Chapter 41: The Fire of the Sun

As soon as he finished speaking, it was as if he had used up all his courage, and he shrank back again, hiding behind Kael. Kael was surprised by Bilbo's quick reply. Gandalf, however, was delighted and raised his wine glass. "Our Master Thief has returned! Let us welcome Bilbo Baggins to the party!" "To Bilbo Baggins, the Master Thief!" the dwarves cheered loudly. When Kael came back to his senses, his feelings were mixed. He didn't expect Bilbo to agree so quickly. He remembered that in his memories, Bilbo only made the final decision after Gandalf and the others had left, and then caught up with the expedition team. Obviously, such a change stemmed from him. However, since Bilbo agreed, Kael also supported his decision and immediately asked Thorin and Bilbo to sign a contract specifying the reward for Bilbo helping the dwarves reclaim the Lonely Mountain. He didn't want Bilbo to receive no reward after helping so much. And Thorin, in order to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, was very generous, agreeing to share the treasure. As long as the Arkenstone was found and the mountain reclaimed, one-fourteenth of the treasure would be given to Bilbo. As for Gandalf, he didn't ask for any reward. After signing the contract, Bilbo felt a little dizzy. If he were to obtain one-fourteenth of the Lonely Mountain treasure according to the contract, he would become the richest Hobbit in the entire Shire. Late at night, the dwarves, having finished all the liquor in Bag End, lay scattered on beds, snoring like thunder. Bilbo, in the master bedroom next door, tossed and turned, unable to sleep. On one hand, the dwarves' snoring was too loud; on the other, he was thinking about the upcoming adventure. Kael and Gandalf, meanwhile, sat on the sloping lawn of Bag End's garden roof. One looked up at the stars, the other silently puffed on his pipe. "I went into the wilderness for a while and exchanged information with some ranger friends. I found that the Orc army in the Misty Mountains has been stirring recently, and there are even traces of several Orc squads in the wilderness," Gandalf exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice solemn. "So I will part ways with you halfway and go to the Misty Mountains to investigate. The expedition team will be handed over to you then!" Gandalf had told him this before, so Kael was prepared mentally. He nodded and looked at Gandalf. "Is there anything you need my help with?" To be honest, compared to being with the dwarves, he preferred to follow Gandalf. Gandalf smiled and pointed to the sword at Kael's waist. "I'd be very willing to have you as a helper, but haven't you already made a deal with the dwarves to escort them?" "By the way, your sword is really good! Have you named it?" "This sword is called Flammifer." Seeing Gandalf's interest, Kael drew it out with a hint of pride and handed it to him. At the same time, he answered Gandalf's earlier question, saying indifferently: "I only promised to help them reclaim the Lonely Mountain, but I didn't say I would take care of them like a nanny. And I don't think Thorin would want to see my prestige or yours surpass his in the team." Speaking of Thorin, Gandalf also had a headache. Although the team had just been formed, the conflict between Thorin and Gandalf was already emerging. Thorin, a man with extremely strong control, had been vying for leadership of the expedition. Gandalf was unwilling to contend for leadership and was even willing to yield to Thorin most of the time. But as the proposer and organizer of the team, with his powerful strength and prestige, he naturally commanded respect. Not to mention he also wore Narya, the Ring of Fire. The ring made those around him feel warm, courageous, and hopeful, making people instinctively want to be close to him and revolve around him. So unless Thorin or Gandalf actively bowed their heads or left, conflicts would sooner or later break out during the expedition. But this was not something Kael needed to worry about. And Gandalf didn't pay too much attention to it either. Now that Kael, a wizard, was on the team, he felt much more at ease and focused more on investigating the surging dark forces. Forgetting about Thorin, that troublesome fellow, Gandalf focused his attention on the sword in front of him, which looked like it was cast from gold. "The craftsmanship of the dwarves is indeed amazing!" Gandalf stroked the sword, full of admiration. As soon as he grasped the hilt, magic surged into the blade, and the sword instantly burned with scorching golden flames, emitting light like the sun! "Flammifer, it truly lives up to its name!" Kael was amazed to see the golden flames released by the Flammifer in Gandalf's hand. These golden flames were different from the red flames Kael had seen before—more scorching, sacred, and dangerous. Kael could feel that if he touched these flames, even a little, he would be instantly burned to ashes! "Gandalf, what kind of flame is this?" "This is the Fire of the Sun," Gandalf explained. Kael was struck by this. The Flame Sword only released red magical flames in his hand, but when it fell into Gandalf's hands, it unleashed the Fire of the Sun! The difference was staggering! Kael even felt that the Flame Sword in his hand was a treasure covered in dust, entrusted to the wrong person. However, thinking that Gandalf was a Maia disguised as a wizard, Kael felt a little better. After all, the other party was a god, and he was just an ordinary wizard. It wasn't strange to have such a gap, he reassured himself. Putting away the flames, Gandalf noticed mysterious runes appearing on the sword's blade and grew curious. "What kind of writing is this? I feel it contains mystery and power." "This is magic script," Kael explained. "You can also think of it as the writing of wizards." To avoid confusion with Dwarven runes, he used a different term. "The writing of wizards?" Gandalf was surprised. He had never known that wizards had their own script. Then a thought struck him, and he stared at Kael in disbelief. "Is this writing your creation?" Besides this guess, Gandalf could think of no other explanation. "Gandalf, you think too highly of me!" Kael smiled bitterly and shook his head. He didn't dare lie to this wise gray-robed wizard, but he couldn't talk about the system, so he gave a vague answer. "You can think of it as god-bestowed. Although only I currently master this magic script, it was not created by me." The shock this answer brought Gandalf was no less than his previous guess. The phrase "god-bestowed" inevitably made Gandalf misunderstand, and he looked at Kael with envy. "The favor of the Father of All truly makes me jealous!" Kael was confused. Favor of the Father of All? Had Gandalf misunderstood? But Gandalf didn't intend to explain further. After returning the Flame Sword to Kael, he went back to Bag End to rest. The next morning, after eating the last of the stored food in Bag End, everyone was ready to go. (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!]