Time passed, unnoticed.
Luke finally awoke from his meditation.
He stretched contentedly, feeling as if he had enjoyed a wonderful sleep, and his entire being felt refreshed.
Even more surprising was the slight increase he felt in his magic.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
But if it was real, it was a huge surprise.
In the Wizarding World, a Wizard's magic naturally strengthens with age, especially between the ages of eleven or twelve and seventeen, when magic enters a period of rapid growth.
After adulthood, a Wizard's magic tends to stabilize.
Only a few exceptionally gifted Wizards, such as Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort, can continue to increase their magic through continuous study and practice.
Luke's situation was different; he had only awakened his Wizarding talent after transmigrating, and he was already an adult.
In the past two years, his magic had been rapidly increasing, and now it was comparable to that of elite Aurors in the Wizarding World.
If he were in the Wizarding World, he would be considered a talented Wizard.
However, recently, he had felt his magic growth beginning to stabilize.
Now, the increase in magic after meditation made him feel as if he had returned to the time when his magic had just awakened.
Luke was afraid it was his imagination, so he meditated for several more days.
Only after confirming that his magic had truly increased did he completely relax, filled with immense joy.
He hadn't expected that meditation could not only cultivate spirit and soul but also increase magic.
Gandalf, however, was not surprised by this.
According to him, soul, spirit, and magic form a complete triangular cycle: magic is the external manifestation of spirit, and spirit is the reflection of the soul.
Meditation can enhance spirit, and spirit can stimulate the soul to become stronger. Once the soul becomes stronger, magic will naturally increase.
With such an effect, Luke naturally wished he could meditate twenty-four hours a day.
But everything has its limits; excessive meditation is also mentally exhausting and can be detrimental to the cultivation of the soul.
So, at Gandalf's urging, Luke limited his daily meditation to a reasonable timeframe.
Most importantly, they were about to set off again.
They still needed to go to the Old Forest to see if they could entrust the one ring to Tom Bombadil.
Secondly, Bilbo was homesick.
He had been away from the Shire for a year, and for a home-loving hobbit like Bilbo, being away for so long was already quite extraordinary.
Although the outside world was dazzling, Bilbo still yearned to return to his Bag End.
Before leaving, someone was needed to care for the young Thorondor at the top of the tower.
Luke specifically found a young man named Edward from Hogsmeade Village to take care of Thorondor.
Luke had a good impression of this young man; when they rescued the villagers in Troll Forest, other villagers were numb, but he was able to answer his and Gandalf's questions clearly and logically.
Earlier, in Hogsmeade Village, he was also the first to greet them and answer their questions.
And Edward, upon being chosen, was overjoyed and ecstatic, looking at Luke with worship and fanaticism.
In Edward's eyes, Luke, who had saved them from the Trolls, was no different from a savior, so after receiving the gold coins Luke gave him, he unhesitatingly chose to travel a thousand miles across the desolate land to live in Luke's territory.
Even though he encountered many hardships and even dangers along the way, he never regretted it.
He even continuously encouraged the accompanying villagers, helping each other to move forward together.
It was also he who, when they encountered the Dúnedain and other villagers fearfully thought they were bandits, bravely stepped forward to communicate, thereby gaining the Dúnedain's escort and successfully arriving at the foot of Weathertop.
So, when Luke chose him to care for the young eagle, Edward excitedly patted his chest and promised to take good care of Thorondor, ensuring it would never go hungry.
After handling the affairs, Luke, watched by Edward, and Gandalf, Bilbo, and Legolas, successively used Floo Powder to directly teleport to the fireplace of the Prancing Pony Inn in Bree.
As for Edward, who remained in the tower, Luke was not worried about any accidents.
Several important rooms were sealed by his magic and could not be opened without his permission.
He also took the Palantír and eärendil's light from the top of the tower.
magic had also been cast on the locations where the seeds of the white tree and mallorn tree were planted outside the tower, so there was no need to worry about anyone approaching.
Edward's only task was to care for the young Thorondor.
For this, Luke even managed to pry a bag of gold coins from Smaug, who had transformed into a miser, and gave them to Edward.
Some were for his pay, and some were to buy food for Thorondor.
Bree,
Prancing Pony Inn.
In the dimly lit hall, a few scattered guests sat at tables drinking or eating, and the innkeeper stood behind the bar, wiping glasses with a rag.
Just then, the flames in the fireplace suddenly turned green, attracting everyone's attention.
The innkeeper, Mr. Butterbur, was initially startled, but then he remembered a similar scene from a year ago and immediately had a guess.
Sure enough, the next second, Gandalf's figure emerged from the green flames.
He walked out of the fireplace, bent over, and coughed a few times, choked by the dust.
Then he smiled at the innkeeper and said, "Good morning, Mr. Butterbur. Honestly, your fireplace needs a good cleaning."
Then he cheerfully greeted the few stunned guests in the inn: "Good morning, everyone, I hope I haven't disturbed you."
The guests stared, dumbfounded, unsure how to respond.
However, the next second, green flames erupted from the fireplace again.
The tall and slender Legolas appeared in the fireplace, his handsome face and elegant demeanor instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Some sharp-eyed guests quickly noticed his pointed ears, and a gasp of surprise immediately rose.
"It's an Elf!" a guest whispered, excitedly telling his companion about his discovery.
But even the lowest whisper could not escape Legolas's keen hearing, and he instantly looked over.
The discovered guest immediately lowered his head sheepishly.
The innkeeper was also very excited; the last time an Elf came to the Prancing Pony Inn was when his grandfather was young. His grandfather had described to him how perfect that westward-bound Elf was, even more elegant and noble than those noble lords.
He never expected to see a living Elf in his lifetime; this was truly too fortunate!
Looking at the Elf before him, though covered in dust, his elegant and noble demeanor could not be concealed.
His perfect features and golden long hair, illuminated by the lamplight, emitted a halo, making him seem to glow.
Compared to this Elf, the town mayor's pretentious gestures seemed forced and like a clumsy imitation.
After Legolas, Bilbo also appeared from the fireplace.
Compared to Legolas, Bilbo's appearance drew little reaction.
The Prancing Pony Inn already had two hobbit employees, so everyone's reaction to Bilbo, a hobbit, was unremarkable.
However, Bilbo didn't notice this; he quickly exited the fireplace to avoid being crowded by Luke, who was behind him.
Sure enough, the next second, green flames reignited, and Luke was the last to arrive.
The guests didn't react much to Luke's appearance, but the innkeeper immediately recognized him.
He immediately walked out from behind the bar and quickly approached Luke, bowing repeatedly with reverence and respect.
"It is truly an honor for this establishment that you, Lord Luke, have graced us with your presence! How may I be of service, my lord?"
Weathertop is not far from Bree. As the most well-informed innkeeper, he had naturally heard that the master of Amon Sûl Tower had returned, and moreover, he had returned riding a giant dragon.
He had also heard that the villagers gathered at the foot of Weathertop had become subjects of the Lord of Amon Sûl Tower and accepted his rule.
Being adjacent to such a powerful lord, the innkeeper had no choice but to treat him carefully.
After all, anyone with eyes could see that although Weathertop currently only had a few hundred people, with Lord Luke, a powerful lord, its future rise was destined to be meteoric.
And the other guests, hearing the innkeeper's address to Luke, quickly reacted and immediately turned their attention to him.
The sudden appearance of Amon Sûl Tower overnight, and its long-standing presence atop Weathertop, was common knowledge.
The name of the tower's master—Luke—was also remembered by many.
Some had even tried to investigate Weathertop, but ultimately, it was as if they were caught in a ghost wall; they clearly saw the giant tower ahead but could not get a single step closer.
This also added a sense of mystery to the reputation of Weathertop and Luke.
Luke happened to need the innkeeper to do something, so he took out a bag of gold coins and handed it to the innkeeper, along with a piece of parchment.
"Mr. Butterbur, you receive guests from all corners of the world every day; you are well-informed and have extensive channels. Please help me collect the materials listed on this paper, the more the better!"
"Oh, and please help me find a seven-year-old rooster."
"If you can help me accomplish this, these gold coins are just a down payment; the reward you receive then will satisfy you."
The innkeeper looked at the parchment, which listed all sorts of strange and bizarre items like "bat spleen, tree snake skin, crocodile heart, eel eyeballs, frog brain, pufferfish eyes," and his expression was peculiar.
Upon hearing that Luke was looking for a seven-year-old rooster, he was even more surprised.
A seven-year-old rooster is hard to find; ordinary households wouldn't keep a chicken for so long. Even roosters used for breeding are usually slaughtered and eaten when they get old at three or four years, certainly not kept until seven years old.
However, looking at the bulging bag of gold coins, the innkeeper's eyes glittered, and he immediately declared that it was not a problem.
"Lord Luke, rest assured, I will definitely help you find these things!"
As long as the money was enough, whether it flew in the sky, ran on the ground, or swam in the water, he could find it all for him.
It wasn't that the innkeeper was arrogant; his establishment was located at a vital transportation hub, where all sorts of people—rangers, traveling merchants, Dwarves, bards, and so on—would stop to rest. Information was most readily available there.
Therefore, the Prancing Pony Inn was not just a place to stop and rest, but also a place for exchanging information and even selling news.
After declining the enthusiastic innkeeper's offer, Luke and the others purchased some food and then left Bree.