Chapter 36: Ancient Magic Runes

Kael felt a blush creep up his neck at Gandalf's praise. Gandalf was a seasoned wizard, a traveler of the world. Kael knew his own capabilities and would not truly consider his magic 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 had wandered, eventually settling in the Blue Mountains. But Thorin's father, Thráin, unwilling to abandon their homeland, had led a scouting party back to the Lonely Mountain, only to disappear 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 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. He stood 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, Kael asked Gandalf, puzzled, "How are you so sure he'll come in the end?" Gandalf displayed a confident smile. "He'll come; I saw the ambition to reclaim the Lonely Mountain in his eyes." Then, Gandalf stopped and explained to Kael, "Alright, Kael, let's part ways here. Before this, I need to go to other places to gather some information, so I can't go with you." Kael nodded, not asking him where he was going. After watching Gandalf leave, Kael silently thought, "System, sign me in!" He had waited until now to activate the system because there had been people around earlier, even though he felt its presence the moment he met Thorin. [Signed in at Blue Mountains - Dwarf Town, congratulations on obtaining "Dictionary of Ancient Runes"! ] Kael was stunned when he saw the title of the book, and only fully grasped its significance after flipping through it for a while. Ancient runes were symbols imbued with magic; each symbol corresponded to specific magical properties or concepts. When combined, they produced different effects. When making alchemical items, engraving runes on them would enchant the item, enhancing its magical efficacy. Therefore, Ancient Runes could 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 was different from other forms of magic. Spells and Transfiguration had limitations; once a spell was interrupted or magic dispelled, the enchanted item would revert to its original state. But the effect of Alchemy was like solidifying magic; even if the magic was dispelled, the alchemical product still retained its magical properties. In the wizarding world, from small items like Memory Balls, Golden Snitches, Quick-Quotes Quills, Wizard Chess, and Sneakoscopes, to large items like the Knight Bus, the Hogwarts Express train, the Mirror of Erised, Pensieves, Time-Turners, and even the Philosopher's Stone, all were products of alchemy. It could be said that Alchemy was applied throughout all aspects of the magical world. Kael naturally yearned to learn alchemy, especially for the Philosopher's Stone, which was known as the highest achievement of alchemy—a treasure that could turn lead into gold and grant immortality. As a Wizard, Kael's lifespan was 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 Kael at present; he only wanted to learn alchemy now to deepen his magical foundation. So, learning and mastering Ancient Runes became his task for the next period of time. The "Dictionary of Runes" was a very thick tome, recording the meanings and explanations of Rune symbols. Its content was dry and boring, requiring great patience to study carefully. After completing the sign-in, Kael did not leave the Dwarf Town immediately but started to wander around. Dwarves were skilled at mining and forging ores. They dug tunnels, extracted various ores from the mountains, smelted them, and then forged them into various exquisite weapons, armor, and handicrafts. As Kael 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 Kael's arrival, a dwarf shop owner enthusiastically stepped forward. "What weapon does the guest need? As long as you need it, we can forge it for you, absolutely guaranteed quality!" Kael pointed to a silver armor in front of him. "Why do you also sell human armor here? Do humans come here to buy it?" The dwarf owner immediately puffed out his chest. "Our Dwarven 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, Kael understood. He hadn't expected 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. Kael 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. "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 Kael. "Guest, where is your sword?" Kael 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 Kael immediately became respectful and cautious. "So it's a wizard? Please forgive me for not recognizing your identity just now!" Kael didn't mind his change in attitude. "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 Kael'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 reforged in a furnace..." "Then reforge it in the furnace!" Kael said directly. "Wizard, 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!" (End of Chapter) *** [Check Out My Patreon For More Chapters On All Of My Fanfics!!] [www. [email protected]/meowthtl] [+300 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]