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

Chapter 162 Traitor?

Talion led Tanes and Melina to his room, where a rather attractive middle-aged woman was cleaning.

She wore a blue robe, with a dagger at her waist and bulging pockets that looked like throwing knives. Her calloused hands seemed to tell Tanes and Melina that this woman was also a seasoned warrior.

Talion smiled happily, stepped forward to give the other person a light hug, and after a cheek kiss, turned around and introduced Tanes and Melina: "This is my wife, Ioris, and you have already met my son, Dehail, outside."

After Talion finished speaking, Ioris greeted them as well: "Hello, you two guests who have come from afar."

Tanes returned the greeting, saying, "Greetings, Lady Ioris. I am Tanes, the lord of the Golden Tree, and also a wizard."

After returning the gift, Melina casually introduced herself as "Melina".

Ioris then put the broom aside, wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, and said warmly to Tanes and the other man, "Tarion told me long ago that he wanted to meet the lord of the Golden Tree, but he never expected that you two would come to this remote and dangerous place in person."

Talion said to Éorice, “Madam, please make them a pot of hot tea and bring some of the refreshments that the Gondorian caravan sent earlier.”

Upon hearing this, Ioris nodded and quickly left the spot, while Talion invited Tanes and Melina to sit down at a round wooden table.

After Talion and the other two were seated, he took a deep breath and said, "I actually have another purpose for visiting the Golden Tree, but there were too many people talking outside just now, so it was inconvenient to explain in detail to you two."

Tanes looked at the somewhat weathered-looking ranger and nodded, signaling him to continue.

Talion rubbed his temples, gathering his thoughts before speaking: "I suspect there's a traitor among my men, someone has defected to Sauron."

Huh? This is so exciting right from the start?
Tanes's expression instantly became fascinating, and even Melina's eyes widened slightly.

Talion, observing their expressions, sighed slightly and explained, "I had already noticed some signs before heading to the Golden Tree territory, but I wasn't certain. On the surface, there seemed to be no trouble at the Black Gate, and Sauron's servants were attacking it at the same frequency as usual. But in reality, careful observation would reveal that the Orks were attacking precisely where the defenses had weaknesses. Once or twice might be understandable, but so many times is definitely not a coincidence, making me suspect there might be a traitor within our ranks."

Tanes asked, "And the result? Do you have any clues?"

Talion shook his head slightly: "No, not before. I know everyone in the Black Gate very well. Every ranger who is willing to stay in the Black Gate is a noble warrior, and I really can't understand why anyone would choose to betray us. If you want to be rich and powerful, there is absolutely no need to come to the Black Gate."

Melina followed up on Talion's words and asked, "Mr. Talion, you just said, 'There wasn't one before,' right?"

Talion's face darkened, as if it were about to drip water, and he nodded: "Yes, because something happened in Mordor recently, which led me to discover the traitor's poorly concealed tail."

Just then, Ioris slowly walked over carrying a plate containing a teapot and snacks, and gently placed it on the table.

The plates clattered against the table, and Ioris sat down next to Talion, saying to Tanes and Melina, "Talion and I discovered the traitor's affair together."

Talion gestured for Ioris to pour tea for Tanes and Melina, who first gave the two an apologetic look before quickly standing up to pour the tea again.

After thanking Ioris, Tanes asked, "Continue with the matter of the traitor. How did you two discover the traitor?"

Talion and Ioris exchanged a glance, then he sighed, saying with a mixture of pity and amusement, "The traitor himself is very well hidden, but he forgot one thing: the Orks he contacted didn't have his intelligence. During a routine patrol, Ioris and I killed a squad of Orks, and found the traitor's letter on one of them."

Tanes frowned: "Then why not just find the traitor out directly?" Ioris answered for Talion: "Because we cannot be sure of the traitor's identity, we can only confirm from the change of guard time in the letters that someone within our ranks has betrayed us."

Talion nodded: "Hmm... Although I know everyone here, I can't read everyone's handwriting. Fortunately, not many people know the exact shift change time; only those at the captain level are qualified to know."

Tanes asked, "How many captains are there in total at the Black Gate?"

Talion replied without hesitation, "Close to twenty."

Now it was Tanes's turn to frown.

After hearing Talion's answer, Melina said, "This number... I'm afraid it will be difficult to confirm who it is?"

Talion said, “Originally, I wanted to find out who the traitor was little by little without alerting him. But recently, the attacks from Ork have become more and more frequent, and because that traitor has also lost many brave warriors, I’m getting impatient. Fortunately, you two have arrived at this time.”

Tanes was not stupid; he immediately retorted, "Are you trying to use our arrival to expose the real traitor?"

Talion said sincerely, "I do have this intention, but I must first obtain your consent. If you feel that helping with this is too risky and are unwilling, I understand completely."

Tanes pondered for a moment, then began brainstorming.

Melina remained silent, waiting for his decision.

It wasn't until the tea was almost cold that Tanes broke the silence in the room and said, "I'm willing to help you with this, but I have two conditions."

Talion quickly asked, "Please speak."

Tanes first held up one finger: "First, if we're going to find the traitors under your command, we must use my methods. Second, I need a detailed map of Mordor, preferably one that includes information about the Orc settlement area."

Talion breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

He thought that Tanes would be like some of the Gondor nobles he had met before, making exorbitant demands for treasure.

Unexpectedly, all they wanted was a map of Mordor, which almost everyone in the Black Gate area has.

As for the first condition proposed by Tanes, Talion was even less likely to object.

It's worth noting that when Tanes introduced himself, he clearly stated that he was a wizard.

In Talion's eyes, Tanes's words meant that the wizard would personally help him find the traitor.

Talion quickly agreed, fearing that Tanes might change his mind: "Deal!"

(End of this chapter)