Bilbo was stunned by the news.
He immediately looked at Luke with gratitude.
If Luke hadn't placed a small curse on the lock when he left, by the time he returned, everything in the house would have been moved out.
Although with his current wealth, he could easily buy the entire Shire and still have plenty to spare.
But every item in the house held a different meaning for him.
After clarifying the reason, Bilbo thanked the hobbit and led Luke and Legolas into the Bag End yard.
Just as he took out his key to open the door, Bilbo cautiously withdrew his hand and turned to look at Luke with bright eyes.
"Luke, have you removed the curse on the door? I hope I won't grow hair all over if I touch it?"
Seeing this, a hint of regret flashed in Luke's eyes.
Alright, Bilbo wasn't so easy to trick anymore.
He had no choice but to pull out his magic wand, wave it at the door lock, and undo the small curse on it.
Seeing this, Bilbo felt a wave of relief and looked speechlessly at his unprincipled friend who wanted to see him make a fool of himself.
"Childish!"
Then, ignoring him, he quickly opened the door, turned around, invited Legolas in, and reminded him not to hit his head.
Luke didn't care if Bilbo invited him or not; he moved as if he were in his own home, bending down and skillfully going to the fireplace, waving his hand to light the fire.
"Cleanse!" Just as Bilbo picked up a broom to clean the room, Luke cast a spell to clear away the dust and grime.
Seeing this, Bilbo put down the broom, "I'll go make some tea. Later, I'll go to the market in Hobbiton. There's no food left in the pantry; I need to buy more to stock up."
Luke watched Legolas trying to bend low to avoid hitting his head on the beam, and asked Bilbo, "Bilbo, do you mind if I make your ceiling a bit higher?"
Bilbo naturally noticed Legolas's awkwardness and said apologetically, "hobbit houses are indeed a bit unfriendly to you. Luke, please use your magic to fix it!"
With Bilbo's permission, Luke immediately waved his magic wand, expanding the house's space with an Undetectable Extension Charm, mainly increasing the height.
Afterwards, Bilbo needed to go to the market to stock up, and Luke and Legolas followed.
Especially Legolas, who had lived in Mirkwood all his life, was very interested in everything he saw on this trip with Luke and the others.
After a stroll through the Hobbiton market, the news that Bilbo, the "deceased" person, was still alive quickly spread throughout the village, especially when people saw him accompanied by an Elf and a Wizard. Everyone looked at Bilbo, their formerly quiet neighbor, with new eyes.
Many people were filled with curiosity about him.
Curious about what he had experienced on his long journey, that he even brought back an Elf, who was only seen in stories!
On the second day, Bag End suddenly became lively.
It turned out that Bilbo's cousin, Otho Sackville-Baggins, and his cousin-in-law, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, who had taken over Bilbo's property and house, had arrived.
When Bilbo saw Lobelia covered in long hair, looking like a wild person, he was startled.
And when Lobelia saw Bilbo, she looked as if she had seen a savior, and immediately feigned pity, pleading:
"Cousin Bilbo, please save me! Look what I've become? Covered in hair like a wild person, I don't dare to see anyone!"
"Please be kind! Have mercy, quickly remove this curse!"
Although Bilbo was shocked, he wasn't a soft-hearted person who indiscriminately gave out kindness. He snorted coldly:
"If you hadn't spread rumors of my death everywhere and tried to auction off my house, would you be like this?"
"Besides, I don't know magic, how can I undo the curse for you?"
Lobelia naturally wouldn't give up. She quickly argued, "We didn't do it on purpose. You were gone for so long, with no news.
We all thought you were dead and were worried that your house would be occupied by others, so we just wanted to help you look after it."
"Cousin Bilbo, please be kind, I beg you to ask that Wizard to lift the curse on me. I know he knows magic. I promise that once the curse is lifted, I will never bother you again!"
As she spoke, she secretly pinched her husband, Otho Sackville-Baggins, who was beside her, signaling him to speak.
Otho quickly followed suit, begging for mercy and promising never to take Bilbo's property and house again.
Hearing their promises, Bilbo hesitated a little. Although he didn't like the couple, his kind nature made him feel that a few months of punishment was enough.
So he looked at Luke for help: "Luke?"
Luke had no intention of interfering in Bilbo's family matters. Seeing him ask for help, he stepped forward and waved his magic wand at Lobelia.
"There!"
"There?" Everyone looked at Lobelia, who hadn't changed, and looked at Luke in confusion.
Did Luke not want to lift the curse?
"She won't grow any more hair now," Luke explained. "As for the hair she has now, she just needs to shave it off."
Otho and Lobelia looked at each other, somewhat skeptical, but dared not question him.
They could fool Bilbo, but when facing Luke's sharp and penetrating eyes, they instinctively feared and dared not resist.
After the two left, the neighbors who had been watching the commotion dispersed.
Bilbo then asked, "Luke, did you really lift the curse?"
Luke smiled and gave him a warning look, "Do you think I tricked them?"
Bilbo quickly shook his head: "No, I just thought that with your ability, you should be able to make Lobelia's long hair disappear completely."
"I only promised to lift the curse," Luke shrugged, a playful look on his face, "I didn't say I would help them shave off the excess hair."
Bilbo immediately understood. Thinking of his cousin-in-law having to shave like a pig, he wanted to laugh but held it back.
At the same time, he lit a candle for the other party in his heart, only hoping that the other party could find a skilled shaver, otherwise, if too much was shaved off, she might not dare to see anyone for several months again.
Luke and Legolas stayed at Bilbo's house for three days.
Then, under Bilbo's reluctant gaze, they directly teleported back to Weathertop through the newly connected fireplace.
Luke wasn't particularly reluctant about this, after all, there was now a Floo Network connection between Bag End and Amon Sûl Tower, and Luke had left behind Floo Powder.
If they wanted to meet, they could just teleport, which was very simple and convenient.
Tower first floor.
Luke stepped out of the fireplace.
Legolas, who had arrived earlier, was chatting with Edward.
Seeing him come out, Edward quickly stepped forward in surprise: "Lord Luke, you're back!"
Luke nodded: "Anything happen these past few days I was away?"
"Nothing major, except a few more people came to Hogsmeade Village," Edward replied, then handed over a parchment letter.
"But yesterday, a letter from Lake-Town appeared in the fireplace, sent by a person named Bard using Floo Powder."
"Bard of Lake-Town?" Luke was surprised and took the envelope in confusion.
He opened it and immediately understood.
It turned out this wasn't a letter sent by Bard, but an invitation sent by the Dwarves, entrusted to Bard.
Because Luke hadn't set up a Floo Network in the Lonely Mountain, the Dwarves could only find Bard when they wanted to reach him.
And the reason the Dwarves were looking for him was,
Firstly, regarding the Dragon Armor that Lord Dáin Ironfoot of the Iron Hills had promised to forge for Smaug the Dragon.
Secondly, for the construction of Weathertop Castle: Thorin Oakenshield had previously promised, in exchange for glamdring (foe-biter), that after reclaiming the Lonely Mountain, he would gather Dwarf craftsmen to build a 'Hogwarts-like Castle' for Luke on Weathertop.
Now that Thorin Oakenshield had reclaimed the Lonely Mountain and become the King Under the Mountain, the Dwarves living in the Blue Mountains, as well as other exiled Durin Dwarves, were returning one after another.
So Thorin also had to fulfill his promise.
Seeing the contents of the letter, Luke's brows immediately relaxed.
He immediately said to Legolas, "I'm going to Lake-Town for a bit, do you want to come?"
Legolas shook his head: "I think I'll return to Mirkwood for a while."
Luke nodded, "Remember to bring plenty of Floo Powder."
The Woodland Realm also had fireplaces connected, so as long as there was Floo Powder, it was very convenient for Legolas to return.
So he didn't need to worry.
After a temporary farewell to Legolas, Luke grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and sprinkled it into the fireplace: "Lake-Town!"
With that, he stepped into the green flames alone and disappeared.
After a dizzying spin, Luke appeared in the fireplace at Lake-Town.
Luke looked at the brand new, luxurious furnishings around the living room and was momentarily stunned.
Wasn't this the house Bard had permanently given him? Why had it been redecorated?
With confusion, he walked out of the house and onto the street outside.
He saw that the surrounding houses had all been rebuilt, people were coming and going on the streets, shops had appeared on both sides of the street, and the sounds of hawking were incessant.
On the street, besides humans, there were also many Dwarves, with both sides bargaining and exchanging goods.
Such a lively scene surprised Luke.
Clearly, this city-state, once destroyed by dragon fire, had once again come to life.
Many residents of Lake-Town recognized Luke. Upon seeing him, they immediately doffed their hats and bowed in respect, which made the Dwarves curious.
Luke nodded gently in acknowledgment and, guided by the residents, arrived at the Lord's residence where Bard lived.
As the Lord of Lake-Town and the Dale, Bard's mansion was naturally extraordinary, with guards standing at the gate.
However, the guards also recognized Luke and immediately stood solemn and bowed respectfully: "Wizard Luke!"
One of them respectfully said: "Lord Bard said that if it's you, you can enter without announcement. Please follow me!"
"Thank you." Luke nodded and followed him into the newly built Lord's residence.
Before reaching the main hall, Bard quickly came out to greet him, happily saying: "I didn't expect you to come so quickly, Luke, please come in!"
Luke smiled and explained: "I just sent Bilbo back to the Shire. I received your letter when I returned to Weathertop, so I came over."
"But the changes in Lake-Town truly surprised me. After a few months, it has changed so much. It seems you are leading well!"
The current Bard's demeanor had changed greatly, exuding a certain majesty and nobility, truly looking like a Lord.