The Elf Women

The Dwarves were easily won over by Gandalf's promise that Lord Elrond would treat them to a meal.

As the group followed the Expedition Team along the road to Rivendell's stronghold,

Morgan walked beside Gandalf, struggling to keep from laughing.

Gandalf, who had been chatting with Lord Elrond, suddenly turned and looked at Morgan with suspicion. In a low voice, he asked, "Can you understand Elvish?"

Morgan straightened up. His smile vanished at once, and he asked Gandalf calmly, "Elvish?"

"What do you mean?"

"Of course I don't understand Elvish."

"Why do you ask?"

Morgan looked genuinely confused, so Gandalf smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing."

Then he turned back and continued talking with Elrond.

The group followed Gandalf and Elrond deeper into Rivendell.

Along the way, they passed gardens, attics, pavilions, fountains, and flowers. The buildings were steeped in fantasy, and their exquisite decorations opened Morgan's eyes.

Lord Elrond and Gandalf were deep in conversation.

Morgan fell back a few paces and followed behind them.

Bilbo, who had been walking with the Dwarves, now hurried over to join Morgan, chatting with him as they walked.

Thorin Oakenshield led the Dwarves at the rear.

The Dwarves were making a real spectacle of themselves. They kept looking around, then huddled together to whisper.

Though "whisper" wasn't quite the word for it. They weren't being especially quiet.

Morgan glanced back at the Dwarves, then at Bilbo beside him.

He knew why Bilbo didn't want to walk with them.

So he quickened his pace, soon leaving the Dwarves behind.

Bilbo saw him do it and immediately sped up, catching up with Morgan again.

As they followed Elrond and Gandalf along the way,

Morgan encountered many male Elves. They were all tall and handsome, but most were rather thin, perhaps because they ate too little meat. He didn't see a single fat one.

The male Elves were handsome, though their looks leaned toward the delicate and androgynous.

They reminded Morgan at once of the male supermodels he'd seen walking runways in his previous life.

The female Elves didn't disappoint him either. They were all exquisitely beautiful, fair-skinned, and tall.

Seeing them for the first time, Morgan was a little dazed. Had he somehow stumbled onto a supermodel runway?

These female Elves weren't the busty, voluptuous sort who set your heart racing and stirred up desire at a glance.

But these tall, shapely women, with their delicate features, fair complexions, and slightly fragile air, were simply wonderful.

It wasn't as though Morgan had never seen beautiful women before.

In his previous life, he'd had money to spare. Whenever he won a high-stakes underground boxing match, he'd find several top models and spend the whole night indulging himself.

As for their race, he'd mostly been with women with yellow or white skin. He'd even tried black women.

Morgan wasn't particular about that sort of thing. As long as a woman's looks and figure matched his taste, he had no taboos.

But these Rivendell Elves, with the kind of faces that would have been called high-fashion in his previous life, were a first for him.

He felt that from then on, his standards for women might have been raised without his even realizing it.

Still, one of the most important factors in achieving anything was self-discipline.

Morgan was the same. After an underground boxing match, he would indulge himself thoroughly once.

Then he'd go back to training, training, and more training.

Now that he was in this world, he didn't train quite as obsessively as he had in his previous life.

But the self-discipline he'd cultivated had come with him.

That was why, whenever he had spare time during their journey, he trained on his own.

But everyone had desires.

A life balanced between effort and relaxation was the best way to stay in peak condition and keep one's fighting strength.

After two months of a miserable, monk-like adventuring life,

Morgan couldn't honestly claim he wasn't tempted by these alluring female Elves.

Morgan liked these female Elves, but he wasn't like the ignorant bumpkins among the Dwarves behind him.

The Elves placed great importance on manners.

If he wanted to earn their favor, he couldn't afford to be rude.

Rivendell rarely received visitors from outside.

Gandalf's arrival with Morgan, Thorin, and the rest of the Company had caught the attention of nearly every Elf they passed.

Following behind Gandalf and Elrond,

Morgan offered a gentlemanly smile and nod to every female Elf who glanced his way.

He ignored every look from the male Elves.

The Elves lived long lives.

In a place as idyllic as Rivendell, they had comfortable, leisurely lives.

But they were no different from any other living creature.

Anyone with too much free time would eventually grow bored.

A wizard, Dwarves, a Hobbit, and a man made for an unusual company.

Many Elves stopped to watch them as they passed, even those who had been busy with their work.

But Elrond didn't seem to mind. He simply kept talking with Gandalf.

Morgan took that to mean that life in Rivendell was quite relaxed.

With the Elves stopping to watch them,

the Dwarves seemed to grow even bolder.

"The female Elves are all too thin."

"Yeah, their cheekbones are too high, and they don't have enough hair on their faces. Their skin's too smooth, too."

"And they don't have beards."

"They're tall and skinny, with no meat on their bones. Dwarves are better."

"Oh, that one's not bad."

Kili suddenly spoke as he looked at the tall figure ahead, with long hair flowing down their back.

"What's wrong with your eyes, Kili? That's no Elf maiden."

Fili hurried to correct him. As soon as he spoke, the figure ahead turned around. It was a male Elf.

"Haha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The Dwarves all burst out laughing.

Everyone around them turned to stare.

"My goodness!"

Watching the Dwarves behind him make a fuss wherever they went, with no idea what manners were and no restraint at all, Bilbo covered his face, wishing he'd never met them.

"Hey, relax, Bilbo."

Noticing Bilbo's distress, Morgan patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "It's not like you just met them."

"I know, but... we're guests here, you know?"

"This is so rude!"

Bilbo gestured as he spoke, looking both annoyed and helpless.

Seeing how exaggerated Bilbo's anger was,

Morgan was reminded of how, even when the Dwarves had ransacked his home a little over a month ago, the little fellow had done his best to remain composed.

Bilbo really was a polite, well-mannered Hobbit with a good personality—and a strong sense of pride.

Morgan patted Bilbo on the shoulder and said nothing more.

Just then, two beautiful Elf maidens walked past the group together.

Morgan turned his head and saw that the golden-haired Elf maiden was staring at him without blinking.

Morgan smiled and met her gaze.

He kept looking at her until she blushed, turned away, and fled.

The moment they followed Gandalf and Elrond into the garden,

Morgan murmured, "I like it here."

Many thanks to our two readers, Ge Jian Ye Ting Yu and Ah Haha Hai Pa, for the gifts. I'm very grateful~~~