The spirits of the world cast three precepts,
The dwarves of the underworld have received the Seven Commandments,
Longevity is determined, mortals take the nine precepts,
In Mordor the shadow of the Nüwa is hidden,
The Dark King had the Supreme Ring.
The Supreme Commandment, the Commandment to Control the People;
The Supreme Ring, find all the rings,
The Lord of the Rings leads all the commandments,
In the darkness I imprison all the precepts,
Mordor, Nvyao, the realm of shadows.
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When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would soon be holding a grand banquet for his one hundred and eleventh birthday, the residents of Hobbiton were talking excitedly.
Birbo was not only very rich, he was also a strange person. Ever since his mysterious disappearance and miraculous return, he had been the topic of discussion in the streets of the Shire for sixty years. The huge wealth he brought back from his adventures had become a local legend. No matter what the old man said, most people believed that the tunnel in Bag End was filled with all kinds of gold, silver, and jewelry. Even if such a legend wasn't enough to make him famous, his youthful appearance was enough to make people click their tongues in wonder. The passage of time did not seem to leave much of a mark on Birbo. When he was ninety, he was no different from when he was fifty. When he was ninety-nine years old, the people around him began to call him " a good healer," but perhaps " immortality " was a more accurate term. Many people felt that the heavens were unfair when they thought of this. How could they allow people to sit on the legendary mountain of gold and have the ability to live forever?
"There must be a price," they said. "This is against the laws of nature and will definitely cause trouble!”
However, there was no trouble so far. Mr. Baggins's generosity made it easy to forgive him for his peculiarity and good fortune. He still visited his relatives often (except, of course, for the Sackville-Baggins, who had always been at odds with each other), and he had many admirers among the lower and poorer families. However, he never had any close friends until his younger cousin was a little older.
The eldest of these cousins was Frodo Baggins, and Bilbo's favorite. When Bilbo was ninety-nine, he adopted Frodo and took him to live in Bag End. This finally shattered the hopes of the Sackville family that had been coveting to inherit Bag End. Bilbo and Frodo were born on the same day, the twenty-second of September. "Frodo, I say you'd better come and live with me," said Bilbo one day;"This way, we can spend our birthday together comfortably.”Frodo was only a boy then. Hobbits always referred to the twenty-odd years between adulthood and childhood as youth.
Another twelve years passed. Every year, the family would throw a grand birthday party together, but now everyone knew that the plan for this autumn was extraordinary. Birbo would be 111 years old this year, and the number itself was quite special. Even for a Hobbit, this was a very long life. (Old Tucker only lived for 130 years.) Frodo, on the other hand, was thirty-three years old this year, which was a very important number because he was about to come of age this year.
The residents of Habitun and the waterside area had already started discussing, and the news of the upcoming event had spread throughout the Shire. Mr. Bilbo Baggins's adventures and unique style of doing things were once again the talk of the town, and the older generation suddenly found themselves very popular in this nostalgic trend.
Ham Gamgee, who was known as the Old Guy, could be said to be one of the best. He often talked loudly in the inn called Everspring Grove by the waterway. He wasn't bragging for no reason. The old man had been taking care of the garden in Bag End for forty years. Because of his old age, he was slow, and most of the work was taken over by his youngest son, Sam Gamgee. Both father and son were very friendly with Bilbo and Frodo. They lived on a small hill at the foot of the mountain in Bag End Cave. The address was Bag Side Road No. 3.
"I told you Mr. Bilbo was a very good Hobbit," declared the old man. This was absolutely true, because Birbo was very polite to him. He usually called him Mr. Hamfast and often asked him about vegetable planting, especially when it came to the planting of rootstocks. The old man was the number one expert in plants like potatoes. (Even he admitted it himself)
"But what about Frodo who lives with him?”Old Nox from the Water District asked. "His name's Baggins too, but he's half Brandybuck. I don't know why any of the Bagginses of Hobbiton would want to marry a weirdo of Buckland.”
" You can't blame them for being unreasonable," said Old Man Tuft, the old man's next-door neighbor." They live on the other side of the Liquor River, near the Old Forest. It was a cursed and ominous place.”
"You're right, Dad!" the old man said. "Although the family of the Brandy Deer in Buckland doesn't live in the Old Forest, their way of doing things is really strange. They would make a boat and run around on that big river. This was not something that a proper family would do. No wonder there was always trouble there. In any case, Mr. Frodo was a good young man. He was very similar to Mr. Birbo, even in their ideas. After all, his father still had Baggins blood. Drogo Baggins was a good man, a clean man before he drowned!”
"Drowned?" Someone in the audience asked. Of course they had heard such horrible rumors, but Hobbits loved stories about family history. They wanted to hear it again.
"Yes, that's what they said," the old man said. "Let me see, Mr. Drogo married poor Primula Brandybuck's daughter. She was Mr. Bilbo's maternal cousin (her mother was Old Tucker's youngest daughter); Drogo was his collateral relative. So Frodo was the son of Bilbo's cousin, and it was a long story! After Mr. Drogo got married, he often hung out with his father-in-law, who went to the liquor shop. (This guy was very greedy, and his father-in-law liked to eat good food, so the two of them hit it off.) At that time, he went boating on the Liquor River, and he and his wife capsized and drowned. Poor Frodo was only a child then!”
" I heard they were going to sail in the moonlight after dinner," Old Nox said." Durogo ate too much and sank the boat.”
" I heard that she pushed him down, and Drogo pulled his wife down," said Sandiman, the mill owner of Hobbiton.
" I say, Sandiman, you'd better not take all these rumors seriously." The old man did not like the miller in front of him. "It's boring to keep mentioning such trivial things! Boats were very dangerous. Even if you sat still and didn't want to cause trouble, it was still possible for you to get into trouble. Anyway, Frodo ended up an orphan, abandoned among the Buckland freaks, and raised in a liquor house. That place was like a large courtyard. Lord Galbadak had at least a few hundred relatives there. Mr. Birbo had really done a good deed by bringing this little friend back to educate him!”
"Still, I understand that this will be a major blow to the Bagginses and Sackvilles. When Mr. Bilbo had gone missing, and everyone had thought he was dead, they had thought they could at last inherit Bag End. However, he mysteriously appeared and chased them out. And God bless, Mr. Birbo is getting stronger and stronger, and he doesn't look old at all! Suddenly, he found an heir and prepared all the documents. I don't think Sackville's men will even think about setting foot in Bag End this time. I also hope that they won't ruin that place.”
" I heard that there's a lot of money hidden in there," said a stranger who had come to do business in the West District's Rice Hill Cave. "The tunnels in this mountain are filled with boxes of gold, silver, and jewelry.”
"You've heard more than I know," the old man replied. "I don't know anything about jewelry. Mr. Bilbo is very generous with his money, and he has a lot on hand, but I haven't heard of any tunnelling. About sixty years ago, when I was a child, I saw Mr. Birbo come back with my own eyes. At that time, I had just become an apprentice of old Herman (he was my father's cousin). He sent me to Bag End to maintain order and prevent random people from trampling on the garden during the auction. While everyone was in a hurry to auction off Mr. Bilbo's old home and property, he suddenly led his pony up the hill, carrying several large sacks and chests. I think it must be filled with treasures brought back from the outside world; Some people said that there were many mountains of gold outside. However, what I saw was not enough to fill the tunnel. My son Sam would probably know better. He often went in and out of Bag End. The boy loved stories, and he knew all of Mr. Birbo's stories by heart. Mr. Birbo even taught him how to read. Don't look like that, he meant well. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any trouble.”
"'Always trying to make up stories about elves and dragons!'I said this. Letsume and potatoes are more suitable for you and me. Don't always aim too high and want to deal with people who are hundreds of times nobler than us, or you'll get into big trouble,'I've always warned him. The others had better listen to me, too."He glanced at the stranger and the miller.
However, the old man's warning could not convince his audience. Birbo's legendary wealth was a legend deeply rooted in the young Hobbit's heart, and could not be shaken.
"Ah, but he may have made more money later," said the miller, in the same tone as most people."He often travels away from home. Look at the foreigners who visited him: The dwarf that appeared at night, the old mage Gandalf, and so on. Old man, you can say whatever you want, but Bag End is really a strange place, and the people living inside are even stranger.”
"I say, Sandiman, it doesn't matter what you say. After all, everyone knows that what you know is limited, just like how you don't know how to row a boat.”The old man hated the miller even more than usual. "If that's what you call strange, then our area really needs more of this kind of strange. In other places, even if they lived in a mountain of gold, some stingy people would not be willing to treat their friends to beer. Bag End was famous for its generosity. Our Sam said that everyone will be invited to the party this time. Listen, everyone will get a gift! This month!"
This month was September, and the weather was still very pleasant. After a day or two, a rumor began to spread everywhere (most likely spread by the well-informed Sam): It was said that there would be fireworks at this banquet! Moreover, this fireworks display would be the first grand fireworks display in the Charles in a hundred years. No one had seen a fireworks display since Old Tucker passed away.
※※※
The days passed, and the big day was getting closer and closer. One evening, a strange carriage full of strange packages drove into Hobbiton and stopped in front of Bag End. Startled hobbits peered out of the windows. The driver was a strange foreigner, singing a song that no one had ever heard before. The coachman was a dwarf with a long beard and a hood. A few dwarves even stayed in Bag End. In the second week of September, another carriage crossed the Brandy Bridge in broad daylight and drove along the water area. There was only an old man driving the car. He wore a tall, pointed blue hat, a long gray robe, and a silver scarf. His beard was long and white, and his eyebrows were so long that they stuck out of his hat. A large group of children ran behind the carriage through Hobbiton and up the hill. Their guess was right. There were fireworks inside the car. The old man began to unload the goods in front of Birbo's door. There were all kinds of fireworks inside, each marked with a large red "Gan" and elvish characters.
This was Gandalf's emblem, and the old man was the wizard Gandalf. His fame in the Shire was mainly due to his skills in controlling fire, smoke, and light. His real job was much more complicated and dangerous than this, but the simple citizens of the Shire knew nothing about it. To them, this wizard was just another big selling point of the banquet. That was why the children were so excited. "This contraction means magnificent!" The children shouted, and the old man smiled kindly in return. Though he visited the place occasionally and did not stay long, every hobbit knew what he looked like. However, neither the children nor the oldest hobbit had ever seen his fireworks display. This great performance now only existed in the records of history books.
After the old man finished unloading the goods with the help of Birbo and a few dwarves, Birbo gave the children some change. However, the children were disappointed to find that Uncle Bilbo had no biscuits or snacks to give them today.
"Hurry up and go home!" said Gandalf. "When the time comes, you won't be able to finish it.”Then he walked into the house with Birbo and closed the door. The young Hobbits stared blankly at the door for a long time, before finally dragging their feet reluctantly away, feeling as if the feast would never come. In Bag End, Bilbo and Gandalf sat under the window overlooking the garden. The evening sky was still bright and the weather was warm. The red and golden flowers were growing luxuriously. The dragon-beak flowers and sunflowers were thriving, while the golden lotus was climbing up the window and looking at the scene in the room.
"Your garden looks so beautiful!”said Gandalf.
" Yes," answered Birbo. "I like this garden very much, and the Charles is just as close to me. However, I think it's time for a holiday.”
"Are you saying that you want to continue with your original plan?”
"Yes, I am. I made up my mind a few months ago, and I won't change my mind now.”
"Very good. Then we don't have to say anything more. Don't be soft-hearted and follow the original plan. Remember, this is the original plan. I hope this will bring you and all of us a good result.”
"I hope so too. Anyway, I'm going to enjoy myself this Thursday and let everyone see my little joke.”
"I wonder who will laugh in the end?" said Gandalf, shaking his head.
"We'll see," answered Birbo.
※※※
The next day, more and more carriages drove up the hill. There were more coming. Perhaps some people would complain," Why don't you buy it locally?" However, the orders for that week had almost bought up all the food, seasonings, and luxury goods in the neighboring area. People began to look forward to it more and more, and they marked it on the calendar. When the postman arrived, everyone looked expectant, hoping that an invitation would be delivered this time.
Not long after, invitations began to be sent out like snowflakes. The post office in Hobbiton was almost paralyzed, and the post office in the water district was almost buried by letters. Seeing that the situation was not right, the volunteers immediately began to assist in the operation of the post office. After that, there would be an endless stream of postmen sending back a large number of replies every day. On each letter, it said,"Thank you for the invitation. I will definitely come."”
There was also a notice hanging at the entrance of Bag End: " Non-banquet staff, please do not enter." Even if it was really a banquet staff or a fake guy, they could hardly enter the house. Birbo was very busy. He was busy writing invitations, counting replies, packing gifts, and secretly preparing for his plan. Ever since Gandalf came, he had been hiding.
One morning, they woke up to find a large clearing south of Bilbo's house, covered with all kinds of ropes and materials needed to build tents. There was even an exit by the roadside, with a white gate and a wide staircase. Everyone envied the three families on the side of the field. Old Genji even pretended to be working in his garden, just to take a few more glances at it.
The tent was slowly erected. One of them was a particularly large dome, big enough to accommodate a large tree growing there. The tree was now at the other end of the field, next to the main table. The staff hung oil lamps on the branches. Even more exciting (to the hobbits 'taste), there was a huge open-air kitchen in the northern corner of the venue. Chefs hired from within a few miles came to support the dwarves and other workers in Bag End. Everyone's expectations had reached the highest point.
Then, the weather became a little cloudy. It was Wednesday, the day before the banquet. Everyone was extremely nervous. Then, on Thursday, September 22nd, the sun rose and the clouds disappeared. The flag fluttered in the wind, and the interesting program began.
Birbo called it a "feast," but it was actually a carnival of all kinds of entertainment. Almost everyone nearby was invited to participate. A few people were accidentally left out, but they were still there anyway, so it didn't affect them too much. Many people from other regions of the Shire were also invited to participate, and some even came from outside the border. Birbo personally received the guests (and their followers) at the newly built white gate. Everyone who came to participate received gifts. There were even people who sneaked out of the venue and sneaked in through the door to take advantage of the situation. Hobbits would give presents to their friends and family on their birthdays. Usually, it didn't need to be something very expensive, and it wouldn't be given to anyone like this time. However, this was a good tradition. In fact, there were people celebrating birthdays every day of the year in Hobbiton and Waterside, so people in the vicinity received gifts at least once a week. They had always enjoyed it.
This time, the gift was exceptionally good. When the children saw the gift, they were so excited that they almost forgot to eat. There were many toys that they had never seen before. They were all very beautiful, and some were even magic toys. Many of the toys had been ordered a year ago, transported from the distant mountains and valleys, and all of them were genuine dwarves.
After every guest finally entered the door, songs, dances, music, and all kinds of games began. Of course, food and drinks were indispensable. There were three formal meals: lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. However, the so-called lunch and afternoon tea were just time for everyone to sit down and eat together. At other times, people were still taking all kinds of food and drinks from 11 am to 6:30 pm. Only when the fireworks show began did everyone put down their cutlery.
The fireworks were the work of Gandalf himself: Not only did he transport it personally, but he also designed and manufactured it. All kinds of special effects, props, and rockets were ignited by him. Apart from that, he also generously distributed all kinds of firecrackers, fireworks, skyrocketing cannons, fire trees, silver flowers, dwarf candles, elf firefalls, goblin cannons, and so on. These things are all great. Gandaph's skills had become more and more proficient as he grew older.
Some of the rockets flew in the air like orioles leaving the valley, making beautiful music. The fireworks even turned into green leaves, and the black smoke became the trunk of the fire tree. In an instant, it made people experience the wonder of spring and autumn blooming and withering. Not to be outdone, the glittering branches also released bright fireworks that fell on the surprised people. Before the sparks could burn them, Gandalf's secret technique made the sparks disappear without a trace in the sweet fragrance. Like a waterfall, flashing butterflies shuttled through the trees, and stone pillars made of flames shot out from the ground, transforming into eagles, sailboats, or swans that spread their wings. A red thunderstorm caused a yellow drizzle to fall from the sky. The silver spears shot into the sky like thousands of horses and horses, and then fell into the river with a hissing sound like thousands of long snakes. There was one last special item in honor of Bilbo, which surprised the Hobbits just as Gandalf had planned. The lights in the hall went out. A thick smoke appeared and turned into the shadow of a mountain in the distance. The top of the mountain began to glow. Then, it spat out red and green flames. A golden-red dragon flew out of the volcano. Although it was a distance away from a true dragon, its lifelike appearance made people shudder. The dragon spat out flames from its mouth and roared. Then, it spat out flames three times over the heads of the crowd. Everyone couldn't help but lie down, trying to avoid the flames. The dragon flew over everyone's heads with a loud bang, and finally did a backflip, exploding into brilliant sparks in the sky above the water area.
"Dinner is starting!" shouted Birbo. Everyone's fear immediately disappeared. The people who were still in shock patted their clothes and immediately stood up. The dinner was very sumptuous, and everyone could enjoy the delicacies. The only people who didn't dine there were those who were attending the special family banquet. The banquet within the banquet was held in a big tent beside the tree. There were only 144 invited guests (the Hobbits also called this number twelve dozen, but it was not very suitable for humans); These guests were selected from the relatives of Bilbo and Frodo, as well as special friends who were not related by blood (such as Gandalf). There were many young Hobbits among them, all of whom had their parents 'permission to attend the feast; Hobbits were generally more accommodating when it came to children staying up late, especially when there was a chance to fill their stomachs. It's going to cost a lot of money to raise a Harpy kid!
There were many Baggins and Boffin families at the private banquet, as well as many members of the Tucker family and the Brandydeer family. There were also a few Grubbers (relatives of Bilbo's great-grandmother), a few Chubbers (relatives of Bilbo's great-grandfather), and a few Brosses, Borgs, Bracebellies, Badgerhouses, Healers, Trumperers, and Proud Feet. Some of these people were already very distant relatives. Some of them had never set foot in Hobbiton before and had lived in remote areas of the Shire all their lives. Of course, the Baggins 'Sackville faction was not neglected. Ao Suo and his wife Robella were also present. They didn't like Bilbo, and they hated Frodo even more. However, the gorgeous invitation letter was written in golden ink. This honor made them feel that it was difficult to resist. In addition, the Birbo they hated had been famous for his delicacies for many years. His dishes could be considered one of the wonders of the neighboring area.
The 144 guests enjoyed the sumptuous dinner to their heart's content. However, everyone was secretly worried about the lengthy speech the host would give after the meal. He would sing something he called poetry every time, and sometimes, after a drink or two, he would start to ramble on about his mysterious adventures. At least so far, the customers were not disappointed. This was indeed a feast that they had never seen before. The dishes themselves were close to the extreme of entertainment. The quality was fine, the quantity was large, the variety was complete, and the taste was delicious. For the next week, the people nearby were so full that they could not eat anything. However, due to Birbo's previous large purchases, the nearby shop owners had already sold everything they had. There was nothing to sell anyway. Therefore, it was still a happy situation.
After the feast was over, it was time for the speech. Anyway, most of the guests were already full and had a strong resistance to lengthy speeches. This process was what they called "killing time". They sipped their favorite drinks and tasted the delicious desserts, throwing their previous worries to the clouds. They were ready to listen to the most boring speech in the world, and they could cheer loudly at every interlude.
" Dear compatriots," Birbo stood up and said. "Pay attention! Attention! Pay attention!" Everyone in the venue shouted to remind each other, but not many people really quieted down. Bilbo left his seat and climbed into the chair placed under the tree full of lamps. The light from the oil lamp shone on his ruddy face, and the gold buttons on his silk coat glittered. Everyone in the hall could see him with one hand in his pocket and the other waving.
"Dear Bagginses, dear Boffins," he went on,"and dear Tucks, Brandydeers, Grubbs, Chubbs, and the Bross, the Borg, the Bracebellies, the Badgerhouses, the Physicians, the Hornblingers, and the Proud Feet.”
"It's a pair of proud feet!" shouted an old Hobbit from a corner of the tent. Of course, he was from the Proud Feet family. This guy did have a pair of big and fluffy feet, and they were all on the table. No wonder he wanted to take the opportunity to find trouble and show off.
" Proud Feet," repeated Birbo. "And my dearest Sackville-Baggins, I can finally sincerely welcome you back to Bag End today. Today is my 111th birthday: I'm 11 years old today!”"Long live! Hooray! I wish you a long and happy life!" The audience shouted and knocked on the table to celebrate. Bilbo's speech was brilliant. This was the kind of speech they liked-short and concise.
"I hope everyone is as happy as I am today.”Deafening cheers came from below. Shout "Yes"(and "That's not enough!”). Horns, horns, bagpipes, flutes, and many other instruments sounded. As mentioned before, there were many young Hobbits at the banquet, and they were all playing their flutes. Most of the firecrackers had the words Riverdale printed on them. Though the Hobbits knew nothing of the word, they all agreed that it was a pretty good firecracker. These firecrackers were equipped with small musical instruments that could make pleasant music. In fact, in one corner of the tent, a group of young Tucker and Brandybuck kids, thinking Uncle Bilbo had finished (because he had finished all the important stuff), began to light firecrackers and make a beautiful symphony of their music. Avra Tucker and Melila Brandydeer even jumped onto the table with bells and began to dance an intense and energetic bell dance.
But Birbo did not speak. He snatched a horn from a young man nearby and blew it three times. Only then did the crowd quieten down. " I won't take up too much of your time," he shouted. The audience couldn't help but cheer. "I called you all here for a purpose.”The tone in which he said the word " purpose " was very special. The scene fell into a dead silence for a moment, and one or two people from the Tucker family stood up nervously.
"That's right, there are three objectives! The first is to tell you that I like you very much. The 111 years I spent with you good people were too wonderful and too short.”The crowd burst into thunderous applause.
"Many of you are people that I want to know, but have never had the chance to get to know. There are also many people who are worthy of my deeper feelings.”These words were beyond everyone's expectations. Because it was too difficult to understand, there was only sporadic applause. Everyone's little heads were turning desperately, hoping to figure out whether these words were praise or criticism.
"Secondly, it's to celebrate my birthday.”Everyone cheered again. "I should say 'our' birthday. For today is, of course, the birthday of my heir, Frodo. Today, he has come of age and finally obtained the qualifications to inherit my family business.”Some of the elders clapped happily, while the young people began to cheer and shout,"Frodo! Frodo! Hail Frodo!" The Sackville family frowned, trying to figure out what the so-called " inheritance " was all about.
"Our combined age is 144. The number of guests I invited was precisely to match this mysterious number: Please allow me to use the phrase twelve dozen.”No one cheered. This was too ridiculous. Many guests, especially the Sackville family, felt humiliated. They didn't expect that they were invited to fill in the numbers, as if they were used to stuff a box. "Yeah, twelve dozen! You really know how to choose words!"
"If you allow me to recall the past, today is also the sixty year anniversary of me escaping to Iska on the long lake in a wooden barrel. I was so nervous that I forgot it was my birthday. I was only fifty-one years old then, and birthdays didn't seem to matter much to me. However, the banquet back then was very exciting. Unfortunately, I had a bad cold at that time and was unable to enjoy it. I remember that I could only say 'thank you, big coquettie'. This time, please allow me to say it clearly: Thank you for coming to my little banquet.”There was silence. They were all worried that Bilbo would start singing or reciting at once. Why couldn't he just shut his mouth and let everyone toast him? Unexpectedly, Birbo did not sing or recite poetry. He was silent for a moment.
" The third and final point," he said," I would like to make an announcement.”He raised the volume of the word " announcement ", and the people who were barely awake were shocked. " I regret that I have to do this. As I said before, this wonderful 111 years is too short, but it's time to come to an end. I'm leaving. I will move immediately! We'll meet again if we're fated!"
He jumped off the chair and disappeared. A strong light came from somewhere, and all the guests were dazzled. When they opened their eyes, Birbo had disappeared without a trace. One hundred and forty-four shocked Hobbits sat in their seats with their mouths agape. Old man Aoduo Aojiao stomped his feet in anger. After a brief silence, all the Bagginses, Boffins, Tucks, Brandydeer, Bross, Borg, Embracing, Badgerhouse, Healthybody, Hornblingers, and Proud Feet started shouting at the same time.
Everyone agreed that the joke was tasteless and that the guests should drink more and eat dessert to calm themselves down. "He's crazy. I told you guys a long time ago." This was probably the most common comment that everyone present heard. Even the most adventurous of the Tucker family (with a few exceptions) found Birbo's actions absurd. At this time, everyone naively thought that his disappearance was just a farce.
However, Rollie Brandybuck wasn't so sure. Even though he was very old and his stomach was too full, it did not affect his judgment. He said to his daughter-in-law, Esmolada,""My dear, there must be something wrong with this! I think the mad Baggins in him must be at work again. This old fool. Who cares, he didn't take the food away!”He called out to Frodo to pour them another drink.
Frodo was the only one who did not speak. He stood next to Birbo's empty seat in a daze for a long time, ignoring everyone's comments and doubts. Even though he had known about it, he still found it funny. He almost couldn't help laughing when he saw the guests so panicked. But at the same time, he also felt very uneasy. It was only at this moment that he realized how much he respected this elder. Most of the guests continued to eat and drink, discussing Birbo's strange behavior, but the Sackwell family had already left in a huff. Frodo himself was in no mood to continue the feast, and ordered more wine. He quietly drank the wine in his cup, wishing Birbo good health, and then slipped out of the tent without a word. As for Birbo, he had already started playing with the gold ring in his pocket when he was giving his speech. This was the magic ring that he had kept in secret for many years. When he jumped off the chair, he put the ring on immediately. From then on, the people of Habitun never saw Birbo again.
He silently walked back to his home with a smile on his face. He quietly listened to the laughter coming from the tent and the other venues of the banquet. Then, he stepped into the house. He took off the suit he had worn for the banquet and folded his gorgeous silk coat in clean paper. Then, he quickly changed into a set of old clothes and tied a belt around his waist that he had used for many years. A short sword in a black leather sheath hung on it. He opened a locked drawer reeking of deworming pills and took out an old hooded cloak. Birbo collected them as if they were priceless, but in fact, the clothes were not only full of patches, but even the original color had faded. The onlookers could only guess that the dress was dark green. This set of clothes seemed to be a little too big for him. Then he went into the study and took out a package wrapped in old clothes, a leather copy, and a bulging envelope from a large safe. He stuffed the copy and package into a big bag that was almost full. He then put the gold ring and the necklace into the envelope, glued the seal, and wrote Frodo's name on the recipient's position. At first, he placed the envelope on the fireplace, then stuffed it back into his pocket. At this moment, the door opened and Gandaph walked in with a solemn expression.
"Hello!" said Birbo. "I was wondering if you would show up.”
"I'm glad you're not invisible now," replied the wizard, sitting down in his chair. "I want to say a few words to you. This time, you should feel that everything is going according to the original plan, right?”
"Yes, that's right," said Bilbo. "But that flash of light was really unexpected. Even I was shocked, let alone the others. I think this is your stroke of luck, right?”
"Yes, I am. You've been smart enough to hide the secret of the ring for so many years. I think you should give your guests some reason to explain why you disappeared.”
"You almost ruined my big plan. You're a busybody, old man," laughed Birbo." But I think, as usual, you always know the right way to do things.”
"Yes, but only when I know all the clues. I'm not so sure about this whole thing. Now was the last crucial moment. You've made a joke, and your relatives have been angered. It also gave the entire Shire region a topic of conversation. Is there anything else you need to do?"
"Yes, I still have things to do. I think I need a holiday, a very long holiday, as I told you before. Perhaps it was a long vacation that would never end. I don't think I'll be coming back. Actually, I didn't plan to come back. Everything has been arranged.”
"I'm old, Gandalf. Although it didn't look obvious on the outside, I was really starting to feel tired in my heart. They even said that I have a good way of keeping my health!" he said disdainfully. "Sigh, I feel like I'm a little dry and about to be squeezed dry. You should know what I mean. It was like butter that had been smeared too thinly on bread. This isn't right. I have to change my life.”
Gandaph looked at him curiously. " Yes, it's indeed wrong," he said thoughtfully. "I really think your original plan was the best.”
"Yeah, I've already made up my mind anyway. I want to see the mountains again, Gandalf, the truly majestic mountains, and find a place where I can rest. I can live there quietly and not compete with the world. I don't have to deal with all kinds of strange relatives and visitors all day long. I might even be able to find a place where I can finish my book. I've already thought of a good ending: " From then on, he lived a happy life.'”
Gandaph laughed. "I hope he can be so happy. However, no matter how the book ended, no one would want to read it.”
"Oh yes, they will. Frodo had already read part of it. You'll take care of Frodo for me, won't you?”
"Yes, I will. As long as I have time, I will take care of him wholeheartedly.”
"Of course, if I ask, he'll come with me. In fact, he had taken the initiative to make such a request before the banquet. However, he did not mean it. It was not time yet. I want to see the open plains and the magnificent mountains again before I die. But at his age, he still loved the Shire, a place with forests, rivers, and grasslands. I left everything to him, except for a few small things. I hope he can live a happier life after he gets used to making his own decisions. It was time for him to be the master of his own house.”
"Did you really leave everything to him?”said Gandalf. "Is the ring no exception? You promised yourself, didn't you?”
"Er, yes, I think so," stammered Bilbo.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。