Never to Rise Again

The next morning, while it was still dark, the allied forces of Gondor and Rohan, totaling ten thousand men, led by Aragorn and Théoden, left the capital and headed north toward Mordor.

The army marched parallel to the Shadow Mountains, heading north, passing through the Nindalf Wetlands and the Dead Marshes, and finally at the Black Gate, where the Shadow Mountains and the Ash Mountains meet, to fight the army of Mordor and buy time to destroy the One Ring.

This was the route agreed upon at the meeting. Although it wasn't as far as the Fellowship of the Ring's long trek across the Misty Mountains, it was still quite arduous.

The Dead Marshes, in particular, is the most difficult section to traverse, with its numerous ponds and mud pools connected by a maze of waterways, and is rife with evil magic.

Russell chose a stand-in from among the Dunedain Warrior, his younger brother Herubal, who was just two meters tall and had a similar imposing physique.

If you don't look at the face, no one can tell that this is an imposter!

Herubal: Big brother is right!

Russell, along with Frodo, crossed the Shadow Mountains and outflanked Mordor from the rear, entering the Gorgoroth Plains within Mordor.

Both sides agreed to act simultaneously at dawn three days later. The allied forces of the two countries launched an attack on the Black Gate to draw the attention of the Eye of Sauron, while Russell and Frodo took the opportunity to ride the Great Eagles into Mount Doom and completely destroy the One Ring.

The plan was perfect. As long as Russell didn't cook the Great Eagles in one pot within three days, there wouldn't be any major problems.

Before their departure, Gandalf was very reluctant to part with them and gave them many instructions. "Russell, there are at least 500,000 Orcs scattered Gorgoroth Plains. They are all soldiers and have an extremely keen sense of smell. Remember not to cause trouble."

As he spoke, Gandalf patted Frodo on the head and took the iron pot off his back.

"Gandalf, you're prejudiced against me. I know what's important!" Russell was furious and angrily tied the iron pot back to Frodo's back.

"Alright, I won't say anything more. The Great Eagles will protect you." Gandalf said, taking the iron pot off his hands.

"So fussy, just like a person!" Russell scoffed, then tied the iron pot back up again.

Snap!

Just as Gandalf reached out to take the iron pot off again, Russell grabbed his hand and shook it hard. "Gandalf, I know you have a lot to say, and so do I, but time is of the essence, and there's no point in saying more. Hold it in for now, and we'll talk when I return safely with Frodo."

After saying this, Russell brushed aside Gandalf's hand, hoisted Frodo onto his shoulder, and dashed away, leaving Gandalf standing there with tears in his eyes.

"Well, just a heads-up, remind Aragorn not to forget the important business..."

Russell's voice rang out from afar. Gandalf's face twitched. He told the Great Eagles to fend for itself and mounted his white horse to chase after the northward-bound army.

Gorgoroth Plains!

Under Sauron's rule, Mordor was perpetually shrouded in darkness, Mount Doom frequently erupted with thick smoke. Sauron mixed his magic with the smoke, creating an ever-present black cloud.

When Russell and Frodo crossed the Shadow Mountains, they saw the massive volcano that was constantly spewing lava. Even from a distance, they could clearly see the scorching red streams, which were exceptionally magnificent.

The Eye of Sauron swept across Mordor like an enormous searchlight, completing a circuit every three minutes with an error margin of microseconds—a truly miraculous feat.

This might make Eye of Sauron seem less impressive, but it clearly shows Sauron's deep fear that the One Ring would be destroyed at Mount Doom.

Sauron's magical power is bound to the One Ring. If the One Ring is destroyed, his fate... will be the same as Saruman's. The Maiar will not die; if their superiors are pleased, they will summon their souls back. If they are not, they will be ignored and allowed to roam Middle-earth.

Sauron belonged to the most tragic group of Maiar. He followed the wrong leader back then, and once the One Ring was destroyed, everything was over, and he would never be able to recover.

Only when the world is destroyed and recreated, and his superior Morgoth returns, is there any possibility of resurrection.

To avoid the Eye of Sauron's detection, Russell and Frodo traveled along a mountain path between the Shadow Mountains and the Gorgoroth Plains, a desolate place covered with rocks and only low shrubs growing in dark, damp places.

This route is full of obstacles and not suitable for traveling, but it is far from the Orcs camp and is less likely to be noticed.

The two walked slowly, prioritizing concealment. Suddenly, Russell brought up Frodo and took off running.

"Russell, what happened?"

"We're being followed!"

Upon hearing Frodo turned pale with fright. "Who is it? Has Sauron discovered us?"

"It's Gollum, the one you've met before."

"That scared me! As long as it's not Sauron, Gollum is definitely after the One Ring." Frodo breathed a sigh of relief, having almost wet himself in fright.

"Perhaps..."

Russell frowned. The appearance of Gollum made him wonder if Sauron had already discovered him.

Gollum was able to find his way by following the scent of the One Ring, so there's no reason why Sauron, its true master, wouldn't have noticed. But if Sauron had, he should have sent men to surround and destroy it, instead of just wandering around like an idiot.

After running for five minutes, dodging Sauron's searchlight twice, Russell led Frodo on a detour, venturing deep into the jungles of the Shadow Mountains.

"Russell, have you shaken him off?" Frodo's legs went numb, and he landed on his backside.

"We've temporarily shaken them off."

Russell glanced behind him. Gollum had a strong sense of the One Ring, as if he could receive the signals it was emitting, which made him very uneasy.

Russell has always had zero tolerance for instability. He was thinking of making Gollum disappear without a trace. He knew he couldn't do it himself, because if Sauron had left a mark on Gollum, killing Gollum would be tantamount to exposing his whereabouts.

"Russell, there are lots of mushrooms in the forest. I'll go pick some for lunch."

Frodo put down the iron pot, and after taking only two steps, Russell grabbed his shoulder. "Remember, no matter what happens, don't leave my sight."

It was rare to see Russell so serious. Frodo nodded, gathered the mushrooms from under the surrounding trees, and made a soup.

They were outside the range of Sauron's searchlights, so there was no need to worry about attracting attention by starting a fire. The two quickly finished their lunch. Frodo put away the iron pot with satisfaction, while Russell carefully cleaned up any traces around them.

In the valley not far away, a giant spider crawled out of its cave and, drawn by the scent in the air, appeared before Russell and Frodo, baring its fangs and claws.

()X2

Giant Spider: "..."

Frodo, have you eaten yet?