Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth...

After leaving the ogre cave, Dui used the True Knowledge Crystal to search for other ogre caves.

However, he and Gandalf had already searched through the nearby ogre caves, and the rest were all far away, and they had not found any more living people who had been captured by the ogre.

After discussing it, the two decided not to continue tracking the transvestites.

Instead, they decided to go to the secluded valley.

With Gandalf and Duy both agreeing to be the saviors, Thorin, though reluctant, no longer stubbornly objected.

After the ordeal with the trolls, he became even more eager to reach Lonely Mountain, enter it, and obtain the Arkenstone to rally and command the dwarves.

Therefore, no one objected to the trip to the secluded valley.

After packing their things, the group left the ogre forest and continued eastward toward the secluded valley.

Soon after, news of the ogres' tragic deaths spread among them. It was said that a monster had appeared in the forest that hunted ogres, that it ate their hearts and released flames, and that any ogre that encountered it would perish.

As the rumors grew increasingly terrifying, many terrified ogres hid in deep mountain caves, afraid to descend the mountain for fear of encountering the horrific monster and losing their lives.

As a result, the probability of attacks near the ogre forest decreased sharply, and travelers and merchants passing through were much safer.

Meanwhile, some of the villagers rescued from the ogres by Dui and Gandalf chose to travel by boat downriver from the Last Bridge to the human settlements and kingdoms to the south.

The other group chose to cross the final bridge, traverse the wasteland, and head west along the east-west highway.

The story of Dui and Gandalf killing the trolls and saving the villagers spread far and wide with the villagers.

The Grey Wizard and the Black Wizard's reputation spread once again throughout the Herioto region, and the title of "Ogre Slayer" quickly became known.

The group hadn't gone far when they heard a commotion in the distance after leaving the ogre forest.

This immediately put everyone on high alert.

However, it soon turned out to be a false alarm.

It turned out that the brown-robed wizard Darrigaster was driving a wooden sled pulled by rabbits, gliding swiftly through the forest and arriving before them.

Gandalf was somewhat surprised to see an old friend appear.

"Darigast, what are you doing here?"

Darrigast was as tall as Gandalf, wore a wide-brimmed brown hat covered in bird droppings, and a khaki robe smeared with dirt, grass, and twigs, making him look very slovenly and strange.

"I've been looking for you, Gandalf."

Something's wrong, very wrong!

Darrigast looked somewhat erratic.

"What's wrong?" Gandalf, however, was used to his behavior and asked with a puzzled look.

"The Great Green Forest is sick, shrouded in some kind of darkness. The trees are withering, the air is polluted, and the river water is poisonous. Moreover, many giant spiders have appeared there; they must be the offspring of the Ugoliant."

Uggulianth is an evil god born from the darkness of the void on the outskirts of Arda. He is an enormous spider who once joined forces with Morgoth, Sauron's master, to destroy the Two Trees, which symbolize light, plunging the world into darkness.

The fact that even the Demon King Sauron dared not easily antagonize Ugoliant's offspring, Hilob, and would even regularly send him orcs as food demonstrates his terrifying power.

“I followed the giant spider’s trail all the way to Dogurdu,” Darrigus continued. “There I found the necromancer and this thing…” As he spoke, he pulled something wrapped in leather from his pocket.

"Necromancer..." Gandalf's expression turned serious and solemn as he took the item and lifted the leather.

Wrapped in cloth was a jet-black ancient sword, exuding a chilling, dark, and ominous aura.

"The Blade of Morgul, the sword of the Witch-King of Angmar."

Gandalf frowned and looked up to meet Duy's gaze.

Since encountering the wight at Ancient Hill, Gandalf already knew that the Witch-King of Angmar was still alive. Now, seeing the Witch-King's sword again, he instantly realized the seriousness of the situation.

As is widely known, the Witch-King of Angmar is a minion of the Demon Lord Sauron. Now that the Witch-King of Angmar has appeared in Dorgul, there are even rumors of necromancers in the surrounding area.

The necromancer's identity is almost obvious; only final confirmation is needed.

Before Gandalf could continue his thoughts, the distant howl of wolves interrupted his reverie.

"Is that a wolf howling? Are there wolves around here?" Bilbo asked, puzzled.

But the dwarves immediately tensed up. "A wolf? This isn't an ordinary wolf howl, it's a dire wolf!"

The next second, a giant wolf leaped out of the forest, soaring high into the air and baring its fangs to bite at the group.

However, before the giant wolf could even land, it was struck by a spell from Dui, instantly petrified and collapsed to the ground, and then pierced through by the Flaming Sword, dying instantly.

Another dire wolf that charged out was also killed by Gandalf with a single blow using his newly acquired sword.

"Hurry, these are dire wolf scouts, and there must be a large pack of orks following them!" Gandalf warned solemnly.

"We can't go any further, the horses have all been scared away!" The dwarf Dori, who was in charge of logistics, told everyone some bad news.

On the contrary, Dui's ponies, Xiaodai, reacted just as dull as their name suggests, and since they were being pulled by a carriage, they didn't run away like the other horses.

But even such a carriage couldn't possibly fit so many people running together.

Seeing this, the brown-robed wizard Darrigust suggested, "I'll distract them, and you can take the opportunity to escape."

"But that's a Gondobard dire wolf! Are you sure, Darrigast?" Gandalf asked, still uneasy.

"I have Rogobert hares, and I'd like to see if they can catch me," Darrigust said confidently.

"Then I'll take charge of attracting a group of orcs and dire wolves," Dui said, stepping forward. "I'll drive the carriage by myself; that way, I can share the workload and it'll be safer."

"Who is this?" Darrigass looked at Dui curiously.

"This is the black-robed wizard Duir," Gandalf introduced, then frowned and looked at Duir with concern. "Duir, are you sure you really want to do this? Those are dire wolves and the Orc army, not like the ragtag orcs we encountered in the wasteland!"

Dui smiled confidently: "Gandalf, don't worry, I'm confident in my ability to protect myself. Once we've drawn the Orks away, you should run towards the Valley of the Dead as soon as possible. Once you cross the Broiler Crossing and enter the Elven territory, you'll be safe."