A hawk with outstretched wings, a magnificent steed, and a coiled serpent. In the end, the lightning dissipated into the air, leaving no trace behind.
Karl's gaze flickered, as if deep in thought. He had spent most of his time studying and analysing the magical principles of Middle-earth. He had attempted to use the magical theories of the Witcher world to control the power of Middle-earth and reduce the cost of spellcasting. However, after countless experiments, he had finally solved the puzzle.
In Middle-earth, there was no universal source of energy like magic or dark matter, as in the Witcher world. The "magic" of this world was merely a miniature version of the power that Ilúvatar had granted to the Valar, the Maiar, and a few select individuals. Those beings among the Elves or Men who could "cast spells" were only doing what appeared to be magic. In essence, it was their innate talent, a manifestation of their essence connected to the origin of the world. As for the Maiar, such as Gandalf, their "magic" was even more direct. This was their original power as Maiar, manifested in Middle-earth and limited by the Valar only to a realm understandable to mortals.
Having understood this, Karl sighed quietly; it explained a lot. Why was magic so rare in Middle-earth, and why had it not yet formed a complete system? Why were there so few wizards? Why was Elven magic more like art than technology?
Fortunately, he relied entirely on his own energy and did not use magic to cast spells. Even in this world, where the principles of magic were completely different, as long as the sun shone — even if it was an "impure" sun — he could still draw energy from it. Speaking of the sun, its power was simply incredible... Karl looked out the window.
The sun in Middle-earth was not a star, but a creation of the Valar, made from golden fruits that Arien carried on her celestial vessel across the sky. The moon, on the other hand, was created from silver flowers and carried by Tilion on his celestial vessel. The light emitted by these two "artificial celestial bodies" did indeed contain sacred power. But this energy was vastly different from the stellar radiation he was familiar with. No wonder, when he first appeared, he felt that the sun was "wrong," as if it were a weakened version of itself. But it was enough. Slow growth was better than nothing.
Just as he was lost in thought, a knock came at the door: "Knock-knock-knock!"
A quiet, hurried knock interrupted his reflections. Karl slowly rose and walked toward the wooden door; his super senses had already told him who was outside.
"Mr. Karl! It's me, Bilbo! There's something very important, open the door!"
However, there was a clear note of panic in Bilbo's voice. Karl raised an eyebrow. Trouble? He cast aside his lazy demeanour and vanished instantly. In the blink of an eye, he was at the door and opened it.
Bilbo stood outside the door, clutching his pipe tightly in his hand. His gaze nervously darted around, as if checking whether anyone was watching him. Seeing Karl open the door, he immediately lowered his voice: "Mr. Karl, did you see that wizard?"
"Just now, when I was smoking outside, he suddenly appeared before me like a ghost!"
Karl stepped aside, gesturing for Bilbo to come in and talk. But Bilbo shook his head and hurriedly continued: "He said he was looking for adventurers! And asked if I was interested in adventures!"
"Good heavens, I'm a hobbit, we love a quiet life!"
"And then?" Karl asked, a grin playing on his lips.
"Then he left! But I'm sure he carved something on my door!"
Bilbo lowered his voice even further, almost to a whisper. "He used that staff to make a mark on the door, sneaky as anything, and then slipped away unnoticed!"
Karl couldn't help but laugh: "So you came all this way to find me?"
"Of course! He looks so old, with such a long white beard, he even needs a cane to walk. I even suspect he needed help getting up after falling. In his current state, instead of taking care of his retirement, he's thinking about taking risks?!"
Karl's gaze was first fixed on Bilbo, but then he paused mid-sentence. Then he noticed something amiss: nearby, behind a tree trunk, there was faint breathing, and someone was watching them. He immediately raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through the trees, and saw a figure hiding behind an old oak tree. Gandalf in his grey robe and tall pointed hat, a small piece of the hat's tip visible from behind the tree.
Their eyes met in the air, and Gandalf, realising Karl had spotted him, did not look embarrassed. Instead, he naturally came out from behind the tree, leaning on his staff, and walked toward the two of them. On his face was an expression that said, "I was just passing by," but the smile in his eyes gave him away.
Bilbo was telling Karl about the wizard's inexplicable behaviour. Seeing that Karl had not said a word and suddenly looked in another direction, he followed Karl's gaze. Outside the gate, Gandalf was waving to the two men. Then he pushed open the simple wooden gate and entered. Seeing this, Bilbo quickly winked at Karl and whispered: "I'm talking about him, Mr. Karl! That strange wizard!"
Gandalf had already approached and gently tapped his staff on the ground, producing a soft thud. He looked at Bilbo with a half-smile: "Mr. Bilbo, speaking ill of others behind their backs is not polite."
"Especially when the person you're talking to has good hearing."
Bilbo's face instantly reddened; he stammered and couldn't say a word.
Gandalf turned to Karl, his expression becoming more serious. "Besides, as you've said, I have the same problem, and I hope to discuss it with Mr. Karl."
Hearing this, Bilbo quickly glanced at Karl, a warning in his eyes: "You'd better be careful." Karl nodded to indicate everything was fine, and Bilbo consciously stepped back a few paces to give them some space, then quickly left. But after going out the gate, he couldn't help himself and turned around, frantically winking and gesturing to Karl standing in the road. First he shook his head and waved his hands, then pointed to his head and drew circles, and finally mouthed silently: "Don't listen to him." He was warning and advising Karl not to believe the wizard's tales of adventure, for it was surely a trap!
Karl smiled and nodded again to show he understood. Bilbo felt somewhat relieved, but still left, looking back every few steps.
Karl stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. "Come in and sit down, Mr. Gandalf. Long time no see."
"Indeed." Gandalf stroked his long beard and entered the cottage, leaning on his staff. At Karl's invitation, Gandalf sat down in the chair by the fireplace. He looked around, carefully examining the interior; this was his first visit to Karl's home.