bookbashuk Chapter 376 The Magic Mirror
Chapter 376 The Magic Mirror
Chapter 376 The Magic Mirror
Gandalf was somewhat dazed when he saw this scene, as if he had returned to Valinor.
Frodo stared in awe at everything around him.
There is no light source here, but the whole room is filled with light, bright but not dazzling, and time seems to have lost its meaning here.
"Where is this?" Frodo asked, his eyes wide.
"This is the Room of Requirement, my secret room," Dui said with a smile, before continuing to walk into the room.
"The Room of Requirement?" Frodo pondered the name, unable to resist speculating.
"Just like you think, this room can be transformed into any room you want, such as a room exactly like Bag End, a secret garden full of flowers and trees, a treasure vault full of gold, and so on. It can conjure up anything you can imagine!" Dui said.
"Of course, anything that appears in this room cannot leave the room's boundaries, otherwise it will simply disappear."
Hearing this explanation, Frodo was even more astonished. This room was simply amazing; it was practically a wish-granting room!
Even Gandalf, who already knew of the existence of the Room of Requirement, looked at the magical room with awe upon hearing Dui's words.
Although he called himself a wizard, his research and skill in magic were completely incomparable to that of the wizard Dui.
Dui was obviously not showing the two of them the room; he led them forward into this seemingly boundless space.
After walking for a few minutes, what came into view was a series of neatly arranged items.
Frodo looked around curiously.
On some crystal platforms floating in mid-air were placed a golden cup, a crown, a sword, a hat, a cloak, and a ruby.
In addition, there are cabinets, mirrors, pools and other items on the ground around it.
Frodo was immediately drawn to the magnificent golden mirror, which seemed to possess a magical power that drew him in irresistibly, and he curiously peered into its reflection.
The mirror initially showed only his own reflection, but the next second it changed. He was suddenly in a different environment, inside a giant volcano surrounded by rivers of lava.
The man in the mirror looked as if he had suffered greatly, his face weak and pale, yet he wore a bright smile, and then pulled out a ring—
Frodo gasped and stared wide-eyed at the sight.
Then he saw his reflection in the mirror wink at him, and then he threw the Ring into the volcanic lava. The Ring was swallowed by the scorching lava and then completely destroyed.
"What did you see?" Dui's voice rang out from behind Frodo, startling him.
He quickly turned around and saw that Dui and Gandalf had somehow appeared behind him.
Gandalf was examining the mirror with great interest, looking thoughtful.
Dui, however, asked him with a look of curiosity.
Frodo didn't know how to describe it. He looked at the image in the mirror and said, "I saw myself in the mirror, but I looked a little different. I was on a huge volcano, where there was lava everywhere, and the sky was dark and it looked stuffy and hot—and then he threw the ring into the lava, destroying it completely—"
At this point, Frodo became somewhat excited, his eyes burning as he asked Dui, "Is this a prophetic mirror? Does it mean I will successfully destroy the One Ring?"
Before Duy could answer, Gandalf shook his head: "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Frodo. This is not a mirror of prophecy, but a mirror of desire. What you see is the desire in your own heart. Am I right, Duy?"
Dui smiled and nodded: "Gandalf is right. This is the Mirror of Erised. It can see the strongest desires in one's heart. The stronger a person's desires are, the greater the attraction of the Mirror of Erised will be to them. They may even forget everything and fall into a false illusion, becoming addicted to it and unable to break free."
And since you are determined to destroy the One Ring, you see the scene you most desire in the mirror.
Of course, this doesn't mean it's meaningless. As long as your will is firm and you are not tempted by the Ring, the scene you see in the mirror might just become reality!
Frodo gazed intently at the image in the mirror, as if trying to imprint it into his mind, and said with even greater determination, "I will definitely make it happen!"
Dui and Gandalf both smiled with relief upon seeing this.
Frodo looked away from the mirror and then looked at something else.
Upon seeing the heptagonal pool and the liquid within shimmering with electric sparks, I couldn't resist peering inside.
"Lord Duir, what is this?"
"This is the Wizard Transformation Pool. It contains the blood of the Thunderbird that I collected, enough to transform a person into a wizard."
"Duy said in a tempting tone, "If you also want to have magic and learn magic like the students in the castle, you can jump in right now and become a magical hobbit!"
Of course, this process will involve some hardship and experiencing the excruciating pain of having your bones pulled out. Are you willing to go through that?
Listening to Dui's words, Frodo was somewhat tempted. He had witnessed a lot of magic in the castle these days, and when he saw the students waving their wands, he couldn't help but feel envious.
Now that such an opportunity has come along, I am naturally very excited.
But to Dui's surprise, Frodo shook his head.
"No, thank you, Duir. Magic is interesting, but I'd rather be an ordinary hobbit. I want to return to the Shire after this Fellowship of the Ring mission and continue my peaceful life."
"Besides, if I can't even resist the temptation before me, I'm afraid I'll be even less able to resist the temptation of the Ring, so I'd better give up!"
After hearing Frodo's sincere thoughts, Dui's surprise turned into appreciation.
Gandalf beamed with joy, his eyes filled with satisfaction and admiration.
He truly deserves to be called the chosen Fellowship of the Ring, able to resist the temptation of becoming a wizard—a quality that many, including Duy, lack.
Even Duy suspected that if it weren't for the One Ring, Frodo standing in front of the Mirror of Erised might very well have seen himself instead.
Since Frodo refused to become a wizard, Dui did not insist.
The bloodline fusion potion containing the Thunderbird blood in this pool was actually prepared by Dui for Bilbo, but Bilbo refused, so Dui considered giving it to Frodo instead.
He thought that if Frodo possessed magic, it might be easier for him to take the Ring and infiltrate Mordor to throw it into Mount Doom.
But now that Frodo has also refused, Dui can only put the pool of bloodline fusion potion aside for the time being and consider candidates later.
Since there's magic involved, there's no need to worry about it spoiling.
Then Dui led Frodo and Gandalf to another place, where they saw a black crystal of knowledge placed on a crystal stand.
Next to the crystal was a crystal bottle that emitted starlight.
Dui reached out and took the crystal bottle, handing it to Frodo. At the same time, he took out a black cloth and covered the crystal of true knowledge with it.
"This is the Light of Eyarndil, a gift from Lady Galadriel of Lorean. It can suppress dark forces. Placing it with the Ring will effectively reduce the Ring's influence on you."