Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 180 Elements of the Magic Stone

"In addition to specific astrological signs and rituals, the creation of the Philosopher's Stone also requires certain elements and conditions."

Elrond said to Dewi in the Hall of Fire in Rivendell.

"I've pretty much understood the meaning of the runes on the blueprint. According to the explanation, the creation of the Philosopher's Stone requires three primordial elements and four elements. None of these conditions can be missing, otherwise the Philosopher's Stone cannot be completed."

"Which three principles and four elements?" Dui asked.

"The three primordial substances are salt of the body, mercury of the spirit, and sulfur of the soul, while the four elements are water, fire, air, and earth."

Elrond answered with a look of admiration on his face.

"I don't know which wise man created such a miraculous Philosopher's Stone, but it's clear that its creator wasn't simply seeking immortality. Instead, he was attempting to use it as a medium to gain insight into and understand the secrets of the universe, thereby achieving 'spiritual harmony' and achieving ultimate spiritual sublimation."

"As for immortality, it's just an extension of the Philosopher's Stone, more like an accessory."

Dui was also very surprised to hear what Elrond said.

Isn't the Philosopher's Stone supposed to grant immortality and turn everything it touches into gold? How could there be such an explanation?
Doubtful, Dewi told Elrond about Nicolas Flamel's situation.

Elrond thought about it, shook his head and said:
"I think the Philosopher's Stone made by this person you mentioned is probably not a true Philosopher's Stone, but a semi-finished product.

Because the process of making the Philosopher's Stone itself is a kind of practice, it requires the maker to achieve the unity of spirit, soul and matter, and reach the state of "spiritual harmony" at the moment the Philosopher's Stone is completed. Only in this way can the Philosopher's Stone be perfect.

The person you are talking about obviously had an unfulfilled mind when he created the Philosopher's Stone, so the Philosopher's Stone he created is imperfect."

There was actually such an explanation? Dui couldn't help but be astonished.

Then came a wave of distress.

Nicolas Flamel lived for such a long time but still couldn't achieve spiritual harmony. Could he have created a perfect Philosopher's Stone?

"Forget it, it's good enough to be able to make a semi-finished Philosopher's Stone first! At worst, I can prolong my life first, and there's no rush to make it after my soul is complete." Dui thought to himself.

So he simply continued to ask with doubt: "Lord Elrond, I understand the four elements you mentioned, but how do you explain the salt of the body, the mercury of the spirit, and the sulfur of the soul?"

Elrond replied: "The three elements used to make the Philosopher's Stone are not ordinary substances such as salt, mercury, and sulfur, but the product of the unity of body, mind, soul and real matter."

Dui seemed to understand, then asked, "Then, are there any places where these three substances can be found?"

Elrond nodded.

"The Mercury of the Spirit represents the fluidity of the spirit. Located at the Grey Havens on the western coast, it marks the starting point of the elves' westward journey. It carries the elves' attachment to and farewell to Middle-earth, and precipitates the weight of time and countless unspoken memories.

If you want to find the Mercury of Spirit, you can go there to collect it. I think the Lord of the Grey Havens will help you."

"This is also the easiest one for you to find among the three elements of the Philosopher's Stone."

Then he continued:

“Next is Soul Sulfur, which represents the Fire of the Soul and can only exist where souls gather.

Throughout the world of Arda, besides the Halls of Mandos, where souls return, I understand there are also places where souls who refused Mandos's call linger. For example, the mountain folk of Erech at the end of the Road of Death in the White Mountains. Because they broke their oaths, Isildur cursed them to never rest in peace, and their souls were imprisoned there after death."

"If you want to find the sulfur of the soul, you must go there. But the undead there refuse to allow the living to enter. Even I dare not venture there lightly, so if you want to go, you must be mentally prepared."

Dui nodded.

Of course he had heard of the Road of Death.

It is said that when the Kingdom of Gondor was established in the Second Age, Isildur asked the people of Erech, who lived south of the White Mountains, to pledge their allegiance to a black stone: if Gondor fell into crisis, the people of Erech must join forces to resist the enemy.

But when Sauron later attacked Gondor, these mountain people did not fulfill their oath because they were afraid of Sauron.

Isildur then cursed them to have no rest until the day of their vow was fulfilled.

Therefore, after the death of these Erech mountain people, their souls were trapped in the same place and could not rest in peace. They also built the Road of Death to guard there and refuse entry to all living people.

Among them, Baldo, the eldest son of the second generation King of Rohan, once vowed to take the road of death, but he never returned and died there.

Until the beginning of the War of the Ring, in order to obtain more troops to fight against Sauron, Aragorn, at the reminder of Elrond, went to the Road of Death, and in the name of Isildur's direct descendant and the reforged holy sword Narsil in his hand, summoned the undead to serve him.

"Where can I find the salt of the flesh?"

Dewi grew worried when he saw that Elrond had saved the salt of the flesh for last.

Is this the hardest to get?
Elrond replied:
“The salt of the flesh represents stability and vitality, which is most likely to be found in the place where life first began.

Among them, the birthplace of the elves, Queviernen, had long been sunk in the War of Wrath in the First Age;
The birthplace of the Dwarves is unknown to anyone except the Valar who created them. Afterwards, they were placed in different mountains to sleep, and were not awakened until the Elves woke up.

The only place most likely to be found is Hildorion, the birthplace of mankind."

But when this was mentioned, Elrond's expression became serious, and he said earnestly to Dui: "Hildorion is in the far east, and I don't know its exact location. It may have been forgotten in the changes of human history, but it is in the region ruled by Sauron."

If you want to find it, you can only rely on yourself, and you must be careful of Sauron. You have repeatedly thwarted his plans, and he must hate you to the core. If you are not careful, you may fall into it!

Dui also nodded seriously and expressed his gratitude.

"I understand. Thank you, Lord Elrond! If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have heard about the Philosopher's Stone so quickly!"

It is true that having an elder in a family is like having a treasure.

If he were left to explore things on his own, it would take him forever to understand these things.

Fortunately, Elrond didn't know what Dui was thinking at the moment, otherwise he would have let him know what it meant to respect the elderly.

Although Elrond told Dewi in detail about the three elements of the Philosopher's Stone, he still shook his head and sighed, "Honestly, I suggest you wait two years. After Lady Galadriel purifies the Balrog's Heart, you can use the Balrog's eternal fire to forge the Fire of Nirvana and thus gain immortality."

"There are too many uncertainties in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. The Road of Death and the Far East are not good places. If you are not careful, you will end up in eternal damnation. I don't want to see Arwen heartbroken for you."

Listening to Elrond's somewhat heavy words, Dewi raised his head with a very serious expression.

"Lord Elrond, I promise you that I will never put myself in a desperate situation, nor will I give Arwen the opportunity to be sad!"

Looking at Dui's solemn promise.

Elrond nodded, forcing a gentle smile.

"I'm willing to trust your assurance."

The two then continued to discuss the four elements needed for the Philosopher's Stone.

"Among the four elements, water, fire, and wind are easy to deal with. Lady Galadriel's Water Ring, Nanya, Gandalf's Fire Ring, Naya, and the Air Ring, Viya, in my hand can all condense the three elements of water, fire, and wind."

Elrond raised his hand, and a sapphire and gold ring appeared on his slender finger. Countless wind elements gathered together to form a small elemental storm, spinning in his hand.

"It's just the earth element. You need to figure it out on your own."

"Earth element? How do I find the earth element?" Dui couldn't help but frowned.

When Celebrimbor forged the Three Rings of the Elves, why didn't he forge an additional Ring of Earth?
Otherwise, there would be no need to look for things related to the earth element.

Elrond also shook his head.

"I don't know that either. The only thing I can tell you is that it must be a treasure born from the earth, and it must be extraordinary in itself."

"Nurtured by the earth? Does that include mithril?" Dui took out the Mother of Mithril and showed it to Elrond.

Elrond was surprised to see the Mithril Mother, but shook his head.

"I didn't expect you to have a treasure like the Mithril Mother, but unfortunately, it is essentially the fusion of the power of gods and demons in a special environment, not something born from the earth."

"Does this count?" Dui took out another object.

Elrond was even more surprised when he saw the gem emitting white light in Dewi's hand.

"The Arkenstone?"

Dui nodded. "That's it. The Arkenstone is also known as the Heart of the Mountain. It's a treasure born from the mountains. Should that be okay?"

Elrond did not ask how this gem, which symbolized Durin's kingship, came into Dui's hands, but took the gem and felt it carefully.

Then he smiled gently, "It seems fate is favoring you, Duyle. The heart of this mountain contains the essence of the earth. The four elements you need have been gathered."

Dui couldn't help but feel happy when he got a positive answer.

Because of Thorin's madness, Dewi took the Arkenstone away in advance and it has been kept until now.

Unexpectedly, by some coincidence today, I was able to fill in the last missing element.

"What are you going to do next?" Elrond asked.

"Start with the easy ones and then move on to the difficult ones. I plan to go to Grey Harbor first to look for the Mercury of Spirits, then head to the Death Road in the White Mountains in the south, and finally go to the Far East to look for Hildorion." Dui thought about the plan.

Elrond nodded.

"If you go to the Grey Havens, you might first visit Lord Círdan there. He is the oldest and wisest of our elves, and a member of the White Council.

If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve, you can seek answers from him, and I think he will be happy to help."

(End of this chapter)