bookbashuk Chapter 42 Departure
Chapter 42 Departure
The group of 16 people emerged from the Bag Bottom Cave one after another, preparing to set off as the sun rose.
Bilbo, walking at the back, carried a bundle in one hand and the dagger Dui had given him in the other, gazing longingly at his home.
"Let's go." Dui patted the hobbit on the shoulder without saying anything more.
However, before leaving, he still drew his wand and waved it at the lock.
Everyone was puzzled by his actions.
"Duir, what are you doing?" Bilbo asked curiously.
"I'm cursing your door locks to prevent anyone from taking over your house while you're away," Dui explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the dwarves gasped and looked at Dui in horror. The word "curse" was no ordinary word; it instinctively evoked evil thoughts.
Bilbo was stunned and hurriedly cried out, "No, it doesn't have to be that serious, Duir! Quickly remove the curse!"
The kind-hearted hobbit turned red with anxiety, fearing that others might be cursed.
Dui waved his hand reassuringly, "Don't worry, it's just a small curse. It will only make the person who forcibly breaks the lock grow hair all over their body. Consider it a warning; it's not serious."
This is a small curse he learned from curses and anti-curses; it has no harmful power and can be considered a prank curse.
Hearing Dui's explanation, Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief; as long as it wasn't a curse that harmed people, it was fine.
Upon hearing this, Gandalf looked at Duy in surprise, "Duy, you have studied curses?"
"I wouldn't call it research, I just have a little understanding of it," Dui waved his hand.
Gandalf gave him a meaningful look, but he didn't believe that he really only knew.
When leaving, Dui did not forget to take the last pot of mandrake grass from the greenhouse.
Dui intends to save the seeds of this pot of mandrake. After it flowers and bears fruit, the resulting seeds will be magical. Once planted in a magically rich soil, Dui will no longer need to use magic to water and transform it; the resulting plant will be a magical mandrake.
Moreover, the crying of the mandrake can sometimes have unexpected effects.
Starting from Bag End, Duy, as usual, used the wagon of Dilraba the ponies as his mode of transport, while Bilbo and Gandalf also shared a spot in the wagon.
As for the dwarves, there were too many of them to fit in, so they had to walk to the village first, and then ride horses from the Green Dragon Inn.
After a brief stop at the Green Dragon Inn, the group continued their journey, heading east along the East-West Avenue.
After walking for several days, crossing the Brandy Bridge, we finally left the Shire territory.
When they passed through the old forest, Duy paused briefly and went inside with Gandalf. They cut a branch from a grapevine called Huorn before leisurely leaving the forest amidst the angry rustling of the trees.
He had promised to make a wand for Gandalf, and this piece of grapevine wood was the wand shaft he chose for Gandalf.
Since Gandalf's staff is made of grapevine wood, Dui doesn't need to use different types of wood to suit Gandalf; grapevine wood is the most suitable choice.
Thorin was somewhat displeased with Dui and Gandalf's departure midway through the journey, which delayed their trip, but aside from looking a little unhappy, he didn't say much.
The group continued on their way and soon arrived at the area of Kozuka Hill.
Because of the delay in the old forest, the group was unable to leave the area of the ancient mound before dark, so they had to choose to rest temporarily in an open space.
"Everyone be careful tonight. Although this place isn't very close to the Ancient Tomb Hill, we still need to be wary of the undead," Gandalf solemnly reminded everyone.
Upon hearing this, everyone became alert. Bilbo gripped his dagger tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings, as if a ghoul might leap out of the darkness at any moment.
Thorin, even more displeased, glanced at Gandalf and Duy, and sneered, "If you hadn't gone into the Old Forest halfway through, delaying us for so long, we would already be out of the Old Tomb Hill area and wouldn't need to be so careful!"
Dui frowned. If it weren't for his deal with Thorin, he sometimes really wouldn't want to deal with this guy.
Gandalf was not angry at Thorin's accusation, and still apologized with a smile: "I'm sorry, Duir was so generous in offering to make me a wand, I was a little impatient, so I dragged Duir to the old forest to find suitable wood."
"However, there's no need to worry too much. Corpse demons generally don't leave the vicinity of the ancient tomb easily, so we just need to stay vigilant."
"Alright, I've prepared some things for everyone so you can all get a good night's rest," Dui said, standing up and waving his wand.
The carriage quickly transformed and expanded, becoming a yurt large enough to accommodate everyone. The grass on the ground turned into a thick, soft blanket, and the leaves became green sleeping bags.
Everyone was stunned and deeply shocked by the changes that Du Yi made with a wave of his hand.
"Am I drunk? Or am I hallucinating?" Bomb, the fattest of the dwarves, asked, somewhat dizzy and confused.
The other dwarves also stared wide-eyed, unable to resist touching the changing objects around them. Once they confirmed that they could feel the real texture, they were even more shocked.
Thorin was equally shocked, staring intently at Dui, unsure of what to say. He realized that Dui's abilities had exceeded his comprehension.
Bilbo, on the other hand, was more composed, having already witnessed Dui's various magical wonders, so he accepted it well.
Gandalf looked around, then picked up a sleeping bag and said cheerfully, "Looks like we're in luck for the rest of our journey. These sleeping conditions are much more comfortable than staying at an inn!"
Dui did not stop casting spells. He continued to set up magic around the yurt before saying to everyone, "Alright, everyone go inside and rest. I have already set up a magical barrier around us, so there's no need to keep watch all night. We can continue our journey tomorrow morning when it's light."
Having witnessed Dui's amazing magic, no one objected to his words, and they all went into the yurt to rest.
At midnight, the yurt was filled with thunderous snoring.
Thick, dark clouds shrouded the sky in darkness.
Outside the yurt, apart from the sound of horses chewing grass, the surroundings were completely quiet; there wasn't even the chirping of insects.
I don't know when,
A chill swept over them, and the surrounding temperature dropped rapidly.
A mist appeared out of nowhere, silently approaching the yurt as if to engulf it.
The dozen or so ponies outside the yurt suddenly became restless, kicking their hooves and snorting, trying to break free of their reins.
Suddenly, a tall, dark figure burst out of the mist at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, ignoring the frightened and agitated horses, and charged directly toward the yurt.
It smelled the scent of living people inside the yurt, and many living people at that.
Just as the corpse demon revealed a ferocious smile, thinking it would break through the yurt and rampage inside in the next second, it bumped into an invisible and solid barrier.
The immense impact sent the corpse demon bouncing back, and also caused ripples to spread across the invisible barrier.