Saruman's greed ultimately brought disaster upon himself.
A painful disaster at that.
However, Levi was not the bandit Saruman called him. Friendly sparring aside, he still left what Saruman wanted.
At most, this could be considered a 'reasonable forced transaction.'
Actually, if they truly fought in a normal environment, with Saruman's powerful magic, he would not necessarily be at much of a disadvantage.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs.
Outside the tower, Saruman snorted coldly, carrying the beacon back to the secret chamber to begin examining it.
Meanwhile, Levi returned with a white gem shaped like a star, the Elendilmir—somewhat similar in appearance to a nether star.
"My lord, your letter."
Upon hearing of Levi's return, the messenger from Gondor immediately sought him out, personally delivering the letter into his hands.
It bore a clear signature: Turgon.
"Thank you for your efforts. Give my regards to your Steward."
The messenger bowed slightly.
At the city gate, he looked back somewhat reluctantly at this brand-new city.
This lord's territory was indeed different from other places.
The entire territory showed almost no luxury or extravagance, yet everywhere displayed abundance. Money held little value here—more prized were the creations of talented hands, like reliefs carved from ordinary stone on walls, or those unadorned paintings in galleries.
In terms of treatment, even as a royal messenger, he received no special privileges—things were as they were.
Though no one provided elaborate services, anything desired could be obtained through honest labor.
Citizens showed no wariness toward him, this conspicuous foreigner—as if he were a neighbor.
Quite remarkable.
But remarkable as it was, home still called from afar.
After his musings, the messenger mounted his horse and galloped toward his homeland.
In the castle, Levi opened the letter.
Formulaic greetings followed, patterns quite similar to Ecthelion's correspondence.
Truly father and son.
"Oh?"
Seeing the important content, Levi sat up slightly.
"All of Gondor's ports are open to us."
This way, a new fixed maritime trade route could be planned. Graduates of the maritime program could try their hands, regularly traveling there to exchange experiences with Gondor's veteran sailors.
This matter should be entrusted to...
Levi instinctively wanted to call some familiar names but suddenly froze.
Those he knew best—like Vader, the initial community representative, and Taber, Roadside Keep University's first principal—had both already retired.
Their ages were simply too advanced. They were overwhelmed by increasingly numerous affairs.
"That's fine."
Let these Roadside Keep veterans rest.
They were all honest souls who had diligently contributed while able, never causing trouble.
"I should visit them."
Levi stored the letter in the corresponding sorting box. Afterward, he headed to Roadside Keep to visit these two men he knew best.
"Long time no see. I heard you retired?"
In Vader's backyard, Levi sat in a chair, speaking with the old man opposite him, who had obviously aged much compared to a decade ago.
"Yes, my lord. I retired a year ago."
Vader stood with his cane, wanting to bow.
"No need—sit comfortably."
"Hahaha..."
Vader sat down laughing, though the sound was breathless.
"Time truly shows no mercy, my lord. In the blink of an eye, I can barely stand up."
He looked at Levi's completely unchanged face, somewhat dazed.
"While you remain as always."
Levi shook his head and smiled along, though he was not quite sure what he was smiling about.
After a long silence, he finally said, "Relax and enjoy life."
"I am very happy, my lord," Vader said. "The most relaxed time of my life is right now."
"That's good."
Levi suddenly asked, "Do you have anything you want to do?"
"Things I want to do..." Vader looked at the golden giant tree beside Roadside Keep, thinking. "Nothing more, my lord."
"If I must say something, I hope I can see more of everything here... and you."
Levi nodded silently.
Moments later, he left Vader's home and looked in on Taber's house, but no one was home.
After asking around, he learned this fellow had been working on something at the school whenever he had time recently.
Though retired and no longer principal, his contributions from the school's founding were undeniable, so everyone indulged him.
Rustle.
Books in the school library turned as an old man wearing spectacles struggled to focus on the text.
"What are you doing?"
In the quiet library, this familiar voice was quite abrupt.
Taber looked up, instinctively wanting to admonish this person not to speak loudly in the library, but when he raised his head, he suddenly forgot what he had been thinking.
"My lord, what brings you here?"
Taber pushed back his chair with a clang and stood—making far more noise than Levi's speaking voice.
"Nothing serious—just came to see how you have been recently."
"I am honored."
Taber bowed slightly, still somewhat dazed.
Both sat down.
"I have been quite well recently, my lord. It's just... I cannot seem to stay idle. I am not used to days without books nearby—I need to read something to sleep well at night."
"That's also good. What's that over there?"
Taber followed Levi's gaze.
"Oh, that's my diary—records of some memorable moments, small things mostly."
He caressed the diary, saying, "You know, I have spent my whole life alone. Before, such things never appeared in my mind, but now... I always think it would be good to leave something behind."
"Then do it—just do it."
Taber smiled warmly.
"How wonderful—now I have one more thing to write about."
Taber, Vader.
This group were the territory's oldest people—the very oldest.
Standing at the school gate for a while, Levi walked toward military camps and various training facilities.
"Not here either."
Falodan, like himself, enjoyed wandering around aimlessly.
The only difference was if something truly required finding him, he definitely could be found—he appeared regularly at certain locations at fixed intervals.
"Never mind, let him discover it for himself."
Shaking his head, Levi took the Star of Elendil, mounted his horse, and headed straight east.
Directly to Rivendell.
This year, Aragorn was twenty-one years old.
That boy who once would not let anyone hold him had grown into a man.
And certain truths were about to be revealed.