Goblin forging technology? Luke was momentarily stunned, then, after a careful inspection, a look of profound surprise spread across his face. In the magical world of Harry Potter, Goblins were a magical race renowned for their high intelligence and unique culture. They were known for their cunning and shrewdness, becoming the trusted managers of the wizarding bank. But simultaneously, they were also considered the top craftsmen in the magical world, capable of creating objects imbued with powerful magic, their craftsmanship far exceeding that of wizards.
For example, the Sword of Gryffindor was forged by Goblins and possessed the unique ability to absorb beneficial magical substances, such as Basilisk venom, thereby gaining the power to destroy Horcruxes. It could be said that the Goblins in the magical world were equivalent to the Elf and Dwarf craftsmen in Middle-earth.
More importantly, Goblin-forged weapons possessed a distinct advantage over Elven and Dwarven crafts: they grew. Over time, they absorbed various magical substances, becoming stronger and more resilient. Therefore, mastering the Goblin forging technique meant becoming a third type of master craftsman, alongside the Elves and Dwarves.
Furthermore, compared to the "eternal strength" pursued by Dwarven craftsmen and the "magical resonance" of Elven craftsmen, the forging technique Goblins mastered was centered on "growth." So, in comparison, who wouldn't want their weapons to grow and become stronger alongside them?
What surprised Luke even more was that, in addition to acquiring the Goblin forging skills, he also discovered a heightened sensitivity to metals and magic. Holding a mithril ingot in his hand, he could instinctively sense its magical potential and understand how to maximize its effectiveness. Furthermore, due to his increased sensitivity to magic, he could even detect the subtle magical fluctuations of other magical artifacts. Luke was absolutely thrilled with such a massive acquisition.
He climbed onto the back of the dragon Smaug and patted him. "Let's go back to Hogwarts Castle!" He couldn't wait to delve into the Goblin's forging skills. The giant dragon flapped its huge wings, leaped into the air, and carried him high into the sky, flying towards Weathertop.
It was a clear and bright day in Hogsmeade town at the foot of the mountain. The town had blossomed into a large settlement with a population exceeding ten thousand. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a city, and it was still expanding, spreading from the lakeside towards the East-West Road. The fields outside the town were crisscrossed and seemingly endless, diligently planted with grains and vegetables.
The residents of the town came and went, each with a smile on their face, bustling with energy. They hailed from all over Eriador, some even from the far north, all having heard of Weathertop and seeking refuge there. Besides these, there were also traveling merchants, tourists, adventurers, bards, and so on who frequently stopped by. The bards stood by the Black Lake, gazing up at the towering Hogwarts Castle on Weathertop Peak and the two golden and silver trees that had long become prominent landmarks, praising and singing their praises with all kinds of eloquent words.
Traveling merchants came here to conduct business with the town's residents, bringing with them various daily necessities and handicrafts. The residents of the town were not burdened by heavy taxes, so they lived a prosperous life and spent money without hesitation to buy the things they needed, allowing the traveling merchants to earn substantial profits every time.
Because of the town's prosperity, Butterbur, the innkeeper of Bree, had seized the opportunity early on and opened a branch of The Prancing Pony Inn in Hogsmeade, which was managed by his young son. Since Bree had joined Luke's rule, the relationship between the two towns had grown closer, and the residents' exchanges had become more frequent. Aside from the two mayors secretly vying in competition, the residents of both towns regarded themselves as Luke's people, making no distinction between them, and even intermarrying. And as Hogsmeade developed, Bree Town did not fall behind. After all, it was the intersection of the East-West Road and the North-South Road, granting it transportation and geographical advantages that Hogsmeade Village did not possess. Especially after the Barrow-downs, with their dark magic, were drained by Luke's Basilisk breeding efforts, the wights there were no longer a problem.
This allowed Bree and the Shire to the west, particularly the Hobbits in Buckland, to communicate more frequently. Many Hobbits now appeared in Bree, working as waiters at The Prancing Pony Inn or engaging in business, selling Shire produce, pipe-weed, wine, and the like. Of course, these Hobbits were primarily adventurous members of the Took family or those from Brandybuck territory.
On this particular day, Hogsmeade was still bustling with activity. After admiring Hogwarts Castle in the distance, one painter deliberately showed off his painting skills, preparing to depict the scenery of Weathertop to take home for his collection. And at this moment, the clear sky suddenly darkened. The painter looked up in confusion and saw a huge monster appearing in the sky. He was so frightened that his face turned pale. He couldn't even hold his brush steady, dropping it to the ground, and shouted in a terrified voice: "Dragon! It's a giant dragon!"
Upon hearing this, the others looked up at the sky. The outsiders were all seeing a dragon for the first time, and their instinctive fear made them panic and seek shelter. But the locals, on the other hand, were delighted, excitedly waving and cheering, "Lord Luke has returned!" They all knew that their lord had gone on a long journey a month ago, riding a dragon. Now that the dragon had returned, it meant their lord had also returned. The residents of Hogsmeade were not afraid of the dragon; instead, they were proud of it. After all, it was the mount of their lord and a symbol of their strength.
The outsiders looked at each other in bewilderment, seeing that none of the local residents were afraid, but instead excitedly waved and cheered at the dragon. Although they had heard that the owner of Weathertop Castle owned a giant dragon, seeing was believing. Now that they saw such a huge dragon that covered the sky and the sun, the terrifying aura it exuded was enough to scare them.
High in the sky, Luke naturally noticed the cheers below. He couldn't help but smile, a warmth in his eyes. It felt so good to be welcomed home. The dragon Smaug seemed to be infected by the excitement as well, responding with a thunderous dragon roar, then carrying Luke straight back to Weathertop.
Smaug landed on the castle's vast lawn. Butler Edward, who had already heard the commotion, ran over quickly, bowing with a happy face and saying, "Sir, welcome back!" Luke jumped off the dragon's back, smiled, and raised a hand. "Don't be so formal, Edward. I've been away, but has anything happened?"
"Everything is fine, sir," Edward said respectfully. "Apart from Mayor Luke and Mayor Lachey coming in regularly to report on town affairs, there hasn't been anything major."
Luke nodded. "That's good."
After letting Edward go, Luke came to the cellar at Smaug's urging. Luke assessed the space in the cellar. "It seems we need to expand the space, otherwise it won't be able to hold so much treasure." As he spoke, he cast the Traceless Extension Charm again, doubling the space of the cellar. Then, under Smaug's impatient gaze, Luke poured out half of Moria's treasure. The gold, jewels, and jade that poured out like a river quickly covered the ground, then piled higher and higher. Smaug listened to the sound of the gold coins striking each other, his eyes narrowed with joy, and he rolled over on the treasure.
Luke speechlessly avoided the stupid dragon's behavior. These treasures couldn't be eaten or directly used. He wondered if Morgoth's hands were shaking when he created the dragons, which is why they were so utterly obsessed with treasures? The treasures of Moria were almost comparable to those of the Lonely Mountain. Luke had only received one-tenth of the Lonely Mountain's treasures, which naturally couldn't compare to half of Moria's hoard. With the addition of Moria's treasure, Smaug's massive body could finally be completely buried in the mountain of gold.
Smaug wasn't satisfied with all this and looked at Luke with burning eyes. "Master, please take out the mithril! I know those Dwarves must have given you mithril, and I can already smell it!" Mithril was far more valuable than gold, so Smaug would naturally not let it go. When Luke heard this, he rolled his eyes and said unhappily. "Forget about goblins! Dragons are the most greedy!"
Then he took out the dozen boxes of mithril crafts and mithril ore that Balin had sent. Seeing this, Smaug's eyes lit up, and he swept them to his side with his tail. This was something more precious than gold, so he had to take good care of it! Then his gaze continued to look at Luke intently.
This time, Luke did not do as the dragon wished and pushed his head away. "Don't even think about it. I have use for the rest. I can't possibly give it all to you." Upon hearing this, Smaug knew that Luke had made up his mind, so he could only retract his head with some disappointment, buried his head in the treasure, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
Seeing this guy's behavior of throwing things away after use, Luke's mouth twitched. He was too lazy to argue with this stupid dragon and turned to leave the cellar. Then Luke returned the Basilisk Herpo in the space box to the secret room. During the battle with the Balrog, Herpo had exerted considerable effort, even his skin being burned by the flames, and needed some time to recover. However, there was plenty of food in the secret room – the Giant Spiders – enough for Herpo to recover.
After the Basilisk Herpo was settled, all that was left was a huge petrified statue of the "Watcher in the Water." Being petrified by the Basilisk, ordinary spells couldn't break it at all; a potion made from Mandrake was needed to restore it. Luke simply left it in the space box and decided to deal with it after making the potion. Then he went to the laboratory and took out the body of the Balrog. Luke's eyes lit up as he looked at the massive body, charred like lava, ugly and twisted, exuding a sulphurous smell.
After all, this was the body of a Maia, even a fallen Maia, still a demigod. Such an existence was of great research value. On the chest, Luke also found some red crystal fragments, which were the fragments left when the Divine Spear Aiglos pierced the heart of the Balrog. Luke collected all the fragments, leaving none behind, and stored them in a crystal bottle. These were the core fragments of the Balrog. Luke dared not waste them at all and planned to use them to experiment with their effects later.