Chapter 376: Journey to Mordor
Chapter 376: Journey to Mordor (Please subscribe, favorite, and vote!)
After settling his affairs, Liam set out with Rose Crystal the following evening.
Departing from the valley and heading south would lead them to Mount Doom. According to Gandalf's introduction and the map he provided, the journey was approximately 2,000 kilometers long. Fortunately, Liam's Broomsticks were designed for long-distance travel and could maintain a speed of 80 kilometers per hour for extended periods.
During the journey, Liam flew for 20 hours each day. His enhanced body could easily handle the intense travel. When he and Rose Crystal finally arrived at the Black Gate, only a little over a day had passed since their departure. This was much faster than the Fellowship of the Ring, which took half a year to reach the same destination in the novel.
This was partly due to the speed of flight, but also because Sauron's power had not yet fully returned. The skies from Rivendell to Mordor were safe enough for Liam to fly in a straight line without the need for detours or battles, unlike the Fellowship of the Ring.
At this time, Mordor's forces were not fully awakened, and Sauron was unaware of the magic from other worlds, so no special defenses were in place. Liam easily flew over the Black Gate.
However, soon after entering the Black Gate, the air became thick with dark magic. For safety, Liam abandoned flight and chose to infiltrate on foot.
Fortunately, the earlier flight had bypassed the most treacherous paths, and Sauron's power had not yet fully recovered. Despite the black clouds enveloping Mordor, faint sunlight still managed to filter through the gaps in the clouds.
Thanks to this weak sunlight, Liam found himself at the edge of a vast plain. The entire plain was bathed in a grayish glow. Black smoke drifted across the ground and ravines, and noxious fumes constantly emerged from cracks in the earth.
About 60 kilometers away stood Mount Doom. Its surroundings were almost entirely covered in volcanic ash, with a massive volcanic cone reaching toward the sky, its smoldering crater obscured by dark clouds. At this moment, no lava was flowing, and it resembled a colossal, slumbering beast, both terrifying and ominous. Beyond it lay a vast expanse of black shadows, stretching to the base of the Ash Mountains.
This suggested that to the east of Mordor, there must be a large area of land capable of providing sufficient resources. Otherwise, the vast armies from Mordor in the final book of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy could not have gathered here, as this place, much like the Glowing Sea in the Radiation World, could not support such a large force. The only explanation was that the eastern lands were vast, providing the necessary sustenance for the massive and evil army.
This desolate plain was known as the Gorgoroth Plain. From the air, Liam had thought it was relatively flat, but upon landing, he discovered it was riddled with pits of various sizes, as if countless rocks had fallen into the soft mud, creating an uneven surface. The largest pits were surrounded by rocky rims, with cracks extending outward from their centers.
In short, this place was ideal for moving silently from one hiding spot to another, making it nearly impossible for even the most diligent sentinels to detect any intruders.
It took Liam a full day to carry Rose Crystal to the base of the volcano. The closer they got to the volcano, the more he felt his soul being suppressed, possibly due to a dark magic field established by Sauron in the area. Rose Crystal was even more sensitive to the suppression of magic power. By the halfway point, she could no longer maintain flight and had to be carried by Liam. Initially, Liam could use Martial Agility to move quickly, but as they approached the base of the volcano, he had to rely on his feet. Additionally, in this area, all magic required five to ten times the usual amount of magic power and divine power.
"This is still Sauron before he has fully recovered", Liam thought. "I can't even imagine how the two tormented Hobbits in history managed to cover this distance. They didn't have the power of Magic, nor were their bodies as strong as mine. And their souls had to endure the constant corruption of the One Ring. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that their journey is considered epic."
As Liam continued walking, he suddenly discovered a path! It extended from the west, winding around the volcano like a snake, and finally reached the western side of the volcano. The path led to a dark entrance at the top of the volcano's cone, which directly connected to the Hall of Flame where Sauron forged the One Ring.
Sauron seemed a bit foolish in this regard. How could a normal person build a direct path to their own vulnerable point? Of course, as Gandalf said, Sauron was extremely arrogant. He believed no one would be willing to destroy the One Ring once they had it, and few knew how to dispose of it. Liam thought that perhaps all great villains were like this—Sauron and Voldemort included.
It took Liam several hours to follow the path to the end of the winding road. The gate to the Hall of Flame, Sammath Naur, finally appeared before him. At this point, he felt utterly exhausted. The road was built on an active volcano, and many Orcs were repairing the road due to the frequent eruptions. To avoid them, Liam had to use Magic to conceal himself. The intense Magic power output in such a harsh environment naturally left him feeling drained.
Rose Crystal was in even worse condition. Because her Magic power was of the same origin as Liam's, she had minimized her own consumption and supplied all her Magic power to Liam, which left her looking almost lifeless.
The inside of the gate was dark and hot, with a dull, oppressive sound echoing like the mouth of a monster. Liam felt uneasy and had an impulse to turn back. But thinking that this was the final hurdle, he mustered the courage to step into the darkness. The Emergency Escape function of the Multiverse General Store gave him the mental strength to proceed.
As soon as he rushed through the gate, Liam could see nothing. But after enduring the discomfort and overexerting his Magic power to cast Shadow Magic, he finally found the correct path and emerged from the darkness.
The first thing Liam saw after emerging from the darkness was a red light shooting upward, colliding with the cave ceiling. By this light, he realized he was in a tunnel within the volcano's cone. Not far ahead were many cracks, from which bright red light sometimes surged and sometimes retreated into the darkness. The cave was also filled with a deep, rumbling sound, like a massive machine in operation.
At the end of this tunnel was the lava pool in Mount Doom. All he had to do was throw the rings into it.
"We've arrived", Liam said to the Puppet on his back. Although they hadn't spoken much during the journey, if not for Rose Crystal's Magic power supply, Liam might not have made it this far. For Puppet, the feeling of draining her Magic power was similar to a human experiencing suffocation. But to avoid worrying Liam, Rose Crystal bit her lip and remained silent when she felt uncomfortable.
"You should be the one to throw it. This Honor Points belong to you", Liam said, cradling Rose Crystal in his arms. Rose Crystal then retrieved the One Ring from her own chest. At this moment, Sauron finally sensed something was wrong. He summoned all the Orcs to Mount Doom, and the One Ring began to emit a blinding light, as if it were made of pure Flame.
But it was too late. Ignoring the growing temptation, Rose Crystal directly threw the ring toward the lava pool.
The One Ring fell from the Puppet's small hand, spun in the air, and dropped into the lava pool below Mount Doom.
(End of Chapter)
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