After a long while, Boromir finally bellowed, "We must leave this place. If Saruman hits us again with that large-scale lightning attack, every single one of us will certainly perish... We must press on along the mountain range to the Gates of Rohan, and then through the Westfold to my city—there we will be safe."

Aragorn, however, countered, "No, the Gates of Rohan are too close to Isengard. He can still use magical attacks on us from that distance. If we deliver ourselves right to him, won't he unleash even more magic? He could even dispatch Orc armies to pursue us. We absolutely cannot pass through the Gates of Rohan."

It was then that the Dwarf, Gimli, spoke up, "If the path above is blocked, then we shall go below! I have said it many times already—we take the Mines of Moria! That is my cousin Balin’s domain, and we will pass safely through the Misty Mountains, I swear it!" Gandalf, breathing heavily in ragged gasps, slowly looked at the assembled company. "That spell required a long preparation, and it consumes vast amounts of energy stones. It is impossible for him to use it again on short notice.

But if we remain here, neither going up nor down, it won't be long before we are struck by lightning again... Let Frodo decide. Three paths—which one shall we take!" The four Hobbits were all being carried on backs.

Yet, they were all trembling from the cold. They, with the weakest constitutions, could not withstand the current chill. Frodo’s condition looked grim as well. He struggled to glance around at those nearby before managing to say with effort, "We go... we go to the Mines of Moria."

Since the Ringbearer had determined the direction of travel, the others had no objections. Originally, Zheng Zha had considered using the Skeleton Steeds to transport them one by one, but having witnessed the destructive power of that lightning magic, he dared not guarantee that Saruman wouldn't unleash another barrage of those spells.

Without Gandalf's protective shield, his chances of surviving that lightning storm would not have exceeded fifty percent.

In any case, now that the decision was made.

The group swiftly retreated from the snowy peaks, and only after they had completely cleared the snow line did everyone let out a profound sigh of relief. The pressure imposed by such an environment was immense. Moreover,

There was Saruman waiting nearby, ready to launch a magical sneak attack at any moment. No one could possibly relax their vigilance in such conditions.

From Caradhras to the Mines of Moria, there was still a path to cover, requiring at least several days of travel.

During these days, everyone’s nerves were stretched taut—first, to guard against Saruman's scouting Crows, and second, to prevent the imminent descent of magical strikes. Even though Gandalf repeatedly claimed that no more magic could fall, the others still could not let down their guard. This tension persisted until the group reached the exterior of Moria—the lowest point in the valley, situated beside a deep lake, as anyone familiar with the story knew.

Beneath that lake lay an immensely massive octopus monster, and it was precisely this creature that forced the company into the Mines of Moria, leaving them with absolutely no room to maneuver, as it collapsed the gate that stood at the entrance.

Gunnir approached Zheng Zha and said, "Then this is the first battle of our cooperation. This monster in the water must also possess an Energy Core. The two of us will proceed according to the established rules: whoever kills the monster claims the Energy Core. As for reward points and side quests, neither of us will interfere with the other's share—we won't mention those. What do you think?" Zheng Zha nodded. "Then, as we previously discussed, the moment this water monster surfaces, we both attack simultaneously. However, we must also take care to protect our respective team members, right?" Gunnir affirmed, "Yes. It is precisely because I can easily involve team members during my combat that I partnered with you, as you are a melee fighter and better able to protect them. Otherwise, with the power of my 'Frost Age,' I truly wouldn't need to cooperate with anyone else..." Zheng Zha smiled, unconcerned. After all, anyone who self-created a skill would naturally believe theirs was the best. Were his 'Explosion' and 'Destruction' so weak? So he saw no need to argue. He merely asked, "I am curious. Even if your 'Frost Age' is infinitely powerful, you don't crush Energy Stones in ordinary combat. Do you still have the strength to fight?" Gunnir immediately laughed. "You underestimate me! I am, after all, a high-level awakened Fruit User, and this Fruit is the most expensive Natural type. It is rumored that when I unlock the fifth stage of the Gene Lock, I can manipulate the frost power of all nature. Forget the sea; I could potentially freeze an entire continent because I would command infinite energy then... Why say so much? In short, let’s both fight our hardest later."

Zheng Zha shrugged with a smile, unconcerned, and followed the others as they headed towards a certain spot on the cliff face.

Gandalf was hunched over a section of the cliff, studying something. After a long pause, he spoke, "Correct. Embedded in this cliff is Isildur Metal, a magical alloy that reflects moonlight or starlight and can also react to certain languages..." Before he could finish speaking, the clouds overhead gradually dispersed, and moonlight shone straight down from the zenith.

Indeed, a silver radiance appeared on the cliff face. These silver lights slowly coalesced into the shape of a gate, inscribed above which were dozens of peculiar runes.

Gandalf sighed in relief as he looked at the great door. He pointed his staff at the silver gate, then muttered the inscription on the door as he spoke, "It says, 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter.'"

One of the Hobbits asked curiously, "What does that mean?" Gandalf laughed easily. "Very simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and can enter this tunnel. Heh, I happen to know the Dwarven benediction for a friend."

With that, Gandalf pointed his staff again at the silver wall and chanted a strange spell. However, even after he finished reciting the entire spell after a long time, the silver wall remained utterly unchanged, confirming that the incantation had no effect whatsoever.

Gandalf gave the silver door a strange look, then began reciting another spell to himself, appearing quite unwilling to give up. But this spell was also utterly useless; the door remained standing silently. This left Gandalf in an awkward position. Helplessly, he approached the cliff face and tried to push a few times, muttering to himself, "I used to know the spells of all Men, Elves, and even Orcs, but..." The Hobbit who had spoken earlier spoke again, "Then what are you going to do?" "If knocking your head against this door still won't open it, then you sit quietly there while I figure out a way!" Gandalf suddenly snapped in frustration, shouting at the Hobbit, while he himself sat helplessly beside the cliff wall.

The veteran members of the Reincarnation Squad knew this plot point and understood that the password to enter the tunnel was exceedingly simple—one only needed to speak the word 'friend' translated into Elvish. So, a veteran from the North Ice Continent team immediately spoke up, "This looks like a riddle. Speak friend, and enter... Right..." This person was about to speak when Gunnir abruptly pulled him back.

Gunnir smiled. "Don't interrupt Gandalf's concentration. Let things proceed naturally, let them proceed naturally!" By the time he uttered the last few words, his voice had gained emphasis, causing the veteran to shut up reluctantly. The other veterans naturally didn't feel like saying anything more; after all, when the time was right, they would be able to enter the tunnel anyway.

So, time slowly dragged by. Gandalf exerted his utmost power but could not decipher the so-called entrance spell. Everyone else sat on the nearby rocks to conserve their strength, but the Hobbits couldn't stop moving. Except for Frodo, whose spirits seemed low, the other three were searching for something. After a few minutes, they actually managed to find a long branch, wrap some tough twine around it, and were preparing to fish with worms by the lake.

Once the bait was cast into the lake, Aragorn snapped back to awareness and quickly stopped them. "Stop playing with the water! There might be something in this water, which is likely why the vicinity is so quiet. You three need to remain quiet too."

The Hobbit speaking was Merry. He shook his head. "But we only have dry rations. Why not catch some fish to supplement our meal for everyone? And what could possibly be here? Fish-men?" As he spoke, he failed to notice a tentacle swiftly skimming across the water's surface; even those nearby only saw a blur. Merry instantly grew excited. "See! What a big fish! Nobody has been here for who knows how long; there must be many large fish in this lake! Haha, everyone wait for me to bring you extra food."

"...Perhaps we are becoming food for another creature..." Aragorn, however, drew his long-sword. Sure enough, a few seconds after he drew his blade, several thick tentacles emerged from the water, and simultaneously, a monstrously large octopus appeared before the company—an immense cephalopod nearly fifty meters long, far larger than the one in the original movie plot... It leaped out of the water...