Chapter 237

With the completion of the Mythic Lock magic array, Wayne relaxed temporarily.

It's not that there is nothing to do. He has many things to deal with, whether it is the construction of the territory, the task of helping the elf race, rebuilding the witcher order, or the chamber of commerce in Wyzima, these are all affairs that need him to deal with.

However, these things now have reliable people helping him, and none of them are tasks that can be completed in a short time, so they are not urgent and do not need to be busy for a while.

So Wayne was finally able to focus his energy on another matter that was almost imminent.

This matter is the Lonely Mountain Expedition in Middle-earth. Counting the time, it has been almost two years since he discovered this world, and in Middle-earth, due to the time difference between the two worlds, ten years have passed there.

According to Wayne's calculation, Bilbo, the protagonist of The Hobbit, is already about fifty years old this year, which is the beginning of the adventure in the original book.

He started laying out a year ago. Although he was not in Middle-earth for most of the time, he also made a lot of preparations in that world. It is almost time to harvest.

Although it is estimated that this adventure will only last less than half a month in the Wizard World, Wayne still made all preparations in advance and found an excuse for an emergency task before saying goodbye to everyone.

He contacted Francesca again and found a dwarf construction team from the non-human races she managed, and signed a contract with a working duration of ten years at a price half higher than the market.

Then, using Wyzima as a transit station, Triss and Francesca, the two sorceresses, transported them to Kaer Morhen through two portals.

Not to mention what a shocking scene it would be for those dwarf craftsmen to see a large number of giants in Kaer Morhen. Regarding Wayne's use of this troublesome method, Francesca once complained to him in a low voice, thinking that Wayne should invite her to go to Kaer Morhen together to see the castle of the Wolf School witchers, just like she invited Wayne to go to Dol Blathanna together, instead of hiding it from her like this.

Unfortunately, he didn't want to expose the Mythic Lock magic array in front of the elf sorceress for the time being, so he could only use other reasons to muddle through.

However, in the process of getting along with Francesca, Wayne also gradually felt the sincerity of the elf sorceress towards him, really treating him as a companion.

Perhaps it won't be long before he will try to trust this beautiful female elf instead of guarding against her because of some stereotypes left over from his previous life.

Unfortunately, Wayne didn't know that many of his trump cards had long been seen through by the elf Sage Ida behind Francesca, underestimating that elf Sage who had existed for thousands or tens of thousands of years.

………………

Wayne Manor.

According to the time of Middle-earth, it has been more than a year since Wayne last returned here. It was when he returned from Toussaint that he stayed here briefly for half a month.

The Hobbit butler Old Ford's body is still quite healthy. After seeing Wayne, the master, return, he was very enthusiastic and did not ask too many questions.

This old man with rich life experience understands that his boss is a quite mysterious figure. In ten years, not only has his appearance not changed much, he still maintains that youthful attractiveness, and after the boss left, he rarely heard any news about the boss from the outside world.

However, Old Ford doesn't care about these. After years of getting along, this Hobbit old man is very clearly convinced that his boss is a good person, generous, and trustworthy.

Because of the existence of Wayne Manor, a large amount of pipe-weed is purchased here every year, providing a lot of work and wealth for the surrounding Hobbits. Compared with ten years ago, the Hobbits in Hobbiton village live more affluent lives than before, the village has become more prosperous, and many people have lived good lives. Wayne's credit is indispensable for this.

This is why, as the owner of Wayne Manor, even though Wayne has rarely appeared in front of outsiders these years, legends about him have been circulating, and he is respected by many nearby villagers.

Many people know that the owner of Wayne Manor is a powerful adventurer who has helped many people hunt down powerful monsters and is a hero in the hearts of many people. On this day, when Wayne was riding the Deathclaw Robin, which had grown to seven or eight meters tall, weighed about four tons, and had a shell as hard as steel, and returned from hunting with a huge wild boar that had been gutted.

He happened to see his old butler Mr. Ford and a thin old man with a white beard, wearing a gray robe and holding a strange wooden staff in his hand, standing at the gate of his manor, seemingly waiting for him.

Seeing this, Wayne couldn't help but move in his heart, feeling that the thing he had been waiting for for a long time seemed to have come to his door.

When he walked to the gate, Old Ford greeted him first, followed by the old man with the white beard.

Old Ford grew up watching Robin and was not afraid of this ferocious and terrifying monster, while Gandalf, who followed him, had a solemn expression, his eyes constantly and seriously examining the Deathclaw Robin, which was full of powerful oppression and destructive power.

The wizard was suspicious and uncertain in his heart, very curious about what kind of creature this monster he had never seen before was, and why he had never heard of this monster after living in Middle-earth for so many years.

However, after looking for only a dozen seconds, he looked up at Wayne, who was sitting behind the Deathclaw. Under Old Ford's introduction, he took off his hat slightly to salute and said: "Mr. Wayne, my name is Gandalf, and I am a wizard. Nice to meet you. This presumptuous visit is recommended by the dwarf prince Thorin, and I came to visit you specifically."

Upon hearing this, Wayne jumped off Robin's back cleanly, then whistled, and this terrifying big guy immediately ran into the manor by himself, looking very smart.

Although the Deathclaw Robin does not often live in the manor, it spends most of its time in the forest behind the manor.

But whenever Wayne returns, this big guy always likes to accompany his master, seeking his master's love.

Wayne returned the salute politely to Gandalf, expressing welcome to his visit.

Then he took Old Ford and Gandalf into the guest hall of the manor and began a formal conversation.

Although Gandalf looked a bit serious, his personality was very lively and cute. He originally intended to speak actively, but after tasting a cookie made by Wayne himself, his eyes lit up, and he almost forgot the business, eating one after another, directly finishing half a plate of cookies.

It wasn't until Old Ford coughed lightly and handed him a glass of fruit juice that the old man laughed and said to Wayne with a slight apology: "Sorry, sorry, Mr. Wayne, these cookies are really delicious, I can't stop."

He coughed lightly, then his expression became serious again, and he continued: "This presumptuous visit is mainly because I heard of Mr. Wayne's reputation. You are a powerful adventurer famous far and near, and many people even call you a witcher wizard and regard you as a hero."

"Prince Thorin and Balin have always admired you, so I came here presumptuously, wanting to invite you to participate in a great adventure."

Wayne maintained a gentle expression on his face, as if he knew nothing, and asked:

"I like adventure and am also good at fighting various monsters."

"However, I still want to ask, what is the purpose of the great adventure you invited me to participate in?"

Gandalf coughed, then looked at Wayne's eyes and said: "Our destination this time is the Lonely Mountain, and what we want to deal with is the evil dragon Smaug in the Lonely Mountain."

Wayne laughed upon hearing this and said in a joking tone: "The legendary evil dragon Smaug who defeated the dwarf kingdom, so is our adventure goal this time to kill this evil dragon?"

(Readers, the amount is a bit less today, I will write more words tomorrow, hehe.) (End of this chapter)