Chapter 98: A Not-So-Rare Magical Item

"Glug, glug, glug, ah~"

After finishing his busy work, Beorn took a refreshing drink of a large mug of Honey Mead, then smiled and said to Allen: "Allen, I hear you're going on a long journey again? You haven't seemed to rest since we returned from the Lonely Mountain. You're a bit too busy; you need to take care of your health."

Allen also finished a mug of Honey Mead, shook his head with a smile, and said:

"I can't stay idle. Whether it's the Old Ford or the Mirkwood Road, there are urgent matters that need attending to, so it's better to get them done as soon as possible. However, after returning from the Lonely Mountain this time, things should be much more relaxed."

Thinking back on his recent busyness, Allen said: "Going to the Lonely Mountain this time is unavoidable. Thorin is about to become the King of Durin, and as a friend, I must attend his coronation ceremony. However, I plan to take Grim along to see it this time. How are things at your place? Can you manage? Do you need me to arrange for a few people to come over and help look after Marian?"

Recently, the nursing training class started by James has been quite effective. While there might still be some issues with having these women perform midwifery, there is no problem with them caring for postpartum mothers and newborns who have just turned a month old.

The main thing is that Beorn's wife, Marian, has just given birth and is still recuperating. If Grim goes with Allen to the Lonely Mountain, the heavy burden of caring for his wife and daughter will fall entirely on Beorn.

At the same time, Beorn also has to attend to the two tasks Allen entrusted to him, and Allen is somewhat worried about any complications at Beorn's home.

Beorn, who had poured himself another full mug of Honey Mead, laughed after hearing this and said: "No need, no need. You go ahead and take him. It's good for that brat to see more of the world. Besides, he seems quite happy with you; every time he comes back, he mentions you in front of me, saying he's learned a lot of things there."

As he spoke, Beorn raised his Honey Mead, took another large gulp, and continued: "Besides, that kid doesn't like staying at home, and he's even less willing to follow me around taking care of these flowers, plants, cows, and horses. So letting him follow you is a very good choice, and I'm quite at ease. Oh, by the way, when do you plan to set off? I'll prepare some things for that kid Grim; after all, he's never been on a long journey."

At this moment, Allen was actually thinking, "Have I specifically taught Grim anything? No, I haven't. Perhaps he learned it from the other colleagues."

It was just that Allen hadn't considered that a young person who is good at learning doesn't need others to specifically tell them what they should or shouldn't do.

The sixteen-year-old Grim would naturally learn traits he deemed suitable for himself from those he admired and looked up to, such as bravery, diligence, frugality, and leading by example.

Allen, who ultimately couldn't figure it out, told Beorn the plan he had discussed with Yamila.

"No rush, we'll set off in about three days."

After saying this, Allen took out the gift he had prepared for Rebecca and pushed it toward Beorn.

"In the customs of my hometown, elders always give gifts to the newborn younger generation. This Longevity Lock is what I prepared for Rebecca. I named it 'Protection', hoping that in the future, Rebecca can be as warm as the sun, as sturdy as a tree, and as beautiful as a flower. By the way, remember to have Rebecca wear it often; it's good for her health."

Beorn frowned as he looked at the gift, which was dazzlingly beautiful in the sunlight, and fell into deep thought. He wasn't captivated by the beautiful jewelry; he just didn't know why he suddenly thought of that rough Sapphire.

That was the pendant Cress had scavenged from an Orc, and it was also a relic of Beorn's brother's family. Now, that pendant is still kept in Cress's treasure hoard.

It was precisely because of that gem that Beorn established his initial trust in Allen, and it was from then on that both sides developed their current deep friendship.

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Remembering all this, Beorn put aside his intention to refuse and thanked Allen from the bottom of his heart.

Living in the Misty Mountains for years, Beorn didn't have much of a pursuit for precious metals and gems, but he could still tell the value of this gift.

Such an exquisite piece of jewelry, no matter which country keen on jewelry it was taken to, would be an item of great value.

Soon, Beorn, holding the Longevity Lock, felt a magical energy containing the breath of life. This also made him understand why his good friend wanted Rebecca to wear this ornament often; it was indeed very beneficial for the current Rebecca.

In fact, things like Magic are not particularly rare in Middle-earth, especially items possessing magical power; they are numerous, and most are produced by Elves.

For example, the green gem called Elessar that Aragorn would wear in the future; it is said that the person holding this gem can heal the wounds of all things with the touch of their hands.

For another example, the Great Horn passed down in the House of Hurin, the one in Boromir's hand; once blown, its sound can reach relatives thousands of miles away.

Of course, the Cloaks of Lothlorien, the gates built by Dwarves, the lights that shine constantly in Elven realms, and the Palantir that can see things thousands of miles away, all contain magical elements.

However, the most powerful and well-known magical ornaments among them are the three magnificent and huge Silmarils. They were crafted during the Years of the Two Trees by the great Noldor craftsman Feanor, who fused the light of the Two Trees into them. Their beauty was something even the Valar marveled at.

These three Silmarils not only possessed incomparable beauty, but Varda, one of the Valar, hallowed them. Any evil that touched them would be scorched by their dazzling light, even the Dark Lord Morgoth of that time was no exception.

In that battle at Dol Guldur, if Lady Galadriel had been holding a Silmaril, Sauron might not have even finished a few complete sentences before being crushed to dust by the power of the gem.

At that time, Lady Galadriel was only holding a crystal phial that had captured a glimmer of Earendil's Star, and Sauron did not persist for long before being driven away in its presence.

From this, one can see how holy and powerful the power of the three Silmarils was.

However, such beautiful and holy gems wrote a bloody and stormy story for the Elven race around the First Age. Because of them, there were as many as three instances of "Kin-slaying" among the Noldor, Falmari, Sindar Elf, and Humans.

Not to mention that Thingol, the king of the Sindar Elf, died miserably at the hands of Dwarves because of the Nauglamir embedded with a Silmaril. This hatred lasted until the Third Age, affecting the relationship between the Dwarves and the Sindar Elf.

Of course, the story of the Silmarils was not entirely a tragedy. In the famous love story of "Beren and Luthien" in Middle-earth, the Silmaril occupies a considerable portion. Of course, this story was not entirely beautiful either, but it was much better than the encounter of the Noldor.

Most importantly, at the end of the First Age, Earendil, who possessed the blood of Humans and Noldor, wore the Silmaril passed down from Beren and Luthien. Guided by the light of the gem, he found Valinor in the vast sea.

This also allowed this ancestor of the kings of Numenor to finally seek the help of the Valar. Between light and darkness, the final confrontation known as the "War of Wrath" took place.

At the same time, this Silmaril also helped Earendil defeat the most powerful dragon under Morgoth, "Ancalagon", during this great war, laying the foundation for the victory of the War of Wrath.

And now, one of these three gems is still worn on Earendil's forehead. The light it emits has become Earendil's Star in the sky, also known by people as the Great Hope Star.

The whereabouts of the other two are regrettable: Maedhros, the eldest son of Feanor, took one and threw himself into a chasm full of fire, while the other was thrown into the sea by Maglor, the second son of Feanor.

In front of these three Silmarils, neither the One Ring forged by Sauron nor the Eldil's Star that can make Orcish feel fear, count for much.

Of course, the "Protection" currently held in Beorn's hand cannot be compared with them, but in today's Middle-earth, this is already a quite precious magical item.

At this moment, Beorn, holding "Protection", looked at Allen, not knowing what to say. He had already expressed his gratitude before; should he thank him again?

Struggling, Beorn hid this gratitude in his heart and put "Protection" away.

Allen, having finished everything, chatted with Beorn for a while, then, slightly tipsy, rode his horse away from the garden and returned to Wilderness Town.

Three days later, in the early morning, Yamila, having made all preparations, woke Allen, who was still in his dreams, at the door.

"My Lord, are you awake? According to your instructions, we must set off early today."

Amidst Yamila's gentle call, Allen woke up from his dreams. He had been dealing with government affairs and thinking about the gains and losses of the recent period last night, struggling until very late before falling asleep, so he slept in a little today.

When Allen finished tidying up and walked out of the lord's house, several of his main subordinates had already been waiting at the door for a long time.

Because the team setting off today was not just Allen and his party heading to the Lonely Mountain; Manid and Desaiwei would also lead the Horse Archer to form a reconnaissance team to head to Eriador to gain a preliminary understanding of the commercial atmosphere there.

The Great East Road in Rhovanion is not particularly safe; there are many human scum who want to reap without sowing, doing business without capital there. Allen specifically instructed Desaiwei not to be soft-hearted when encountering them, to clear them out, or to capture them, so as not to affect Allen's plans in the future.

In the past, the Elves of Rivendell, as the elder brothers of Humans, found it difficult to take action against them, but Allen, as a human lord, would absolutely not be polite to these guys.

And Manid, who had been in Middle-earth for more than a week, had also understood many things during this time, knowing the commercial situation in Rhovanion and Eriador.

The commercial activities in both places were truly too scarce. Even Wilderness Town only had a little bit of trade with the Woodland Realm, and the traded goods were pitifully few. However, Manid did not feel discouraged by this; in his view, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The experienced Manid understood that the scarcity of commercial activities meant the non-flow of goods, and also meant that as long as the right direction was found, obtaining huge profits would be an easy matter. And huge profits would definitely attract more Humans to form caravans, adding to the commercial activities of the two places.

The young and handsome merchant was full of confidence in this trip, but what made him strange was his lord's special instruction yesterday to bring back more "Old Toby" when he returned.

"Old Toby" is the Pipe-weed produced in Longbottom in the Southfarthing of the Shire. This tobacco can help Allen quickly stabilize his mind when his thoughts are complex. More importantly, the side effects brought by these Pipe-weed are very low, and they do not have the strong addictiveness of cigarettes from his previous life.

And when Manid asked for specific information about "Old Toby", Allen did not explain in detail, only telling Manid to go find a person named Albert Dreli after arriving in Bree.

That is a friend of Allen in Bree; as long as one asks around in Bree for someone who particularly loves eating carrots, it will be very easy to find him, and at that time, as long as one mentions Allen's name, Manid will naturally be able to obtain some simple help from that "carrot enthusiast."

Allen still has this bit of confidence.

If Albert Dreli does not have time, or cannot be found, Allen also gave Manid another option, which is the proprietor of the Prancing Pony; Allen's reputation for being generous and magnanimous is also very useful there.

If he encounters some matters that are not easy to handle, Allen also told Manid the name of Old Bill; that local ruffian who has been active in Bree for years must know everything about some dark affairs, and as long as a little money is paid, he will naturally serve Manid.

As for whether Old Bill will repeat his old tricks and find an opportunity to swindle Manid, Allen believes the impression he left on him is deep enough, and Desaiwei and those forty Horse Archers are also enough to guarantee Manid's safety.

In short, last night, Allen entrusted all his resources in Eriador to Manid; if the timing were not truly inappropriate, Allen would have preferred to lead the caravan and his two friends to Bree himself, and return to Wilderness Town after arranging everything.

It is just that now Bilbo and Gandalf are going to the Lonely Mountain with him, and this trip will take at least a month or more to return; in order not to delay time, Allen could only let Manid and Desaiwei set off first.

Even so, before setting off, Allen still exhorted Manid a couple of times.

"Manid, after arriving in Eriador, do not be in a hurry to return; on the premise of ensuring safety, travel around among the various factions more. If conditions permit, I hope you can make a trip to the Grey Havens; that is the territory of the Elf, you do not need to do anything, just being able to initially establish a relationship is enough."

Upon hearing this, Manid nodded with a solemn expression and said: "Rest assured, my lord, I will pay special attention." At this moment of imminent departure, the emotions in Manid's heart were complex: there was gratitude for Allen's trust, nervousness about being in charge for the first time, and also excitement about heading to a strange place.

And Allen thought again, and gave a few more instructions.

"Manid, I hope you do not rush; we have plenty of time. You can travel more, see more, and try to bring back more local specialties from there; additionally, remember my 'Old Toby'."

"I know, my lord; if you have no other instructions, I will set off now."

"Mm, set off."

The dozens of people who mounted their horses saluted Allen, who was standing at the city gate, and then set off in the direction of the High Pass.

And Allen looked at the people beside him and said with a smile: "Then let us set off too."