This Moria passage was, in fact, the fruit of that delving passion; its length spanned the entire span of the Caradhras mountains. Gandalf reckoned they would need to walk within it for five days and five nights to cross from one end to the other—a length so exaggerated it seemed fantastical not just in this world, but in our own reality as well: a mountain passage requiring five days and nights of relentless travel, dug out entirely by hand, piece by painstaking piece... "You will soon witness the Dwarves' true hospitality, hah!" Gloin strode at the head of the company, remarking as he walked, "Blazing fires, cool ale, great slabs of roasted meat—ha! This is my cousin Balin's hall; how could this possibly be just a tunnel?" At this moment, Gandalf raised his staff, and without explaining what he did, a soft, white radiance bloomed from it, illuminating the entire entrance to the passage.

………"This is truly no passage; this is a tomb!" Boromir muttered heavily, surveying the surroundings.

At the mouth of this dark passage,

the ground was littered with the remains that had long since become brittle bones. The majority were those of Dwarves, but a scattering of the other skeletons appeared strangely contorted, suggesting they belonged to some manner of humanoid creature.

Describing this place as a tomb felt undeniably more appropriate.

"No, no… no!" Gloin instantly cried out in horror, shrieking loudly as he lunged toward the pile of remains.

The Elven Prince, Legolas, who remained the calmest among them, pulled an arrow from one of the skeletons. After a brief inspection, he shouted, "Orcs!" With that, he tossed the arrow aside and immediately leveled his bow into the darkness ahead.

The others drew their weapons in turn. Boromir roared while brandishing his sword, "So, we should never have come here! We should have gone to the Gap of Rohan. Only there can we safely pass these Misty Mountains!"

Gunnar and Zheng Zha exchanged a look, both inwardly dreading the situation. In the original narrative thread, the great doors of this cavern had been smashed open by the monstrous octopus, forcing them deeper into the passage. But now, the doors stood intact, and the beast was slain; they could retreat whenever they wished. Had their entire plan been for naught?

Gunnar quickly interjected, "But the Gap of Rohan is truly too dangerous! In this passage, at least, we won't face armies attacking us in large formations in the open fields, right? If Saruman spots us passing through there—no, we will be spotted—wouldn't we be even more unable to escape? Besides, if this tunnel really is as vast as they say, as long as we pass through quietly, we might not be discovered by Orcs."

Gandalf frowned, about to speak, when Zheng Zha jerked his reins and spurred his steed forward. His skeletal warhorse was incredibly fast and navigated the confined tunnel unimpeded, vanishing rapidly into the gloom.

Seconds later, the blood-red flame reappeared as Zheng Zha burst back into view, shouting, "There's nothing inside! I didn't see a single Orc!" This news caused Gandalf and the others to hesitate. At that moment, Neos suddenly spoke up: "How about this: let the Ringbearer decide whether we proceed quietly through this passage or bypass it altogether and pass under the very eye of Saruman. Frodo, the choice is yours."

There was an obvious trap embedded in this suggestion. Firstly, Neos characterized the tunnel as "quiet," which, despite the current silence, concealed hidden dangers. Secondly, he contrasted this with the Gap of Rohan, describing it as "under Saruman's eye." While the Gap was indeed close to Isengard, it wasn't quite so perilously near as to be under his immediate gaze. However, given the current tense atmosphere, Gandalf and the others failed to detect the subtlety of Neos's wording.

Frodo looked at the faces around him, then down at the scattered bones beneath his feet. After a long pause, he finally said, "We… we will pass through this passage. Everyone, be quiet, and there shouldn't be any danger. As for Saruman’s magic, it’s impossible to hide from it anyway… let’s just go through this tunnel."

And so, the team's direction was decided: proceed deeper into the mine until they emerged on the other side. Gunnar and Zheng Zha were internally perplexed as to why Neos had offered them this unsolicited assistance. Neos, wasting no time, walked up to them and murmured quietly, "I am generally aware of the agreement you two have struck. I won't waste time on pleasantries. If you see it, you share it. The exchange value of Mithril and other precious metals in the 'Main God' system is simply too high. Therefore, our South Flame Continent team requires a share as well. Of course, we won't ask for too much—just one-quarter. The remaining three-quarters can be split evenly among yourselves, with the one who contributed the most in securing the metals receiving the largest portion. What do you say?" Zheng Zha and Gunnar exchanged another look. Zheng Zha finally stated, "If your team is joining this agreement, then you must contribute your martial strength. When danger arises, we must all fight with everything we have and must protect each other's team members. If that is the case… the South Flame Continent team can indeed take a share."

Neos smiled broadly. "That is only natural. Rest assured, when the time for battle comes, our team members will not retreat. If necessary, I will participate in the fight myself. That is the way of it..."

Setting aside the private pact forged between the three leaders, Gandalf and his company slowly proceeded into the passage, followed closely by the dozen or so veterans from the three teams.

Though called a 'passage,' Moria was actually immense. From Gloin, the group learned that this vast cavern was originally a natural mountain hollow. Upon discovering it, the Dwarves had tunnelled straight through the entire mountain range, establishing subterranean towns where they could dwell on the flat ground within. The Mithril and Aeluros metals mined here filled the Dwarves with ecstasy; they used these two materials to trade for vast quantities of crucial resources with Wizards, Elves, and Men.

"There is no need to elaborate on the value of Mithril; it is the finest known magical conduit among metals—light, incredibly durable, and precious, with a unit value a hundred times, perhaps even higher, than gold. This is Moria’s most famous yield."

Gandalf walked along the path carved into the sheer cliff face of the passage, directing his staff’s light onto the rock. Indeed, the walls reflected a silver sheen—the unrefined ore of Mithril, its metallic luster faintly visible.

"Besides Mithril, the output of Aeluros metal is far scarcer—perhaps one vein of Aeluros for every thousand parts of Mithril ore. It is an ultra-rare mineral; the entire continent’s production is barely enough to forge a single plate every hundred years. This metal is the premier medium for enshrining spiritual power. That description might be difficult to grasp, so let me use an analogy: Wizard Towers often require spells to activate them, just as the great gate we entered this passage through did. To recognize these specific spells, a small amount of Aeluros must be incorporated, allowing the structure to read an embedded spiritual imprint. Furthermore, adding even a tiny sliver of this metal to a weapon can grant it a small degree of unconscious will—much like the One Ring. Only the first person to shed blood upon it can utilize it; subsequent users cannot access the majority of its profound mysteries. That is the inherent nature of this metal."

Gandalf spoke continuously as they walked, partly to educate, and partly to flaunt his erudition.

Zheng Zha’s heart gave a jolt. This property of 'claiming ownership' seemed strikingly similar to the two weapons he had obtained in the Star River. When weapons used by the original owner were given to Zhao Yingkong or Zhang Heng, they could never fully unleash their maximum power. This sounded related to the metal’s characteristic. Was there a way to dissolve this ownership trait? Zheng Zha immediately asked, "Is there a way to undo this characteristic? I mean, to sever the bond of ownership from an item so it can be claimed anew."

Gandalf glanced at Zheng Zha. "There are methods, yes, but it depends on the relative strength of the spiritual imprints. Take the Dark Lord’s One Ring, for example; it is merely an artifact of infinite power. If a method existed to scrub away the spirit Sauron imprinted upon it, the One Ring would cease to be evil, and the Elves would not have needed to abandon Middle-earth due to the fading power of their Three Rings. Everything would have been perfect. But alas, the Dark Lord's spiritual residue is too potent; not even a deity can erase the evil, brutality, and slaughter he infused into that Ring. Thus, we must destroy it rather than erase its essence." He paused. "Is that what you were thinking of?"

Zheng Zha felt a pang of shame and quickly clarified, "Not entirely. I have a few weapons found in ruins that have also been claimed by ownership, still retaining residual spiritual energy. My companions cannot fully utilize them. If possible, I would hope you could help me sever the ownership bond on these two weapons so they may be claimed again. What do you think?"

Gandalf nodded slowly. "Very well. Once we pass through this mine, I will assist you in removing that ownership claim. Naturally, the opponent's spiritual imprint cannot be too strong, or it will require significant Energy Stones and rare minerals as auxiliary components. If even that fails, then I can only offer my apologies."

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