Chapter 266: The Evil-minded Wizard and the Trainee Ranger
Before Aragorn left Rivendell, when Levi expressed his intention to leave, Elrond stopped him and told him another piece of news:
"Around this time next year, the Council of the Wise (White Council) will be held again in Rivendell. I hope you can attend then."
"I have a feeling that the situation in Middle-earth will undergo great changes."
Levi agreed, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.
Next year, the year 2953, a lot will happen.
Elrond was right. The situation and development of Middle-earth was about to enter the next stage. If this period must be named, Levi would like to call it the "Prosperous Transition Period."
The countries in the free camp are prospering and developing, and the evil forces are growing stronger. The two sides continue to fight, but a large-scale war will not break out in the short term.
Something is brewing, something is moving forward.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
There was another person who received the message almost at the same time as Levi.
In the tower of Orthanc, a gray figure walked to the door and said a few words to the waiter.
The gatekeeper nodded respectfully and walked into the tower to make the announcement.
After a moment he opened the door and welcomed Gandalf in.
"Gandalf, why do you come to visit again?"
In the hall, a white figure raised a question.
"Saruman."
Gandalf greeted them as usual, maintaining all the necessary etiquette and respect, and there was nothing wrong with it.
"I'm here to tell you some news about the convening of the White Society... Can you turn around?"
"I don't mean to offend or criticize, but in my opinion, it is quite rude to keep talking to people with your back turned."
There was a brief silence in the hall.
Gandalf said nothing for a while, and just waited.
When you are right, you should be tough, and old Gandalf is no exception.
"snort."
Saruman snorted coldly and turned around slowly. Half of his body was in the shadow and difficult to see clearly, while the other half was exposed to the light and shadow, so his face could be seen.
Gandalf narrowed his eyes.
"Excuse me, this could be my illusion, but is there a spot on your face that is a different color?"
"For what purpose do you ask such a question, Gandalf?"
Saruman almost jumped up as if his foot was stepped on.
"Nothing, just concerned."
"Then let me ask you, if you were to be shown so-called 'concern' in this way, would you be happy?"
Saruman said gloomily, "Old friend, if you listen to my advice, then don't pry into other people's privacy at will. Just take care of yourself."
"Of course, sure. I won't ask you again." The bad old man Gandalf smiled innocently, looking quite honest.
I'll ask someone else.
"I already know about the White Society meeting. Do you have anything else to say?"
"No, I just wanted to come and remind you so that you don't miss the time. Saruman the Wise cannot be absent from such an important meeting."
"Of course I'll be there. I just hope that some... some people who always like to run around won't be late."
“Your suggestion is worth considering.”
Gandalf bowed slightly and wisely chose to turn around and leave.
After all, looking at Saruman's expression, he didn't seem to be in the mood to entertain him.
In that case, let’s retreat first.
Outside the gate, Gandalf rode away, and no one knew where he was going.
…
"Transfer student?"
Roadside fort, ranger camp.
An outstanding ranger graduate from Roadside Castle looked at the Dunedain in front of him who was half a head taller than him, with uncontrollable curiosity in his eyes.
"Or the Dúnedain?"
As soon as these words came out, the trainee rangers nearby all looked over.
A young Dúnedain, about his own age! That was rare.
Dozens of gazes were cast at him at the same time, and Aragorn felt as if needles were pricking his back, making him feel very uncomfortable.
Facing the captain of the Roadside Fort Rangers who was said to have been an outstanding graduate, he smiled stiffly and nodded in response.
"Yeah... He is indeed like me. He is as quiet as the instructors."
"Then you will be on our team from now on."
The outstanding graduate ranger who spoke to Aragorn introduced himself: "My name is Yawen, and from today on I will be the captain of you and the dozens of people behind you."
"Hehe, it's rare. I didn't expect to meet a Dunedain younger than me. If what you said is true, then I am seven years older than you. Seven years ago, I was also a trainee ranger. Time flies when I think about it. I have become a captain now."
"By the way, don't think that I will give you special treatment just because you are a Dunedain. In Roadside Castle, everyone is equal."
Aragorn nodded seriously.
"Hey, you bastard..."
Yawen scratched his head.
This guy is so boring. Why is he so introverted? I said a lot and he just nodded.
But this is not Aragorn's fault. It's not that he is introverted, but the atmosphere of the valley is like this. He is not used to being in such a lively place suddenly.
"Please introduce yourself. I need to register."
Aragorn thought about it.
Before coming out, Elrond gave him some advice.
'It's best not to reveal your identity easily, even among trusted allies.'
On the one hand, exposing one's identity would cause a lot of inconvenience, on the other hand -
'You can't predict what your bloodline will bring.'
"Throngil, that is my name."
Aragorn chose to use a pseudonym.
Thorongil, which means "Star Eagle" in Sindarin, is a name that will accompany him for many years.
Roadside Fort is just the first stop of the journey, and there is still a long way to go.
"Okay, Solongil, from now on we are comrades in the same team."
Arwen looked at Aragorn and said, "But I must confirm your level. Those present are warriors who have undergone the most rigorous and brutal training."
"Show me what you can do. Don't hold back."
The competition is coming.
Arwen took up his weapon.
Aragorn also drew his sword, looking quite serious.
The commotion here immediately attracted a large group of onlookers. They immediately surrounded the place, left enough space, and began to cheer.
He looked quite skilled and professional, and the atmosphere was instantly set.
The commotion even attracted two homeless instructors.
But when they saw the Dunedain named Thorongil in the middle, the two wanderers suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.
"Wait, what is that?"
They exchanged glances and saw what was in each other's eyes.
Just keep silent.
Ding! In the blink of an eye, the two people in the center of the field were already fighting each other, and the swords collided with each other, making a crisp sound.
"oh?"
Yawen was a little surprised that the fledgling Dunedain opposite him was so strong. His sword was so steady and accurate, and there was no shaking at all when he chopped it down.
I trained myself for more than ten years at my own expense, yet I almost couldn't beat this guy.
"As expected, you come from the instructors' hometown."
In the brief moment when Arwen was surprised, Aragorn on the opposite side felt his heart sink, and it was obvious that he was not very relaxed.
The two men separated and exchanged several moves, and the fight was very close, with neither of them being able to break the other's moves.
In a sense, they have the same origin.
Swoosh——
The sword flashed, and Aragorn suddenly bent down, showing super flexibility, and turned around again -
But a sword light magnified in his eyes.
With a flick of his finger, Aragorn raised his sword in an instant to block Arwen's attack.
The two men were deadlocked here and entered into a competition of strength.
Very strong.
Aragorn took a breath and stared at Arwen, who was also grinning, but even raised his eyebrows when he saw that he was looking at him.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I always feel that I can see some shadow of Uncle Levi in the person opposite me. No, not only him, but also the people watching nearby.
It is a wonderful temperament, and it is hard to find words to describe it specifically.
The competition was at a stalemate, and just when Aragorn was about to admit defeat, Arwen on the opposite side suddenly lost his strength and waved his hand.
"No more fighting, you are really capable."
"The captain lost?"
A few dishonest team members nearby immediately started to chirp.
"What do you mean by lost?"
Upon hearing this, Yawen was unhappy and his face turned red. He then said things like "stop that" and "friendly exchange", which made everyone laugh.
Seeing this, Aragorn couldn't help but smile. He raised his hand and said, "I lost."
"It's a draw, let's call it a draw." Yawen took the initiative to suggest.
"That's fine."
Aragorn had no objection.
"You have some skills, new guy."
It's not ordinary to be on the same level as the Ranger Captain right after debuting.
Especially since he was a ranger captain from Roadside Fort. As for what was special about the rangers in Roadside Fort, you had to ask about the healing effect provided by the beacon and their brutal daily routine of training to death as long as they didn't die.
"Okay, go get your equipment, we're ready to set off to the wilderness hideout."
Aragorn did so immediately.
So he received a set of well-made standard equipment and some regular supplies, including some food, milk, and a bottle of healing potion.
"You didn't graduate from Roadside Castle, so there are some things you may not know. I need to talk to you about it."
The captain explained to him the functions of all the items.
This did surprise Aragorn.
He thought that the bottle of milk was for nutritional supplements.
"This healing potion can help you at a critical moment and heal your wounds."
"But we don't usually use it - unless it's really fatal or an extremely dangerous emergency."
"Because we heard that every time a batch of potions is used up, the Lord has to go to that hell to collect ingredients for making medicine. From the name, it doesn't sound like a good place."
"I understand." Aragorn nodded.
"Then let's go."
"We may have a long way to go. A stronghold in the northernmost part of the Lonely Land near the Etten Wasteland has been exposed. I heard that trolls and orcs roam around at night."
"Be prepared, that's our enemy."
Ogre.
At the news of this monster, Aragorn's grip on his sword tightened.
His father, Arathorn, the fifteenth chieftain of the Dunedain, was killed by mountain trolls.
It was a powerful monster that was extremely difficult to penetrate with ordinary swords and knives. A common person would be seriously injured if they were touched by it...
"Then let it come!"
…
(End of this chapter)
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