"Oh, Frodo, hello there!"
On the path leading into the Shire, Gandalf, the Gray Wizard, sat in a small carriage, smiling and greeting the children playing by the roadside.
"Gandalf, you're here. You've changed your clothes this year!" Frodo ran to the carriage in surprise, noticing that the wizard's grey robe had turned pure white.
"Hahaha, it's just a change of clothes." Gandalf said it casually, but a happy expression had already appeared on his face.
In terms of his own magic and status, a White Robe Wizard is a rank higher than a Gray Robe.
For the past sixty years, Gandalf had been busy on the front lines of the Northern Highlands for most of the time, except for occasional breaks in the Old Forest.
Thanks to his and the Northern Rangers' tireless efforts, the dark creatures around the Northern Highlands had been largely eradicated.
Coupled with Gandalf's accumulated merits in the fight against Sauron sixty years ago, he finally successfully upgraded to a White Robe Wizard recently.
This meant that he was now one of the most powerful wizards in Middle-earth, on the same level as Saruman, the White Robe Wizard.
With such an achievement, even Gandalf couldn't help but "show off" a little in front of the familiar children.
As for Frodo Baggins, he was Bilbo Baggins's nephew, and like Bilbo, he was a kind and simple Hobbit.
Gandalf vaguely saw Bilbo's shadow in him, and thus felt especially affectionate towards this little fellow.
"Hello, Master Wizard, Sam greets you." On the other side, Sam, who had come to the carriage with Frodo, bowed slightly and greeted Gandalf.
This sturdy Hobbit child came from a family that had worked for the Baggins Family for generations, and under their influence, he had learned to respect the strong at a very young age.
The mysterious wizard was undoubtedly a strong person in Sam's eyes.
"Hello, Sam." Gandalf also smiled and greeted this very polite Hobbit child.
At this time, compared to Frodo's other two mischievous playmates, Gandalf clearly appreciated the simple character of Sam more.
"Gandalf, after you changed into white clothes, you really look much better than your previous sloppy appearance..."
"So many fireworks, there's even a 'Thunderclap'. This year's fireworks performance is definitely going to be spectacular..."
Yes, Frodo's other two playmates, Pippin and Merry, had both climbed onto the carriage. One was studying Gandalf's white robe, while his eyes darted around, staring at the long-stemmed pipe in the wizard's hand.
The other was examining the various fireworks on the carriage, and at the same time, he was stealthily stuffing several giant fireworks into his clothes.
"Pippin, you should wash your hands first... And Merry, the job of setting off fireworks will be given to you later..." Gandalf looked at the handprints Pippin left on his white robe and Merry's bulging clothes, and couldn't help but gently tap the two little fellows' heads with his long pipe.
"Hehe..."
Amidst silly laughter, Pippin, who had wiped the dirt from his hands, released the wizard's robe, and Merry awkwardly took out the fireworks hidden under his clothes.
"Let's go, let's prepare for this year's Spring Gathering." Seeing the two little fellows behave, Gandalf shook his head and invited Frodo and Sam to also get on the carriage, and together they headed towards Hobbiton.
Because he liked the simplicity and kindness of the Hobbit, the wizard would come to Hobbiton every spring to celebrate the New Year with the people there.
He would bring a grand fireworks performance to the residents there.
This "custom" had been going on for several decades.
"By the way, Frodo. How has your uncle Bilbo been recently?" Looking at the peaceful scene in the Shire, Gandalf chatted leisurely with Frodo.
"Still the same as before, he locks himself in that small house every day, saying he wants to record his adventures and write them into a book..." Thinking of his uncle, Frodo frowned slightly and said, "I'm worried that if this continues, he'll become a peculiar old man."
Sixty years had passed, and Bilbo was now over one hundred and eleven years old, which, for a Hobbit, meant he had entered old age.
It must be said that the Baggins Family's blood indeed flowed with an adventurous spirit. After the Battle of the Lonely Mountain sixty years ago, Bilbo only stayed in the Lonely Mountain for a little over a year before beginning his travels.
Protected by the elven sword Sting and the one ring, he would leave the Shire every now and then, passing through Mirkwood to travel to Rivendell and the Golden Forest and other places.
In the eyes of other Hobbits who preferred a peaceful life, Bilbo was actually already a peculiar person.
"Is that so? Being able to do what he's interested in, Bilbo should be very happy." Gandalf sighed.
It could be said that Bilbo was a Hobbit the wizard watched grow up, and then watched him slowly age.
This feeling was very strange.
So much so that Gandalf had a family-like affection for Bilbo. Therefore, he did not intend to change his lifestyle.
...
As evening arrived, with the help of the children, Gandalf put on a wonderful fireworks show for the people living in Hobbiton.
Among the crowd, Bilbo, who had just finished organizing his adventure experiences, also attended this grand gathering.
After the fireworks performance ended, this elder of Hobbiton even walked onto the stage.
Due to their adventurous bloodline, the Baggins Family, generation after generation, loved adventure, which allowed the Baggins Family to accumulate enormous wealth.
Although he had a peculiar personality, he was very wealthy, which also made Bilbo a respected person in Hobbiton.
Therefore, when he stepped onto the stage, he immediately attracted the attention of all the Hobbits present.
"Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday, and I'm very happy to spend it with all of you. Therefore, I want to perform a show for everyone..."
Having a "treasure" in hand but no one to share it with was a very difficult thing. Bilbo had carefully guarded the secret of the one ring for sixty years, and on this day, he finally wanted to "show off" a bit.
"Please enjoy, Bilbo's 'Disappearing Act' for everyone!"
Bilbo, standing on a box, quietly put his hand into his pocket and put on the magical ring while speaking.
And so, in the next instant, he splendidly disappeared before everyone's eyes.
"Oh, how amazing!!!..."
"This is the most wonderful magic performance I've ever seen..."
"..."
Seeing Bilbo truly disappear without warning, the Hobbits on site exclaimed and cheered.
On the other side, Bilbo, wearing the one ring, smugly admired the surprised expressions of the people.
He seemed very satisfied with his "masterpiece."
"Did you see that? Your uncle Bilbo really disappeared. It's truly amazing. I wish I could do that kind of magic too..."
"Yeah, if we had that ability, Mom wouldn't be able to catch us when we make mistakes."
"..."
Pippin and Merry's eyes widened in envy after seeing Bilbo disappear without a trace.
"By the way, can you ask your uncle to share the secret of disappearing with us?"
Then, the two little fellows turned their gaze to Frodo.
"I... I don't know either. I've never seen my uncle perform it..." Frodo's face also showed a surprised expression.
In his understanding, his uncle Bilbo was just an ordinary person with strange behaviors; this was the first time he had seen him perform the "Disappearing Act."
Filled with doubts, he immediately looked at the wizard beside him: "Gandalf, do you know what's going on?"
"Ah, oh? Sorry, I was a bit distracted..." Compared to the surprised crowd around him, Gandalf's gaze was fixed on the spot where Bilbo had disappeared.
His expression was extremely solemn...
The time came to the next morning. Bilbo, preparing to travel again, called Frodo to him.
"When I leave, this place will be yours. Especially this adventure biography, it might inspire you..." As if giving his last instructions, Bilbo solemnly handed his newly written adventure biography to his nephew, Frodo.
The Baggins Family's blood flowed with an adventurous spirit, and Bilbo also wanted to inspire his nephew to embark on his own adventure through his experiences.
In a way, this could be considered a kind of inheritance.
"Lonely Mountain, Dragons, Orc armies..." Frodo opened his uncle's adventure biography and quickly scanned it, soon becoming engrossed in the thrilling stories within.
Then, he noticed a box placed in the corner nearby, filled with gold coins, gems, and pure gold ornaments.
"Are those the treasures from the Lonely Mountain?" Clearly, glittering gold coins and gems attracted Frodo's attention more than adventure stories.
"Yes, those are all souvenirs Mr. Mike gave me..." Thinking of his first human friend, a smile unconsciously appeared on Bilbo's face.
"The Mr. Mike you're talking about, is he the 'Lord of the Lonely Mountain' and 'King of Men'?" Mike's great name had long spread throughout Middle-earth, and Frodo hadn't expected his uncle to know him.
"Yes, Mr. Mike also has titles like 'Troll Slayer', 'The Healer', and 'Dragon Slayer'. He's a very remarkable person." Bilbo replied admiringly.
"Then can you tell me his story?" Frodo continued to ask, like a little fan.
But he couldn't be blamed, after all, the stories Mike wrote in Middle-earth were indeed "legendary" enough.
"This is a very long story. I remember it was Gandalf who brought him to Bag End back then..." Bilbo began, reminiscing.
Then, he tried to pick some exciting parts to tell his nephew, and even so, by the time he finished, the sun outside had already risen high into the sky.
Apparently, just a simple introduction to Mike's legendary experiences took Bilbo half a day.
"Alright, the rest of the story I've recorded in the book. If you're interested, you can read it more..." Seeing his nephew's eyes getting brighter and brighter, Bilbo knew his efforts were not in vain.
The adventurous bloodline of the Baggins Family had been activated in him.
One day, he too would have his own adventure story.
"Alright, it's time for me to leave. Before that, I have two more gifts for you." Saying this, Bilbo took off his personal Mithril shirt and, along with the elven sword in his hand, handed them to his nephew, Frodo.
Knowing that he would embark on an adventure sooner or later, how could he lack self-defense equipment?
"Goodbye, Frodo. My good boy—!" After the handover, Bilbo hugged his nephew tightly, then slung his pack over his shoulder and left Bag End gracefully.
...
At the same time, Gandalf, who was eighty percent certain that the ring in Bilbo's hand was the one ring, released a communication butterfly that flew towards the Lonely Mountain.