"That's right," Gandalf nodded, giving an affirmative answer.
"I have a premonition that going with you this time will be much smoother, perhaps even without any major incidents."
Luke was skeptical of Gandalf's premonition.
He knew his own capabilities; even Gandalf was no match for Sauron, and with a weakling like him, weren't they just going to be extra food for the enemy?
"Gandalf, why don't we contact some more helpers, like Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel?"
"There's no time!" Gandalf shook his head.
"Beorn said the Orcs have been gathering at Dol Guldur these past few days, so there must be a big move. We need to investigate the situation immediately and prepare early. We can't wait for Lady Galadriel and the others to arrive."
"No, Gandalf, there's still time," Luke said, revealing a confident smile and taking out a bottle of Floo Powder from his spatial pouch, shaking it. "Did you forget I have this?"
Luke never fought unprepared battles. Since he knew Dol Guldur was dangerous, he didn't want to venture alone, with just him and Gandalf facing the powerful Dark Lord Sauron.
"Beorn's fireplace has already been connected to the Floo Network, leading directly to the fireplace in Rivendell. We can return to Beorn's home right now and use the fireplace to go to Rivendell to request Lord Elrond's reinforcement."
Although Lady Galadriel couldn't be contacted for the time being, inviting Elrond would still be a powerful aid and a source of confidence.
Especially since Rivendell not only had Elrond, a powerful Elf, but also the Golden Flower Lord Glorfindel, whom he had only met once before, whose strength was in no way inferior to Elrond's.
Hearing Luke's words, Gandalf suddenly realized, slapping his head in annoyance.
"I'm getting old, and my mind is becoming rigid. I can't keep up with the flexibility of you young people's thinking."
"However, we don't need to return to Beorn's home. I have an even better idea." Gandalf proposed a better option, "Before heading to Dol Guldur, we still need to visit an old friend. His home is in the southern forest of the Great Greenwood, closer to Dol Guldur. We can perfectly use his fireplace to go to Rivendell."
"Are you talking about Radagast the Brown?"
"It's him."
So Luke accepted Gandalf's invitation, separated from the expedition team, and went with him to Dol Guldur to investigate.
Regarding this, Thorin expressed strong objections.
"I disagree!" Thorin vehemently opposed, looking at Gandalf with angry eyes. "You can leave, but Luke must stay with us!"
"I don't care what Orcs or Necromancers are in Dol Guldur; that has nothing to do with us going to the Lonely Mountain! Our only and most important goal is to reach the Lonely Mountain before Durin's Day, then retrieve the arkenstone, and reclaim the Lonely Mountain!"
Luke felt a bit helpless about the enraged Thorin and patiently explained, "Thorin, I promise you, we will rendezvous with you before you reach the Lonely Mountain."
"Dol Guldur concerns the entire situation in Middle-earth. We need to go and investigate it thoroughly to prevent the dark forces from rising again and to prevent it from affecting your reclamation of the Lonely Mountain."
But Thorin clearly did not accept this explanation, huffing stubbornly, "What Middle-earth situation? Those have nothing to do with us! I just want to get the arkenstone and reclaim my kingdom!"
Then he stared directly at Luke, threatening through clenched teeth, "Luke, are you sure you want to go with him? Don't forget you signed a contract with me. Do you want to break the contract?"
Luke also had a headache with Thorin, who was solely focused on restoring his kingdom.
"Since I promised to help you reclaim the Lonely Mountain, I naturally won't go back on my word. We will rejoin you before Durin's Day and help you defeat the dragon and reclaim the Lonely Mountain."
Seeing Luke's firm attitude, Thorin's face grew even darker.
"I hope so. If you cannot fulfill the contract, don't expect to get a single copper coin from me!"
The two parties parted unhappily.
Luke and Gandalf headed south towards Dol Guldur, while Thorin and his company prepared to go east through the old Mirkwood path.
Compared to following the Dwarves, Bilbo was more willing to follow Luke and Gandalf.
However, Gandalf persuaded him to continue with the Dwarves.
After separating from the expedition team, Luke and Gandalf rode their horses south along the Anduin River until they reached the southernmost tip of the Great Greenwood, also known as Mirkwood, and stopped.
After releasing their horses, the two walked along a small path into the forest.
They walked to the end of the path, where there was a forest cabin built of stone and wood. The cabin looked as if no one had cleaned it; the thatched roof was overgrown with weeds, the stones were covered with moss, and mushrooms grew on the wood.
If not for the smoke still coming from the chimney, one would have thought it was an abandoned, uninhabited cabin.
The wooden door opened from inside, and Radagast the Brown Wizard walked out of the wooden house, revealing a surprised expression.
"Gandalf! Why have you come?"
"Radagast."
Gandalf greeted him with a smile.
"Luke and I happened to be passing by, so we came to visit you. Are we welcome?"
"Of course, welcome, come in quickly!"
Radagast said enthusiastically, then his gaze fell on Luke, his eyes lighting up.
"I remember you, young Wizard, the one who helped me lure away the Orcs and Werewolves last time."
"It's good to see you again." Luke smiled and nodded.
Inviting them both into the cabin, Radagast enthusiastically poured them a pot of tea brewed with unknown roots.
Luke took a sip; it tasted a bit bitter, somewhat similar to traditional Chinese medicine from his previous life.
However, what made his eyes light up was that the tea actually contained magic, which quickly relieved the fatigue of the long journey.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Location Mirkwood - Radagast the Brown's Cabin. Do you wish to sign in?]
The system suddenly gave a prompt.
Luke's eyes lit up with joy; he hadn't expected such an unexpected gain here.
"Sign in."
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on obtaining Professor Sprout's Herbology knowledge!]
Countless pieces of knowledge about the cultivation, planting, harvesting, and production of magical herbs were imprinted in his mind, as if someone had used a Memory Charm to forcibly stuff someone else's knowledge memories into his brain. Once he digested and absorbed it, he would become a master of Herbology.
Luke was ecstatic. He had originally considered, once his Herbology knowledge reached a certain level, to compare the magical herbs from the Harry Potter world with the herbs of this world one by one, to find substitutes with similar effects, and thus create more Potions.
He hadn't expected to achieve it in one go, with Professor Sprout's Herbology knowledge being directly poured into him.
He took another sip of the root-brewed tea, and immediately, the corresponding magical world herbs popped into his mind.
Radagast sensed Luke's joy, thinking he really liked the medicinal tea he brewed. He immediately felt like he had found a kindred spirit and happily poured Luke another full bowl of tea.
Luke, who had drunk traditional Chinese medicine in his previous life, considered it a small issue. Under Gandalf's admiring gaze, he very politely drank it all in one gulp, and then even proactively asked what herbs it was made from.
As the Wizard most skilled in herbs among the five Wizards, seeing Luke so interested, he was very forthcoming with information.
Radagast, as a Maia, a lesser god of the goddess Yavanna, knew the properties and effects of various herbs and plants in Middle-earth like the back of his hand. Luke gained a great deal from him.
And Radagast was also very surprised and delighted by Luke. Luke's various ingenious ideas and applications for herbs inspired him greatly, and he quickly considered him a kindred spirit.
The two discussed passionately as if no one else was present, until Gandalf cleared his throat helplessly a few times, interrupting their continued discussion.
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot you were still here, Gandalf." Radagast said apologetically to his old friend, then remembered to ask, "By the way, did you come here for something?"