Departure

Night fell, and Bilbo found himself restless.

"I'll tidy up the room for you—the empty one inside—so you can sleep."

"I'll help." Li Wei followed along.

Bilbo didn't refuse.

As he bent over to help straighten the room, Li Wei finally voiced a doubt that had been circling in his mind for a while:

"By the way, what time is it right now?"

"Now? It's evening, of course. Most people are asleep at this hour."

Answering as he worked, Bilbo lifted a small, cumbersome chest. Li Wei took it from him and set it outside the door.

Neither of their hands was idle.

Li Wei shook his head. "No, I mean—what year is it? What's the date?"

"Oh, this year? It's 1340. Fifth month."

1340.

Clang.

"Ow—"

Caught off guard, Li Wei smacked his head against the eaves. His health bar twitched but didn't drop.

Shire Calendar 1340—that is, Third Age 2940.

When did the dwarves' Journey to the Lonely Mountain start?

It should be late April of 1341.

That meant the current timeline was one year before the expedition began.

At this point, Gandalf was still on his way, and Thorin was wandering and working as a drifter.

Dwarves, elves, men, orcs, wargs.

A dragon, the Golden Mountain.

Sauron's Eye, Dol Guldur.

War.

The One Ring...

A string of words flashed through Li Wei's mind.

At the same time, a dark silhouette took root in his pupils.

"You alright, Li Wei?"

Shudder—

His eyes flickered, and Li Wei snapped back from his daze.

"Oh, no, nothing—I'm fine. Just bumped myself."

"I'd say you're on the tall side for a human." Bilbo teased.

"Of course! I'm one meter eighty-five!"

Li Wei puffed out his chest instinctively.

Thump!

His health bar jumped.

He immediately hunched back down.

"Pfft."

Seeing Li Wei wince, Bilbo couldn't help but laugh.

Li Wei clutched his head and shook it.

One year—what could you do with it?

Peaceful days always passed quickly.

A few days later.

During a lazy moment after a late-night snack, Li Wei sat on a small garden chair, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, staring absently at an unusually bright star in the night sky.

If an ordinary person came to this world with nothing to rely on—even if they knew the entire history of the Ring—what could they accomplish in a single year? They might not even figure out where they were or how to survive.

But Li Wei was never meant to worry about that.

Creak.

"Li Wei, it's late. Aren't you going to sleep?"

Li Wei turned his head and saw Bilbo pushing the door open.

"Coming. I just want to watch the stars a little longer."

"Well, remember to lock the door on your way out."

Bilbo went back inside first.

Li Wei yawned, glanced at his maxed-out health bar and overflowing hunger meter, then suddenly jumped up from his chair, turned around, and carefully studied this cozy Hobbit hole.

Living a peaceful life like this wouldn't be so bad.

Of course, that was only if nothing came along to ruin it...

The next morning.

Just as dawn was breaking, faint rustling sounds came from outside the little Hobbit hole.

Half-asleep, Bilbo struggled to open his eyes, threw off the covers, got out of bed, and poked his head out from his room.

"Li Wei?"

Seeing Li Wei fully dressed at the doorway, Bilbo asked:

"Are you going out?"

Li Wei stopped what he was doing and turned around.

"The road waits for no one. I'm leaving, Mr. Baggins."

As he spoke, Li Wei gave a slight bow and added, "Thank you for your hospitality during this time. Next time we meet, please let me repay you."

Bilbo blinked several times in a row, instantly wide awake.

"Can't you stay a few more days? There's still so much I haven't shown you..."

Li Wei smiled at him.

The words Bilbo had been about to say caught in his throat. He realized there was no way to keep this person here today.

"Partings come often, but I believe we'll meet again soon, Mr. Baggins." Li Wei said meaningfully.

"I'm setting out on my adventure."

An adventure...

Something stirred faintly in Bilbo's heart, but it quickly settled back down. He just shook his head.

"Then please wait a moment, Li Wei."

With that, Mr. Baggins dashed into the inner room, then ran to the storage shelves. In no time, he came back carrying a bundle and handed it to Li Wei.

"Take this!"

"This is...?"

"Some food. I figured you'd need it. Every journey needs provisions, right?"

Li Wei was momentarily stunned.

He took the bundle, crouched down, and gently patted Bilbo's shoulder. Sincerely, he said, "Thank you, my friend."

Though they had only known each other for a few days, their time together had been very pleasant. With Li Wei's system-level cooking and his endless supply of stories, the man and the Hobbit had grown quite close.

"Li Wei, you have to come back!"

This Hobbit, who had never left the Shire, was reluctant to part.

Li Wei smiled and nodded. "I will."

Partings seemed to be a common thing in this land.

Without too much sentimentality, just a simple wave of the hand, and the two returned to their own paths.

A little embarrassed, but before leaving, Li Wei shamelessly asked Bilbo to help him get a map.

Truth be told, as someone who had once watched this story from a god's-eye view, Li Wei was fairly familiar with Middle-earth's geography. But no matter how familiar he was, he had never actually traveled it. Having a map was safer.

The Shire. Where everything began.

To the north lay the ruins of the Kingdom of Arnor and the Angmar Plateau.

To the west were Lindon and the Blue Mountains.

To the east, past the Brandywine Bridge, was Bree. Further east was the Lone-lands, where Rangers often roamed, watching over the evils further east and guarding this wilderness in secret.

Between the Brandywine Bridge and Bree, heading south, were two large areas:

The Old Forest, and the Barrow-downs.

Both regions were uninhabited and always had strange rumors circulating about them. He'd need to be careful to avoid them.

Anyone who had played Minecraft knew that before developing, a Minecraft player always needed a base first. Otherwise, they'd run into trouble for all sorts of reasons.

Only with a fixed dwelling could one feel at ease.

After thinking it over, Li Wei's eyes fixed on one place.

A large area east of Bree.

The region known as the Lone-lands.

Vast and sparsely populated, with hardly anyone around. Perfect for building a home and developing.

Of course, there were actually quite a few places that met both conditions.

The reason he chose to build a home here was a very important one: in the future, both the Company of Thorin Oakenshield and the Ring-bearers would pass through that area.

Li Wei absolutely had to be part of that excitement.

If he could have a base there, it would be much more convenient.

No time like the present.

Putting away the map, he fixed his direction.

From dawn till dusk, Li Wei raced along the road, charging eastward without pause.

He had discovered a few days ago that as long as he had enough food, his stamina was limitless, and he never felt tired.

The price was that food was consumed rapidly.

The rations Bilbo had given him, enough to feed a normal Hobbit for a week, were already a third gone in just one day.

And that was a Hobbit's weekly portion.

But the trade-off was excellent efficiency.

In a single day, Li Wei had crossed several small Shire towns, passed over the Brandywine Bridge, and arrived near the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs.

He was practically a horse among men—as long as food held out, he could keep running.

By now, the sky was completely dark.

Yet the heavens were not dim.

Under the starlight, Li Wei found a not-too-thick dead tree by the roadside and pulled out his stone axe.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump...

Soon, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and the entire dead tree split from its base, crashing to the ground with a thud.

Thud!

In the silent wilderness, the noise of the falling tree was especially loud.

Li Wei paid it no mind, continuing to chop the fallen trunk with his stone axe, splitting the dry natural firewood into several smaller pieces to serve as fuel.

After a moment, a campfire was lit.

Li Wei pulled out the large bundle of food Bilbo had given him from his backpack.

This bundle counted as one item, taking up only one slot.

But if he took the food out of the bundle, it would have to occupy another slot.

Li Wei guessed that things placed in the same inventory slot either had to be identical stackable items or be considered "a single whole."

He mused idly while skewering a few sausages on a stick and setting them by the fire to roast, all the while pondering various crafting recipes.

Shields, armor—things that could most directly protect him and boost his combat power—he had none.

Everything was missing one crucial element:

Iron.

Seeing the fire starting to wane, Li Wei pulled out a few more sticks from thin air and tossed them in.

If anyone happened to pass by at that moment, they'd likely gasp and mistake Li Wei for a "wizard" with magical powers.

With nothing else to do, Li Wei took out his stone sword and examined it.

A description appeared:

[Stone Sword · Attack +5]

This weapon, as if painstakingly carved by a master craftsman, had a surface smooth as jade, razor-sharp edges, and a blade sturdy enough to rival metal products.

It was a perfect work of art.

Li Wei studied it, feeling that no matter how many times he looked, it was always worth marveling at.

At this level of refinement, he could probably just auction it off as a collectible.

Crack.

The wood burning behind him suddenly made a noise, reminding Li Wei that he still had sausages roasting.

But when he turned around, he found the fire had dimmed again.

Did this wood burn this fast?

Though puzzled, he couldn't let the fire die—the sausages weren't cooked yet.

Li Wei grabbed a few sticks and tossed them into the fire.

But the next moment, it seemed he had hit something.

A solid thunk sounded.

His heart suddenly leaped, and Li Wei jerked his head up.

He saw a head—its eyes glowing red, its skin a layer of dry, ashen scalp clinging to a mummified skull—peering out from the shadows, looming over him and staring intently.