Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1064 1046. Familiarity

 “What enemy?”

As soon as Gandalf finished speaking, Saruman said in surprise. It seemed as if he couldn't understand what Gandalf was saying at all.

 “Where are the enemies?”

Saruman raised his hands and opened them, looking left and right. What he saw was the comfortable and peaceful beautiful scene of Rivendell.

Those beautiful woods maintained by magic are even more beautiful at this time under the mixture of dawn and moonlight.

The air is fresh and there are leisurely chirping of birds from time to time.

“This is the time when the sun is shining and the world is at peace, Gandalf. Don’t talk nonsense, it will only cause panic.”

 Saruman patiently advised his old friend.

 “Sauron has failed, Gandalf. He will never recover, never gather the power of darkness.”

“The last time he let the power of darkness sweep over the world, it was because of his former master, Morgoth’s legacy greatly strengthened his power.”

 “And now, he has been completely defeated! In the battle of the final alliance!”

 “That was truly the ‘final’ battle!”

Saruman spoke calmly.

Lan En also pieced together some context from these words.

 The dark power of this world seems to be accustomed to surrounding a certain powerful subject, manifesting itself in the form of legions and forces.

 The dark enemy of the previous generation was Morgoth. He increased his strength and created a race of monsters such as dragons.

　　It sounds like he was exiled by the great powers of the West in ancient times and reached a state of emptiness.

 According to the context, it is equivalent to being thrown out of the world.

Morgoth’s former servant Sauron inherited Morgoth’s legacy and became the new dark enemy.

However, they were also beaten to the point of being completely destroyed physically and mentally by the so-called ‘Final Alliance’.

If these statements are indeed correct, then perhaps now can really be called a ‘peaceful year’.

But amidst the sound of the waterfall on the cliff, facing Saruman's question, Gandalf put his two hands together on the stone table, his eyes sincere.

“The spirits of the world cast three rings

The dwarves of Stone Hall received seven precepts

 Hongshou is determined by the nine precepts for all mortals."

Gandalf first spoke a verse in a low and solemn tone, and then continued.

“We all know why Sauron, as the fallen Maia, was so easily destroyed physically and spiritually on the battlefield—because he condensed all his power into the ring!”

"And now, four of the seven rings of the dwarves were destroyed by dragon fire. Two were taken back by Sauron himself before he lurked in Mordor. And the only one left now is the father of Thorin Oakenshield. , worn on Thrain’s hand.”

“.It disappeared along with Thrain himself not long ago! That was just a few decades ago!”

“Is this really a coincidence that it happened in ‘peaceful times’, Saruman?”

 According to what Lan En knew during this time, the narrative poetry among the elves.

 The elves call the creator **** of this world [Eru·Ilúvatar], the supreme good.

 In the process of creation, Ilúvatar first created the Ainur, that is, the slave gods. Then Ilúvatar directed the Ainuzi to sing the Great Movement of Creation and create the world.

 After the creation of the world, Ilúvatar and the Ainur entered the newly born world of Arda from the realm of emptiness.

The fourteen strongest and best among the Ainu are called 'Vara' and 'Vili' according to the division between men and women, and the rest of the Ainu are collectively called 'Maia'.

Sauron is the fallen Maia, that is, the ‘god who fell from the great music of creation’.

Galadriel and Elrond were silent, but Saruman retorted.

"But, without the control of that crucial ring, the Ring of Power! The remaining rings are of no value to Sauron!"

“The enemy of darkness hid his identity in the past, mixed into the camp of good people, spent his strength and creativity to make many powerful and beautiful rings, and then gave them to great kings and heroes of various races.”

“Then he secretly forged the most powerful and evil Supreme Ring, so that he could control all the rings and everyone who wore the ring. He transformed into the dark enemy after Morgoth.”

“He is just a bad gambler and schemer! He puts all his plot and power on the ring! Without the Supreme Lord of the Rings, he can’t do anything!”

“And the ring fell into the Anduin River when Isildur was intercepted by the orcs not long after the beginning of the Third Era, and sank into the ocean with the rolling waves.”

Elrond happened to be pacing behind Saruman at this time, and he was also trying to persuade Gandalf.

“Mithrandil, we have been at peace for four hundred years, a hard-won and ever-vigilant peace.”

 “Is this considered peace?”

Gandalf said pretending to be surprised.

“Trolls came down from the mountains and openly robbed travelers on the Eastern Road. Orcs and wargs attacked everywhere, plundering villages and destroying farmland!”

"But it is not a war, Gandalf," Elrond retorted. "This cannot be used as a basis for the return of darkness. Even this intensity is not even a precursor."

 With the support of Elrond, Saruman became more confident in his speech.

 He spread his hands and looked at Gandalf helplessly.

"You are always like this, making trouble and being suspicious! You also surprise everyone. This is obviously a good year!" But when Elrond and Saruman opposed Gandalf together , Lan En straightened his body and stood up straight from the leaning stone pillar.

 Then he stood behind Gandalf's seat.

 This is a statement to some extent.

　　"Please allow me to say a few words? Since I am already a participant."

Elrond was polite and thoughtful. He stopped talking as soon as Lann passed by and nodded to him.

The young witcher looked at Saruman.

"In addition to what Gandalf said, I must say: Radagast and I also saw something very strange in Mirkwood. There are also rumors from the residents around the forest."

“Wait, Mirkwood? What is that place?”

Saruman asked in confusion, and Gandalf opposite him explained.

"It's been too long since you cared about that place, Saruman. It's the Green Forest, and people call it that new name now because it's so creepy and fitting."

 “Okay, can Green Forest be so bluffing by changing its name?”

Saruman was unimpressed and smiled at Lann. Under that aquiline nose, the smile was shadowed.

"Please go on, young Lann. Tell us more about the rumors of the woodcutter."

Lane did not have any mood swings regarding Saruman's high-profile speech.

The intensity of this trash talk is still far behind.

“The residents say that Dol Guldur is home to a necromancer who can summon ghosts from the world of the dead.”

Saruman tilted his head impatiently.

“How ridiculous! Do you think there is a necromancer who can drag people out of the halls of Mandos?”

“From my perspective, this is just a mortal pretending to be a ghost! At most, this mortal has learned some black magic or sorcery to scare people.”

Facing Saruman’s doubts, Lan En calmly said something.

 “This is what Radagast and I saw with our own eyes.”

 And looking at Saruman's frozen mouth, Lan then patted Gandalf on the shoulder.

"And we have brought physical evidence. Bring it out, Gandalf."

 Suddenly, Lan felt a line of sight. It was Galadriel, who didn't talk much in the meeting.

Gandalf pursed his lips, reached into his arms, took out the short sword that Radagast had wrapped in leather, and placed it on the table.

The leather rope that was wrapped and tied around the sword had been removed by Gandalf in advance, leaving only a loose piece of leather wrapping the sword.

As soon as it was placed on the table, Elrond looked at the thing in surprise, as if he could feel the evil power inside it through a piece of leather.

"What's this?"

Elrond murmured in shock. In the past two weeks, Gandalf had not revealed the secret of this dagger to Elrond, perhaps because the Holy White Council had not yet started and no one had arrived. information.

The Elf Lord was shocked and slowly walked to Gandalf's side of the stone table, reaching out to lift up the loose leather cloth.

“That is.” At some point, Lady Galadriel also walked to the side of the stone table where Gandalf was sitting and whispered.

 “Relics of Mordor.”

When Elrond heard this word, he almost subconsciously retracted his outstretched hand a little, but then he stretched it out without hesitation and immediately opened the leather cloth.

The pure black dagger was revealed again, exuding an abnormal chill.

 “This is the Sword of Morgul!”

 Elrond said almost sighing.

Galadriel's tone remained calm, but it was a little colder.

"This is a sword made for the Witch King of Angmar and buried with him. After the defeat of the Kingdom of Angmar, the northerners found the Witch King's body and tools and sealed them under the rocks of the Rhudol Plateau. , buried deep in the cemetery and never seen the light of day.”

 “But it’s impossible!” Elrond said, bending down and supporting the stone table with both hands. "Those tombs were cursed, how could they be opened?"

“Don’t rush to a conclusion yet.” Saruman pursed his lips and said, “First of all, why don’t you prove to us that this sword may not have come from the tomb of the Witch King of Angmar?”

At this moment, Lan En frowned slightly and pointed to the black dagger lying quietly on the table.

“Okay, now we still need to prove the origin of the evidence?”

 “What if, young man?” Saruman said matter-of-factly. "This is a major event related to the world situation, so of course we must be cautious."

"You have not experienced those cruel and dangerous pasts, so you can of course use frivolous thoughts to speculate on things, but we are different! We have heavy responsibilities on our shoulders! We must investigate everything before we can draw a conclusion!"

"But with all due respect." At this moment, Lan En finally found a sense of familiarity in this world.

This sense of familiarity, in the Magical Middle Ages, was "selling tree spirit scalps for money" and "outlying kingdoms selling arms to both sides of the war".

 In front of Saruman.

“I think you are trying to appease me, right? Your Excellency, the white-robed wizard?”