Infinite reincarnation of glory

Chapter 368: Saruman has few friends

Before dawn.

Today's dawn eve is bleaker and longer than every day in the past.

On the high tower of Isengard, Saruman the White stared at his prisoner and issued a final warning to his colleague.

"Do you feel it, Gandalf? The power of light is declining, and the Valar no longer care about this land. The rise of darkness is an inevitable result, and Sauron is the only correct answer."

The wizard in white robes stood at the top of the tower. Trapped in the guardrails that stood out like blades was an extremely embarrassed gray robe. The core of the Fellowship of the Ring, the wizard Gandalf the Grey, is trapped here. And if the original timeline is followed, this wise wizard should have already contacted the brown-robed wizard's moth sentinel and brought in the Giant Eagle King as a rescue force.

The Great Eagle King, Gwaihir. It is a descendant of the Maya King of Birds and has great power. In the original book, when it rescued Gandalf, Saruman could only watch it carry his prisoner away, because the white-robed wizard whose power was specially restricted by the great enchantment was not completely sure that the two powerful men could be killed at the same time. The enemy stayed.

But the Eagle King isn't here - he didn't arrive on time like in the original. This may be due to the abnormal movements of the reincarnations, or the result of the interference of some other unexpected factors. Just like the brown-robed wizard in the Lord of the Rings movie can't find anyone at all, the combination of world lines will naturally produce unexpected changes.

The gray-robed wizard has no way to escape from here.

But it would not give in, but looked at its former colleagues with concern. It did not believe that Saruman, one of the Maia, could not understand the greatness and consistent will of the Valar. It could not bear to watch its colleagues and old friends go to destruction so stupidly.

It felt that it might be necessary to try to persuade the white-robed wizard one last time, using the most sincere words it could imagine. However, before it spoke, an inexplicable uneasiness gradually amplified in its heart.

This is not the first time it has felt this uneasiness - as early as when it was knocked down by Saruman and woke up in the cage, its heart was haunted by this inexplicable anxiety. It was as if something precious was inevitably passing away, and it didn't even know what that precious thing was.

But Saruman seemed not to feel this strangeness at all...it just felt happy because of it, because it felt the fading of the light that dominated the world. And the fading of light is naturally accompanied by the rise of darkness. Because besides light and darkness, how could there be a third powerful force in this world?

Either light or darkness. Since one disappears, it should naturally grow with the other. Separated by the great barrier, the mortal things protected may be demoted to the extraordinary. Their knowledge and experience cannot allow them to discover that the decline of light is accompanied by the death of darkness. Because the weight of light must always be greater than darkness.

Neither it nor it knows, this is a helpless necessity. But even so...

"Please listen to my last words, my old friend." The gray wizard in the cage looked at the white robe in front of him with sincere eyes. "It is absolutely impossible for Sauron to succeed. Morgoth, who is more powerful than him, has long proved the inherent weakness of darkness. And as everyone knows about his care for mankind, wise Saruman, please think about it carefully. , don’t, go against that truly powerful force.”

This is its last attempt, but it actually has no hope. Because it knows that Saruman is the most powerful Maia among wizards, and a knowledgeable scholar with a long life. Before making a decision, you must have thought deeply and carefully considered the success or failure. It is absolutely impossible to make such a wide-ranging and important decision by just slapping your head casually.

However, after it opened its mouth, its subsequent development was somewhat unexpected.

Saruman, who should have flatly rejected it and even ridiculed its innocence, unexpectedly hesitated. It’s as if there is an invisible force pushing it, causing it to abandon the darkness and return to the light——

That force failed.

Saruman's response to Gandalf was a sneer.

"Are these your last words? The wise Mithrandir (elvish) who always stands on the right side? It seems that too leisurely days have burned out your proud mind. You actually Do you stupidly think that I will give up everything I have now just because of your words, like a fool?"

It tightened its grip on the ornate white staff in its hand.

"No, you don't understand anything, Gandalf the Grey. The Valar cannot break through the Great Barrier, and they will not violate the iron laws they have set. If they really care about this land, and really care about Sauron, They had already taken it upon themselves to wipe out the last power of darkness - but they could not and would not do that. Because we who were sent here represent the will of the Valar, no matter what we do Whatever is done on this land is done with the tacit approval of the Valar."

"...Darkness will surely rise. Darkness will not destroy mortals, but will rule them. Anyway, mortals will always be ruled by something. Since it does not necessarily have to be fragile light, then why can't it be powerful darkness? Why does Sauron This land has a grand blueprint, and I want to carve my thoughts into this blueprint before it can take everything under control. I want to carve this land into what I like, Even Sauron must consider my opinion carefully!”

The more it spoke, the more excited it became, and even subconsciously waved the staff in its hand. And Gandalf looked at it sadly. In this rare expression of Saruman's emotions, it already knew the old man's true inner desire.

Everything stems from jealousy. Saruman actually doesn't care about light or darkness. All it cares about is its own power, its own status, and its own glory. Although this utilitarianism appears in an immortal Maia, it is rare, but it is not incomprehensible. Because Maiyas who have everything, it is difficult to find too many hobbies.

But this desire ruined it... because it never gained the status and glory it needed. After arriving in Middle-earth, the five wizards separated, and among them, only Saruman was busy with various matters, trying to deal with various problems on this land, and making friends with various ancient races - it was not Not respected, but all things, afraid of comparison.

Gandalf pursed his lips and swallowed a bitter taste in his heart. It knows very well that it is not a very hard-working wizard, but it has made many friends on this land, and everything started when it came to Middle-earth and received the Ring of Fire from the Gray Elf King - Sa All Luhmann's efforts have only earned it a respect that is not that dazzling. But while being respected, he also received a love that he had never had before.

This is where jealousy comes from.

What he did unintentionally was the reason why Saruman betrayed the light.

Gandalf breathed out silently, after knowing all this. Guilt buried it. It has never thought about competing for power with its colleagues from the beginning to the end, and it does not want everything to become what it is now.

But...what else can I do now?

The Twin Towers Alliance is already indestructible. Can we still expect a powerful and unknown force to descend from the sky?

The gray-robed wizard fell into depression, almost wanting to wait quietly for the collapse of his body. However, at this moment, it suddenly heard some strange noise.

The moth's wings fluttered slightly, making a fluttering sound.

……………………

Saruman turned his head suddenly, sensing a strange and huge force. That power rushed straight towards Isengard's location from a distant place without concealment, and some kind of terrifying darkness lingered around it.

Gandalf's rescuer? A powerful force beyond your own calculations?

No, it's not. Although Gandalf is a nasty ghost who can always find a group of friends, he has always been afraid of the power of darkness and will not be friends with those creatures that walk in the darkness. What's more, what is approaching sharply in his perception is filled with unparalleled power of darkness and fire.

That direction... is Moria?

Flame, darkness... could it be the ancient Balrog in Moria? No, no, this flame smells like dragon. As for Saruman, who was knowledgeable enough, he happened to know that a powerful dragon lost its traces in Moria in the distant years, and there was no news about it for many years.

The dragon is Melkor's creation. In addition to being powerful, it also has endless lifespan and strong scales. Sixty years ago, Smaug, the last known fire dragon in Middle-earth, died under the Lonely Mountain. The knowledgeable Saruman knew that before Smaug died, it had signed a covenant of cooperation with Sauron and would join Sauron's battlefield when darkness rose.

So...maybe this is another dragon allied with Sauron?

The white-robed wizard easily and reasonably came to such a conclusion. Because the evil dragon is originally a descendant of the power of darkness, it cannot be biased toward the light under any circumstances. However, in the extremely deep darkness before dawn, it could not accurately determine the specific appearance of the visitor from afar in the first place.

All it knew was that it was big - it saw a pair of vague wingspans, and it even smelled a bit of death in the overflowing dark fire. There is no doubt that this is a powerful force of darkness and evil. Its existence itself is a disaster. It must be one of Sauron's major allies and a powerful colleague that he will definitely have to deal with frequently in the future!

——What a powerful dragon... This smell, ah... There are several equally terrifying wills on the dragon's back. I saw mountains of bones and the howls of countless vengeful fragments. I really don’t know how many things I have to kill to create such huge despair.

——They are definitely on my side...perhaps, they need a wise guide?

Nearer, closer, Saruman saw it. I saw the giant black and red dragon with black flames lingering all over its body. Several dark shadows with extremely powerful presence stood on the dragon's spine, and the strongest among them was close to him, and he had the aura and power of the Moria Balrog on him... or next to him.

I really don’t know how Sauron recruited such a group of capable helpers. It seems that I have to think of a way to put them on the same footing as myself in the dark camp... A decent welcome and reception is a good start. After all, he doesn't need to prove his strength.

Saruman was suddenly startled. He felt as if he had overlooked something important - oh, he remembered it. A few days ago, those spies from Gondor secretly revealed to themselves some information about possible attacks by foreign enemies. And he did slightly strengthen Essinger's vigilance because of this, and also successfully captured a nosy brown-robed animal servant.

Radagast, boring and weak thing. Seeing that it was always a waste that could never achieve anything, I only modified the memory of the moth servant, instead of erasing it. This is a mercy to the old colleagues, I hope it will not waste it.

"Gandalf the Grey." It glanced at its stunned former comrades, with undetectable pride in its tone. "Now that you have successfully seen it, this is the essence of the power of darkness. What a pity, you no longer have the chance to embrace it."

It paused with its staff and instantly moved its prisoner to the bottom of the heavily defended tower instead of leaving it on top of the tower. It would be rude and out of character to execute a former colleague in front of visiting guests. So that matter will be postponed for now.

So...where should I start with this reception?

The white-robed wizard thought about what if he was still in the light camp, or if he had just gone back on his word and abandoned the darkness for the light. Then it must now directly activate all defensive measures to block this uninvited and powerful guest from Essinger's barrier. But now...as a member of the power of darkness, do you want to show your cowardice in front of your future colleagues...or even your subordinates?

No, no. Can't do that. All the defensive barriers under Isengard that were on standby and about to be activated by stress were turned off by Saruman at this moment with a single thought. It just watched helplessly as the ferocious dragon filled with pitch-black fire broke into Essinger's close defense. It suddenly felt that Gandalf's methods of making friends were not without merit. After all, he would use them soon, and he would definitely use them better than the annoying Gandalf the Grey.

So, what to do next?

Show your majesty? Or friendly?

After a quick thought, he finally decided to show a little friendliness rather than strength. After all, Sauron must have shown enough power, so he should change his direction.

so……

The white-robed wizard opened his arms, smiled, and made a welcoming gesture. Its voice was particularly loud under the night.

"Visitors from afar—"

'boom--! ! ! ! ! ’

The jet-black flames suddenly engulfed him. The wizard was caught off guard.

But the moment before it was swallowed up by the flames, only a brief thought appeared in its head.

——I knew that Gandalf the Grey’s tricks would not work!