Chapter 643 644: Gathering

"Where do you think they're taking us?"

"Who knows? I hope Aragorn and the others find out we're lost soon and come rescue us…"

"…"

Pippin and Merry, mistaken for the Ringbearers, were not in immediate danger as long as the One Ring hadn't been found.

Therefore, although they suffered a lot along the way, overall it was a journey with thrills but no real harm.

As for the Orc squad that captured them, they did not return directly to Mordor before obtaining the One Ring.

Instead, they came to Isengard, hoping to cooperate with Saruman here to maximize their profits.

Unfortunately, due to delayed information, this Orc squad did not know that Saruman and his newly created Orc army had already been eliminated.

Therefore, their trip could only be in vain.

Of course, the situation might be worse; this Orc squad, which did not hide its tracks, had already been targeted by the Ent of Fangorn Forest before entering the Isengard Highlands.

"Merry, do you feel like there are many eyes watching us around here?" After entering the depths of Fangorn Forest, Pippin shivered involuntarily as he looked at the dense, sky-obscuring jungle around them.

"I feel it too…" Merry pulled his clothes tighter around him.

Just as the two were looking around suspiciously, they suddenly saw a dense gathering of Ent hidden behind an inconspicuous hillside.

The two were startled at first, then realizing that the Ent meant them no harm, they understood this was a good opportunity to escape.

On the Ent side, due to their unique heritage, they have a special regard for "younglings."

At this moment, the Ent gathered behind the hillside were discussing how to safely rescue the two captured little ones from the Orcs.

"Oh, I can't hold it anymore, I need to pee…"

"I'm about to burst too, hurry and put me down, otherwise I'll just go on you…"

"…"

At the same time, the two Hobbit children exchanged glances, then tacitly started "making a fuss."

Their exaggerated voices immediately startled the entire Orc squad.

"You two take them to deal with it…" The annoyed Orc squad leader glared disdainfully at the two Hobbit children, who seemed to have a lot of bladder and bowel issues, then said to the remaining Orcs, "Everyone else, rest where you're."

After continuous travel, even the Orcs were a bit exhausted.

Since they were almost at the Isengard Highlands, the Orc squad leader felt this was a good opportunity for the team to rest.

"Not here, I'm shy…"

"Yes, we need to go behind that hill to deal with it…"

"…"

Pippin and Merry, on their side, continued to "torment" the two Orcs guarding them.

With their coordinated act, they forced the two unlucky Orcs to take them to the hillside where the Ent were located.

"Bang… Bang…"

With two muffled thuds, the two Orcs who went behind the hillside were still confused when their heads were smashed by the Ent.

They didn't even have a chance to call for help during the entire process.

"Where do you come from, and why did those Orcs capture you?" Treebeard, the Ent leader, asked kindly.

"We are Hobbits living in the Shire, and we encountered an Orc squad attack in Fangorn Forest…" Pippin said everything he could, except for revealing the Ringbearer Squad's mission.

After learning that the Orc squad had no reinforcements, Treebeard immediately summoned his kin to prepare to annihilate them in one fell swoop.

"Take us with you, we can help too!" x2

The two Hobbit children, who loved to watch a good show, immediately clamored to join the battle.

After being escorted by Orcs all the way, how could they not be angry?

"Hold on tight, remember to protect yourselves during the battle—"

To the Ent, the two lively Hobbits were not annoying. So, Quickbeam, a tall and slender Ent, kindly lifted them onto himself to sit comfortably.

"Yo ho, charge!!!"

"That one with the helmet is the squad leader, deal with him first…"

"Yes, hit his head hard with branches…"

"…"

Riding on the incredibly fast Ent Quickbeam, the two Hobbit children quickly became commanders.

Coupled with the Ent's numerical superiority and the fact that individual Ent were inherently stronger than Orcs, the hundred-plus Ent quickly surrounded the Orc squad amidst the cheers of the two Hobbit children.

The one-sided battle that followed did not last long; the Orcs in the Orc squad were one by one smashed in the head by the Ent, and some suffered even worse fates, being torn into pieces.

"Where do you go next?"

After the battle, Quickbeam, who had developed a tacit understanding with the two Hobbit children, asked about their well-being.

"Where did Gandalf say he would wait for us?"

"Gondor border, Gandalf said he would gather there…"

"…"

"We need to go to the Gondor border, is it far from here?" After being reminded by his companion, Pippin finally remembered his destination.

"Gandalf? Is that the wizard in the white robe? What is your relationship with him?" Gandalf had only recently left Isengard, so Quickbeam naturally still remembered him.

"We are… companions, yes, just companions!" Pippin proudly puffed out his chest.

"Then do you also know Mr. Mike?" Quickbeam continued to ask.

"Of course, Mr. Mike is a very good friend of ours. Isn't that right, Merry?" Seeing the solemn expressions of the Ent, Pippin, who was good at reading expressions, spoke proudly again.

After all, strictly speaking, they had indeed traveled with Mike for a while, so they could barely be considered friends.

On the Ent's side, upon hearing that these two Hobbit children were friends with their benefactor, their attitude became even more gentle.

Knowing that the two wanted to go to the Gondor border, they even dispatched Quickbeam to escort them all the way to the outermost edge of Fangorn Forest.

The Isengard Highlands are already located at the junction of Rohan and Gondor. After leaving Fangorn Forest before the Isengard Highlands, Pippin and Merry were considered to have reached the Gondor border.

"When I see Mr. Mike, I will definitely convey your gratitude to him." At the outskirts of Fangorn Forest, Pippin and Merry, each carrying a pile of fruit, waved goodbye to the Ent Quickbeam.

Mike had left in a hurry before, and the Ent hadn't had a chance to thank him, so they also wanted to convey their appreciation to Mike through the two Hobbit children.

Watching the Ent Quickbeam return to Fangorn Forest, Pippin and Merry ate some fruit on the spot to satisfy their hunger, then, after orienting themselves, walked towards Gondor.

On the other side, a worried Aragorn, along with Legolas and the others, crossed the ruins of Eisengard and Helm's Deep overnight to reach the Gondor border.

Compared to Pippin and Merry, who were "lucky" enough to ride with Orcs and Ent, Aragorn and the others, who were traveling with the wounded Boromir, were covered in dust and weary.

…

"Merry, did you hear that? It sounds like someone is fighting over there…"

Pippin and Merry, having arrived inside the Gondor border, did not see Gandalf there, so they found a hidden corner to hide, resting while waiting for the wizard's arrival.

However, not long after, they heard sounds of battle coming from not far away.

"Let's go, let's check out the situation."

The two fearless and restless Hobbit children immediately decided to go see the excitement.

On Gondor's side, as King Théoden of Rohan freed up his forces to clear out Orc squads within his borders, some desperate Orc detachments, in order to escape pursuit, fled through the Rohan border towards the Gondor border.

And Faramir, who was waiting for his elder brother's return at the Gondor border, quickly discovered this situation.

Decisive, he immediately led the members of the Royal Guard behind him to begin clearing out these invading Orcs.

"Kill them, kill all these wretches!!!"

At this moment, on the plains of the Gondor border, Faramir, riding a tall warhorse, was raising his long sword and leading the charge towards a large number of Orcs before him.

Yes, Faramir was lucky today; he happened to encounter a group of Orc units, several Orc squads that had converged after being routed.

Their numbers even exceeded the number of guards he led.

However, the Orc forces, having fled all the way here, had little will to fight, and after several charges by Faramir, they were quickly scattered again.

"That guy is really cool!"

Watching Faramir charge back and forth on the battlefield, Pippin couldn't help but exclaim.

While fighting with magic like Mike was indeed cool, the close-quarters combat with swords drawing blood was equally exhilarating.

Beside him, Merry watched the passionate battle on the plains and then nodded in agreement.

As for Faramir, he reined in his horse only after all the scattered Orc forces had been killed.

"Clean up the battlefield, and tally our casualties…"

Putting away his blood-stained long sword, Faramir said, while taking off his helmet and catching his breath.

Clearly, killing so many Orcs at once was not easy for him either.

It was only then that Pippin and Merry clearly saw that the general who had been bravely fighting the enemy was actually a young man with delicate features.

Compared to his "reckless" elder brother, Faramir, who usually enjoyed reading, indeed possessed a scholarly air.

"Who's there? Come out!"

Faramir, who had just experienced a battle and had not fully relaxed his guard, suddenly turned his head to look at Pippin and Merry's hiding place.

His long sword was drawn again, and a murderous aura instantly returned.

"Don't, don't get excited, we're not bad people…"

Startled by Faramir's fierce appearance, Pippin quickly came out with Merry.

"Speak, who are you? Why are you here?" Faramir did not relax his guard just because they were two children.

After all, this was a border area, and ordinary people would not come here.

"We are Hobbits from the Shire, waiting for the wizard Gandalf here…" Pippin quickly explained.

"Gandalf, I seem to have heard that name somewhere…" Faramir confirmed that the two opposite him were not dangerous and slowly sheathed his long sword again.

However, his gaze towards Pippin and Merry was still not friendly.

"Faramir, and Pippin and Merry, why are you all here?…"

Just then, Boromir, Aragorn, and the others from the Ringbearer Squad also happened to arrive on the border plain.

"Big brother!"

Seeing the newcomers, Faramir's face showed surprise. After dismounting his warhorse, he rushed up and gave his elder brother a big hug.

"You're injured, is it serious…?"

Then, Faramir also noticed that his elder brother's body was covered in blood-stained bandages.

"Just a small injury, it's almost healed." Boromir laughed heartily and said cheerfully, "But that time was really dangerous, I thought I was going to die there. Fortunately, Aragorn and the others arrived in time and saved me."

"Oh, by the way, let me introduce you, this is Aragorn, he is a descendant of Isildur."

"Hello, did you kill all the Orcs here?" Seeing Pippin and Merry safe, Aragorn's tense heart relaxed a bit.

At the same time, he also noticed the bodies of the Orcs on the plain.

He then showed an appreciative expression.

Clearly, Boromir's brother was also a formidable warrior.

"Just some Orcs, not worth mentioning," Faramir looked at Aragorn with a complex expression, then said solemnly, "Thank you for saving my elder brother."

Unlike his thick-headed elder brother, Faramir was more rational.

It was precisely because of this that he knew better what a storm the arrival of a descendant with the royal bloodline of Gondor would cause at such a time.

It might not necessarily be a good thing for the current situation in Gondor.

"Everyone's here!" Just then, Gandalf, riding a white horse, also happened to arrive on the plain, "Where are Frodo and Sam? I don't see them."

After greeting everyone, the wizard then noticed that the most important Ringbearers were not there.

"I'm sorry, Gandalf. I didn't protect Frodo well…" Aragorn recounted what happened after the wizard left with guilt.

"It's not Aragorn's fault, who would have thought Frodo and Sam would leave on their own." Gimli, who was straightforward, also spoke up to defend Aragorn.

"Calm down, Gimli and everyone, I didn't mean to blame Aragorn." Gandalf appeased Gimli, as well as Boromir, Legolas, and others who also wanted to speak up for Aragorn.

Then, he continued, "The Ringbearers being separated from us may not be a bad thing…"

"Perhaps Frodo will be safer without us."

After the Saruman incident, Gandalf also realized that the Ringbearer Squad was constantly under the surveillance of the dark forces.

Now that Frodo had left with the One Ring, it could be considered a lucky break, allowing him to hide in the shadows.

"Rohan has just been threatened by the Orc army, and next it might be Gondor's turn. So I suggest we follow Boromir to Gondor to see…" After thinking, Gandalf again offered a suggestion.

Now, the Ringbearers and the Ringbearer Squad were one in the open and one in the shadows.

As long as the Ringbearer Squad caused a big enough stir, it would be easier for Sauron, to overlook Frodo.

Moreover, the wizard's speculation about Gondor was not unfounded. Going there would also help Gondor prepare for potential future attacks from the dark forces.

"What are you talking about? I don't quite understand?" Faramir, who had been listening in confusion, looked at his elder brother.

"Tell him, our future actions might still require his cooperation." Gandalf nodded at Boromir, who was looking over.

The Ringbearer Squad's mission had already been exposed, so there was naturally no need to continue concealing it.

In fact, to lull Sauron, the Ringbearer Squad needed to act even more conspicuously.

After receiving the wizard's approval, Boromir also informed his younger brother about the Ringbearer Squad's situation.

…

"What is this? Such a big crystal ball… Merry, come look…"

On the other side, Pippin, who had sidled up to the wizard, discovered the Palantír hidden in his arms.

A magic crystal the size of a watermelon was hard to miss.

"Tam…" Gandalf, knowing that the magic crystal had positioning and communication functions, was about to stop Pippin when he thought that this might be another good opportunity to attract the Dark Lord's attention.

After all, after Mike's previous commotion, the Dark Lord should not easily use the magic crystal's communication ability again.

As for using the crystal to locate the Ringbearer Squad's movements, this was exactly in line with the wizard's desire to act conspicuously.

So, after warning Pippin and Merry to be careful, the wizard temporarily entrusted the Palantír to them for safekeeping.