Bilbo Baggins

"Hyah!" The clatter of urgent hooves shattered Hobbiton's tranquility as a dozen fully armored knights appeared on its winding lanes.

The young knight barked at his squire: "Caslo, are you sure this is the road?"

"Yes, well, I mean probably maybe... you see, milord, these country paths are too twisty." Wyvern Knight Caslo stammered.

"Bloody hell! Are you all useless?" Roland barely held back a curse.

"Oh, sorry, lads, I didn't mean that." Catching his slip, Roland quickly apologized.

"Let's just keep asking around. Where in the blazes is Bag End?" Roland said dejectedly.

"Hey, friend! Sorry to bother you—do you know where Bilbo Baggins lives?" Roland asked every passerby.

Getting nowhere, he couldn't help grumbling: "Who the hell said Hobbits were friendly?"

"Excuse me, do you know Bilbo Baggins?" Roland asked a Hobbit sitting in his yard.

"Baggins? What do you want with him?" the young man asked, surprised.

"Well, because... the thing is, soon a bunch of dwarves and a wizard will find him, and I want to find those dwarves!" Roland explained.

"Right, that's me. But no dwarves yet—though a wizard did show up today. He wants me to go on an adventure with him, and funnily enough, he wants me to be a burglar! I don't know the first thing about fighting!" Bilbo Baggins explained.

"Well, that's..." Roland was dumbfounded. He'd timed this perfectly. He shot Bilbo a sympathetic look, thinking to himself that his pantry was in for a rough night—those thirteen dwarves would clean him out.

Roland glanced at the corner of his door and smiled: "Then see you tonight, Mr. Baggins."

"Er, sir, you mean you'll be visiting me this evening?" Bilbo asked, startled.

"Yes, just prepare food for me alone—my squires won't come. Oh, and I'm Roland!" Roland gave a friendly smile.

"Very well, sir. You're welcome tonight."

"Bond of Fate: Achieved! Reward: 90 Novice Knights. Summon anytime." The long-dormant One Ring on Roland's hand finally stirred.

"Ninety knights... plus these ten! That's a full hundred Novice Knights. I could form an entire knight order now." Roland felt like laughing out loud.

Finding a corner to summon the knights, he quickly used the Gold Coins the system had rewarded him to book a large inn for his squires to spend the night.

The crisp sound of hooves reached him, and Roland marveled at the system's efficiency—no loose ends. These knights had all ridden in from the wilds; no one would know they'd been summoned.

Watching the sky darken, Roland called Caslo over, tasked him with organizing the knights under his command, and set off for the feast.

"Ding-ding-ding!" Roland rang the bell at Bag End's door.

"Boom!" The door swung open, and a wave of food aromas mixed with chaotic noise poured out—the dwarves were already partying...

Roland's eye twitched at the mess inside. Just as he wondered whether to step in, he looked down and saw Bilbo's crestfallen gaze.

"Mr. Roland, do you know something... and sorry about the food I prepared for you..." Baggins said awkwardly.

"Don't worry, Bilbo. It's fine." Roland reassured him, then stepped inside.

The moment he entered, Roland recognized Gandalf—that robe and staff gave him away completely.

"Greetings, respected Mr. Gandalf!" Roland offered.

"Should I call you Thorin Oakenshield, or King Under the Mountain?" Roland said calmly, eyeing the king among dwarves.

The words clearly struck a nerve. Thorin clenched his fists and stood.

"Hey, Thorin! Easy now." Gandalf quickly blocked him.

"Young man, I can't see through you..." Gandalf said, astonished.

Roland gave a faint, noncommittal smile. He turned to Thorin and asked: "Durin's Lineage, Son of Thror, Son of Thrain—can you still call yourself King Under the Mountain?"

"Bang!" Thorin slammed the table, ready to leap out and fight Roland. The others held him back. His nephew Kili stepped forward: "Sir, if you don't mind my asking, did you come here looking for trouble?" The rest of the dwarves glared at him, while Gandalf watched thoughtfully.

"Trouble? You're not worth it. I just don't want to see Durin's Lineage end." Roland knew the story's path—even if they won, Durin's bloodline would be finished.

With the One Ring's help, Roland sensed everyone present. Aside from Thorin being a Berserker, the rest were Novice Warriors or Warriors. With that lineup, they couldn't even withstand one charge from Roland's knight order.

The warrior class ranks were: Novice Warrior, Warrior, Berserker, Commander, Warlord, and the final class—Overlord!

"Nonsense!"

"Blasphemy!"

The dwarves all hurled accusations, while Gandalf's gaze at Roland grew more and more astonished.

"Enough! State your purpose!" Thorin suddenly bellowed, silencing his men.

"Straight to the point—worthy of a Descendant of Durin. I am the commander of the Holy Radiance Knight Order. I need to find a territory to settle my knights and make a living, so you understand... I need money." Roland stated his demand calmly.

"What? A knight order!"

"Good heavens! He has a knight order..."

The dwarves were stunned. Only Gandalf looked more puzzled than ever.

"Mr. Roland! That's not a funny joke! Do you know what qualifies as a knight order?" Thorin asked gravely.

"Of course, the order under my command is merely the weakest, with one hundred Novice Knights and a single Knight Captain." Roland said with a haughty expression.

"Then... what do you mean..." Thorin's tone softened as well, since they shared common interests and everything was negotiable.

"I will lead my Knight Order into battle! Escort you all the way to the Lonely Mountain! And you will need to pay a commission. If there are casualties, you will also need to provide Severance Pay. Of course, if we ultimately fail to reclaim Erebor... then you owe nothing!" A flame flickered in Roland's eyes—a flame called ambition.

"If you agree, then I can summon my Squires right now!" Roland continued.

Thorin lowered his head in thought. Gandalf quietly tugged at him and whispered in his ear: "Agree to him. The road ahead is fraught with too many risks. Having a Knight Order's protection will let us reach our destination more safely."

Hearing Gandalf's whisper, Thorin nodded. He lifted his head and said in a clear voice: "Mr. Roland, I will draft the contract now."

With that, he and his dwarves began writing the contract. Then Roland witnessed a contract even longer than the one Mr. Baggins had received for the Flying Thief position—a full scroll's worth...

"Then, may our Expedition go smoothly!" After signing the contract, Roland put it away, nodded to the group, declined Bilbo's invitation to stay, and walked out.

"By the way, I will wait for you at the edge of the forest tomorrow morning!" Roland's voice came from afar.