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Chapter 246 Eyarendil's Gift
At dusk, when the sun sinks into the western ocean.

Two dazzling stars rise slowly together from where the western sun disappears.

One shimmered with white light, the other glowed like fire.

These are respectively the Star Eyarendil (Venus) and the Star Carnier (Mars).

On the platform at the top of Osank Tower, Dui stood in the center, with a mithril furnace in front of him and a magic circle drawn with mithril under his feet, covered with countless mysterious runes.

Elrond, Gandalf, and Arwen stood quietly outside the formation.

As Dui activated the magic circle, continuously injecting magic power into it, the mithril runes emitted a silver light, and the entire Osank Tower seemed to be awakened, trembling slightly and emitting a buzzing sound that was difficult for ordinary people to hear.

Elrond and Gandalf simultaneously raised their hands, and the Rings of Air and Fire on their fingers shone brightly, as air and fire elements continuously flowed into the magic circle.

With the help of the power of the two Elf Rings, the magic circle unleashed even greater power.

Air and fire elements from hundreds of miles around were summoned and gathered, forming a sea of ​​elements that surged into the magic circle.

At the same time, the stars Eyarendil and Kanir in the sky also connected with the array, projecting two beams of starlight, one white and one red, which fell into the magic circle.

Two beams of starlight descended from the sky, standing out prominently in the night sky. The spectacle was seen from the Lonely Mountain in the north to Gondor in the south, from Eriardo in the west to Mordor in the east.

Everyone was surprised by this strange phenomenon, yet it also felt somewhat expected.

After all, they had become accustomed to such strange phenomena that had occurred one after another throughout the year. Even when two beams of starlight appeared this time, they were only slightly surprised for a moment before speculating about what Duir was doing.

After so many unusual phenomena, and not only in Windrise Peak but also in Eisengard, almost everyone with connections guessed that these phenomena were caused by Dui.

While everyone was watching the two beams of starlight, at the source of the starlight—above the sky.

A beautiful ship with a pure white hull, golden oars, and sails woven from silver, resembling a silver moon, and a bow with a curved neck like a swan, sails in the sky and among the stars of the universe.

On the ship was a tall half-elf with a white bird perched on his shoulder.

He wore a crown, the center of which was set with an incomparably dazzling Silmarillion.

Bathed in the light of the Silmarillion, he also radiated light from his entire body, making it impossible to distinguish which was the true source of light. People could not look directly at him and could only see a blurry outline.

As the starlight was guided down to the earth, it immediately caught the attention of the figure on the ship, who followed the starlight downwards.

Whatever happened on the ground was instantly revealed to him.

When he looked away, he gently reached out and stroked the white bird on his shoulder. "Alwen, our granddaughter has found her lover now, and he's quite an interesting young man."

The white bird on his shoulder seemed to respond with a melodious chirping.

He listened intently to the calls of the white birds before smiling and saying, "Let me lend them a hand."

As he spoke, his whole body burst forth with dazzling light, and the Silmaril on his head shone even brighter, illuminating the starry sky.

On the earth, atop Osank Tower, Dui was maintaining the array, continuously drawing upon the power of the stars Eyarendil and Kanir.

Suddenly, he looked up at the sky in astonishment.

Everyone else also looked up at the sky.

Then the star Eyarendil in the sky became incredibly bright, its light even comparable to that of the moon.

Immediately, a thicker and brighter beam of starlight descended from the heavens and poured directly into the first magic circle.

It was a power purer and more sacred than starlight, as if it were the very origin of the stars.

"This...?" Dui's eyes widened, filled with shock and confusion at the sudden turn of events.

What's happening here?
No matter how powerful his magic circle is, it's impossible for it to draw in such pure stellar energy, right?

Elrond and Gandalf, who were outside the formation, also showed surprise, but then they understood.

Seeing Dui's puzzled look, Gandalf smiled and explained, "Don't worry, this is a gift from Eyarendil to you, a blessing that no one else has."

Elrond also said, "The Star of Eyarndil is essentially the Silmaril. What is being projected now is not just starlight, but also the power contained within the Silmaril. It can help you forge a better Philosopher's Stone, so don't waste it."

Upon hearing their explanations, Dui suddenly understood.

He then remembered that the star Eyarendil in the sky was the transformed form of Eyarendil, who was piloting the Wenkilot ship across the heavens.

Eyarendil is Elrond's father and Arwen's grandfather.

The origin of everything lies with the elven princess Lúthien and the human hero Beren.

After Lúthien and Beren removed a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown and endured many trials, Lúthien became mortal and spent the rest of his short life with his beloved Beren.

The Silmarillion was then passed down to their son Dio, who in turn passed it on to his daughter Alvin.

During the Third Cult of Fëanor, the sons of Fëanor attacked the place where Arwen lived in order to seize the Silmaril. Arwen jumped into the sea with the Silmaril, while the young Elrond and Elros were captured.

The sea god Ulmo took pity on Arwen's plight and resurrected her after she jumped into the sea. She was transformed into a large white bird, wearing a Silmaril, and flew to her husband Eyarendil's Venkilot.

Guided by the light of the Silmaril, they met the Valar in Valinor and pleaded with them to save the Elves and Men oppressed by Morgoth. The Valar canonized the Venkirot and sent it outside the Gates of Night. Eyarendil placed the Silmaril on his head and sailed the ship through the heavens, becoming the "Star of Great Hope," or the Star of Eyarendil.

So he benefited from Elrond and Arwen's influence, and received a gift from Eyarendil as a greeting?
Dui speculated.

However, Dui said he was enjoying this life of luxury, and he channeled the primal power of the projected Eyarendil Star and the power of the Kanir Star (Mars) into the furnace.

Under the burning essence of the dragon's blood flames, it gradually merged into the golden liquid in the flask and reacted with it.

Elrond and Gandalf also continuously infused the Ring of Air and the Ring of Fire into it.

Time passed little by little.

The next morning, as the sun rose in the east, the stars Eyarendil and Kanir temporarily disappeared into the night sky.

Meanwhile, the magic circle on the top of Osank Tower continued to operate. The star power accumulated overnight filled the magic circle, like countless stardust scattered, causing the top of Osank Tower to release dazzling starlight even in the daytime.

It's as if a star is embedded in the tower.

The closest people, the Black Barbarians who live on the outskirts of Eisengard, saw the two starlight projections, which seemed like a miracle, last night.

Even now, seeing the tower still shining with starlight, countless Black Barbarians are filled with awe and worship.

Some of the Black Barbarians even revered Dui as a god.

At the top of the Osank Tower, the dragon blood flames inside the furnace burned continuously. Due to the abundance of fire element, the fire inside the furnace was extremely intense, and the temperature of the flames reached an unprecedented high.

The double-necked flask containing the golden liquid was instantly vaporized and evaporated, leaving only a clump of golden liquid suspended in the furnace, unchanged despite the flames.

Instead, under the catalysis of dragon blood, it continuously absorbs air and fire elements, and merges with the power of the stars Eyarendil and Kanir.

Finally, a barely perceptible red dot appeared in the golden liquid.

It's like a drop of cinnabar in a solution of gold—very eye-catching.

It was just a touch of red, yet it emitted a dazzling red light.

The red light ignored the barriers and shone through the furnace onto Dui.

In an instant, Dui felt his mind open up, his thoughts clear, as if he had been crowned with wisdom, and his thinking became faster.

Furthermore, their ability to understand and appreciate their surroundings and the world has also improved rapidly.

He seemed to have entered a state of "enlightenment," and all the spells, potions, alchemy, and other things he had learned before became incredibly clear in his mind again. He even began to have a deeper understanding of the magical knowledge and theories within them.

At the same time, the magical power within him was also increasing rapidly.

Dui was overjoyed to have such a gain.

But his joy didn't last long. His consciousness gradually sank into illusions, which were his deepest desires. These illusions were amplified and began to disrupt his thinking, trying to take over.

Dui could only resort to brain-blocking techniques, using his mental fortress to resist these desires.

But these desires originate from the depths of his heart; they are simply amplified now. The mental fortress primarily defends against external mental and psychological attacks, but it cannot completely isolate the desires within.

Dui can still suppress the desires that have now been amplified.

But based on Dui's previous experience, as more and more of the golden liquid turned red, his inner desires would be amplified infinitely.

Dui was somewhat worried about whether he could survive the final test.

If he fails to survive, not only will the Philosopher's Stone be wasted, but he himself will also be influenced and controlled by desire, just like those corrupted by the One Ring.

The only difference is that those corrupted by the One Ring will become its puppets.

He, on the other hand, would become a puppet of his own desires.

Gandalf, Elrond, and Arwen, who were outside the magic circle, naturally noticed Dui's situation and immediately showed worried expressions.

Elrond frowned slightly, his expression grave, and said:

"This time it will be longer than before, and the trials will be more difficult. If Duir can successfully resist all desires, his mind will be completely perfected, and the Philosopher's Stone he creates will be the most perfect one."

But achieving that level is incredibly difficult.

After all, even Elrond himself couldn't say he could resist all desires, especially those that came from the depths of his heart.

Moreover, Duir, a young man, was a different story. Ellund didn't have much confidence in him.

He had even prepared to wake Duir up in time when he could no longer hold on, so that he would not be controlled by his desires in the end.

Of course, by then, the Philosopher's Stone would not be perfect.

Just like Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone, although it can grant immortality, it cannot stop the aging of the body.

(End of this chapter)