Chapter 128: Return to Weathertop

Hearing Gandalf's words, Kael felt somewhat embarrassed. Did this count as putting the cart before the horse, picking up sesame seeds while losing watermelons? He never expected that the musical magic he'd always used to dispel negative emotions was actually a meditation method that could cultivate the soul. There was a feeling of having a treasure mountain without knowing it. Now that he knew the true value of musical magic, Kael naturally wouldn't neglect it anymore and hurriedly asked Gandalf for guidance on how to meditate through music. Gandalf didn't stint on teaching and even taught him another set of meditation methods: burning herbs like sage, cedar, sandalwood, mugwort, and others, using the herbs' fragrance to relax body and mind and enter the "state of no-thought" in meditation. In this method, the herbs' scent served as an "anchor," entering deep meditation amidst swirling smoke. This was a meditation method Gandalf had figured out himself. He often burned tobacco through pipe smoking, entering the state of no-thought during the smoking process to gain inspiration and wisdom. More importantly, this meditation method could be combined with Kael's musical meditation to achieve even better meditative effects. Very grateful for Gandalf's selfless teaching, Kael specifically spent over a week making a faster flying broomstick from mallorn wood as a gift for Gandalf. Though this gift couldn't repay even one ten-thousandth of his debt, it was currently the best thing he could think of to repay Gandalf. Gandalf was very satisfied with Kael's gift and immediately rode the flying broomstick through the skies above Lórien forest, causing the Elves in the forest below to frequently look up in wonder. One day, Kael sought out Galadriel with a specific purpose. He took out the White Tree fruit that Thranduil had given him. "Lady Galadriel, do you know of any way to make this White Tree seed break its shell and grow?" A flash of interest appeared in Galadriel's ancient eyes as she took the fruit and observed it carefully in her hands. "I didn't expect you to have a descendant of Nimloth. I thought that except for the fruit Isildur preserved, no White Trees from Númenor remained." "This was a gift from His Majesty Thranduil. He once visited Númenor and plucked this fruit," Kael explained. Galadriel understood. Then, like a gentle breeze, she gracefully stepped across the grass, her moon-white robes trailing on the ground and brushing past grass blades as she walked toward the garden. Kael hurried to follow. Galadriel came to the silver basin in the garden and soaked the fruit in the basin, submerging it in stream water. "The fruit is ancient and has long been parched. Let it soak here for three days, and after it drinks its fill of moisture, you can come take it." "Afterward, place it together with Eärendil's Light, let it absorb the radiance, then bury it in unpolluted soil. This way it will break its shell and sprout." "I understand, thank you, my lady!" Kael's eyes lit up as he happily thanked Galadriel. He hadn't expected Lady Galadriel to so quickly provide a cultivation method and that the Eärendil's Light she'd previously given him had such uses. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. Kael retrieved the White Tree fruit that had drunk its fill of water and placed it together with Eärendil's Light. He planned to plant it on Weathertop when he returned. The White Tree was a divine tree personally created by Yavanna, the plant goddess. Though the one in Kael's hands was a fourth-generation White Tree, it still possessed extraordinary magical power. According to Lady Galadriel, the White Tree had some connection with nature. Its growth and flourishing would positively impact the surrounding natural environment, promoting plant growth and animal health, making the surrounding environment prosperous. Moreover, the White Tree could weaken evil forces. Where its roots spread, shadow magic would be suppressed, even purifying land contaminated by dark magic. At the same time, juice extracted from the White Tree's leaves or fruit could heal injuries and illnesses, not only repairing physical trauma but also alleviating the pain of hearts eroded by darkness, with some purification effects on poisoning and curses. This was also why White Trees were targeted by dark creatures. The Dark Lord Sauron had schemed in every way to bewitch the Númenóreans into felling Nimloth the White Tree, then later breached Minas Ithil and burned Gondor's first White Tree. After staying in Lórien for nearly two months, Kael and his group began their return journey. At parting, Galadriel gave Legolas a longbow made from mallorn heartwood, with a bowstring woven with her hair, possessing perfect accuracy. She gave Bilbo a gray wooden box containing soil from Galadriel's garden that could make Bilbo's garden flourish. This was a gift Bilbo had requested himself. Galadriel also gave him a forehead kiss. This kiss contained blessing power, purifying and dispelling the Ring's erosive influence on Bilbo. When it was finally Kael's turn, he asked Galadriel for a mallorn tree seed. He planned to plant the mallorn seed together with the White Tree fruit, creating a "compact version" of the Two Trees to add unique scenery to Weathertop. Lady Galadriel found Kael's idea interesting and agreed to his request. She also gave him a jar of stream water from the silver basin to help the mallorn tree grow. For this departure, Kael and his group didn't ride the dragon again but traveled directly through the fireplace to Rivendell. As for Smaug, now that he could fly again, Kael had him cross the Misty Mountains on his own to catch up. Except for Galadriel and Celeborn, who remained in Lórien, everyone else came to Rivendell through Floo Powder one after another, including Arwen. Now that Lórien and Rivendell's fireplaces were connected without distance limitations, Arwen could freely travel between both places, living with her father and brothers in Rivendell while also staying with her grandparents in Lórien. Transporting so many people at once left Kael's Floo Powder reserves critically low. Kael prepared to begin making a batch of Floo Powder. The main material for making Floo Powder was moonstone, which was favored by Elves because it emanated a hazy moonlight glow. Knowing Kael needed moonstone, Elrond sent large quantities of moonstone. Looking at those perfectly formed moonstones, Kael could only repeatedly refuse such extravagant behavior. Just making Floo Powder using such high-quality moonstone, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Seeing this, Elrond instead sent a batch of ordinary moonstone raw materials, saying he had as much as needed. So Kael began making Floo Powder in Rivendell. He also entrusted the eaglet Thorondor to Elrond for treatment. During this period, Arwen and Aragorn finally met. In the original trajectory, their first meeting was after Aragorn came of age. But this time, Arwen met an eleven-year-old little brat. So there was no love at first sight. As the foster son of her father, Elrond, Arwen simply treated him as a younger brother to care for. On Kael's side, moonstone materials for making Floo Powder were abundant. For the remaining spider silk and snake fangs, Kael used giant spider silk, which actually worked better than ordinary spider silk. As for snake fangs, having no source, Kael simply went to find them himself. He flew directly to the Trollshaws outside Rivendell, used Parseltongue to summon a batch of venomous snakes, and then obtained a full bag of snake fangs. Only the snakes were left wanting to cry. Without exception, they had all lost one fang. They were embarrassed to open their mouths in front of prey now, fearing ridicule. After staying in Rivendell for half a month, Kael finally produced a full barrel of Floo Powder, enough to last a long time. To thank Elrond for his help, Kael specially gave him a large bottle of Floo Powder. The eaglet Thorondor entrusted to Elrond for treatment had his congenital deficiency completely cured. He just needed good care going forward, and in the future could soar through the skies like other Great Eagles. Smaug had long been outside Rivendell, wreaking havoc on the trolls in the Trollshaws. After formally bidding farewell to Elrond, Kael, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Legolas traveled through the fireplace directly to Weathertop. As for Smaug, he continued his arduous flight to Weathertop. As green firelight flickered in the fireplace of Amon Sûl's tower, this tower that had been uninhabited for so long finally had visitors again. "Ptui! Ptui! Ptui!" Upon emerging, everyone was covered in ash and dust from the fireplace. "Scourgify." Kael quickly cast on himself and his companions. After cleaning up, Kael looked at the empty tower and sighed. "Finally back!" Then he waved his wand and began cleaning the surrounding dust. Legolas looked up at the tower with wonder. "This is Amon Sûl tower? Legend says it was destroyed by the Witch-king of Angmar's army a thousand years ago. How did you manage this, Kael?" Gandalf skillfully sat on the sofa and told Legolas with a chuckle, "This is the marvel of Kael's magic. You didn't see how he restored Amon Sûl tower to its original state in just a few breaths. That scene was absolutely stunning!" Arriving here, Bilbo completely relaxed and couldn't wait to leave the tower to admire the scenery outside. "Cyclone Sweep!" After cleaning the first floor, Kael looked at the dozens of floors above and directly cast a spell. Instantly, a small tornado formed inside the tower, starting from the first-floor stairs and automatically sweeping toward the second floor, then progressively advancing upward, rolling away dust from every level. It continued all the way to the highest watchtower. The tornado, carrying thick dust, burst out of the tower and scattered in the distance. Watching this scene, Legolas was amazed, then became extremely excited. "Kael, this magic of yours is incredible!" Seeing Legolas's eager expression, Kael smiled. "Want to learn? I'll teach you." "But the tower's hygiene will be your responsibility from now on." Legolas nodded without hesitation. "No problem!" Just cleaning; learning Kael's magic was worth it. Just then, Bilbo hurried in from outside, looking somewhat excited. "Kael, come outside and look!" "What's wrong, Bilbo?" Kael asked curiously. Gandalf and Legolas were also curious. Bilbo said excitedly, "I saw a village at the foot of the mountain, right next to the Midgewater Marshes!"