Luke was a little embarrassed by Gandalf's praise.
Gandalf was a man of the world.
He knew his own capabilities and wouldn't really think his magic was stronger than Gandalf's.
"Right, this is what your father left for you before he died, the key and map to the Lonely Mountain's gate," Gandalf said, taking out a golden key and a map, and handing them to Thorin.
"You saw my father?" Thorin's emotions stirred, his eyes fixed on Gandalf.
After the dragon Smaug occupied the Lonely Mountain, the Durin Dwarves wandered around, eventually settling in the Blue Mountains.
But Thorin's father, Thráin, was unwilling to give up their homeland in the Lonely Mountain, so he led a team to scout the Lonely Mountain, but then disappeared without a trace.
Gandalf sighed, "To investigate the dark traces, I once secretly infiltrated Dol Guldur and saw Thráin, who had been imprisoned there for many years.
He was exhausted, his days were numbered, and before he died, he gave me the key and map to the Lonely Mountain's gate, asking me to pass them on to you."
Seeing Thorin immersed in sadness, Gandalf didn't try to persuade him further, and got up to leave.
"If you've made your final decision, I'll be waiting for you at The Prancing Pony in a month."
Thorin looked down at the key and map in his hand, not answering him.
On the way out, Luke asked Gandalf, puzzled, "How are you so sure he'll come in the end?"
Gandalf showed a confident smile.
"He'll come; I saw the ambition to reclaim the Lonely Mountain in his eyes."
"Alright, Luke, let's part ways here." Gandalf stopped and explained to Luke, "Before this, I need to go to other places to gather some information, so I can't go with you."
Luke nodded, not asking him where he was going.
After watching Gandalf leave, Luke silently thought, "System, sign me in!"
As soon as he encountered Thorin Oakenshield, the system reacted, but he waited until now because there were people around earlier.
[Signed in at Blue Mountains - Dwarf Hold, congratulations on obtaining "dictionary of runes"!]
Luke was stunned when he saw the title of the book, and only realized after flipping through it for a while.
Ancient Runes, also known as Runes, are ancient symbols with magic power; each symbol corresponds to specific magic or concepts, and when combined, they produce different effects.
When making Alchemy items, engraving Runes on the items can have an enchanting effect, enhancing the item's magic and efficacy.
Therefore, Ancient Runes can be said to be a prerequisite for learning Alchemy.
Hogwarts only offered Ancient Runes as an elective in third year, and Alchemy in sixth or seventh year.
Alchemy is different from other magic; spells and Transfiguration have limitations, and once the spell is interrupted or the magic is dispelled, the enchanted item returns to its original state.
But the effect of Alchemy is like solidifying magic; even if the magic is dispelled, the Alchemy product still has magic properties.
In the magic world, from small items like Memory Balls, Golden Snitch, Quick-Quotes Quills, Wizard Chess, Sneakoscopes, to large items like the Knight Bus, Hogwarts Express train, Mirror of Erised, Pensieve, Time-Turners, and even the Philosopher's Stone, all are products of Alchemy.
It can be said that Alchemy is applied throughout all aspects of the magic world.
Luke naturally longed for Alchemy, especially the Philosopher's Stone, which is known as the highest achievement of Alchemy, a treasure that can turn lead into gold and grant immortality.
As a Wizard, Luke's lifespan is longer than that of ordinary humans.
But in Middle-earth, not to mention the Elves with eternal life, he might not even outlive the Dúnedain.
If he wanted to live longer, the Philosopher's Stone was one way.
However, this was too distant for Luke at present; he only wanted to learn Alchemy now to deepen his magic foundation.
So, learning and mastering Ancient Runes became his task for the next period of time.
The "dictionary of runes" is a very thick dictionary of Ancient Runes, recording the meanings and explanations of Rune symbols, etc. The content is very dry and boring, requiring great patience to study carefully.
After completing the sign-in, Luke did not leave the Dwarf Town immediately, but started to wander around the town.
Dwarves are skilled at mining and forging ores; they dig tunnels, extract various ores from the mountains, smelt them, and then forge them into various exquisite weapons, armor, and handicrafts.
As Luke walked around, he found that some of the weapons and armor sold in the town were not made for Dwarves, but rather fit the height and build of humans.
Seeing Luke's arrival, the dwarf shop owner enthusiastically stepped forward and asked, "What weapon does the guest need? As long as you need it, we can forge it for you, absolutely guaranteed quality!"
Luke pointed to a silver armor in front of him and asked, puzzled, "Why do you also sell human armor here? Do humans come here to buy it?"
Upon hearing this, the dwarf owner immediately puffed out his belly and said proudly, "Our dwarf forging skills are unmatched, many humans dream of owning a weapon forged by us, and we have dedicated sales channels with humans; these weapons are custom-made for them."
So that's how it is, Luke understood.
He didn't expect Dwarves to be not only skilled in forging but also so good at business.
No wonder they accumulated such vast wealth in the Lonely Mountain, which in turn attracted the covetousness of the dragon Smaug, who claimed it for himself.
Luke picked up a longsword forged by Dwarves and examined it carefully; it was just an ordinary weapon made for humans, but its sharpness and hardness were indeed superior to those forged by humans.
He put down the sword and then asked the dwarf owner, "Boss, I have an ancient sword that needs to be repaired. I wonder if you can restore its former sharpness? Of course, price is not an issue!"
The dwarf owner's eyes lit up when he heard the last sentence, but he didn't immediately give a guarantee, instead saying, "If the guest wants to repair an ancient sword, we need to first check the extent of its damage to determine if it can be repaired."
Then his gaze swept over Luke, and he asked, puzzled, "Guest, where is your sword?"
Luke waved his hand, and a greatsword flew out of the carriage on the street behind him, floating in front of the dwarf owner.
"It's this ancient sword. Can you see if it can be repaired?"
The dwarf owner was startled, looking at the greatsword floating in front of him, somewhat afraid to take it. His original intention to heavily overcharge instantly vanished, and his attitude towards Luke immediately became respectful and cautious, "So you're a wizard, please forgive me for not recognizing your identity just now!"
Luke didn't mind his change in attitude and said, "Take a look, can this ancient sword be restored?"
The dwarf owner's gaze returned to the greatsword, corroded by rust, in front of him. He carefully took it, then observed it closely.
"Hmm... the blade material is cast bronze, sturdy and durable, with superb casting techniques, and it's quite large. Is this Númenórean forging craftsmanship?" The dwarf owner looked up with a surprised expression.
A flicker of admiration crossed Luke's eyes, and he nodded, "This sword was previously corroded by the dark power of a wight. After purification, it lost its former sharpness and power. Can you see if there's a way to restore it?"
The dwarf owner looked troubled and shook his head, "If it's just a simple surface repair, it's very easy, but if you want to restore its former sturdiness and sharpness, it would have to be re-forged in a furnace..."
"Then re-forge it in the furnace!" Luke said directly.
"Sir, please listen to me. The Númenórean sword material is very heat-resistant. The temperature of my furnace here probably can't melt it. It needs a large furnace, and we only have one large furnace here. To use it, we need to get the owner's permission."
"Who is the owner then?"
"It's our King—Thorin Oakenshield!"