Chapter 1904: The Hundred Years' War of the Evil Dragon (12)

—Third Age, 3018, September 24 —
Hobbiton, outskirts of woods.
"It's unbelievable," Sam looked at the woods ahead and the road that stretched between them. "One of them can fly, the other ride horses, but we have to hike."
"Come on, Sam," Frodo walked ahead with a cane. "I think it's incredible that the broken ring I use to cushion the flowerpot can destroy the world."
"It won't work to destroy the world, so we won't have a place to farm," Sam opened his hands and exclaimed, "In this situation, I suddenly wanted to write a poem."
"Please?" Frodo looked at him.
"Home is behind me, and the world is here." Sam read.
"..." Frodo raised his eyebrows: "It was unexpectedly good?"
"Oh, Lord Baggins, although I am a gardener now, I will not always be a gardener," Sam grinned triumphantly. "I think I can be a poet."
"Good idea, maybe you can propose to Ruth in this capacity?"
"Oh, no, forget that, I—"
"Frodo!" "Sam!"
When the two were about to talk a few more words about this, shouts came from behind them.
When Frodo and Sam turned their heads, they saw two hobbits who had been caught by Gandalf to clean up the bowls, chasing them all the way.
"...Merry? Pippin?" Frodo asked, "Why are you here?"
"Why? Should we ask you this?" Meili leaned on his knees and panted: "What does that letter mean?"
"It says,'I'm out of the country, take care of Baggins' business, and I will give you all the income during this period.'" Pippin was a little better, repeated the content of the letter, and said angrily: "You think this is the case. Can you send us?"
"Got more money!" "Bring us together!" Meili and Pippin said in a different voice.
"Yes! We have to go together too!" "We have to pay a salary!" The two looked at each other and said again.
"..." Frodo folded his arms and waited for them to agree.
"In short, we confirm that you are about to embark on a wonderful adventure no less than Bilbo. If we can't participate, we will regret it for life." In the end, Meili grabbed the right to speak and gave a relatively reasonable explanation.
"You..." Frodo touched his chin, "I saw the dragon flying away when I came to steal Gandalf's fireworks last night?"
"We didn't—" "How do you know!"
"Frodo," Sam touched him: "I think I have become smarter."
"In any case, we can only take them together," Frodo shook his head. "Although they are only distant relatives and do not have the surname Baggins, I am not sure whether those'black knights' will treat the people who take care of the Baggins industry as well. Be a member of Baggins."
"Black Knight?" "Cool." There was no fear on the faces of the two hobbits.
—September 28—
Bucks Ferry.
"Frodo! Run!" "Here here!" "Quick!"
Da da! Da da!
The black knight covered in black mist and the black horse under him chased Frodo, who was running all the way with his short legs, but because the horse couldn't keep up with the speed in the woods, Frodo finally took the lead. From the short pier trestle bridge, I jumped onto the river-crossing raft that was already offshore.
"[Hiss-Hoo-]" The black knight took the reins and seemed to want to drive his mount to leap over the water, but the strange horse, which was also covered in black mist, swung its head repeatedly and refused to execute it.
"As everyone knows... the black knight can dissolve in water..." Sam said blankly while supporting Frodo who had just jumped on the raft.
"Don't be silly, there is the power of Ulmo, Lord of Waters in the water, and no evil creatures dare to get involved." Frodo slowly got up.
"Then, wouldn't it be enough to throw the Lord of the Rings into the sea?" Sam asked casually, looking at the black knight's figure further and further away.
"It's no use," Frodo replied, "There will be fish that will bring it to the shore and be picked up by another ‘Guru’."
"It could also be someone like Master Baggins." Sam nodded.
Hu-Hu-Da Da Da.
After the black knight wandered on the shore for a while, three more black knights of the same shape came from the rear. After the two sides converged, they talked briefly, then turned their horses' heads and galloped away.
"Where else can they cross the river?" Frodo looked at Pippin who first pointed out the ferry to him.
"Brandy Bridge, twenty miles longer, enough for us to get to Brie," "and they didn't know we were going to Brie." Meri and Pippin replied.
"...Do you know the purpose of Sam and me and why we were chased by the black knight?" Frodo continued to ask.
"I don't know, we were hunted down by these guys not long after we met you." "They said'Charles' and'Bakins', maybe they were old enemies of Bilbo?"
It seems that there is indeed no time to explain to these two "nephews".
On the second day after meeting Meili and Piping, they met four "Nazgul" or "King spirits" on the road.
According to Gandalf, the slain ring spirits will return to their owner to be reborn. Obviously, this batch of ring spirits was not the one "killed" by Gandalf, and most of them were informed by the killed ring spirits. After their owner's information about the Shire and Baggins, the "master" transferred the ring spirits in other parts of the Shire.
The only good news is that it was daytime, and the ring spirit’s eyes seemed quite bad during the day. They hid at the bottom of the pit next to the mainland, but the ring spirit turned a blind eye and just followed the "black fog horse" it was riding on. I looked around, but was led away by distant sounds.
However, in the process, Frodo had an unusually firm idea of ​​[putting on the ring and hiding from the ring spirits]. If he hadn't read the legend about the Supreme Lord of the Rings in the Shire, he was pretty sure it was equal to Expose yourself directly, for fear that it has already been subconsciously executed.
Obviously, the ring has its own ideas. It hopes to be found by the ring spirit and return to its owner.
Well, of course it cannot be made as desired.
"..." Frodo touched the Lord of the Rings, which was hung around his neck as a necklace and stuffed in his clothes, and replied to Meri and Pippin: "Actually, I brought what they wanted. Now Charles and Hobbiton should It's safe. After going through the chase on this road, maybe you want to go back and not get involved in this danger anymore?"
"No, no way, we are even more sure that this is an extremely exciting adventure," "You don't want to leave us halfway." Meri and Pippin replied firmly.
"Okay," Frodo shook his head and turned to the other bank of the river: "Let's go to Brie and wait for Gandalf-or maybe a'strider'."