The Direction of Advance

"Although we are few in number,"

"We are all warriors. We will never retreat, and we will never yield!"

"That's right, we will never fear the dragon."

The dwarves chattered away, their opinions essentially split into two camps.

The younger dwarves, such as Kili, Fili, and Ori, were hot-blooded and impulsive, seemingly afraid of nothing.

The older dwarves, led by Balin, who had witnessed the horrific sight of Smaug attacking the old capital of Erebor, were far more rational and cautious.

"Knowing you cannot win and charging in anyway—that isn't bravery, that's stupidity!"

"Hey, who are you calling stupid?"

"I'm talking about you!"

"."

Seeing the two opposing factions of dwarves arguing louder and louder, the atmosphere growing increasingly volatile, it seemed they might come to blows at any second.

Morgan quietly scooted his bench backward.

Only to see that Gandalf had already moved to the back a step ahead of him.

Just then.

"Enough!"

Thorin Oakenshield slammed his hand onto the long table and stood up with a sharp shout.

"If we can see the signs, do you think others cannot?"

"By then, rumors will begin to spread."

"Smaug has not been seen for sixty years!"

"How many eyes are watching the East, thinking, weighing, and coveting the wealth that belongs to us!"

"In short, we must take back Erebor!"

"We must!"

Thorin Oakenshield clenched his fists and declared loudly.

The dwarves were immediately stirred up by him, responding with cheers at once.

But Balin, the oldest, calmest, and most cautious dwarf in the entire party, immediately poured cold water on Thorin Oakenshield:

"Have you forgotten that the entire Lonely Mountain is sealed?"

"We have no way to enter the mountain."

Balin shook his head as he spoke; rather than cold water, it was the greatest problem facing the expedition to the old kingdom.

Because Erebor was, in its entirety, an underground city within a great mountain.

The front gate of the kingdom had already been sealed by the dragon Smaug, and there was no way to enter from anywhere else. If they couldn't get inside, everything else was just empty talk.

As Balin's voice faded, Thorin Oakenshield fell silent.

This was indeed the greatest difficulty at present.

"Balin, perhaps that was true before, but it is not so now."

Just then, Gandalf's voice suddenly rang out.

Following that, everyone watched as he pulled out a delicate key, the length of a palm and the thickness of a thumb, as if performing a magic trick.

"How did you come by this?"

Thorin Oakenshield murmured as he looked at the key in Gandalf's hand.

"Thror gave it to your father, Thrain, and your father entrusted it to me for safekeeping."

"Now, it belongs to you."

Gandalf spoke slowly, reaching out to hand the key to Thorin Oakenshield.

At this moment, a dwarf suddenly said, "If there is a key, then there must be a door."

"Quite right, and that is where the new problem lies."

Gandalf nodded, pointing to the map on the table as he continued, "That door is hidden within this map, but I do not have the ability to find it."

"However, rest assured, there is someone in Middle-earth who can find it."

"Our mission must be covert and careful."

"Therefore, we need a burglar."

Seeing that the dwarves' brawl had failed to materialize, Gandalf pulled the meeting back to a scene similar to the plot in his memories.

Morgan, who felt as if he were viewing things from a god's-eye perspective, suddenly found his mind wandering as he watched.

Swish, swish, swish.

Lines of virtual data emitting a pale white light began to jump and flicker in the void.

No one present noticed anything unusual about Morgan.

[Time Traveler: Morgan]
[Race: Human]
[Biological Level: Tier 1]
[Soul Power: 0]
[Attributes: Strength+; Constitution+; Agility+; Spirit+]
[Abilities: Common Language; Muay Thai LV2; White Crow Swordsmanship LV1; Archery LV2]
[Talent: Intimacy (Special Skill)]
[Current World Exploration Progress: 0.3%]

Watching the data continuously appear before his eyes.

When he saw the figure behind the world exploration progress column.

Morgan's eyelids couldn't help but twitch violently.

"0.3%!"

From the 0.01% world exploration progress before meeting Gandalf, it had surged to 0.1%.

And then it skyrocketed from 0.1% to 0.3%!

If not for the fact that nothing had changed during the half-month he spent traveling earlier, Morgan would have suspected the system was malfunctioning.

The facts proved that his previous thoughts were entirely correct.

The current world exploration progress was closely tied to plot characters.

This pointed out a direction for Morgan's future path—no, it lit a beacon for him.

Just by meeting major plot characters, the exploration progress had seen such a significant increase.

If he were to participate in events alongside them, the increase would surely be even greater.

The more exploration progress he had, the better he would certainly understand the system.

Moreover, Morgan had another primary goal: to obtain Soul Power and become stronger.

The best method was likewise to act alongside Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield, as there would be no shortage of enemies.

Just as Morgan was pondering his system.

Gandalf, who was sitting to the side, suddenly stood up. Under the glow of the firelight, his already tall shadow instantly became immense, casting a shroud over the entire living room.

"Enough!"

"If I say Bilbo is a burglar, then he is one!"

Though the voice seemed calm, it rang out with deafening intensity in the ears of everyone present.

As his voice fell, everyone in the room was stunned.

They had always been told Gandalf was a wizard, but none of the dwarves had ever truly seen him perform sorcery.

With this display, the dwarves' gazes toward Gandalf instantly turned to awe.

Even Thorin Oakenshield was no exception.

Morgan, who had been lost in his own thoughts, was also startled by Gandalf's display.

He immediately dismissed the system interface before him and refocused his attention on the table.

"Hobbits are smaller, and their footsteps are very light."

"Although, some of you dwarves can manage that as well."

"But you must know that Smaug is long accustomed to you; he can easily scent you."

"A Hobbit is different; Smaug has never seen a Hobbit."

"For the fourteenth member you asked me to find, I choose Mr. Baggins."

"His abilities far exceed his appearance, and the contribution he can make is greater than even you—or he himself—knows."

"Therefore, you must trust him."

Gandalf sat back down, and Morgan quickly grasped the cause and effect from his words.

The dwarves looked down on Bilbo, while Gandalf was recommending him with all his might.

"Very well, we will do as you say."

Thorin Oakenshield looked at Gandalf for a long moment, finally appearing convinced.

But Morgan, who was observing Thorin Oakenshield closely and combining it with the plot from his memory, knew: Thorin Oakenshield still did not trust Bilbo; he only trusted Gandalf and was merely giving Gandalf face.

"Bring out the contract, and Morgan's copy as well."