Chapter 201 The Hobbit

The Shire, home of the Hobbits.

The terrain here is flat and the soil fertile, making it very suitable for agriculture. The tobacco from the southern region is particularly famous and well-regarded.

However, Hobbits generally choose not to appear in the sight of humans. They are natural Thieves, and the thick hair on the soles of their feet grants them the ability to walk silently.

Most Hobbits naturally yearn for a comfortable and peaceful life.

If possible, they wouldn't want to leave their homes for their entire lives; they are typical homebodies.

Of course, there are exceptions to everything.

Among the Hobbits, the Took family is one of the few with an adventurous spirit, leaving behind many legends belonging to the Hobbits on Middle-earth.

The grandfather of Bilbo Baggins, this young Hobbit, was the Old Took, known as Gerontius the Long-lived.

Gandalf had dealt with the Took family long ago and knew the potential flowing in their bloodline, so he decided to invite Bilbo to join the Expedition.

The dwarves needed a Burglar to steal the arkenstone right from under the dragon's nose.

That was the heirloom of the House of Durin and the symbol of the King.

The seven dwarf families once swore an oath of loyalty to the holder of the arkenstone.

Thorin needed the arkenstone to gather the dwarven army.

The binding power of an oath is a real existence in Middle-earth; it flows through the blood of every family.

Unless necessary, no one would want to face a dragon. The sacrifice required to reclaim Thorin's throne and homeland was immeasurable.

Moreover, in the battle of Moria a few years ago, the dwarves had already answered the call of the House of Durin and fought a great war against the Orcss, sacrificing many for Thorin and his father.

This was also the main reason why the dwarves of other tribes refused to support Thorin; they had not yet recovered from the tragic sacrifices of the last time.

But now there was a small problem.

How do you trick—er, no, invite—a Hobbit accustomed to a comfortable and peaceful life into an Expedition?

Gandalf stroked his beard, several ideas popping into his head.

"Nuo, you might not have seen a Hobbit yet. Though they are both Halflings, they are much more likable than dwarves."

Gandalf explained to Chen Nuo beside him.

It was clear he had a very good impression of Hobbits.

His thoughts drifted back to past memories.

Gandalf used to attend Hobbit banquets often, and those were indeed experiences worth reminiscing about.

A Hobbit's laughter was enough to infect anyone; they seemed very adept at spreading optimistic and positive emotions.

Especially when compared to dwarves, the precious character of Hobbits was even more evident.

"...They live in caves... but don't misunderstand, not the dark and damp kind..."

Gandalf spoke eloquently; he was quite good at storytelling.

Under his guidance, Chen Nuo stepped into the home of the Hobbits. Amidst the lush green hills, one could see round doors, which at first glance might be mistaken for oversized rabbit holes.

Those were the caves where the Hobbits lived.

It was like something out of a fairy tale.

The Hobbit they were looking for, Bilbo Baggins, was currently sitting on a bench at his doorstep, leisurely enjoying the afternoon sun and some freshly dried tobacco.

This was one of the few hobbies Hobbits had.

The last time Gandalf saw him, Bilbo was just a little tyke, not even as high as his knees.

Well, now he could at most be considered a small potato.

'Halfling' was the most appropriate description for their height, but that was relative to humans of normal stature.

As Gandalf stood before Bilbo, the shadow he cast could easily cover him completely. Coupled with Chen Nuo standing alongside, it truly frightened Bilbo, who hadn't seen many outsiders.

Hobbits were not very brave.

Most of the time, comparing them to rabbits was perfectly accurate.

"This is the Hobbit you wanted to find?"

Chen Nuo looked Bilbo up and down. Aside from not wearing shoes, the other man's attire was quite decent—a proper little country gentleman.

The Baggins family was indeed wealthy; their members were spread throughout the Shire, and they had intermarried with other long-established, prominent Hobbit families.

This included the previously mentioned Took family.

That was also a famous and prestigious family.

After all, adventure and travel were things ordinary people didn't get involved in.

It was also easy to see that Bilbo managed his family business well.

In this era of low productivity, he still had plenty of time to enjoy the afternoon sun and high-grade tobacco.

Just from his clothing and manner, one could distinguish Bilbo from the average Hobbit.

Speaking of which, once his own territory was established, he could consider setting up trade relations with the Baggins family; their agricultural products and tobacco were excellent crops.

As Chen Nuo thought this, Gandalf beside him replied.

"I'm still observing..."

It had been over ten years since they last met, and Gandalf wasn't entirely certain if Bilbo was the kind of Hobbit he was looking for.

"Excuse me, who are you two looking for?"

Bilbo asked a bit nervously.

His intuition told him that his originally unchanging, peaceful life seemed to be in danger.

Sure enough, the next second he heard Gandalf state his purpose.

"We are looking for someone to join an adventure..."

"A great adventure involving dwarves, treasure, rangers, Orcss, and an insignificant dragon."

Chen Nuo interjected.

"Sorry, you missed a wizard."

Gandalf added.

"That's right, Gandalf the Grey."

"Actually, there's no need to add 'the Grey'."

Gandalf and Chen Nuo went back and forth.

"Wait, a dragon? Are you going to rescue a princess?"

Bilbo felt like he was listening to a storybook tale.

"Don't be fooled by those story collections; dragons have no interest in princesses. They only care about dwarven treasure."

Gandalf corrected him.

"Not entirely accurate. They actually have a bit of interest; princesses are mostly tender and thin-skinned, making them quite crunchy to eat."

Chen Nuo added.

"...Huff, huff."

Bilbo took several deep breaths to suppress his heart, which had jumped into his throat.

For someone who had never stepped out of the Shire, talk of 'crunchy' was truly a bit too terrifying.

"Are you scared?"

Chen Nuo looked down and asked.

"N-no."

Bilbo hurriedly shook his head. How could Master Baggins be scared by a dragon? He just had a bit of weak knees.

"It sounds like a great adventure indeed, but I think you've found the wrong person. For a Hobbit who eats fourteen meals a day, I simply can't find the time."

Bilbo found an excuse to refuse and stood up, preparing to return to his little hole.

"You've changed, Bilbo, but not for the better."

Gandalf stepped forward a few paces and called out to him.

"Sorry, do we know each other?"

"I am Gandalf, as I just said."

"The wandering wizard? The one who makes those superb fireworks?"

Bilbo remembered, his voice a bit excited.

His grandfather, the Old Took, would often set off fireworks made by Gandalf on Midsummer's Eve, which had indeed brought much beauty to his childhood.

However, Bilbo's knowledge of Gandalf only went that far.

"In any case, an adventure is absolutely out of the question."

Bilbo repeated, unsure if he was saying it to Gandalf or to himself.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Gandalf raised an eyebrow at Chen Nuo and said,

"It seems we need to give our Burglar a little more time."

"I still say, just a mere dragon..."

"Stop, stop, stop. Let me leave a mark first."

Gandalf interrupted, stepping forward to secretly leave a mark on Bilbo's door to guide the arriving dwarves.

"Fine, I'll go scout the road ahead."

As the Ranger of the group, Chen Nuo's primary role was as a guide. He needed to eliminate dangers ahead as much as possible and find the most suitable path for the team, so naturally, he had to be ahead of everyone else.

...

...

As expected, Bilbo ultimately couldn't escape Gandalf's clutches. The adventurous spirit flowing in his blood was stirred, and he was talked into joining the adventure.

How does the saying go?

Home is behind, the world ahead.

"Where is that Ranger? Isn't he with us?"

Bilbo looked back and forth through the group but couldn't find Chen Nuo, so he couldn't help but ask.

"Nuo is walking ahead of us. Don't worry, you'll see him again soon."

Gandalf explained.

"To be honest, he looks more like the heroic protagonist of an adventure story."

Bilbo muttered.

Though they had only met once, Chen Nuo had left a deep impression on him.

"Everyone is their own protagonist, Bilbo. Never underestimate the power hidden within yourself."

Gandalf said, sounding intentionally mysterious.

Wizards can occasionally touch the threads of fate.

After all, this world was born from the Great Music originally sung by the Ainur.

The weight of fate Gandalf felt from Bilbo was no less than what he felt from Thorin.

"Hearing you say that really makes me happy."

Bilbo couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

Since he chose to join the adventure, who wouldn't want to be the protagonist of the story and leave their own legend to the world?

"However, Nuo—that fellow is no ordinary person. If you truly encounter danger, you'd better stay close to him. After all, your roles in the story are different."

Gandalf still offered a reminder.

Unlike the dwarves, Bilbo was someone he personally brought in. If they encountered danger, Gandalf was the one primarily responsible.

"I understand, I'm the Burglar."

Bilbo nodded seriously. Even if Gandalf hadn't said so, that was his plan.

Although the dwarves' ponies weren't known for speed, they had plenty of endurance and were very suitable for long journeys, capable of walking all day.

In less than a day, they had taken Bilbo out of the Shire and were heading toward the Misty Mountains.

Everything along the way was new to Bilbo, enough to make him forget the exhaustion of the journey.

By nightfall, the Expedition team set up camp and rested in a slightly level area.

Bombur, the cook of the group, started preparing the meal.

Despite the limited conditions, he could still cook decent food. Coupled with a little joy from the dwarves, Bilbo was quite satisfied with his first meal away from home.

However, a scent of blood drifted into Bilbo's nose on the breeze, affecting his appetite.

Thorin stood up from the ground, gazing ahead, his hand already gripping the axe of durin. The other dwarves also responded one after another.

"Are you eating without calling me?"

Chen Nuo, riding a tall coal-black horse, slowly emerged from the cliff edge. The smell of blood came from several heads hanging from the horse.

"Our Ranger is back! How is the road ahead?"

Thorin lowered his weapon and asked.

Most of the dwarves present were seeing Chen Nuo for the first time; they only realized this human was one of them after hearing Thorin's words.

"You encountered Orcss?"

The next second, Thorin focused his gaze on those heads and identified their identity at a glance.

Dwarves and Orcss were mortal enemies for generations.

The hatred could be traced back to the First Age.

"I ran into a pack of Warg scouts and dealt with them easily, but there should be more ahead."

As Chen Nuo spoke, he lifted an Orcs's head and tossed it to the ground.

Looking at those ugly, hideous faces, Bilbo immediately felt a wave of nausea and lost his appetite for the food.

"Why would they appear here?"

Thorin frowned. They hadn't even entered the Misty Mountains yet, which was the Orcss' territory.

"They said they were ordered to find traces of dwarves. It seems they are most likely looking for us."

Chen Nuo dismounted, took out a map, and traced a route for Thorin.

The road to the Lonely Mountain was dangerous not just because of Orcss. The Misty Mountains themselves were extremely treacherous, and finding a suitable path for the team was not easy.

The route Chen Nuo provided would help Thorin greatly reduce the hardships of the journey.

"If they see you, you won't get a peaceful night's sleep from now on. They'll slit your throat in the night."

Kili frightened Bilbo.

He was the youngest among the thirteen dwarves and the one who looked most like Thorin.

As Thorin's nephew, with the blood of Durin flowing in him, Kili also had a claim to the throne.

"That sounds very dangerous."

Bilbo's expression was a bit nervous.

The most dangerous thing he had heard of in the Shire was a wild boar from the hills running into the farmland.

Orcss and such were things used to scare children who wouldn't sleep at night.

"It's hard for us to avoid the noses of Wargs."

Gandalf put down his pipe, his expression solemn.

Wargs could serve as Orcs mounts and had an exceptionally keen sense of smell, able to scent dwarves from over ten kilometers away.

"To be precise, they already know of our arrival."

Chen Nuo reminded them.

To find Thorin, the Orcss had sent out a large number of Warg riders. They were scattered, and it was impossible for Chen Nuo to kill them all.

"Then we must pick up the pace."

Thorin hated Orcss, but he also knew that the members of the Expedition alone couldn't handle the Warg riders.

They had to break through as much as possible before the riders closed in for the hunt.