"King? Ranger???"
Seeing Mike appear, wearing a crown and holding a greatsword, the old wizard first showed a surprised expression, then relaxed and said, "Sorry, I forgot that when asking someone else, I should introduce myself first."
"My name is Olórin, also known as Mithrandir, but people are more accustomed to calling me Gandalf—an Elf with a staff."
Feeling the gentle aura emanating from Mike, Gandalf smiled and gestured to the staff beside his foot, which was taller than a person, as if to prove his identity.
[Demigod Body (Trait)] … [Source of Magic (Trait)] … [Two-Handed Sword. Mastery (Skill)] … [Light Spell (Skill)] … [Explosive Magic (Skill)] …
[Fire Affinity (Trait)] …
The moment he saw Gandalf, Mike knew he had arrived in Middle-earth. This place had the unfathomably powerful creator Iluvatar, and his composition of the Ainulindalë.
And Gandalf, as a Maia sent to maintain peace in Middle-earth within the Great Music, naturally would not be too weak; his ability was probably similar to that of the fallen angel Lucifer.
"Mike. A… Traveler." Mike, who had picked up many attribute traits, was in a good mood and then introduced himself.
"Traveler Mike." Gandalf recalled for a moment, having no impression of such a person, but still smiled and invited, "Traveling through the jungle at night can be very dangerous. If you don't mind, you can stay by the campfire for a night. I have some food here to entertain you…"
As he spoke, Gandalf pulled out a small package from his voluminous robe, containing honey and some unknown fruits.
"Thank you." Mike naturally did not stand on ceremony.
With a wave of his hand, he retracted the crown on his head and the greatsword in his hand back into his body, and transformed the magnificent bright armor on him into a medieval suit of Genovia style.
The material chosen was relatively coarse linen, having a sense of adapting to local customs.
Then he walked to the campfire and sat opposite Gandalf.
"Very magical ability." Seeing Mike casually change his style, Gandalf expressed genuine admiration.
Besides the Maiar and the Elves, Middle-earth also had many extraordinary people.
Gandalf had been here for thousands of years, so he naturally would not underestimate anyone.
"Just a few tricks, not worth mentioning," Mike humbly replied, also smiling, "By the way, I also have some food stored here, perhaps you would like it."
Courtesy demands reciprocity…
Mike then took out some cooked food and wine from his personal space. From a nutritional standpoint, these things might not compare to the food of this world, but with the blessing of technology and powerful ingredients, the taste would certainly not be bad.
"Very interesting processing methods and brewing techniques…" Gandalf commented after tasting the fried chicken nuggets and red wine, then suddenly asked, "As a traveler, where do you come from?"
Gandalf found the young man in front of him a bit inscrutable, so he wanted to probe his background.
If circumstances allowed, he might invite the other party to join his Lonely Mountain team.
Sixty years was a cycle; Lonely Mountain, as the birthplace of the Dwarves, was occupied by the dragon Smaug sixty years ago, causing great casualties to the Dwarf Clan and the surrounding human town of Dale at that time.
Now, sixty years later, with the resurgence of evil forces, Gandalf had a premonition that the evil dragon sleeping in Lonely Mountain would awaken again.
To avoid another catastrophe, someone had to confront the awakened evil dragon.
At the same time, he needed to suppress the evil energy in Middle-earth.
And the descendants of the Dwarves, who constantly wished to reclaim Lonely Mountain, were the main force Gandalf intended to use against Smaug.
However, the Dwarves alone was clearly not enough to deal with Smaug, so Gandalf needed to mobilize more people to help at Lonely Mountain.
"I come from a very distant place and am not yet familiar with the situation here. So, Gandalf, can you introduce me to the surrounding area?" Mike did not fulfill Gandalf's wish to state his origin; instead, he actively took control of the conversation's rhythm.
Then, after a round of verbal sparring, both gained something.
Gandalf confirmed that Mike was a powerful human, exactly the talent he was looking for.
And Mike learned that he was at the border between Rivendell and the Shire…
Well, after half a day of mutual probing, there wasn't much truly useful information.
Finally, as dawn approached, the old wizard lost patience, pulled his wide wizard hat over his eyes, and dozed off.
When he was awakened again by the aroma at his nose, the sun had already pierced through the treetops; it was a rare good day.
On the other side, Mike was skewering a few grilled sausages, heating them over the campfire.
"Want to try some?" Mike offered two grilled sausages, then took out a few fluffy pieces of bread and milk, sharing them with Gandalf.
Looking at the food in his hand, Gandalf only felt the human in front of him becoming more and more mysterious.
"By the way, where are you going next… traveling?" After breakfast, Gandalf asked casually.
"No specific plans yet, just taking it one step at a time." Mike answered truthfully.
He hadn't really decided what to do in Middle-earth yet.
"Is that so?" Gandalf interjected, "If you don't know where to go, I do have a suggestion here, I wonder if you're interested?"
"What suggestion?" Mike asked knowingly.
"Lonely Mountain treasure…" Gandalf revealed, "I'm planning to form an adventure team to Lonely Mountain, and if you're willing to join, there will be a share of the treasure for you."
Lonely Mountain, as the earliest home of the Dwarves, contained countless gold coins and jewels, even attracting the covetous gaze of Smaug, the last great dragon in Middle-earth.
This was no secret in Middle-earth.
"Wealth?" Mike narrowed his eyes and said, "If there are suitable companions, I don't mind embarking on an interesting treasure hunt."
Mike had long discovered that the more powerful the race and individual, the more Power Of Faith and Corruption they could provide him.
And the vastness of Middle-earth was even greater than Earth in the previous world; it had powerful races such as Dwarves, Elves, and Orcs.
If he could become a "legend" in this land, the Power Of Faith and Corruption he would gain would certainly be even greater.
And joining the Lonely Mountain adventure team was the best shortcut to becoming a legend.
Moreover, as far as Mike knew, Gandalf had a map to Lonely Mountain, and joining his adventure team would save a lot of trouble.
"Thorin and his companions will satisfy you…" Gandalf briefly described the general situation of the adventure team; in his description, the descendants of the Dwarves were a group of hearty and capable fellows.
"Without further ado, let's set off; I've arranged to meet them in the Shire…" Gandalf seemed to be in a good mood and continued, "On the way to the Shire, I can also visit an old friend of mine. He, like you, possesses very magical abilities."
So, after extinguishing the remaining campfire, the two, led by Gandalf, headed northwest.
Despite Gandalf's wizardly appearance, with his Demigod Body, his physical qualities were actually stronger than his magical abilities.
In less than half a day, he led Mike across hundreds of kilometers of rugged woodland.
"Ahead is the Old Forest, where John and his wife Goldberry live…" As they reached a forest boundary, Gandalf began to explain.
It was strange; unlike other forests that were just sprouting tender buds, the Old Forest ahead was lush with branches and leaves, as if it were already deep summer.
And Mike also noticed that Gandalf, upon entering the Old Forest, seemed much more relaxed, both physically and mentally.