Gandalf, Galadriel, and Celeborn discussed the prophecy and the possible hiding place of the one ring.
But just then, a hesitant hand slowly rose.
"I know where the one ring is!"
Gandalf and the other two instantly focused their gazes on Bilbo, filled with surprise.
"Bilbo, you said you know about the one ring?" Gandalf looked at Bilbo with a mix of surprise and doubt.
Bilbo felt uncomfortable under their scrutinizing gazes, but only after feeling Luke's hand on his shoulder did he struggle and muster his courage.
"Actually, the ring you're talking about is right here with me."
Saying that, he pulled the one ring from his pocket and placed it in his palm.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the golden ring in his palm.
Gandalf stared intently at the ring, his expression uncertain and surprised.
He desperately wanted to confirm if this ring was the one ring.
Celeborn looked at the ring with even greater vigilance, as if he had seen something dangerous.
Galadriel stepped forward, came before Bilbo, and extended her finger, wanting to touch the ring.
"Lady Galadriel!"
Gandalf tried to stop her, worried.
Celeborn, as her husband, did not stop her, but his face also showed concern.
Galadriel's finger ultimately did not touch the ring; she withdrew her hand as if burned by fire, just a few centimeters away.
"Although I do not know if this is the one ring, I sense an evil power from it, so dark, so terrifying, capable of corrupting hearts!"
Galadriel said with a serious and solemn expression.
"The one ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom. To confirm if it is the one ring, you just need to burn it with fire."
Gandalf stated the method.
Luke patted Bilbo's shoulder: "Bilbo, put the ring on the table."
Bilbo's arm was getting a bit sore from holding it, so he quickly complied, placing the ring on a nearby stone table.
Luke directly cast a Flame Spell, burning the ring.
Under the scorching flames, mysterious text gradually emerged from within the ring.
Seeing this, Gandalf quickly leaned in, tilting his head to read the inscription: "one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them—"
"one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." Galadriel calmly recited the second half.
"It seems confirmed now; the one ring has reappeared."
Celeborn frowned deeply, looking at the one ring with apprehension, his expression worried: "With the one ring reappearing, Middle-earth will likely no longer be peaceful!"
After confirming it was the one ring, Gandalf asked Bilbo, very puzzled.
"Bilbo, where did you get this one ring from?"
Bilbo did not hide anything: "When I fell into Goblin Town, I dropped to the bottom of a chasm and picked it up there. It should belong to that Gollum."
Gandalf suddenly understood: "No wonder I didn't see you when I used the Palantír to search for you. Did you get the one ring at that time?"
Bilbo nodded.
Gandalf then nervously scrutinized Bilbo: "You've had the one ring for so long, have you felt any discomfort?"
Saying that, he carefully checked him over.
Bilbo shook his head: "I'm fine. Luke warned me to use it cautiously, so I rarely use it except in dangerous situations."
Hearing this, Gandalf's gaze turned to Luke.
"Luke, you knew the one ring was with Bilbo early on?"
Luke didn't expect Bilbo to expose him so quickly, and he nodded helplessly.
"Bilbo told me when we came out of Goblin Town."
Gandalf looked at Luke with strong disapproval.
"The one ring is very dangerous; even the most powerful people are easily corrupted. You should have told me immediately back then."
Bilbo quickly explained: "This is my fault; I told Luke not to tell anyone! He already warned me, and it was he who told me to reveal the one ring just now!"
"Enough, Mithrandir, the past is unchangeable, and the present urgent matters are more important." Galadriel gently advised.
Hearing this, Gandalf no longer reprimanded the two.
Luke and Bilbo breathed a sigh of relief, then showed grateful expressions to Galadriel.
Gandalf, when angry, was a bit scary, and they were grateful to Lady Galadriel for diffusing the situation.
Subsequently, everyone's gaze once again converged on the one ring.
Gandalf, Galadriel, and Celeborn all treated the one ring as a formidable enemy, not daring to touch it directly, fearing they would be corrupted by its power.
But seeing Bilbo easily hold the one ring in his hand without any ill effect, the three could only marvel at the Creator's wonder, that there could be such a miraculous race as the hobbit, possessing such high resistance to the one ring.
They discussed the possibility of destroying the one ring.
Legolas struck the one ring fiercely with his elven sword, but the recoil made his hand ache.
Yet, not a single mark was left on the one ring. "I remember that four of the Seven Rings of the Dwarves were destroyed by Dragon fire. Perhaps Luke's Dragon could help?" Celeborn suggested.
Gandalf shook his head: "The one ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom. Dragon fire can destroy the Seven Rings of the Dwarves, but it cannot destroy the one ring."
But then he looked at Luke,
"Luke, I remember you used that terrifying flame on the battlefield; even hard steel melted instantly. Can you try to destroy the one ring now?"
Luke was also curious if Fiendfyre could destroy the one ring.
After all, in the world of magic, the Fiendfyre Curse could destroy Horcruxes.
And the one ring, to be honest, was somewhat like an upgraded version of a Horcrux. If a Horcrux in the magic world wasn't destroyed, a Wizard wouldn't truly die.
Similarly, if the one ring wasn't destroyed, Sauron's spirit would still exist.
However, he looked at the surrounding treehouse environment and felt it was a bit unsafe.
"The Fiendfyre Curse is a bit dangerous and difficult to control. If I use it, I'll need an open space."
This request was not difficult, and soon everyone moved to an open area.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Luke released Fiendfyre onto the one ring on the ground.
A quiet blue Fiendfyre spewed from his wand, covering the one ring.
The Fiendfyre was violent, trying to spread to other places to strengthen itself, and even attempting to backfire and burn towards the wand.
Luke pulled sharply, controlling the Fiendfyre to a small size.
Though small, the Fiendfyre was filled with an aura of destruction, causing everyone watching to become solemn.
At the same time, they also looked forward to the Fiendfyre.
Surely such terrifying magic fire could shake the one ring?
As time passed, the scorching Fiendfyre had burned a large pit in the hard ground, but the one ring remained unchanged.
No, there was still some change.
The one ring had turned completely red, as if it had been heated to a glow.
This sight made everyone's eyes light up.
It was known that when the one ring was previously burned with fire, it only revealed the inscription on it, but the ring itself remained cold.
Now, there was a different change.
Seeing this, Luke's spirits lifted, and he immediately continued to increase the fire, constantly burning the one ring with Fiendfyre.
Thus, time flew by—one hour, two hours—
Gandalf and the Elves were very patient, quietly observing the changes in the one ring, as if they felt no fatigue.
And Luke was also enveloped by Gandalf's power from the Ring of Fire, showing no sign of fatigue.
After a day and a night, Luke finally stopped the Fiendfyre.
He picked up the ring with his wand and examined it carefully. Looking at the still smooth one ring, he couldn't help but frown.
"Did it not work?"
"No, it worked. The flame burned away a part of the ring's power; it is now much dimmer."
Galadriel walked over, looking at the one ring as she spoke.
Everyone quickly observed carefully and then discovered that the one ring's luster had indeed become somewhat dull.
If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice it at all.
Everyone's confidence in destroying the one ring immediately increased.
"Then how long will it take to burn it completely?" Luke asked, still unsure.
"With the current fire power, it should only take about a thousand years to completely destroy it." Galadriel slowly approached the one ring, and after sensing it for a moment, she said.
"However, this time will shorten as your power, Luke, increases."
"A thousand years, that's not long; we can wait patiently." Celeborn nodded and said.
And Legolas and Arwen present both agreed.
Only Luke and Bilbo clicked their tongues.
"But I can't wait that long!" Luke loudly grumbled in his heart.
He didn't even know if he could live for a thousand years? Not to mention that these thousand years would require him to continuously burn the one ring with Fiendfyre without stopping.
He would either die of exhaustion or be completely drained!
Gandalf, however, leaned on his staff and shook his head: "A thousand years is too long; there are too many variables during that time, enough for Sauron to re-accumulate his strength. And once Sauron detects the one ring's whereabouts, he will probably snatch it back at all costs, madly."
"We must find a way to destroy the one ring as soon as possible, so Sauron will lose his power and no longer pose a threat to Middle-earth."
"But how can we destroy the one ring? The one ring is indestructible; even scorching Dragon fire cannot harm it. What method could possibly destroy it?"
Celeborn always maintained a certain distance from the one ring, looking at it with vigilance and furrowed brows.
Galadriel looked towards the Far East, her voice ethereal, carrying a sense of destiny:
"The one ring was forged by Sauron in Mount Doom. It was born in the volcano and will surely be destroyed in the volcano. Only the power of Mount Doom can destroy the one ring."
Gandalf frowned upon hearing this and shook his head: "Ever since Sauron was banished after the battle of Dol Guldur, he fled to his stronghold in Mordor in the Far East. That is his lair; not only does it have a large number of Orcs, Trolls, but also the corrupted Easterlings, Haradrim, and even the Black Númenórean.
Besides that, there are also giant bats and fallen winged beasts monitoring the skies. Mordor is now a heavily fortified demonic lair; not even a mosquito can fly in."
"Sauron even possesses a Palantír, allowing him to monitor the entire Mordor region at any time."
"If we take the one ring to Mordor, I'm afraid it will be discovered by Sauron before it even enters Mount Doom. Then, it would simply be handing the one ring directly to Sauron."
"Unless we can lure Sauron out, or divert his attention so he is too preoccupied to care about Mordor." Celeborn suggested.
But the problem was that Sauron had just been severely wounded and was in a weakened state, so he had gathered almost all his dark forces in the Mordor region, making it an impenetrable fortress.
Until he recovered a certain amount of strength, Sauron would remain extremely vigilant, constantly holed up in his lair licking his wounds, and would absolutely not come out easily.