Sword and Magic and Taxi

Zhao Mai basically took the same route north and south, but the situation was no longer the same. When he went north, he was just an ordinary elf traveler, but when he went south, he became the protector of the Supreme Lord of the Rings, and he was bound to receive more attention and threats.

Of course, Saruman's flock of crows is not infinite, and it cannot be replenished that quickly. The people who are now informing him are local residents. In everyone's eyes, Saruman, who appears as an old man, is a representative of wisdom and majesty. All he wants is that everyone can provide him with some interesting stories for an old, frail and disabled person. As for the elves, they usually get along well with everyone in Rivendell and get along quite happily, but suddenly they appear in groups with warriors and riders. What are they going to do?

Saruman is very good at confusing people, and the orcs he controls are more like machines under the transformation of magic, and they obey orders very well. These strong orcs only dealt with the elves and did not harass the local villages and towns, so the villagers and townspeople did not feel threatened. They don't want to believe that danger has come, and they only care about whether their own little life is safe. There are only autonomous villages and towns in this area, and there are no kings or big lords, so the focus is limited to towns and farmland areas. There used to be a big picture here, when they belonged to Gondor. And now, Gondor has no king of its own.

Therefore, Zhao Mai and his party always encounter all kinds of looks, most of which are friendly and curious. They have no intention of hurting Zhao Mai, but they also have no intention of keeping them secret. There are also some people who have been bribed by Saruman and have been his spies for a long time. Zhao Mai could feel a hint of greed in their eyes.

When we reach the town in front, we have to leave the Xiangshui River and go straight south. The Granduin River is right in front of us. During the dry season in winter, we can wade across that river directly. Then at the current slow pace, it will take several days. Only then can we reach Lord Gryffindor near the Dark Land. Our last chance to supply is in the town ahead, and why don’t we go in?”

Yes. I decided not to resupply in any village along the way. Zhao Mai said: After we have finished eating the food on our bodies, we will resupply along the way. With me here, you will never be hungry. Saruman is now waiting hard for information about us Detailed information, and I will definitely not let him get what he wants. Can you bear this hardship?

Me? I have no problem, I'm just worried about Frodo. She is still a child after all, right? Elladan played Gandalf, but the concerned expression on his face was not fake.

Her? She's absolutely fine. She's still alive and kicking when you're hungry. Zhao Mai touched Xiaohua's head without any intention of blaming her. He was more joking with her: You are the one with the worst acting skills among us. ! You are carrying the Supreme Lord of the Rings, you should be suffering from torture and pressure, how can you still look around and see the scenery?

I'm not looking at the scenery, I'm scouting! Look, there's someone staring at us in the fields over there. There were three crows flying in the sky before. There's no guarantee they're not Saruman's spies.

Ha, that's Saruman's spy. He is smarter now. He no longer sends large groups of crows but splits them into small teams. Although the information obtained in this way is simple, it covers a much larger area. Zhao Mai looked at Elladan. , sighed and said: How do you get along with the neighbors? The people here are more biased towards Saruman, and their attitude towards you is either indifferent, or vigilant and precautionary. When you act in this area, all All the news will be known to Saruman, isn’t this very passive?”

We elves have been inspired by Valar and are ready to leave Middle-earth and hand it over to humans. And Saruman has always been our ally, so it is normal for us that he comes to take care of the residents here. Things. Elladan explained: We completely did not expect that the leader of wizards and the leader of the fight against Sauron would surrender and rebel against the enemy.

But now it seems that you have not gone to the human villages to spread propaganda, telling them that Saruman has turned to evil and will harm the people here.

We are short of manpower. The warriors currently used to attack the south to lure the enemy were originally used to defend Rivendell. Elladan replied: The elves of Rivendell did not miss a single battle with Sauron. Our sacrifice was huge, and we don’t recover as quickly as humans. The elven army that fought all the way to Mount Doom and overthrew the Evil Black Tower in the Last Alliance War can no longer reappear.

Alas... I actually don't want you to go to Valinor. It is eternal there, but it doesn't have the vitality of Middle-earth. Zhao Mai suddenly sniffed the air, smiled and said: That's great. , Saruman finally bit the hook. I smelled the scent of a warg. West of the Misty Mountains, the only place where a warg can pass is the Pass of Rohan, which is where Isengard is.

Warg? Where is it? Elladan stood up from his horse, slightly lifted his blue pointed hat, and glanced across the horizon. It was dusk now, and the sky was getting darker, but this did not affect the elf's vision. Soon he found his target, a group of dozens of wargs approaching quickly.

That's it? Saruman really thinks that a few dozen wolves can defeat Gandalf and Tewaldor, right?

Of course not. I think he still wants to verify our identities. The frozen crow in the sky can prove my identity, and he is eager to know if you are Gandalf. Zhao Mai believed that there must be spies checking around. Or a bribed human being, or a black crow. He thought for a moment and then said: Gandalf, why don't you raise your staff?

It was obviously just an ordinary wooden staff with a piece of fluorite stuffed into the top, and it had no magic power. Elladan was confused, but he still raised his staff as instructed. Unexpectedly, fluorite actually emits bright white light, which is soft and warm. It does not hurt the eyes even if you look directly at it, lighting up the road ahead like a beacon. We don't change direction and go straight towards the wolves.

What? Charge straight over? I know you can freeze crows, but you can freeze wargs. After all, wargs are not much smaller than horses! Elladan was a little nervous and said, The wargs rushed forward and were injured. It’s definitely not good for people, and it’s not good for hurting horses!”

No, let's just go there. Zhao Mai said: You wave the wand and imitate Gandalf's deep voice and say a few random words, roughly to persuade the wolves to abandon evil and do good.

That being the case, Elladan had no choice but to do as he was told. The wolves howled heart-rendingly from a distance, and then surrounded Zhao Mai and the others. Soon you could see their yellow eyes and sharp teeth reflecting the blue light.

Elladan never lacked courage, otherwise he would not have been assigned to this operation. He held his staff out straight, warning and reprimanding the black wolves. He thought he would only be answered by howls of attack, but unexpectedly, it was the wolves that respectfully moved out of the way. The horses under them were a little nervous, but they still faithfully carried their owners through the wolves, just like a four-leaf boat crossing a calm lake.

It could be seen that Elladan didn't understand why, so Zhao Mai told him directly: Saruman learned his ability to command animals from the brown-robed wizard Radagast, and the relationship between Gandalf and Radagast is even more... Well, it’s normal to learn one or two tricks.”

Very normal? But there is no Gandalf here, let alone Radagast. How did you learn it? Elladan was growing more and more confused.