Chapter 122: The Ring Revealed

Gandalf, Galadriel, and Celeborn engaged in deep discussion about the prophecy's content, as well as possible locations where the One Ring might be hidden throughout Middle-earth. But just then, a hesitant hand slowly rose in the air. "Um, I know where the Ring is!" The three powerful beings immediately focused all their attention on Bilbo, their faces filled with complete surprise. "Bilbo, you said you know about the Ring's location?" Gandalf looked at the hobbit with shocked suspicion. Bilbo felt deeply uncomfortable under the intense, searching gazes of the three until he felt Kael's reassuring hand on his shoulder and finally mustered the courage to step forward. "Actually, the ring you're all discussing is right here with me." He pulled the Ring from his pocket and placed it in his open palm for everyone to see. Everyone's gaze focused intently on the golden ring resting in his small hand. Gandalf stared at the ring with burning intensity, his expression deeply uncertain. He desperately wanted to confirm whether this simple-looking ring was indeed the legendary One Ring. Celeborn observed the ring with even greater wariness, as though seeing something genuinely dangerous and threatening. Galadriel stepped forward gracefully, approached Bilbo, and extended her finger toward the ring. "Lady Galadriel!" Gandalf tried to stop her with obvious concern for her safety. Celeborn, as her devoted husband, didn't intervene directly but showed equal worry etched on his features. Galadriel's finger ultimately didn't make contact with the ring. Just a few centimeters away, she pulled back her hand as though burned by invisible flames. "Though I cannot be certain whether this ring is the One Ring, I sense an overwhelming evil power emanating from it. So dark, so terrible, it could easily bewitch minds!" Galadriel spoke with grave seriousness and obvious alarm. "The One Ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom's fires. To determine if it's truly the Ring, we need only subject it to flame to reveal its nature." Gandalf stated the ancient method of identification. Kael patted Bilbo's shoulder gently. "Bilbo, place the ring on the table." Bilbo's arm was growing sore from holding it extended, so he quickly complied, placing the ring on a nearby stone table. Kael directly cast a Fire Charm, setting the ring ablaze with magical flames. Under the fire's intense scorching, mysterious text gradually appeared along the ring's inner surface. Seeing this revealing development, Gandalf quickly leaned forward, tilting his head to read the ancient content. "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them..." "One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them," Galadriel calmly recited the second half with perfect knowledge. "Now it's confirmed beyond doubt. The One Ring has returned to the world." Celeborn frowned deeply, looking at the Ring with obvious apprehension and worry. "With the Ring's return, Middle-earth will no longer know true peace!" After confirming it was indeed the Ring, Gandalf asked Bilbo with tremendous confusion. "Bilbo, where exactly did you acquire this Ring?" Bilbo didn't attempt to hide anything from his friends. "When I fell into Goblin-town, I dropped to the bottom of a deep abyss and discovered it there. It should have originally belonged to that wretched Gollum creature." Gandalf experienced a moment of sudden realization. "No wonder I couldn't locate you when I used the palantír to search! You had already obtained the Ring by then?" Bilbo nodded with confirmation. Gandalf nervously examined Bilbo with growing concern. "You've possessed the Ring for so long. Have you experienced any discomfort or strange effects?" He carefully checked the hobbit over, not entirely reassured by appearances. Bilbo shook his head with apparent honesty. "I'm perfectly fine. Kael warned me to use it with extreme caution, so except in genuinely dangerous situations, I rarely use its power." Hearing this revelation, Gandalf's gaze turned sharply toward Kael. "Kael, you knew the Ring was with Bilbo all along?" Kael hadn't expected Bilbo to expose him so quickly and nodded with resignation. "When we left Goblin-town, Bilbo confided in me about it." Gandalf looked at Kael with clear disapproval and obvious disappointment. "The Ring is extremely dangerous to everyone who encounters it. Even the strongest people can easily be corrupted by its influence. You should have informed me immediately." Bilbo quickly stepped forward to explain and defend his friend. "This is entirely my fault! I specifically asked Kael not to tell anyone! He already warned me about the dangers, and just now it was also he who convinced me to reveal the Ring!" "Enough, Mithrandir. What's done cannot be changed. We should focus on urgent matters now," Galadriel gently mediated with her calming presence. Hearing this wise counsel, Gandalf ceased his scolding. Kael and Bilbo breathed obvious sighs of relief and gave Galadriel genuinely grateful looks. An angry Gandalf could be quite intimidating. They had to thank Lady Galadriel for resolving the tense situation. Then everyone's attention focused on the Ring once again with renewed intensity. Regarding the Ring's presence, Gandalf, Galadriel, and Celeborn all treated it as a great enemy, not daring to touch it directly with their bare hands, fearing they would be instantly bewitched by the Ring's corrupting power. But seeing Bilbo casually holding the Ring in his hand without any apparent negative effects, The three could only marvel at the Creator's wisdom. That there would exist such a remarkable race as hobbits with such naturally high magical resistance to the Ring's influence. Everyone engaged in serious discussion about the possibility of destroying the One Ring permanently. Legolas struck the Ring forcefully with his keen Elven sword, only to have his hand hurt severely from the violent recoil. Yet the Ring showed absolutely no trace of damage whatsoever. "I remember four of the seven dwarf rings were destroyed by dragon fire. Perhaps we could ask Kael's dragon to assist us?" Celeborn suggested hopefully. Gandalf shook his head with certainty. "The One Ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom's supernatural fires. Dragon fire can destroy the seven dwarf rings, but it cannot harm the One Ring." But then he looked directly at Kael with growing interest. "Kael, I remember you cast that terrifying supernatural flame on the battlefield that instantly melted even the hardest steel. Try now and see if you can damage the Ring?" Kael felt genuinely curious whether Fiendfyre could destroy the One Ring. After all, in the magical world, the Fiendfyre curse could completely destroy Horcruxes. The One Ring was honestly like an incredibly advanced version of a Horcrux. As long as magical Horcruxes weren't destroyed, dark wizards wouldn't truly die. Similarly, unless the One Ring was destroyed, Sauron's malevolent spirit would continue existing. However, observing the surrounding tree-house environment, he felt it wasn't entirely safe for such magic. "The Fiendfyre curse is extremely dangerous and difficult to control safely. To cast it properly, we need an open location away from anything flammable." This requirement wasn't difficult to meet. Soon everyone moved to a spacious clearing. Then, under everyone's intense observation, Kael released Fiendfyre directly at the Ring resting on the ground. Ghostly blue Fiendfyre spurted from his wand, completely covering the Ring in supernatural flames. The Fiendfyre was violently aggressive, trying to spread to other areas to strengthen itself, even attempting to burn back toward the wand. Kael pulled with tremendous effort, controlling the Fiendfyre to maintain a small flame's contained size. Though small, the Fiendfyre was filled with an overwhelming aura of destroying all things, making the surrounding observers unconsciously grow grave and apprehensive. They also began to feel hopeful anticipation about the Fiendfyre's potential. Such terrifying magical fire should be able to affect the One Ring, shouldn't it? As time passed slowly, the scorching Fiendfyre had burned a large pit in the hard ground, yet the One Ring remained apparently unchanged. No, there were still some subtle changes occurring. The Ring had become completely red, as though heated to a red-hot temperature. This promising scene made everyone's eyes brighten with hope. You must understand that when they burned the Ring with regular fire before, the Ring only revealed the inscriptions on it, but the ring itself remained completely cool. Now there was a distinctly different change happening. Seeing this encouraging development, Kael felt energized and immediately continued increasing the firepower, constantly burning the Ring with intensified Fiendfyre. Thus, time flew by steadily. One hour, two hours... Gandalf and the Elves displayed remarkable patience, quietly observing the Ring's gradual changes, as though they couldn't feel any fatigue. Kael was also sustained by Gandalf's Ring of Fire's protective power, feeling no exhaustion whatsoever. After a full day and night passed this way, Kael finally terminated the Fiendfyre. He used his wand to lift the ring and examine it carefully. Looking at the still-smooth Ring, he couldn't help but frown with disappointment. "Did it not work at all?" "No, it worked. The flames burned away part of the ring's inherent power. It's noticeably dimmer now." Galadriel approached and observed, looking at the Ring with her supernatural perception. Hearing this, everyone quickly observed more carefully and finally noticed the Ring's luster had indeed become somewhat dimmer. Without extremely careful observation, this change would be completely unnoticeable. Everyone immediately gained more confidence in the possibility of destroying the Ring. "How long would we need to burn it to completely destroy the Ring?" Kael asked with growing concern. "With the current flame power, it should take approximately a thousand years to completely destroy it," Galadriel said after slowly approaching the Ring and sensing for several moments. "However, as your magical power increases, Kael, this time will shorten considerably." "A thousand years isn't really that long. We can wait patiently," Celeborn nodded with ancient perspective. Legolas and Arwen both looked agreeable to this timeline. Only Kael and Bilbo were completely stunned by this prospect. "But I can't possibly wait that long!" Kael complained desperately in his heart. He didn't even know if he could live a thousand years, let alone that these thousand years would require using Fiendfyre to burn the Ring continuously without any rest. He would either die of complete exhaustion or be utterly drained! Gandalf, leaning thoughtfully on his staff, shook his head with concern. "A thousand years is far too long. Too many variables could occur during such a timespan. That's sufficient time for Sauron to regather his forces, and once Sauron discovers the Ring's whereabouts, he'll probably attempt to seize it at any cost." "We must find a way to destroy the Ring quickly. That way Sauron will lose his power permanently and be unable to threaten Middle-earth again." "But how can we destroy the Ring? The Ring appears truly indestructible. Even scorching dragon fire cannot harm it. What method could possibly destroy it?" Celeborn maintained a careful distance from the Ring, looking at it with obvious wariness and deep worry. Galadriel looked toward the far east, her voice ethereal and carrying a sense of inevitable fate. "The Ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom's fires. Born in the volcano, it must also be destroyed in the volcano. Only Mount Doom's supernatural power can destroy the Ring." Hearing this, Gandalf frowned deeply and shook his head with concern. "Ever since the battle at Dol Guldur forced Sauron's exile, he fled to his stronghold in Mordor in the far east. That's his primary lair. Not only does it contain vast numbers of Orcs and trolls, but also bewitched Easterlings, Haradrim, and even corrupted Black Númenóreans." "Besides that, the sky has giant bats and fell beasts constantly on patrol. Mordor is now a heavily defended fortress of evil. Not even a mosquito could fly in undetected." "Sauron even possesses a palantír that can monitor the entire Mordor region at any time." "If we brought the Ring to Mordor, we would probably be discovered by Sauron before reaching Mount Doom. Instead of destroying the Ring, we would be delivering it directly to Sauron." "Unless we could somehow lure Sauron away or divert his attention so he has no time to watch Mordor," Celeborn suggested thoughtfully. But the problem was that Sauron had just been severely wounded and remained in a weakened state, so he had gathered almost all dark forces in the Mordor region, making it as secure as an iron fortress. Before recovering significant strength, Sauron would remain extremely vigilant, staying safely holed up in his lair while healing, absolutely unwilling to emerge easily.