I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth

Chapter 155 The Curse of the Immersion Ring
Tanes' conversation with the Gondorian caravan went very smoothly, even beyond his expectations.

When the merchant leader first saw the two men in his caravan bowing and scraping as they begged Tanes to come over, he immediately knew that these two must have caused trouble.

Otherwise, given their personalities, while they would have shown sufficient respect to the lord of the Golden Tree, they wouldn't have acted like his servants as they do now.

Therefore, the merchant leader was prepared to be questioned by Tanes, but to his surprise, Tanes asked if Gondor was suffering from the Orcs' harassment and offered some help.

The merchant leader didn't even have the option of "refusal" in his mind. As soon as Tanes finished speaking, he nodded vigorously and agreed immediately.

Just kidding, this is the sixth wizard to appear in Middle-earth, and the only one who actively hunts dark creatures like the Orks.

Tanes may not realize that his fame in other human nations is now rapidly surpassing that of Gandalf and Saruman.

When Gandalf is mentioned, everyone knows that he is a kind-hearted man who works hard to maintain relations between different countries and races.

As for the certain white-robed figure, people's impression of him is simply: Oh, he lives in a high tower in Eisengard.

But when people talk about Tanes, it's all about how many Orks he killed and how many homeless refugees his territory took in.

And because of the dwarves' word, everyone knew that Tanes was helping the dwarves defeat the dragon and reclaim Lonely Mountain.

He immediately stood out from the crowd compared to the two wizards mentioned above.

As for the brown-robed Radagast and the other two blue-robed wizards who never showed themselves, because they hadn't made any big fuss for a long time, some people were unaware of their existence.

Regardless, the merchant leader felt that he had brought a wizard to Gondor's aid, which would be a great achievement upon his return home.

Thinking of this, the merchant leader looked at Tanes with eager eyes, but restrained his excitement and asked politely, "Lord Tanes, how do you intend to resolve the Orc problem in Gondor?"

Tanes did not answer directly, but instead asked, "If you can speak to me on behalf of Gondor, I may tell you."

The merchant leader immediately calmed down and shook his head: "Of course I am not qualified, but please tell me when you plan to go to Gondor, and I will inform the Grand Master as soon as I return."

Tanes roughly calculated in his mind how long it would take to resolve the important matters planned by Melina, and said, "I will personally set off for Gondor within two months at the latest."

"Yes, Lord Tanes, I am here to relay this message for you," the merchant leader replied respectfully.

He paused, glared at the two members of his caravan, and then said with a forced smile, "Lord Tanes, did something unpleasant happen between you and these two? I apologize on their behalf."

The two merchants lowered their heads, not daring to speak. Tanes glanced at them, briefly explained the situation, and then said to the merchant leader, "After all, they are from Gondor. If I deal with them and it gets out to those with ulterior motives, it will inevitably affect the relationship between the Golden Tree and Gondor. So I think it's better to leave it to your own people to handle."

After hearing this, the merchant leader quickly said, "Thank you for your kindness and compassion. I will punish them according to the laws of Gondor, so please rest assured."

After he finished speaking, his expression turned grim as he looked at the two merchants.

Tanes waved his hand: "Don't punish them too harshly. They have already sincerely apologized to me. As for when I will go to Gondor, I will have someone write a formal letter to you and ask you to pass it on to His Excellency the Chancellor of Gondor."

Tanes then chatted casually with the merchant leader for a few more minutes, learned some news about Gondor from him, and then left.

After leaving, Tanes took Melina and rushed back to the deserted royal city of Rodel, arriving at the location of the Golden Tree.

He wanted to purify the two rings that Bernal had given him, but after summoning Melina, Tanes was too excited and forgot about it until he was in the Lord's Hall of Stoneville City.

Beneath the golden tree, bathed in a soft golden light, the two rings lying quietly in the palm of Tanes' right hand emitted a very distinct black aura.

Melina stared at the two rings, her brow furrowed. After examining them closely for a moment, she said, "The curses on these two rings are too vicious."

Upon hearing this, Tanes asked curiously, "Do you know what kind of curse is on it?"

Melina answered Tanes softly, "Yes, because the curse set on it wasn't created by pure magic or prayer, but by utilizing a bit of the power of the soul."

Tanes suddenly realized: "So it's related to the soul, no wonder you know."

Melina nodded and continued, "Although I don't know the specific consequences of the curse, I do know that once someone wears this ring, their body, mind, and soul will be controlled by the ring's true owner, losing their own autonomy and becoming unable to live or die."

Melina paused for a moment, then added, "Furthermore, I can sense that these two rings seem to have a faint connection with some kind of being. It's like the relationship between a king and his subjects. I believe there is another ring with even stronger soul power that can control these two rings."

Tanes looked at the ring in his palm with surprise for a few more moments, and said, "Doesn't that mean these rings were made from the very beginning to better control the person wearing them?"

Melina agreed, "Yes, that's what I think too. That's why I said the curse on them is extremely vicious, and the person who forged these rings must be very evil, or rather, very ambitious."

A flicker of fear crossed Tanes's mind, and cold sweat broke out on his back. He muttered, "Thank goodness Bernal and Egon didn't put the rings on immediately after they got them, or I'm afraid I would have lost two of my friends." Melina, thinking to herself, chimed in, "...If they had worn them, although they would have gained a boost to their physical attributes, such as strength, in the short term, their souls would have been irreversibly and slowly corrupted until they were captured by the ring's true owner and became their puppets."

Tanes sighed and said, "I just don't know if the Golden Blessing can remove the curse on these two rings."

Melina replied, "Removing the curse is equivalent to removing the last trace of the soul from the ring. The Golden Blessing is, to some extent, energy related to the soul, and it will certainly remove the curse. However, it will inevitably affect the ring's ability to enhance the wearer, even turning it into an ordinary ring."

Tanes shrugged: "It's better to get rid of the vicious curse. As for the power enhancement, although I'm interested, I don't like the negative effects of the ring. I have no intention of becoming someone else's puppet."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes and communicated with the golden tree through his spirit and soul.

The golden tree responded almost instantly to Tanes's communication with it, and from Melina's perspective, even more gold fragments fell from the branches of the twin golden tree.

Tanes coaxed the golden tree like a pet, then asked, "Can you remove the curse from these two rings?"

The golden tree could not answer Tanes with words, but it gave its answer with its actions.

The golden blessing, almost tangible, gathered in the palm of Tanes' right hand. The black aura emanating from the two rings grew increasingly dense until it coalesced into a grotesque, tall, thin, armored humanoid figure, unleashing a silent roar at the approaching golden blessing.

But the Golden Tree ignored it completely. In the next instant, a massive amount of golden blessings crashed onto the two rings like a giant wave, and the black aura vanished without a trace.

A few minutes later, the golden blessing gathered in Tanes's palm was gradually absorbed by the two rings, and the silver-white rings even turned into pure gold.

Tanes blinked in confusion: "That's it?"

The golden tree swayed its branches slightly, responding with the rustling of its leaves.

After carefully observing the two rings that had turned gold, Melina said, "Hmm, the curse on the rings that made me uncomfortable has disappeared. Moreover... it seems that because the Golden Tree actively infused the rings with golden blessings, the rings can still provide a certain degree of enhancement to the wearer's physical attributes, but the enhancement is not as strong as it was when the rings were still cursed."

Upon hearing this, Tanes put on the ring himself, felt its power, then took it off and smiled: "Indeed, but this level of enhancement isn't very useful for people like me and Bernal. It might be more noticeable for an ordinary person. Moreover, it has an additional function: when the wearer is attacked by darkness or curses, the ring's built-in Golden Blessing can protect the wearer until the Golden Blessing is depleted, after which the wearer must return to the Golden Tree territory to replenish the blessing."

He then put the ring away and said, "It's a pretty good reward. I remember a Storm Knight was suffering quite a bit from the wounds inflicted by the Ringwraith, and I was wondering what reward to give him. This ring that fell from the Ringwraith is perfect; I'll give it to him."

Melina nodded: "Good idea. Alright, the curse on the ring has been cleared, it's time to move on to the next thing on the schedule."

Tanes raised his right hand, held up one finger, and waved it from side to side. After summoning Toret by blowing the Spirit Horse Whistle, he reached out to Melina: "Don't rush, it's time to eat. How about it, want to try what the elves of this world eat?"

Melina placed her soft, warm hand in Tanes's, and with his help, sat on the saddle and said softly, "I'm not particularly interested in food, but since you recommended it, I'd like to give it a try."

As Tanes rode Toret, he said to Melina, "Don't worry, I don't know if it's because elves have such long lifespans, but they are very particular about their food. I ate quite a few delicious dishes in the Valley of the Dead. And it was the same in the Woodland Kingdom; the food the elves cooked with care was always delicious."

Melina leaned against Tanes's back and whispered, "Mmm."

When Tanes appeared before Ester, the little boy's face lit up with joy.

But he didn't forget to straighten his clothes before politely approaching Tanes and performing an elven greeting, asking, "Teacher Tanes, what brings you here? Are you here to see Brother Elladan and Brother Elohir?"

Tanes did not disregard the other's young age when he bowed. Instead, he returned the bow respectfully before picking Estelle up from the ground and smiling as he replied, "Yes and no, I mainly came for you, Estelle."

Ester, sitting on Tanes's arm, blinked: "Me?"

Tanes had already walked to the wooden table outside, placed him on a wooden chair, and said, "Yes, didn't you want to learn swordsmanship from me? Since I have some free time today, I'll teach you. Otherwise, I'll have to leave the Golden Tree territory in a few days, wouldn't that be breaking my promise?"

Estelle said very sensibly, "It seems like human adults have such a hard life. They're nothing like my brothers. They don't seem to be in a hurry at all."

“Because compared to our lifespan, humans are like mayflies, their lives are far too short. And humans, wanting to accomplish what they want within their limited lifespan, will naturally be very busy.” Elladan’s magnetic voice came from inside the house, and then he appeared at the door.

He bowed to Tanes with his hand on his chest, then looked curiously at Melina, who was holding Tanes's hand, and politely inquired, "I have long admired your name, Lord Tanes. My name is Elladan, and my father Elrond asked me to convey his greetings to you. May I ask how you should address this lady who is traveling with you, as beautiful as a nightingale's song?"

Melina did not release Tanes's hand, but returned the gesture with one hand in the royal courtesy of the Golden Tree of Elladan, and said gently, "My name is Melina, and I am responsible for helping Tanes with everything."

Elladan could easily see Melina's feelings for Tanes, but he smiled inwardly while outwardly returning the greeting as usual.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from inside the house, and Bilbo's short and cute figure appeared in the doorway, looking excitedly at Tanes: "Tanees? How did you know I was here! That's great, I just learned some new dishes from the elves today, you must stay and try them."

"Uh, okay!"

Tanes was taken aback, then smiled slightly and nodded in agreement, deciding to play along.

(End of this chapter)