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

Chapter 72: The famous scenic spots in Central Asia are gone
After hearing what Gandalf said, Tanis asked, "Must it be now? It is getting late, Gandalf."

Gandalf did not pause, but said, "I am a wizard, Tanis. For a wizard, it is more important to find out the truth of a matter, rather than to care whether the time is right or not."

Tanes frowned slightly and said, "But it's too dangerous for you to go alone. I'm worried. Millicent and I will go with you. With Bernard and Egon staying here, there's no need to worry about anything going wrong."

Gandalf smiled and nodded. "It would be inappropriate for me to refuse such an enthusiastic offer. However, I don't know how long this trip will take. It may only be one night, or it may be a whole day."

He looked at Thorin and said, "If you haven't seen Tanes and the others return by early morning, you can set off first. Well, we'll meet up at the village David mentioned. Within a week, Tanes, Miss Millicent, and I will definitely catch up with you."

Thorin nodded slightly. "I hope you will be on time, Gandalf."

Gandalf smiled faintly and said, "Oh, my dear Thorin, the wizard is never absent."

Bilbo realized what was happening and his eyes widened. "Wait, Gandalf, Tanis, are you leaving the team?"

Tanis said soothingly, "It's only temporary, Bilbo. We'll see each other again in a week at the latest."

Bilbo nodded blankly, but he felt a little unsafe after Tanis and Gandalf left.

Tanes looked at Bernal and Egon and warned, "Bilbo's safety is temporarily in your hands."

Bernard nodded calmly, while Egon laughed and said, "No problem, Tanes, not even a dragon can harm your friend!"

Thorin looked at Fili and Kili and said, "You two go help Tanis and the others prepare dry food for about a week, and then go to the stable to get Gandalf and Miss Millicent's horses."

Fili and Kili immediately got up and ran out of the farmhouse.

But when Tanes and the others came out, they found that the dwarf brothers were standing there in a daze, as if they were frozen in time.

Their eyes were wide, their mouths slightly open, and their expressions were confused and lost.

Seeing this, Tanes asked, "What's wrong, Fili, Kili?"

Fili came back to his senses and glanced at the farmhouse obscurely. After finding that Thorin did not follow him out, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Tanes, "Uh, there is a small problem."

Kili continued, "Originally we were supposed to have eighteen horses, but now, even including the farmer's, there are only fifteen. Four of our horses are missing."

Fili nodded. "Yes, but Fili and I can guarantee that the horses are tied up in the stable."

Tanes frowned, "I think we should tell Thorin about this."

Fili immediately refused: "Uh, no, let's not worry about it for now."

He glanced at the farmhouse again and pleaded in a low voice to Tanis and the others, "Please, Teacher Tanis and Gandalf, don't tell Thorin that the horses are missing. Otherwise, we will definitely not be able to sleep well tonight."

Kili also nodded repeatedly, and it was obvious that they did not want to be scolded by Thorin after knowing this.

The hazy moonlight gently fell on the quaint stable. The wooden fence swayed gently in the breeze, making a creaking sound, but it did not disturb the horses inside at all.

Wait, why is there a creaking sound from the wooden fence?

With this question in mind, Tanes curiously walked a few steps closer to the stable, came to the other side, and discovered the truth about the missing horse.

The stable on the other side had been destroyed at some point, and the sound was the broken fence shaking in the wind.

Gandalf also looked over, frowned at the huge footprints left on the ground and said, "It seems that there is more than one Troll who just came to David's house. It's just that the Troll you and Bernard killed didn't have time to leave."

Tanes glanced at the location of the stable and the sheepfold and nodded. "Yes, the stable is further out. I did hear the horse's frightened cry just now. I originally thought it was scared by the ogre, but I didn't expect that another ogre had taken the horse away."

Qili asked subconsciously, "Then why did the ogre take the extra time to go to the sheepfold and steal the sheep?"

Gandalf glanced at Kili unhappily. "Perhaps it's because every troll has a different taste, Kili. But I would rather you tell Thorin about this now. One troll coming down the mountain is cause for concern, and now there's more than one. This is a development worthy of our vigilance. Use your rock-hard brain and think about it, Kili. Would a troll risk being burned down the mountain for no reason?"

"Well, maybe they just want to go down the mountain for a change. After all, there are no sheep or chickens in the mountains..."

Kili retorted subconsciously, but his voice began to soften when Fili tugged at his sleeve and he saw Gandalf's eyes looking at him more seriously.

Tanis coughed lightly and quickly comforted Gandalf: "Gandalf, there's no need to be so angry. Fili, I will go with you and Kili to help explain the missing horses."

Fili then nodded quickly. At least with Teacher Tanes there, he and Kili didn't have to face Thorin's wrath directly.

Sure enough, after Tanes brought the two frightened dwarves back to the farmhouse and explained the situation to Thorin, Fili and Kili were not scolded by him.

But the price is that the two of them must be responsible for finding the lost horses. Otherwise, if they lack horses during the day tomorrow, there will be no way for everyone to keep up with the team's pace.

This meant that Fili and Kili had no choice but to go into the valley with Tanes and the others in the cold night.

So Bilbo shouted outside the farmhouse: "So why did you bring me out? I have nothing to do with the loss of the horse!"

Fili and Kili looked at each other and said at the same time, "But you are our hired thief, Mr. Bilbo. We think you should be able to find the troll's footprints soon and lead us there."

Bilbo looked at Fili and Kili in disbelief, then noticed their serious expressions and became even more speechless.

"Well, well," he said, resigned to his fate, "I knew this day would come, but it's coming sooner than I thought. It's safer to look for the footprints of a troll at night than for the footprints of a dragon."

Tanis had wanted to let Bilbo go back, but he didn't expect that he agreed himself.

Gandalf also said: "It is indeed a relief to have a hobbit to help. Let us go before the other trolls get too far."

The valley in the middle of the night, washed by a winter rain, seems particularly quiet.

The raindrops gleamed silver in the faint moonlight, and the wet soil exuded a cold breath.

The stream in the valley became more turbulent after the rain. Occasionally, a drop of water would slide down from a height, splashing ripples. Gandalf held his staff in one hand and his ceremonial sword in the other.

Tanes also had a sword and a staff in his arsenal, and he also cast the [Starlight] spell to illuminate the scenery in the deep mountains and forests ahead.

They walked in front, with the two dwarves and the hobbit in the middle, and Millicent responsible for the safety of the rear.

Gandalf and Tanis stopped, and Tanis frowned after looking around.

Bilbo saw the team stopped and asked subconsciously, "What happened?"

Gandalf looked back and said, "There's so much grass and trees ahead that I can't see the troll's tracks anymore, Bilbo."

Tanes nodded and stared at the winding valley ahead.

The place where they were was not suitable for walking.

The air in the deep valley was filled with a mixed smell of earth and moisture, and the ground underfoot was covered with wild grass, which was even taller than the ankles and swayed gently in the wind.

Trees were densely packed on both sides, their branches and leaves intertwined to form a dense green shade that blocked out most of the moonlight.

If it weren't for the [starlight] above Tanes' head that continuously provided a bright light source, the faint light of the torch alone would be enough to make them lost here.

Moreover, Tanes noticed that the ground here was not as soft and warm as the ground outside, which allowed the ogre's footprints to be clearly visible.

On the contrary, the soil here is mixed with hard stones, and you have to use a lot of deliberate force to leave clear footprints on it.

Bilbo, guided by the light from the Starlight above Tanis's head, squinted his eyes and looked towards a tree on his right. He raised his hand and pointed, "Do you see that tree? Is there something wrong on the trunk of the tree on the right? I'm not sure, though. It's just a feeling."

Tanis followed Bilbo's finger and indeed found something discordant on the tree trunk.

Qili's eyes were sharp. He said, "Looks like a few scratches made by a sharp object?"

Tanes nodded, then looked around the tree carefully and found the same scratches: "Yes, and the trees behind it also have similar scratches..."

"And it seems there's something else..." Bilbo said hesitantly.

He stepped forward with his big furry feet, moved carefully, crawled to the ground, and picked up something.

Bilbo pinched a few strands of horse hair between his fingers, showing a surprised expression: "These are the hairs that fell from the horse. It seems that this is the right direction!"

Gandalf laughed and said, "You are indeed our Snitch. You can even find such an inconspicuous thing."

Millicent said from behind, "Then these knife marks must have been left intentionally by the trolls. They also need to carve marks in this deep valley covered with weeds and trees so that they can identify the way back to their nest."

Tanes nodded. "You're right, Millicent. The knife marks are quite recent, having been left in the past few days. Considering what David said, it's very likely that they were trail marks left by the trolls to make it easier for them to reach David's farmhouse and steal his livestock."

Fili and Kili looked at each other excitedly, and the latter said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and follow them. It will be troublesome if the ogre kills the horse."

Tanes did not act immediately, but instead canceled the starlight spell above his head, allowing darkness to return to the forest.

Because the lighting effect of the [Starlight] spell was so good, he was worried that the ogres would be able to see the light he created from a long distance away.

Gandalf took over Tanis's responsibility of lighting. He reached out and touched the top of his staff, producing a very faint white light that was not easily noticed.

Tanes then turned around and said in the direction where Fili and Kili had just spoken, "Don't be anxious, Fili, Kili, patience is the most important thing."

With the help of the light from Gandalf's staff, Tanis and his companions quickly found the trolls' lair by following the marks on the tree.

Rather, these ogres never expected that humans would follow them, so they did not hide at all, and the firelight from the campfire directly exposed the ogres' position.

There were two ogres in total, and each of them was busy.

One of them was tall and had muscles as hard as iron. It used a huge moss-covered rock as a whetstone and rubbed the sharp knife that was shining with a cold light vigorously.

The other ogre appeared cunning and clever, stirring the black soup pot on the campfire gently and rhythmically with a spoon in hand. The liquid in the pot was boiling and roiling, making a dull sound, and gusts of hot air with a pungent smell filled the air.

The captured horses were tied randomly to the thick trunk of a tree. The horses were huddled together, their bodies trembling.

"Are you not ready yet, William? I've been waiting for so long that I'm hungry, and my knife is almost broken." The ogre who was sharpening the knife stopped what he was doing, turned around and asked in a simple and honest tone.

At the same time, its hands were not honest and it reached directly into the soup pot, trying to pinch something out of it.

Then, his companion William hit him hard on the head with a hot spoon: "How many times have I told you, don't touch my pot! Tom! And Bert hasn't come back yet, so we have to eat together, understand!!"

"Oh, it hurts. I'm just hungry, not that I don't want to wait for Bert." Tom defended himself, covering his head.

William pointed at Tom without hesitation: "You don't want to wait!"

Tom said aggrievedly: "But Bert is too slow. We have been waiting for almost half an hour."

William cursed, "It's because it wants to keep eating mutton. It ate mutton the day before yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before yesterday, it was still mutton! My mouth is full of the mutton smell!"

After hearing this, Tom laughed and said, "Why don't we just capture that farmer tomorrow? It's been a long time since I tasted human flesh."

William rolled his eyes at the other person and said, "Forget it. That farmer looks skinny and small. He must be all bones. He'll taste sour. I don't want to eat that farmer before the livestock in the farmhouse have finished eating him."

Then he heard Tom's puzzled voice: "William, what is that? Why are there fireballs floating in the air by themselves?"

William turned his head and saw a huge fireball instantly covering his face.

(End of this chapter)