocks, Luke planted the Everlasting Flowers from the Kingdom of Rohan.
Such a natural environment even made Gandalf say directly that it felt like they had come to the Rohan region.
Afterward, Luke expanded and transformed other rooms one by one.
There were dense valleys, a seaside full of saline-alkali land, cold, howling rock walls, and ice and snow-covered hills. One could say that each room was a natural environment.
Following Luke, everyone experienced various natural landscapes in a short time, and the sense of shock in their hearts was beyond compare.
"Luke, the entire natural environment of Middle-earth is now encompassed by you!" Gandalf exclaimed with a look of anticipation, "I can't wait to see the flowers in full bloom. Please be sure to notify me then."
"Certainly," Luke smiled and nodded in agreement.
His current transformations were still very rough, and he would need to continuously adjust them in the future, even forming a complete ecological cycle, so that the plants inside could grow better.
And others also requested that they be invited to visit when the time came.
Luke agreed to all of these requests.
So, after having a meditation room on the 7th floor, Luke also gained a herb garden on the 6th floor.
Moreover, Luke planned to gradually fill each floor in the future, such as a Potion room, a library, an alchemy room, and so on.
He intended to truly transform Amon Sûl Tower into his Wizard Tower.
After transforming the herb garden, it was already late.
The Dúnedain refused Luke's invitation to stay. Having completed their trade mission, they immediately rode off.
Luke, who remained, then stated the purpose of his visit to Luke:
"My Lord, the villagers wish to cultivate land at the edge of the swamp and request your permission."
Luke hadn't expected Luke to discuss this with him. Upon hearing it, he waved his hand.
"You and the villagers can discuss this matter among yourselves; you don't need to ask for my opinion."
Luke replied, "Yes, My Lord," but still hesitated before asking, "Lord Luke, how much tax do you intend to collect?"
"Tax? What tax?" Luke asked with a bewildered expression.
"It's the tax to be paid to you. We are the people of your dominion, and according to ancient law, we need to pay you a certain amount of tax as a covenant for your protection, including head tax, inheritance tax, trade tax, land tax, house tax, etc.—"
Luke listened, completely bewildered. He never thought he would be collecting taxes one day!
He was about to say no, but then he swallowed the words that were already in his throat and asked instead, "How are taxes collected in other places?"
"I'm not sure about other places, but Bree has a tax rate of 10%," Luke replied.
Luke thought for a moment and said, "Then collect 1% tax, but you don't need to pay it to me. Just use all of it to maintain the operation of Hogsmeade Village."
Hearing Luke's words, Luke was stunned, thinking he had misheard, but then came a surge of pleasant surprise.
He excitedly bowed repeatedly to Luke, full of gratitude and reverence.
"Lord Luke, you are truly a benevolent lord sent from heaven! I thank you on behalf of the villagers for your grace. Everyone will remember your kindness.
Your grace is like sunshine illuminating the fields, more nourishing to the crops than rainwater—"
"Alright," Luke quickly interrupted Luke's effusive praise. "If there's nothing else, then you may return."
Luke was perceptive and, seeing Luke's impatience, immediately took his leave.
He ran down the mountain with a joyful expression, preparing to tell the villagers this wonderful news.
He even planned to boast to outsiders that they had such a benevolent lord.
Not only did he not demand any tax money from his people, but even the sole, meager tax collected was entirely used for the villagers.
He could already foresee the sight of people from other places, especially those who were suffocating under various high taxes, flocking here in droves after hearing this news!
Luke was no longer content with merely being a small village chief.
He vowed to develop Hogsmeade Village into a town, a city, and even a nation.
By then, he would be Lord Luke's right-hand man, standing by his side, and forever recorded in the history of Amon Sul!
At this moment, Luke had no idea that Luke harbored such grand ambitions.
After watering the white tree and the mallorn tree seeds as usual, he went to the meditation room on the seventh floor, closed the door, activated do-not-disturb mode, and then went between the two fireplaces where Gubraith-sel fire burned brightly.
The floor and walls of the meditation room were carved with ancient Elven runes, carrying a power that brought peace and focus.
The entire meditation room had no other light source except for the Gubraith-sel fire in the fireplaces.
The firelight flickered, making the meditation room seem somewhat mysterious.
Due to the presence of the Gubraith-sel fire, the surrounding magic energy was very abundant, comparable to Rivendell and Lórien.
In such an environment, Luke conjured a comfortable sofa and sat on it.
Then he pulled out a handful of broad golden leaves from a spatial bag and threw them into the Gubraith-sel fire.
These golden leaves were fallen leaves from the mallorn tree.
Before he left, he had gone to the mallorn forest and directly filled an entire spatial bag with leaves.
If poured out, they would be enough to fill the entire meditation room.
The mallorn tree leaves burned in the Gubraith-sel fire, emitting a scent of sunshine.
It was a scent like a blanket that had been sun-dried—fresh, warm, and very pleasant.
Luke waved his wand, causing the mallorn tree leaves to automatically fly into the Gubraith-sel fire at regular intervals.
For a time, smoke swirled, appearing and disappearing, ethereal and shifting.
The smoke seemed to have magic, condensing without dispersing, swirling around Luke like long, slender ribbons fluttering.
He inhaled the fragrant smoke of the burning mallorn leaves, leaned back on the sofa, completely relaxed his body, slightly parted his lips, and softly hummed the song that Tom Bombadil had taught him.
In the quiet meditation room, his singing echoed continuously through the room.
The song was full of magic, especially in this environment rich in magic energy, producing an even greater effect.
A feeling of joy arose spontaneously in his heart, filled with happiness, light, and childlike innocence.
Gradually, all his distracting thoughts vanished, and only this cheerful music remained in his mind.
Finally, even the music disappeared, and he became thoughtless and free from desires.
He seemed to be asleep, yet he was clearly conscious that he wasn't asleep.
His senses seemed to be infinitely magnified; he heard the crackling of burning leaves, the flow of air, his own breathing, the flow of blood, and even the fluctuations of magic within his body.