Chapter 019: Enhancement

The White Council actually didn't have much power.

They were merely a group of Maiar and Elves formed specifically to oppose Sauron. Even becoming a member of the White Council couldn't bring profit from that status, nor could it command others.

But even so, Wang Bo agreed. Because it represented recognition.

Joining the White Council meant that Wang Bo had become a member of Middle-earth, and would gain a good reputation among Rivendell and the Maiar.

So Wang Bo agreed.

Seeing Wang Bo agree, Gandalf perked up. He knew Wang Bo's strength; even now that he himself had advanced to the White Wizard, he might not be a match for Wang Bo.

Such a human would definitely be a main force against Sauron.

Besides that, Gandalf also had a little ulterior motive. He said, "Since Your Majesty is willing to join the White Council, I will convene the members to meet with you as soon as possible. But before that, I hope Your Majesty can lend me something—of course, just a loan, I will return it to you."

"What?" Wang Bo asked.

"The Ring of Power," Gandalf said slowly.

Wang Bo suddenly understood. The Ring of Power in his hand had been infused with the Horse Talisman, which could heal most injuries. Two members of the White Council, Queen Galadriel and Círdan the Shipwright, had suffered severe wounds.

"I see."

He took out two replica Horse Talismans from his fourth-dimensional pocket and tossed them to Gandalf. "You want the Ring of Power only for its healing ability."

"The reason the Ring of Power has healing power is because it incorporates these two talismans. Now I give these two talismans to you; take them back to Galadriel and Círdan."

Gandalf tapped his staff lightly on the ground, producing a crisp sound. The two Horse Talismans obediently flew to Gandalf. "Thank you, Your Majesty. On behalf of Galadriel and Círdan, I thank you."

"You're welcome," Wang Bo said calmly. "We are all members of the White Council, just mutual benefit."

His purpose in doing this was simply to make the two owe him a favor.

Galadriel, needless to say, was renowned for her incomparable beauty, great power, and boundless wisdom, and also had the nickname of the Sorceress Queen.

So Wang Bo very much wanted to spar with her in magic, or rather exchange magical knowledge.

And Círdan possessed superb shipbuilding skills, so Wang Bo wanted him to build a magical ship.

But both were Elves, not easy to deal with.

Fortunately, both had been injured by Saruman, so Wang Bo had the opportunity to make them owe him a favor. For that, Wang Bo certainly wouldn't begrudge two replica Horse Talismans.

Even giving them away was not out of the question.

But Wang Bo thought that given their pride, they probably wouldn't accept. The saying 'one does not accept rewards without merit' is a truth worldwide, and the same in another world.

Wang Bo planned to first let them owe a favor, then trade the Horse Talismans to them under the guise of a transaction. After that, whether it was exchanging magic or building a magical ship,

the two probably wouldn't refuse. After all, 'a soft tongue may take away a man's peace'—that saying is also a truth worldwide, even in another world. Unless both Elves were shameless.

But the problem was, they weren't.

On the other hand, having obtained the Horse Talismans, Gandalf wanted to hurry back and treat his two old friends as soon as possible, so he took his leave. Wang Bo didn't stop him and even asked if he wanted Smaug to give him a ride.

"Um, please allow me to decline."

Gandalf was initially tempted—how impressive to ride a dragon, even among the Maiar it would be unique. But in the end, he refused, perhaps thinking of something.

Wang Bo nodded slightly, exchanged a few pleasantries, and saw Gandalf off.

After Gandalf left, Wang Bo remembered that he still had a lottery draw in Middle-earth.

He had accumulated one draw after sending Elsa back.

But he hadn't chosen to draw then, deciding to save it until he found the second traveler and sent him back, then draw together.

But the second traveler was too cocky and was crushed by Eru Ilúvatar.

Wang Bo had been scared and fled, hastily leaving Middle-earth and this world.

Coming back this time, Wang Bo's mindset was different.

Moreover, he had not only joined the White Council but also made Círdan and Galadriel owe him a favor invisibly—quite good luck.

So Wang Bo decided to take this opportunity to try his luck with a draw.

"System, help me make that draw."

[Understood, host. Draw begins, prize determined, prize issued. Heh, host, you're quite lucky; you got a good item.]

"What good item?" Wang Bo asked while starting to search in his fourth-dimensional pocket. Soon he saw an unfamiliar object inside.

[It's a Reinforcement Stone, a specialty from a certain game world. It can be used to reinforce weapons and items. With enough Reinforcement Stones, you can upgrade items.]

Wang Bo's eyes flickered a few times. "This isn't from Dungeon & Fighter, is it?"

That thing was really a scam.

[No, rest assured.]

Wang Bo breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up the Reinforcement Stone, about the size of his palm, shimmering with a soft glow, covered in runes he couldn't understand.

Wang Bo thought for a moment, first took out the Woodcutter's Well, threw the Reinforcement Stone in, and obtained a larger Reinforcement Stone from the Spring Goddess.

Then he used the Copy Mirror to duplicate a Reinforcement Stone.

He took the duplicated Reinforcement Stone, pulled out a Ring of Power—the genuine one, of course—and following the system's prompt, slammed the Reinforcement Stone hard onto the Ring of Power.

With a crisp sound, the Reinforcement Stone shattered into countless specks of light that burrowed into the Ring of Power.

A few seconds later, the Ring of Power emitted a clear ding.

As if it had leveled up.

Ring of Power Reinforcement +1.

Wang Bo picked up the Ring of Power, examined it carefully, then went to Lake-town, found Bard, and had Bard conduct experiments with the Ring of Power. He found that the enhancement was significant.

The reinforced Ring of Power had at least a twenty percent increase in power compared to the original.

That was no small number.

Twenty percent might not seem impressive, but in reality, it was terrifying. If each level could increase by twenty percent, even a stone could become harder than steel.

Reinforcing the Ring of Power to the level of a divine artifact was not impossible, after all, it was already quite powerful.