American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

"Merry Christmas~ Young man, this is a gift for you..."

Santa Claus didn't seem surprised by Mike's arrival and handed him a gift box with a smile.

"These are very fresh apples, thank you for the gift." Mike took out the red apple from the gift box, took a bite, and found it tasted surprisingly good.

It's truly a rare treat to be able to eat such delicious apples in the dead of winter.

"By the way, when are you planning to break the curse on Grinch?" Mike asked on behalf of the green-haired monster after finishing his apple.

"When he understands the meaning of the holiday and finds his own happiness, the curse will naturally be broken," Santa Claus replied with a smile.

“Just making a fuss,” Mike shook his head, but sensing that Santa Claus meant no harm, he didn’t press the matter further.

Having confirmed that neither the green-haired monster nor Santa Claus posed a threat, Mike's Christmas mission was essentially complete.

Just as he was about to leave and return to Genovia, Martha in the crowd kissed the green-haired monster.

In that sudden kiss, Grinch, whose eyes had widened, gradually shed his monstrous features and transformed back into a handsome young man.

"Beauty and the Beast? The Frog Prince??"

Mike, sensing Santa's mischievousness, shook his head with a smile again, then opened the portal and went inside.

It's decided. Tonight, I'll do something special with Mia and the other girls.

After all, it's a holiday, and the point is to have a lively atmosphere.

Chapter 626 The Turmoil in the Middle Kingdom Rises Again

"The exorcism team has been arranged. We've selected one hundred elite officers from the police force to form the team. Would you like to meet them?"

Inside the Men in Black headquarters, Ms. O questioned Mike, who rarely visited the headquarters.

Nearly a month had passed since Christmas. After spending a wonderful holiday with the girls in Genovia, Mike was once again ordered by Ms. O to deal with paranormal events.

After traveling back and forth for so long, he finally saw another opportunity to be a hands-off manager.

Yes, after the initial surge of paranormal events, the phenomenon of evil spirits and ghost stories has now stabilized.

Moreover, their harmfulness and ability are not very strong.

If there is a professional team dedicated to handling this kind of matter, Mike can confidently hand over the reins.

“Of course, I need to do my due diligence before I can get any business to work with them,” Mike nodded.

Even the best police officers are still just ordinary people. Mike is just asking them to share the workload, not sending them to their deaths.

Therefore, before assigning tasks, Mike also needs to "empower" them with some self-defense capabilities.

“Come with me, those lads are all at the training ground right now, they’re probably eager to see you first.” After saying that, Ms. O led Mike toward the headquarters training base.

At this moment, in the large training ground, one hundred well-trained police elites had each received their own exorcism equipment from Mr. Z.

Exorcising holy water, blessed Bibles, and a series of ultraviolet weapons.

The police officers, who had never handled this kind of equipment before, couldn't help but study it out of curiosity after receiving their own exorcism suits.

"Line up!"

As Mike and Ms. O entered the training field, a top-ranking officer immediately organized the ranks.

"Sir, Lieutenant Frank reporting for duty!" After lining up, the lieutenant approached Mike, saluted, and said, "The special team was expected to have one hundred men; one hundred men are present. Please give instructions."

"Very good, very energetic!!!" Mike looked around at the hundred police officers in the arena and nodded in satisfaction.

He had mentioned to Ms. O before that the members needed for the exorcism team needed to have "faith" rather than professional skills.

As for who to believe in? Of course, it's Mike, the leader.

It now seems that Ms. O is clearly taking this to heart.

As employees of the police force, Appletown police officers undoubtedly have access to more information than the average person outside the city.

This includes the legendary experiences of Michael, the leader of the Men in Black.

The people Ms. O selected all looked at Mike with a hint of admiration in their eyes.

This also basically aligns with Mike's requirements for "believers".

“I believe you all know what joining an exorcism team means. Evil spirits, ghost stories… one wrong move, and any one of them could cost you your life.” Mike walked around the exorcism team, finally stopping in front of them, and said, “So, are you prepared to give your lives for the cause of exorcism?”

"If not, it's not too late to withdraw now."

For Mike, handling minor paranormal incidents is as simple as eating and drinking. But for the officers in the exorcism team, there will inevitably be sacrifices.

This was all foreseeable.

After all, their next opponents are monsters with all sorts of unpredictable abilities.

"No one's leaving?" Mike waited a while and, seeing no one step forward, continued, "Very good, welcome to the Men in Black exorcism team."

"From now on, I don't care what positions you hold outside, but within the Men in Black organization, you only have one identity: exorcist agents."

“Here you don’t have names, only code names.”

Following the rules of the Men in Black organization will allow these newly joined police officers to integrate into the organization more quickly.

"Given the dangers of exorcism, I will now grant you some corresponding abilities." After organizing the induction ceremony, Mike waved his hand, conjuring specks of white light, and fed the power of faith back to each exorcist agent according to their level of faith.

As the white light faded, some exorcist agents were able to independently cast holy light shields, while others were able to imbue their fists with the power of faith.

Most people only emitted a faint light, enough to withstand a few attacks from evil spirits.

Of course, this isn't Mike being biased; the source of the power is already quite clear.

These exorcist agents are like Mike's "followers," and how many blessings they receive depends entirely on their own sincerity.

"Alright, now you can form teams of ten and go to Ms. O to receive your missions." After handing over the tedious exorcism work, Mike seemed incredibly relaxed.

After exchanging a few more words with Ms. O, Mike once again acted as a hands-off manager and leisurely left the Men in Black headquarters.

……

“Mike, according to the residents of the Iron Hills and the River Valley Guard, there seem to be signs of orc scouts appearing on the outskirts of Lonely Mountain recently.” In the Lonely Mountain Hall, the half-elf Sophia, whose appearance remained unchanged, reported to the “returning” Mike.

A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth...

Because of the different flow of time, only two months have passed in the main world, while sixty years have passed in Middle-earth.

Over the past sixty years, although Mike would come to visit whenever he had time, the total number of visits was still not many due to the paranormal events in the main world.

Sometimes they might not be able to come over even once every year or two.

After all, what happens here in a year or two is only a day or two in the main world.

If you delay even a little, time will slip away.

"Sixty years have passed, and it seems the forces of darkness have forgotten the terror of Lonely Mountain." Mike leaned lazily against the throne of Lonely Mountain and said, "Increase the bounty and send the rangers of Lonely Mountain to track down the orc scouts. At the same time, strengthen the Lonely Mountain Guard and be ready to fight the forces of darkness at any time."

The resurgence of dark forces presents Mike with another opportunity to reap the power of faith from Middle-earth.

Given the power and prestige of Mike, the Lord of Lonely Mountain, the area around Lonely Mountain had previously been one of the most secure places in Middle-earth.

Sixty years of development have brought together a large number of people who want a stable life. With this population base, the strength of the Lonely Mountain Guard has also expanded rapidly.

This force may well be capable of challenging the forces of Mordor.

"Is war coming? I'll have my men prepare..." Sophia paused for a moment, then asked, "By the way, should we send someone to contact the Sindar elves in the Green Forest and King Bain of the Valley Kingdom?"

Since the Battle of Lonely Mountain sixty years ago, Thranduil, the Sindar Elf King of Greenwood, has maintained a good relationship with the forces of Lonely Mountain.

Some of the Sindar elves even chose to settle in the jungles surrounding Lonely Mountain.

As for the current King of Vale, Pain, he is the son of Bard. Having inherited his father's will, he can be regarded as a vassal of the Lonely Mountain forces.

“The Sindar elves and the Kingdom of Vale?” Mike pondered. “I’ll contact them in my name and make sure we can stand united when the war begins.”

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, Gondor and Rohan, which are closer to Mordor, have also been harassed as Mordor's forces have become increasingly active.

For ordinary people, sixty years is enough time to change many things.

On the Rohan front, Sejel, the Rohan king who had once received help from Mike and restored the glory of his ancestors, has long since grown old, and the current Rohan king is his son Théoden.

That little guy who followed his father back to Rohan back then is now over sixty years old.

“Iomen, for the future of Rohan, I plan to go to Lonely Mountain to seek the help of that lord. Would you like to come with me?” In a corner of the Rohan palace, Iomen approached her brother.

Like his father, Théoden was a wise king, but as the years passed, he grew old and inevitably became senile.

Furthermore, influenced by the treacherous minister Grimar, he actually ignored the imminent invasion of Mordor's dark forces.

Seeing signs of chaos emerging in Rohan, Éowyn began to worry about her uncle Théoden.

Yes, Théoden, who succeeded to the throne of Rohan, had no children, and Éowyn and Éomer were merely his niece and nephew.

Éowyn and Éomer, both members of the Rohan royal family, grew up listening to Michael's legendary stories.

Therefore, Éowyn placed her hopes for Rohan once again on Mike, the lord of Lonely Mountain.

“Grimar is keeping a close eye on us; he won’t let us go to Lonely Mountain to seek outside help…” Éomer glanced furtively at the “Grand Tutor” in the main hall, who was flattering the King of Rohan, and said through gritted teeth, “However, if we want to save Rohan again, that gentleman in Lonely Mountain is indeed a very good choice. Therefore, I am willing to accompany you on this journey.”

Content with pleasure and having lost power, the current King Théoden of Rohan has followed the same path as his grandfather, Van Zel.

The plans of Éowyn and her brother can also be seen as an attempt to set things right.

So, after disguising themselves, the brother and sister evaded the eyes and ears of the royal advisor, Grimar, and secretly left Rohan, embarking on the road to Lonely Mountain.

……

Meanwhile, in Gondor, which is closer to Mordor, Denethor, Théoden's childhood friend, is now over sixty years old.

Unlike Théoden, this Regent of Gondor had a more steadfast will, and thus, even in his old age, he was not corrupted or seduced by the forces of darkness.

Under his rule, the powerful kingdom of Gondor has become a thorn in the side of Mordor's dark forces.

Chapter 627 The One Ring Appears

"Oh, Frodo, how are you?"

On the path leading into the Shire, the wizard Gandalf sat in his small carriage, smiling and greeting the children playing by the roadside.

"Gandalf, you've arrived. You've even changed your clothes this year!" Frodo ran excitedly to the carriage, noticing that the wizard's grey robes had turned pure white.

"Haha, it's just a piece of clothing." Gandalf said casually, but a happy expression was already showing on his face.

In terms of magical power and status, the white-robed wizard is a level above the gray-robed wizard.

For the past sixty years, Gandalf has spent most of his time on the front lines of the Northern Highlands, except for the occasional break in the Old Forest.

Thanks to his and the Northern Rangers' tireless efforts, the dark creatures surrounding the Northern Highlands have been largely eradicated.

In addition, Gandalf's contributions in the fight against Sauron, the Dark Lord, sixty years ago, have finally earned him the title of Wizard of the White.

In other words, he is now one of the most powerful wizards in Middle-earth, on par with the White Wizard Saruman.

Such an achievement was something even Gandalf couldn't resist showing off to the children he knew.

Then there's Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins' nephew, who, like Bilbo, was a kind and simple-minded hobbit.

Gandalf saw a faint resemblance to Bilbo in the other man, and therefore felt a special affinity for the little fellow.

"Greetings, wizard, Sam greets you." On the other side, Sam, who had come to the carriage with Frodo, bowed slightly to greet Gandalf.

This robust hobbit boy came from a family that had worked for the Baggins for generations, and through this upbringing, he learned early on to have a sense of awe for the strong.

In Sam's eyes, the mysterious wizard was undoubtedly a powerful figure.

"Hello, Sam," Gandalf greeted the polite hobbit boy with a smile.

At this point, Gandalf clearly preferred the simple-minded Sam to Frodo's other two mischievous playmates.

"Gandalf, you do look much better in white than you did before, when you were all disheveled..."

"So many fireworks, and there's even a 'thunderclap'! This year's fireworks display is sure to be spectacular..."

Yes, Frodo's other two playmates, Pippin and Merry, had already climbed into the carriage. One was studying Gandalf's white robes while his eyes were fixed on the wizard's long pipe.

The other was studying the various fireworks on the carriage, while also secretly hiding several giant fireworks in his pocket.

“Pippin, you should wash your hands first… and Merry, the job of setting off fireworks will be yours later…” Gandalf looked at Pippin’s handprints on his white robe and Merry’s bulging clothes, and couldn’t help but gently tap the two little ones on the head with his long pipe.

"hey-hey……"