Confirmed by the Look

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone sat by the lake, patting their bellies and picking their teeth.

Boromir let out a burp and said, "It's an octopus, but the flesh is so firm. That's really strange!"

"It's alright, really?"

"..."

Boromir felt a sudden jolt, sensing a deeper meaning in those words. He composed himself and looked at Russell, meeting his unfathomable eyes, and immediately considered him a kindred spirit.

I recognized them in their eyes; they're on my side!

Aragorn: "..."

He understood, but bearing the honor of King Elendil, he could not show it and could only keep it silently in his heart.

At that moment, Aragorn saw the same look in his eyes—that of Legolas, the Elf Prince from the Woodland Realm.

The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.

Gandalf: "..."

I understand, so why doesn't anyone share a smile with me?

Thinking of this, Gandalf looked at the dwarf warrior Gimli, whose face immediately changed, and he spat on the ground. "What are you looking at? I don't know anything, I'm not that kind of person!"

Gandalf: "..."

With a heart full of anguish, Gandalf longed to ask Elrond how he had chosen this group of people to form the Fellowship of the Ring.

Could it be that Elrond, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is also...?

"Gandalf, have you found the entrance to the Mines of Moria?" Russell put away the iron pot and tied dozens of kilograms of octopus meat to Nightmare's back. It was not easy to ride a horse in the mines, but Nightmare was clearly not an exception. As long as there was enough space, he could move freely.

"Found it. The dwarven code is a bit difficult. I'm still thinking about it," Gandalf said.

"What code?"

The group, puzzled, packed their belongings and arrived at the West-gate of Moria. Gandalf pointed to the inscription on the gate and said, "It says: Doors of Durin, Lord of Rhea, Speak to me as friends, and then enter."

"That sounds simple, just say 'friend'," Frodo said naively. The three Hobbits echoed him, the answer was written on the wall, and they couldn't see what was so difficult about it.

"Hehe, you're still too young. The Doors of Durin is of great significance, and the dwarves' coded language has a deeper meaning!" Gandalf said with a chuckle, patting Frodo's head.

"Aragorn, what is the Elvish name for my friend?" Russell suddenly asked.

"Mellon, what's wrong?"

Aragorn replied, and as soon as he finished speaking, the star-studded West-gate of Moria opened, revealing a dark cave.

Gandalf: "..."

Seeing that the gate had been successfully opened, he suddenly realized the dwarves' true intentions.

Elves and dwarves are hostile to each other, and elves would never say the word 'friend' to dwarves. Therefore, saying 'friend' in Elvish is a sure way to be a true friend of the dwarves and thus gain permission to enter Rhea.

"Wow, Russell, you're amazing!" Frodo exclaimed.

"Haha, not at all, just average."

"That's really impressive. I saw Gandalf standing at the door for a long time, but he couldn't succeed."

"I saw it too!"

"Me too."

"Me too!"

The four Hobbits raised their hands one after another, all indicating that they saw Gandalf blocked by the door and couldn't figure out the answer to the riddle no matter what they did.

This is where the difference in social skills and interpersonal relationships is most apparent. The Hobbits are straightforward, while Aragorn and his companions remain calm and collected, having been so focused on catching the octopus that they didn't notice anything.

"Let's go in."

Gandalf, with a serious expression, walked into the dark entrance of the Mine. He was a mature Maiar and had no idea what Frodo and the others were talking about.

Under the moonlight, the group West-gate of Moria. Ahead lay a wide stone staircase, its origins unknown, yet it was sturdy and intact, showing no signs of erosion from the passage of time.

But contrary to what Gimli had said, there was no fine wine or roasted meat, nor were there any hospitable dwarves; there was only dust and cobwebs everywhere, and endless darkness.

As they continued forward, the moonlight could not penetrate further. Gandalf waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop. He took out the white Philosopher's Stone, placed it on the tip of his staff, twisted it twice like a light bulb, and then raised it high with one hand.

Bite!

It's lit up!

Russell: "..."

Gandalf's Illumination Spell is truly amazing. Although the Philosopher's Stone is only the size of a baby's fist, it can illuminate things clearly from a kilometer away, and the light is not dazzling even when looked at directly.

Upon reaching the top of the steps, a large hall paved with bricks and stones appeared before them, and they all froze in disbelief.

Scattered across the ground were the bones of dwarves, clad in tattered armor, broken weapons lying haphazardly, and covered in cobwebs and dust. They had been dead for a long time.

Boromir felt a chill run down his spine. "This isn't a mine, it should be called a graveyard."

"No, this isn't real! No!" The dwarf warrior Gimli crouched down, kneeling before the bones and sobbing uncontrollably.

Legolas stood beside Gimli, picked up the arrows from the corpse, examined them closely, and suddenly his expression changed.

"They're Orcs!"

Having said that, he threw the arrows on the ground and drew his longbow as a precaution. Everyone gripped their weapons tightly and slowly moved closer together; Gimli's cries of anguish had been too loud and might attract the Orcs.

No one blamed Gimli; if they had seen the remains of their own people, their reaction would probably have been much more intense.

"Gandalf, shall we change our route?" Aragorn asked gravely. The Mines of Moria had become Orcs stronghold, and going deeper would be extremely dangerous.

"The Dark Chasm is certainly dangerous, but we have no other choice but to cross the mine..." Gandalf cast an Illumination Spell and walked ahead. "Everyone must be vigilant; there are monsters more terrifying than Orcs!"

Before entering the Mines of Moria, Gandalf knew that the Dwarves there had been wiped out, the cause of which was a war between the dwarves and Orcs.

Moreover, he also knew that the dwarves had mined too deep, triggering a powerful evil force.

Morgoth's Balrog!

Unable to defeat or even drive away the Balrog, the dwarves fled to Lonely Mountain, and the Mines of Moria became the stronghold of the Orcs, under the control of Sauron.

Later, the dragon Smaug occupied the Lonely Mountain, and the dwarves once again fled to distant lands.

Later, Gimli's cousin Balin led his companions back to rebuild Rhea, but was killed by Orcs, leaving behind a field of corpses.

Russell knew none of the above; all he knew was that he was about to eat the Balrog —or rather, about to fight the Balrog.

Russell was heartbroken at the thought of Gandalf and the Balrog falling into the abyss. He couldn't bear to see the tragedy happen right before his eyes, so he decided to help Gandalf.

As for Gandalf not being promoted to White Wizard...

What does it matter to him?

Well, you can't say that. Gandalf the Grey Robe is already very powerful; he doesn't need to prove anything by defeating Balrog.

Besides, who is Gandalf? Does he care whether his robe is gray or white?

That's definitely not it!

After some analysis, Russell felt much more at ease and decided that he should still eat it!