After taking out an Orc squad, everyone was a bit tired and stayed put to rest.
The Dwarves excitedly discussed the recent battle, comparing who had killed more Orcs.
But Gandalf was silently smoking his pipe, head bowed in contemplation, looking somewhat worried.
Luke noticed his expression, walked over, and sat beside him, "Gandalf, what's wrong?"
Facing Luke, Gandalf didn't hide anything. He sighed and said, "Orcs usually live in the Misty Mountains. The fact that we're encountering them in the wilderness now can only mean that the number of Orcs in the Misty Mountains has surged to an enormous amount, forcing them to descend and raid the wilderness."
"If we are to cross the Misty Mountains to the Lonely Mountain, the current situation is not good news for us!"
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"After we cross the Last Great Bridge, I plan to leave temporarily and scout ahead to avoid encountering a large Orc army," Gandalf revealed his plan to Luke.
Luke thought for a moment after hearing this and decided, "I'll go with you then. I have some insights into hidden magic, and even if we encounter an Orc army, I can ensure we get away safely."
As he spoke, he pointed his magic staff at a stone on the ground.
The stone instantly became invisible under their gaze, disappearing without a trace.
However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that the stone hadn't truly become invisible but had blended in with its surroundings like a chameleon, making it very difficult to spot.
Seeing this, Gandalf's eyes lit up, "Luke, how many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?"
So, without anyone else knowing, Gandalf and Luke had already decided to scout ahead.
Once sufficiently rested, everyone set off again.
Over the next few days, they didn't encounter any more Orcs and arrived smoothly at the Last Great Bridge.
The Last Bridge spans the Mineithel River, and east of the bridge lies the Trollshaw.
From here, it was not far to Rivendell and the Misty Mountains.
Before Luke and Gandalf could tell the expedition party about their plan to scout ahead, Thorin and Gandalf had already fallen out.
The cause of the conflict was the map of the Lonely Mountain in Thorin's hand, drawn by Thráin II. The map recorded the location of the secret entrance to the Lonely Mountain, but the password to open the secret entrance was recorded in Moon Letters, which were Dwarf runes.
These Moon Letters were very secretive and difficult to decipher, and their content could only be seen at specific times and under specific conditions.
To unlock the map's secret, Gandalf suggested going to Rivendell and asking Elrond, a renowned Elven sage in Middle-earth, for help with the interpretation.
But Thorin held a grudge against Elves, and in his stubbornness, he refused to go to Elven territory.
"I refuse to go to Rivendell!" Thorin said, "Elven settlements offer no benefit to us Dwarves, and it is currently ruled by Elrond, who is a relative of Gil-galad, and Gil-galad once allied with our enemies!"
The enemy Thorin referred to was Thranduil, the Elven King of the Woodland Realm in Mirkwood.
When Smaug the Dragon occupied the Lonely Mountain, the Dwarves had sought help from the nearby Woodland Realm, but Thranduil refused them.
This was because Thranduil had once commissioned the Lonely Mountain Dwarves to craft a white gemstone necklace for his wife, but the request was refused due to a dispute over payment, which sparked conflict between the Woodland Realm and the Lonely Mountain Dwarves.
"Elrond is a wise and just Elf," Gandalf tried to persuade him, "His domain is a safe place where we can receive advice and assistance. Furthermore, he might be able to decipher the cryptic writing on the map, which is crucial for our journey."
"I don't trust Elves!" Thorin stubbornly insisted, "They always play cunning tricks and use sweet words to deceive people. I don't want to owe them anything, and I certainly don't want them to know our plans."
"That's prejudice, Thorin," Gandalf said sternly, "Not all Elves are your enemies. Elrond is one of the wisest individuals in Middle-earth; he has a profound understanding of ancient knowledge. We need his help, otherwise, we might encounter even more dangers and difficulties on our journey."
"I would rather face danger than bow to an Elf!" Thorin replied, showing no intention of compromising.
"You're simply a hard, stinky rock!" Gandalf was so exasperated by Thorin's stubbornness that he felt a heart attack coming on, shaking his head and turning to leave.
"Gandalf, where are you going?" Bilbo asked.
"To scout ahead, lest certain stubborn individuals complain there isn't enough danger."
Gandalf stopped and turned to Luke.
"Luke, you come with me."
"Ah? Okay."
Luke glanced at Bilbo, signaling him not to worry, "You watch my carriage for a bit; I'm going to check ahead with Gandalf."
With that, he followed the fuming Gandalf, leaving the party.
Seeing the two people closest to him leave, Bilbo looked awkwardly at the Dwarves, unsure what to say.
He could only huddle in Luke's carriage, trying to make himself invisible.
Thorin, however, showed no reaction to Gandalf and Luke's departure, busying himself with directing the Dwarves to rest in place.
Ahead,
After they could no longer see Thorin's party behind them.
The anger on Gandalf's face instantly vanished, and he said to Luke, "No matter what, we must go to Rivendell. Only Elrond can decipher the cryptic writing on the map; otherwise, even if we reach the Lonely Mountain, we'll have no way in."
Seeing the anger vanish from Gandalf's face, Luke asked curiously, "You weren't angry?"
Gandalf shook his head, "Not exactly angry, just finding a reason to leave temporarily. These Dwarves are as stubborn and irritating as a rock stuck under an Orc's backside; if I bothered to get angry with them, I'd have died of rage countless times already."
To use such adjectives, it seems he was still a bit angry. Luke listened with amusement to Gandalf's disingenuous words.
"Gandalf, we're out now. What should we do next? Are we really just scouting ahead?"
"We can't rejoin them yet," Gandalf said, "Thorin is extremely stubborn. Unless we knock him out, he'll be very difficult to convince to go to Rivendell, so we need an opportune moment to change his mind."
"What opportune moment?"
"An opportune moment that puts them in crisis. Only after he encounters an insurmountable danger will he change his stubborn mind."
"You want them to encounter danger?" Luke's eyes widened, looking at Gandalf in disbelief.
"This is the Troll Forest, and it's not far from the Misty Mountains; it's hard not to encounter danger here," Gandalf said with a smile. "Though it sounds a bit boastful, if we were with them, those dangers would be easily handled, and that wouldn't put enough pressure on them."
"So I had to pull you out first, then protect them from the shadows, as long as we ensure their lives aren't in danger, it'll be fine."
I didn't expect you to be like this, Gandalf! Luke secretly clicked his tongue.
But he still frowned slightly, "What about Bilbo? Why didn't you call him out earlier? He has to suffer with the Dwarves?"
"That would be too obvious!" Gandalf shook his head, "Bilbo needs to grow. He can't rely on us too much, and shared hardships will strengthen his relationship with the Dwarves and improve their teamwork, which will be more helpful for our journey ahead."
Alright, poor Bilbo. Luke could only mourn for him for a few seconds.
Although the plan was to let Thorin and his companions suffer a bit, Gandalf and Luke still didn't forget to scout ahead.
Though the two were walking, their speed was not slow.
Especially when he was with Gandalf, influenced by the power of narya, the Ring of Fire, Luke felt no fatigue at all.
Luke could only express his envy for this.
He really wanted such a divine artifact too.
Unfortunately, the three Elven Rings were all in the hands of three powerful individuals, so he had no chance of obtaining them.
No wonder Saruman, the White Wizard, became jealous and estranged from Gandalf after Círdan bestowed narya, the Ring of Fire, upon Gandalf.
Who wouldn't want such a divine artifact?
Thinking this, he also recalled the one ring.
Currently, this ring was still in Gollum's hands in the Misty Mountains, but it wouldn't be long before it fell into Bilbo's hands.
This made him somewhat curious about the one ring's abilities.
After all, this ring was rumored to be more powerful than the Three Elven Rings, but in Bilbo's hands, it seemed to have no other abilities besides helping him become invisible.
However, as soon as he thought of the one ring's power to corrupt the mind, which even Gandalf, Galadriel, and others dared not touch, he dismissed the idea.
He didn't believe he would be stronger than Gandalf or Galadriel, or immune to the one ring's power.
Luke and Gandalf walked along the main road until dark, until they passed an unnamed small village.
But what made Luke and Gandalf's expressions grow increasingly solemn was that this small village was severely damaged, and not a single person was to be seen.
And judging from the signs of destruction, the damage was not very old, likely within recent times.
It was unknown whether the villagers had already suffered misfortune or had fortunately escaped.
Luke and Gandalf hoped for the latter.
But when they walked into the village and saw some bloodstains and untouched furniture, their mood also became heavy.
Clearly, the people here were more likely to have met with misfortune.
Gandalf carefully examined the traces of destruction, then said with a somewhat heavy tone, "The destructive power is great, and there are huge footprints. This must have been done by Trolls."
The two silently left the village and continued walking, encountering several more small villages along the way.
But without exception, all were severely damaged, and there was not a single person in the villages.
Their moods grew increasingly heavy.
"The previous plan is canceled!" Gandalf suddenly said to Luke, "Our top priority is to find the Trolls that destroyed the villages. They kidnapped quite a few villagers, and it hasn't been long, so there might still be hope for survival."
Luke naturally had no objection.
The two stopped walking forward and instead changed direction, heading deeper into the Troll Forest, tracking the Trolls' footprints as they searched.
The deeper they went, they continued until midnight, just when they thought they would find their target.
They encountered a large swamp.
Looking at the swamp before them, Gandalf frowned deeply.
The swamp was muddy, and the Trolls' footprints were submerged by the accumulated water, so the trail ended here.
Luke also remained silent. He remembered that there was a guiding spell in Harry Potter, but the problem was that he hadn't learned it yet, so he was willing but powerless.
[Hogwarts Sign-in System: Troll Forest located. Sign in?]
The system suddenly gave a prompt.
Luke was stunned for a moment, then quickly chanted inwardly, "Sign in!"
[Sign-in successful. Congratulations on obtaining the Parseltongue talent!]
Parseltongue talent? Luke was somewhat astonished, not expecting to obtain this from the sign-in.
But he waited for a while and didn't find anything extra.
Could it have failed? That shouldn't be.
"Alas~" Gandalf let out a long sigh, looking somewhat disappointed, "Luke, we can only rely on luck now to see if we can find the Trolls' cave quickly."
"Uh, Gandalf, I have a method I can try, but I don't know if it will succeed…" Luke suddenly spoke with some uncertainty.
"You have a method?" Gandalf's eyes lit up, staring at him intently.
Luke felt a bit less confident under Gandalf's gaze, nodding, "I don't know if it will succeed, it's just a try."
They say swamps are where insects and snakes gather, so Luke tried to imagine himself as a snake and shouted towards the swamp, "Are there any snakes?"
Just as Luke awkwardly thought he had spoken human language.
From Gandalf's perspective, he saw Luke hissing at the swamp.
The sound contained power, sounding cold and slimy, like the intimidating hiss of a venomous snake flicking its tongue, making one feel uneasy and mysterious upon hearing it.
"What language is that?" Gandalf asked in surprise, "It sounds like a snake hissing."
Luke also realized that he had indeed spoken Parseltongue just now, and with a surge of joy, he explained, "This is Parseltongue, or snake language. It allows me to communicate with snakes."
And just as Du Yui was explaining, there was movement in the swamp. Countless snakes emerged from the water and grass, including water snakes, poisonous snakes, Pythons, all gathering towards Luke.
The dense mass of snakes of all sizes made one's scalp tingle and gave them goosebumps.
Seeing this situation, Gandalf was surprised and implied, "I'm afraid it's not just communication with snakes, is it?"
However, Luke's attention was not on Gandalf at the moment, so he didn't quite hear his words. He hadn't expected so many snakes to live in the swamp, especially now that he possessed the Parseltongue talent; he only felt a cacophony of sounds around him.
"Hey, human, did you summon us? Why can you speak our snake language?" A water snake asked, raising its head.
"I was just making babies with Little Red, and this hateful human summoned us. I really want to bite him!" A bright green poisonous snake hissed unhappily in threat, but didn't dare to actually bite.
"I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten in over a month. Human, can you give me that old man to eat? I promise I'll be good to you…" A Python as thick as a water bucket and over ten meters long said hungrily.
…
Luke only felt his head buzzing and immediately shouted, "Be quiet!"
A hissing Parseltongue sound came from Luke's mouth, and all the snakes seemed to be controlled by some power, instantly becoming silent and slithering limply on the ground.
Luke gradually adapted to the Parseltongue talent. He immediately commanded the snakes, "Which of you knows the location of the nearby Trolls' cave? Lead us there immediately!"
The hungry Python was the first to reply, "I know where the Trolls are! As long as you give me food, I'll take you there right away."
Luke raised an eyebrow.
It even knows how to make demands? It seems to be a smart snake.
He smiled and agreed, "As long as you lead us, when we take care of the Trolls later, the entire Troll will be left for you to eat, how about that?"
"Really? You can take down the Trolls?" The Python expressed doubt.
"Of course it's true. I'm a Wizard. Otherwise, why would I be able to talk to you?"
"Then I'll believe you!" The Python nodded, then turned its bowl-sized head towards Gandalf, its gaze covetous.
"But can't you give me the old man next to you first? I know several Troll caves, and there are many shiny things inside, which I think are things you humans like. I can take you to get them, how about that?"
Luke's mouth twitched upon hearing this, and he glanced at the oblivious Gandalf beside him.
It seemed he had spoken too soon; this snake had a brain, but not much.
"Alright, stop wasting time, lead the way!" Luke didn't waste any more words and urged it quickly.
The Python could not disobey the Parseltongue command and immediately turned to lead the way in a certain direction in the swamp.
The other snakes scattered and left.
Luke immediately turned to Gandalf and said, "Let's go, Gandalf. This Python knows the location of the Trolls' cave, we'll just follow it."
As he spoke, he waved his wand, and a sturdy stone slab bridge appeared in the muddy swamp.
Luke stepped onto the stone slab bridge and followed the Python's direction.
"Wonderful magic! Amazing language!"
Gandalf exclaimed in admiration, then also stepped onto the stone slab bridge and followed closely.
Following the leading Python, Luke and Gandalf traversed the swamp, heading deep into the dense forest.
The Python was a chatterbox, and being ravenously hungry, it constantly tried to persuade Luke to feed Gandalf, the old man, to it while leading the way.
Although Gandalf didn't understand snake language, he vaguely guessed the reason as the Python repeatedly looked at him.
He wasn't angry about it; instead, he chuckled and asked, "Luke, what is this snake saying to you? Why do I feel like it's looking at me as if I'm a snack?"
Luke had no intention of keeping the Python's secret and directly said with a helpless expression, "This is just a stupid snake with a not-so-bright mind; it's trying to convince me to trade the Trolls' cave treasure for my permission to let it eat you."
"Oh, it seems I, an old man, am quite valuable, even worth the Trolls' treasure," Gandalf said amusingly, chuckling.
After walking for about an hour, the Python suddenly stopped, looking warily ahead, and then said to Luke, "Ahead is a Trolls' cave. Their eyes are very sharp; I dare not go any further."
Then it asked uneasily, "Don't let the Trolls eat you! You promised to let me eat you. I've been hungry for so long and now crawled such a long way; I'm almost starving to death..."
"Got it, quiet down!" Luke whispered.
He told the Python to wait quietly there for them, then Luke turned to Gandalf and said, "According to the Python, ahead is a Trolls' cave."
Gandalf didn't make the decision; instead, he asked Luke, "What do you plan to do?"
Luke was already prepared, "We'll first sneak into the cave to check the situation. If we find any surviving villagers, we'll rescue them first and then deal with the Trolls."
"Then let's do as you say." Gandalf had no objections; this rescue mission was led by Luke.
Seeing Gandalf agree to his plan, he didn't delay, pointing the tip of his wand at himself and mumbling.
An invisible magical force fell upon him, and Luke felt as if a stream of icy liquid had been poured over him from head to toe, his body covered by a layer of cold fluid membrane, and then his entire body gradually became ethereal and invisible.
To be precise, it wasn't true invisibility but rather a blending with the surrounding environment; when moving quickly, a faint curved outline could still be seen.
This was the effect of the Disillusionment Charm, which could deceive vision and achieve an effect of invisibility.
However, the effect of this Disillusionment Charm obviously could not deceive Gandalf's eyes. His gaze remained fixed on Luke's position, and he said impatiently, "Give me one to try too!"
Luke also cast the Disillusionment Charm on Gandalf.
Then the two invisible figures quietly approached the Trolls' cave.
The place where the Trolls lived was an extremely large natural cave, deep and dark but faintly glowing with a little firelight.
Luke and his companion did not stop, walking straight into the cave.
However, as soon as they entered, they were greeted by a foul stench that almost made him vomit.
All over the ground were various bone fragments, from different animals, but also clearly human.
These remnants, left after being eaten by the Trolls, were scattered everywhere, emitting a putrid and foul odor, compounded by excrement and so on—the smell was simply awful!
Forcing down the stench, Luke and Gandalf continued deeper.
Until they reached a very spacious cave hall, their eyes met a huge bonfire in the center of the cave, around which sat five Trolls.
These Trolls were enormous, standing five or six meters tall, with dark green skin covered in thick scales, like Giants.
At this moment, these Trolls were sitting around, and above the bonfire in their center, a large pot was set up, with one of the Trolls constantly stirring the soup with a huge spoon.
And next to the bonfire, there was also a pile of blood-stained clothes.
"Is it ready yet? I'm so hungry!" one of the Trolls grumbled, his stomach rumbling loudly.
The other Trolls were also full of impatience.
Luke's pupils constricted when he saw that pile of clothes, and his mood became heavy.
What was boiling in that pot was self-evident.
"First, let's look for anyone still alive nearby," Gandalf's faint voice came from beside him.
Luke nodded slightly. He slowly retreated, leaning against the cave wall, searching for signs of living people in the dimly lit cave hall.
The cave hall was a labyrinth, connecting to several other caves.
Gandalf and Luke split up, each choosing a cave to explore.
The cave was deep, and Luke walked for quite a while before reaching its end.
It was unclear if it was luck, but this cave contained various items collected by the Trolls, with many old armors and weapons piled together, seemingly from humans, Elves, Orcs, and Dwarves.
In addition, there were gold and silver coins and other valuable items like jewelry scattered all over the ground.
While delighted to see the treasure, the most important task at hand was to find people, so Luke temporarily withdrew from the treasure cave, deciding to take these treasures after dealing with the Trolls.
Switching to another cave, Luke and Gandalf met up.
"How is it? Did you find anything?" Gandalf asked quietly.
"I didn't find anyone. That cave contained the Trolls' treasure, only some gold, silver, and jewels," Luke replied, shaking his head, then asked back, "What about you? Gandalf, did you find anything in that cave?"
Gandalf's tone was difficult to describe, "I wasn't as lucky as you. The cave I chose was where the Trolls relieved themselves. Oh... what a nightmare!"
The oppressive and heavy atmosphere instantly lightened a bit, and a hint of a smile appeared on Luke's face, feeling both sympathy and amusement for Gandalf's plight.
This time, the two decided to go together, entering the remaining cave.
This time, the two finally discovered signs of living people.
At the end of the cave, a huge cage had been built.
And inside the cage, the missing villagers were imprisoned.
The villagers were emaciated, their faces filled with fear, despair, and numbness, like soulless living dead, huddled blankly in the cage.
It wasn't until they heard the movements of Luke and Gandalf that a ripple of terror appeared on their numb faces. Mistaking them for Trolls coming to eat people again, the villagers shrank back in fear, waiting in despair for their fate.
Seeing this scene, Luke and Gandalf sighed deeply in their hearts. Luke lifted the spell on both of them, revealing their figures under a faint glow.
Seeing that it was Luke and Gandalf, two humans, the villagers in the cage were in disbelief, and amidst their surprise, a glimmer of hope surged within them.
"I am Gandalf, the Grey Wizard, and this is Luke, the Black Wizard. We are here to rescue you," Gandalf said with a kind and benevolent expression, injecting strength of hope and courage into the villagers' hearts, giving the numb villagers a spark of life.