I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 49 Are you inviting me to the meeting too?

When Tanis heard the news that Gandalf had returned with Roger and D, he ran happily to the outside of Stonewell to wait for them.

Roger and his men were also moving quickly and soon arrived at the main gate of Stonewell City.

Tanis went ahead to greet them and hugged Roger, D and Gandalf respectively.

"Thank you for your hard work, Roger and D." Tanes said while hugging them.

Then he looked at Gandalf, opened his arms and smiled. "It's been almost six months since we last met. Are you surprised by the changes in my territory?"

Gandalf accepted Tanis's embrace with a smile, and after releasing him, he said kindly, "The speed with which you have rebuilt your homeland is truly astonishing. I've been away from you for almost half a year, yet the changes in your territory seem like fifty years. Furthermore, when I returned, I passed through the territories of the human kingdoms and heard bards singing praises of your land."

Tanes showed a curious expression. "Oh, is there such a thing? But I've been in Minhirias all this time. Even my compatriots haven't gone to places where humans gather. How could human poets sing praises of my territory? How do they sing?"

Then Gandalf cleared his throat, and remembering the words of the bards, he sang in a loud, operatic voice:

【——On the edge of the ancient West, the hand of plague writes the hand of death.

The flood mercilessly engulfed the fields, causing great suffering and widespread grief.

But in the southwest, there is a lone wizard whose eyes burn with the fire of hope.

Wearing strong armor and holding a sword, they walked forward with firm steps, vowing to rebuild on the ruins.

He walked on the golden land and sowed the seeds of peace in his heart.

The wizard's spell echoed across the barren land, and life and hope slowly awakened.

The distant hometown will no longer be a dream.

In that once barren land,
The golden radiance and the song of peace,
Will always illuminate every dawn. 】

D, hearing Gandalf's chant, murmured, "Ha, not bad."

In fact, he liked this ballad very much. After all, there were humans in faraway places praising Tanes and his golden tree, which made D, who believed in the golden tree, very happy.

Roger was standing next to D. He chuckled softly after sensing D's inner emotions. Before D turned his head to look at him, he raised his hands and clapped softly, praising him. "It's indeed a good ballad. Thank you for your singing, Mr. Gandalf."

Tanis was even more curious. He looked at the smiling Gandalf and asked, "So how did these human poets know about my situation?"

Gandalf replied, "You will have to ask your dwarven friends. These reports and poems praising your land were spread by the dwarves who traveled from the Blue Mountains to other places."

Dwarf? Okay.

Tanes' mind flashed with the image of Thorin and those enthusiastic dwarves, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He probably knew what was going on.

Gandalf continued to chuckle, "Perhaps after a while, some humans will come here who are interested in your territory. You have to know that wizards rarely stay in one place for a long time, let alone establish their own territory. You are the second wizard to do so, so there must be many people interested in you."

"If friends come, I will naturally have delicious food and fine wine to welcome them." Tanes said generously.

Then he noticed what Gandalf said and asked curiously, "I am the second one. Are there other wizards who have established their own territory like me?"

Gandalf's smile disappeared for a moment, and he replied with a somewhat unnatural expression: "Yes, Saruman the White. He came to Middle-earth with me and built a wizard's tower of his own in Isengard."

Tanis noticed Gandalf's unnatural expression just now. He could see that Gandalf did not have a very good relationship with the wizard named "Saruman".

Although he was very curious about what had happened between Gandalf and Saruman the White, he did not spoil the mood by asking.

Tanis simply smiled, then noticed the pair of slender golden ceremonial swords hanging from Gandalf's waist. To change the subject, he jokingly said, "Compared to the stories the dwarves tell me, I'm more curious about the nickname you gave me when you introduced me to Elrond. I remember it was 'Giver of Swords'. Why did you give me that nickname?"

"Ahem, well, this actually happened because I was a guest in Rivendell, and when I was chatting with Elrond, he noticed the ceremonial straight sword you gave me. He asked me about you and what to call you, and I couldn't think of how to introduce you for a moment..." Gandalf explained quickly.

Tanes said he didn't care and asked, "How are they helping you?"

Gandalf raised his hand and gently touched the golden hilt. He smiled and said, "Of course, you can even say that you have helped me a lot. If it weren't for the sword you gave me, I would probably have to spend several more days to come back to you."

Tanis immediately understood what Gandalf meant. His smile faded slightly as he asked, "Does this have anything to do with your investigation into the North? What happened there?"

Gandalf's smile faded. He nodded, then glanced at Roger and D who were waiting silently on the side. He smiled and said, "This is not a place for a long conversation, Tanis. Take us to a place suitable for conversation. There are many things I need to tell you."

Tanes asked, making an inviting gesture, "Would you like something to drink? How about a cup of the Blue Mountain Tea that the dwarven caravan brought over last week?"

"No, no, please bring me a glass of fine wine, especially the best quality dwarf wine," said Gandalf.

In the city lord's hall, the wine glass on the table in front of Gandalf was filled with reddish-purple translucent liquid, and Tanis still fulfilled Gandalf's wish.

Roger had just finished reporting the intelligence about Shabad. He stood at the conference table opposite Gandalf and told him all the news he had seen.

"Similar to the abandoned Longdedale, Shabad also has a large number of abandoned buildings and a very long bridge that spans the Graywater River. However, this bridge has been in disrepair for many years and has collapsed in many places and cannot be used, just like the two bridges outside the Rhea Lukalia College." After Roger finished speaking, he sat down.

D then stood up and continued Roger's words, "Unlike Longdale, where hybrids could be stationed, the ruins of Shabad are filled with swamps. Furthermore, the bridge is in a semi-destroyed state, making the area extremely dangerous. There's no telling when the remaining bridge will collapse. This means that until this river port city is completely rebuilt, it's impossible to station troops or live there. And a city three or four times larger than Longdale is clearly not something we can allocate manpower and wealth to rebuild right now."

Roger, who had already sat down, added with a faint smile, "Perhaps when the Golden Tree's protection extends to Shabad, Tanes, you can directly summon the Mage Academy in Lienia there. This will save a lot of manpower and money."

Tanis nodded, then looked at Gandalf. He remembered that the construction of Shabad was a matter of discussion between Gandalf and Elrond.

Gandalf noticed Tanes's gaze, took a sip of wine, and swallowed it. He said, "Tanish, there is no rush regarding the reconstruction of Shabad. I believe Lord Elrond has already conveyed our wishes to you."

Tanes nodded, then said, "Yes, Shabad... As Roger just mentioned, I will not send anyone there until the golden tree's protection range can affect that place. Well, that's all we have to say about Shabad. Gandalf, I also have something to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Gandalf.

Tanes said, "It's related to Longdedale."

Gandalf frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Landdale, I remember you mentioned earlier that it has been occupied by hybrids from your territory. Is there something wrong over there?"

Tanes shook his head. "No, it's not that something went wrong now, it was before."

"Before?"

"Yes." Tanis nodded. "Gandalf, the former Torndale was occupied by a group of Orcs at some point in time. They captured humans from all over Middle-earth and enslaved them to build the Torndale Harbor."

Gandalf's eyes widened and he stood up suddenly. His blue eyes revealed his inner shock. "Are the Orcs repairing the port of Longdale?"

Then he sat down again and subconsciously took out his long pipe and tobacco from his waist. Then he remembered that he was in the city lord's hall and put them back.

Gandalf fell into deep thought, his expression becoming serious. Then he said, "If I did not know your character, I should have thought you were telling me some new joke."

Tanis remained silent, and Roger, after hearing Gandalf's words, asked curiously, "Is this situation serious? I think it's normal for an Orc to want to occupy a stronghold."

"No, this is not normal at all, Mr. Roger." Gandalf immediately shook his head. He picked up the cigarette butt and rubbed it, saying, "If it were a group of humans, even a group of dwarves, I wouldn't be surprised, but they are Orcs. They are better at destruction and waste than construction and repair. Unless they are led by a commander, they will not do what you have encountered."

Tanis thought of something and said, "Ah!" "You mentioning this reminds me of something, Gandalf. When the hybrids of the golden tree successfully defeated the Orcs in Longdale, their leader was captured alive. When I interrogated them about who had ordered them to repair Longdale Harbor, the Orc leader said something like, 'Our master has returned, and darkness will once again cover Middle-earth,' and then committed suicide."

"Dang Cang."

Gandalf lost his grip on the cigarette butt and it fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

However, Gandalf didn't care about his cigarette butt falling to the ground. Instead, he stared at Tanis nervously and asked slowly, "Are you sure you remember correctly? That's what the Orc said?"

Tanes raised his right hand and pointed in the direction of the golden tree: "I swear in the name of the golden tree, Gandalf, I heard it correctly."

Gandalf's expression grew complex. He bent down and slowly picked up his cigarette butt, saying quietly, "No wonder I encountered large groups of Orcs on my way to the Lonely Mountain. They appeared and disappeared in a regular pattern, as if following orders from someone, attacking villages or lone caravans."

"Darkness, darkness... No, I can't be completely sure, but I can't completely ignore this possibility..." Gandalf kept repeating the words.

Finally, he raised his head, revealing the face of a wise man beneath his pointed wizard hat, and extended an invitation to Tanes: "What you just said is truly helpful to me. It seems it's time to convene the second White Council. I wonder if you have time to accompany me to Rivendell and participate in this White Council? If my guess is correct, your strength is needed to fight against the awakening darkness, Tanes."

Tanes didn't answer immediately, but asked first: "How long will it take to get back?"

Although Gandalf didn't understand why Tanis asked this question, he estimated the time in his mind and said, "To be conservative, it will take about five months, and that's if there are no accidents along the way. After all, Rivendell is quite far from here, and now that the waterway in Shabad is impassable, this is already the fastest time."

Tanis showed a conflicted expression. He smiled bitterly and said, "Why does it feel like everyone needs to see me for a meeting? I'm afraid I can't agree to your request. You are not the first person to invite me, Gandalf. I really want to agree to go with you, but I already have an appointment with someone else."

Gandalf asked, "Whose promise made you to refuse a wizard's invitation?"

Tanis replied, "Thorin Oakenshield, the current King of Durin's clan, a Dwarf from the Blue Mountains."

Gandalf was a little surprised. "It turned out to be him. I also planned to go to the Blue Mountains to discuss something with him when I came back this time."

Then Gandalf realized what was happening and said to Tanis, "Wait a minute, are you saying that Thorin actually asked you to attend the Council of Ered Luin of the Dwarves? Does that mean that Thorin is already preparing to take action against the Lonely Mountain?"

Now it was Tanis's turn to be surprised, because before he said anything, Gandalf had guessed most of it.

He asked suspiciously, "Could it be that you originally planned to find Thorin and persuade him to retake the Lonely Mountain?"

Gandalf nodded. "Yes, while evil has not yet fully awakened and the evil dragon in Lonely Mountain is still sleeping in the Golden Mountain, this is the best time for the dwarves to restore Lonely Mountain."

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(End of this chapter)