Chapter 138: Saruman's Compromise

"I hope to obtain clues regarding the Star of Earendil. Records in my family tell me that it was last worn by the great His Majesty Isildur, the High King of all the Numenoreans. I believe the omnipotent Lord Saruman will surely be able to give me a satisfactory answer."

As he spoke, Allen looked at Saruman with certainty, for he knew that the gem was lying quietly in the secret chamber of Orthanc.

"No! I do not know!!"

Saruman denied this with a slightly flustered expression. This matter was a secret belonging to him alone. In the past, salvaging the corpse of that High King from the Iris River marshes had excited Saruman for a long time. He had even executed the mercenaries waiting to collect their bounty one by one before confirming whether the Ring was on the corpse, so as to prevent the news from leaking to those who should not know.

The Ring was naturally not on Isildur's corpse, but Saruman had not returned empty-handed; he had indeed found the heirloom of the Kingdom of Arnor, the "Star of Earendil," on the body. It was just that the power this object possessed was like a firefly compared to the bright moon of the One Ring, and coupled with the fact that this deed of Saruman's could truly not be spoken of to others, this treasure could only lie in the secret chamber gathering dust.

Even if Allen had exposed this matter to his face, it was impossible for Saruman to admit that he had found Isildur's corpse. After all, Elrond was sitting right there, and Rivendell had always sheltered the descendants of the Kingdom of Arnor. He had found their family heirloom, yet had not said a word until now; this was not something companions fighting against darkness would do.

Sure enough, Allen's words instantly piqued Elrond's attention. Regarding the descendants of the Kingdom of Arnor, this Lord of Rivendell felt he had a responsibility to look after them, as they were all descendants of his own kin. Moreover, he also possessed a "Star of Earendil," though it was not the original, but a replica made by Isildur's descendants, its symbolic significance and power incomparable to the original. If the original gem could be found, it would be an extremely important matter for the current Northern Rangers, because for the Numenoreans, the significance of this gem was like that of the Heart of the Mountain to Durin's Folk.

"Your subordinates might know of this matter. After all, your gaze is always focused on jewelry like rings. The mercenaries serving you might have felt that you were not very interested in treasures like gems, so they did not inform you. If you go back and inquire carefully, perhaps there might be some new discoveries."

Allen had long been prepared for Saruman's flat denial. He knew the White Wizard before him would not admit to this. To achieve his own demands, Allen offered Saruman a way out, so that he could complete an exchange with this Wizard who did not have particularly high emotional intelligence.

It was just that Saruman's earlier attempt to intimidate Allen had made this Human leader, who had come to Lothlorien with the Ring, extremely displeased.

You invited me here, and I have already come, yet you secretly moved against me at the meeting, making me lose face in front of everyone; I cannot just let this matter go so lightly.

Thinking of this, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of Allen's mouth as he continued: "If the White Wizard, who masters various powers, cannot even ask for relevant clues from the mouths of his own subordinates, then I think I can do it for you. Rest assured, I will absolutely not use any torture or forced confessions on your subordinates, because I am very wealthy, own much land, and hold much power. I can completely adopt the method of equivalent exchange to obtain what I want, and will never use any underhanded tactics."

"You!!!"

Even as a tech-geek, Saruman understood the mockery in Allen's words. This was a feeling he had never experienced before. Which Human he met was not respectful? Even for this land of Isengard, when he said he wanted it, the Steward of Gondor had obediently handed over the keys to Orthanc. At this moment, a wet-behind-the-ears Human brat actually dared to make him unable to step down in front of so many people.

Moreover, these words always made Saruman feel that his previous actions had already been discovered by the Human before him. After all, this person kept insisting that he knew about Isildur, which caused an inexplicable fear to arise in Saruman, as if his inner thoughts had been seen through by the young man.

At this moment, the furious and fearful Saruman saw the pure white staff in his hand begin to emit wisps of white light. Gandalf, who had been smiling, saw his colleague's reaction, and the expression on his face became incomparably serious in an instant, while he nervously gripped his own staff. As Wizards, they needed a medium to cast their abilities.

"Cut that staff first."

A light whisper reached Allen's ears; it was Gandalf's voice. He knew his colleague was a fellow who cared extremely about face. Although Allen's words made Gandalf, who had been bullied for nearly two thousand years, feel good, he also knew that Saruman might really take action at this moment because of this trivial matter.

Allen had never expected Saruman's skin to be so thin. It was just a few mocking words, yet this leader of the White Council and initiator of the meeting was actually going to take action against him in public? For a moment, Allen also became somewhat nervous, his right hand slowly reaching toward the Rune Sword at his waist; this was a weapon he had recently exchanged from the Pendor continent.

"Perhaps the master of Orthanc truly does not have clues in this regard. Allen of Wilderness Town, could you change to another condition?"

A clear and pleasant voice echoed within the meeting room, and this voice seemed to have magic, dissipating the tension in the room into nothingness.

As the mistress of this place, Lady Galadriel would naturally not watch her guest start a fight in her own meeting room; it would be too shameful if it got out. The Lady knew that Saruman had attacked Allen earlier, but with Gandalf's protection, she knew her Human guest would not be in any trouble. However, she truly had not expected Allen's mockery of Saruman; after all, he was only a Human of a few decades, and his courage was truly somewhat excessive.

Hearing Lady Galadriel speak to stop them, Allen's lifted heart settled down. He then stood up and bowed to the Lady who had helped him, expressing his gratitude. If they really fought, Allen did not know if Gandalf would suffer, but he would definitely suffer at Saruman's hands, as a Wizard's abilities were very strange and could not be dealt with by relying solely on a helmet that could reduce mental attacks.

"If the beautiful Lady is willing to lead the Elf army of Lothlorien to help the people of Rhovanion, who are suffering from devastation, to drive away the Easterlings who are ravaging the land, then I will definitely offer the Ring with both hands, without any complaints."

Such a condition made things difficult for Lady Galadriel. The strength of Lothlorien was very powerful, at the very least more prosperous than the Woodland Realm; this was beyond doubt. Moreover, the Lady's own combat power was quite formidable, and it would not be an exaggeration to say she was one of the most powerful Elves in the Central Plains. If she went all out, eliminating the Easterlings who were currently entrenched in the eastern part of Rhovanion would not be a particularly difficult task, especially with the help of Humans and Dwarves.

It was just that Lady Galadriel would absolutely not leave Caras Galadhon, and the Galadhrim guarding this place had no way to cross Mirkwood to participate in the battle, because deep in the underground of Moria, something that even the Lady feared was still sleeping. No one knew when that thing that had once ravaged Durin's Folk would walk out of that dark pit and come to the place where the Elves lived. Without the Lady's presence, it would be impossible for people to feel at ease. Moreover, a large number of Orcish were still entrenched in Moria at this time, threatening the Elves of Lothlorien at every moment. If the army here went to help the Humans of Rhovanion, then when Lady Galadriel defeated the Easterlings and led the army back home, they might very well face nothing but ruins. This was not an ending the Lady could accept.

Therefore, facing Allen's request, the Lady smiled and shook her head, indicating that she was unable to help.

"I can help you defeat the Easterlings in exchange for that Ring."

Hearing the request Allen made to the Lady, Saruman wanted to struggle a bit more. Moreover, Saruman felt that if he stayed by Allen's side for a long time, he would have plenty of opportunities to retaliate against this brat who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth. It was just that his proposal was immediately rejected by Allen.

"I already have the help of one Wizard, and I must say he is doing a great job, arguably far exceeding others. Now what I need is an army. As far as I know, the mercenaries and Bounty Hunters you hired don't even add up to two hundred people, and I have seen them; their combat effectiveness is truly not very good. It is appropriate to describe them as a rabble. So I propose it remains the same: with the 'Star of Earendil' there is the Ring, without the 'Star of Earendil' there is no Ring."

Since they had practically torn off the mask of civility, Allen did not intend to maintain any superficial peace with the White Wizard before him. He prepared to expose another of Saruman's old secrets.

"As far as I know, there is a Palantir in the tower of Orthanc. If Lord Saruman does not need it, could you consider leasing it to me? If you feel that the crystal does not belong to you, then I can also initiate a request to Lord Turgon, who is far away in Minas Tirith, and I also hope you can keep that crystal safe during this time."

Gandalf, who was on the side, said: "The Palantiri echo each other. The stone tower of Orthanc withstood the storms of time, and the Palantir in the tower also remained. But apart from being able to see distant places and small glimpses of ancient things, this crystal has no other use. Moreover, viewing this crystal is extremely dangerous, because the crystal located in Minas Ithil has already been seized by the enemy. Perhaps when you are viewing the crystal, the enemy is also watching you. Allen, I do not advise you to use it. At the same time."

As he spoke, Gandalf looked at Saruman with a serious expression.

"As a wise man, I think the wise Lord Saruman will certainly not risk using that crystal."

At this moment, Lord Elrond, who had been thoughtful on the side, walked over. The experienced and highly wise Lord of Rivendell had already seen something from Saruman's expression. He knew that his colleague must have found Isildur's corpse near the Iris River and had also obtained that "Star of Earendil," after all, the White Wizard was not a person with particularly deep schemes.

As for why Saruman had remained silent about this matter in several meetings, Elrond also guessed it was related to that Ring. It was just that Elrond still had not thought that Saruman would betray the White Council, only feeling that this White Wizard's pursuit of power had reached a somewhat dangerous level, and he felt he needed to do something.

"That crystal once belonged to the Numenoreans. If Lord Saruman does not need it, then could it be returned to the descendants of the Kingdom of Arnor? This is very important for the reconstruction of the Kingdom of Arnor."

Saruman watched as even Elrond walked over, and for a moment, he did not know how to open his mouth to refuse these requests. He did not care about that "Star of Earendil," and it was not impossible to exchange it for the Ring. Moreover, now that things had developed to this point, Saruman also vaguely felt that his actions could no longer be hidden, so he was prepared to exchange the gem for the Ring.

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As for that Palantir, he had indeed found it not long ago while rummaging through the basement, and through the crystal, he had obtained some information regarding the forging of the Rings. After all, this crystal could see some ancient things. Regarding Elrond's request, Saruman was a hundred times reluctant; he still hoped to obtain more information about the Rings from the crystal.

It was just that Elrond's request was reasonable and well-founded. Never mind that crystal, even his base of operations, Orthanc, was built by the Numenoreans in the Second Age; it was just given to him to live in, in exchange for local peace. If they wanted to take it back, it was not impossible.

For a moment, this old man with superb skills in craftsmanship was made irritable by Allen's words. He needed the base of Orthanc to complete his research and to facilitate his monitoring of the Anduin River. At the same time, he also needed the master ring, one of the Nine Rings of Humans, to perfect his supplement to the craft of ring-forging. But this required him to admit that he had found Isildur's corpse. If he admitted this, then in order to ease his relationship with Elrond, he would also have to take out that Palantir.

After a series of mental struggles, Saruman finally nodded under the gaze of everyone, indicating that he would immediately inquire about the "Star of Earendil" after returning, and as for that Palantir, he would also arrange for his subordinates to send it to Rivendell.

The current Saruman regretted convening this meeting very much. If he hadn't thought of using the prestige of the meeting to force Allen to contribute the Ring, so many annoying things would not have happened. Moreover, Saruman vaguely sensed that this Human before him seemed to know a lot, even more knowledgeable than himself, who was immersed in archives all year round, which caused a trace of fear to rise in Saruman's heart once again.