With the full support of the Brandybuck family and the financial backing from Luke, all the residents of Bucklebury were mobilized, and the efficiency of collecting Potion materials quickly soared.
Bundles of Mugwort, Lavender, Daffodil Root, and Daisy Root were sent in, while basins of Leeches, Slugs, Caterpillars, Mouse Tails, and Spleens were placed at Drogo's doorstep.
While Luke was pleased with the efficiency, he was also extremely busy, as he needed to process all these Potion materials; some needed to be dried, and some needed to remain fresh.
Overwhelmed, Luke even pulled Drogo in as a laborer to help him process these Potion materials.
"Uh, Luke, are you sure these things can really be used to make Potions and not poison?" Drogo looked at the basin of slimy slugs in front of him, a difficult expression on his face, completely at a loss as to where to begin.
"That's for sure! Once I've finished making the Potion, I'll give you a bottle. I guarantee it will take effect immediately after you drink it," Luke assured him with certainty, but a mischievous smile flickered in his eyes.
He didn't want to touch the slugs either, so he maliciously handed them over to Drogo, who didn't know how to refuse.
Hearing that he would have to drink it, Drogo's face immediately showed resistance.
"Uh, well, forget it then. Anyway, I rarely get sick or injured, so I don't need Potions."
Then he steeled himself and picked up a slug, using scissors to snip off its pair of tentacles, which were the actual materials for making the Potion.
Luke wasn't having an easy time either; he was currently processing a basin of caterpillars. He had to wear a pair of sheepskin gloves to avoid being stung by the caterpillars, then use a small knife to cut open their bellies, scoop out all the dirty intestines, wash them clean, and then lay them on a stone slab to dry.
Just processing the Potion materials took Luke a full week, even with the aid of magic, leaving him with a sore back and aching muscles.
Besides the Potion materials, Luke also obtained four pots of plants.
Two pots were dittany, and the other two were Deadly Nightshade, which is common Mandrake.
Luke planned to use the dittany to make Essence of Dittany.
As for the Deadly Nightshade, Luke wanted to try to cultivate it into the kind of Mandrake found in the magic world.
The two Deadly Nightshades Luke obtained were found on the outskirts of the Old Forest and had been growing for decades, their roots already resembling small, fully limbed figures.
Luke injected magic into the four pots of plants regularly every day, and the two dittany plants showed obvious transformation. However, the two Deadly Nightshades remained unchanged, still greedily absorbing Luke's magic, and in even greater quantities.
Luke was not disappointed by this; being able to absorb magic was a good sign. His magic had doubled compared to before, so he didn't have to worry about not having enough magic.
After collecting all the Potion materials, Luke did not immediately start making Potions. Instead, he packed everything into his carriage, tidied up, and formally bid farewell to Drogo and Rory Brandybuck.
He had to return to Hobbiton quickly. He couldn't remember the exact date of the journey to the Lonely Mountain, but if he wanted to catch that ride, he couldn't delay outside for too long.
So, after parting with the reluctant Drogo, Luke once again drove his carriage away.
Hobbiton was as peaceful and serene as ever.
Bilbo had just finished lunch and was sitting in a chair in front of his garden, leisurely smoking his pipe.
He looked into the distance, his eyes unfocused, and murmured, "I wonder where Luke is now?"
Ever since Luke left, Bilbo's life had returned to peace, but the longer time passed, the more uneasy he felt. He couldn't help but think of Luke traveling outside, and sometimes even wondered if he should have gone with Luke on his journey.
Just as Bilbo finished his pipe and was about to go inside to prepare for afternoon tea, a carriage approached from a distance.
Bilbo looked over curiously until the carriage drew closer and closer.
Luke jumped off the carriage, waving with a bright smile, "Long time no see, my friend! Did you miss me?"
"Luke!" Bilbo was overjoyed, quickly ran out of the garden, and happily hugged Luke's leg.
"How did you come back?"
"What, am I not welcome?" Luke asked playfully, smiling.
Bilbo saw that Luke was joking but still said very seriously, "How could that be! You are always welcome here!" He then warmly invited Luke inside to enjoy afternoon tea together.
Luke shook his head, pointing to the fully packed carriage, "I need to take everything out of the carriage first. Oh, by the way, I also brought you a bag of your favorite Longbottom Leaf tobacco."
Bilbo's eyes lit up. Besides enjoying good food, his greatest hobby was smoking a pipe, and Longbottom Leaf tobacco was his favorite brand. He immediately couldn't wait to help move things.
Luke refused his help, "Alright, my friend, you don't need to do this yourself. You just need to provide a place to put things."
Saying that, he snapped his fingers, and the items in the carriage floated out one by one, with a large bag of tobacco flying right in front of Bilbo.
Bilbo watched this scene, his mouth agape in awe, "Although I've seen it many times, Luke, your magic is always so amazing!"
Then he quickly opened the door of Bag End and cleared out a storeroom to place Luke's belongings.
However, when Bilbo clearly saw the items Luke had brought, he couldn't help but be astonished. Besides the four pots of plants and the bundles of daisy roots, mugwort, daffodil roots, etc., which were somewhat normal, what on earth were those leeches, slugs, and caterpillars in the glass jars?
And those sheets of snake skin even gave Bilbo, who was afraid of snakes, a fright.
Bilbo swallowed, asking hesitantly, "Luke, what are you going to do with these things?"
"To make Potions."
"Potions? With these things?" Bilbo looked incredulous.
"Of course, you'll know later." Luke didn't explain much to him. Anyway, now that he was back, he planned to make some Potions in preparation for the upcoming expedition.
After putting away the items, Luke took out some jewelry and accessories for Bilbo to choose from.
The jewelry Luke obtained from the wight was all very precious and ancient. However, Luke disliked that these jewels were taken from deceased people and had no intention of using them himself.
So, he didn't mind giving them away, especially since Bilbo had helped him so much before.
Bilbo, seeing these sparkling jewelry accessories, knew their value and felt embarrassed to take them. But at Luke's strong insistence, he finally chose a ruby brooch.
He truly was Drogo's cousin; they even chose the same type of item.
Later, during afternoon tea, Bilbo eagerly pulled Luke to tell him about his travel experiences.
And Luke also learned from Bilbo that the news of him repelling the invading Ents in Bucklebury had spread throughout the entire Shire, and Luke's title of "Tree-Feller" had become deeply ingrained in people's minds.
The reason this news spread so quickly was also due to the Brandybuck family in Bucklebury promoting it.
Luke was speechless about this but reluctantly had to accept this nickname that sounded like a lumberjack.
What Luke didn't know was that his name was not only known in the Shire but also in Bree, outside the Shire.
The Prancing Pony in Bree was a temporary resting place for many traveling merchants, adventurers, rangers, and even Dwarves in Middle-earth. So, it was no surprise that his name would spread throughout Middle-earth with these people.