Bilbo instinctively stepped behind Arthur and asked, "An expedition? What expedition?"
Gandalf did not answer directly, but coughed and said, "Bilbo, bring a lamp, give us more light."
Bilbo pouted, but our lovely hobbit still prepared to fetch a lamp as Gandalf had said.
Arthur, however, stopped Bilbo. He held a staff in his hand and smiled, "Bilbo, there's no need for such trouble."
Then, to Bilbo's astonished gaze, he gently waved his staff, casting the Glintstone Magic: Starlight. A soft, pale blue glow instantly filled the entire room, making it much brighter.
"Oh! Although Sir Rogier mentioned that you could use sorcery, I'm still amazed the first time I see it," Bilbo said, looking at the orb of light above Arthur's head.
Arthur replied, "It's just a trifle, a very simple Glintstone Magic."
Then he looked at Gandalf and teased, "Besides, our Gandalf can also do this level of illumination Glintstone Magic; he just wants someone to temporarily forget a certain question."
Gandalf coughed loudly, pulled a map from his gray robe, and spread it on the table in front of Thorin.
Thorin was not too surprised, as he had already known Gandalf had this map when he met him in Stormveil Castle before.
Nevertheless, his eyes could barely hide his excitement as he carefully studied the map Gandalf had produced.
Bilbo curiously stepped out from behind Arthur, leaned close to Gandalf, and slowly read the annotations on the map, "Lone… Mountain…?"
Gandalf nodded, "Yes, far to the East, beyond mountains and rivers, past woodlands and wastelands, there stands a solitary peak. This is our destination, my good fellow, Bilbo."
Bilbo said nothing, only gazed at the map in a daze.
After Gandalf produced the map, Gloin looked at Ori, the most learned among them, and said, "Ori has already interpreted the omen, and the omen says: The time has come."
His brother Oin also added, "Yes, I heard from those tall humans from the East that ravens have already flown back to the mountain. This is exactly like the omen Ori interpreted."
Ori nodded, "If the birds of old return to the Lonely Mountain, then the reign of the fierce beast will end. That is what the prophecy says."
Prophecy?
Arthur looked at Gandalf; he always felt that this prophecy was inextricably linked to Gandalf.
Sure enough, Gandalf gave Arthur a knowing smile.
At this moment, Bilbo's expression changed, and he shifted his attention from the map, looking at everyone present, and even politely raised his hand to ask, "Uh, fierce beast? What fierce beast?"
Bofur put down his flute and said, "Of course, it refers to the terrible Smaug, the greatest calamity in the world today."
"Smaug? Who is it? Or rather, what creature is it?" Bilbo asked again.
Bofur patiently continued to explain, "It's a Dragon, it flies in the sky, and it breathes fire. Its teeth are like razors, its claws like butcher's hooks, and it loves precious metals the most."
Bilbo scratched his head, "Yes, I know what a Dragon is like. But it doesn't sound very scary."
The dwarves looked at the hobbit in surprise, clearly astonished by what he had just said.
Bilbo quickly said, "I'm serious, I really don't find anything scary about Smaug."
Thorin laughed, "It seems our Baggins does have some courage."
Bofur curiously said, "Even if it burns you to ashes in the blink of an eye? Like a furnace with wings, a flash of fire, a searing pain, a puff, and you're turned to ash and scattered."
Bilbo's face turned a bit unpleasant then, and he took a few steps back, saying, "Oh, that, indeed, is quite unpleasant. But compared to the Dragon I've heard of, it's still relatively ordinary."
Gandalf glared at Bofur, and Bofur said no more.
However, Balin, who had just exchanged some stories with Igon, spoke up and asked, "Which Dragon have you heard of that is even more terrifying than that Smaug?"
Gandalf also looked over with interest, instinctively assuming Bilbo had heard the story of the Black Dragon Ancalagon.
But Bilbo's answer was beyond Gandalf's expectation. Bilbo pointed at Arthur and said, "It's the Dragon Sir Arthur told me about, Ancient Dragon Fortissax. That's the name, I won't forget it, because I've just been writing about Sir Arthur's adventure in that part."
Thorin frowned, and the dwarves also looked at each other, murmuring softly.
They had never heard the name of this Dragon. They looked at Arthur, seemingly wanting to ask, but also afraid their questions would disturb him.
Gandalf glanced at Arthur; he knew that the origin of this Dragon was most likely from the other's homeland.
Balin kindly asked, "Could you describe it to us, Sir Bilbo Baggins?"
Baggins nodded, "Of course, Sir Arthur told me that Fortissax is an Ancient Dragon covered in hard, stony scales, but it turned black from absorbing too much power of death. However, the lightning it releases is still crimson Dragon lightning, but it also releases black-gold deathblight mist that can instantly take a life."
Black-gold?
Gandalf and Thorin looked at each other simultaneously, realizing from each other's eyes that they were thinking of the same thing.
That was the double-helix Erdtree in Arthur's Golden Tree Territory, with one of its branched halves being black-gold.
It is indeed related to death. Gandalf thought to himself.
Thorin, however, didn't have as many thoughts. On the contrary, he felt that since Arthur could tell Bilbo this adventure story, it meant he had survived the claws of that Ancient Dragon.
Bofur showed an expression of admiration to Arthur and asked, "Sir Arthur, what happened to that Dragon in the end?"
Arthur succinctly said, "It died."
Fili and Kili nodded heavily, clearly, this result matched their imagination of their teacher's strength.
Thorin coughed, bringing the dwarves' attention back, and said, "Alright, now that we have the map, I'm sure our wizard must have more to say."
Balin nodded in agreement, "Certainly, we all know that the main gate of the Lonely Mountain has been sealed, and entering it will definitely require other methods. Sir Gandalf must be here to tell us this method."
Gandalf smiled at Balin, "You are right, Balin, I do have a way for you to enter the Lonely Mountain."
Then, the seemingly aged wizard cleared his throat: "Your presence here means you all understand that Thorin's plan has not received the support of the Seven dwarf Kingdoms, because they only pledge allegiance to a true dwarf King. I certainly know Thorin's standing in your hearts, but only by obtaining the arkenstone can Thorin's kingship be acknowledged. And the arkenstone is buried under countless mountains of gold by that Dragon, so we need a burglar to sneak into the Lonely Mountain and steal the arkenstone."
Then he smiled at Bilbo: "And I happen to know a secret side door to the Lonely Mountain that will allow our burglar to enter.
Smaug is already very familiar with the smell of dwarves, but he has certainly never smelled a hobbit."
Bilbo pointed at himself in surprise, his eyes wide as he asked uncertainly, "Burglar? Me?"
Oin, who had just inserted his hearing aid, loudly asked, "Do you think you are an agile burglar?"
Bilbo naturally shook his head: "I'm a burglar? Don't be ridiculous."
Then Oin took off his hearing aid and laughed, saying, "He said he is!"
The dwarves started to clamor again, leaving Bilbo standing there, a little at a loss, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Thorin couldn't stand the noise in his ears and roared, "Enough! Quiet down!"
The commotion made by the dwarves was as if a mute button had been pressed, and only then did Thorin look at Bilbo with his own eyes, silently observing him for a few seconds, and asked, "Tell me, Sir Baggins, have you ever fought before?"
Bilbo didn't hear clearly: "Excuse me, what?"
Thorin didn't mind and said, "Axe or sword, what weapon are you good with?"
Bilbo imitated Thorin's tone and said, "If you must ask, I'm better at slicing bacon into pieces.
But obviously, that's not what a burglar should know."
Then he sighed and said, "I'm not a burglar, you've got the wrong person.
If you're looking for a host who can provide you with a banquet venue, then that's certainly me.
But a burglar, I'm sorry, I've never stolen anything in my life."
Thorin nodded: "I thought so too."
Balin also said, "I also agree with Sir Baggins, he's really not burglar material."
Dwalin glanced at Bilbo, who clearly wasn't a warrior, and added, "And the wilderness isn't suitable for a good gentleman; he can neither fight nor take care of himself."
Bilbo nodded vigorously.
Gandalf looked at Bilbo, somewhat disappointed.
The dwarves began a new round of arguments about whether Bilbo Baggins could serve as a burglar.
Just as Gandalf was about to loudly tell the dwarves to quiet down, Arthur's voice suddenly rang out.
"Excuse me, everyone, may I ask Bilbo a few questions?" Arthur asked gently.
Thorin immediately slammed the table, silencing the dwarves, and making Bilbo feel a pang in his heart for his dining table for a second.
Bilbo looked at Arthur, meeting his smiling gaze.
For some reason, Bilbo felt that some of his inner thoughts had been seen through by Arthur, which made his heart pound.
He actually hoped that Arthur could give him a push.
"What do you want to ask me?" Bilbo asked, not even noticing that his tone carried a hint of hope.
Gandalf, being a shrewd man, immediately noticed the emotion in Bilbo's tone; he had been wondering how to persuade Bilbo, but now it seemed he wouldn't have to.
Arthur asked, "Bilbo, what do you think of those adventure stories I told you?"
Bilbo praised without hesitation, "They were wonderful, I never imagined that one person's adventure stories could be so rich and colorful."
Arthur nodded, then looked at the puzzled expressions of the surrounding dwarves and said, "Bilbo, you can refuse these dwarves, have them clean up your home and leave immediately, and not worry about being a burglar anymore.
I can assure you, they absolutely won't dare to complain about you."
The dwarves, led by Balin and Dwalin, looked at Arthur with puzzled expressions; they didn't understand why Arthur would voluntarily give Bilbo a chance to refuse.
Gandalf, however, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest, as if he didn't care what Bilbo's final choice would be.
As the person involved, Bilbo himself was naturally very surprised.
He looked at Arthur, who said to him again, "I'm serious, Bilbo.
As your friend, I don't like you being forced or coerced into doing anything, because you might not be ready for an adventure yet.
Therefore, as long as you refuse, I will help you settle everything."
Then Arthur glanced towards the kitchen and said with a smile, "Of course, including the food the dwarves ate tonight, I will help you replenish it."
Bilbo subconsciously whispered, "That's not the point..."
"Ha."
Thorin was closer to Bilbo, so he heard the hobbit speak, and after a laugh, he also closed his eyes to rest, mimicking Gandalf.
Arthur smiled and pressed on, "So, what's your answer, Bilbo?"
"I..."
Of course, I want to refuse.
Bilbo felt he should be able to say that sentence immediately, but the words stuck in his throat.
So Bilbo closed his mouth again and paced back and forth.
Something of the "Took" family within him had been awakened long ago when he heard Arthur's stories, and the arrival of the dwarves intensified this.
He wanted to see the towering mountains, to hear the rustling pines and the roaring waterfalls, to explore caves, to carry a sword instead of a walking stick.
The dwarves exchanged glances, seemingly realizing that what the hobbit was thinking was not quite what they had expected, and they couldn't help but chuckle.
Bilbo also noticed that the atmosphere in the room had become somewhat humorous, and he sighed deeply, saying, "Alright, alright, I admit, I'm actually very timid, and indeed not a burglar, but I also want to join this adventure.
But I'm afraid I'll lose my life, Arthur, your adventure stories are very thrilling, almost taking your life every time.
But they are also so attractive to me..."
He lowered his head, revealing a helpless smile, not wanting others to see his expression, and said somewhat self-deprecatingly, "Perhaps the reason I'm giving will make you laugh at me.
Forget it, just laugh at me, I am a hobbit who fears death but yearns for adventure."
But no one's voice criticized him, making Bilbo look up in surprise.
Then he heard Arthur say helplessly to Gandalf, "Did you actually see what Bilbo truly desired from the beginning, and that's why you chose him?"
Gandalf cleared the ashes from his pipe and said with a smile, "That's just one point, and I also know that the Took blood in him won't let him stay in Bag End his whole life.
Of course, more importantly, hobbits walk very lightly.
In fact, if they wish, they can go unnoticed by anyone.
I believe Bilbo's ability definitely far exceeds your estimations."
He finally looked at Thorin and said, "Only this, you must believe me."
Thorin turned back and looked at Bilbo seriously again, then turned to Gandalf and said, "Alright then, let's do as you say."
Then he said to Balin, "Get the contract for Bilbo, and also the contracts for Sir Arthur and his three friends."