Chapter 635
Moving Forward and Struggling
Chapter 635 Moving Forward and Struggling
After watching the white-robed wizard Saruman leave, the Barado Tower returned to its tranquility.
Not long after, Sauron, the Dark Lord, also transformed into black mist and left the Tower of Barador to guard Mount Doom in the rear of Mordor.
Yes, Sauron lied to Saruman before. He was not unable to leave the Tower of Barad, and his strength had actually recovered to most of its original level.
The reason for feigning weakness to the white-robed wizard was partly to mislead him and thus gain more benefits.
On the other hand, Sauron was afraid that the Fellowship of the Ring would take advantage of his absence to secretly come to Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring, so he needed to find a reason to stay in Mordor.
In summary, although Saruman was willing to cooperate with the forces of darkness, he was ultimately used as a pawn by the Dark Lord Sauron.
Over the next two days, Sauron also reorganized his forces in Mordor.
He also sent the first batch of Orc warriors that Saruman had created a few days earlier to garrison at the only place on the way to Mount Doom.
As for the orcs with obvious weaknesses, Sauron had already defined them as consumables.
Therefore, two days later, an orc army consisting of tens of thousands of half-orcs and a small number of powerful orcs, led by Borg, officially set off for Rohan.
As the saying goes, even waste has its value.
This orc army, mainly composed of half-orcs, was sent by Sauron as cannon fodder to test the strength of humanity.
Only the large number of Orcs stationed in Mordor, and the second wave of Orcs that Saruman was about to create in Isengard, were Sauron's true trump cards for ruling Middle-earth.
Meanwhile, the Fellowship of the Ring consisted of four hobbits and Boromir, but the rest of the members were all exceptionally skilled.
Therefore, the group moved very quickly, and in just two days they crossed the wild jungle and arrived in Moria, where the seven dwarf tribes lived.
This was only because Gandalf deliberately kept the group inconspicuous; otherwise, their pace would have been even faster.
"Old friend, long time no see!"
Thorin, the current Dwarf King, received Gandalf and his companions in the newly built Dwarven Palace in Moria.
Upon meeting, Thorin gave Gandalf a warm hug.
The average lifespan of dwarves is around 250 years. Sixty years have passed, and Prince Dulin, who was over 180 years old back then, is now very old.
Thorin, whose hair and beard had turned completely white, had lost his former arrogance and instead had a kind expression on his face.
“Yes, a very long time has indeed passed, but many things seem like they happened just yesterday…” Gandalf looked at Thorin’s wrinkled face and sighed.
Things change, and people change. What could be more poignant than watching your friends grow old?
After greeting Gandalf, Thorin also ordered a sumptuous meal to be prepared for the Fellowship of the Ring.
This allowed Frodo and his companions to experience firsthand the hospitality of the dwarves.
In the lively atmosphere, Thorin seemed to have regained some of his former charm, raising his glass and drinking with each member of the Fellowship of the Ring.
Even the Elf Prince Legolas was not neglected.
After the banquet, Thorin, who was already a little tipsy, warmly invited the members of the Fellowship of the Ring to stay in Moria for a few more days.
However, Gandalf ultimately refused, citing his need to continue his journey.
Knowing that the Fellowship of the Ring had an important mission, Thorin, as a gesture of hospitality, presented them with Moria's finest steeds and had his cousin Dain escort them away.
Dane Ironfoot, Thorin's cousin, is a little older than Thorin. However, he didn't suffer any hidden injuries when he was young, so even in his old age, he is still strong and can run and jump.
With a dozen or so men under his command, Dane escorted the Fellowship of the Ring across the most treacherous Misty Mountains, finally reaching the border of Lothlórien, the home of the Noldor elves, before departing.
"I never expected you dwarves to be so warm and welcoming. It must be such a blessing to be friends with you all." Pippin, riding his dwarf steed, chatted with Jinpi beside him after entering Los Lorien.
Aside from some initial hardships while traveling with Mike, the four hobbit children had a smooth journey from then on.
Especially during the part of the journey when the dwarves were escorting them, Dane took meticulous care of everyone.
This gave Pippin a very good impression of the dwarves. "You are already friends of the dwarves. If you would like to visit Moria often in the future..." Jinpi was very happy to hear Pippin's praise and extended an invitation.
After all, dwarves are straightforward by nature; if they like someone, they're friends.
Of course, the dwarves also have a stubborn side. With Pippin's unconventional personality, he would probably suffer sooner or later if he really went to live in Moria permanently.
Gandalf watched Pippin and Gimli chatting animatedly and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Just then, the Fellowship of the Ring heard an ancient and melodious song.
The singing is very beautiful, but listening to it too much can make people feel depressed.
Then, accompanied by singing, a migrating caravan of Noldor elves appeared before the crowd.
"Where are they going?" Frodo asked curiously.
“Once the One Ring is destroyed, the spiritual energy of Middle-earth will also disappear. The Elves depend on the spiritual energy for survival, and without it, they will have to leave…” Gandalf explained the reasoning to Frodo.
This is why the beautiful songs of the elves carry a hint of sadness.
After all, no one would be in a good mood if they left their hometown.
"Is that so?" Frodo watched as the elves, their faces tinged with sadness, passed by, and couldn't help but touch the One Ring hanging around his neck.
He had no idea that destroying the One Ring would have such a huge impact.
“Alright, now that we’re in Lothlorion, let’s go see Queen Galadriel,” Gandalf suggested.
After that, the atmosphere in the group lost its previous liveliness, and everyone silently followed the wizard to the Noldor elf settlement in the Golden Forest.
The once beautiful elven settlement has become somewhat dilapidated after losing the elves' careful protection.
"Welcome!"
Queen Galadriel greeted the group with a smile.
The elven queen and her husband are still here, presumably doing the final cleanup work.
"After dinner, everyone can rest here for the night. Celeborn and I will ensure your safety." At the sumptuous elven banquet, Queen Galadriel assured everyone.
The mission of the escort team is too important. Without help, they would need to arrange for someone to be on guard even during their rest time for safety reasons.
For the members of the Fellowship of the Ring, who were on a tight schedule, getting a good night's sleep was a very happy thing.
"Then I'll have to trouble you." Gandalf accepted the Elf Queen's offer.
After all, it was already evening when everyone arrived at the Golden Forest.
Although the mission of the escort team was important, it was not urgent enough to require them to travel overnight.
It's past midnight...
While everyone else was fast asleep, Frodo, with the One Ring around his neck, was still replaying in his mind the scene of the Noldor elves' migration that afternoon, and their sorrowful expressions.
Then I thought of the gentle-natured Elf Queen.
The kind-hearted Frodo seemed somewhat unable to accept that his mission had caused the elves to abandon their homeland.
Even the Elf Queen's smile seemed forced to him.
Ultimately, this guilt became a mountain, weighing Frodo down and making it hard for him to breathe.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. After tossing and turning several times, the hobbit still couldn't fall asleep.
……
(End of this chapter)