Though the sun blazed fiercely in the heavens, the temperature in this frigid land remained brutally low, the ice and snow underfoot showing no sign of melting, crunching audibly with every step the group took. Following their trajectory, it was clear they were heading directly toward that ominous Wizard's Tower radiating palpable malevolence.

As Fang Senyan drew nearer, he could discern that, strictly speaking, the structure could barely qualify as a proper wizard's tower. Most of its building materials were fashioned from deep black, robust stone—a material that appeared exceedingly hard, bearing the unmistakable marks of heavy chiseling and hacking, even exuding a certain rugged, imposing grandeur.

But precisely because of this, it could be termed a fortress, a keep, perhaps preceded by adjectives like 'magnificent' or 'impregnable'—yet it retained absolutely no association with a wizard. Only on the uppermost level could one observe seams laced with mithril wire connecting fissures in the walls, calcite used for channeling spell energies, and protective runes etched in graphite lines partitioning a dedicated energy zone. Evidently, the only part truly deserving the title of magic tower was that singular top floor.

It took very little deduction to realize this tower was likely the monumental effort of Saruman's simulacrum, driven by the Uruk-hai. For these creatures, whose brains seemed packed with muscle, to achieve this much was clearly their utmost capability; one could demand no more. As Fang Senyan reached the entrance of the tower, an unusually massive and towering Uruk-hai emerged from within. His visage was savagely fierce, and strapped to his back was an enormous bow. Though the weapon looked crude, a thin, flowing sheen, like water, covered both the bowstring and the limbs, marking it instantly as no ordinary artifact.

The other Uruk-hai exhibited noticeable apprehension upon seeing this tall warrior, parting respectfully to allow him passage. This imposing Uruk-hai glanced at Fang Senyan and inquired, "Who is this?"

His voice, a low rumble laced with a snarl, clearly carried considerable anger. Grokoro, the captain of the guard leading the way, hurried forward: "Lord Lurtz, he was brought here by command of the Great Emissary."

Hearing the name Lurtz, a thought flashed through Fang Senyan's mind like lightning: This brute... is actually Lurtz? In the film's narrative, Boromir—an important member of the Fellowship, son of the Regent, and commander of the Men of Gondor—met his end at the hands of this Uruk-hai renowned for his archery. Even the Elven Prince Legolas was once intercepted by him. His power was self-evident. Looking at him now, it was clear he held considerable trust from Saruman's simulacrum.

Lurtz stated coldly, "Wait here."

With that, he turned and entered. After a brief interval, he reappeared and curtly gestured for Fang Senyan to follow him inside. Clearly, the intelligence of the Uruk-hai far surpassed that of the Orcs, as he spoke the common tongue of Middle-earth with surprising fluency.

The tower looked modest from the outside, but the interior space was far greater. Following Lurtz, Fang Senyan felt as if they were constantly ascending stairs and passing through doors. Everything he saw, he hastily crammed into his memory, intending to process it later.

Their final destination was a laboratory permeated with a pungent odor. It housed large oak tables, test tubes, alembics that looked like globes spliced together from glass spheres, various Bunsen burners, and incubation chambers. The walls of this room were constructed from heavy stone, iron blocks, and other alloys, crisscrossed by a mesh of protective arcane energy. The interior walls were further shielded against various elemental effects, suggesting that accidents and mishaps occurred here frequently. Of course, Fang Senyan failed to recognize some of the magical mechanisms and experimental subjects.

Saruman's simulacrum sat in a chair, deep in contemplation. In a vessel before him rested a shard—something Fang Senyan recognized intimately: the broken piece of the vial from the curse potion he had thrown earlier to frighten the guarding Orcs. As the powerful mage raised his head, Fang Senyan felt his gaze pierce him like a razor blade, threatening to dissect his very entrails. The gulf in power between them was staggering.

Never mind Saruman’s simulacrum; Lurtz alone could kill Fang Senyan with a single arrow. Fang Senyan estimated that even with Reefstone assisting, they could at best manage to dispatch the guard captain Grokoro, and only in a one-on-one engagement.

Fortunately, Fang Senyan’s initial purpose for entering this world was not to fight or kill, but to deliberately delay and linger as long as possible.

More crucially: within this world, Fang Senyan possessed the ability to retreat to the Nightmare space at any moment—this was his greatest assurance! Otherwise, he could see that Saruman’s simulacrum was volatile and tyrannical. If his Tier Six ability, Black Magic Formulation, were exposed, there was at least a thirty to forty percent chance he would be executed on the spot! But with the safeguard of being able to return anytime, Fang Senyan felt justified in taking the gamble, as even failure would leave Reefstone alive to continue the mission's duration.

Seeing Lurtz usher Fang Senyan in, Saruman’s simulacrum did not immediately look up, remaining seated for a while longer before speaking.

"My thrall claims to have uncovered something most interesting, and he bears sufficient proof that he is not lying."

At this, the aged Saruman simulacrum stooped further as he slowly rose, coughing a few times, his voice still emanating from his abdomen. His eyes fixed on the glass shard resting on the table.

"I was initially skeptical, which is why Mr. Grokoro endured three lashes needlessly. But at his insistence, I did not dismiss this very intriguing object... or rather, this evidence. Now, I shall first reward Mr. Grokoro for his loyalty and acuity. Following that, you will answer a few questions. If your answers fail to satisfy me, or if you are simply lying, then I shall have to employ the Memory Extraction spell."

"This exceptionally fine spell can perfectly retrieve most memories from your brain, with only two side effects. The first is that it will churn your brain into a substance thicker than claret. The second is that the subject will endure immense agony during the process." He paused. "You have ten seconds to consider my proposition." Then, turning slightly, he commanded, "Lurtz, reward Mr. Grokoro with a barrel of strong liquor and fifty pounds of meat—the bloody kind."

Fang Senyan walked toward the table. As Lurtz's cruel gaze tightened, Fang Senyan calmly picked up a piece of the glass vial, bowed slightly toward Saruman's simulacrum, and spoke: "Greetings to you, Great Master Mage, from a Senior Alchemical Assistant named Sailor. My mentor has dedicated years to the study of bio-weapons. He always maintained that the most potent weapon is not forged, but is the physical body, capable of self-repair. Therefore, he has pursued this line of research untiringly and achieved some success... I am a student who has inherited some of his knowledge."

"Given that I possess deeper theoretical knowledge, more dexterous fingers, a clearer mind, richer work experience, and superior efficiency compared to these beasts, I have cause to request superior rations, clean lodging, and limited privileges."

"Oh, please do not look at me with that expression. Great Master Mage, I am merely someone adept at analysis and reasoning..." This, too, is one of the essential weapons an excellent alchemical assistant must possess," he added, glancing toward Lurtz. "Mr. Lurtz seems displeased. A human can have many reasons for a poor temper, but for a simple Uruk-hai, the sole reason is a reprimand from the Master. Look over there in the corner—those large patches of grime and the unswept shards of glassware indicate your assistant is incompetent. Naturally, the courage I possess to stand before you stems from hearing one phrase more than once: A clever and efficient alchemical assistant is welcome everywhere."

Saruman’s simulacrum replied coldly: "If your actual substance matches even half of your eloquence, I can guarantee your first two requests will be met. But before that, you must tell me: Who is your teacher?"

"Regrettably," Fang Senyan shrugged, "I cannot speak his name. If I did, the oath I swore would be fulfilled, and my head would explode outward with a bang—worse than undergoing Memory Extraction. Believe me, Master Mage, a living sailor is infinitely more useful than a dead one."

Saruman’s simulacrum was, of course, deeply cunning; he absorbed, at most, half of Fang Senyan's words, and of that half, he trusted only half again. However, Fang Senyan had labored painstakingly to infiltrate the tower without expecting to sway Saruman with just a few sentences. In this world, the clever often trust their eyes far more than their ears.

Just as Fang Senyan was preparing to produce a mixed potion of Bear Bile and Fox Gland to further convince Saruman’s simulacrum, two Orcs suddenly entered, bearing the carcass of a slain Snow Bear. Blood streamed across the floor in their wake. Fang Senyan’s eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted at the two Orcs, "What are you two doing? Why aren't you sealing the Snow Bear's wounds? The more blood it loses, the more it will compromise the quality of the formulation!"

The Orcs' minds, truly lacking in nuance, froze under Fang Senyan's outburst and they clumsily prepared to set the bear down to staunch the bleeding. Fang Senyan boomed over them, "Never mind that! You two, fetch me the knife and pincers from over there!"