Bear School Astartes

At the edge of the old forest, Lann and Gandalf first watched Bilbo leading a little pony, heading towards the lush and peaceful Shire.

Next, the two of them were also going to part ways.

”I really wish you could come with me to the Holy White Council again.”

Gandalf, leaning on his magic staff, said regretfully to Lann.

”Last time, having you there to shut Saruman’s mouth made things a lot easier for me.”

”He is strong and focused, and I have no complaints about him chairing the meeting. It’s just that he always targets me, making me very passive at every council.”

The old wizard was leading his cow-colored horse while hanging the drooping silver scarf around his neck.

Under the lush white beard, a mouth kept mumbling.

”That’s your trouble, Gandalf,” Lann said lightly. ”I have my own things to do as well.”

”Tom Bombadil?”

Walking at the edge of the old forest, Gandalf looked into the forest and uttered a name.

”You’re going to find him?”

”What else?” The Demon Hunter shrugged, ”He looked so amicable when he hosted me last time, but then he just turned around and tossed me out.”

Saying this, Lann bowed his head to the side, looking at the old wizard’s pointed hat.

”What, you want to meet him too? Hmm, that might help your career.”

Gandalf’s gray pointed hat, which bobbed with his steps, suddenly became stiff and hesitant, but ultimately, it returned to normal.

”No.” Gandalf’s first word was a bit hesitant, but the second was completely relieved. ”Hmm, better not!”

”As I told you, this ancient being cannot understand our struggles and persistence. He appreciates goodness and resists evil, but is not sensitive to it.”

”He will, out of his own heart, curb the spread of evil, but such curbs are neither strict nor resolute. As I said, because he does not understand.”

”Let it be.” Gandalf looked at the old forest again. ”Let this ancient existence dwell peacefully within its domain.”

”Alright, alright,” Lann casually echoed, ”our old wizard’s words are truly profound and meaningful.”

”But I’m still going to find him.”

Gandalf looked disdainfully at the tall Demon Hunter beside him, then pouted his lips beneath his beard, flicked the sleeves of his gray robe, and walked forward.

”Then we look forward to meeting again, Dragon Slayer Lann.”

”Goodbye, wish you health and longevity, Gray Robe Gandalf.”

With that, Lann laughed himself.

The old wizard never looked back, only flicked his wide gray robe sleeve again as he walked away, as a sign of farewell.

Lann, the Qilin, and Rong Buqiu exchanged a glance and then together headed into the old forest.

This old forest, which seemed unremarkable from the outside, gave them a strange feeling as they entered.

Lann, the Qilin, and Rong Buqiu felt the lush vegetation actively making way for them, moving aside the blocking branches and vines.

The dew-drenched grass was not slippery either.

In this deliberate yet naturally formed pathway, they were naturally guided to a certain place.

Upon reaching a clearing, the Roaring Bear Head Pendant around the Demon Hunter’s neck began to throb spontaneously.

And in Lann’s eyes appeared a look of ’as expected.’

The edge of this clearing was bordered by a small river, and a gigantic willow tree grew on the muddy riverbank.

The tree trunk and bark were covered with knots and scars, indicating this tree’s ancient age.

The Demon Hunter bore a mischievous grin, walking over to lightly kick the willow tree’s trunk with his toe.

”Thump thump, hey, settled down, have you?”

Oddly, though there was no wind, the willow branches on Lann’s side rustled and shifted to the other side.

As if rejecting, dodging him.

Rong Buqiu, sitting on the Qilin’s back, curiously leaned over to look at the old willow tree.

This was the very willow old man who had once tried to eat them.

A leisurely and comforting song drifted from far within the forest, approaching them gradually.

The Qilin turned around with a clatter of hooves, while Lann simply leaned against the old willow tree, arms crossed, looking toward the direction of the song.

Sure enough, in less than half a minute, after a rustling sound of tree branches rubbing against each other.

A yellow hat adorned with blue swan feathers was the first to pop out from the forest.

Next came a round face, seemingly always adorned with a joyous smile, and red hair and beard.

Then followed the body clad in a blue coat.

Similar in stature to a dwarf, he cradled several fresh green pine branches in one arm, while the other hand grasped a staff.

”Ah yay yay! You’ve returned!”

As if he had anticipated it, Tom Bombadil walked over without any surprise.

With the staff in hand, he raised a hand to steady his yellow hat.

”Was your journey enjoyable?”

He asked with a beaming smile.

Lann, arms crossed, shrugged against the old willow tree.

”Indeed, I met many good friends, but my armor got completely wrecked, though it’s not important... why are you holding those pine branches?”

Saying this, Lann stepped forward two paces, reaching out as if to help him.

But Old Tom waved a hand, his smiling face shook, ”Winter is coming soon, and Jin Mei needs to groom herself. These pine branches will come in handy. I searched for a long time to find such fine ones!”

”Looks like it’s time for you to leave, right?”

Lann and Rong Buqiu, together with Qilin, nodded.

”Thank you for the biscuits you and Lady Jin Mei prepared. I used them to save three decent Dwarves. We should indeed be leaving.”

As for what the Demon Hunter said to Gandalf earlier, about looking for trouble with Old Tom, it was just playful talk.

”To save lives! Aha! There’s hardly a more proper use and fulfilling purpose!”

Tom Bombadil said joyfully.

”Lady Jin Mei will be happy to hear that too!”

He leaned the staff he was holding against the pretending-to-be-dead willow tree old man next to him, freeing one hand to clap in celebration.

All his movements were just like an ordinary woodsman.

”But since you’re leaving soon, I want to give you a small gift, Lann.”

Tom Bombadil said.

”You’ve made this grand symphony more exciting and interesting. Please don’t refuse, in a way... it’s a token of appreciation.”

”Uh... then I accept?”

Lann said somewhat uncertainly, glancing to the side.

”Will this take long?”

A strange wind began to blow, and in mid-air, it seemed as if a mirror suddenly appeared in the air.

And this ’mirror’ became increasingly clearer.

”No, no.”

Old Tom waved dismissively, seemingly oblivious to the peculiar scene on the ground.

After he finished speaking, though the air kept stirring, there was genuinely not a sound.

”Come, Lann. Pardon me, you’ll need to lower your head a bit.”

With a broad smile, the small old man carefully put down the bundle of pine branches he was carrying, and walked over to Lann.

The Demon Hunter compliantly bent down.

Then, Old Tom’s finger gently touched Lann’s forehead.

”It’s done.”

With just a gentle touch, nothing else seemed to happen. Old Tom adjusted his yellow hat with the blue feather, bent over to pick up the bundle of pine branches and his staff once more.

”Farewell, children! Safe travels!”

After greeting them, the short old man began singing again and disappeared into the forest without looking back.

From the perspective of Rong Buqiu and Qilin, after being touched on the forehead by Tom Bombadil, Lann froze with a seemingly ordinary gesture.

He stared blankly ahead, unable to focus.

After Old Tom left, the waves of Chaos Magic Power became even more turbulent.

The Roaring Bear Head Pendant on Lann’s neck seemed to dance, and the inexplicable wind became more intense, and in the end, the air exploded with a ’crackling’ sound, akin to the appearance of cracks resembling shattered glass.

”Neigh!”

’This is bad! Lann has been dazed by Old Tom!’

Qilin acted like a frantic big dog, bouncing around the Demon Hunter, intermittently rushing forward and abruptly stopping. It seemed to want to scare him awake.

”Is it really that serious, meow?!”

Rong Buqiu, bewildered, quickly jumped off Qilin’s back, ran to the frozen Lann, and began shaking his body.

Just then, Lann reached out and pressed down the furry little paw waving in front of his eyes.

His expression remained numb, even seemed a bit dazed, but he managed to say a coherent sentence.

”No... I’m... I’m fine...”

Saying this, he walked towards the already opened celestial sphere rift.

Rong Buqiu and Qilin quickly followed, looking at him worriedly.

Fortunately, this state seemed temporary, lasting only about two minutes, before the Demon Hunter returned to his normal demeanor.

However, the astonishment in his eyes remained intense.

This state persisted even as he stepped back into the waters of Vizima Lake.

-----------------

”So...” The Lady of the Lake was playing with a strand of her deep green hair, speaking calmly. ”Is that what Galadriel said?”

”Saying that back then in Valinor while playing together, it was actually her who was looking after me? Ha!”

Though calm in voice, facing the Goddess seated on the wave throne, bare, Rong Buqiu still felt inexplicably nervous.

The little cat cautiously retreated two steps, carefully tugged at Lann’s clothes. Unfortunately, the Demon Hunter, usually adept at dealing with Goddesses, seemed lost in thought and did not react.

And the Lady of the Lake, evidently perceiving a problem, skipped her favorite teasing part and directly questioned the Three-Floral Elu Cat.

This made Rong Buqiu feel as if sitting on pins and needles, like having a thorn in his back, a fishbone caught in his throat.

But there was no choice, under the slightly narrowed eyes of the Lady of the Lake, the cat could only timidly meow with a touch of embarrassment.

The lady’s hand reached for the long blade at Lann’s side with a ’swish’.

Though unwilling to admit verbally, and with a tone somewhat dangerous.

Upon seeing the blade, however, the Lady of the Lake’s eyes showed reminiscence, a smile, and admiration.

”The Light of the Dual Holy Trees... Galadriel.”

The Light of Airendil’s essence is the light of the most precious treasures—the Elven Gems.

And the Elven Gems were created by the greatest elven craftsman—Feanor. It was he who preserved and fused the light of the Dual Holy Trees that once shone over Ardan, creating the three Elven Gems.

For the Lady of the Lake, who once played and learned together with Galadriel in Valinor during the era of the Dual Holy Trees, the ’Light of Airendil’ from the First Era isn’t as familiar.

This light is more familiarly named as—The [Light of the Dual Holy Trees].