Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 206 Soul-Stealing Master

Dui was curious upon hearing this.

"Now that Morgoth has been defeated, this magic circle should be useless, right?"

Gandalf shook his head and said seriously to Dui, "You said it yourself, he was only defeated. After the War of Wrath, Morgoth was captured, and the Valar bound him with the chains Anghenor and banished him to the void beyond the world."

But in this world, there are still many of his followers and worshippers who will try to grant Morgoth power through sacrifices and other means, so that he may break free from his bonds and return to this world.

Galadriel took the blueprints, looked at the evil array on them, frowned slightly, and slowly said, "There is an ancient prophecy that Morgoth will eventually break free of his bonds and return to this world, once again igniting a war far more brutal than before."

I initially thought it was just a rumor, but now it seems there were signs all along.

Finally, Gandalf broke the heavy atmosphere, saying in a seemingly relaxed tone, "Whether the prophecy is true or false, it's still too far away for us to worry about right now. Besides, Duir destroyed and erased that formation in time, so we don't need to worry about anyone using it."

So everyone kept this matter to themselves, and the blueprint with the sacrificial magic circle was burned by Dui.

Then Dui cast a spell on the fireplace inside the Osank Tower, connecting it to the Floo Network.

This would make it easier for him to teleport back and forth between Windrise and Eisengard.

Galadriel and Elrond refused Duy's offer to stay and teleported back to Lorien and the Valley via the fireplace.

Only Dui and Gandalf remained.

Orsankta was a formidable fortress meticulously crafted by Saruman, filled with countless spells and traps. These things could defend against attacks from others, but they could not stop Saruman himself.

It would be a great pity to destroy them directly, since these are the fruits of Saruman's labor over hundreds of years.

However, if it is not destroyed, it could very well become a weapon against Saruman if he were to return.

So after discussing it, Dui and Gandalf decided to modify the magical mechanisms left by Saruman, making them completely their own to prevent any potential problems.

It took the two of them a full month to completely bring Osankta to their own.

Dui even inscribed runes on the tower and cast various spells to further enhance the defenses of Osankta.

During this time, Dui also took the opportunity to deal with the problems of Saruman's men.

These humans recruited by Saruman, apart from some Gondorians and Rohanians, were mostly Black Barbarians.

The Rohan and Gondor were relatively easy to deal with; they were simply handed over to the Rohan and Gondor soldiers stationed nearby at the Isen River crossing.

But the Black Barbarians are in a bit of a problem.

The Black Barbarians live west of Eisengard, separated only by a mountain. They were previously allied with Saruman and became his forces against Rohan.

Although Gandalf tried to ease the conflict between the Black Barbarians and the Rohan, and even persuaded King Sengir of Rohan to allow the Black Barbarians to return to their homeland.

However, the conflict between the two sides was already irreconcilable. The Black Barbarians were the original inhabitants of the area around the Aissen River and the western border of Rohan, while the ancestors of Rohan migrated there later and were given a title by Gondor.

The Black Barbarians believed that the Rohan had encroached on their traditional lands, and the two sides frequently clashed over the ownership of pastures, farmland, and other areas.

Ultimately, the Black Barbarians were no match for the Rohans and were driven to what is now the Black Barbarian Lands.

This led to a historical feud between the two sides. The Black Barbarians had always wanted to seize the land back from the Rohans, while the Rohans were naturally unwilling to let go.

Furthermore, Saruman's constant underhanded attempts to sow discord further exacerbated the conflict between the two sides.

Since Dui has taken over Eisengard, he naturally doesn't want to have an unstable neighbor next door.

If the Black Barbarians continue to secretly join forces with Saruman, it will be a huge problem for Dui.

After discussing it with Gandalf, Dui decided to meet with the leader of the Black Wildlands, partly to announce the change of power in Isengard, and partly to sign in at the Black Wildlands.

He released the Black Barbarians and told them to tell their leader that he would personally go to the Black Barbarians to meet them a month later.

So once the threat of Osankta was completely resolved, Dui rode the dragon Smaug across the mountains to the Black Wildlands on the other side.

Black Wildlands is located on the western slope of the southernmost end of the Misty Mountains, occupying a narrow area bounded by the North-South Highway to the east, the Aisen River to the north, and the Glenduin River to the south.

The Black Barbarians did not live in city-states or in an organized manner, but were scattered throughout the Black Barbarian region, living a nomadic life or with a small amount of cultivated land.

As Dui rode the dragon down from the mountaintop, the Black Barbarians looked up in terror at the enormous golden dragon, believing that the end of the Black Barbarian lands was nigh.

But it turned out to be a close call; the dragon merely flew low over the treetops, circled once in the Black Barbarian Lands, and then flew towards the Black Barbarian tribe leader.

Dui's move was also intended as a demonstration. These Black barbarians are warlike and fear power but not morality. Only by showing them strength that inspires awe will they submit and become obedient.

On a grassland near a forest in the Black Wildlands, a group of tents were clustered together, surrounded by a wooden fence to keep out wild animals and enemies.

This was the most densely populated area of ​​the Black Barbarians, and also the residence of their leader. When the dragon descended from the sky, the Black Barbarians were terrified. They grabbed their makeshift weapons, but didn't know how to fight back. They stared in fear and dread at the ferocious, enormous dragon and the person on its back.

The leader of the Black Barbarians lived in the largest tent. Hearing the noise, he came out of the tent.

But when he saw the giant dragon outside the gate, his pupils shrank instantly, and he almost couldn't help but shrink back.

They had only heard of dragons in their ancient legends, but now that they had seen them in person, they felt they were even more terrifying than the legends.

But as the leader, he suppressed his fear, gripped the broadsword at his waist, and stepped forward.

He stood at the front of the herdsmen and his men, trying to ignore the menacing dragon, and looked at the man on the dragon's back. He shouted, "I am Brog, the chief here. What business does the Dragon Lord have in my Black Barbarian Land?"

Dui vanished from the dragon's back in an instant, then reappeared in front of the leader in the next second.

“I am the black-robed wizard Duir. I have already sent a message back to those Black Barbarians. Chief Brog should know who I am.”

Brog was startled by Dui's sudden appearance and almost drew his sword to strike him.

But he immediately suppressed the impulse, feeling both shocked and relieved.

He looked at the young wizard who was even taller than himself, and despite his inner shock, he still nodded cautiously.
"Of course, you are now the master of Eisengard, the lord of Northwind Peaks, the dragon lord, and the nemesis of the Orks. Your name has spread throughout Middle-earth and has even been heard of in the Black Wildlands."

Dui's lips curled up, his eyes calm and indifferent: "Very well, since you know me, I don't need to elaborate on myself. I'm here to formally inform you that Saruman has fled to Mordor because of his collusion with Mordor, so I will take over Eisengard."

"I've heard you've allied with Saruman, and to avoid any misunderstanding, I've come in person to ask for your opinion. Chief Brog, can you give me a definite answer?"

Brog felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Dui's ambiguous smile and the giant dragon staring at him from behind.

He quickly explained, "It's all a misunderstanding! We had no idea that Saruman had colluded with Mordor. We only cooperated with him because he promised to help us reclaim our homeland. Now that we know he has betrayed us, we naturally will no longer cooperate with him!"

Dui did not express whether he believed it or not, but nodded and said softly, "I hope it is as Chief Brog said, otherwise the next time it will be my dragon that comes to visit, not me."

The dragon Smaug also roared deafeningly at the Black Barbarians, as if it were about to unleash scorching dragonfire at any moment.

Brog was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat, repeatedly promising, "Absolutely! Absolutely not!"

At that moment, the system responded.

[Hogwarts Check-in System: Location: Darklands, check-in required?]

Dui smiled and silently thought, "Sign in."

[Sign-in successful! Congratulations on obtaining the Soul Stealing Talent!]

In an instant, Dui felt his mind clear, as if a secret realm of his body had been opened, and his spiritual power involuntarily emanated from his body and spread outwards.

Then a cacophony of voices flooded his mind: the voices of countless Black Barbarians, the voice of their leader Brog, and the voice of Smaug.

These cacophony of thoughts echoed incessantly in his mind, as if dozens or even hundreds of people were talking loudly around him, causing him to frown and feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Master?" Smaug seemed to sense something and looked at Dui with a puzzled expression.

Dui shook his head, trying to suppress his mental energy and ignore the noise around him.

Under the influence of the Crown of Wisdom, Dui quickly and barely adapted to this ability, focusing his attention on it and not letting the noisy inner voices affect him.

Brog, the leader of the Black Barbarians, looked at Dui with a furrowed brow, feeling uneasy, but still mustered his courage and said:
"Duir Wizard, we, the Denland people, originally lived in our ancestral land, making a living by herding, hunting, and farming, and have always lived in peace and contentment."

But those wretched Rohanians seized our traditional lands, and those cunning Gondorians gave our lands to the Rohanians, leaving us homeless and forced to wander the Black Wilds.”

"If you can help us reclaim our territory, our entire tribe is willing to serve you as our lord and pledge our allegiance to you!"

With his Legilimency talent, Dui easily sensed the strong thoughts and emotions of Chief Brog, who said that he would be loyal to Dui if he agreed.

Even the surrounding Black Barbarians shared the same hopeful and longing sentiments.

Dui was helpless; he didn't want to get involved in the feud between the Black Barbarians and the Rohans.

If we really want to be precise, the ancestors of the Rohan were indeed invaders. They occupied the traditional lands belonging to the Black Barbarians and drove them out of their homes.

However, in the ensuing centuries-long feud, the Black Barbarians repeatedly invaded Rohan, and even launched a counterattack when the Rohan were being invaded by the Eastern Barbarians. They once captured the Rohan capital, Edoras, and killed the Rohan prince.

Both sides are stained with each other's blood, and each has their own version of the truth.

The people of the Black Barbarian Lands viewed the Rohan people as "robbers from the north," while the Rohan people viewed the Black Barbarian Lands as barbaric and unteachable.

Even Gandalf, who was always on the side of peace, found it difficult to judge the situation and didn't know how to resolve the conflict between the two sides.

(End of this chapter)