The treasury was located on the lowest level of Moria, accessed through a tunnel meticulously dug by the Dwarves. At the end of the tunnel stood the treasury door, forged from a mixture of mithril and fine iron.
"This is the last intact treasure house left in Moria," Balin explained to Luke and Gandalf. "The defenses here are the strongest. The walls of the treasury are cast with a blend of mithril and fine iron. The gate is secured with a code that only Dwarves can decipher, which is why the orcs couldn't dig their way in or plunder the treasures within." As he spoke, a trace of heartbreak crossed Balin's face.
The former Kingdom of Khazad-dûm, fueled by its rich mithril mines, had amassed a wealth that drew treasures from across the world, so vast that even this treasury couldn't contain it all. However, with the awakening of the Balrog and the fall of Khazad-dûm, the Balrog showed no interest in the treasure, but the orcs were incredibly greedy. They not only plundered the treasure but also continued to mine the mithril ore, sending it to Barad-dûr to supply Sauron's army. Only this, the first treasury built by the Dwarves, survived due to its formidable defenses.
"It took me several days to finally crack the code of this treasure house," Balin continued, his eyes shining with renewed happiness. "Perhaps Durin's ancestors had a premonition and specially built this sturdy treasury, leaving us a huge treasure." With that, he pushed open the door and led them inside.
As they entered, Luke and Arwen couldn't help but gasp slightly, their eyes widening in awe. Inside the treasury, illuminated by a warm glow, it was a magnificent sight. The treasury was immense, no smaller than a grand Dwarf hall. It was supported by a massive golden pillar in the center, and the ground, walls, and ceiling were all paved with gleaming gold, exuding an air of sheer luxury!
Furthermore, the treasury was filled with countless piles of gold, jewels, jade, exquisite and luxurious jewelry, handicrafts, and more, stacked into mountains that almost touched the high ceiling. There was so much treasure, no less than the hoard in the Lonely Mountain. More importantly, half of this treasure belonged to Luke, whereas he had only taken one-tenth when he went to the Lonely Mountain.
Gandalf once again refused Balin's offer of treasure, taking only a few gold coins to buy pipe-weed from the Shire. Luke, however, lacked Gandalf's noble character and simply used his dimensional bag to store away half the treasure. After all, he had a host of other people (and pets) to care for at home, especially a dragon who prized wealth above all else and was eager to find more gold and jewels to build his nest.
Balin showed no pain or reluctance as Luke took half of the treasury's contents. After all, Moria's true treasure had never been the gold and jewels within the treasury, but the far more precious mithril ore. Moria's mithril ore was inexhaustible; possessing this vein of ore meant it was only a matter of time before one could achieve untold wealth.
After leaving the treasury, Balin asked Luke to set up a Floo network on the fireplace in the First Hall, offering to trade mithril for Floo powder, at a price of one gram of mithril for one gram of powder. Luke naturally wouldn't refuse such a lucrative deal. He was even contemplating how to increase the production of Floo powder without having to do it himself.
"Gandalf, Luke, I actually have one more thing I'd like to trouble you with this time," Balin said hesitantly. "You may not know that the bottom of the mine where the Balrog was entrenched is actually the place with the richest mithril reserves. If we want to continue mining, we can't avoid it. But the problem is that due to the Balrog's presence, it has turned into a land of magma, constantly spewing sulfur and other poisonous gases. We can't get close to it with our current strength. So, could you please go there and see if you can resolve the hidden danger?"
Luke and Gandalf were both a little surprised to hear Balin's request. Logically speaking, the Balrog had been destroyed, so the flames and magma at the bottom of the mine should have gradually died out. Could it be that there was a volcano underneath, and the Balrog had dug through the magma layer deep underground? Out of curiosity, Luke and Gandalf agreed to Balin's request. They came to the edge of the Moria Mines and flew to the bottom of the mines on their broomsticks.
The mine was very deep. Although it wasn't as profound as the abyss under Durin's Bridge that led directly underground, it was still several thousand meters deep. The two continued to descend, but the temperature became abnormally higher and higher. When they arrived at the bottom of the mine, they saw a river of magma, which continuously gushed out hot magma, and a strong, pungent smell of sulfur filled the air.
Luke cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself and Gandalf to block the pungent, noxious smell. Then he used his staff to cast the Aqua Eructo spell towards the magma below. The spring water gushed out and turned into a torrent that submerged the magma. The magma and water intertwined, turning into steam that shrouded the bottom of the mine in a thick fog.
The magma quickly cooled and solidified, transforming into bright silver mithril lava. It turned out that these magmas were melted mithril ore, and it was mithril of very high purity. After the surface cooled and solidified, the magma river instantly turned into a silver-white mithril galaxy. However, the two of them were not paying attention to the priceless Mithril Milky Way at this time but were looking at a lava tunnel. The scorching temperature there could not be extinguished or cooled even with water, and the mithril magma was still spewing out. Looking at the deep lava passage, they both guessed that this was the Balrog's former lair.
The lava tunnel was extremely hot, as if there were flames surging within it. To prevent accidents, Luke took out two bottles of fireproof potion. He and Gandalf each drank one, then cast a layer of Protego spell before walking towards the lava passage. The lava tunnel was very deep and seemed to lead to the ground. Magma constantly overflowed from the surrounding cracks, like a volcanic magma channel that might erupt at any moment. The two walked deeper and deeper into the lava tunnel filled with magma.
The temperature around them was high enough to melt the hardest metal. If it weren't for the effect of the fireproof potion, they would have been burned to charcoal by now. Just when they were wondering whether it led to the depths of the earth, the lava tunnel suddenly became clear and grew bright and hot. They had finally arrived at the Balrog's lair.
The Balrog's lair was a huge circular cave with magma and burning flames below, and a black boulder platform in the middle that had not melted. What surprised Luke and Gandalf was that the rock wall of the cave was covered with a thick layer of red transparent crystals, making the cave look like a magnificent crystal cave.
These red transparent crystals were very similar to the Balrog's magic crystals, emitting a burning sensation and filled with fire element magic. And it was because of the existence of these red crystals that the magma at the bottom of the mine had not cooled and solidified.
"What is that?" Luke looked at the red crystals on the cave wall in surprise and curiosity.
Gandalf was also very surprised. He replied, "This is a crystal of fire. It was formed by the flames and magic of the Balrog. It takes thousands of years to form." As he spoke, he smiled and congratulated Luke, "It seems that you are very lucky to encounter a flame crystal, which is more precious and rare than mithril. Not only can it be used to create weapons with fire attributes, but it also grants immunity to fire damage. It is a rare magical material."
"We are lucky!" Luke corrected happily.
Gandalf smiled and shook his head, "Just knock a small piece for me to use as a flint later. I don't need the rest, you can collect it yourself." Seeing that Gandalf truly didn't need it, Luke didn't insist anymore, and then happily began to use the Divine Spear Aeglos to pry out the fire crystals on the rock wall bit by bit, and then put them into a mithril box cast with a Traceless Extension Charm. These flame crystals were extremely hot.
Even with the protection of fireproof potion, Luke could still feel the heat in his hands. If placed in an ordinary metal or stone container, the high temperature would be enough to melt and burn through the contents. Only a box made of mithril could not only insulate heat but also prevent being melted by the flame crystals.
Seeing Luke happily prying out the flame crystals with his Divine Spear, Aeglos, Gandalf came to help, borrowing Luke's Flaming Sword and joining in the excavation. Finally, after all the flame crystals in the Balrog's lair were packed into a mithril box and sealed, the temperature of the cave dropped significantly. Of course, this drop was like going from tens of thousands of degrees Celsius to a few thousand degrees Celsius, which was still very hot. But without flame crystallization, the temperature here would gradually become lower over time, and eventually the magma would cool and solidify, turning into cold mithril ore. If there was no external force, this process would last for dozens or even hundreds of years. But since Luke and Gandalf had agreed to help the Dwarves solve the situation here, they naturally wouldn't sit idly by.
Luke and Gandalf worked together to cast a spell, using the Freezing Charm to directly freeze the hot magma. The temperature in the cave dropped rapidly, and the magma quickly cooled and solidified. The two men did not stop until the magma was completely extinguished.
After it was completed, Gandalf happily held a small piece of flame crystal, ready to use it as flint to light tobacco. As he lightly touched it with the finger wearing the Ring of Fire, the flame crystal seemed to lose its temperature and turned into a red gem. He casually put the gem into his pocket and said to Luke, "These flame crystals were born from the Balrog and are tainted with its evil aura. Remember to purify the evil power from them when you return."
"How do we purify them?"
"The simplest way is to expose them to the sun. The sunlight will slowly purify the evil power within them. Another way is to use the Light of Eärendil in your hand. Of course, using both together will have a faster effect."
"I understand. Thank you for your advice, Gandalf." Luke nodded and thanked Gandalf.