bookbashuk Chapter 170 Post-War
Chapter 170 Post-War
Chapter 170 Post-War
"Oh, Duir, you look really disheveled!"
Gandalf, leaning on his cane, sat down on a rock and joked with Dui.
"If Alvin saw you like this, he'd probably dump you!"
Once he relaxed, Dui even made a rare joke about Gandalf.
"You're not much better, Gandalf."
"You've lost all your beard and eyebrows, and your gray robe is tattered. If people saw you, they'd think you were a homeless old man!"
Upon hearing Dui's words, Gandalf stroked his chin.
"Oh, my poor beard! That was the result of so much grooming, and now it's all gone!"
He then patted himself all over, before reluctantly withdrawing his hand.
"What a pity, I've run out of my pipe and tobacco, otherwise I'd really like to have a smoke to calm myself down."
Dui was powerless to do anything now. The pipe and pipe grass had been burned in the battle with the Flame Demon. He could conjure up the pipe, but he couldn't conjure up the pipe grass out of thin air.
After they finally calmed down a bit, the two of them went to the body of the Flame Demon together.
The dead fire demon looked like the remains of cooled lava, ferocious and ugly, yet still radiating a scorching heat.
Dui forcefully pulled the spear Aiglos out of the fire demon's chest.
But seeing that there were no longer any traces of flame on the Balrog, he asked with some worry, "Gandalf, the Balrog is dead now, and its flames have gone out. Could the undying flame I wanted have also been extinguished?"
Gandalf smiled and shook his head.
"Since it is said to be an inextinguishable fire, there is naturally no possibility of it being extinguished. The inextinguishable fire you are thinking of is located in the heart of the Flame Demon."
Upon hearing Gandalf's words, Duy immediately picked up the flaming sword and began to forcefully slit open the Balrog's chest.
The inside of the Balrog's body was not like that of an animal, which had various organs and tissues; instead, it was more like a furnace.
At its core is the heart of the Balrog.
When Dui cut open the heart of the Balrog, what was exposed was a red crystal radiating intense heat.
The crystal was the size of a football, with a crack on it, a mark left by the divine spear Eglos.
At the center of the red crystal, a small cluster of black flames leaped out.
Although it was encased in red crystals, which blocked the heat inside, it still felt very dangerous.
Even looking directly at it causes a stinging pain, as if it could burn away one's spirit and soul.
"This is the Balrog's magic crystal, and also its core. As long as the magic crystal is not destroyed, the Balrog is not truly dead in essence. If it is thrown into the volcano, the Balrog can still be reborn after thousands of years."
Gandalf explained.
"I'll use it as the fire of rebirth after that, it shouldn't have any effect, right?" Dui asked with some concern.
Gandalf shook his head: "Don't worry, once the flames inside the magic crystal are purified, there will be no hidden dangers."
Dui was immediately relieved.
"Alright, we should go down now. Bahrain and the others must be getting impatient," Gandalf said.
Dui strongly agreed; it was too high and too cold here, and their injuries needed to be treated.
So he had Smaug take the Balrog's body with him, and then he and Gandalf rode on the dragon's back and flew down the mountain together.
As for the basilisk Herpo, it also hitched a ride, coiling around Smaug's foot and becoming a flying basilisk for a while.
Smaug, carrying two people, a serpent, and the body of a Balrog, landed towards the eastern side of the Misty Mountains.
After passing through thick clouds, we quickly arrived at Dark Valley, east of Moria's gate.
While Gandalf and Dui were battling the Balrog in the abyss, Balin and a thousand dwarf warriors were not idle either.
Orcs were stationed at the east gate of Moria and in the First Hall.
Balin and the dwarf warriors then engaged the Orks in battle and successfully chased them into the Dark Valley beyond the East Gate.
Meanwhile, Lorien's elves also guarded outside Dark Creek Valley, forming a pincer movement with the dwarves to continuously encircle and annihilate Orcs.
When Duy rode Smaug down, the battle of Dark Creek Valley was already over.
The dwarves and elves were waiting to clean up the battlefield.
When the dragon descended from the sky, the elves below were the first to spot Smaug.
"It's a dragon!"
"Don't panic, it's Gandalf and Duir!" Balin exclaimed excitedly when he saw the dragons appear.
Ten days have passed since Duir and Gandalf encountered the Balrog at the Bridge of Turin, and when they chose to cut off the road.
Bahrain has been very uneasy during this period.
He personally returned to the Bridge of Dulin, but it was severely damaged, with all the bridge structures and cliff walls collapsed and destroyed.
Duir, Gandalf, the dragons, and the Balrog have all disappeared, presumably having fallen into the abyss.
It wasn't until two days ago, when the dragon Smaug flew out of the abyss, that he learned from Smaug about the battle he had fought in the abyss.
But Bahrain will remain uneasy until they return safely.
After all, the Balrog's terror was many times greater than that of the dragon Smaug he had faced on Lonely Mountain.
Today, as if sensing something, Smaug suddenly flew toward Silvertooth Peak.
Then a huge commotion occurred on Silvertooth Peak, with rumbling thunder, dazzling lightning, and tongues of fire constantly flickering across the mountain.
Silver Tooth Peak was shrouded in mist, and they had no idea what was happening.
But Balin had already guessed that it was Gandalf and his men fighting the Balrog.
Now that the dragon has returned safely, Bahrain is overjoyed.
He knew it must be Gandalf and Duir who had returned!
Sure enough, the next second, as the dragon landed in Dark Creek Valley, Duy and Gandalf on its back came into view.
"Gandalf! Duir!" Balin rushed over excitedly. "I almost had a heart attack when I heard you fell into the abyss! I'm so happy you're back safe and sound!"
"Oh, Bahrain, it's so good to see you again! It's only been a few days, but it feels like a lifetime!" Gandalf greeted him happily.
Dui, however, had no time to greet Bahrain.
Seeing the elf appear before him, Dui's eyes widened in surprise: "Arwen, what are you doing here?"
Alvin was dressed in elven armor, holding a magic wand and a sword, like a beautiful Valkyrie.
She stepped up to Dui, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"The Orks escaped from the east gate of Moria and threatened Lorien's safety, so I came along to deal with them."
"And I'm very worried about you!"
Alwen did not inquire about the battle, but instead reached out her delicate hand to gently touch the wounds on Dui's face and hands, yet dared not touch them.
She furrowed her brows slightly, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
"How did you get injured so badly?"
Dui grinned, shook his head with a relaxed and nonchalant expression, and comforted him, "Don't worry about me, it's just a superficial injury. I'll be fine after drinking some magic potions when we get back."
"And this time we actually managed to kill the Balrog!" Dui pointed to the Balrog's body to distract her from her still worried expression.
"Look at that dark thing under Smaug's feet, that's the Balrog's true form. It looks quite imposing when it's covered in flames, but I never expected its true form to be so ugly."
Alvin glanced at the Flame Demon's body and then stopped paying attention to it, instead focusing his attention on him.
She took a bottle of Ent drink from the spider silk woven space bag that Dui had given her and handed it to him.
"Drink this beverage quickly; it will heal your wound!"
Looking at the bottle of Ent drink in his hand, Dui asked in surprise, "Isn't this the bottle I gave you before? Why didn't you drink it?"
Alvin smiled warmly and shook her head. "The Ent drink isn't very effective for me, so I kept it in reserve. Now it's come in handy, isn't it?"
"Alright, drink up. The Flame Demon's flames aren't so pleasant to behold."
Dui didn't stand on ceremony with Alvin either.
The burning pain on Silver Tooth Peak was bearable in the cold environment, but once we got to the warmer environment at the foot of the mountain, the wounds started to sting and burn, which was quite uncomfortable.
However, he still conjured another bottle with a wave of his hand, poured half of the Ent drink into it, and then gave it to Gandalf.
"Oh, thank you!" Gandalf didn't stand on ceremony and immediately drank half a bottle of Ent beverage.
As the two drank the beverage, their previously exhausted bodies and minds instantly recovered, the burns on their bodies healed rapidly, and even their magic power was restored to a considerable extent.
The only thing Gandalf regretted was that his eyebrows and beard never grew back.
Then everyone's attention was focused on the Flame Demon's body.
"Is this the legendary Balrog?" The elves and dwarves stared wide-eyed at it with a mixture of awe and curiosity.
Even though the Balrog is dead, its lingering aura still instills fear in everyone, making it impossible to imagine how terrifying it must have been when it was alive.
The crowd looked at Gandalf and Duy, who were able to kill Balrog, with awe and reverence.
This is the place that destroyed the Kingdom of Kazardom and occupied it for a thousand years, making Moria a forbidden zone for humans, dwarves, and elves!
Bahrain, besides expressing its reverence for Gandalf and Dui, was filled with excitement and joy.
Now that the Balrog, the most dangerous being, has been eliminated, as long as the remaining Orks are eliminated or driven away, they can reclaim Moria and possess this mithril-rich birthplace of the Durin dwarves.
Dui and Gandalf no longer need to be involved in cleaning up the remaining Orcs; Balin assured them they could handle it themselves.
Duy and Gandalf also believed in the fighting prowess of the dwarven warriors. Although Moria should still have several thousand Orcs left, dealing with them would not be a problem for the dwarves.
So Dui and Gandalf didn't press the matter further.
Moreover, having gone through the battle with the Balrog, their souls were exhausted and needed a period of recovery.
However, to prevent the Orks from escaping, Dui still sent Smaug to guard the west gate of Moria and assist the dwarves in annihilating the remaining Orks.
As for him and Gandalf, they first went to nearby Lorean to visit Lady Galadriel and her family.
Before leaving, Dui borrowed the dwarves' spatial chest and put the Balrog's body, the "Water Watcher" that Smaug brought back from the Abyss, and the Basilisk inside.
Then he went to Lorien with Alwen and the other elves.
As for Balin and the dwarves, they began their great undertaking to reclaim Moria.
(End of this chapter)