A Riddle in the Secret, Getting You Acquainted

"Gandalf".

"King Elrond," Gandalf stepped forward with a smile, "My friend, where have you been?"

"We went hunting the Orc army from the south and killed a few near the secret passage." King Elrond dismounted and gave Gandalf a hug. "For the Orcs to dare approach our borders, someone or something must have attracted them."

"It could be us," Gandalf said, and Thorin took a few steps forward expressionlessly.

King Elrond noticed the dwarf prince, and his expression turned serious. "Welcome, Thorin, Thrain the Dwarf."

"I don't think we've met before."

"You look like your grandfather. When I met Thor, he was the king of the hill."

"Really? He's never mentioned you." Thorin said casually.

King Elrond didn't care about the other party's indifferent tone. Elves have incredibly long lifespans, and putting aside their status, Thorin's grandfather was a junior in his eyes.

"Since you've come all this way, let's eat before you leave!"

King Elrond spoke these words in Elvish, but Thorin could not hear them, nor could the dwarves behind him.

"What is he saying? Is he insulting us?" Gloin said angrily.

"No, Mr. Gloin, he wants to invite you to dinner," Gandalf immediately explained.

The dwarves huddled together and discussed for two seconds.

Gloin's attitude softened slightly. "In that case, lead the way!"

As Aaron climbed the stairs, he surveyed the valley. The Shire was more peaceful and tranquil than the Shire. Compared to the Hobbit settlements, Rivendell had elite troops and offered a greater sense of security.

"Thorin, have you ever met this Elf King before?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Although this is the first time we've met, I don't think King Elrond is the kind of person who would stay out of things that don't concern him."

"It's not him." Thorin shook his head with a complicated expression. "It's another group of elves."

"Oh!" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I hope you remember what Gandalf said and to tone down your arrogance a little. After all, we're asking for a favor."

Thorin paused slightly. "We'll see!"

Upon entering the banquet hall, the elves prepared beautiful music and exquisite green food to entertain the guests from afar.

However, the dwarves did not appreciate music and were disgusted by the food on the table.

Aaron and Bilbo exchanged a glance, both amused and exasperated.

There wasn't a single piece of meat on the plate; apart from some snacks, it was all fresh vegetables.

Unfortunately, all these vegetables were raw, making them unpalatable.

"Bilbo, have you ever read about elven food in the books?" Aaron lowered his voice. "It's nothing compared to your family's elven feasts."

"I only knew they didn't like to eat meat," Bilbo murmured, looking at the table full of vegetables. "Today has been quite an eye-opener."

Aaron picked up a lettuce leaf, rolled it up with some taro and carrot, and started eating it in big bites.

Bilbo wasn't as extravagant; he just took a few snacks to tide him over.

"King Elrond, I hope you can appraise these two swords," Gandalf said.

Although Thorin was somewhat reluctant, he still handed over the weapon he was holding.

"This is the Orcrist, a famous sword used to slay orcs." King Elrond drew Thorin's sword and exclaimed, "This sword was forged by my Western High Elves clan. I hope it will be of some help to you."

"This is Glamdring." After returning the Orcrist to Thorin, King Elrond examined the Gandalf sword. "It is the King of Gondolin's Foe-hammer, made during the First Age when he fought against the Orcs."

Upon hearing King Elrond's words, Bilbo secretly drew his short sword from under the table, wondering about its origins.

"Should we let King Elrond take a look as well?" Aaron teased. "My ancestors were blacksmiths, and I can tell you with certainty that the quality of your sword is no less than theirs."

"Don't worry about it, young man," Balin comforted Yu. "Swords and blades are named for their achievements in war."

"You mean my sword has never been on the battlefield?" Bilbo was a little disappointed.

"Hehe! Just because you haven't been on the battlefield before doesn't mean you won't have the chance in the future. Besides..." Aaron patted Bilbo's arm and said meaningfully, "Every sword has its purpose in being made. The Orcrist and the Foe-hammer don't have any special magic, but your sword does."

Bilbo seemed lost in thought, wondering why Gandalf had given him the sword.

The primary objective is early warning; the secondary objective is combat.

"How did you obtain it?" King Elrond asked.

"In the Great Eastern Cave of the Ogre," Gandalf said, "Just before the orc attack."

"How did you end up on the Eastern Great Temple?"

Gandalf paused for a moment, noticing Thorin's pale face, and realized that the dwarf prince didn't want the elves to know what they were up to.

"We'll talk about that later."

After the banquet, Gandalf summoned Thorin, Balin, Bilbo, and Aaron to meet King Elrond and directly conveyed his purpose to him.

"We need no elves to interfere with us."

Thorin stood firm, his face clearly showing his refusal.

Although King Elrond left a fairly good impression on him, the elves caused him greater emotional damage.

"Good heavens, I'm so annoyed by the dwarves' stubbornness," Gandalf said wearily. "Thorin, give him the map."

"This is the heritage of my people, and I will protect its secrets."

"Elves are not all the same," Aaron said meaningfully. "If you can't even unravel a secret, don't talk about protection. Sometimes you have to try to trust others."

Furthermore, and to say something you might not like to hear, we are the ones asking for help now.

Gandalf agreed wholeheartedly, "Thorin, stand before one of the few in Middle-earth- earth who can decipher words, and show it to King Elrond."

Thorin was silent for a few seconds, then reached into his robes and took out his family's heirloom map.

Balin tried to stop him, but was interrupted by him reaching out.

King Elrond opened the map, he was startled to see the Lonely Mountain and the evil dragon hovering over Lonely Mountain.

"Erebor."

Why are you interested in this map?

"It's mainly for academic research," Gandalf interrupted Thorin, who was about to speak. "As you know, these kinds of antiquities usually contain secret messages."

You can read Ancient Dwarven, right?

King Elrond did not answer directly, but carefully examined the map, "The script is Moon."

"Moon script?" Gandalf suddenly realized. "Of course, it's easily overlooked."

"What is the Moon Script?" Aaron asked curiously.

"As the name suggests, it is to read the characters by moonlight," King Elrond explains. "The Moon's season and shape must match the time of writing."

"Can you read?" Thorin asked.

King Elrond smiled slightly and led the group to a spacious terrace. Directly in front of the terrace was a crystal-crafted table.

"These runes were written on the evening of the summer solstice, about two hundred and ten days ago, under the new moon. It seems you were destined to come to Rivendell." King Elrond placed the map on the table. "Fortune has been on your side, Thorin Oakenshield."

The same moonlight shines on us tonight.

As soon as he finished speaking, a crescent moon shone in the sky, casting its pale moonlight.

Under the moonlight, several lines of white text appeared on the map.

"When the thrush strikes its song, standing beside the grey rock, the setting sun, borrowing the afterglow of the Durin sun, will shine on the keyhole."

Aaron blinked blankly. "It's quite poetic, but there's a riddle after the secret is solved. That's too much!"

I can only glean one meaning: we Durin reach Irubb before Erebor.

However, when is Durin Day?

"That is the New Year's Day of the Dwarves," said Gandalf, "When the last month of autumn and the first day of winter meet in the sky."

"This is bad news," Thorin said, frowning. "Summer is approaching, and the Durin Summer is just around the corner."

"We still have time," Balin said. "We need to be in the right place at the right time to find the right entrance to open the door."

"It looks like we'll have to travel a long way, and we'll have to speed things up," Aaron said with some melancholy. "I've never traveled this far since I was born. A round trip will probably take at least ten days."

"Gaius." Gandalf appeared before Aaron with a smile. "Cherish this journey. It is extremely precious and meaningful for a thirteen-year-old."

Aaron:...

I don't believe your nonsense!

They're making empty promises to me. If it weren't for completing two system tasks, I'd quit the team in a heartbeat, believe it or not.

"You're only thirteen?" King Elrond looked at Aaron in surprise, then turned his gaze to Gandalf. "Mithrandir, your eye for talent is as sharp as ever!"

"This, uh, um..."

Age doesn't matter, what matters is that Gaius is far more reliable than you think, he is...

"Cough cough!"

Hearing Aaron cough, Gandalf gave an awkward laugh and swallowed the words he was about to say.

"In short, his background is complicated, but he is more reliable than anyone else."

"So your goal is to destroy the mountain?"

Thorin retorted, "So what?"

"Some people may think this move is unwise."

"What do you mean?" Gandalf frowned slightly, sensing that King Elrond's words had a hidden meaning.

"You are not the only Guardian of Middle-earth," King Elrond said meaningfully, before leaving on his own.

"That's right," Aaron laughed. "If Middle-earth were only supported by a Grey Wizard, it would probably have been taken over by evil long ago."

"Someone's coming, from Rivendell," Gandalf said, his tone slightly serious. "Thorin, you take Bilbo and Balin to rest."

Gaius, come with me.

Aaron curled his lip and said dismissively, "No way."

He's not stupid! Gandalf dismissed the others, leaving only him behind—clearly, nothing good was coming of it.

"This is important."

"No matter how important it is, I won't give up."

"What if it concerns your memories?" Gandalf chuckled knowingly. "This person might help you regain your memories. I don't think you'd refuse!"

Upon hearing this, Aaron Petrochemical was stunned.

"I am afraid" means that I might fall into a trap set by that cunning old man. But if I don't use amnesia as an excuse, I won't be able to use it, and I will have to jump into the trap I dug myself.

After a long silence, Aaron forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace. "You win."

The two stepped off the terrace, King Elrond led them to the room at the highest point of Rivendell, where they could clearly see the scenery of Rivendell, including the waterfalls and the moonlight.

"Whether we help them or not, the dwarves will advance on the Misty Mountains, determined to reclaim their lost territory."

Thorin Oakenshield felt he didn't need to explain to anyone, and neither did I.

"You don't need to explain to me," King Elrond said, gesturing for him to look into the room.

Gandalf turned around and noticed the figure standing in the moonlight. He was taken aback. "Queen Galadriel."

Aaron's gaze lingered on the Elf Queen's face for a second, but he wasn't attracted by her beautiful appearance; instead, he looked into her eyes.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, Aaron read wisdom and composure in her eyes.

This queen is definitely not just a pretty face, but a wise and powerful leader, and her looks are also stunning.

"Mithrandir," Queen Galadriel said with a slight smile, "It's been a long time."

"Time has changed me, but it hasn't changed Queen of Lórien," Gandalf said with a somewhat restrained smile. "I didn't know King Elrond had informed you."

"It wasn't him, it was me."

Upon hearing the voice, Gandalf paused for a moment, then turned around and put on a smiling face, bowing slightly in respect, "Saruman."

The White Wizard, holding a staff, was dressed neatly and cleanly.

Although Saruman also appeared to be an old man, he was sharp and charismatic, forming a stark contrast with the Grey Wizard.

"You've been busy lately, my friend," Saruman chuckled, then turned his gaze to Aaron. "I personally think our meeting isn't suitable for children."

The White Wizard spoke euphemistically, but the meaning was quite clear: children shouldn't interrupt adults, no, they should stay away.

Hearing this, Aaron wasn't angry; in fact, he was secretly pleased.

Just when he was about to doze off, someone conveniently offered him a pillow. He was thinking about how to avoid this meeting when Saruman kindly helped him out.

Although Aaron felt somewhat disgusted by the White Wizard's aloofness, he silently gave him a thousand thumbs up in his heart: You are a good person.

"Respected White Wizard," Aaron bowed politely, "You are absolutely right, I'll be on my way."

"Wait, Gaius."

As soon as Aaron turned around, Gandalf grabbed his clothes.

Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless. "This is the suggestion of the White Wizard."

"A suggestion is not a command."

Aaron slapped his hand away and asked impatiently, "What exactly is your purpose?"

"I don't mean anything by it, I just want you to become more familiar with the place." Gandalf winked at Aaron. "It's for your own good. These are all important people here, and it will be good for you to get to know them."

"Hehe!"

Aaron was so angry he laughed, but inside he felt like crying.

If he weren't worried about being outmatched, he would have loved to throw Gandalf off here.

Damn it! A conspiracy, no, this is an open conspiracy!

During his two-month trip, he was very careful and kept a low profile, not even practicing the most basic magic, just to avoid getting into the sight of these important figures.

But Gandalf's arrangement to "get acquainted" rendered his two-month-long hiding meaningless; this was simply impossible to play.

"Gandalf, isn't this a bit too much of a joke?" Saruman said, somewhat displeased.

King Elrond and Queen Galadriel were also puzzled, not understanding why Gandalf, the famous Mithrandir, would value a child so much.

"No, please believe me."

Aaron Gaius, this child is special.

From the first moment I saw him, I had a feeling that with his help, we would be twice as efficient.