The colossal octopus, now subdued, could no longer remain within the confined space of the box. Luke emerged from the box's magical interior, then, gripping the container, mounted his flying broom and soared towards the Black Lake at the foot of the mountain. Upon arrival, he gently released the immense creature.
The moment the giant octopus, Kraken, saw the vast expanse of the lake, it surged with exhilaration, much like a parched traveler discovering an oasis in the desert. With Luke's consent, it plunged into the water without a moment's hesitation.
Water was the very source of Kraken's strength; nourished by the lake, it rapidly regained its vitality, and its previously damaged tentacles swiftly regenerated. It joyfully thrashed its more than twenty thick limbs, churning the lake into a frenzy of towering waves.
Kraken's sheer size was astounding, nearly rivaling that of Smaug the dragon. Such a monumental commotion in the lake naturally drew the attention of the residents of Hogsmeade, situated on the opposite shore. They, too, were initially stunned to behold a gargantuan octopus appear in their familiar lake.
However, keen-eyed observers soon spotted Luke. Realizing that the enormous octopus seemed to be under Luke's guidance, the villagers collectively breathed a sigh of relief and quickly accepted this new, colossal presence. After all, their lord already commanded a giant dragon, a magnificent eagle, and seemingly, a giant snake. The addition of a giant octopus now came as no surprise.
Luke, aware of the villagers' reactions across the lake, instructed Kraken, "Remember, do not attack the humans on the other side, alright?" Kraken nodded. Though it lacked the power of speech, its intelligence was certainly on par with that of a human. It understood that its master held these humans in special regard and, therefore, dared not disobey.
At that moment, the rapid thud of horse hooves echoed through the air. It was Mayor Luke, galloping swiftly on horseback. However, the powerful aura radiating from the giant octopus Kraken caused the horse to halt a thousand meters away, refusing to advance further. Mayor Luke dismounted, leaving the horse, and quickly ran towards Lord Luke. Despite the daunting sight of the immense octopus, he approached Luke and respectfully greeted him, "Lord Luke."
Luke cut straight to the point. "Are you here to inquire about this octopus?"
Mayor Larry nodded. "Sir, will this octopus be living in the lake from now on?"
Lord Luke confirmed it with a nod, reassuring him. "Have no worries about it causing any trouble. It is a guardian I've placed in the lake. Under my command, it will not attack the residents of Hogsmeade. Everything can proceed as usual."
Mayor Larry exhaled in relief at this news but still hesitated. "Sir, some residents wish to fish in the lake, I wonder..."
Lord Luke waved a dismissive hand. "That's no issue. From this day forward, the half of the lake closer to the castle will be Kraken's territory, and the other half will belong to the town's residents. As long as you don't venture too close to the castle, the rest is entirely up to you."
"Your Excellency is merciful!" Mayor Larry exclaimed, delighted. He then hastened back to town to deliver the good news.
Soon, fishermen, for whom fishing was their livelihood, reappeared on the Black Lake. They maintained a silent agreement, fishing exclusively in the half of the lake near the town and never crossing the invisible boundary to the other side. This arrangement held until one day, a fisherman's boat accidentally capsized, and he nearly drowned. He was, unexpectedly, rescued to shore by a massive tentacle. This incident marked the first true encounter between the self-contained fishermen and the giant octopus Kraken.
Gradually, the fishermen grew accustomed to the giant octopus. They often brought Kraken various treats, especially alcohol, which proved to be its favorite. In return, the giant octopus frequently herded schools of fish towards the fishermen, ensuring they always returned home with bountiful catches. As the relationship between Kraken and the residents of Hogsmeade deepened, the giant octopus would even swim to the town's side of the lake, where it would bask in the sun and receive an array of offerings.
Some brave children would even playfully tug at Kraken's tentacles or be gently lifted into the air by them. Adults, confident in the creature's benevolent nature, allowed their children to interact freely, unconcerned by any risk. Tourists, traveling merchants, and bards from distant lands also journeyed there to witness this extraordinary sight, marveling from a respectful distance.
Having settled the giant octopus Kraken, Luke returned to the castle. His next project was to construct a formidable furnace. Having recently mastered the forging techniques of the goblins, Luke was eager to put his new knowledge to use. Conveniently, he possessed several boxes of mithril ore sent by Balin, with promises of more deliveries from Moria in the future. In the magical world, mithril, also known as "fairy silver," was an incredibly vital magical metal, frequently employed in elven forging arts. To truly master goblin forging, Luke knew he first needed to learn how to smelt and process mithril.
Under the resentful gaze of Smaug the dragon, Luke ruthlessly confiscated all the mithril ore before Smaug could "incubate" it. Luke specifically chose the 33rd floor of the tower, designating it as his new forging room. But before commencing, he first journeyed to the underground passage leading to the lake. Using his magic, he excavated a tunnel deep into the mountain until he discovered an iron ore vein. This was merely a minor mineral deposit, deemed unworthy of mining by the dwarves when they originally dug their tunnels. However, it was perfectly suited for Luke's current purpose.
He located the most concentrated area of the iron ore and carefully placed a fist-sized piece of Mithril Mother at its core. Next, he opened his Mithril Box and retrieved several flame crystals. Mimicking the structure of Luke's own lair, he constructed an eggshell-like barrier of these crystals around the Mithril Mother. The immense heat generated by the flame crystals rapidly melted the surrounding iron ore, transforming it into glowing red magma. Luke had wisely consumed a fireproof potion beforehand, protecting him from the scorching temperatures.
This molten rock now encircled the Mithril Mother like a river of fire. Luke could sense an invisible radiation emanating from the Mithril Mother, subtly influencing the surrounding metal magma, causing it to gradually transmute into mithril. The conversion was painstakingly slow; initially, it might take a year to produce just one gram of mithril. Simultaneously, the flame crystals continuously enhanced and purified the Mithril Mother, intensifying its radiation and accelerating the transformation process. Without an innate sensitivity to metal and magic, Luke would have remained entirely oblivious to this subtle change.
Having completed this intricate task, Luke departed, knowing all he had to do now was wait patiently. Perhaps in the coming decades, or even centuries, a significant mithril vein would form here. While its output would never compare to Moria's vast reserves, it would nonetheless provide a consistent source of the precious metal.
As for Moria, despite his one-tenth ownership of the mithril rights, the situation remained stable under Balin's leadership. However, once Balin passed, the future of that agreement would become uncertain, as the dwarves had, unfortunately, a history of broken promises.
After leaving the iron ore vein, Luke meticulously collapsed and resealed the tunnel. He then ascended to the 33rd floor, where he began the arduous task of constructing the fairy furnace. He initially considered using flame crystallization to create the firebricks for the furnace, but the extreme temperature of the crystals was enough to melt even stone walls and iron.
Thus, Luke decided on a more extravagant, yet necessary, approach: building the furnace entirely from mithril. Mithril possessed a unique magical property: it was relatively easy to melt the first time, but once forged and completely cooled, it became incredibly strong and heat-resistant. Even if submerged in volcanic magma, it would remain stubbornly solid.
After gathering a multitude of forging tools, Luke produced a mithril container. He magically expanded its internal capacity, placed several flame crystals at the bottom, and then carefully introduced the mithril ore, piece by piece. Under the intense heat of the flame crystallization, the mithril ore gradually softened and liquefied, transforming into a shimmering, boiling silver slurry. After a continuous process of purification, Luke slowly poured the molten mithril into a mold. Once solidified, the mithril furnace took shape.
The furnace was still scalding hot, but Luke, wielding an iron hammer infused with mithril, struck its inner and outer walls with a strange, rhythmic frequency. With each strike, he chanted a spell, channeling magical energy through the hammer. This technique was rooted in the goblin forging philosophy that "metal has memory." Goblins believed that metal possessed a 'memory,' and that forging was not merely a shaping process, but a profound 'communication' with the metal itself.
Therefore, the most critical aspect of fairy forging involved awakening the metal's memory, connecting with it through spells, runes, and mental power. This process imprinted the maker's intention onto the metal, imbuing the finished item with unique magical properties.
Every impact of the hammer against the mithril furnace wall erupted in showers of magical sparks. Simultaneously, the magical power Luke injected seamlessly merged with the mithril through the continuous hammering, saturating the already magical metal with even more potent energy. Once the mithril furnace was thoroughly imbued with magic, Luke took a mithril carving knife and meticulously etched fairy runes onto the furnace's inner wall.
By the time he completed this arduous work, a full week had passed. Despite the fire-retardant potion, Luke was drenched in sweat, unsure if it was from the intense heat or sheer exhaustion. Gazing at the furnace before him, which stood as tall as a person, Luke flicked his wand.
"Clear water like a spring!"
A torrent of cold, pristine spring water gushed forth, cascading over the furnace. The metal hissed and crackled, and a cloud of steam instantly billowed upwards. Luke waved his hand to dispel the mist from the room, then turned his attention to the completed furnace. It was entirely silver, with an oval, pot-bellied shape, reminiscent of an ancient alchemy furnace, its surface adorned with enigmatic runes.
Next, Luke retrieved a few more flame crystals from the mithril box and placed them inside the furnace. Despite the lack of a lid, the intense, scorching heat of the flame crystals was magically contained within the furnace. One could touch its outer wall and feel only the coolness of the metal. Peering inside, the furnace's interior appeared infinitely vast, filled with incredibly high temperatures and churning flames.
Luke tossed a piece of mithril ore into the void. The ore melted instantly, and all impurities were incinerated, leaving only the purest molten mithril. Witnessing this incredible efficiency, Luke directly emptied all his remaining boxes of mithril ore into the furnace. From the outside, each box seemed to hold enough ore to fill the entire furnace. Yet, even with all of it thrown in, the furnace consumed it completely, instantly melting all the mithril and burning away every impurity.
Luke gently tapped the furnace with his wand. With each tap, the furnace automatically shrank, eventually becoming a palm-sized pocket furnace. Even at this minuscule size, the molten mithril inside did not overflow. This was the magical furnace Luke had created, based on the forging technology of the fairies.
The furnace not only possessed an internal space that automatically expanded to accommodate more ore but also boasted the ability to amplify firepower and purify impurities.
For example, if flame crystals generating a temperature of one thousand degrees Celsius were placed inside, the furnace could elevate the internal temperature to a staggering ten thousand degrees Celsius, sufficient to melt even the hardest and most heat-resistant metals. Simultaneously, the furnace could automatically expand or shrink, allowing Luke to control its size with a tap of his wand, making it effortlessly portable and operable.
Most importantly, the furnace possessed a unique maximum capacity. It could absorb the properties of any metal smelted within it, thereby growing stronger and enhancing its self-repairing capabilities. With this extraordinary furnace, Luke had laid the most solid foundation to become the foremost master forger in Middle-earth.