Chapter 48: The Dúnedain

Kael looked him up and down, thoughtfully. "You are a Dúnedain?" Surprise flashed in Alpha's eyes, and he nodded slightly. "I didn't expect anyone to still know about us." "I also heard it from others, that there's a Ranger team in the Eriador wilderness that secretly maintains the peace of the region." Kael naturally knew about the Dúnedain; they were descendants of the ancient Númenóreans, possessing strength and longevity far beyond ordinary Men. However, this Dúnedain Ranger was seeking him out. Could it be because he had raided his ancestors' tombs, and now he was here to cause trouble? He remembered that these Northern Dúnedain were the survivors of the former Kingdom of Arnor, and the Barrow-downs were where their ancestors were buried. "What do you want with me?" Kael didn't believe this Dúnedain was simply paying him a visit. Alpha didn't beat around the bush. "I heard that you, Wizard Kael, have some ancient swords obtained from the Barrow-wights. Could you show them to me?" As long as it wasn't about tomb raiding, Kael readily agreed. After dealing with the Barrow-wights, besides gold, silver, and jewels, Kael had acquired the most Barrow-blades. Taking one of the Barrow-blades, Alpha carefully examined the long sword before reluctantly returning it to Kael. "This sword was forged using the lost Númenórean forging technique. Even after thousands of years, its sharpness has not diminished in the slightest. Moreover, there's an Arnor noble's emblem on the sword. I think it should be the personal sword of a former noble of the Arnor Kingdom." Alpha then made a request. "The Númenórean forging technique has been lost. We have been trying to trace back this skill. Wizard Kael, would you be willing to trade some ancient swords with us? You can make demands, and we will try our best to fulfill them!" Kael had been troubled these past few days about how to deal with these Barrow-blades. Now, Alpha's request was exactly what he wanted. He thought for a moment, then immediately nodded and said, "I have dozens of ancient swords, and I can give them all to you." Alpha was overjoyed at the news. He had originally been content with trading for just a few ancient swords from Kael, but he didn't expect Kael to be willing to give them all, which made him ecstatic. He quickly said, "Wizard Kael, whatever requests you have, as long as we can do it, we will fulfill them!" "You Dúnedain travel everywhere, so you must be well-informed. I'd like to ask you to help me collect various herbs from Middle-earth, especially those containing magic. It would be best if they were alive." Hearing Kael's request, Alpha was a bit surprised and hesitated, saying: "Wizard Kael, don't worry, we will do our best to help you collect herbs, but these things might take time..." Kael waved his hand. "It's fine, I'm not in a hurry. Just help me collect as many herbs as possible." Alpha breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and immediately agreed. Thus, a trade was concluded in the inn. Both parties were delighted. Alpha obtained enough Barrow-blades, gaining the opportunity to trace the lost Númenórean forging technique from the ancient swords and potentially restore the former glory of the Dúnedain. And Kael, on the other hand, could leverage the power of the Dúnedain to obtain more Middle-earth herbs. Herbs were the basis for making Potions, but many magical herbs from the Harry Potter world did not exist in Middle-earth. Kael planned to first collect Middle-earth herbs, and then, once his knowledge of Potions and herbology was sufficient, he would find substitute herbs to replicate all sorts of miraculous Potions one by one. After completing the trade, Alpha left the town overnight with the dozens of newly acquired Barrow-blades. Kael and the others stayed at The Prancing Pony Inn for a night, then resumed their journey early the next morning. But what left Kael speechless was that in the supplies replenished by the Dwarves, almost half of it was taken up by alcohol. It was another moonlit night. Everyone camped in the wilderness, and Kael once again used Transfiguration to conjure tents and sleeping bags. When most people had fallen asleep, Kael went outside the tent and poured out a bag of full Moonstone, arranging them under the moonlight. Then he drew his wand and, as if counting, tapped each Moonstone with his wand. As the wand continuously tapped, magic was constantly injected into the Moonstone. Moonstone is a good medium for magic storage. After being infused with magic, the Moonstone emitted a faint blue glow and slowly began to absorb the moonlight. In the following days, Kael would take out the Moonstone every night and place them under the moon to sunbathe. This process would need to continue until the next full moon night before it could stop. The companions naturally noticed Kael's behavior, but since Kael didn't explain, they found it awkward to ask proactively. The group traveled without incident and soon arrived at Weathertop. Weathertop is the highest and southernmost hill in the Weather Hills, adjacent to the Great East Road. In Sindarin, it is called Amon Sûl, meaning "Hill of Wind." Weathertop was once an important frontline fortress of the Northern Kingdom of Arnor. The Númenóreans built a huge watchtower on Weathertop to house the largest and most powerful Palantír—the Amon Sûl Palantír—to monitor the entire Eriador region and communicate with other Palantíri. However, as the Arnor Kingdom divided and declined, in the year 1409 of the Third Age, the Witch-king of Angmar led an army to besiege Weathertop. The Tower of Amon Sûl was destroyed and razed to the ground, and the Palantír stored within it was unfortunately lost during the transfer amidst the war and sank to the bottom of the sea. For over a thousand years thereafter, the Tower of Amon Sûl was never rebuilt, leaving only a circular stone wall, recounting its former glory. Kael wanted to go to Weathertop to try to sign in, so he suggested staying there for a night. Everyone had no objection to Kael's suggestion. Arriving at the ruins of the Amon Sûl Tower, Gandalf looked at the crumbling walls before him, his eyes filled with memories, and sighed, "The majestic presence of the Amon Sûl Tower is still vivid in my mind, but time flies, and now the former scene can no longer be seen!" Hearing Gandalf's reminiscence, Bilbo curiously asked, "Gandalf, have you seen the Tower of Amon Sûl?" Gandalf nodded and recalled, "The Tower of Amon Sûl was incredibly majestic and tall, reaching 1000 feet, soaring into the clouds. It was the tallest tower in the entire Eriador region, and the Palantír placed within it, even at the edge of the wilderness a thousand miles away, its light could be seen." 1000 feet? Kael was astonished; that was equivalent to over 300 meters in height, which meant it was as tall as a hundred-story building in his previous life! The Dwarves were also very surprised; a building of such height was a massive undertaking even for them, who were skilled in construction. However, Kael quickly lost the inclination to sigh, because the system finally responded. [Hogwarts Sign-in System] [Location Detected: Weathertop] [Would you like to sign in?] "Sign in," Kael murmured in his mind. (End of Chapter) *** [Check Out My Patreon For More Chapters On All Of My Fanfics!!] [www. [email protected]/meowthtl] [+300 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]