Tallying the Spoils [Seeking Recommendation Tickets]

After King Elrond handed the Elven Sword back to Morgan.

Thorin Oakenshield took the opportunity to pass over the short sword that Morgan had tossed to him in the Troll cave.

King Elrond took the short sword, examined it for a moment, and then drew the blade to study the inscriptions forged into the steel.

Ordinary weapons would never bear such inscriptions.

Only when a true Elven Sword was forged would a master smith engrave inscriptions upon it to ensure its legacy.

These forged inscriptions essentially recorded the history of the weapon.

For instance, the time and place of its forging, and sometimes even the name of the smith who crafted it.

Of course, only those of master-smith caliber were qualified to leave their names on a blade.

There are two ways for an Elven Sword to become famous.

The first is through its owner; a wielder who achieves great merit and renown in war can bring fame to the blade they carry.

The second is through its origin; being crafted by the hands of a renowned master smith can grant a blade a certain reputation the moment it leaves the forge.

However, most famous blades passed down through history gained their renown through the first reason.

Because since ancient times, those who could reach the level of a master smith were far too few, and the blades forged by their hands were rarer still.

This is why the swords held by Morgan, Gandalf, and Thorin Oakenshield all gained their fame through the first reason—their battle records.

King Elrond's erudition was exactly as Gandalf had praised.

In just a short time, he was able to recount the origins of the three longswords as if they were his own treasures.

Clearly, this left Thorin Oakenshield, standing to the side, somewhat stunned.

"May it serve you well."

King Elrond smiled as he handed the identified short sword back to Thorin Oakenshield.

Watching the Dwarf King politely accept the blade with both hands.

Morgan could clearly see that Thorin Oakenshield's respect for King Elrond had increased significantly.

The two dining tables in the open-air garden were not far apart.

The sound of King Elrond appraising the longswords at Morgan's table naturally carried over to the other.

Hearing King Elrond's words, Bilbo couldn't help but take out the short sword that Gandalf had handed him as they finally exited the Troll cave.

Balin, the white-bearded dwarf, sat nearby and watched Bilbo's actions with a smile: "Don't mind that, Bilbo."

"A sword gains its name through great deeds in war, and yours..." Balin shook his head with a smile.

"Are you implying my sword has never seen a battlefield?" Bilbo felt a bit annoyed and immediately retorted.

"I'm not even sure that thing in your hand is a sword. To be honest, it looks more like a letter opener."

"A letter opener?"

Hearing Balin's words, Bilbo was stunned.

"How is that possible? A letter opener wouldn't glow whenever an Orc draws near!"

Bilbo desperately wanted to refute Balin, but the words died on his lips.

At the main table, after King Elrond finished introducing the three Elven Swords, he naturally asked about their origins.

"How did you come by these?" King Elrond asked with surprise.

"We found them in a Troll hoard on the East Road, and then we were attacked by an Orc."

Gandalf took a sip of fruit wine and spoke.

He did not intend to hide much from his old friend King Elrond, as they could not keep the purpose of this expedition a secret if they wanted to unlock the map's secrets.

Though, in truth, Gandalf had no intention of hiding it anyway.

"What were you doing on the East Road?"

King Elrond continued to ask.

Although he was somewhat surprised that Gandalf was traveling with a group of dwarves, he did not yet know the group's objective.

However, the moment King Elrond finished speaking, Thorin Oakenshield's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately said: "I have eaten my fill, please excuse me."

Thorin Oakenshield rose and left.

Only Morgan, King Elrond, and Gandalf remained at the main table.

They paid no mind to Thorin Oakenshield's departure.

However, King Elrond had clearly noted the dwarf's reaction.

He did not continue to ask questions that would trouble Gandalf.

King Elrond picked up his goblet, took a sip of fruit wine, and laughed: "Thirteen dwarves, one Hobbit, Morgan, and you—what a strange traveling party, Gandalf."

"They are all descendants of Durin's Folk. They are all excellent, noble, upright, polite, and well-bred."

Gandalf picked up a few translucent red berries, popped them into his mouth, and smiled.

Morgan took a sip of the fruit wine in his cup and turned his head toward the dining table nearby, just in time to see Ori the dwarf pick up a silver goblet, inspect it left and right, and then quickly stuff it into his tunic.

Combined with Gandalf's words, this scene nearly made Morgan spit out his drink.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Morgan coughed violently a few times before he finally recovered.

He looked up at Elrond and Gandalf, only to find that neither of them seemed to have noticed the anomaly at the next table, as they continued their conversation.

Just then, a strange noise erupted from the table next to them.

Morgan turned his head and saw the very dwarves whom Gandalf had just described as excellent, noble, upright, polite, and well-bred.

Their table was now a complete mess, with the dwarves using their knives and forks to bang on plates and cutlery, breaking into song.

As they sang, several dwarves stood up on the exquisite long table and began to dance wildly.

Turning the refined and luxurious banquet hosted by the Elves into an open-air barbecue party—only dwarves could pull off such a feat.

Aside from a moment of initial astonishment, Morgan didn't find it all that strange.

He was long used to it; whenever these dwarves were happy with their food and drink, they loved to let loose and act in such an unrestrained manner.

Whether it was at Bilbo's Bag End over a month ago or at their temporary camps in the wild, the dwarves had always done exactly this.

Morgan had thoroughly enjoyed the fruit at this banquet.

In this world, while fruit was not exactly a rarity, it was certainly a luxury item.

With prices comparable to meat, commoners would only ever choose meat over fruit, which was digested and gone in the blink of an eye.

Ordinary fruit was already expensive, let alone these exotic delicacies produced in the Elven city of Rivendell, brought out by Elrond himself to entertain his guests.

Although the dwarves' singing and dancing at the banquet were somewhat impolite, considering it was a characteristic of their race, the well-traveled Elrond naturally wouldn't take offense.

When the banquet ended, the time was nearing dusk.

As the sky began to darken, the entirety of Rivendell lit up.

One lamp after another flickered to life in succession.

Though it was only just evening, all of Rivendell was illuminated as brightly as day.

Under the arrangements of the Elves, Morgan and the Company were led to a pavilion.

Perhaps due to his relationship with Gandalf, or perhaps because his good behavior had earned Elrond's appreciation, the Elves had arranged a single room for Morgan.

Meanwhile, the fourteen dwarves, including Bilbo, were squeezed into only three rooms.

Thorin Oakenshield had a room to himself, while the other thirteen were split between two.

After seeing off the Elven maid, Morgan closed the door and looked at the tub full of hot water in the spacious room.

He felt that Elrond's arrangements were truly thoughtful.

Stripping down and sinking into the steaming tub, Morgan let out a groan of relief.

He lay in the tub with his eyes closed for a good while.

Morgan opened his eyes, a thought flickering through his mind.

Swish, swish, swish.

Lines of virtual data began to jump and flicker out of thin air before his eyes.

Thanks to book friends "Qinglian Daoge" for the two-thousand reward, and to "Qinluo Wulan" and "SoIomon" for their tips; thank you all very much~~ I've been too busy these past few days, so updates have been a bit unstable, my apologies~~~