No Need to Praise Me (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader "Still Came Over to Read the Official Version")

Gandalf, holding his staff, led the way, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the path ahead as if it were daytime.

He frowned and said, "Be prepared. The dark underground world is vast, no city can compare to it. In addition, the terrain is complex and the roads are winding and circuitous. It may take us four days to reach the exit."

"It's alright, there are still dozens of kilograms of octopus meat left. If all else fails, we can just slaughter the reserve ingredients. That'll be enough for us to walk out of the mine in style." Russell patted Nightmare, secretly regretting that he wondered if they would still be riding horses when they encountered Ringwraiths next time.

"Long live!" X4

"Russell, you've prepared very thoroughly."

"Great! Now we don't have to go hungry!"

"..."

"Ahem, quiet down, you'll alert the enemy." Gandalf couldn't stand it anymore, seeing a group of people cheering for their meals. We are the Fellowship of the Ring, bearing the fate of the entire Middle-earth on our shoulders. Can't we stop thinking about food all the time?

But speaking of which, what does Nightmare taste like?

Gandalf's footprints covered Middle-earth, and he had visited Rhea before. The group followed the guide step by step into the depths of the mine.

The complex passageways are rugged and steep. The plank roads and stone corridors are considered good paths, but many narrow stone bridges span the abyss above, with sheer cliffs on both sides, pitch black, and even Illumination Spell can't see the end. You really wouldn't dare to walk across them if you didn't have a lot of courage.

The scene looked familiar, reminding Russell of the Main God Space Ruins mission from a while back, with its stone paths and abysses, all seemingly bottomless.

Gandalf got lost once during this time. After all, Rhea was so vast that the dwarves had practically hollowed out a mountain, so it was understandable that he hadn't been there before.

The dwarves dug wherever they wanted, causing considerable trouble for the group. Many people got hungry as they walked, or rather, many paths disappeared as they walked. Some paths were left unfinished, others were abandoned halfway through, and still others were simply cut off in the middle.

The broken stone path was insurmountable, but the group easily traversed it using the Nightmare, without having to take a detour or turn back, saving a lot of time.

The Mine was pitch black, with no sunrise or sunset. The group had no idea how long they had been walking, but the octopus meat had long since been eaten.

"Wait, this Nightmare is still useful; we need him."

Seeing Russell sharpening his knife, ready to cook the Nightmare in the cauldron, Gandalf quickly stopped him. Although he was curious about the texture of Nightmare meat, now was not the right time to enjoy a delicious meal.

"Sigh, the dry rations are so hard and difficult to swallow, I've even lost weight." Gimli swallowed the coarse grains with difficulty, staring longingly at Nightmare, fantasizing about eating meat, and barely managed to get through the meal.

"Gandalf, something is following us." Frodo saw a dark shadow flash below the mine and swallowed hard; it wasn't the first time he'd seen this shadow.

"That's Gollum!" Gandalf said without turning his head; he had already noticed it.

Russell and the others had seen Gollum a few times, but since it was inedible, they didn't pay much attention to it. As long as they didn't provoke them, they could follow along if they wanted.

Frodo exclaimed in surprise, "Gandalf, the Gollum you're talking about, could it be Uncle Bilbo... but wasn't he imprisoned in Barad-dûr, Sauron's dungeon?"

"Yes, that's him."

Gandalf said with certainty, "He was released and followed us for the One Ring, a fallen man corrupted by darkness."

"It's a pity Uncle Bilbo didn't kill him back then." Frodo frowned, feeling very unsafe with Gollum watching him from the shadows.

"No, Frodo, you cannot think that way!" Gandalf slowly turned around, his face serious, and looked directly at Frodo: "Bilbo spared Gollum out of mercy; he considered Gollum a pitiful victim."

"But, but he has been corrupted by the Ring..." Frodo didn't understand; he only knew that Gollum was very dangerous.

"That is true, but Bilbo still spared him." Gandalf said with emotion, "There are many living people who deserve to die, and some Deadman whose lives are not meant to end. Promise me, Frodo, that when you have the power to decide the fate of others, you must judge carefully!"

"..." Frodo was confused, but it seemed really impressive.

Seeing Frodo's bewildered expression, Gandalf knew he hadn't understood. He sighed and looked at Russell: "Master Russell, if you were holding the One Ring and Gollum was following you, what would you do?"

Gandalf regretted asking the question as soon as he finished it. Why did he have to ask Russell? It was just asking a stupid question!

Sure enough, Russell did not disappoint Gandalf.

Can you eat Gollum?

Gandalf's face darkened. "No, although he was tormented beyond recognition by the Ring, he was originally a Hobbits."

Russell nodded. "He's neither human nor ghost anymore, living must be very painful for him. Why not just cut him to free him? It would be a good deed."

Gandalf: "..."

Frodo's eyes lit up; Russell's words were truly insightful, at least he could understand them.

"Frodo, don't overthink things. This world is too complicated. There's truth and falsehood, right and wrong. You can't please everyone, and you can't always be right." Russell shrugged. "Stay true to yourself, stick to your principles, and do what you believe is right. That's all you need to do."

Upon hearing Russell's words, Frodo seemed thoughtful, while Gandalf shook his head and remained silent. Russell rambled on and on, but his point was essentially the same as Frodo's.

"Waaaaahh..."

Just then, a chilling wind suddenly swept through the dark underground world.

After the mournful wailing, the rumbling of horns sounded, faintly mixed with the howls and shrieks of Beast.

Orcs!

Gandalf's eyes narrowed, and he leaned down to look at the abyss below the cliff. He cast Illumination Spell, and countless dark shadows crawled closer.

The shadowy figures were humanoid monsters, clad in iron armor, with hideous and grotesque faces. Each carried swords and other weapons, and they swiftly climbed up the cliff face.

Legolas took down his longbow and unleashed a hail of arrows. He didn't seem to aim much; with each whistle, an Orcs fell off the cliff.

"It's no use, there are too many of them," Russell said. The terrain here is narrow and restrictive, making it unsuitable for fighting.

"Let's go!"

Gandalf acted decisively, leading the group to rush into the depths of Rhea, with Aragorn bringing up the rear. He raised his Holy Sword and cut the stone path, delaying the Orcs' advance as much as possible.

The group hurriedly fled, gradually moving away from their pursuers. They did not slow down; since the Orcs had discovered them, they would certainly not let it go. They had to leave the Mines of Moria before the next wave of pursuit arrived.

Having already traversed the most difficult part of the journey, the group sped up and quickly passed through the stone path, entering the underground kingdom at the end.

Before evil arose, the dwarves' homeland of Khazad-dûm was its true name, not Rhea!

This is an incredibly magnificent palace; even Gandalf's Illumination Spell could only reveal a tiny fraction of it.

Around them stood stone pillars, hundreds of meters high and over ten meters in diameter, carved by the dwarves themselves. These pillars were densely packed throughout the palace, spaced thirty meters apart, numbering in the tens of thousands, or even more.

It is magnificent and eye-opening!

"Waaaaahh..."

At this moment, the Orcs' horns sounded again, and shouts of battle surged from all directions of the palace.

With the help of the Illumination Spell, the group was shocked to discover that the palace was actually the lair of Orcs. Orcs crawled out of caves and cracks like ants from the ceiling, walls, and ground, surrounding them completely.

There were too many of them; they blocked their escape route in the blink of an eye, leaving them no time to flee.

"Roar roar roar————"

The roars and shouts of battle were deafening. Apart from where Russell and the others were, the rest of the palace was densely packed with Orcs, and those who had nowhere to stand climbed on the stone pillars.

"Get out of here quickly, the Orcs are too loud."

Gandalf broke out in a cold sweat. The Orcs were nothing to fear, but their loud voices would attract the Balrog slumbering in the abyss, and that would be the real trouble.

Moreover, ever since he decided to go to the Mines of Moria, Gandalf had been uneasy, always feeling that he would lose something.

What is it?

Gandalf kept telling himself not to overthink it, but he knew very well that his ominous premonition was not unfounded and that he might lose his life here.

Unless the Creation God is willing to help him cheat!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Faced with the Orcs threat, the Fellowship of the Ring immediately retaliated. Legolas fired three arrows in quick succession, each imbued with a layer of white light and possessing astonishing penetrating power. The Orcs' crude armor was like paper before the arrows, each arrow capable of piercing through four or five Orcs.

Legolas nodded in satisfaction. His hard work during this period had paid off, and his improvement in strength was clearly visible.

With Aragorn's Holy Sword in hand, he charged into battle unstoppable, leaving rivers of blood in his wake. The others also performed admirably; even Boromir, the weakest among them, was able to wreak havoc, taking down Orcs one by one with ease, as if it were a leisurely outing.

Of course, the most eye-catching is Gandalf, whose specific profession is difficult to determine.

You say he's a mage, and his arm strength is astonishing; with a swing of his staff, a powerful gust of wind shoots down, sending a dozen or so Orcs flying. You say he's a warrior, and his eyes are sharp and his ears are attuned; his footwork is agile and unpredictable, and the Orcs swarm him without even touching the hem of his clothes. You say he's an assassin, and he casts an Illumination Spell with a flick of his wrist, blinding the Orcs, before bringing his blade down in a flash.

The mage, warrior, and assassin classes can be switched freely, making them tanky, powerful, and capable of dealing damage, leaving the Orcs questioning their existence.

Russell didn't intervene, but instead cast Nightmare on the four Hobbits and guarded them. The Orcs were eager to die, but their ugly appearance prevented Russell from granting their wish.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud—

The palace floor trembled, heavy footsteps echoed, and five enormous humanoid monsters came into view.

Wielding giant hammers, they were led there by Orcs on chains, each over six meters tall. Upon reaching the center of the battlefield and finding themselves unable to squeeze in, they immediately activated their intelligent brains, sweeping their hammers across the ground, knocking down large numbers of Orcs and clearing space for themselves.

"It's Ogres!"

The dwarf warrior Gimli roared, cleaving the Orcs in front of him with his battle axe, and charged forward to smash the Ogres's knees.

Short legs are a disadvantage on the battlefield. He had only taken a few steps when two sharp arrows shot out, hitting the Ogres in the eye.

"Roar roar roar————"

The Ogres screamed in agony, their cries echoing through the palace, causing the other Ogres to roar and thunder to rumble within the palace walls.

"Quickly! Kill them right now, their voices are too loud!" Gandalf roared, his voice even louder than that of the Ogres.

"Let me do it!" Russell shouted, his voice louder than Gandalf's.

Thunder rolled, and Electric Arc swirled around Russell, transforming him into two Silver-white Giant Wolves that charged forward.

The giant wolf ran on all fours at incredible speed. Wherever it went, the Orcs fell down or were crushed. When it reached the middle of the Ogres, its whole body suddenly shone with a bright white light.

Rumble!!!

A blinding flash of light appeared, the Ogres evaporated and dissolved, and the sudden shockwave made the Orcs sway back and forth, the palace trembled, and large amounts of rubble fell without stopping for a moment.

The air was filled with the stench of burning meat. The Orcs, who had been shouting and fighting, stood frozen in place, not daring to utter a sound.

The scene was unusually quiet. Russell grinned, gave Gandalf a thumbs up, and looked like he had a great achievement to hide.

No need to praise me!

Gandalf: "..."

I'm adding 3000 words for the "Alliance Leader Still Came to See the Original" chapter, and I'm also asking for recommendation votes and monthly tickets!