As for using the Dark Arts, none of them were people who rigidly adhered to a black-and-white philosophy.
Then, to the surprise of Luke and the others, Galadriel handed the crystal phial containing eärendil's light to Luke.
"Take it."
"The Dark Arts can corrupt one's heart and easily lead one astray. eärendil's light will help you stay in the light and not easily fall into darkness."
"Madam, this is truly too precious," Luke felt this gift was too significant and was a bit hesitant to accept it.
After all, he had personally witnessed Galadriel use it to defeat the Dark Lord Sauron.
Galadriel pressed the crystal phial into Luke's hand, her smile brooking no refusal.
"Consider it payment for the Potion you gave me just now."
"This—thank you, Madam!"
Luke still accepted the crystal phial containing eärendil's light and remembered this favor.
They did not linger long in Dol Guldur.
The Brown Wizard Radagast was returning to his forest home to continue his companionship with the plants and animals.
Elrond and Glorfindel, at Galadriel's invitation, were preparing to stay in Lórien for a period to discuss plans for dealing with Sauron.
Luke and Gandalf declined Galadriel's invitation to be her guests in Lórien, preparing instead to catch up with Thorin and his company.
This time, Gandalf was not imprisoned by Sauron in Dol Guldur as in the original fate, waiting until later for the White Council members to rescue him. So this time, they only spent a few days.
Judging by the speed and route of the expedition, Thorin and his company probably hadn't even left Mirkwood yet.
After parting ways, Luke and Gandalf hitched a ride on Radagast's rabbit-drawn sleigh.
Radagast truly lived up to his reputation as Middle-earth's speed demon, driving the rabbit-drawn sleigh through the forest at breakneck speed, narrowly avoiding trees each time, causing Luke and Gandalf to constantly exclaim in surprise.
He successfully delivered Luke and Gandalf to the old Mirkwood road before bidding them farewell and returning.
"Phew, that was truly exhilarating. My old heart can't take it."
Gandalf patted his chest with lingering fear, and after catching his breath, he said,
"Let's go. We need to speed up. I don't know where Bilbo and the others are now. I hope we can catch up."
Luke thought for a moment; he seemed to recall that Thorin's company first encountered giant spiders in Mirkwood, then ran into the Elves of the Woodland Realm, and were imprisoned in the dungeons by Thranduil?
If that were the case, they shouldn't have gone far.
Luke pulled out the Palantír, "We'll know where they are by using the Palantír."
Gandalf stopped him, shaking his head with a serious expression: "The Palantír is not omnipotent, Luke. This forest has a master."
"If you use the Palantír to spy on the forest, its master will see it as a provocation and cause unnecessary trouble!"
Upon hearing this, Luke also remembered the situation when Gandalf had detected him using the Palantír earlier.
He immediately put the Palantír away again.
The Elves in Mirkwood, from top to bottom, were not known for their good tempers.
If the Elf King noticed, it would truly be troublesome.
The two walked along the old Mirkwood road, also known as the Elf road.
Seeing the trees along the way looking as if they were sick, lifeless, and the air not fresh, carrying a smell of decay and corruption, both their expressions became somewhat solemn.
"Be careful not to inhale too much air. This place has been contaminated by Dark Arts. Too much inhalation will cause dizziness and hallucinations," Gandalf reminded, covering his nose with his sleeve.
Then he murmured worriedly, "I just hope the Dwarves haven't inhaled too much poisonous air and gone astray, otherwise it will be troublesome!"
Luke smelled the air and couldn't help but frown, waving his wand towards his face.
A transparent bubble enveloped his head, instantly isolating the contaminated air outside.
"Gandalf, do you need one?"
"I'd be delighted." Gandalf's eyes lit up when he saw the bubble on Luke's head.
Luke waved his wand and also added a bubble over Gandalf's head.
This was the Bubble-Head Charm Luke had learned from the Book of Spells, originally used for breathing underwater, but now it was perfectly suited for this purpose.
The two continued to hurry forward, each with a transparent bubble over their heads, until they arrived at a broken bridge.
Looking at the broken bridge before them, Gandalf immediately felt a bad premonition, his face filled with worry,
"It seems what I've been worrying about has come true!"
"They couldn't cross the bridge, so they must have chosen another way to cross the river."
His gaze constantly scanned the surroundings, and he soon found traces not far from the bridge; there were some vines that could be used to cross the river,
And on the vines, he found mud and signs of climbing.
While Gandalf was searching for clues about Bilbo and his company, Luke went to the riverbank, used Transfiguration to conjure several bottles, and carefully filled them with river water.
The water in this river was contaminated by Dark Arts, not only having a hallucinogenic effect but also causing immediate unconsciousness upon contact, making it easy to fall into the river and drown.
Its effect was comparable to the sleeping Potion Luke made.
Luke was very curious about this river water and planned to collect several bottles to take with him, for research or for hypnotizing enemies, both excellent choices.
"Luke, it's time to go. We need to find Bilbo and his company as soon as possible," Gandalf called out.
"Okay, coming!" Luke put the bottles of river water into his spatial pouch and then quickly walked towards Gandalf.
"Reparo!" Luke waved his wand at the broken bridge.
The broken bridge quickly repaired itself to its complete state.
The two crossed the stone bridge and quickened their pace.
However, for the rest of the journey, neither of them found any signs of recent passage.
This meant that after crossing the river, they had not returned to the old Mirkwood road but had gone elsewhere.
Seeing Gandalf's worry, Luke comforted him: "Don't worry too much, Gandalf. Perhaps they just didn't take the main road, and they might be ahead of us right now."
"And I also have a spell here that can try to locate them."
Upon hearing this, Gandalf's eyes lit up, looking at Luke with hope.
"Luke, what spell do you have? Try it quickly!"
"This is my first time using it, and I can't guarantee immediate success." Luke did not give a guarantee. Although he had seen this spell in the Book of Spells, he had never cast it before.
He cleared his throat, then, following the casting movements in the Book of Spells, he waved his wand, thinking of Bilbo, and chanted: "Point Me!"
A blue line of light shot from the tip of his wand, the other end disappearing into the unknown depths of Mirkwood.
Watching the light point towards the true north of Mirkwood, Gandalf and Luke exchanged glances.
While not completely off-course from the direction of the Lonely Mountain, it was still a significant deviation.
If the direction indicated was correct, then Thorin and his company were lost.
Gandalf sighed deeply: "Let's go, let's see where they've gotten lost to?"
The two then left the old road and entered Mirkwood along the direction indicated by the wand.
With the wand's guidance, the two had a clear objective and rushed towards Bilbo's location at the fastest possible speed.
The deeper they went, the denser the forest became. The sky was covered by thick leaves, making it almost impossible for any light to penetrate.
Not to mention the numerous spiderwebs, sealing many areas so tightly that no wind could pass through.
Hmm? Spiderwebs! Luke immediately realized and became alert.
"Luke, have you found something?" Gandalf noticed Luke's abnormality.
Luke pointed to the dense spiderwebs on the trees: "Gandalf, it seems we've arrived at the lair of the giant spiders, those descendants of Ungoliant that Radagast mentioned."
Before he could finish speaking, rustling sounds came from all around, like the heavy, sticky scraping of limbs across the ground or branches.
Countless giant spiders emerged from the trees and the ground, surrounding them from all directions, their numerous eyes glinting, eyeing them hungrily with desire.
Gandalf's face changed when he saw hundreds of Giant Spiders surrounding them, and he immediately drew his Glamdring to face the enemy.
The Giant Spiders were enormous, with the largest almost the size of a small house, and even the smallest over two meters tall, with leg spans reaching several meters, emanating a strong aura of Dark Arts.
They had numerous eyes on their heads, densely clustered into two large groups, releasing dizzying and hallucinatory magic.
Part of the reason Mirkwood became what it is today was due to these Giant Spiders.
As descendants of the evil god Ungoliant, these Giant Spiders were not only massive in size, with tough hides and extremely poisonous stingers, but also exhaled toxic breath.
The dizzying and hallucinatory air permeating Mirkwood was contaminated by the Giant Spiders, and many trees had been poisoned to death and withered.
Many creatures in the forest suffered destruction and were forced to migrate.
For example, the Elves of the Woodland Realm, who lived in Mirkwood, originally had the entire Mirkwood as their range of activity, but after the Giant Spiders invaded, they had to shrink their range, confining themselves to the area north of the Old Forest Road.
But now, the Giant Spiders had already crossed the Old Forest Road and were continuing to approach the Elves' living area.
Luke and Gandalf now had the Bubble-Head Charm to isolate the toxic air outside, so one of the Giant Spiders' major weapons was ineffective against them.
However, seeing so many Giant Spiders surrounding them, they still felt a bit troubled.
More importantly, Gandalf was very concerned about the safety of Bilbo and the Dwarves.
Although Giant Spiders cannot speak, they possess intelligence like Werewolves, and are very cunning and cruel, understanding how to cooperate with each other.
Perhaps sensing that the two were difficult to deal with, the Giant Spiders did not rush forward en masse, but instead sprayed thick, rope-like webs at them from a distance.
It seemed they intended to weave a net from the webs to trap the two, then capture them like a turtle in a jar.
"Protego!" Luke immediately cast a magical barrier on himself and Gandalf.
The webs were blocked outside the barrier, forming a giant spiderweb covering the barrier.
The Giant Spiders, feeling it was not enough, continued to spit out webs, weaving huge spiderwebs to trap them in the net.
Gandalf raised Glamdring and swung it forcefully at the webs, almost bouncing back.
The webs were hard and elastic; the sharp Elven sword striking the webs was like hitting a super elastic rope, and it took several forceful cuts to successfully sever one strand of web.
Luke waved his wand: "Diffindo!"
To Luke's surprise, the spiderweb actually negated part of the spell's power, only breaking a few strands of web.
Seeing this, Luke was not in a hurry to break through the webs; he wanted to see where the webs' tolerance limit was.
He chose a more powerful spell.
"Confringo!"
The spiderweb was successfully broken open with a hole.
Seeing this result, Luke's eyes lit up.
These webs are really good stuff. If they could be woven into protective clothing, they could truly be impervious to blades and spears, and also possess a certain degree of magic resistance.
Perhaps if there's a chance, he could catch a few Giant Spiders to raise, specifically for spitting webs.
But now was not the time to consider these things.
Luke no longer held back.
"Bombarda!"
Along with the dazzling flash of the spell, the massive explosion impact leveled all the Giant Spiders and trees within a radius of several hundred meters, leaving only Luke and Gandalf, protected by magic, unharmed in the very center.
Looking at the desolate clearing around them, Gandalf couldn't help but exclaim, "Luke, your magic is truly becoming more and more powerful. I am already full of confidence for the journey to the Lonely Mountain."
Luke shook his head. Ever since he witnessed the terrifying scene of Gandalf and others fighting Sauron in Dol Guldur, his slightly arrogant heart had completely settled down.
Gandalf's praise was just for listening; never take it seriously, or you'll lose.
He is a Maia, a demigod. If he wasn't restricted in power, let alone this small amount of power, even destroying the entire Mirkwood would just be a flick of his finger.
During the First Age, the Valar launched the War of Wrath to rescue the Elves persecuted by Morgoth, and almost sank the entire Middle-earth.
That war was vast and merciless; the earth cracked, hills collapsed, and plains rose. Middle-earth suffered severe damage, and the entire northern continent of Beleriand sank into the sea.
Even the Misty Mountains, which Luke and the others had painstakingly crossed before, were raised by Morgoth to prevent the Valar from advancing eastward.
Therefore, to avoid further destruction of the land, the Valar set rules, and all Maia entering Middle-earth were restricted in their power.
This included not only Wizards like Gandalf, but even Sauron was restricted in his power to some extent, unable to exert his full strength in Middle-earth, and could only rely more on violence and armies to conquer the world.
Luke even suspected that Sauron's reason for creating the one ring was not only to control the masters of the other rings with it, but also possibly to break through the restrictions set by the Valar and thus gain greater power.
Getting back to the point, after blasting away the Giant Spiders with the Bombarda Charm, Luke and Gandalf did not linger, continuing to use the guiding spell to pinpoint the direction of Bilbo and the others.
To Gandalf's relief, Bilbo and the Dwarves had not been captured by the Giant Spiders, or rather, had successfully escaped.
The two encountered some Giant Spider corpses ahead.
Gandalf pulled an arrow from one of the Giant Spider corpses and examined it.
"This is an Elven arrow. Bilbo and the Dwarves must have encountered the Elves of the nearby Woodland Realm."
Gandalf's expression was not relaxed.
The Elves of the Woodland Realm were different from Elves elsewhere; they were wary and exclusive, and their temper was not good.
More importantly, they had deep conflicts with the Dwarves.
If the Dwarves fell into the hands of the Woodland Realm Elves, it would definitely not be good news.
Just then, there was a commotion.
The next second, several figures flashed quickly, leaping agilely like deer among the trees, appearing on high ground and in the trees.
Several Elves dressed in robes of natural colors like green, brown, and gray, drew their bows and aimed at Luke and Gandalf, their faces stern as if they would shoot without a word.
"Who are you? Why do you visit here?"
A tall and slender young Elf with golden hair braided and cascading over his shoulders, and a handsome face, stepped out, looking at the two with wary suspicion.
He held a bow, had a quiver on his back, and wore a light brown cloak, with a green leaf brooch made of emeralds pinned at the collar of his cloak.
Seeing the green leaf brooch at his collar, Luke immediately guessed his identity.
Facing the Elves' bows and the young Elf's questioning, Gandalf proactively showed goodwill, smiling and bowing with a hand to his forehead:
"Greetings to you, Elf friend of the Woodland Realm!"
"I am Gandalf, Gandalf, the Grey Wizard."
As Gandalf introduced himself, Luke nodded to the young Elf.
"I am Luke the Black Wizard"
"Wizard?"
The young Elf's gaze scrutinized the two, especially lingering for a few seconds on the bubbles above their heads.
Then he spoke a sentence in Elvish to the other Elves.
The Elves instantly lowered their bows.
"I am Legolas, son of Thranduil."
"Gandalf, the Grey-robed, I have heard of your name. My father says you are a wise man."
Gandalf bowed slightly, the hem of his grey robe sweeping the moss at his feet, a warm, smiling tone in his voice: "It is my honor to be so highly regarded by the King of the Woodland Realm."
He looked up at Legolas, his eyes clear, "Thranduil's son, indeed as sharp as this forest—it seems the winds of Mirkwood have blown all the best talents to you."
Facing Gandalf's praise, the young Elf Prince appeared a bit reserved.
He turned his gaze to Luke, his face filled with curiosity: "A while ago, we captured Orcs who had escaped from the Misty Mountains, and from them, we learned that Azog, the Defiler, had been killed by a Black-robed Wizard. I presume that was you."
"If there aren't any other Black-robed Wizards, then it must be me," Luke said with a smile.
Legolas's wariness towards the two had lessened considerably by this point, but he still asked:
"May I ask, what brings the two Wizards to Mirkwood?"
Knowing that the Elves of the Woodland Realm and the Dwarves had a conflict, Gandalf naturally would not say they were looking for Dwarves.
He cleared his throat and explained: "We were preparing to cross Mirkwood to reach Lake-town, but we encountered Giant Spiders along the way, until your arrival."
Legolas nodded.
"In that case, please follow me. My father would likely want to see you."
Gandalf and Luke exchanged glances and did not refuse.
It was a good opportunity to find out if Bilbo and the others had fallen into the Elves' hands.
The two followed the Elves north.
The further north they went, the less Mirkwood was polluted by the dark forces, and the forest regained its vibrant appearance, with the air becoming fresh.
Seeing this, Luke simply removed the Bubble-head Charm from above their heads.
Most of the Elves in the Woodland Realm were Silvan Elves, also known as Wood Elves, whose hair was predominantly black and brown.
Compared to other Elf races, Silvan Elves were closer to nature, able to establish connections with the flora and fauna of the forest, skilled with bows and arrows,
They could hide themselves using natural environments like trees and rivers, and even sense threats.
But what was surprising was that although the Woodland Realm was primarily inhabited by Silvan Elves, they were ruled by a minority of Sindar Elves.
For example, the Elf King Thranduil, and also Legolas, were Sindar Elves, with their golden hair being the most obvious sign.
The Woodland Realm was located in the northeastern part of Mirkwood, only a few miles from the edge, with the Forest River winding past the southern gate.
Unlike the Elf architecture in Rivendell, the Elves of the Woodland Realm lived in a magnificent palace built within underground caves.
The main gate was carved into a maple-covered hillside, and two tall stone doors were inscribed with magical Elvish runes, making it difficult for anyone to leave once they entered.
The two followed Legolas through the gate and into the winding tunnels, passing through many checkpoints and passages, directly arriving in a spacious hall.
At the highest point in the center of the hall sat a stone-carved throne, with giant elk antlers behind it.
Seated on the throne was the Elf King of the Woodland Realm—Thranduil.
He was tall, wearing a crown woven from red leaves and berries, dressed in a magnificent robe, with a majestic and somewhat arrogant expression on his handsome face.
"It has been a long time, Mithrandir." Thranduil stood up from his throne, stepped down, a polite smile on his face.
"Your Majesty Thranduil." Gandalf bowed slightly.
Luke also followed suit.
Thranduil's gaze instantly fell on Luke.
"A rare young Wizard, you must be the Black Wizard who killed Azog, I presume? I have heard tales of you from distant kin—Wight-bane, Troll-slayer, bane of Orcs, truly a series of great achievements!"
"The rumors are a bit exaggerated, Your Majesty Thranduil," Luke said, shaking his head.
"I can tell whether it's exaggerated or not," Thranduil waved his hand, "The huge explosion in the forest just now must have been your doing. My Elves went to investigate, and a hundred meters of forest land was leveled, with at least a hundred Giant Spiders killed."
"Such power is many times stronger than what the rumors suggest!"
As he spoke, he proudly showed off his son to the two, "Speaking of which, you must have already met my son—Legolas. He is the most excellent marksman in Mirkwood, his arrows never miss, and he has killed countless Giant Spiders."
Gandalf very graciously joined in the praise, complimenting Legolas for having his father's demeanor, with a continuous stream of flattering words.
Luke watched Thranduil's mouth unconsciously curve upwards, and he silently gave Gandalf a thumbs-up in his heart.
Gandalf had hit Thranduil's sweet spot.
For Thranduil, praising his beloved son made him even happier than praising himself.
As for Legolas, who was also present, he was blushing from his father's boasting and Gandalf's continuous praise.
When Thranduil was pleased, he ordered a banquet to be held to entertain Gandalf and Luke, the two guests.
At the banquet,
Thranduil sat at the head of the table, Gandalf and Luke were the guests, and Legolas accompanied them.
They enjoyed various fine wines and delicacies amidst soothing music.
During the banquet, Thranduil inquired about the purpose of Gandalf's journey.
"Mithrandir, what important matter brings you through Mirkwood this time?"
Gandalf explained somewhat vaguely: "We are preparing to go to Lake-town."
"Lake-town?" Thranduil's hand, holding his wine glass, paused. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Gandalf and Luke, "What charm does Lake-town possess to attract two Wizards to visit it?"
'I remember the residents of Lake-town were descendants of the survivors of Dale. When the dragon attacked the Lonely Mountain back then, Dale at the foot of the mountain also suffered, and some survivors fled to Long Lake to establish the current Lake-town."
"Are you going to Lake-town for the sleeping dragon in the Lonely Mountain?"
Seeing that Thranduil had guessed their purpose, Gandalf no longer concealed it and nodded.
"Yes, we are preparing to investigate the Lonely Mountain, as that dragon could awaken at any time, which is a huge hidden danger."
"So, you are cooperating with Thorin Oakenshield? Do you intend to help him reclaim the Lonely Mountain?"
Thranduil frowned, his expression displeased.
Seeing Thranduil's attitude instantly turn cold, Gandalf was somewhat helpless, but he still took the opportunity to ask: "Your Majesty Thranduil, have you already met Thorin and his companions?"
Thranduil had no intention of hiding anything and replied coldly: "They trespassed into my territory and have been imprisoned in my dungeon."
"You and Luke are my invited guests. The Woodland Realm welcomes you, but if you intend to intercede for the Dwarves, then spare your breath!"
Thranduil did not give Gandalf a chance to plead, directly cutting off his words.
Gandalf opened his mouth but swallowed his words.
Thranduil's attitude was very clear: as long as they were not pleading for the Dwarves, they would still be friends.
Meanwhile, Luke and Legolas were getting along quite well.
Unlike Thranduil's arrogance and indifference, Legolas had a gentle personality. Aside from his prejudice against Dwarves, he gave off a refreshing and pleasant feeling.
Legolas was still less than five hundred years old, which was considered very young among Elves. He had always lived in Mirkwood and rarely ventured outside of it.
Legolas showed admiration for Luke, the Wizard who had killed Azog, and was very interested in the past experiences of Luke and his companions.
Just as the two were conversing, the system suddenly reacted: [Hogwarts Sign-in System: Lothorien located. Sign in?]
A ripple flickered in Luke's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged as he silently thought, "Sign in."
[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on obtaining the Flying Broomstick Crafting Technique!]
Then, a memory of the methods for crafting a flying broomstick flooded into his mind.
Luke was pleasantly surprised.
This time, he had actually obtained the technique for a flying broomstick!
With a flying broomstick, he could completely fly on it in the future, making it simple to sign in wherever he wanted to go.
Moreover, it would be safer. As long as he was flying on a broomstick in the sky, he would inherently have an air-to-ground advantage.
After all, in Middle-earth, aside from flying creatures like Dragons and Giant Eagles, other creatures generally could not fly.
Carefully comprehending the crafting technique for the flying broomstick, Luke discovered that its creation had a similar principle to wand-making.
Both use magical trees as raw materials, except one is for flying and the other is for casting spells.
However, the difficulty and complexity of crafting a flying broomstick were much greater than a wand. Besides steps like material selection, carving, polishing, buffing, and tuning, it also involved the application of some Alchemy.
So, to successfully craft one, it would take at least one or two weeks, even under the most favorable conditions.
Despite this, Luke was still full of anticipation about owning a flying broomstick.
Conveniently, a large section of the tree core he had previously used to make wands was still left, which could be used entirely for crafting a flying broomstick.
Therefore, Luke decided to craft a flying broomstick as quickly as possible in the coming period, before reaching the Lonely Mountain.
At that time, they would see who flew faster, the Dragon or him?
However, this matter could not be rushed, as they were still at someone else's banquet.
So, Luke suppressed his impatient feelings, composed his thoughts, and continued to participate in the banquet.
But before the banquet ended, an Elf guard quickly walked up to Thranduil.
"Your Majesty, those Dwarves have escaped!" (Elvish)
Gandalf, who also understood Elvish, heard the news and his eyes immediately lit up.
However, out of consideration for his host, he restrained his smile and did not show it.
Thranduil placed his wine glass on the table, frowned deeply, and asked in a low voice, "How did they escape?"
"Someone stole the dungeon keys, released the Dwarves, and they drifted away through the wine cellar's trapdoor, riding empty wine barrels down the underground river."
Upon hearing this, Thranduil's face turned very ugly, and his suspicious eyes moved back and forth between Gandalf and Luke.
But in the end, he did nothing, merely snorted coldly, and stood up.
"The banquet is over. You must capture those Dwarves and bring them back. This time, I will lock them up until they die!"
The Elf guard accepted the order, and Legolas, as the leader, also joined in.
In the banquet hall, only Luke and Gandalf remained, ignored by everyone.
The two looked at each other, not knowing whether to leave or stay.
It was Gandalf, with his thicker skin, who directly bade farewell to Thranduil.
"Since His Majesty Thranduil has matters to attend to, we shall not disturb you further."
Thranduil looked at the two, seemingly considering whether to keep them, but ultimately let them leave.
"Go ahead!"
Seeing this, Gandalf and Luke immediately took their leave and departed the palace.
The two arrived at the Mirkwood River bank, looking at the rushing river, and pondered how to catch up with Thorin and his company.
"Gandalf, can you steer a boat?" Luke asked.
"A little," Gandalf nodded, but then shook his head. "But I'm afraid the Elves are not willing to lend us a boat."
Luke said nothing, walking directly to a section of deadwood by the river and waving his wand.
The deadwood quickly widened and lengthened, instantly transforming into a small wooden boat capable of holding two people.
He then tapped two branches with his wand, and the branches became two oars.
He took one himself and handed the other to Gandalf.
Gandalf took the oar, happily realizing, "I forgot you had this ability! Your magic is so convenient!"
Saying this, he and Luke pushed the small wooden boat into the water. Then, the two got on the boat and drifted down the river.
The Wood Elves observing this scene from afar had shock flash in their eyes, then quickly reported the matter to Thranduil.
Thranduil said nothing in response, merely raising his level of regard for Luke.
Meanwhile, Luke and Gandalf continued their journey.
As they drifted downstream in the boat, the rushing river made the small boat rise and fall erratically, always at risk of capsizing.
Thanks to Gandalf's good skill, the small boat managed to avoid large rocks and whirlpools each time.
But after their boat had drifted for some distance, they discovered that the Elves on the riverbank were fighting a group of Orcs, and Orc bodies were constantly falling into the river, staining the water black.
"What's going on?" Luke's expression grew serious.
Hadn't he already killed Azog? Why were Orcs still appearing here?
When he saw an Orc aiming a bow at an Elf fighting other Orcs on the other side, Luke raised his hand and cast a spell: "Avada Kedavra!"
The Orc was instantly torn to pieces by the spell.
The Elf fighting the Orc was Legolas. After swiftly dispatching the Orc in front of him, he nodded towards Luke, then continued to pursue other Orcs.
With a mind full of questions, Luke's hands did not stop. Drifting down the river, he eliminated the Orcs on both sides of the riverbank one by one.
"Luke, watch your back!" Gandalf sharply warned.
Luke's heart tightened, and he reacted instantly.
He waved his wand, conjuring a wave that transformed into an ice wall, blocking behind him. The next second, an arrow radiating Dark Arts energy shot into the ice wall, embedding itself halfway.
Luke's pupils contracted. This was a Morgul Arrow!
He quickly turned and locked onto the attacker.
He discovered that the one who ambushed him was an Orc riding on a Warg's back.
"Avada Kedavra!" Luke retaliated without a second thought.
However, someone else reacted even faster than him. Before his spell was even fully uttered, the Orc's head was already pierced by another arrow, causing him to fall directly from the Warg's back into the river.
The Warg was also hit by Luke's spell, instantly tearing into pieces.
It was Legolas who had shot the Orc dead. Having completed his task, he nodded to Luke and then continued to deal with other Orcs.
Further downstream, Thorin and his companions were also in trouble at this time.
They were hidden inside wine barrels, drifting with the current.
And on the bank, many Orcs were constantly chasing and shooting arrows.
Luke and Gandalf traveled down the Mirkwood River by boat, drifting all the way to the estuary and entering the Long Lake.
Long Lake was formed by the confluence of the Mirkwood River and the Running River, which originated from the Lonely Mountain, and then flowed eastward to eventually merge into the Sea of Rhûn.
Lake-town was located on the central island of Long Lake, protected by stone headlands, and was a prosperous trading town.
Luke and Gandalf traveled down the river but did not encounter Thorin and the others.
"Point the way for me."
The light from the wand pointed towards the center of the lake, which was shrouded in mist.
"Gandalf, Bilbo and the others must have found a way to cross the lake."
"That's good news," Gandalf nodded. "I suppose we can reunite in Lake-town."
Just then, a group of Orcs also pursued them from the upper reaches of the Mirkwood River.
After entering the estuary, the river slowed, and the two people in the boat instantly became slow-moving targets.
"Ghash!"
At the Orc Leader's command, a dense volley of arrows flew towards the two.
Facing hundreds of arrows, Luke was unconcerned. With a wave of his wand, a protective barrier blocked them.
But unexpectedly, although most of the arrows were blocked, a few arrows ignored the defense, directly pierced the barrier, and shot towards Luke's head.
"Be careful! Those arrows contain Morgul Arrows!" Gandalf reacted quickly, splitting an arrow with a powerful swing of his sword and shouting a warning.
Luke's reaction was also swift; he immediately used the wide oar in his hand as a shield in front of him.
Instantly, two Morgul Arrows pierced the wooden oar, and the immense force caused the arrowheads to penetrate the wood, revealing sharp and dangerous black tips.
He hadn't expected these Orcs to be so cunning, hiding Morgul Arrows, which carried potent poison and Dark Arts, within the dense volley of arrows, making them impossible to guard against.
Luke's expression was grim. He discarded the oar with the Morgul Arrows embedded in it and immediately counterattacked.
"Confrigo!"
The Orcs on the riverbank seemed to have anticipated this, quickly pulling out shields from their backs to block the attack.
Although the massive explosion's impact sent the Orcs flying, only a few were actually killed.
The shields, made of an unknown material, were incredibly sturdy and successfully withstood the force of the explosion.
Luke and Gandalf's expressions became solemn.
"Luke, these Orcs clearly know your methods; they were prepared!" Gandalf warned.
Luke nodded silently, also realizing the problem.
"Gandalf, let's get ashore first. I need to get some answers from these Orcs!"
Gandalf agreed, quickly steering the small boat towards the shore.
"Ghash!"
"Ghash!"
"Ghash!"
The Orcs tried to prevent the two from landing with dense attacks.
But the next second, their bows and arrows transformed into poisonous snakes, opening their fangs and quickly biting their necks or arms.
The Orcs were startled and panicked by this sudden change, instinctively throwing away their bows and arrows, falling into a chaotic state.
The snakes fell to the ground and reverted to their original weapons, as if it had all been an illusion.
But before they could retrieve their weapons, Luke's attack followed immediately.
"Diffindo, Avada Kedavra, Confrigo—"
Luke leaped from the small boat onto the riverbank, casting several spells in succession.
Accompanied by the sound of massive explosions and shattering, the Orcs were instantly killed or wounded.
Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Orc Leader immediately turned to flee, but Luke struck him with a Petrificus Totalus, freezing him in place.
After dealing with all the other Orcs, Luke approached the petrified Orc Leader.
With a wave of his hand, he lifted the Petrificus Totalus from him.
The Orc Leader immediately drew a dagger and attacked Luke.
With a bang, the Orc Leader was instantly sent flying backward, slamming heavily against a large rock behind him.
"Trying to kill me?" Luke sneered, stepping closer to the Orc.
Seeing the dagger in the Orc's hand, which exuded the aura of Dark Arts, he raised an eyebrow,
"It seems you're well-prepared. Besides Morgul Arrows, you also have a Dark Arts dagger. Is all this just to deal with me?"
With that, he waved his Mirror Staff, and the arm holding the dagger was instantly severed.
The Orc Leader let out a scream, still glaring fiercely at Luke.
Luke's eyes hurt from the Orc's ugly, ferocious face. He lightly raised a finger, and the Dark Arts dagger floated up from the Orc's severed arm,
and quickly pressed against the Orc Leader's neck.
"Tell me, who is your leader after Azog's death? Why are you still chasing the Dwarves?"
Luke threatened.
"If you tell me, I'll let you go."
The Orc Leader was not threatened; instead, he showed a sinister, malicious smile and said triumphantly:
"Wizard, you'll never know! Just wait, my master is already prepared. Whether it's you or those Dwarves, you will all be burned to death by flames!"
Gandalf walked over and also heard the Orc Leader's words, immediately enraged, he forcefully pressed the Orc against the rock wall with his staff.
"Tell me the secrets you know, Orc, or I will purify you with the Light of Fire right now!"
The immense impact caused the Orc Leader pain, but his face became even more defiant.
"Haha, you won't get any information from me! Our era has returned, the flames of war will engulf the land,
and we will ultimately achieve victory!"
Gandalf became even angrier, striking again with his staff.
Luke stopped Gandalf from pressing further, "Gandalf, since he's unwilling to speak, let's try another method."
"Imperio!"
Feeling the strong Dark Arts aura emanating from Luke's spell, Gandalf frowned slightly, looking at him with some concern.
However, he didn't say much, trusting that Luke knew what he was doing.
So he focused his main attention on the Orc.
Luke was casting Imperio, one of the three Unforgivable Curses.
Imperio had no direct killing power; it couldn't kill directly like Avada Kedavra, nor could it torture like Crucio.
But its most dangerous aspect was its ability to control others' thoughts and actions, turning them into puppets of the caster. Even the most beloved family members or friends could be killed without hesitation.
It could be said that Imperio was an influence and control over a person's soul, making them no longer themselves.
More importantly, there was no counter-curse for Imperio.
To break free from Imperio's control, one had to either break through its influence with an extremely strong will;
or directly kill the caster, causing the Imperio they cast to automatically fail.
Other than that, it was almost impossible to break Imperio's control with other magic.
Seeing the Orc Leader's eyes become vacant, Luke immediately asked:
"Who is your new leader?"
The Orc Leader's expression became somewhat hesitant, but the next moment it returned to calmness. "It is Azog's son—Bolg. He is our new king."