Chapter 47: Moonstone

Bree, as an important thoroughfare in the Eriador region, was a relatively prosperous town with a bustling market and shops. Under the guidance of a Hobbit attendant arranged by the innkeeper, Kael arrived at a jewelry store. The jewelry store owner was very enthusiastic when he saw Kael enter. "What kind of jewelry are you looking for, honored guest? Whether it's rubies, sapphires, diamonds, or anything else, we have it all. And not only do we have jewelry crafted by Human and Hobbit artisans, but even the craftsmanship of Dwarf artisans and Elf artisans!" "Oh, there's even jewelry crafted by Elf artisans?" Kael was indeed attracted by the jewelry store owner's words. Seeing Kael's interest, the owner immediately took out an Elf-crafted piece of jewelry: a silver brooch inlaid with white diamonds, exuding an elegant aura. It truly seemed to fit the Elven aesthetic. However, Kael was a little disappointed after seeing it. Although it was Elf-crafted jewelry, it was merely an ordinary piece of craftsmanship and had no magical properties. So, after a glance, he no longer looked at it, but directly asked, "Do you have full moonstone here?" The jewelry store owner was somewhat disappointed to see Kael uninterested in the Elf-crafted accessory, but upon hearing the next question, his spirits lifted, and he quickly replied, "We also have full moonstone here!" As he spoke, he took out another box. When he opened it, inside were indeed pieces of jewelry made from full moonstone. "Besides this type of jewelry, do you have any raw full moonstone here?" Kael asked again. The owner looked at him strangely, but still nodded. "We do, but we generally don't sell raw stones..." Kael interrupted him. "I'll take all the raw stones you have, price is not an issue!" As he spoke, he pulled out a ring inlaid with a large ruby and threw it to him. "Is this enough?" Although moonstone can be used to make jewelry, its value is far from that of precious gems like rubies. The owner quickly caught the ring, looking at the high-grade ruby set in the gold ring. He examined it carefully, and his eyes immediately lit up, a wide smile spreading across his face. He quickly nodded. "Enough, more than enough! Honored guest, please wait a moment, I will bring you all the raw stones from our inventory!" With that, he tucked the ring into a pocket in his chest lining, then quickly jogged into the back room. After a while, he emerged, panting, carrying a burlap sack on his back. He carefully placed the burlap sack in front of Kael and opened it for him to see. "Honored guest, are you satisfied? There are 30 raw stones in total, all of the best quality full moonstone!" Kael looked into the bag. The full moonstones inside varied in size, some as large as a fist, others as small as a pigeon's egg. Because they were intended for jewelry making, their quality was superior, shimmering with iridescent light. Kael nodded. "Not bad." To be honest, using them to make Floo Powder was a bit of a waste, but he currently had no other source of full moonstone, so he could only indulge himself for now. "By the way, owner, where did you acquire all these raw full moonstones? Could you tell me?" The jewelry store owner had no intention of keeping it a secret. "I acquired these from traveling merchants who passed through. I heard they also exchanged them with the Elves near the Misty Mountains. The Elves there are elusive, but they regularly come to the Brandywine Bridge and exchange goods with traveling merchants." Having obtained another source of full moonstone, Kael left the jewelry store with a bag of full moonstone and returned to The Prancing Pony Inn to reunite with everyone. However, upon his return, Kael found that they had already become the center of attention. Everyone in the entire inn knew that Kael and his companions had defeated the Barrow-wights and swept through the Barrow-downs, and this news spread throughout the town at the fastest possible speed. And the reason for all this was that the talkative Dwarves had revealed it after getting drunk. The terror of the Barrow-downs was known to everyone in the entire Eriador region, especially to the residents of Bree, which was adjacent to the Barrow-downs. The fear of the Barrow-wights had been passed down through generations, deeply ingrained in their bones and blood. Now, hearing the Dwarves say that the Barrow-wights had been dealt with, and that no more would appear for several decades, the residents of Bree were in an uproar. And as the main force in defeating the Barrow-wights, Kael and Gandalf received the most attention. But Gandalf clearly did not intend to accept this glory. While Kael was not in the tavern, he directly pushed most of the credit for killing the Barrow-wights onto Kael. Thus, as soon as Kael entered the inn, he received star-like treatment. "Let us welcome back the Barrow-wight's bane—Mr. Kael! It was he who dealt with those terrifying devils from the Barrow-downs for us! Let us toast him!" The innkeeper shouted loudly, looking very honored. "To the Barrow-wight's bane—Kael!" Everyone present raised their glasses and shouted, and even Gandalf smiled and echoed the crowd. Seeing the guests all ordering drinks, the innkeeper's smile deepened. "Gandalf, you really pushed all the trouble onto me!" Kael finally managed to escape the enthusiastic residents of Bree, sat across from Gandalf, took a deep breath, and gave a helpless, wry smile. "We both dealt with the Barrow-wights, and you contributed more than I did, so why push all the credit onto me?" Gandalf smiled, looking at him, somewhat disheveled, and chuckled. "Young people should enjoy glory. I, an old man, have passed the age of enjoying glory, so I won't get involved in all this excitement. Moreover, you shouldn't belittle yourself. If you hadn't severely wounded the Witch-king of Angmar with a curse, we wouldn't have achieved such a great victory. This glory is well-deserved for you!" It's unclear which brave warrior actually went to investigate, but within half a day, news had spread back to Bree, confirming that what the Dwarves said was true. Thus, the residents of Bree became even more fervent. The Mayor of Bree even personally visited Kael and his companions, and presented a golden medal engraved with "Barrow-wight's Bane." In this way, Kael's title as the Barrow-wight's Bane was thoroughly established. Due to this delay, everyone decided to stay at The Prancing Pony Inn for a night and depart early the next morning. That night, Gandalf proactively introduced a stranger to Kael. "Kael, this is a Ranger friend of mine. He just came from the Barrow-downs and specifically wanted to visit you." A Ranger? Kael sized up the other person. This was a tall, handsome man in his thirties with black hair and grey eyes, wearing a black cloak and long leather boots. He carried a bow on his back and a longsword at his waist. The man's voice was deep and resonant, and his gray eyes held a hint of weariness. "I have long heard of your great name, Tree-Cutter, Barrow-wight's Bane, Kael the Black-Robed Wizard. I am Aragorn, it is an honor to meet you!" (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!]