Bounty Hunter

"I am Gandalf."

Looking at the somewhat familiar old man before him, Morgan froze the moment he spoke.

He enjoyed watching fantasy films and television series, and in his spare time, he had watched both The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Although he wouldn't call himself a die-hard fan, he still had a distinct impression of these two classic fantasy masterpieces.

As for the soul of the entire Middle-earth, the wizard Gandalf, who spanned both works, Morgan was even more deeply impressed.

With this appearance and this attire, Morgan did not doubt for a second that he had encountered the real Gandalf.

After all, if he could travel to this world, and possessed the even more fantastical Time Traveler System, what was there that he couldn't believe?

In that moment, many thoughts raced through Morgan's mind.

What interested him most right now was: "What period of Middle-earth am I in?"

But in an instant, Morgan quickly composed himself.

He looked at Gandalf and said casually, "If we meet, we are friends."

"Seeing you still traveling so late, I assume you haven't had dinner yet."

"Help yourself to whatever you want to cut; don't be a stranger."

As he spoke, Morgan tossed his meat-cutting dagger to Gandalf and pointed toward the carcass of the Giant Bear nearby, adding, "By the way, you can call me Morgan."

Taking the dagger and looking at Morgan closely for a few moments, seeing that Morgan's expression was open and generous, Gandalf smiled. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

He put away his pipe, picked up the dagger, and stepped forward to cut the meat.

Friendship between men is sometimes very simple.

As the true primary protagonist of the six-part Middle-earth saga, Gandalf was righteous, firm, witty, and humorous, with a wide circle of friends—something evident from the fact that his acquaintances included the leaders of every major power in Middle-earth.

As for Morgan, he was meticulous and open-hearted, and he had every intention of befriending Gandalf.

The two sat before the campfire, eating roasted bear meat, and before long, they had grown familiar with one another.

"Morgan, looking at you, you seem to be a Ranger?"

Gandalf cut a large, bloody, fur-covered chunk of meat from the Giant Bear's forelimb, skewered it on a sharpened branch, and placed it over the fire, speaking casually as he roasted it.

"A Ranger."

Hearing Gandalf speak, Morgan paused for a moment.

He had actually already decided on an identity for himself: a "Bounty Hunter."

Bounty Hunter: An expert who earns high rewards by completing difficult commissioned tasks for employers.

Bounty Hunters and the "Rangers" Gandalf spoke of were somewhat similar in certain respects; the former were rarer and generally more powerful than the latter.

However, the latter had a much more famous reputation.

When ordinary residents of Middle-earth mentioned Rangers, they could usually name one or two.

But when "Bounty Hunter" was mentioned, very few people knew what it meant.

"A Ranger, I suppose you could say that."

"In fact, I prefer another title: 'Bounty Hunter'!"

Morgan shook his head and smiled.

"Bounty Hunter?"

Hearing Morgan's words, Gandalf was slightly taken aback; bounty hunters were truly rare.

However, looking at the massive Giant Bear nearby, which stood nearly three meters tall and whose blood and body heat clearly indicated it had only just died, Gandalf did not doubt Morgan's strength in the slightest.

A ferocious Giant Bear of this size was far from something an ordinary person could handle.

This was sufficient proof of Morgan's prowess.

"That is certainly not common."

Gandalf looked up at Morgan and smiled.

"It is indeed not common; I have yet to meet a single colleague."

And why would he? He had taken the title of bounty hunter from other fantasy films and television series and applied it to himself, deciding to walk the world under this identity from now on.

As for whether there were bounty hunters in Middle-earth, he had no doubt.

Because the Rangers of this world were essentially a low-spec version of "Bounty Hunters."

Morgan shook his head with a smile, looked closely at Gandalf, and asked, "And you, Gandalf?"

"You look more like a legendary wandering wizard?"

Seeing Morgan ask, Gandalf smiled and replied straightforwardly, "As you can see, I am indeed a wizard."

"Let me introduce myself formally: Gandalf the Wizard."

"Bounty Hunter Morgan."

"Haha."

The two were having a pleasant conversation, and the topics of their discussion gradually expanded.

"Morgan, did you come to the Shire because of a mission?"

Gandalf continued to gnaw on the roasted Giant Bear meat as he asked.

Because the meat of the Giant Bear is soft, tender, and smooth, with an excellent mouthfeel, it is sold at a high price in many places.

However, because the Giant Bear is massive and exceptionally fierce, it is rarely sold on the market.

Even if one is occasionally caught, it is quickly bought up by wealthy local nobles, making it difficult for ordinary people to purchase.

Even if Giant Bear meat were to appear, ordinary people simply could not afford it.

Now that he had chanced upon Morgan, a powerful bounty hunter, and such a large, ferocious Giant Bear, Gandalf truly intended to eat his fill.

"This is the Shire?"

Since he already knew he was in Middle-earth, Morgan reacted immediately upon hearing Gandalf mention it.

"If I said I only came to the Shire because I got lost, would you believe me, Gandalf?"

Morgan shook his head, his smile somewhat wry.

"Hmm, looking at your appearance, of course I believe you!"

Gandalf looked up at Morgan, finished the last bite of roasted Giant Bear meat in his hand, wiped the grease from his mouth, and laughed.

As he spoke, he pulled out his pipe, packed it with tobacco, and gestured to see if Morgan wanted a puff.

Morgan waved his hand in refusal and smiled as well.

He knew he looked a bit disheveled.

He had sold the loot he scavenged from the two guards at Fero Town, along with his damaged, low-quality armor, just to afford a horse.

Now, he was wearing only a short leather tunic on his lower body, and a plain, open-chested linen long-sleeve shirt on his upper body, the cuffs of which he had torn off because of the heat.

It currently resembled a short-sleeved shirt with asymmetrical cuffs.

As for the ordinary Cross Longsword and short sword, those were items the original owner had possessed from the start.

Such a disheveled appearance was quite far from the image of a bounty hunter.

"I haven't taken a mission in a long time, so please excuse my state."

Morgan spoke with a smile, showing no embarrassment at all despite his ragged appearance.

"Gandalf, you are a wizard; if you have any decent commissions, remember to introduce them to me."

Morgan continued, his expression open, casual, and natural.

Gandalf lit his pipe, took a puff, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "Hmm, I do indeed have one. It's just..."

Finally, it's here.

Morgan was secretly delighted. He had been building rapport with Gandalf for so long, waiting precisely for this moment—to receive a mission from him and successfully enter the plot.

He decisively activated his special talent skill, "Intimacy."

[Intimacy: Can significantly increase the target's favorability toward you for a short period.]

"Morgan, you treated me to roasted Giant Bear meat, and I am introducing a commission to you; this is a fair trade."

"Besides, that mission happens to require a bounty hunter of your strength."

"How about this: come with me tomorrow, and I guarantee you'll be able to take on a very good commission."

Gandalf, who had been somewhat hesitant, suddenly changed his tone and spoke with a smile.