American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

"This is amazing! What's written on the ring?" Just as the wizard was completely absorbed, a question suddenly came to his ears.

It turned out that Frodo got bored after studying the Lonely Mountain Coin for a while, so he wanted to see what the mysterious wizard was doing.

His sudden words startled Gandalf, causing him to drop the Ring from his hand.

It rolled away and went far away...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Frodo noticed the surprised look on the wizard's face and realized he had made a mistake.

To make amends, he quickly bent down to pick up the rolling ring from the ground and then guiltily handed it to the wizard as atonement.

"You're actually alright..." Having already confirmed that the ring was indeed the One Ring, Gandalf dared not reach out to catch it with his bare hands.

Seeing Frodo holding the Ring with his bare hands but not reacting much, the wizard's face showed a complicated expression.

"What an amazing ring! It's not hot at all." Just as the wizard was lost in thought, Frodo curiously examined the ring in his hand. "By the way, what does it say on it?"

"The One Ring belongs to the One, who directs the Rings, the One Ring calls the Rings, and the Rings are made into darkness." Gandalf, having made his decision, explained the Dark Elf script on the Ring to Frodo.

It is known that the One Ring amplifies the desires in people's hearts, and only those with pure and kind hearts can resist its temptations.

To destroy the One Ring, there needs to be someone who is not easily swayed, who will take it to Mount Doom and throw it into the lava.

Clearly, Frodo is the candidate who meets these conditions.

"The One Ring, is that the name of this ring?" Frodo, still completely unaware of the truth, asked curiously once again.

“Yes and no. There are twenty One Rings in total, and the one in your hand is the One Ring, which can control all the Rings…” Gandalf, who had already identified Frodo as the Fellowship of the Ring, patiently explained the origin of the One Ring to him.

It's roughly about a dark and ambitious man named Sauron who, in the Second Age, used Mount Doom to forge twenty magical rings, nine of which he gave to the nine human rulers of that time.

Six were given to the six dwarf races, and the remaining three were given to the three elven races.

However, to everyone's surprise, Sauron secretly forged the One Ring, which could control the power of all the Rings.

The One Ring, the most powerful of all, was also kept by Sauron, becoming his weapon of choice for invading Middle-earth.

"So, this ring is very dangerous. You'd better put it away quickly..." Upon hearing the origin of the One Ring, Frodo's first reaction was to quickly "throw" it away.

“Yes, the One Ring has the power to bewitch. Anyone who gets their hands on it, except for Sauron, the Dark Lord, will meet with misfortune.” Gandalf picked up the envelope from the table and had Frodo put the One Ring inside. “And only the pure can resist this temptation…”

"Frodo, can I trust you?"

The wizard held up the envelope and looked solemnly at the hobbit before him.

"Yes, I guess so. As long as I can do it~" Perhaps it was the adventurous bloodline of the Baggins family that worked, because Frodo, knowing that the One Ring was very dangerous, still responded to the wizard.

“Very well. For the sake of peace in Middle-earth and to prevent Sauron from returning, we need to send the One Ring back to the place where it was forged and destroy it…” Gandalf stared into Frodo’s eyes, handed him the envelope, and continued, “And you are the best person to do this.”

"Can I really do it?" The scene described by the wizard and the serious expression on the other person's face both indicated the seriousness of the situation, making Frodo a little unsure of himself.

“You are not fighting alone. Many people will help you later…” Realizing that his tone was too serious, Gandalf smiled and comforted Frodo.

……

At the same time, a colorful butterfly flew over Changhu Town and landed inside the Gushan Grand Hall.

Mike reached out and caught the butterfly, then held it to his ear...

Chapter 629 The Holy White Council

"What happened?"

Sophia, who was preparing to report on the progress of the communications inside the Lonely Mountain Hall, noticed the strange butterfly in Mike's hand.

“It’s Gandalf. He went to the Shire. He seems to be in trouble and wants me to come over…” Mike explained to the half-elf before releasing the communication butterfly.

"Is it serious?" Sophia asked curiously, then reported, "The elves in the Green Forest and the people of the River Valley Kingdom have agreed to form an alliance with us to fight against the dark forces of Mordor."

"At the same time, Thranduil of the elves and Bain of the Vale Kingdom have expressed their desire for you to lead the allied forces."

Mike proved his abilities sixty years ago, so Thranduil and Bain's considerations are very reasonable.

“It’s fine for Lonely Mountain to lead the Allied forces, but I need to go to the Shire to check on the situation there first…” Mike said. “I’ll have to trouble you a little more on Lonely Mountain’s end. If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be back soon.”

Based on Gandalf's message, he should have already obtained the One Ring.

This will be the catalyst for changing the landscape of China.

As the lord of Lonely Mountain, Mike naturally had to witness history.

“The Mordor orcs are currently in a phase of building up their strength, so Lonely Mountain should be relatively safe for the time being…” Sophia said. “I will keep an eye on this area for you. On the contrary, you should be extra careful on your trip.”

Sophia had witnessed Gandalf's strength sixty years ago; anything that could cause trouble for him must be quite dangerous.

Therefore, Sophia couldn't help but worry about Mike's safety.

"Don't worry, with my current strength, no one in Middle-earth has been born yet who can threaten me." Mike smiled and shook his head.

It wasn't that he was arrogant; the owner of the One Ring sixty years ago was no match for him, and now he was just a nobody.

As long as Mike doesn't do anything reckless and provoke Ilúvatar, the creator god of Middle-earth, he can be considered "invincible" in this world.

After giving Sophia some instructions, telling her to stay on Lonely Mountain and act according to the situation, Mike opened a portal and went directly to Hobbiton.

At that moment, inside the treehouse in Bag End, the wizard had just handed the envelope containing the One Ring to Frodo when he suddenly heard a faint noise outside the window.

"Who's there?" Gandalf, on edge, suddenly flung open the window.

The One Ring concerns the safety of Middle-earth, and no amount of caution is too much.

However, the view outside the window instantly relaxed the wizard who was ready to fight at any moment.

"Long time no see, Gandalf. You've finally become a white wizard! Congratulations!" Mike, carrying a little guy in his hand, greeted the wizard with a smile.

Upgrading to a white-robed wizard is indeed something to celebrate.

However, having calmed down, Gandalf was now more concerned about Sam's situation, so he asked, "Why did you arrest Sam?"

As I said before, the One Ring is of utmost importance, and the fewer people who know about it, the better.

“So this little guy’s name is Sam.” Mike released the frightened hobbit child and explained, “When I got your message and rushed over, I just happened to see this little guy eavesdropping under the window, so I grabbed him.”

"I...I wasn't eavesdropping. I'm here to see Lord Frodo..." Under the gaze of everyone, the simple-minded Sam couldn't help but feel nervous.

Moreover, his explanation was hardly satisfactory.

So Gandalf pressed on seriously, "Tell me, Sam, what did you just see?"

“I…I saw you hand an envelope to Lord Frodo…and then a phantom door appeared in the courtyard…and then this gentleman walked out of the door…” Upon hearing the question, Sam honestly recounted what he had seen.

To him, both the wizard and Mike, who possessed the portal, were important figures.

He is someone who deserves his respect.

This can be considered the survival wisdom of ordinary people.

However, for Gandalf, Sam's subsequent words were unimportant; what mattered was that Sam had already seen the One Ring.

How to "deal with" the other party, that is the question.

“Gandalf, Sam is my friend, and I trust he won’t tell anyone about the Ring.” Seeing the wizard’s uncertain expression, Frodo quickly pleaded for his friend, “If you’re still worried, why don’t you let him come with me to Mount Doom?”

Although Sam was a servant of the Frodo family, he had a very good relationship with Frodo.

Children don't have so many concerns about personal gain.

Therefore, putting himself in Frodo's shoes, he naturally didn't want to see his playmate suffer.

That's how I came up with this solution.

"Sam, would you like to go to Mount Doom with Frodo?" Gandalf didn't really want to put the simple-minded Sam in a difficult position.

Frodo's suggestion did provide him with a way of thinking.

With Sam joining the Fellowship of the Ring, the matter of eavesdropping was no longer an issue.

"I'm willing. Wherever Frodo goes, I'll go with him." Seeing that things had taken a turn for the better, Sam immediately nodded to show his determination.

Moreover, he never forgot his identity as a servant.

Taking care of Frodo was, in his view, a matter of course.

“Very good.” Gandalf smiled with satisfaction, then looked at Mike who had rushed over and said, “The situation is very bad, I need your help.”

Then, the group entered the treehouse, led by the wizard.

“…I never expected that the ring in Bilbo’s hand would be the One Ring.” After entering the house, Gandalf first explained the situation to Mike, and then continued, “In order to prevent the Dark Lord Sauron from making a comeback, I plan to have Frodo take the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it.”

"This journey is destined to be fraught with danger, so we need more resources to join us."

"Therefore, I want you to take Frodo and Sam to Rivendell first, while I go to gather more men."

The wizard had known all along that Bilbo possessed a magic ring, but he had always assumed it was just an ordinary one.

Therefore, I haven't paid much attention to it.

Now that he knows the ring is the One Ring, he immediately thought of convening the White Council.

They gathered the strength of the humans, elves, dwarves, and wizards of Middle-earth to confront the crisis of the One Ring.

“Actually, I can open a portal and send Frodo directly to Mordor,” Mike suggested, offering a simpler route.

Gandalf was clearly tempted for a moment, but after thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, "The One Ring is of great importance. We need to discuss it with everyone before we can deal with it."

The One Ring not only bound the fate of the Dark Lord Sauron, but also concerned the spiritual energy of Middle-earth.

It sounds mystical, but it's actually because when Ilúvatar was composing the music of Middle-earth, she established the rule that light and darkness should coexist in order to maintain the balance of this continent.

Once the dark forces are completely dismantled, the corresponding spiritual energy will gradually fade away.

The elves can only maintain their vitality and "youth" in an environment blessed with spiritual energy.

Destroying the One Ring would mean depriving the Elves of their right to live in Middle-earth.

This situation was of great importance, and Gandalf naturally dared not make decisions on his own.

Therefore, the purpose of convening the "Holy White Council" was actually to hear the opinions of the elven representatives.

“Alright, I’ll take Frodo and Sam to Rivendell. See you then!” Mike naturally knew the meaning behind the One Ring.

The previous suggestion was simply because the wizards were too cumbersome and indecisive.

However, if he put himself in the other person's shoes, he could understand their "good intentions".

“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Gandalf nodded, then looked at Frodo and Sam who were huddled together, and instructed them, “This is Mike, Lord of Lonely Mountain. He is far stronger than me. So for safety’s sake, no matter what happens next, you two must stay close to him.”

“Mike the Dragon Slayer? I’ve read about your deeds in my uncle’s biography…” After the introduction, Frodo’s gaze was instantly drawn to Mike.

Beside him, Sam also looked on with admiration.

After all, Mike's legendary story had been circulating in Middle-earth for over sixty years.

Now that the legend himself is right in front of us, how can we not be excited?

"Very good, it seems you will get along well." Having achieved his goal, Gandalf left with peace of mind and rode his horse toward the northern highlands.

The members of the White Council are not fixed, so the wizard wants to go to the Northern Highlands to invite Aragorn and Legolas, two newcomers, to join.

……

"Alright, that's about all I have to say about my story. If you want to know anything else, you can ask the others when you get to Rivendell..."

As afternoon approached, and with plenty of time to spare, Mike decided to walk Frodo and Sam to Rivendell.

We can also visit Tom in the old forest on the way.

However, he underestimated his own fame. Ever since the two little ones learned of his identity, they had become incredibly curious along the way.

Sam, with his simple and honest nature, was a bit better, while Frodo was a complete social butterfly.

Before they'd even left the Shire, Mike was already getting annoyed by the other person.

"Could you tell me your dragon-slaying story again? I promise this is the last time." Frodo still looked at Mike with unwavering determination.

His eyes were filled with curiosity and admiration...

Having gotten used to Mike's personality, the little guy wasn't afraid of feeling awkward.

"We need to get going now. I'll tell you the story when I have time next time," Mike said, using stalling tactics to avoid the issue.

Next time for sure ≠ next time for sure.

After saying that, Mike turned to look at the jungle behind him without waiting for Frodo's reaction and shouted, "You two have been following me all this way, aren't you going to come out?"

Upon hearing Mike's shout, Frodo and Sam immediately became alert.