Return

Perhaps Thorin would leave here before long and head for a human town, but probably not yet.

At this point in time, Thorin had only one obsession: reclaiming the Lonely Mountain. Ever since he inherited the title of Durin the Deathless, his desire to recover his homeland had grown ever stronger, tormenting him day and night in both body and mind.

Still, aside from being somewhat burdened by his thoughts, Thorin was perfectly normal at the moment. He possessed all the bearing and skills a king ought to have.

The dragon was still far from him.

Having met once, there was nothing much to say.

Li Wei returned to the inn and stayed there for several more days, taking in the dwarves' customs and way of life while also wandering through the market to buy some local specialties.

He also bought quite a bit of lapis lazuli.

These beautiful blue stones were produced here among the dwarves as well, though demand was not particularly high. From what he observed, they generally used the stuff as flooring or wall decorations. Li Wei got a whole pile without spending much money.

And so, he wandered and toured until the few silver coins left in his backpack had nearly run out. Only then did Li Wei prepare to head back.

With that, his journey through the Blue Mountains had more or less come to an end.

"Oh, what a pity. Our drinking champion is leaving. You are the human with the best head for drink I have ever seen, sir. Please tell me your name."

Upon learning that the human traveler was about to depart, the innkeeper personally came out to see him off for a short distance.

To be fair, this innkeeper really knew how to adjust his manner. He was polite when politeness was called for, but when it came time to join in the revelry, he could be every bit as boisterous as the other dwarves.

"Li Wei." Li Wei left him his name.

"Li Wei... I'll remember that. You're welcome to come again next time. Ha ha, if we both have time next time, I'd like to share a drink with you."

Next time... Who knew when that would be?

Without lingering any longer, Li Wei mounted his horse and followed the main road out of the mountains.

The moment he left the safe area where the dwarves lived, Li Wei immediately donned his full armor and galloped through the mountain forests, his silver-gray figure looking difficult to provoke at a glance.

Ordinary bandits and lone, scattered Orcs would likely keep well away upon seeing him.

Li Wei was no longer the naive adventurer who had just left the Shire. He had traveled many roads and seen plenty of blood. He had no interest in playing around with any bandits who might be watching him from the shadows anymore. Wherever danger was possible, he wore his armor.

At this moment, Li Wei clearly valued safety and efficiency more than temporary simplicity or appearance.

Though the armor was not actually unattractive.

The journey passed without much trouble.

A breeze swept past, bringing a hint of chill.

By the Shu'en River, Li Wei crouched down and lightly touched the river water with his fingers.

"It's getting cold."

Autumn was approaching.

Far away in the Shire, the same thought surfaced in Bilbo's mind.

He draped a coat over himself and sat inside his home, smoking Shire-made pipe-weed while gazing at the stars through the window.

"Very nice. Very nice indeed. Here, I only need to look up to see the stars, and look down to see the garden outside, the lawn, and the little river."

And there was a warm hearth beside him. Even when winter came, there would be nothing to fear.

With such good days to live through, what more could he ask for?

He wondered how Li Wei was doing now. He hoped everything was going smoothly for him.

Li Wei had been gone for some time, yet the stories he told still seemed to linger in Bilbo's ears. He had said that the destination of this journey was the Blue Mountains to the west. It must have been a magnificent place.

As Bilbo thought about it, his eyelids gradually became too heavy to hold up. Before long, he went to bed.

Early the next morning.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the front door.

"Just a moment—please wait! Let me flip this fried egg first. Oh, I mainly didn't expect anyone to come at this hour..."

Creak.

As the voice drew nearer, the front door opened.

Hearing those words, Li Wei found them strangely familiar. It seemed he ought to choose a time when Bilbo was not cooking for his next visit.

"Li Wei! You're back so soon! Quick, come in. I'm making breakfast. Would you like something to eat?"

"Ha ha, then I'll gladly impose." Li Wei did not decline. He naturally walked into the house, then accepted the spatula beneath Bilbo's expectant gaze and began making breakfast.

A short while later, Bilbo, whose face was practically glowing from the meal, let out a satisfied burp and slumped in his chair, not wanting to move a single step.

Every visit from Li Wei meant he would lose control of his stomach.

Li Wei did not disturb Bilbo for long.

After breakfast, he accompanied Bilbo through a midmorning meal and lunch before preparing to head home.

Bilbo wore a regretful expression.

But before leaving this time, Li Wei left Bilbo something.

"This is a little specialty I brought back from the dwarves of the Blue Mountains, as thanks for taking such good care of me every time."

Li Wei pulled out a large sack and dropped it onto the floor with a clatter.

Wasn't this "little" something a bit too much?

Bilbo looked at the huge burlap sack, then at Li Wei.

"Uh, you're too kind. It was only what I should do. I'm already very happy that you came to visit me."

Though he said so, the Hobbit eagerly stuck his head into the large sack.

"This is... a sword?"

Bilbo curiously took out the Dwarven steel sword and drew it with a swish. The blade reflected his somewhat dazed face, and the cold gleam along its edge made this Hobbit, who had long lived in comfort, feel slightly uneasy.

"I truly can't think of anywhere I'd use something like this. Perhaps it could be used for chopping vegetables?"

"Use it however you like." Li Wei shrugged.

"But honestly, it's quite pretty."

Shaking his head, Bilbo placed the sword on a cabinet as an attractive ornament.

Then he stuck his head back into the sack, pulled out a round piece of hard bread, and gave it a sniff.

"What is this?"

"Kram," Li Wei replied. "I heard that dwarven merchant caravans brought it back from River Valley. It's a local specialty there. I thought you might be interested, so I bought a little extra."

It was basically Middle-earth's version of rye bread.

Li Wei added silently.

"They can be stored for a long time, so you can eat them slowly."

Though he was already full, Bilbo still took a bite of the bread called Kram.

"It has a very hearty texture, with a slight salty taste. There must be salt added inside. Mm... the texture is quite unique. It feels very fresh. I think it's pretty good." Bilbo nodded, clearly approving of the food.

"As long as you're satisfied."

To Bilbo, Li Wei was always coming and going in a hurry, never willing to stay a while longer.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, Li Wei had already vanished at the end of his sight, along with his fully armed horse.

Taking another bite of Kram, Bilbo looked at the sackful of bread on the ground and scratched his head.

"Wait, Li Wei never said how long these things could be stored. A long time... how long is that?"

Li Wei truly did not care much about food expiration dates.

After all, once they were placed in the inventory, they lasted forever.

After leaving the Shire, Li Wei stopped in Bree-land for a little while. He asked around and bought a huge pile of all sorts of books, then bought two sheep from nearby farmers and led them onto the road.

It did not matter whether they were male or female, or whether they were breeds capable of producing wool. As long as they were fed wheat, they would breed.

"I'm back..."

Opening the city gate, Li Wei settled the two sheep and immediately made a round of his territory. Everything was still the same. Aside from the crops having ripened, nothing had changed at all.

Next, it was time to put in some effort.

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