As night fell, the hardworking Hobbit returned to their cozy homes one after another, causing the entire Hobbiton to gradually quiet down.
Meanwhile, at Bilbo's home in Bag End, the descendant of the Baggins family was preparing dinner for himself and his friend.
Yes, after an afternoon of chatting, Mike had become friends with Bilbo.
Even though Mike didn't have a detailed understanding of the current Middle-earth, some of his insights still greatly broadened the horizons of Bilbo, who had never left the Shire.
And after a pleasant afternoon, Bilbo seemed to have forgotten the "trouble" brought by the old wizard.
Standing in front of the stove, he even hummed an unknown tune. Before long, a hearty dinner, prepared with "emotion," was ready.
"Honestly, I haven't had guests here in a long time. Perhaps we could have a drink…" Bilbo said with a smile after placing the dishes on the table, "Please wait a moment, I'll go to the cellar to get some red wine."
Optimism, enthusiasm, and hospitality seemed to be virtues ingrained in every Hobbit.
Just as Bilbo was about to go to the cellar, there was a sudden knock on the door.
In the quiet evening, the knocking sounded exceptionally clear.
"Who could it be at this hour? Is it Gandalf…?" Bilbo paused. Unable to refuse a guest, he eventually walked towards the door.
"Gan…"
The door opened, and before Bilbo could prepare himself to face the old wizard again, a group of dwarves pushed their way through the door, then stumbled in front of the Hobbit.
"Who are you? I don't seem to know you." Bilbo eyed the scruffy dwarves in front of him warily.
These dwarves wore poor quality fur clothing, and their faces were adorned with strange beards. Because they hadn't had time to tidy up from their journey, they looked even more like a group of refugees.
Of course, that's assuming one ignores the finely crafted weapons each of them held in their hands.
"Please allow me to introduce myself, my name is Balin…" The dwarf with the grizzled beard tidied himself up, then smiled and introduced himself.
Then, the dwarves behind him also introduced themselves one by one:
"My name is Gloin…"
"I am Bofur…"
"…Dwalin…
Dori… Bombur…"
…There were exactly ten dwarves.
It was clear that in order to leave a good impression on the host, they tried to be as polite as possible when introducing themselves.
However, combined with their appearance, it felt out of place no matter how one looked at it.
"We found this place by following Gandalf's mark…" After the dwarves had all introduced themselves, the white-bearded Balin continued, "Are you Mr. Burglar, Bilbo Baggins?"
"I am Bilbo, but not the Burglar. And what is Gandalf's mark?" The amount of information the dwarves brought was too much, confusing Bilbo for a moment.
"Excellent… We didn't come to the wrong place… Finally, we can rest…"
"I smell food…"
"…I want to drink!!!"
Upon hearing Bilbo confirm his identity, the dwarves cheered.
A friend of a friend is also a friend!
The dwarves considered themselves "friends" of Gandalf, so Bilbo, who knew Gandalf, was naturally also their "friend."
So, after cheering, the group of dwarves bypassed Bilbo and, without any pretense, rushed towards the dining room, from which the aroma of food emanated.
"Apologies, my kin are a bit uninhibited. But they are not bad people…" Relatively speaking, the white-bearded Balin was the most polite among this group of dwarves.
He stayed behind to explain to Bilbo, "Gandalf told us you would be a competent thief, as for why, I'm not entirely sure."
"And the mark you mentioned, it's right here. Because of it, we were able to find this place…"
Saying this, Balin fully opened the door, motioning for Bilbo to look behind it.
There, the circular mark left by Gandalf was emitting a faint glow in the night.
"The trouble has indeed arrived…" Although he had a premonition, Bilbo's heart still sank after seeing the mark.
And when he looked back again, Balin had already gone to the dining room. He was now systematically directing the dwarves to bring out more food and drink from the cellar.
As for Mike, who was already in the dining room, he was observing everything like an outsider, with a detached gaze.
Perhaps because his aura was too strong, the dwarves didn't dare to provoke him.
"What is Gandalf doing? He's turned my house into a refugee shelter…" Seeing how quickly the dwarves messed up his beloved house, Bilbo couldn't help but come to Mike's side and complain in a low voice.
"Who knows?" Mike shrugged, indicating he didn't understand either.
It was well known that according to Gandalf, Bilbo's elders had a good relationship with the old wizard.
Yet, this was how he treated Bilbo.
For every Hobbit, having their cozy little home "ruined" by outsiders was nothing short of a disaster.
And yet, this group of Dwarves seemed to have no concept of politeness, practically emptying Bilbo's cellar of all stored food and drink.
Carpets, kitchen, living room… Everywhere the dwarves went, it became a chaotic mess.
It must be said, this group of Dwarves, who had been driven out of the Lonely Mountain and even the Moria Mines, had strong adaptability.
More than half an hour later, with the concerted efforts of the dwarves, all the food from Bilbo's cellar had been cooked and placed on the table, and barrels of drink were also ready.
The dining room was set up like a party.
Just then, the door was knocked on again, and it was undoubtedly Gandalf this time.
Bilbo opened the door with a hint of resentment.
"Hello, I'm Kili. Nice to meet you—"
"And I'm Fili."
Standing at the door were two well-dressed dwarves. Unlike the other dwarves, they had an innate noble aura about them.
Their smiles made them seem very polite.
Then the two separated, revealing a dwarf behind them who exuded an aura of "royalty."
"I am Thorin Oakenshield, grandson of Thor, King of the Dwarves." Thorin nodded slightly, then looked at Bilbo with a scrutinizing gaze.
"H-hello, I'm Bilbo, Bilbo Baggins." Seemingly compelled by the other's imposing presence, Bilbo stammered through his introduction, then voluntarily stepped aside.
"It seems you're getting along well." Just then, a tall figure appeared at the door, silhouetted against the moonlight.
It was Gandalf.
He passed Kili and Fili, walked in front of Thorin and Bilbo, and said, "Allow me to formally reintroduce you both. This is Thorin Oakenshield, a descendant of the Dwarves royal family. This journey to the Lonely Mountain is to help him reclaim his ancestral inheritance…"
Then Gandalf pointed to Bilbo and said, "This is Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit with agile skills. He will be the thief in our company."
"And over there is Mr. Mike, who possesses wondrous power. He will also be a member of the Lonely Mountain adventure party."
Taking the opportunity, the old wizard introduced Mike, who was watching the commotion, to Thorin and the other dwarves simultaneously.
"Sharing dwarf wealth isn't that easy…" Thorin looked at Bilbo again, then at Mike, his expression seemingly displeased.
However, he also knew the task was arduous, so he said no more.
Then, Thorin was surrounded by the dwarves and went to sit at the head of the dining table.