Although not quite on par with the same species of trees in Valinor, the mallorn trees of Lothlórien were still tall and magnificent. Most of the dwellings of the Galadhrim were built high in their branches.
"Maybe those trees could substitute for Silverwood..."
After all, both species were rich in magical properties and possessed certain purifying powers, their natures were just too similar.
Thus, Lothlórien became a destination he must visit.
Garrett had not forgotten that back in Rivendell, Lady Galadriel had extended an invitation to visit the Golden Wood, but he had never managed to find the time.
Perhaps it was time to pay that visit.
And so, a journey to Lothlórien was planned.
But before that, he returned to his tower and gathered a collection of materials.
Amber, wool, silk thread, powdered quartz, gold ingots...
After assembling the materials, he forged gold particles to craft an ordinary pure gold ring. He placed the ring on the central pedestal of the infusion altar, then arranged the other materials on the auxiliary pedestals surrounding it.
He then moved to the distillation area to extract the required aspects, storing them in labeled jars.
Potentia (energy), Praecantatio (magic), Tutamen (armor).
These three aspects would compensate for his final weakness, his lack of magical defense.
Standing before the runic matrix of the infusion altar, he let out a thoughtful sigh.
Saruman had spent a long time trying to emulate Sauron's craft, forging rings imbued with magical power. But he would never have imagined that someone he considered a simple warrior would surpass his efforts and create something similar today.
"Runic Shielding."
Hum.
As the matrix activated, the materials on the side pedestals gradually dissolved and transformed into their most basic essentia, which was then infused into the gold ring at the center.
Then came the purified aspects from the jars, flowing into the ring.
With the stabilizing influence of the tallow candles, the infusion process proceeded smoothly, without any unexpected complications.
Whoosh.
Soon, the runic matrix ceased its operation, and the ring at the center emitted a soft, golden glow.
After infusion, the ring looked very different from its plain original form. It was now a gold band embedded with shimmering amber particles. Its luster was a vivid, golden hue with hints of orange fire.
Gold served as the physical structure, and amber carried the magical aspects, thus, a protective ring was completed.
He slipped the ring onto his finger and immediately felt a warm current emanating from it.
As the vis stored in his staff was absorbed, faint golden runes spread from the ring, climbing across his entire body to form a transparent magical barrier.
After a brief flicker, the golden shield faded from view.
It would only reappear when the wearer was attacked, automatically shielding him from harm.
[Ring of Runic Shielding +5]
This ring provided 5 points of magical protection, enough to absorb 5 points of damage. Once depleted, it would gradually regenerate by drawing vis from his staff.
Without hesitation, he crafted another ring, as well as an amulet and a girdle.
Two rings, one amulet, and one girdle, that was the maximum number of accessories that could be worn effectively. Additional pieces would interfere with each other.
Together, they provided a total of 28 shield points.
After completing the runic set, he upgraded them, giving each a special effect.
When the girdle's shield was broken, it would release a knockback wave that pushed nearby enemies away. When a ring's shield was depleted, it would provide a healing effect. If the amulet's shield was broken, it would immediately regenerate a temporary 8-point runic barrier.
Now, he felt confident about facing a group of Nazgûl.
Their abilities were no longer an unsolvable threat. Even without Gandalf present, their curses, mental assaults, magical damage, and martial prowess... Well, they were still formidable opponents, but at least now, he had a proper way to handle them, instead of just relying on raw milk-powered brute force.
"Finally..."
Letting out a breath of relief, he removed all his research equipment, organized his inventory, and gave himself a long, satisfying stretch.
Doing research while confined to a tower was truly exhausting, mainly because it was so mentally taxing.
It was hard to imagine how Saruman could remain locked in Orthanc for decades pursuing his research, all for the sake of crafting rings of power. Of course, the rings he was researching were definitely different from what Garrett had made. What he sought was a ring of great power comparable to the Three Elven Rings.
If he saw Garrett's ring, he might find it clever and intriguing, but he certainly wouldn't consider it what he was pursuing. After all, aside from its magical defense function, the ring served no other purpose.
It was a fine, clear day when Garrett stepped out of the tower and walked to the gates of Wayfort.
Upon seeing their long-absent lord return, the guards quickly opened the gates to welcome him back into the settlement. The residents had long grown accustomed to Garrett's sudden disappearances and reappearances.
Usually, the townspeople were all quite happy to see their lord return. But today, there was one exception, the resident in charge of caring for Wormi.
During the time Garrett was immersed in research in his tower, there were occasions when he was too absorbed, either distilling essentia or calibrating magical apparatus, and twice forgot to feed Wormi. So he had entrusted the dragon to a resident who had earned high standing in the community.
As soon as that resident heard Garrett had returned, he hurriedly sought him out and bowed his head in guilt.
"My lord, I must confess something."
"What's the matter?"
Garrett had an uneasy feeling.
"The creature you entrusted to my care, Wormi, it, it..."
"What happened? Is something wrong?"
"No, not exactly... I don't even know how to explain it. But I swear, I never denied Wormi a single meal. I always let it eat as much as it wanted, whatever it preferred, until it was completely satisfied. And we got along wonderfully, it was very affectionate with me. It's just, it's just..."
Before he could finish, a small figure came bounding from the distance, flapping its wings and thumping along on its hind legs, and crashed directly into Garrett's leg, rubbing against him enthusiastically.
"There, there."
Garrett patted Wormi on the head and examined it carefully. Judging by its size, it had clearly been well-fed during this time. It also looked lively and in good spirits, clearly happy.
"This seems perfectly fine to me."
He looked at the caretaker with confusion. Why was he acting like he'd done something wrong?
Until Wormi made a sound from its throat.
"Woof!"
He burst into laughter.
The caretaker quickly explained, flustered, "It's my fault. Please punish me. I didn't supervise Wormi carefully enough and allowed it to befriend a dog from the neighboring house."
"Woof!"
Speak of the dog, and there it appeared.
Wormi, who had been clinging to Garrett's leg, turned and happily bounded over to the approaching dog, the two of them playing together.
"It's fine, really. I don't blame you. If it likes to play, let it play. After all, there aren't any of its own kind around to teach it what to do."
"And it's not even half a year old yet, it definitely needs a playmate."
Feeling somewhat amused, he comforted the worried caretaker and sent him back to his duties. Not long after, the dog and Wormi returned, one dragon and one dog, and sat obediently before Garrett.
He reached out both hands, one to stroke the dragon's head, the other to pet the dog, and took the opportunity to observe Wormi's new companion.
It was a calm, well-behaved dog, intelligent, good-tempered, affectionate, and not aggressive. Or rather, it at least knew when to be protective and when to be gentle.
Clearly, it had been well-trained by its owner. But… it looked like it was getting on in years.
"Ah..."
Feeding the dog a piece of meat, he rubbed Wormi's scaly head and sighed.
"Why'd you have to pick it to play with?"
"After all, you're going to live so long..."
Like the Elves, dragons possessed no natural lifespan limit.
They were, for all practical purposes, immortal.