When Heaven Gives You Cheats, Any Excuse Will Do
At the edge of the Misty Mountains, the group successfully stepped out of this majestic mountain range that stretches for thousands of kilometers and sat down to rest by a stream.
It took nearly four days to traverse the Mines of Moria. The Fellowship of the Ring lived in constant fear in the Orcs' lair, and was eventually attacked by Balrog. By then, they were exhausted.
Even though they knew they would likely be attacked by Orcs after dark, they still stopped. They were too tired and needed to rest to recover their energy. They also wanted to cook a meal, since food is the most important thing for people, and they wouldn't have the strength to run if they weren't full.
"This is the flesh of the Balrog? I mean, this creature actually has flesh?" Legolas stared wide-eyed, utterly incredulous.
"It's hard to imagine what Balrog tastes like."
"We should be the first people in Middle-earth to eat Balrog. That's something I can brag about for the rest of my life," the dwarf warrior Gimli said with a laugh.
"Only the wings and tail have some skin on them. Wait a minute, the skin is a bit tough, it needs to simmer a little longer." Russell stood by the large pot, and with a swift motion, used his Adamantium Blade to chop the Balrog's wings into a chicken carcass.
As the chicken carcass was put into the pot, the previously listless crowd quickly grabbed their small bowls and gathered around the iron pot. The aroma of meat filled the air, and they took a deep breath, their faces filled with ecstasy, their mouths watering profusely.
As expected of a demon from the abyss, its value is different; it even smells better than an octopus!
"Guys, we're in for a treat! This is Balrog, not just anyone can get their hands on it."
"That's right, Russell and Gandalf are truly brilliant!"
A group of people crowded around the pot, staring longingly at the bubbling red oil, their mouths watering.
"Let me test if it's poisonous first..."
Russell pulled out the skeleton and started gnawing on it; he had been looking forward to seeing the Balrog for a long time. After all, no matter how corrupt the Balrog was, it was still a lesser god in life, and it was definitely different from those flashy creatures.
The Maiar race existed before creation, and their relationship with the supreme god is complex. It's not simply a superior-subordinate relationship; they are servants, students, and assistants, and some powerful Maiar are even stronger than the supreme god.
Indeed, as Russell gnawed on the skeleton of the Balrog, he found it very chewy and sinewy. The system immediately determined that his two major attributes, 'Constitution' and 'Strength', had increased, with each of the specific data on his character panel increasing by 4 points.
Russell smiled and waved his hand to signal everyone to start eating. The crowd cheered and, ignoring the boiling oil in the wok, grabbed the food and began to gnaw.
"God, I feel stronger..."
"That's great! I love eating this the most!"
"..."
The group ate and laughed, but Gandalf sat silently by the stream, his sorrowful expression seemingly mourning the unfortunate Balrog. In reality, he was simply torn between wanting to eat but not being able to.
The Balrog is Maiar; even if his physical body dies, his soul lives on. However, because he chose the wrong side in the past, as Morgoth's servant, the Balrog's soul will not be forgiven and will wander Middle-earth until it finally vanishes.
These are what are known as wandering ghosts!
"Gandalf, I saved this especially for you. Try it and see how it tastes!"
Russell grabbed a chicken carcass and approached Gandalf, whose face twitched. Gandalf turned away, unwilling to face Russell directly. "No, I'm tired from fighting, I don't have much of an appetite right now."
"Are you sure?" Russell placed the chicken carcass in front of Gandalf.
The aroma was irresistible, and Gandalf's mouth watered; his appetite was whetted. But then he remembered they were all of the same kind, and he immediately backed down. He wouldn't eat Balrog, absolutely not, not even if forced!
Russell chuckled and shoved the chicken carcass into Gandalf's mouth. The latter was furious and immediately resisted. The two grabbed the chicken carcass and began to wrestle in mid-air.
After a while, Gandalf, old and frail, was forced by Russell to stuff the chicken carcass into his mouth, much to his chagrin.
Russell: "..."
Bullshit! He grabbed my hand and forced it into his mouth, and I couldn't pull him away!
Gandalf was overjoyed after taking a bite of Balrog flesh, but his joy quickly turned to grief, and he began to wail loudly, eating and crying at the same time. He was a mature Maiar, and he always went all out in his act.
After a long while, Gandalf could no longer laugh. For some reason, Russell and the others were fine after eating the Balrog, and their physiques were even strengthened, but Gandalf felt like his stomach was on fire. He spewed out a mouthful of black smoke, his eyes slanted and mouth crooked, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Russell was shocked. He placed his fingertip on Gandalf's neck and found that the pulse had instantly become a straight line. Gandalf... was dead!
It couldn't be said that he was truly dead. A golden light emerged from the void, enveloping Gandalf's corpse. Golden threads, soft as water, coiled around him, containing terrifying energy. They wrapped Gandalf like a cocoon and gradually merged into his body, strengthening his seemingly aged physique.
Russell: "..."
Staring blankly at the chicken frame in his hand, he cursed inwardly, realizing that this shameless scene had taught him a lesson.
If God wants to give you a cheat code, any reason will do.
Even without a reason, they would make up one and force it onto him. Even if Russell didn't give him chicken wings, he might fall and die from osteoporosis if he took a step.
"That's... that's great!"
Russell sighed, initially wanting to say it was shameless, but then, seeing that there was a higher power watching, he decided to change his opinion to a blessing for Gandalf.
After the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring had eaten and drunk their fill, they noticed Gandalf's unusual behavior and rushed over to see what was going on. They were worried but not really worried, as Gandalf didn't seem like he was up to any bad luck.
"Put Gandalf on a horse, let's go..." Russell looked at everyone with a dark expression, "Where to next?"
"Lothlórien!"
Aragorn and Legolas said in unison, "A peaceful and beautiful place, inhabited by the 'Queen of Magic' Galadriel, and her husband Celeborn, two great elven rulers."
"Let's go, let's go to Lothlórien."
Russell was still displeased. Gandalf was supposed to be the White Robe after he woke up; this was too blatant a cheat code. In fact, he should have known things would turn out this way. Gandalf's ascension to the White Robe was inevitable, a predetermined outcome.
In short, the higher-ups were dissatisfied with Saruman the White's actions, so they stripped him of his title as the leader of the Five Witches, gave Gandalf a power boost, and allowed him to take Saruman's place and lead the people of Middle-earth to destroy Sauron.
"Lothlórien, that's no good place. I've heard that an elven Witch lives there, and if she looks at us, our souls will no longer belong to us."
The dwarf warrior Gimli complained that elves and dwarves are irreconcilable enemies. In the dwarf worldview, the Magic Queen is a Witch, belonging to the evil camp.
"Hmph, you won't think that way once you meet the Lady of the Manor." Legolas sneered. Galadriel had an extremely high reputation among the elves; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a national idol.
Hearing the two arguing, Russell paused. If he remembered correctly, this sorceress was currently on the verge of turning evil. But then he thought, what did that have to do with him? Even if Galadriel turned evil, her goal was still the One Ring, aimed at Frodo.
Besides, he only went halfway through his dark transformation, and in the end, he persevered through sheer willpower and returned to his White of Magic.
With this in mind, Russell felt much more at ease. He patted Gandalf on Nightmare's back, thinking that with Galadriel's 'lover' around, this trip would at most be a close call.