Chapter 313 A Contest of Wills
When Ecthelion II died, Denethor remained silent for a long time before he took the position of Prime Minister.
People quickly adapted to the new prime minister's style.
Unlike the previous Prime Minister and even the one before him, Denethor was always taciturn.
He seemed to be as good at listening to advice as his father, and would always patiently listen to what his subordinates had to say, but would still insist on his own opinions and act arbitrarily.
Suggestions are listened to, but whether they are implemented or not is another consideration.
At the same time, perhaps the activities of Aragorn and Gandalf in Gondor had some impact on him, making him feel that his rule was threatened, and he began to pay special attention to the distribution of power.
He kept some key powers firmly in his own hands and no longer granted them to others.
Gondor, White City.
In a heavily guarded tower, Denethor lifted an opaque black cloth, revealing the Anor crystal underneath.
Due to the special nature of the Crystal of True Knowledge, no one was allowed to enter here while Ecthelion was still alive, not even Denethor.
Looking at the crystal in front of him, which was as clear as the starry sky and sparkling with light, Denethor fell into deep thought.
A strange premonition came over him.
This era may end during his lifetime, and at the final moment, Gondor will have a final battle with Mordor.
Even though the situation on the front line seems to be good now, the vague premonition in his heart and the speculation based on the current situation make Denethor unable to relax his brow.
"I will not let Gondor fall."
"no way."
Denethor stretched out his hand and slowly approached the Arnol crystal, which could be said to be the one most closely connected to Sauron.
He knew the consequences of doing so and understood all the risks of using crystals.
but…
Thinking back to the land of Minas Morgul filled with smoke and poison, the cruel scenes he had seen since he was a child, the tragedies and regrets, Denethor touched the crystal of Anor without stopping.
Boom! As if a heavy hammer hit the soul, darkness spread out from the crystal stone and instantly enveloped the entire top floor of the tower.
A figure surrounded by evil flames was projected from the crystal, looking like a huge, glowing eye.
The Demon Eye, or Sauron, cast his gaze towards this place the first moment the crystal was activated, and everything was pulled into darkness.
His hair was flying and his robe was fluttering without wind, revealing the armor underneath and the iron sword at his waist.
Denethor stared at the huge flaming demon eye expressionlessly, his forehead becoming a little moist under the influence of the illusion, and he couldn't stop a few drops of sweat from flowing.
Countless evil whispers lingered in his ears, affecting his mind and forcing him to give up control of the crystal.
From the moment you touch the crystal of true knowledge, the battle of wills has begun.
The wind was blowing and the darkness was getting thicker. Not even a trace of light could be seen on the top of the tower.
Denethor was also completely covered and wrapped in this darkness.
"Do you think you can scare me by making a scene like this?"
Just as Sauron was feeling proud, Denethor, sweating profusely, laughed mockingly in the darkness.
The flames of evil grew hotter and hotter, making people's mouths dry and their tongues parched.
But the young Vizier's rage and hatred for Mordor were even greater than this flame.
In a trance, some illusions appeared in Denethor's eyes again.
Gondor - All of Gondor was in flames, cities were destroyed, people were slaughtered, and the Orcs occupied the land and enslaved everything in it.
Seeing that he did not have the advantage in a head-on confrontation, Sauron adopted a flank interference strategy, trying to use this illusion to create despair in Denethor and make him lose heart and give up.
But, the steel was not melted by the flames after all.
Surrounded by evil whispers and darkness, Denethor strode forward, an even greater power erupting from his heart, directly overwhelming Sauron.
The darkness disappeared, and all illusions suddenly faded away.
Denethor gasped, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"I won."
Looking at the crystal again at this moment, what is shown is no longer the Eye of Demon or the fantasy of Gondor's destruction, but the situation inside Mordor and the various arrangements at the forefront of the battlefield.
Sauron, who was far away in Barad-dur, was powerless to stop all this. He could only watch as his own information was exposed.
But that’s okay…
Human beings, perhaps at a certain moment their will can be so strong that even the gods would be amazed, but this strength is often not eternal. As time goes by and their bodies age, their will will always decay and decline.
The will of one party will gradually deplete over time, while the will of the other party will grow steadily as its strength recovers.
There was no failure, only the victory was delayed - this was Soran's usual style and attitude.
What we need to do now is to endure for the time being.
The other side.
After gaining a slight advantage, Denethor opened his eyes wide and experienced the wonder of the crystal.
His consciousness roamed in it, and he used the power of the crystal to gather information everywhere.
However, such a nearly full-view observation is not without cost. Sauron was only temporarily suppressed, but did not disappear.
He continued to interfere, engaging Denethor in a war of attrition of wills.
It can be said that every second of using the crystal is a huge test of one's will. If one slacks off even a little, someone may take advantage of the situation and cause irreversible consequences.
But fortunately, the person holding the crystal is still strong at this moment.
After staring at the crystal for a long time, taking in the situation around Mordor and even Barad-dur, Denethor finally withdrew his gaze.
I have to say that magic items like the Crystal of True Knowledge are truly amazing. If you want to know something, it will show it to the user like reading their mind, from the movements of Mordor nearby to the situation of a specific person far away.
As his thoughts changed, his sights moved farther and farther, and the mirror image in the crystal kept changing according to Denethor's will, crossing Ithilien, Gondor, Rohan, Isengard, Dunlân...
All the way to Lonely Land, the prosperous Water City, and even to the roadside fort north of the Water City.
The figure of a ranger appeared in the crystal.
Aragon.
At this moment he was deep in the Etten Wasteland, surrounded by vagrants who were lurking in the bushes like him, and they seemed to be ambushing something.
In the picture, suddenly, Aragorn raised his head, looked left and right, and looked very alert. The rangers around him were nervous because of him.
But he saw nothing.
Denethor silently switched perspectives, and a gray figure appeared in the crystal.
Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey.
He was wandering around the Shire.
This guy seems to be very interested in Shire recently, and visits there very frequently, almost every year.
Looking at the wizard riding a horse leisurely in the picture, a trace of disdain flashed in Denethor's eyes.
These are the two guys, a wizard, and a guy with royal blood who suddenly appeared.
"If you think that you can make everyone submit willingly just by showing your bloodline and waving your hand, then you are very wrong."
After checking the movements of the two, perhaps driven by curiosity, after a slight hesitation, another figure appeared in Denethor's mind.
Then the crystal stone scene changed, all the way to a castle.
"Um?"
The person in the picture suddenly raised his head, and his eyes seemed to cross the space and meet Denethor's directly, which made his heart tremble.
Hula——
Levi waved his hands as if to drive away something, and the image in the crystal became blurry.
(End of this chapter)
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