Obsessed with Mining! The Dwarves' Desire is to Dig Until the End of Time

Mithril was the finest of metals! Weapons forged from it were not only terrifyingly sharp, but could also break through magic. Armor made from it would be as tough as dragon scales and as light as a feather. Unfortunately, mithril ore was exceedingly rare, and refining it was especially difficult. Weapons and armor made entirely of mithril were virtually nonexistent; at most, a tiny amount would be added to equipment to raise its quality.

Gimli the Dwarf stared at the vast, deep mine pit before him and let out a long sigh, his voice full of sorrow.

"Bilbo Baggins owns a mithril coat of mail. King Zorin of the Lonely Mountain gave it to him back then! Bilbo has no idea that selling that mail alone would be enough to buy the entire Shire, with plenty left over."

Gandalf glanced at Frodo and spoke calmly.

"If it were mail made of pure mithril, then it would certainly be worth that much! There probably aren't more than a few such suits of armor in all of Middle-earth!"

Gimli nodded in agreement.

Seeing Gimli gradually calm down, Gandalf, Aragorn, and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued onward.

As they walked, Gandalf stopped before an unusual door.

The door to this room was actually closed. Gandalf pushed open the two half-shut doors, and everyone saw a huge, pure-white stone sarcophagus resting neatly in the center of the room. A skylight had been cut into the lofty ceiling, and a beam of cold moonlight shone down through it, enveloping the sarcophagus and making it appear both holy and noble. Before the sarcophagus lay a large, thick book. Around the room sat only a few Dwarf skeletons, cross-legged on the floor. It seemed these Dwarves had not died in battle. One