Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 204 Saruman's Lair
Saruman was rescued by Soren halfway, leaving Dui and the others feeling very heavy-hearted.

Sauron was already a formidable opponent, but now with Saruman joining the fray, the difficulty has increased exponentially!

Although Sauron was previously banished by Galadriel, Mordor remained his stronghold, a den of darkness where all sorts of dark creatures and fallen humans gathered, a place even Gandalf never ventured deep into.

The Far East region has always been under the rule and influence of the Saurons, and human tribes or kingdoms such as the Dongyi and Nanman were all under the Saurons' influence.

Now, with the addition of Saruman, a powerful wizard skilled in mechanics and engineering, who can also cultivate and modify organisms.

Sauron's power was now virtually unstoppable.

Perhaps the only good news is that Dui seized Saruman's staff and the Ring of Power, depriving Saruman of two powerful weapons.

At the same time, they also captured Saruman's Isengard ahead of time, thwarting Saruman and Sauron's plan to attack from both sides and annex Rohan and Gondor.

Just as Dui and Gandalf were preparing to leave this place and head to Eisengard.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed in the distance.

Amidst billowing dust, an elite human army of over a thousand men rode towards Dui and his companions.

However, intimidated by the enormous size and might of the dragon Smaug, the horses became restless and dared not approach any closer after reaching a certain distance.

Only the leader, whose tall and magnificent horse seemed extraordinary, was able to bring its master a hundred meters away from Dui and the others under the influence of the dragon's might.

Gandalf, however, was immediately struck by the sight of the newcomer. He walked over and greeted him like an old friend.

"Your Majesty Senger, is everything alright?"

The man on horseback removed his helmet, revealing a dignified and rugged middle-aged face.

His gaze first fell on the dragon, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes. Then it lingered on Galadriel and Elrond, his eyes flashing with amazement as he recognized their elf identities.

He also noticed Dui standing with the two elves. If he hadn't noticed that Dui didn't have pointed ears, he would have almost mistaken him for an elf.

Filled with doubt and confusion, he turned his gaze to Gandalf, who was walking toward him.

"Gandalf, what has happened here?" He asked seriously, his gaze sweeping over the huge crater and the Ent River, which was clearly flooded.

"My soldiers reported that enemy activity has been detected here. Why are you the only ones they've found?"

Gandalf, with a solemn expression, sighed and said:

“Something has indeed happened here. Although it’s hard to admit, Saruman the White Wizard of Isengard has betrayed us. He has colluded with Mordor and is attempting to invade Rohan and Gondor.”

We discovered his plot and tried to capture him, but the forces of Mordor rescued him.

"What! Is this true?" Senger was taken aback, somewhat incredulous.

He had naturally heard of Saruman, the white-robed wizard of Eisengard.

He never expected that this wizard would betray him and collude with Mordor.

Gandalf nodded: "Saruman has been rescued by Mordor. With his power, he will surely make Mordor even stronger. I hope Your Majesty Sengir will be vigilant and increase surveillance of the east to guard against Mordor's invasion at any time."

"At the same time, I would like to ask Your Majesty Sengir for your help in passing this message to the Regent of Gondor in the south, so that he may also be on guard."

With the safety of the kingdom at stake, Sengold immediately became serious. He nodded and said, "Thank you for your warning. I will send more troops to guard the Anduin River border, and at the same time, I will strengthen our alliance with Gondor."

Gandalf smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this.

The man before him, Sengir, was the sixteenth king of Rohan, who had recently inherited the throne from his predecessor, Finger.

Although he was nearly forty, he was in the prime of his life, full of vigor and ambition, and naturally would not sit idly by while his kingdom was threatened.

Gandalf then took the initiative to introduce the other people to Sengal.

"This is Lady Galadriel, the Lady of Lorean."

As Gandalf introduced her, Galadriel nodded gracefully and gave a polite smile.

Senger had never seen such a beautiful and noble person before. He was amazed by her beauty, but also felt somewhat ashamed of himself.

Especially those bright, deep eyes, which revealed a penetrating insight into people's hearts, made him somewhat afraid to look directly at them, fearing that some of his despicable thoughts would be exposed.

They could only quickly avert their eyes, not daring to meet the other person's gaze again.

"This is Lord Elrond, the Lord of the Valley, the master of the last sanctuary west of the mountains."

Elrond nodded gently and politely.

Although Senger considered himself king, he did not dare to underestimate him.

Finally, Gandalf smiled at Dui.

"This is the black-robed wizard Duir, the lord of Windrise Peak, Hogsmeade, and Brietown, and also the Lord of Dragons."

Upon hearing this, Senger looked at Dui in surprise. He hadn't expected that this young wizard was actually the master of the dragon.

As the king of Rohan, he had naturally heard of the Battle of the Five Armies that took place a few years ago at the Lonely Mountain in the north, and he had also heard of the reputation of the Black-Robed Wizard.

He had initially assumed the black-robed wizard would be an elderly figure like other wizards, but it turned out to be a young wizard who could even subdue a dragon. Either of them was worthy of Senger's acquaintance, so he immediately invited everyone to visit the capital, Edoras.

However, neither Galadriel nor Elrond were fond of diplomacy, so they declined Sengir's invitation.

More importantly, they now need to deal with the problems left behind by Saruman.

Therefore, Dui and Gandalf declined the invitation.

With regret, the group bid him farewell and departed on dragons and eagles, leaving behind only Sengir and the Rohan soldiers watching them with awe.

Soon, the group arrived at Saruman's stronghold—Eisengard.

Eisengard is located in the strategic choke point between Rohan and Gondor, at the southernmost tip of the Misty Mountains.

It is situated in a valley, with its core being a fortress surrounded by a ring of high walls, and in the center stands a massive stone tower—Osank Tower.

Eisengard's location is of great strategic importance. It controls a vital passage connecting the north and south, and occupying it would both threaten Rohan and restrain Gondor.

Saruman's choice of this location as his base makes it hard not to suspect his motives.

Dui and his companions arrived at the fortress in Aisengard, which had been occupied by the treants. The treants controlled Huorn, destroyed the high walls surrounding the fortress, and took control of Saruman's forces.

To realize his ambitions, Saruman not only secretly tried to breed Orcs, but also recruited many humans to serve him.

Among these humans were Rohans, Gondorians, and Black Barbarians, numbering nearly a thousand.

However, they have now become prisoners of the tree people, imprisoned in cages woven from tree roots.

“Thank you for your help, Treebeard,” Gandalf said to the leader of the Ents.

Treebeard shook his head, his voice low and slow, “You’re welcome. Saruman has already cut down the surrounding forests to smelt steel, and we naturally won’t stand idly by.”

After handing over Saruman's men to Gandalf and his party, the Ents took Hoorn back to Fangun Forest.

After handing over Saruman's men, who were imprisoned in the tree cage, to Smaug, Dui and his companions entered the Osank Tower.

Osank Tower was built by the ancient Númenor people and was indestructible. After hundreds of years of continuous modification and strengthening by Saruman, it became a mage tower that was both offensive and defensive.

Looking at Osankta, Dui couldn't help but admire it repeatedly.

Saruman truly deserves his reputation as the most outstanding engineering expert in Middle-earth. He transformed the entire tower into an extremely sturdy structure, with various mysterious runes engraved on the walls and floor. The tower was imbued with numerous spells, making it resemble a fortress and a giant magical amplifier.

Saruman, being inside the tower, was invincible.

No wonder Gandalf and the others lacked confidence in joining forces to break through Osankta.

Inside the tower, the ground floor contains cells, warehouses, and armories, while the middle floors house Saruman's laboratory.

The laboratory was filled with various test tubes, bottles and other experimental equipment. Dui even saw Saruman's crossbows, machines and gunpowder, which made Dui secretly gasp in amazement.

Saruman is practically a research fanatic, it's just a pity he went down the wrong path, otherwise, if he had continued on that path, he might have even accelerated the historical process of Middle-earth.

When Dui saw Saruman's study, his eyes lit up.

The entire floor was converted into a study by Saruman, with bookshelves filled with countless books and scrolls.

He had never seen so many books except in the library in the secluded valley.

Although he wanted to go see it immediately, Dui first took out the staff and ring of power that he had confiscated from Saruman.

Dui had no use for Saruman's staff, nor did he intend to keep it, so he gave it to Gandalf.

Gandalf did not refuse.

Then Dui carefully placed the Ring of Power on the table without touching it with his hands.

After all, this is the Ring of Power that Saruman forged under Sauron's guidance. Who knows if it will be corrupted by Sauron's power, just like the Nine Rings of Man and the Seven Rings of Dwarf?

If you rashly touch it with your hands, or even can't resist wearing it, once it's corroded by the force, it will be too late to regret it.

Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel agreed with Duy's caution, and they too carefully and vigilantly observed the ring, searching for any hidden dangers.

Since the ring was something Dui had taken from Saruman, everyone assumed it was Dui's spoils of war.

However, they were also worried that the ring might conceal the methods of Sauron or Saruman. If Dui were to wear it without warning and be affected, that would be the greatest loss.

Therefore, all three of them carefully examined the ring, using various detection methods to test it repeatedly.

Even after the examination failed to detect anything, Galadriel deliberately put the ring on her finger to personally experience its condition.

After Dui waited anxiously for a long time, Galadriel finally smiled, took off the ring, and handed it to Dui.

"Congratulations! There's nothing wrong with the ring. Make good use of it!"

Upon hearing this, Dui was overjoyed and eagerly put the Ring of Power on his finger.

(End of this chapter)