Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth...

Chapter 36 Ancient Magic Runes

Dui was a little embarrassed by Gandalf's praise.

Gandalf is a man of many ways.

He knew his own limitations and didn't really think his magic was better than Gandalf's.

"Oh, right, this is what your father left you before he died: the key and map to the Lonely Mountain Gate." Gandalf then took out a golden key and a map and handed them to Thorin.

"You've seen my father?" Thorin became agitated, his eyes fixed on Gandalf.

After the dragon Smaug occupied the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves of Durin wandered around and eventually settled in the Blue Mountains.

However, Thorin's father, Thorne, was unwilling to give up his home on Lonely Mountain, so he led a group of men to Lonely Mountain to investigate, but they could not find him anywhere.

Gandalf sighed.

"In order to investigate the traces of the darkness, I once secretly infiltrated Dorgus, where I met Thorne, who had been imprisoned for many years. He was exhausted and didn't have much time left. Before he died, he entrusted me with the key and map of the Lonely Mountain Gate, asking me to pass them on to you."

Seeing Thorin lost in grief, Gandalf offered no further words of advice and got up to leave.

"If you've made your final decision, I'll be waiting for you at the Prancing Horse Inn in a month."

Thorin looked down at the key and map in his hand, without answering his question.

On the way out, Dui asked Gandalf a question with a puzzled look.

How can you be sure he'll eventually come?

Gandalf smiled confidently.

"He came back, and I saw in his eyes the ambition to retake Gushan."

"Alright, Duyle, let's part ways here." Gandalf stopped and explained to Duyle, "Before that, I need to go somewhere else to gather some information, so I can't travel with you."

Dui nodded without asking where he was going.

After watching Gandalf leave, Dui silently chanted in his mind, "System, sign in!"

The system reacted as soon as it touched Thorin's Oak Shield, but it waited until now because there were people around.

[Check in at Blue Mountains - Dwarf Town and congratulations on receiving the "Magic Dictionary"!]

Dui paused for a moment when he saw the book title, then opened it and read for a while before realizing what was going on.

Ancient runes, also known as runes, are an ancient symbolic system with magical power. Each symbol corresponds to a specific magic or concept, and when combined, they produce different effects.

When crafting alchemical items, inscribing runes on the items can enchant them, enhancing their magic and efficacy.

Therefore, ancient magic runes can be considered a prerequisite for learning alchemy.

Hogwarts only offers an elective course in Ancient Runes in the third year, and Alchemy in the sixth or seventh year.

Alchemy differs from other forms of magic, such as spells and transmutations, which have limitations. Once the spell is interrupted or the magic is dispelled, the object being enchanted will revert to its original state.

However, the effect of alchemy is like solidifying magic; even after the magic is dispelled, the alchemical product still retains its magical properties.

In the magical world, everything from small items like the Memory Ball, the Golden Snitch, shorthand quills, wizard chess, and the Spyglass, to large items like the Knight Bus, the Hogwarts Express, the Mirror of Erised, the Pensieve, the Time-Turner, and even the Philosopher's Stone, is a product of alchemy.

It can be said that alchemy is applied to all aspects of the magical world.

Dui naturally had a great longing for alchemy, especially the Philosopher's Stone, which was said to be the highest achievement in alchemy, a treasure that could turn stone into gold and grant immortality.

As a wizard, Dui's lifespan is longer than that of ordinary humans. But in Middle-earth, not to mention the elves who possess immortality, he might not even outlive the Dúnedan.

If you want to live longer, the Philosopher's Stone is one way.

However, this is too far off for Dui right now. He only wants to learn alchemy to deepen his magical foundation.

Therefore, learning and mastering ancient magic script became his task for the next period of time.

The Rune Dictionary is a very thick ancient rune dictionary that records the meanings and explanations of rune symbols. The content is very dry and requires great patience to study carefully.

After checking in, Dui did not leave the dwarf town immediately, but instead wandered around the town.

Dwarves are skilled at mining and forging ores. They dig tunnels to extract various ores from the mountains, smelt them, and then forge them into exquisite weapons, armor, and handicrafts.

As Dui wandered around, he discovered that some of the weapons and armor sold in town were not made for dwarves, but rather were designed for human height and build.

Upon seeing Dui's arrival, the dwarf shopkeeper warmly greeted him, asking, "What kind of weapon does the customer need? Whatever you require, we can forge it for you, quality guaranteed!"

Dui pointed to a silver suit of armor in front of him and asked疑惑地问道, "Why do you sell human armor here? Do humans come here to buy it?"

Upon hearing this, the dwarf boss immediately puffed out his large belly and said with great pride, "Our dwarf forging skills are unmatched. Many humans dream of having a weapon forged by us. We have a dedicated sales channel with humans, and these weapons are all custom-made for them."

"I see," Dui understood.

I never imagined that dwarves were not only skilled in forging, but also so good at business.

No wonder it accumulated such a vast fortune as Lonely Mountain, which attracted the covetousness of the dragon Smaug, who then seized it for himself.

Dui picked up a longsword forged by dwarves and examined it closely. It was just an ordinary weapon made for humans, but its sharpness and hardness were indeed far superior to those forged by humans.

He put down his sword and asked the dwarf shopkeeper, "Sir, I have an ancient sword here that needs repair. Do you have any way to restore it to its former sharpness? Of course, price is not an issue!"

The dwarf shopkeeper's eyes lit up when he heard the last sentence, but he didn't give a guarantee immediately. Instead, he said, "If you want the ancient sword repaired, we need to see the extent of its damage before we can determine if it can be repaired."

Then his gaze swept over Dui, and he asked疑惑地问道, "Guest, where is your sword?"

Dui waved his hand, and a greatsword flew out of a carriage on the street behind him, hovering in front of the dwarf boss.

"This is the ancient sword. Can you take a look and see if you can repair it?"

The dwarf innkeeper was startled. Looking at the greatsword floating before him, he hesitated to take it. His initial plan to fleece the innkeeper vanished instantly, and his attitude towards Dui became respectful and cautious. "So you are the wizard, sir! Please forgive me for not recognizing you earlier!"

Dui, unfazed by his change in attitude, said, "Take a look, see if this ancient sword can be restored?"

The dwarf boss turned his gaze back to the rusted greatsword in front of him, carefully took it, and examined it closely.

"Hmm... The blade is made of bronze, a sturdy and durable material, with superb forging techniques, and it's quite large. Is this the forging technique of the Numenor people?" The dwarf boss looked up with a surprised expression.

A flash of appreciation crossed Dui's eyes. He nodded. "This sword was corrupted by the dark power of the corpse demon. After being purified, it lost its former sharpness and power. Do you see if there's any way to restore it?"

The dwarf boss looked troubled and shook his head. "Simply repairing the exterior is easy, but to restore its former sturdiness and sharpness, it would have to be reforged in the furnace..."

"Then let's reforge it in the furnace!" Dui said directly.

"My lord wizard, please listen to me. The Numanor people's swords are made of a very heat-resistant material. The temperature of my furnace here is probably not high enough to melt them. We need a large furnace, but we only have one here. If we want to use it, we need the master's permission."

"Who is the owner?"

"It is our king—Thorin Oakenshield!"