At the edge of the Mirkwood, Legolas, wearing blue-patterned silver armor and holding an alloy composite bow, squatted on a treetop, looking with a complicated expression at the elven gate made of white birch and green vines below.
As the prince of the woodland kingdom, entering Mirkwood was like returning to his own backyard for Legolas.
But this dim yet familiar hometown made him lost for five whole hours!
Although he had endured years of imprisonment and the Mirkwood had undergone tremendous changes due to the erosion of dark forces, he still did not expect to be lost for five hours.
If you're just lost, that's fine.
The problem is that the direction he is heading is completely opposite to Gushan.
The Lonely Mountain is located in the northeast of the Woodland Kingdom. If Legolas turns back to the underground palace and crosses the Woodland Kingdom, he will soon see the long lake at the foot of the Lonely Mountain.
But Legolas did not want to go back to the underground palace, nor did he want to seek help from the Elf King Thranduil, so he thought about avoiding the underground palace and going around to the Lonely Mountain Erebor from the north of the Woodland Kingdom.
But who would have thought that he would get lost on his way north and instead come to the western entrance of Mirkwood.
"It must be the influence of the dark power that permeates the dense forest..."
Legolas thought so as he stood up from the treetop.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from the wilderness outside the dark forest.
Legolas was slightly startled, then he remembered the plot of "The Hobbit 2", and his expression couldn't help but become a little ugly.
Soon, a group of people appeared on the horizon of the green wilderness.
Most of the people in the team were very short and rode short and stocky ponies.
Only the man in the front was tall, with white hair and beard, an old face, riding a tall horse, wearing a gray wizard robe, a gray pointed wizard hat, holding a wooden staff in his hand, and a two-handed sword on his waist.
Seeing the figure holding a staff in one hand and a greatsword in the other, Legolas instantly confirmed the identity of this person.
It was none other than Gandalf, the famous grey-robed wizard in Middle-earth.
It’s them!
Legolas frowned, his face looking uncertain.
What does this mean? Does fate force him to act with the protagonists?
While Legolas was hiding his body and hesitating, a silver figure hovered in the air high above the dark forest. Its deep black eyes penetrated the cloud valley in front of it and stared at Legolas from a distance of thousands of meters.
“Is this the power of fate correction?”
Lin Zhongtian looked at Legolas thoughtfully.
Since he had also been affected by the power of fate correction, he was already aware of this kind of existence. He keenly realized that there was something indescribable about Legolas.
After looking at them for a while, Lin Zhongtian shifted his gaze and looked with interest at Gandalf and his companions who had arrived at the entrance of Mirkwood.
Seeing the elven gate made of white birch and green vines in front of him, Gandalf couldn't help but stop, dismounted, and walked into the elven trail first, holding the staff in one hand and the hilt of the sword at his waist with the other.
After checking, Gandalf turned around and looked at the thirteen short figures behind him and said, "Well, this is Mirkwood, the largest forest in the northern world. You need to pass through here, follow the Running River, and reach the Long Lake at the foot of the Lonely Mountain..."
“Do we have to go through here?”
The young man in the team suddenly spoke up, looking at the dark forest in front of him and swallowed nervously.
"This forest...it looks sick, like some disease is gripping it."
"Don't worry, Bilbo." The bald dwarf carrying two hatchets patted Bilbo on the shoulder and said with a smile, "No Orcs are seen. This is the best news. As for these trees, they are just ugly. They will not ride on wolves and wave weapons to attack us..."
Gandalf did not comment. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed a giant bear appearing in the wilderness behind them.
That was the 'skin-changer' Beorn they had met before, who had the magic to transform into a giant bear. The horses they rode were borrowed from him.
Now that he appeared behind everyone, his purpose was self-evident.
Gandalf said immediately, "Well, everyone, now you have to return these borrowed ponies!"
After he finished speaking, the dwarves looked at each other and were about to complain, but Gandalf quickly warned them not to do anything stupid.
"You'd better not break your promise. Beorn is not someone you can easily mess with. It's not wise to make an enemy of him. Mr. Baggins' eyesight is much better than yours. You didn't see it, but he noticed that there was a giant bear following us every night..."
"That guy has been following us?"
The dwarf who looked like the leader said in astonishment.
Gandalf glanced at him and said softly, "Beorn is a kind and generous man. He does this to protect you secretly and to protect his pony. He will never allow you to bring the pony into the forest."
Bilbo seemed to realize something and asked in surprise, "Is it dangerous to enter the forest?"
Gandalf chuckled and said, "Of course there are dangers, but if you don't go through Mirkwood, you will need to travel 200 miles to the north or 400 miles to the south to bypass Mirkwood. Even if you are willing to take a long detour, it will not be much safer than here. There are brutal goblins and orcs in the north, and the territory of the necromancer in the south..."
"Trust me, just follow this path through the forest. As long as you are lucky enough, you will be able to reach the land on the other side of the forest sooner or later."
"We?" Bilbo asked, his heart tensing. "And you, Gandalf?"
Gandalf said softly: "I have more important things to do in the south, so I think it is time to say goodbye now..."
Hearing this, Bilbo Baggins pursed his lips and looked at the tall gray-robed wizard in front of him with some reluctance.
Since leaving Bag End, Bilbo has never been separated from Gandalf. He thought that Gandalf would always stand by his side and accompany him in his adventures in this vast world, but he did not expect that the day of separation would come so soon.
Gandalf smiled gently, his eyes swept over Bilbo and the faces of many dwarves, and he said loudly: "Don't worry, my brave friends, this separation is only temporary. When you pass through Mirkwood, we will meet again on the slopes of Erebor!"
"alright!"
The dwarf with black hair and beard and a heroic face said impatiently: "Since you don't want to join us, then stop talking nonsense!"
"Yes, let's go!"
"Good-bye! Good-bye!"
The dwarves began to grumble and seemed to be urging Gandalf to go away.
But in fact, everyone's eyes revealed their reluctance to part with Gandalf.
Gandalf smiled, then glanced meaningfully at the dense woods, turned his horse's head, and galloped towards the south.
As the sound of horse hooves faded away, Bilbo and the dwarves who were walking towards Mirkwood looked back.
When Gandalf's figure completely disappeared over the horizon, the dwarves sighed in loss. Bilbo's expression was a little complicated. He touched the ring hidden in his pocket with his right hand, took a deep breath, turned and walked towards the Mirkwood.
At the same time, Lin Zhongtian's eyes followed Gandalf on his horse, wondering if he should also come forward and play a role in this magnificent epic...
Just as a strong and obvious interest showed on his face, a sharp sword gleaming with silver light appeared out of thin air in front of him.
Lin Zhongtian was slightly startled, and then his face was filled with black lines.
"Performances require performance fees!"
Lin Zhongtian bargained seriously, and the sword floating in front of him suddenly emitted a white light.
"You mean this is my performance fee?"
Lin Zhongtian grasped the hilt of the sword thoughtfully, stroking the hard blade.
…
…
"Gandalf, I have sensed that something is moving in the invisible shadows. It is growing in strength day by day, cunningly hiding from our sight..."
"Beware of those necromancers. They are not as simple as they appear."
"Hurry to the tombs in the mountains. If the enemy has returned, we must know!"
Thinking back to Galadriel's words, the expression on Gandalf's face became more solemn.
The closer he got to the high hills, the more he could sense the dark power that made him uneasy.
“Boom—”
Suddenly, there was thunder and lightning, dark clouds gathered, and heavy rain poured down in an instant.
Gandalf frowned slightly, but continued to gallop forward in the rain.
Just as he went around the protruding cliff in front of him, he suddenly saw a figure riding a horse at full speed in the rain ahead.
He had a tall and strong build, wearing light and sturdy black leather armor, carrying two two-handed swords on his back, and his silver-white hair was neatly combed behind his head, rising and falling with the galloping of the horse under him.
Gandalf narrowed his eyes slightly, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.
From the look of his back, he knew that this man must be a brave warrior.
If he were anywhere else, he would have gone up to the warrior and made his acquaintance.
But this is a high hill, and the dark power that permeates everywhere forces him to be wary of any stranger who appears here.
At this moment, the warrior galloping in front seemed to notice Gandalf following behind him, and immediately slowed down his horse.
Gandalf's heart sank. He pulled the reins and stopped ten meters away from the enemy. He pressed the hilt of the sword with his left hand and looked at the enemy vigilantly.
"Who are you?"
Gandalf asked in a deep voice.
The man steered the horse and turned around, revealing a handsome face with a scar on his left eye.
"Geralt of Rivia." Lin Zhongtian lowered his eyes, looked at Gandalf in front of him through the rain, and answered in a low voice, "A witcher from the Far East."
Ilúvatar: "..."