bookbashuk Chapter 385 Pirate Attack
Chapter 385 Pirate Attack
Chapter 385 Pirate Attack
The Aurors remained unfazed by the overwhelming, menacing horde of vampire bats.
"Attack!" Captain Auror ordered.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the Aurors present unleashed their attacks simultaneously.
Countless spells were fired at the bat at once.
In an instant, violent explosions resounded in the sky, and dazzling light flashed, causing everyone to close their eyes. Then came a deafening roar, like countless thunderclaps.
The immense power of the combined spell cast by dozens of Aurors directly shredded and tore apart the sky-covering vampire bats, utterly annihilating them.
The remaining few bats, as if terrified, scattered and fled completely.
Seeing that the vampire bats were no longer a threat, the Auror captain turned to look at the group, especially Gandalf, and respectfully greeted him, "Professor Gandalf, I never expected to meet you here!"
These Aurors were all graduates of Hogwarts, so naturally they all knew Gandalf, the flying professor.
When Gandalf saw these former students, he still remembered each of their names, greeted them with a kind and warm smile, and thanked them for their timely help.
"Professor Gandalf, you're too kind! It's our responsibility to protect the territory. These dark creatures dared to trespass into Hogwarts, so naturally we had to eliminate them!" said the captain of the Aurors.
Today, Hogwarts' territory encompasses most of the Eriado region, extending east to the Last Bridge, west to Old Tomb Hill, south to South Hill, and north to North Hill. This entire territory falls under the surveillance of the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic.
If enemies such as orcs, trolls, or evil spirits appear in the territory, the Aurors will be responsible for clearing them out to ensure the safety of the territory.
To this end, the Ministry of Magic also has a copy of the Marauder's Map of Dui, which can display the entire territory in a three-dimensional, dynamic map format.
Furthermore, there are dedicated Ministry of Magic staff who are responsible for constantly checking the map. If any anomalies are discovered, they will be reported immediately, and then the Aurors will be dispatched to resolve the issue.
The Aurors appeared near the final bridge because they discovered the vampire bats' invasion of their territory in time using the Marauder's Map, and then Apparated there as quickly as possible to deal with the bats.
Gandalf also knew about this, which is why he led the Fellowship of the Ring to cross the final bridge as quickly as possible and enter the Ministry of Magic's surveillance area, helping the Aurors escape the danger posed by the vampire bats.
Having resolved the bat problem, the Aurors bid farewell to Gandalf and his companions, then Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic.
As for Gandalf, he declined the Aurors' invitation to Apparate back to Hogsmeade, and instead chose to ride two winged horses slowly to Hogsmeade.
Now that they were inside Hogwarts territory, they were unlikely to encounter any danger, so they walked at a leisurely pace.
As for the two Pegasus horses, their wings were injured in the attack by the vampire bats, and they are temporarily unable to fly.
Vampire bats have venomous teeth, and their bites cause profuse bleeding. Although Gandalf healed the wound with magic, he was not skilled in healing magic and only managed to heal it to prevent the Pegasus from bleeding further.
However, the bats' toxicity and severe blood loss weakened the Pegasus, making it unable to carry them any further.
So the group decided to walk west along the main road all the way to Hogsmeade, and then visit Duir at Hogwarts.
Moreover, from this attack by the vampire bats, Gandalf and his companions have determined that Sauron's attention has been drawn to them, and that the vampire bats and ravens are Sauron's eyes.
This bat attack was clearly a test by Sauron.
Therefore, Gandalf and his companions decided to continue keeping Sauron's attention on their heels and keep heading west, but not too fast or too slow.
We must not arrive at the Grey Harbor too early, at least before Cildan returns by ship, otherwise the Grey Harbor will attract all the firepower. In order to seize the One Ring, the Grey Harbor may suffer a full-scale attack from Mordor, bringing a devastating disaster.
Therefore, the main purpose of Gandalf's Fellowship of the Ring, which was openly known as the Fellowship of the Ring, was to keep Sauron and Mordor on their toes and keep their attention firmly focused on the West.
During this process, Mordor's army, the Ringwraiths, and even Sauron himself may appear in the western lands.
But that's exactly what they've always wanted.
Just as Gandalf and his companions finally arrived at Hogsmeade and visited Hogwarts Castle once again.
Dui warmly welcomed them and invited them to stay at the castle for a while longer.
The two injured Pegasus were completely healed by Mrs. Amanda in the school infirmary, and after Gandalf and the others discussed it, they were released to return to the valley.
During this time, the Umbal pirates sailed hundreds of large warships and thousands of ships northward across the Beregail Sea, arriving off the coast of Linton.
Instead of heading straight into Loon Bay to attack the Grey Harbor, the pirates blockaded the sea, preparing to sever the Grey Harbor's connection with the ocean.
Moreover, within the Bay of Loon, the closest ports to the sea are Harlem and Vermont.
To attack the Grey Harbor, we must first take over these two ports, and then take over the Grey Harbor itself.
But the pirates clearly had bigger ambitions. They blocked the Lune Bay Strait and then split their forces into three groups, attacking Harlem Harbor, Fortuna Harbor, and Grey Harbor simultaneously.
Moreover, thanks to the Osank Fire, an explosive substance similar to gunpowder invented by Saruman, the pirate crew's warships were equipped with cannons, making them incredibly powerful. Even elves could not withstand the bombardment of their cannonballs.
Therefore, the pirate crew was so confident that they dared to split into three groups to attack the three ports of the elves.
However, while the pirate crew possessed powerful weapons like cannons, the elves were not entirely defenseless.
In the Elf Harbor, all the ships moored and sailing were steamships, and iron-hulled ones at that. They had neither oars nor sails, but simply spewed steam and hummed as they sailed on the waters of Luen Bay.
This scene from the steam age is like a completely different world from the rest of Middle-earth.
All of this stems from the steam engine principle that Dui inspired Cildan decades ago.
As a result, the ships in the Grey Harbor evolved from their original wooden structure and the use of sails and oars for power to the steam engines they use today.
Moreover, the steam engine was powered by a constantly burning spirit fire, requiring neither coal nor other fuels and producing no smoke or dust, making it arguably the most environmentally friendly steam engine.
Moreover, steamships are faster and more defensive than wooden ships.
Although pirates had cannons, their ships were still made of wood, which was fundamentally different from steel steamships.
So when the pirate ship entered the Bay of Lune with great momentum, it encountered the steamship that was already prepared.
The Umbal pirates have deployed hundreds of warships and thousands of small boats this time. In addition to being equipped with cannons, they also have tens of thousands of pirate crew members, including Harads, Black Numenors, and even orcs and trolls.
However, orcs and trolls were almost always used as laborers, responsible for rowing boats, setting up cannons, and so on.
Of course, when necessary, they can also be turned into powerful cannon fodder.
The Umbal pirate crew came out in full force this time, with the port marshal personally leading the crew. He was instructed by Sauron to block the sea routes at all costs and prevent the One Ring from being sent to Valinor in the west.
Therefore, the pirate crew's goal this time is to completely destroy the western ports and all of the elves' ships.
Thus, no more ships were able to cross the sea to the west.
After destroying all the Elven ships, the pirate crew continued to occupy the port and used it as a base to invade eastward, joining forces with the Mordor army coming from the east to attack from both sides and seize the One Ring.