Arthur stared at the Erdtree sapling, which was knee-high, and fell into deep thought.
Now that the Erdtree was planted, it only needed to be nurtured to grow healthy… But the problem was, Arthur truly didn't know what to use to nurture the Erdtree.
After all, the Erdtree in The Lands Between was already a towering tree before he arrived, so it certainly didn't need anyone to nurture it.
He felt that if he asked Marika, the Eternal Queen, she probably wouldn't be able to answer this question either.
Arthur removed the white wolf war ghost's helmet, and the fresh air, carrying the scent of nature, rushed over him, making his brain feel a sense of ease.
The last ray of sunlight disappeared from the horizon, and the moon quietly climbed into the night sky, casting its silvery light upon everything below.
Arthur took a deep, greedy breath, then sat cross-legged directly beside the shallow pit, staring blankly at the golden-glowing Erdtree sapling, his thoughts beginning to wander.
Torrent, meanwhile, lowered its head nearby, extended its horse tongue, and licked the weeds on the ground, beginning to chew.
Arthur searched his mind for memories related to the Erdtree, from the symbols recorded in those ruins, or the records on the stone tablets placed in Marika's bedchamber in Leyndell City.
The Erdtree he had planted seemed to lack an Elden Beast compared to the one in The Lands Between.
Hiss, but he wasn't the unseen Greater Will, able to summon such a powerful giant beast at will.
Moreover, the Elden Beast wasn't a necessary condition for the Erdtree's growth, and besides, the elden ring it guarded was already inside the Erdtree sapling.
Could it be that he should just treat it like a normal plant and care for it, perhaps by watering it first?
Just as Arthur was deep in thought, a crisp sound of horse hooves suddenly echoed from within the silent city ruins.
One person, not heavily burdened, and the horse's hooves were neither slow nor fast.
Arthur quickly made a rough judgment about the general situation of the rider.
In the dark city ruins, the only source of light was his Erdtree, so the other party's destination was self-evident.
One should not harbor malicious intentions, but one must also be on guard against others.
Holding this thought, Arthur reached out and grabbed a few times in mid-air; a staff inlaid with deep purple glintstone was held in his hand—it was the Meteorite Staff he had found in the Sage's Town of Aeonia Swamp during his early adventures in The Lands Between.
And with his other hand, he took out the white wolf war ghost's accompanying weapon—the Hunting God Greatsword.
The Erdtree was only just beginning to grow, and Arthur had to prevent any actions that might threaten it.
Therefore, he took out these two weapons; it was clear that if the other party harbored hostility, Arthur was not going to be stingy with his magic.
If the other party hadn't been so close already, the weapons in Arthur's hand might not have been as simple as the Meteorite Staff and the Hunting God Greatsword.
As long as he was given enough time, he would guarantee a monkey show for the other party.
The sound of horse hooves grew closer, and Arthur shielded the Erdtree sapling behind him.
Fortunately, the moonlight was very bright tonight, allowing Arthur to barely make out the appearance of the approaching person.
The rider was not heavily built, but very tall, wearing a pointed wizard's hat and a loose grey robe.
He held the reins in one hand and a staff-like weapon in the other.
A wizard, actually?
Arthur's eyes instantly became vigilant; no matter where, an unfamiliar wizard was always someone who demanded full attention.
Moreover, this was the first time Arthur had encountered an unfamiliar wizard in this world that did not belong to The Lands Between; he knew nothing of the other party's moves.
Just as Arthur felt the Meteorite Staff was no longer sufficient and was preparing to switch to weapons and equipment for fighting wizards, the rider spoke first: "I am not your enemy. Are you the White Wolf Knight spoken of among the orcs? My name is Gandalf, a wizard, and I have been looking for you for almost a month."
Looking for me for almost a month?
Although Arthur was somewhat curious, he did not relax his guard or put down his weapons because of the other party's words.
On the contrary, as the other party approached the Erdtree sapling, the strange blade of the Hunting God Greatsword in Arthur's hand began to burn with black and white flames.
As long as this wizard, who called himself "Gandalf," dared to approach him further, the black and white flames of the Hunting God would extend from the sword's blade.
Gandalf naturally perceived Arthur's silent warning from his actions, so he immediately pulled the reins tight, and the horse whinnied, coming to a halt.
Gandalf looked at the distant figure in the moonlight and shouted in his aged, loud voice: "Although I don't know why you are wary of me, I respect your decision. I only wish to speak with you; I have no other intentions."
Arthur maintained his ready stance, his voice also carrying clearly: "Arthur. What do you want to say? This is hardly a picturesque spot, and furthermore, you're alone at night. Aren't you afraid of encountering thieves?"
"If a wizard were to be frightened by thieves, then I would not have been searching for you far and wide like this." Gandalf showed a relaxed expression after Arthur introduced himself.
Then he said, "I first went to Hobbiton in the Shire. You must know a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, right? About a month ago, I saw a golden meteor fall in the west of Middle-earth, and I set out to find it. But I didn't know exactly where the meteor had fallen until I came to the Shire and learned it had fallen into Hobbiton."
Gandalf said with a faint smile, "The person brought by that golden meteor was you, wasn't it, sir Arthur?"
Arthur paused when he heard Bilbo's name: "Bilbo? You know him?"
Gandalf chuckled and said, "Of course I know him, or rather, I am very familiar with every hobbit in Hobbiton, because I often go to set off fireworks for them during their festivals. Bilbo is an even more special hobbit; he isn't like other hobbits who prefer to stay at home. On the contrary, he often has the idea of venturing out of Hobbiton to see the world. And it was he who told me your name."
When Arthur heard this, his wariness towards Gandalf had greatly decreased.
Because indeed, only those familiar with Bilbo would know that this hobbit inwardly yearned for a grand adventure, yet was conflicted by his reluctance to leave the warmth of his home.
Arthur said, "I'll tentatively believe what you say, wizard. It's just that I'm sorry, I still can't let you approach me. You've come at a very inconvenient time. If it were daytime or an hour or two earlier, I would be very happy to converse with you."
"Very well… In any case, I only came to speak with you. This distance is enough for us to hear each other, though it's a pity we lack a warm bonfire, delicious wine, and fragrant cheese bread." Gandalf nodded, his wise blue eyes carefully observing the golden glowing spot behind Arthur.
After hearing this, Arthur said, "Consider that my apology to you; I will compensate you for what you mentioned later. If you are not in a hurry, you can also come… let me think, in three days. At that time, I will welcome you with my utmost enthusiasm, wizard."
Arthur felt that three days would be enough for him to figure out how to nurture the Erdtree sapling and make it grow to a point where it couldn't be easily destroyed by anyone.
Gandalf read Arthur's strong resistance to anyone approaching him from the subtext of his words, and could only reluctantly agree: "Very well, then as you wish. At noon three days from now, I will wait here until then. If you don't mind me waiting at this distance."
Arthur shrugged: "As long as you don't approach me within the agreed time, I don't really care what you do, unless you're setting traps right under my nose."
And so, both fell silent.
Arthur dispelled the black and white flames on the Hunting God Greatsword and put it away, but he still held the Meteorite Staff in his hand, wary of Gandalf.
As for Gandalf, after receiving Arthur's response, he truly dismounted in place, took out a pipe, cleared a nearby piece of broken stone, and sat down.
He fiddled with his mouthpiece, blowing into it to clean it, then filled it with tobacco that seemed to emit a faint, dry aroma.
"Sizzle."
Gandalf raised his hand and touched the tobacco with the ring on his right index finger; a small flame instantly ignited.
Having done all this, Gandalf showed a satisfied expression and leisurely began to smoke, not caring at all that he was sitting in these city ruins where wolf howls occasionally echoed.
This person has a very broad mind.
Seeing that Gandalf indeed did not approach as agreed, Arthur thought for a moment, then found a piece of cheese emitting a rich milky aroma and a very meaty sausage from the package Torrent was carrying.
"Hey, catch." Arthur called out to Gandalf's position, accurately tossing the cheese and sausage. "Consider it a late-night snack. I imagine you have ways to heat these delicious foods."
Gandalf saw the food flying towards him and calmly put down his staff, easily catching the cheese and sausage while still holding the pipe in his mouth.
He inspected them, showing a joyful expression, and loudly said to Arthur: "Hobbiton's special cheese and sausage, indeed very suitable as a late-night snack. It seems I won't be going to sleep hungry tonight."
At this point, Arthur shifted his thoughts back to the Erdtree sapling.
He suddenly remembered that the Erdtree in The Lands Between bestows blessings upon people.
Then, could he, in turn, use these blessings to water the Erdtree sapling and make it grow?
As for where to get the blessings, that was easy; Arthur had many collected Golden Runes in his spatial backpack.