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

Chapter 160 Black Gate
After bidding farewell to Bilbo, Thanes traveled to the Valley of the Lonely Mountain to meet Elrond and tell him the story of his journey there.

To Thanes's surprise, Elrond revealed that he had already learned of the outcome of the Battle of Lonely Hill from Gandalf's carrier pigeon and was looking for an opportunity to go to Lonely Hill to congratulate Thorin and his companions.

Although Thorin and his group of dwarves caused Elrond a lot of trouble in the Valley, Elrond didn't mind.

The recapture of Lonely Mountain symbolizes the addition of a solid defensive line in the northeast of Middle-earth, and Elrond is mostly pleased.

Tanes shrugged, intending to bid farewell to Elrond and leave the valley, but was suddenly stopped by the lord.

“Please slow down the flow of time for us, my dear friend,” Elrond said.

Tanes looked over, puzzled, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Elrond coughed lightly and asked, "Estelle... how is he doing with you? My two sons spoil him rotten, and I'm worried he might do something impolite."

Tanes replied with a smile, "Estelle is doing very well, and he is also very sensible and polite."

Elrond nodded, as if he wanted to say something more.

Seeing Elrond's conflicted expression, Tanes chuckled and said, "When did the renowned Lord of the Valley become so hesitant in front of his friend? Is there a question he can't ask?"

Elrond then stopped worrying and asked, "Gandalf also told me in his letter that your men fought the Nazghun and successfully killed two of them, obtaining the rings that fell from their bodies, is that right?"

Tanes nodded: "Yes, you've met them too, Bernal and Egon."

Elrond replied, "I could sense their martial prowess from the first time I met them, and the Battle of Lonely Hill certainly brought them the rewards they deserved..."

Then, the lord changed the subject, his expression turning serious, and said, "However, I implore you not to let the two of them wear the rings left behind by the Ringwraiths. Although the rings can grant the wearer great power, their souls will also be tainted by darkness. If possible, I hope you can give me those two rings, and I will take responsibility for destroying them. Of course, I will also offer you treasures of equal value in exchange for them."

Tanes smiled slightly upon hearing this, and stretched out his hand, revealing two dazzling golden rings lying quietly in his palm.

Elrond paused for a moment when he saw the two rings, whose designs seemed somewhat familiar: "These are... those two rings?"

Tanes nodded and said, "I discovered the remaining curse on the ring and had the Golden Tree thoroughly cleanse it. Although the ring's power to the wearer is not as great as before, there is no longer any need to worry about the wearer's soul being enslaved by the ring's creator."

As he spoke, he tossed one of the coins to Elrond.

Elrond nimbly caught the golden ring, examined it closely, marveled at it, and then returned it to Tanes without hesitation.

Elrond exclaimed, "It seems I have yet to fully grasp the wonders of the Golden Tree, which has managed to purify this soul-enslaving ring into such a wondrous form."

Tanes shrugged: "There are plenty of these tempting bad things in my hometown, so I'm still very vigilant."

Then, Tanes glanced silently at the serene Melina, before turning to Elrond and saying, "If something can grant you power far exceeding your current capabilities in a short time, the price you'll pay in the future will be excruciating. I only understood this through personal experience." Elrond breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Reliable and ungreedy warriors like you are rare in this day and age. I'm glad to have found another one. However, regarding your possession of two of the Nine Rings, Gandalf and I agree that it's best not to let the human kings know. Otherwise, you might face a constant stream of troublesome human emissaries. They won't be hostile towards you, but they'll relentlessly question you about the rings."

Tanes withdrew his hand, put away the ring, and nodded: "I understand the principle of not flaunting wealth. If there's nothing else, I'll head back to my territory."

Elrond waved goodbye to Tanes: "Next time we meet, I will introduce you to Lady Galadriel; she is very interested in your power."

After bidding farewell to Elrond, Tanes and Melina did not waste much time before returning to the Golden Tree Territory, and then rushed to the Black Gate.

Although it would only take a slight detour to reach Gondor's capital, Tanes was in a hurry to get to the Black Gate, so he did not choose to meet with Gondor's current vizier right now.

The leaves on the trees along the way changed from light green to dark green, and after about two months, Tanes and Melina finally arrived at a place close to the Black Gate.

However, the scenery around them isn't very good right now.

The imposing Black Gate, like an iron-cast barrier stretching across the northwest corner of Mordor, appeared before Tanes and Melina's eyes. Three massive arches were embedded in the thick city wall extending from the cliff, their surfaces covered with spikes and rusted metal patterns.

The Dagorard Plain before the gate was desolate and barren, littered with rubble and scorched earth. Two barren mountains, surrounded by putrid swamps, stood facing each other like the fangs of a giant beast. The mountains were riddled with pits and tunnels dug by the Orks, and crimson fires flickered in the shadows.

Flanking the Black Gate stand the Tower of Fangs, its windows like empty eye sockets, watching the road to Mordor day and night. The thick smoke swirling from the towers blends with the blood-red clouds in the sky, solidifying the gloomy atmosphere of the Dead Swamp.

Seeing this scene, Melina gently tugged at Tanes's cloak and asked softly, "Is the person you're looking for really here?"

Tanes looked at the place, which clearly didn't look like a place for people to live, and wondered to himself, "We haven't strayed from our destination, so we shouldn't be on the wrong path. Let's walk a little further and see if we can encounter those wandering knights."

"Mmm," Melina replied softly.

Toret snorted and led the two toward the huge black gate for a while. Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound in the air. Tanes immediately tightened the reins, and Toret also stopped as if on cue.

An arrow pierced the ground a dozen meters in front of Toret, and only then did Tanes notice that a pile of dry grass not far ahead was filled with fully armed humans.

These humans wore heavy, worn-out hooded travel cloaks in dark gray or dark green, the edges stained with the mud and frost of the wilderness, and longswords or axes hung on their backs or at their waists.

The leading stranger shouted, "You two strangers, if you're here for tourism, you've come to the wrong place. This place is only filled with death and gunpowder. Turn back! Otherwise, the next arrow won't just be a simple matter of sinking into the ground!"

Tanes frowned as he looked at the other person. After thinking for a moment, he decided to state his identity and purpose for coming here very decisively, since it would be easier to communicate later.

"I am Tanes, the lord of the Golden Tree, here to visit a ranger named 'Talion.' Do you know him?"

(End of this chapter)