bookbashuk Chapter 372 Holding a Meeting
Chapter 372 Holding a Meeting
Chapter 372 Holding a Meeting
"As Gandalf said, if Sauron cannot be completely destroyed, then when he becomes more powerful and lets the darkness rule the whole of Middle-earth, the Shire will not be able to live in peace. I do not want the Shire and my family and friends to be ravaged by war."
Moreover, my uncle found the Ring, and as his nephew and heir, I have a duty to continue his unfinished mission, to destroy the Ring completely, and to restore peace and tranquility to the world!
Sensing Frodo's unwavering will and ideas, Dui's eyes flashed with admiration, and he nodded to himself.
As expected of the protagonist, his ideological awareness is so high.
He withdrew his gaze, turned to Gandalf, and praised him with a smile, saying, "What a fine young man."
Gandalf, beaming with smug satisfaction, exclaimed, "My judgment has always been excellent!"
"But what about those three?" Dui asked Gandalf.
In the original timeline, Sam overheard information about the One Ring by accident, which led to Gandalf capturing him and forcing him to leave the Shire with Frodo.
Pippin and Merry bumped into Frodo on his way out and then joined the group.
But why are they here with Frodo and Gandalf now?
Gandalf explained with some helplessness, "Sam wanted to follow Frodo, and as for those two lads, Merry and Pippin, they were caught trying to sneak into the fireplace, and then they kept pestering me to come to Hogwarts."
Then, communicating telepathically with Dui, he said, "And I have a feeling that the Fellowship of the Ring needs them, and they will play an important role in it. Furthermore, Frodo will need companions on the journey, and true friendship can be the strongest shield to help him resist the corruption of darkness."
Dui nodded, not surprised by Gandalf's premonition.
Now that Gandalf had a plan, Duy said nothing more, but instead welcomed Frodo and his companions and arranged for them to stay at Hogwarts.
The matter of the One Ring is very important, and a series of preparations and arrangements are needed. We also need to communicate with the Valley, Lorean, and others, and there is no rush to transfer the Ring for the time being.
So after discussing it with Gandalf, Dui decided to let Frodo and the others spend a few days of leisure and comfort at Hogwarts.
After all, their joyful days would be gone forever, and they would have to shoulder heavy responsibilities, overcome countless difficulties, and complete an adventure that would determine the fate of the Central Continent.
Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were welcomed by the castle's mistress, Alvin.
Faced with this gentle and beautiful Lady Twilight Star, even the most mischievous Merry and Pippin acted reserved and shy, not daring to be impolite.
Alwyn took a good liking to the four hobbits and, being very considerate, arranged comfortable rooms for them and had Elses and Elloris show them around the castle.
Upon seeing Elses and Ellos, two familiar faces, Frodo and his companions finally relaxed completely. Led by the two, they toured various parts of the castle, met many professors and students, and even met Bilbo, the castle's caretaker.
The castle's various miracles left Frodo and his companions in awe. They saw moving portraits and staircases, floating candles and a transparent ceiling in the Great Hall, walking armor—as well as the tall, gleaming gold and silver trees, a garden full of flowers that never faded, students flying around on broomsticks above the castle, and cheering students, and so on.
Everything that caught their eye dazzled them, and they were afraid of missing any magical sight.
They attended a dinner in the school auditorium, enjoyed the food with the students, and watched the student selection competition for the championship.
On the selection stage, two senior students from Phoenix Academy stood at opposite ends of the competition platform, fiercely waving their wands in the competition.
"A flock of birds!" One of the students, skilled in spells, cast a spell first, spewing out a flock of birds from the tip of his wand, attempting to distract the opponent and then launch a sneak attack.
The student opposite, skilled in Transfiguration, reacted quickly, casting a Transfiguration spell to transform a flock of birds into a giant shield, blocking the incoming spell.
With another swing, the shield transformed into a lion, roaring deafeningly as it pounced towards the opposite side.
The student waved his wand to freeze the lion, then waved it again to make the lion disappear. He then released a raging fire, which transformed into a giant fire python that burned towards the opposite side.
The student opposite summoned a spring and used Polymorph to transform it into a giant octopus. The octopus, formed from water, tightly wrapped its tentacles around the fire python. The collision of water and fire produced a sizzling sound, and water vapor rose and spread.
The students watching craned their necks, trying to see the competition stage shrouded in mist, wanting to know who had won.
Until a gust of wind swept away the fog, revealing the scene on the competition stage.
The giant fire python and the water-formed octopus perished together, while the student skilled in shapeshifting was pointing his weapon at the student opposite him, who was tightly bound by a chain formed from water and had lost the ability to resist.
It turned out that the student who was skilled in shapeshifting had secretly moved a puddle of water on the ground to the feet of his opponent while the fire python was fighting the octopus, and then used shapeshifting to bind his opponent in one fell swoop.
Seeing this, the professor, acting as the referee, immediately announced the result.
The students watching immediately cheered for the two performers' excellent performance.
Frodo and his three companions, who were also among the students, were stunned by the magical duel they had just witnessed. Influenced by the atmosphere around them, they couldn't help but applaud the two contestants on stage.
Frodo and his three friends spent two carefree weeks at Hogwarts, getting to know many students and professors. Among them, Merry and Pippin even became friends with Peeves.
The happy time of Frodo and his companions came to an end with an envelope from the valley.
"Lord Elrond is preparing to convene a meeting, inviting all factions to discuss the matter of the Ring and the formation of the Fellowship of the Ring," Gandalf told Duy after reading the letter.
Dui took the letter, glanced at it, and then frowned: "Since you've already decided to make Frodo the Fellowship of the Ring, why hold a meeting of all parties? Aren't you afraid of the news leaking out and Sauron discovering our intentions?"
Gandalf shook his head: "Destroying the One Ring cannot be accomplished by us alone. We need to unite the forces of Middle-earth. Only by involving all the powers and forming an alliance to fight against Sauron's forces can we have any chance of victory."
"Only when all the powers of Middle-earth see the Ring in our hands can we inspire them and make them understand that only by destroying the Ring can we eliminate Sauron and his forces, and bring about true peace. Only then will they set aside their prejudices and selfishness and spare no effort to help destroy the Ring."
He then winked at Dui and said with a smile, "Besides, didn't we plan to lure Sauron out? We can use this meeting to spread the news of the One Ring and attract Sauron's attention."
They could even spread false rumors that the Ring was being sent to the Blessed Lands in the West; Sauron would certainly be uneasy then.
"Once Sauron is lured out of Mordor, Frodo can sneak into Mordor with the One Ring and destroy it!"