Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
*****
"Lucien, my daughter, please remember to take extra care of yourself out there. If you ever find yourself in danger, return to Doriath immediately."
At the borders of Doriath, Thingol and his wife Melian were reluctantly giving their daughter Lucien some final words of advice.
It had been seven days since George arrived in the Grey Elves' kingdom. After a series of rigorous selections, the team heading to Dorthonion had finally been assembled and was ready to depart.
"Don't worry. Your daughter may not enjoy fighting, but her strength is far from lacking.
I promise you both—I'll come back every three to five years."
Lucien hugged Thingol and Melian tightly, then mounted her deer and gave a signal to Galadriel beside her.
In the eyes of the elves, three to five years is much like three to five days for humans.
Wearing elven armor, Galadriel drew the longsword from her waist and gave a spirited command to the elite force of over two hundred Grey Elves:
"Move out! To the Elven City of Dorthonion!"
And so, the caravan mounted on great-horned deer began heading in the direction of what was once known as the Valley of Death.
Elves usually rode great-horned deer, while horses were less commonly used. Humans relied mainly on horses, but dwarves, due to their shorter stature, seldom rode them—instead, they mostly chose pigs or mountain goats.
As for orcs, they rarely used mounts at all. Only a few elite orcs had direwolves as their steeds.
Direwolves, descendants of demon wolves and hyenas, were about the size of horses—sometimes even larger—and were ferocious in temperament, with formidable combat strength.
"I actually have a spell that could get us to Dorthonion quickly, without the need for days of travel," George said, burying one of his enchanted gate keys beneath an ancient tree just outside the Ring of Protection. Seeing that Lucien's group was ready to depart, he mounted his steed and caught up.
The Ring served as a barrier to space itself—neither his Apparition nor the gate key could function within it.
But once outside the Ring, there was no such restriction.
So, if Lucien and the others agreed, George could easily place the entire Grey Elf entourage and their luggage into a spatial box and instantly teleport them to Dorthonion's Elven City.
"I think they'd rather make this journey themselves. Like me, it's their first time leaving Doriath and seeing the world beyond," Lucien said with a smile, pointing at the Grey Elves in the convoy who were gazing at the forest scenery with wide-eyed curiosity.
Though the Grey Elf Kingdom had enjoyed peace and stability under Melian's protective Ring, it had also confined them all.
Most Grey Elves, like Lucien, had never stepped outside the borders of their homeland. They'd spent their lives in the ancient forests, seeing nothing but trees and sky.
So, the moment they stepped beyond the Ring, they were filled with excitement, their hearts brimming with curiosity about the world beyond the woods.
"Well, that works too. At our current pace, we should arrive in no more than five days," George said, nodding without pressing further.
For him, it didn't make much difference—whether in Dorthonion or on the road, he could continue his magical discussions with Lucien and Galadriel. Traveling wouldn't disrupt his magical studies.
"It's a pity you cleansed the Valley of Death. The journey would've been much more fun otherwise," Galadriel said wistfully as she looked at the revitalized valley ahead.
Had the valley remained the dark, dangerous place it once was, it would've been filled with dark creatures, giving her a chance to stretch her muscles during the trip.
"I think this is better. We can travel in peace and enjoy so many different sights without worrying about danger!"
Lucien, riding her great-horned deer, reached up to gently brush against a branch swaying in the breeze. The moment her hand touched it, the branch turned green, sprouted buds, and bloomed with beautiful flowers.
"George, is that the legendary Gorgoroth Mountains?"
Two days later, when the Grey Elf convoy reached the heart of the once-dreaded valley, Lucien excitedly tugged on George's sleeve and pointed toward a faint silhouette of mountains in the distance.
It was her first time seeing such towering peaks in person.
"Yes. Once we cross that mountain range, we'll be in Dorthonion," George replied with a smile and a nod.
Lucien looked slightly surprised.
"Cross it? Aren't we supposed to go around it?"
She had heard from Galadriel that the Gorgoroth Mountains, also known as the Terrifying Mountains, were home to countless giant, venomous spiders. The entire range was said to be covered in the webs these creatures spun.
Even Morgoth's orc armies had once chosen to detour around the mountains, and the elves had always done the same.
"Going around would waste too much time. Besides, I need to ensure a clear path between Dorthonion and Doriath for future communication and travel."
George's meaning was simple—he planned to take this opportunity to eliminate all the giant spiders infesting the Terrifying Mountains.
These monstrous spiders were descendants of Ungoliant, a sinister godlike entity in spider form. She once cloaked Morgoth in webs to shield him from the eyes of the Valar, allowing him to sneak under the Two Trees of Valinor.
After Morgoth grievously wounded the Two Trees, Ungoliant drained them of their sap and drank from Varda's wells, greatly increasing her power.
She even trapped Morgoth in her webs when he fled back to Middle-earth, trying to kill him and consume the three Silmarils. Morgoth only escaped when his army of Balrogs arrived and drove her away.
So, these spiders were incredibly powerful—far beyond what ordinary elves could handle.
But to George, they posed no real threat.
Just like their ancestor, these spiders feared fire. And George excelled in fire-based magic—especially large-scale fire spells.
"Well, looks like this trip won't be so boring after all!"
Galadriel raised both hands in agreement the moment she heard George's plan.
But just as they chatted and moved forward, George suddenly furrowed his brow.
"Alert everyone—stop moving. We have incoming enemies."
He had sensed a familiar, dark energy speeding toward them.
Galadriel and Lucien seemed to notice it too and shouted in unison:
"Stop advancing! Defensive formation!"
The Grey Elves, who moments earlier had been acting like they were on a leisure outing, froze at the command. Then, realizing the urgency, they quickly fell into a defensive stance.
However, having gone so long without war, their formation was sloppy and full of holes—even George, who wasn't trained in formations, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
At that moment, a red cloud flew in from the distance and descended sharply in front of the convoy.
It was none other than Sauron, who had been tasked by Morgoth to lead his vampire guard. They had secretly flown over the Terrifying Mountains and spent days searching the Valley of Death for clues—without success.
(End of Chapter)