For Sauron, this sentence was quite a heavy blow.
[Corruption Level: 0.002%]
As the corruption level suddenly surged, so too did the fury and killing intent within the dark shadow at the center of the fla. The scorching heat seeped through the crystal and into the room, illuminating it brightly.
Whispers continually erged from within the shadow, trying to claw their way into Garrett's mind.
And Garrett, he leaned in voluntarily, finally understanding the aning of those whispers:
You will et your death.
[Corruption Level: 0.031%]
"Is that so? That's not too bad. After all, from my perspective, being alive or dead is far better than being half-alive... or half-dead?"
Thud!
A heavy pressure suddenly struck his consciousness. Shadows spread through his mind like a storm, tearing at his sanity.
His breathing instantly beca much more difficult, almost impossible.
However, the fla within his heart did not extinguish under the assault of the darkness. Instead, it burned stronger, more resilient, refusing to be snuffed out.
I will find you... and kill you.
The evil and filthy declaration echoed in his consciousness.
"You cannot kill ," Garrett responded.
Flash.
The shadow within the crystal vanished. No more visions appeared.
His eyes blurred. He took a step back, montarily losing his balance.
[Corruption Level: 1%]
"I'll help you!"
Saruman raised his staff, ready to bring it down, the swing cutting through the air.
Clang!
It was unclear whether the sound ca from tal clashing or wood striking wood.
A plain wooden staff blocked Saruman's strike, and the pipe hanging from it swayed from the vibration.
"Gandalf," Saruman called out, sowhat displeased.
"No need for that. He hasn't been corrupted."
Gandalf smiled as he slowly moved Saruman's staff aside and gave Garrett a steadying hand.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm all right. Thanks to your help, it wasn't too bad."
"Not too bad? I think it's very serious. You've completely enraged Sauron. He'll certainly find a way to take revenge. You'd best be careful in the coming days."
"His dark magic is always difficult to defend against. You never know when it might strike you."
Gandalf hadn't forgotten, magic was Garrett's weakness.
"If anything goes wrong, rember to go to Rivendell or Lothlórien. There are people there who can help you."
"If all else fails, Radagast might be an option. He may have so solutions."
"And ."
Saruman put away his staff and approached naturally. "You can co to as well. I'd be happy to help."
Gandalf nodded.
He still trusted Saruman for now. But Garrett didn't consider this a first choice.
Going to Saruman... he might truly help, but it almost certainly wouldn't be for free.
"All right. Got it."
Garrett gave a perfunctory reply and covered the stone, ending the session.
Too dangerous.
It was only thanks to his two years traveling Middle-earth and all the experiences he'd endured that his willpower had been tempered enough. If this had happened when he first arrived in this world, the outco might have been far worse.
He had already achieved his goal in using the palantír, and this matter was now concluded.
With Saruman's inexplicable disappointnt hanging in the air, he made his way to the library halls on either side of the tower. He scanned the rows of bookshelves, looking for titles that might prove useful.
"What are you looking for? I've been here a while and still rember a fair bit about these books."
Gandalf volunteered to act as a guide.
"Sothing about magic."
"Magic?"
"There's quite a lot of that. Let think... this way."
A mont later, in front of a bookshelf, several stacks of books were piled on a table. Garrett looked up and down at the titles, his head spinning.
These titles alone could fill a small catalog.
"All right... I'll start reading."
From that day on, he took up residence in the vast library, reading through books day and night, seemingly without rest.
Gandalf, acting as a guide, stayed and read with him for a few days. Once he confird there was no further conflict between Garrett and Saruman, he departed.
"Ti waits for no one. I must continue my journey."
This Grey Wizard was never one to remain idle.
And so, several more days passed in relative quiet within the library.
During that ti, Saruman paid one visit. He was sowhat puzzled by Garrett who worked tirelessly without sleep.
"Do you truly not need to sleep? I'd rather not have a sudden death in my tower."
He gave Garrett a warning.
"Just mind your own business."
Garrett couldn't be bothered to explain.
Saruman tightened his grip on his staff, turned, and left, never to return. But outside the library, he summoned a servant:
"Keep watch on him. Don't let him die in there."
If such a prominent figure were to die in his tower, it would bring no end of trouble. Even if he had nothing to do with it, he'd still be implicated.
That kind of reputation, no amount of explanation could wash it clean.
Garrett didn't pay any attention to Saruman's sches.
Lately, he'd been growing frustrated from all the reading.
It wasn't what he expected. These so-called "magic-related" books were mostly historical texts, legends, or poetry. The contents were disorganized and from various eras. One book even recorded a mysterious figure who lived deep within the Old Forest near the Shire... The variety was vast, but none of it was useful.
There wasn't a single book that actually taught magic or described any specific techniques. The few remotely relevant ones were buried in academic explanations and folklore, barely any practical information at all. In fact, what little there was had only been ntioned in passing, as part of broader cultural or historical context.
Unwilling to give up, he continued to imrse himself in the library. But even after finishing every single volu, thick or thin, he still couldn't make much progress.
Still, it wasn't entirely without value.
Among these books, there were two with Saruman's own annotations. He had jotted down so personal insights, many of the notes referred to a type of ongoing research.
That research seed related to the "elents" that made up the fundantal essence of the world.
Unfortunately, these were just scattered thoughts. The core of his research was clearly not in these books, it was most likely secured away in his private laboratory...
It seed he'd have to seek out Saruman after all.
"Sigh."
With a deep breath, he stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and opened the door to leave.
The motion startled a servant who had been dozing off at the doorway.
The servant quickly greeted him, then hurried off.
Garrett didn't pay him any mind. He began walking up the staircase, step by step, casually observing the interior structure of the tower, treating it as a chance to stretch his legs and clear his mind.
It had been quite a while since he last stood up.
Looking around, even he had to admit, there truly were an impressive number of books here.
Bookshelves made up almost the entire decoration of this towering, mountain-like black spire. From bottom to top, most of the rooms were dedicated to storing books, all interconnected by so systematic arrangent.
Only a small portion of the rooms were used for living quarters or research.
As he walked, he turned a corner and stumbled into a room clearly used for alchemical work, complete with a proper brewing stand and grinding equipnt.
Scattered across the desk by the window were so notes. The ink was still fresh, apparently written not long ago.
"On the Enchantnt of tallic Materials."
He picked up one of the pages and began to read.
Had this been back when he first arrived at the tower, he wouldn't have understood a single term or piece of terminology on the page. But after being imrsed in that mountain of books, he was no longer a complete novice.
He could now just barely comprehend a few lines.
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