Chapter 831: Counter Attack
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
No doubt, Glorfindel had also seen the brilliant light from when Sheyan was teleported out. His expression turned dark. Without so much as lifting a finger, he appeared to vanish into thin air. When he reappeared, he had already moved forward by more than 200 meters. It took him less than 10 seconds to reach the teleportation formation.
The veteran Twilight Elf was indeed experienced. He first took a look at the surrounding area, then shouted.
"Your eyes shall be mine; your ears shall be mine!"
"Heed my wish, faeries of the forest! Use your wings to follow the trail of the enemy."
Glorfindel shined with a faint green glimmer. The glimmer then dispersed into the bodies of the surrounding birds.
All the birds surrounding Glorfindel scattered in different directions at a wave of his hand.
Everything that the birds see and hear will be instantly transmitted back to Glorfindel. Stealth and camouflage were useless in front of this spell.
The sly old fox was obviously wary of being tricked. He suspected that Sheyan might have left through the teleportation formation to bait him to give chase, while the rest of them ran away.
He didn't believe that a teleportation formation of such scale would suddenly spring up here for no reason. The cost to build this formation was staggering. This spot wasn't on an important trade route, nor was it a strategic defensive location. There were no forts, mage towers or any famous products nearby. The existence of the formation was definitely suspicious.
"This teleportation formation must be a smokescreen. It's merely a counterfeit."
That was Glorfindel's first thought when he saw the formation. His second thought was that the formation was actually built pretty well.
Glorfindel believed that the faeries of the forest will sent back a satisfactory response within the next few minutes. He will definitely get his hands on those fleeing ants this time. He couldn't help but burn with anticipation.
However, as the birds sent their feedback one after another, the more enraged Glorfindel got. This was the first time he made a misjudgement when he was tracking something down.
Glorfindel once again focused his attention of the teleportation formation. To his surprise, he found that the all the expensive materials that made up the formation looked very authentic. More importantly, after expending a large amount of magic power, he could detect the clear traces of dimensional magic!
Glorfindel was filled with complicated and conflicting emotions. This was the closest he ever got to the Ring of Air, Vilya! He wasn't worried about those ants running away; he was more wary of Galadriel and Legolas!
It was exactly because of how weak the ants were that he was worried. If either of those two found them first, then it's almost a foregone conclusion that the Ring of Air would fall into their hands. Even though Glorfindel was strong, there was still no way he could snatch the ring from the possession of Galadriel or Legolas.
Glorfindel stared at the magic formation for a while before taking out a gemstone from his shirt. He engraved the gemstone at the core of the formation. Then, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. Little did he know that somewhere a few hundred kilometers away, a few Dwarves and a human were sinisterly laughing.
"It lit up! Glorfindel activated the magic formation!"
"Would he let an animal test the formation first?"
"It didn't matter, let the animal be sacrificed then. After the formation was used once, its internal structure will malfunction and explode. Glorfindel won't be able to use the formation either."
As they speak, the receiving teleportation formation in front of them shone brightly. A blurry image of Glorfindel appeared within the formation. His signature golden hair was truly eye-catching.
Segimli pounded his warhammer hard on a certain mechanism on the formation with a shout. The receiving teleportation formation immediately started shaking violently. Then, the whole formation shattered and broke down into dust. Glorfindel's image within the formation disappeared without a trace.
"Woohoo! Bon voyage, Mr. Glorfindel. I hope you like the taste of of the water in Lake Salgar!" Segimli was so excited he started whistling.
The young Dwarf had put his outstanding talent in construction on display. What he did was simple; after Glorfindel activated the magic formation, Segimli changed the coordinates of the destination to Lake Salgar thousands of miles away. Lake Salgar was a horrible place. In the local language, Salgar actually meant rotten smell. It was a place that was similar to the Great Ndipaya Swamp.
Of course, suddenly altering the teleportation coordinate like this might result in space-time distortion, messed-up coordinate, getting lost in time and other risks, but that's Glorfindel's problem.
Segimli proudly exclaimed.
"My dear friend, I have completed your request. I swear upon the name of the God of Stones, even if he is one of the Twilight Elves, Glorfindel will still have to experience hunger, cold and a rotten environment for 10 days before he can catch up to us. At least."
Sheyan smiled and said.
"To show my appreciation, I will increase the fee we agreed upon by 10%."
Sheyan reached into his pocket and took out a simple looking leather pouch. Segimli was all smiles as he received it. He was about to keep the pouch when an old but strong-looking Dwarf took the pouch away from him and carefully weighed it in his hands. In the end, he let out a satisfied smile.
"The God of Stones above, we finally have enough Adamantium and Mithril to produce some quality goods. At least we won't be left too far behind at the Skifz Ascûd now."
After the elite Dwarven warriors heard the old Dwarf's words, they erupted in joy. They once again threw their hats in the air.
The old Dwarf looked at Sheyan and said in a booming voice.
"My friend, you have won the good will of the Gimli tribe. Why not come take refugee in our tribe? As soon as news of Elrond's demise spread, it will no longer be so easy for you to find a welcoming place on Middle Earth."
Sheyan, though, smiled and said.
"Since Glorfindel has left us with so much time to prepare, it would be a waste not to use it to its fullest. I sincerely thank you for your invitation. However, our destination now shouldn't be the welcoming Gimli tribe....but Rivendell."
"WHAT!!"
All of them were extremely shocked to hear Sheyan's words.
Elder Annenia Cyathea was the first to voice out his doubt.
"Lord Protector, this might not be the best time to go to Rivendell."
Sheyan simply shook his head. A peculiar glint flashed across his eyes.
"I disagree, Elder. This is the perfect time to go to Rivendell. Please take a look at the map. With Rivendell as the centre, the place that was attacked by the coalition of 8 Nazgûls....yup, that's right, the Noorie Ridges is about 900 km to the west of Rivendell. Thanks to the teleportation formation, we've travelled over 800 km in the blink of an eye. We've already reached the Nos Hills west of Rivendell. If we pick up the pace, we can reach Rivendell by midnight!"
Sheyan continued.
"Galadriel and Legolas are both being chased by Nazgûls. Glorfindel is on vacation at the beautiful Lake Salgar. Elrond has returned to the embrace of Mother Nature. Under such circumstances, none of these formidable Elves can reach Rivendell before us. That means, when our very own Melody Sunstrider walk into Rivendell with The Ring of Air raised high, she would be the one holding the highest position! No one currently in Rivendell has enough power to contest her authority! More Elves will bathe in the glory of Sin'dorei!"
Elder Annenia Cyathea sucked in a cold breath despite himself.
"So what you're saying is...."
Sheyan said pointedly.
"We're simply too weak right now. Only by becoming stronger can we stand on an even footing with those powerhouses. There's a saying in my hometown - the things that you don't have the power to obtain on the battlefield, don't expect to get them on the negotiation table."
"I agree with you, my Protector."
Melody suddenly spoke out in a soft but resolute voice. No one noticed when she regained her consciousness. She looked weak, but her eyes showed a strong determination. When the setting sun shined on her long hair, it glowed brilliantly.
"During my days of confinement, I've thought of many things. I still had hope and faith in my kin at that time. Fortunately, Galadriel, Lord Elrond, Lord Glorfindel and Prince Legolas taught me a valuable lesson. I now know the other meaning of justice. I now know what the true elegance of the Elves look like."
Melody's voice choked with emotions and tears dropped from her eyes as she spoke, but she resolutely continued.
"When I heard of their decision, I finally understood the truth regarding the world. So be it then. I will survive with my own way. I will take destiny into my own hands!"