bookbashuk Chapter 373 Taking the Ring
Chapter 373 Taking the Ring
Chapter 373 Taking the Ring
Outside the quiet old forest, the Willow River flows slowly from the Guzhonggang mountain stream, passing by a house full of flowers.
The house is surrounded by a wide, neatly trimmed lawn and garden, and the outermost tall trees look as if they have been deliberately pruned, forming a neat, tree-wall-like structure.
Here lived the ever-joyful Tom Bombadil and his wife Kimmy.
With Huon in the old forest blocking the way, Tom's cabin was rarely disturbed.
However, Tom's cabin became lively on this day.
As the green fire in the fireplace blazed, Dui, Gandalf, and Frodo emerged one after another.
As for Sam, Merry, and Pippin, who originally wanted to come along, they were all left behind at Hogwarts Castle.
Tom warmly welcomed the three of them, giving them big hugs.
The gentle and beautiful Lady Goldenberry also served various fruits and nut cookies to entertain us.
These fruits and nuts, which grow on the humphead tree, are far more delicious than ordinary fruits and nuts, and will leave you feeling energized after eating them.
The three enjoyed the delicious food while chatting about the customs and environments of various parts of Central Continent.
Tom was not interested in the various conflicts in Middle-earth, but was only curious about the natural world, listening to Duy and Gandalf describe the flowers, trees, mountains and rivers they had seen.
As for Frodo, being unfamiliar with the place, he sat quietly with the others, slowly eating the nut cookies made by Lady Goldenberry, acting as a listener without interrupting.
Finally, Gandalf revealed the purpose of his journey.
Tom Bombardier was overjoyed, looking as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He jumped up and down with glee, waving his arms and legs.
"That's great! You're finally going to take this troublesome thing away!"
He couldn't wait to run to another room where miscellaneous items were stored, and from under a pile of miscellaneous items, he pulled out a large, dusty wooden box.
Dui and the others followed him in out of curiosity, watching his series of actions.
Tom opened the large wooden box, and inside was a smaller wooden box.
Open it again, and you'll find an even smaller silver box, just like a nesting doll.
Tom took out the silver box and returned to the living room. He placed the box on the table with some disdain and complained, "That ring keeps saying some strange things, which gives me a headache. Especially in recent years, the noise has gotten louder and louder, making my horse and cow restless."
And it even tried to slip away from me. It had previously tricked a mouse into trying to steal it, but I discovered it and locked it in the box, which calmed it down a bit.
As he spoke, he gently tapped the silver box with his finger, and the box opened automatically.
"Honestly, if you hadn't come soon, I was thinking of throwing this thing away. Because of it, none of the animals in the woods want to come here to play, and my horses and cows have gotten so thin!"
As the box was opened, the One Ring inside was revealed.
At the same time, a powerful and seductive spirit emanated from the Ring.
In an instant, Dui felt the Ring was incredibly tempting. A voice in his mind seemed to say that if he obtained the Ring, he could gain power like Sauron, and even break the shackles of his soul, transform into a Maiar-level demigod, and achieve true immortality!
Dui's reason and temptation were constantly tearing him apart, urging him to touch the ring in the box and take it for himself.
But just as he was about to be tempted to reach out and touch it, a sharp pain shot through his mind.
A glimmer of clarity flashed in Dui's eyes, briefly allowing reason to prevail. Dui's expression changed drastically, and while instinctively retreating, he quickly activated his brain-blocking technique.
A mental fortress was erected in his mind, forming a solid defense that resisted external mental attacks and completely freed him from the temptation of the Ring.
After decades of effort, Dui's Occlumency technique is now vastly different from what it used to be. It not only creates an incredibly sturdy mental castle in the brain, but also has a complex internal structure, much like the real Hogwarts Castle, resembling a maze.
Moreover, it contains various psychological traps, false memories, and memory black holes, making it impossible for people to find their true memories and soul, thus preventing them from being completely corrupted and turned into puppets.
As the Occlumency technique was activated, the mental castle in Dui's mind instantly transformed into a solid fortress, freeing him from the influence of the Ring.
For decades, he never slacked off in practicing Occlumency, and even studied it to a higher level, all in order to deal with Sauron's mental attacks.
After all, Sauron's most powerful ability is his ability to corrupt the mind, which can corrupt and degrade the most powerful people, turning them into his puppets and making them subject to his control.
While Duy used Occlumency to escape the temptation of the Ring, Gandalf also resisted its allure with his extraordinary willpower.
Gandalf, however, remained tense, staring intently at the Ring as if facing a formidable enemy.
The allure of this ring is many times stronger than before, and it still affects people even without physical contact.
Although he had been mentally prepared beforehand, Gandalf's mood became solemn after seeing and experiencing it firsthand.
He reacted quickly by glancing at Frodo and Duir beside him, worried that they too had been tempted.
To my surprise, I saw Dui with clear eyes, frowning as he looked at the Lord of the Rings, seemingly unaffected.
"Duir, are you alright?" Gandalf asked with concern.
Dui shook his head: "Don't worry, Gandalf, my Occlumency technique works quite well. As long as you don't touch it with your hands, it won't have any effect."
Gandalf was relieved to hear this.
He trusted Duir very much. Over the past few decades, he had witnessed firsthand the rapid increase in Duir's magical power, which had reached a very high level and whose strength was not much weaker than that of the top experts like himself.
Through decades of meditation, the spirit and soul have grown stronger. As long as the mind is harmonious and the soul is fulfilled, one can break the shackles of the soul and transform into a Maiar-level being.
Of course, this step is not easy. To date, only a few people, such as Eyarendil and Glorfindel, have successfully completed the transformation of their souls.
Eyarendil endured many hardships and made great contributions in the war against Morgoth in the First Age before being ascended to the sky by the Silmarils and transformed into the Star of Hope—the Star of Eyarendil.
Glorfindel perished alongside the Balrog, but was granted a rebirth by the Valar, gaining power and abilities equal to the Maiar.
Galadriel, despite her immense power and possession of the Elven Ring of Nanya, has yet to reach the level of the Maiar.
This shows just how difficult it is to advance to the Maiar level.
After all, Maya was a demigod, and although she could not compare to Vala, she was still a god.
To become a god is like ascending to heaven.
Getting back to the main point, after Gandalf saw that Duy was unaffected by the Ring, he looked at Frodo.
Frodo was somewhat tempted by the Ring, but as a hobbit, his resistance to the Ring far exceeded that of other races. So, after only a brief moment of infatuation, he quickly broke free from the temptation and retreated warily, wanting to get away from the Ring.
Seeing Frodo like this, Gandalf showed a satisfied expression.
These hobbits are a truly peculiar race—weak, ordinary, and unnoticed, yet they were able to resist the power of the Ring, which even the Maiar could not withstand.
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