bookbashuk Chapter 375 The Room of Requirement
Chapter 375 The Room of Requirement
Chapter 375 The Room of Requirement
Dui's strength is now vastly different from before; he instantly immobilized the old willow tree.
The old willow tree's branches, which had been waving, were now frozen in mid-air, as if time had been stopped.
Without the old willow tree's hypnotic voice, Frodo quickly regained consciousness.
Seeing the menacing, enormous old willow tree before him, and the hollow tree that could swallow him whole, Frodo felt a chill run down his spine and immediately retreated away from the old willow tree in a disheveled manner.
Then he saw Dui and Gandalf, and immediately felt like he had seen his saviors. He ran to the two of them as fast as he could, panting heavily.
"Duir! Gandalf! Thank goodness you came! I don't know what happened, I just suddenly appeared in the forest, and those trees were attacking me like madmen. If it weren't for the brooch you gave me, Duir, I'm afraid I would be dead already!"
"Sorry, we didn't expect this either." Duir patted Frodo on the shoulder. "The accident just now was caused by that ring. It clearly wanted to separate you from us so it could control you!"
Gandalf added, "As for those trees attacking you, it's partly because of the Ring, Frodo. Be prepared, that Ring will not only tempt you, but also attract the attention of those in darkness. So you may very well encounter situations like today, or even more dangerous than now!"
Hearing Duy and Gandalf's words, Frodo felt the contents of his pocket become incredibly heavy, and gained a deeper understanding of the danger of the Ring.
While Gandalf comforted the frightened Frodo, Dui turned his attention to the half-cut old willow tree by the Willow River.
A playful glint flashed in his eyes as he walked to the frozen old willow tree, patted its trunk, and greeted it as if seeing an old friend: "Hey, long time no see, old willow tree! I didn't expect you to recover so well after all these decades!"
The old willow tree was immobilized, but as it saw its mortal enemy, Dui, appear, the memories of the past remained vivid, and resentment and fear emanated from its trunk.
The old willow tree resented the powerful wizard Dui for almost killing it, leaving it with only half a body, and forcing it to sleep for decades before finally recovering.
He was also afraid of Dui's strength, fearing that he would kill him completely.
Dui could sense the old willow tree's emotions without using mind reading, but he had no other intentions towards it. The old willow tree was no longer a threat to him, and for the sake of Tom Bombadil and the Fangon Forest Treeman, he wouldn't make a move.
So he simply broke off a few willow branches from the old willow tree, intending to give them to Ollivander to make a few wands.
After shearing the wool, Duy waved his hand to untie the old willow tree from its restraints, then turned and walked toward Gandalf and Frodo.
Although the old willow tree had regained its mobility, it dared not launch a sneak attack from behind. It could sense the powerful aura emanating from this human, and if it dared to attack from behind, it would probably be the one to die the next second!
Sensing the fearful and hesitant look on the old willow tree behind him, Du Yi continued walking, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.
After suffering a great loss once, the old willow tree became much more timid.
Leaving the old willow tree behind, Duy said to Gandalf and Frodo, "Let's go, we should go back to Hogwarts."
"How do you plan to get back? By Apparition?" Gandalf asked.
Frodo also waited curiously for Dui's answer.
Dui frowned and shook his head: "Apparition with Frodo isn't safe. Since the One Ring can cause problems with the Floo Network, it might also cause trouble during Apparition, potentially leading to a serious accident!"
Apparition requires complete concentration, and the One Ring excels at mental attacks. If the Ring suddenly affects Duy while he is apparating, causing him to lose focus, it could lead to a serious splitting of his body.
Dui can protect himself, but he cannot guarantee that the person whose attendant has been revealed will not encounter any mishaps.
Therefore, the Apparition method was abandoned, and even the Door Key was not intended to be used.
However, this does not mean that Dui has no choice. He still has a flying broom in his pocket.
More importantly, don't forget he also has a phoenix, Animagus.
So, to Frodo's astonished and amazed gaze, Dui transformed into a magnificent golden-red phoenix, radiating a warm and sacred aura, and circled once in mid-air.
Then he swooped down, extended his claws, grabbed Frodo and Gandalf, and instantly turned into a dazzling ball of fire, disappearing from the spot.
The next second, a ball of fire appeared out of nowhere in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts Castle.
A phoenix emerged from the fire, carrying Frodo and Gandalf.
The phoenix released the two, circled once, and landed, transforming into Du Yi.
Gandalf looked around and exclaimed, "Back at Hogwarts so quickly? Speaking of which, this phoenix teleportation method is far superior to the Floo Network, Apparition, and Portkey experience; only the Vanishing Cabinet can compare!"
Frodo couldn't help but nod in agreement. He hadn't experienced Apparition or Portkey yet, but he knew Floo Network all too well. The dizzying, disorienting feeling was something he would never forget.
The way the phoenix teleported just now, although the feeling of being surrounded by flames was a bit nerve-wracking, was so quick that in the blink of an eye, it instantly appeared in another place, without any sense of teleportation at all.
This is so much better than teleportation via FiluNet!
"Alright, before we head to the Valley, let's deal with the One Ring issue first," Dui said seriously as he looked out the window at the students playing around.
The Lord of the Rings is now a huge threat, and the castle is home to more than 700 students and professors.
They didn't have Frodo's resistance to the Ring, nor did they possess the ability of Dui and Gandalf to resist its temptations.
The longer the Ring remains in the castle, or the longer students and professors are in close contact with it, even through a sealed box or a dragonskin bag, the more likely they are to be influenced and tempted by the Ring.
Moreover, the One Ring is unlike the other Rings of Power. Sauron infused the One Ring with most of his soul and power, so even the Maiar dared not touch it. Furthermore, even without direct contact, one could easily be seduced by being near the Ring for an extended period of time.
Duy dared not take such a risk, so he needed to move the Ring away as soon as possible and find a way to isolate its influence as much as possible.
"What are you planning to do?" Gandalf asked Duy.
He knew that Dui was not one to speak without reason; if he said that, then he must have an idea.
Instead of answering directly, Dui said to the two of them, "Come with me!"
He then walked straight out of the office.
Gandalf and Frodo then went out as well.
The two followed Dui to the outside of the office and stopped in front of a smooth wall. They watched as Dui faced the wall and gently tapped it with his wand.
As Frodo looked on in astonishment and Gandalf looked on in realization, a door painted with mithril appeared on the smooth wall.
Dui pushed open the door and gestured for the two to follow.
Frodo and Gandalf followed them inside, where they found a bright, luminous room. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all white, seemingly without boundaries. It was very quiet, spotless, and time seemed to have stood still in the room.