Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

And once he obtains the Western Flame, the Holy Sword Anduriel, which is destined to come into his hands as described in the story, he will presumably acquire power equivalent to the fourth tier.

[Their combat strength is decent, but it's within my expectations. In comparison, the elves' combat strength is harder to assess; perhaps we need to adjust our plans for communicating with them.]

Alice sat down opposite Aragorn's seat, quietly observing the man who would one day become Emperor. She didn't intend to engage in direct verbal communication with this renowned warrior. One reason was that simple observation could glean sufficient information, and another was…

Her gaze moved down from the ranger's face, hidden beneath his cloak, and unsurprisingly fell upon the pure white pendant hanging around Aragorn's neck, a gift from the Elven princess Awen. She stared at the pendant, and then noticed the dazzling light shimmering within it.

"Dazzling light would damage my vision, and there should be no information in the information world that can interfere with me," Alice whispered. She immediately understood the function of the pendant on Aragorn—it was an extremely powerful protection, its power even recorded in the world's remaining records. While Alice had no doubt that she could easily break through this barrier, she wasn't sure if doing so would attract the attention of the elves in the real world.

She had to operate covertly; otherwise, there would be no need for such elaborate measures. She had already roughly arranged how to deal with the other three visible forces of the Reincarnation Squad. But she remained wary of the possible, sinister shadows lurking in the darkness.

"There is a great disharmony in this world, and I must verify it before directly intervening," the witch whispered to herself, repeating the essence of her action over and over. She struggled to control her will and shift her attention away from the protective barrier.

Without breaking through, she wouldn't be able to obtain more information from this ranger, and she wouldn't be able to use Aragorn's memories and perspective to travel to other levels of the information world. This was disadvantageous for her, but fortunately, she hadn't come for him in the first place.

She looked at Aragorn, and watched as the ranger's movements as he fiddled with his hookah suddenly froze. With the creak of the wooden door opening, a row of small figures appeared at the inn's entrance.

The hobbits have arrived.

Without hesitation, Alice abandoned the Ranger, who, apart from revealing her deepest secrets, came to the doorway, following the flow of people slightly parted by the cold wind. A quick glance revealed everything about the hobbits and their surroundings.

Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin.

Not one more, not one less.

Their faces were pale with a mixture of panic and fear, and their raincoats even had a faint trace of blood on them—they were not injured, nor could they have harmed anyone else, and even if the Ringwraiths were injured, they wouldn't bleed. So it was obvious that the owner of this blood could only be those reincarnators who arrived in this world first—those unfortunate souls who were said to have been wiped out long before the Southern Flame Continent team arrived.

They are the East Sea Team, corresponding to the Japan-Korea region in the real world. Alice's purpose in coming here is to find them.

[This isn't the end of the war yet. The main god arranged the team battles to give weaker teams a chance to grow, not to eliminate them outright. Therefore, the complete annihilation of the East Sea team seems very unreasonable—even the weakest team shouldn't have been wiped out before the second team arrived. There must be some unspeakable reason behind this.]

She reached out and plucked a drop of blood from the hobbit's cloak. Her gaze lingered briefly on Frodo, and unsurprisingly, she found that the One Ring had a similar effect to the ornament on Aragorn's breastplate.

Clearly, even in the ocean of information, trying to trace the protagonists' past is a troublesome matter. With the idea of ​​everyone having their own role, she proactively abandoned further testing on Frodo and instead entrusted this task to Patchouli, who was located in another ocean of information. Unlike Alice, whose goal was to travel back in time to the point of the East Blue Team's demise to observe everything that happened at that moment, Patchouli's goal was to travel backward from the time of the Prancing Horse Inn and then gather information on the other three Reincarnation Teams.

Everyone has their own responsibilities, and time should not be wasted easily.

And so, with the beginning of another regression, Alice's perspective shifted once again.

....................................

Patchouli followed another sea of ​​information to another record. Unlike Alice, she arrived at a record tape through the tavern clerk's memory beacon, showing that the Hobbits had settled in at the Prancing Pony Inn and reunited with Aragorn. She also noticed the elven treasure on Aragorn's chest and the shielding power of the One Ring that Frodo carried. And like Alice, he chose to remain hidden.

Her goal was to gather information about the remaining Hobbit teams by following the flow of time, while the secrets of the main characters were actually secondary. She simply observed them, like a scholar observing lab rats. And in her silent observation, time quickly moved to the point where the Ringwraiths arrived at the Prancing Pony Inn and began their extensive search for traces of the Hobbits.

[The Ringwraiths act in swarms. They do not belong to the Gene Lock power system, nor do they possess the characteristics of a possessed soul. They are difficult for those of low strength or whose power systems are unsuitable to perceive, and their forms appear to be containers created through some kind of necromancy. The origin of the Ringwraiths—the nine ancient kings enslaved by the Ring—is that they were imprisoned, or rather protected, within these containers—though this seems to differ from the description in the original work. However, they can still be considered powerful beings with approximately B to A level of enhancement on the necromancy side.]

She watched as the Ringwraiths returned empty-handed from the inn, just as in the original story. Slightly unexpectedly, the Ringwraiths didn't vent their anger on the other mortals in the Prancing Pony Inn after their failed search—perhaps they no longer possessed the capacity for 'venting their anger,' or perhaps some of the pride they held as kings still lingered in their minds. Whichever the answer, it was information worth recording.

Although its uses are not very significant.

Patchouli shifted her gaze from the Ringwraiths—there were four in total, and their structure, operating principles, approximate strength, and fighting methods were already data recorded in the witch's archives. For Patchouli, they were a problem she could easily handle in five to ten seconds.

[These tests correspond to the strength of the first reincarnation team. In other words, in this world where the theme is undoubtedly team battles, the main god judged that the East China Sea team's strength should be sufficient to deal with them... at least one powerful individual who has unlocked the third stage of the gene lock. Indeed, the South Flame Continent team has one fourth-stage individual, and the East America team has two fourth-stage individuals, so it is reasonable to assume that the East China Sea team has one on the verge of the third stage.]

[They couldn't possibly be defeated by an enemy of this caliber... Is it that the East Sea Team, this reincarnation squad, possesses something special, or have they unfortunately provoked some powerful enemies... such as the elven migration caravan that appeared in the forest at the beginning, or perhaps another Ringwraith force that includes the most powerful Witch-King of Angmar?]

Patchouli fell into thought, but couldn't reach a conclusion in a short time. Aside from increasing her apprehension towards the East Blue Team, she didn't take any other action for the time being. Besides, considering the East Blue Team's problems wasn't exactly her responsibility.

Alice will surely notice these things, and I believe she will be able to handle them properly. All I need to do now is focus on my own duties.

She silently watched the Ringwraiths leave the inn, then moved on, following the protagonists' movements to the next plot point—the East Blue Team, this cycle of reincarnation, seemed to have truly brought no change to the world. The hobbits, though terrified, quickly recovered. They and their protectors fled into the wilderness, just as in the original story. Just like in the original plot, they arrived at that crucial juncture, the place where the protagonists and the Ringwraiths would truly clash—

—Fengyun Peak.

Chapter Sixteen: The Southern Flame Continent Team and the Witch King

Fengyun Peak is an ancient watchtower, tall and ancient. A sharp, desolate wind sweeps through the rocks and statues. On the stone platform, every ancient crack seems to reveal past glory, and every boulder seems to be inscribed with a magnificent epic of heroes.

This place had been abandoned for many years, as it was unsuitable for establishing a major transportation route and lacked suitable resource points to serve as the foundation of a town. After the wars between mortals ended, it became an occasional campsite for travelers in the wilderness. However, it didn't last long before even this function as a campsite was lost—too many people had died on this land in the past wars, and even with the statues of kings atop Wind and Cloud Peak as a form of suppression, signs of a curse still appeared on the surrounding land.

Today, however, the ruins of this watchtower are unusually lively.

....................................

"Who are you?" Aragorn shielded the four hobbits behind him, one hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze sweeping over the group of strangers who had set up camp here before he even reached Windrise. He could tell at a glance that this group was no ordinary wilderness travelers—their clothing was unusual, their camp was haphazardly arranged, and, more importantly, there was a huge disparity in combat ability among them.

Three or four men had shifty eyes and appeared weak and feeble, perhaps even less capable than a few young hobbits. Another four or five men were relaxed, their movements light and agile, their strength evident in their actions. Physically, they were among the best even in the royal guards. But aside from these men, there were three individuals he had to be wary of.

Patchouli: [Four newcomers, five veterans, and three main combatants. The newcomers and ordinary veterans can all be wiped out with a single spell. It will take approximately 300 milliseconds.]

He appeared to be a northerner, tall and imposing, looking like a giant mountain of muscles. He carried a heavy battle axe on his back and seemed taciturn.

Patchouli: [Richard, Norse, melee, genetically unlocked to the third tier, initial stage. His main enhancements are strength and physique. His bloodline is unknown, but he is estimated to be a berserker. The axe he carries is a runic artifact containing a curse that drains life and paralyzes organisms. Defeating him with minimal damage will likely require two hits: the first to break through his defenses, and the second to kill him instantly. The total time is about one and a half seconds.]

A handsome blond youth, whose lineage was not discernible from his appearance. His ears were slightly pointed, yet not like those of an elf, and a narrow vertical slit ran between his brows, perhaps a wound he had suffered in the past. His smile was warm, but there was an undisguised arrogance in his eyes—perhaps he was a sorcerer from a foreign land.

Patchouli: [Neo, a Western European, a sage who also cultivates mental power, a third-tier gene lock, medium or high, but not yet at its limit. His primary enhancement is confirmed to be of Three-Eyed Clan blood, and he should possess numerous spell-like abilities. His effectiveness in positional warfare is difficult to assess due to insufficient information, but in an encounter, it would likely require approximately ten spell exchanges, taking about four seconds, to kill him.]

The last person was a beautiful woman with strangely long blue hair. She wore a cloak, beneath which one could vaguely see a set of exquisite and magnificent armor, but beyond that, no further information could be obtained—Aragorn felt a chill run down his spine just by glancing at her, and the ornament on his chest felt as if it were being burned by flames.

This was a powerful being, far stronger than herself, even stronger than the Elf King. And now, such a powerful being stood in her way.

Patchouli: [Esdeath, the foreigner, has changed her Antarctic Silver Cloth to the Aquarius Gold Cloth. It seems she has now reached the fourth tier, mastering the seventh or even eighth sense, and perhaps even obtaining a simulated psychic light through this method, like the West Blue Sage in the prediction records. If so, she can at least be considered a mid-to-high-level fourth-tier fighter… Some details are unclear, but I'm certain I can't defeat her in a direct confrontation, and in a positional battle, my chances are probably a 50/50 chance, but her essence hasn't changed; Zheng Zha probably won't need many strikes to kill her.]

[Very good, this is the publicly known combat strength of the Southern Flame Continent team. Including any hidden trump cards they might have, their actual combat strength is probably about 1.5 times that. But this is still within my control—let's continue observing. Those Ringwraiths alone can't force them to go all out, but perhaps we can glean some other information.]

After a quick glance around, Aragorn concluded that he had absolutely no chance of defeating these men. So he immediately changed his strategy, loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, softened his tone, and bowed slightly to the strangers as an apology.

“I apologize if I may have been a little impolite to ask that.” A friendly smile played on his lips, and his hand, which was blocking the hobbit's path, gently patted Frodo's shoulder. “I am Aragorn, son of Aragorn. I am on my way to the city of Rohan with some of my little friends—you may have heard of me? Many call me ‘Wanderer.’”

“Aragorn, I’ve heard of you. You’re quite famous in the ranger circles here,” Neos replied with a smile. “We are a group of scholars from a distant continent. I am Neos, temporarily serving as the deputy leader. This is our captain, Lady Esdeath, and that is my second-in-command, Richard.” He pointed out several distinctive members of the Southern Flame Continent team to Aragorn, who nodded to each of them in greeting. Neos continued, “We’ve heard that the magic of Middle-earth is waning, a very peculiar phenomenon worthy of study. We sensed some subtle magical power emanating from this ruin, so we’ve chosen it as our base.”

He pointed to the Fengyunding observation deck behind him.

“Mr. Aragorn, it’s getting late. I think you need a suitable campsite. And I also need a knowledgeable local to explain the customs and culture of this land to me. We hired a few mercenaries, but unfortunately they terminated their employment with us this morning. They said they heard rumors about the ‘Black Knight’ and are afraid to go out… Perhaps you would be willing to cooperate with us?”

Aragorn fell silent for a moment. He wasn't sure how much of what they said was true, and even if it was, he wasn't sure if the One Ring was one of the goals of these self-proclaimed scholars. But considering that their words were logically sound and their strength was overwhelmingly superior, he ultimately decided to selectively believe some of what they said.

[We must keep them calm and stall until the Grey Wizards and the Elvenking's messengers join us. The secret of the One Ring must be kept, for its allure to mortals is simply deadly—we must find a way to gain their trust.]—Even as a record, Patchouli could clearly hear Aragorn's inner turmoil at that moment. And sure enough, he hesitated for less than a few seconds before accepting Neos's invitation, leading the hobbits, whom he had signaled to 'keep quiet,' into the makeshift camp created by the Southern Flame Army.

Clearly, Neos was a wise and shrewd man, and his words carried considerable weight within the group. Under his guidance, the main characters got along quite well in this makeshift camp. The various novel gadgets and delicious food, far ahead of their time, easily surpassed the technology of distant lands, and these interesting little things quickly put the hobbits at ease, and they soon began chatting and laughing.

The Southern Flame Continent team had prepared their script beforehand, and the newcomers had also been given instructions by the veterans. For the next period, the members of the Southern Flame Continent team showed only limited attention to the main characters of the story, focusing their attention on the investigation and analysis of the Wind and Cloud Peak observation deck like a group of genuine scholars—they acted convincingly because they were genuinely conducting research. Patchouli could clearly perceive the massive data exchange between these reincarnators through their mental links, although the specific content seemed to be subject to special multi-layered encryption and could not be deciphered. However, she could see that these reincarnators were actually setting up their positions under the guidance of a mentalist. And its purpose was undoubtedly to deal with the Ringwraiths' nighttime attacks.

Pretending and actually doing are two different things. While their actions exposed more of their resources to Patchouli, they also served to lull the main characters into a false sense of security and gain their trust. Aragorn gradually came to believe that these people were indeed scholars from Outland, and he made some tests, but Neos easily deflected them. Soon, Neos's thirst for knowledge about the history on the Windrise lookout captivated him, further confirming his suspicions.

Now that they were confirmed to be at least not enemies, there was no need to force these unpredictable strangers into the opposing camp. After that, Aragorn repeatedly tried to steer the conversation towards the Ringwraiths without mentioning the One Ring, hoping to prepare these 'scholars' for the Ringwraiths. However, every time he tried to steer the conversation, some perfectly natural accident would occur, diverting the conversation's attention away from the Ringwraiths.

[Changing one's stance and using the identity of a 'victim caught in the crossfire' as leverage to join the side of justice... is indeed a viable strategy, but if overdone, it could become a flaw in the plan.] Patchouli thought to herself, making her judgment while taking notes.

Without a doubt, Neos wasn't a fool incapable of judging the situation. Under his skillful arrangement, Aragorn finally managed to articulate the danger posed by the Ringwraiths and the hypothetical possibility of encountering them in this area. But before he could even utter his carefully crafted reasons, the howls of the dead swept over them!

The Ringwraiths have arrived. Their arrival is accompanied by an army of ghosts.

Patchouli stood quietly atop Wind and Cloud Peak, witnessing the horde of undead, led by the five Ringwraiths, crash into the Reincarnators' camp under the cover of night. As the tide of the dead engulfed the Reincarnators and the main characters of the story, Patchouli, unaffected by the grand spectacle of light and shadow, noticed the results of the Southern Flame Continent team's defensive setup.

[Their purpose isn't to defend against the Ringwraiths, but rather to protect the newcomers and slightly weaker veterans... What a united and friendly team atmosphere, just like back in the Starship Troopers days. In that case, adopting a strategy that incites internal strife needs careful consideration. But just like us, internal harmony is both an advantage and a weakness. Internal harmony means their cooperation with the East America team is in a position where they can't afford to lose... If the East America team truly has two fourth-tier powerhouses, then it can be confirmed that Esdeath has awakened the Eighth Sense of a Saint. Or perhaps the East America team doesn't consider the South Flame Continent team a true partner.]

She landed on the battlefield, watching the horde of ghosts rampage through the Reincarnators' camp with overwhelming force, yet causing little real damage—they looked like the translucent, pale shadows often seen in Japanese horror films. They shrieked and brandished illusory claws, but when their claws grazed the flesh of the living, they caused no injury other than mental damage.

The hobbits were quite terrified. They screamed wildly, brandishing the swords Aragorn had given them before reaching Windrise, hacking indiscriminately at the intangible yet tangible ghosts. Naturally, they got nowhere, and then the reincarnators assigned to protect them began to exert their strength. After a brutal beating that sent the ghosts to their next reincarnation, they too fell into a perfectly normal state of frenzied exhaustion.

The hobbits, who weren't facing much threat, were like this, and Aragorn, who was locked in a fierce battle, was even more so. Although he was facing only one Ringwraith, this Ringwraith displayed a fighting spirit far stronger than that shown in the original films!

This was to be expected, because in the original story, the Ringwraiths chose to give up, not because Aragorn was particularly powerful, but because by the time he arrived, Frodo, the Ringwraith, had already been struck by the most powerful of the Ringwraiths, the Witch-King Angmar, with the Cavern Sword—Angmar was certain that Frodo would willingly surrender the Ring to Sauron due to the corruption of the Cavern Sword before he left satisfied. The current situation, however, is clearly quite different from that in the original story.

He was locked in a fierce battle, but he was confident of ultimate victory. He and the Ringwraiths were evenly matched, but Neos and Richard were clearly far superior. Out of the corner of his eye, he clearly saw Richard use a series of combined punches to turn one Ringwraith into a pile of metal. Meanwhile, Neos used a series of sorcerer tricks he couldn't comprehend to keep two Ringwraiths trapped in his grasp!

He realized the victory his side was about to achieve, and so did Patchouli. Watching the battle had given her a wealth of useful information. However, when she turned her attention to Esdeath's battlefield, something unexpected happened right before her eyes.

She saw Esdeath's light-speed punch pass through the Witch King as if striking a shadow, yet Esdeath remained completely unaware. The Gold Saint's offensive continued, but the leader of the Ringwraiths simply turned his head and looked at her, enduring Esdeath's attack.

"...Damn it."

..............................

The newcomer's presence is indeed a bit weak, and this issue will be addressed.

I need a Puppet Vengeance deck, can anyone give me some pointers? _(:з」∠)_

Section Seventeen: A Deeper Understanding of the Core

While Patchouli encountered something unexpected, in another sea of ​​information, Alice finally arrived at the place she wanted to be—the ever-changing vision in her eyes gradually stabilized, and following the streams of information freely dissipating in the sky, she accurately arrived at the tape recording the chase related to the Hobbits left in this world—she did not travel through time and space, she simply allowed her will to reach that record.

【Bakkoboli Ferry... I think that's the name.】

The bloodstain she was searching for was the blood of a reincarnator. For the Supreme God, the retrieval of reincarnators was a project that needed to be carried out after a world ended—whether they were failed or successful reincarnators, intact or incomplete, as long as the story of the world continued, it would not remove the essence of the reincarnators left in these story worlds, which made her tracking process not so difficult.

The blood of the reincarnated, a drop of blood spilled on a blade of grass. Some of it was stained onto the hobbits' cloaks during their escape. The rest remained here, slowly drying on that blood-stained blade of grass.

The battle here has been over for at least ten minutes.

Alice gestured, and the recording stopped. It was as if a videotape being played had been paused. The rustling night breeze, the rustling leaves, the dissipating mist, and even the distant twinkling stars all fell into complete stillness. And in this stillness, she was able to properly examine her surroundings.

She looked around. Not far away was the river, and at the ferry crossing, wooden stakes with their mooring ropes undone stood. From here, she couldn't see any rafts that might be on the river. But when she turned her gaze back and looked around, she found that the riverbank on this side looked as if it had been ravaged by a tornado, with signs of battle everywhere.

[Spells and melee combat... you can smell that. It seems the East Sea team has spellcasters and combatants. They also have both ranged and melee attackers; clearly, it's a well-equipped and versatile Reincarnation team. A properly configured Reincarnation team must have at least three members who have unlocked their genetic locks. Dealing with one or two Ringwraiths shouldn't be difficult. Three or four... well, that's definitely a bit challenging. But just like the Central Continent team in the prediction records, they were able to utilize those migrating elves. There's no reason the East Sea team wouldn't think of such a simple strategy. But...]

She rubbed her head. An obvious fact was laid bare before her. Yes, she had successfully reached her destination, and she saw a dozen or so Reincarnators lying dead on the ground by the ferry in the darkness. Clearly, they had sacrificed themselves to delay the Ringwraiths' advance, allowing the Hobbits to cross the ferry before the Ringwraiths' first pursuit.

This is not reasonable.

[Admittedly, given that the Ringwraiths are more powerful than in the original story, the flowing water of a mere stream couldn't possibly stop their undead hooves. Therefore, it can only be that the East Sea team inflicted considerable damage on them with a resolute resistance beforehand, rendering them immobile in a short time… But why would the East Sea team do that? There's no reason for reincarnators to waste their precious lives on a group of natives they've only just met.]

She recalled the information she had previously obtained and then compared it with the information.

They knew each other for a very short time, and weren't even able to maintain a friendly relationship with the main characters... because I didn't sense much sadness in the hobbits. And given the nature of hobbits, there's no reason for them to be indifferent to friends who sacrificed their lives to save them... or even strangers.

Is there some external force at play? Or is this the main mission assigned to them by the gods—to survive the Ringwraiths' first pursuit as a weak team? Although that possibility certainly exists...

Alice's gaze shifted downwards, examining the dozen or so Reincarnators lying dead on the riverbank. She could not only read the lingering cursed energy in the air from the records, but also easily identifiable sword wounds infected with dark energy on these unfortunate souls—undoubtedly inflicted by the Ringwraith's Cave Sword, a discovery that further confirmed her suspicions. The available information had increased, but it wasn't enough for her, far from enough. The cautious witch wouldn't draw a final conclusion based on just a few loosely connected clues.

Further verification is needed... We need to obtain the exact time of their battle.

She closed her eyes, then opened them. The next moment, she heard a piercing scream!

..........................................

"Hurry up, kid, we have to cross that river before those Black Knights arrive!"

The hobbit Sam was shoved hard and stumbled. Those tall, strangely dressed men who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere half a day earlier showed them no respect whatsoever—no, they were a band of robbers! They had kidnapped the poor hobbit!

“You can’t do this!” Frodo helped his good friend up. At that moment, he was still a simple, innocent young man, far from experiencing the malice of the world. Faced with this sudden rudeness, he instinctively stepped forward. “Sam is very tired. He has been traveling for seven hours. He needs to rest!”