Chapter 038: Falling Apart

The city built by the elves was far more beautiful than imagined, but Wang Bo could be sure that this was definitely not a real elven city, because the plot had not described this city in detail.

So this city was merely a figment of the game designers' imagination.

Wang Bo guessed that this city and the real elven city were likely poles apart, with no similarity whatsoever.

Unfortunately, Wang Bo had never been to the elven city inside Lothlórien, so he didn't know exactly where the differences lay; perhaps when he had time, he should go and have a look.

The group strolled along the wide streets, and as they walked, most of what they saw were beautiful elves.

These long-lived races possessed lifespans that humans could only envy. Perhaps a few-hundred-year-old elf was, in the eyes of most adult elves, just a mischievous child.

But among humans, basically no one could live that long.

Even the human king Aragorn, Wang Bo remembered, only lived a little over two hundred years in the end.

That was definitely long-lived among humans, but in the eyes of elves, it was merely the age of a child.

Asuna walked along, occasionally pulling Wang Bo to take photos at some beautiful scenic spots, and Yui and Dr. Brave Stone did not escape either, being dragged over by Asuna.

The group played in the city until dark before returning to their temporary base.

The elves had set up a tent for them near the fountain, placing luxurious cushions inside as a place for Wang Bo and his party to stay.

After resting there for a while, the players and NPCs continued on their way.

Wang Bo remembered that here, Galadriel had been tempted by the Ring, but she herself refused its seduction; however, Wang Bo had not seen this scene in the game.

In fact, besides Wang Bo, many players wanted to experience this scene to see if they could trigger a quest.

But everyone failed.

There were even two players who stuck close to the Hobbits without leaving their side, yet still did not trigger this scene.

Finally, the group left Lothlórien.

Led by Aragorn, they continued forward and finally reached the Silverlode River, where the elves had already prepared boats for the players and their party.

After boarding the boats, Aragorn led them along the Silverlode; the current was very swift, so for safety's sake, they deliberately reduced speed.

On the river, Wang Bo's group encountered Galadriel and Celeborn again, who had come to bid farewell to the Fellowship of the Ring.

After parting with the two elves, the group continued on their way.

They advanced along the river, growing more desolate with each step; everyone became vigilant, for this place was no longer safe, and Sauron's minions could appear at any time.

No one dared to be careless.

But what was meant to come eventually came. At a shallow bend, the group was ambushed; arrows rained down like a storm. Fortunately, no one had been too careless; they grabbed their shields or weapons and blocked the hail of arrows.

Then, Legolas and Caroline launched a counterattack.

One by one, the orcs fell to their hands.

The mage players also released some ice spikes, killing the orcs that had ambushed them.

After this attack, the group experienced about three more ambushes before reaching the Argonath unimpeded.

This was one of the most famous landmarks in Middle-earth, standing on both sides of the Anduin River, over 180 meters tall, nearly 200 meters.

It was built during the reign of King Rómendacil II of Gondor, when Gondor was at the height of its power. The Argonath marked the northern border of Gondor; no one could enter south of the Argonath without the king's permission.

The group sailed through the statues; on both sides of the river were steep cliffs inaccessible to people. Soon, they passed through the gorge and reached the pale lake Nen Hithoel.

But the players did not stop; instead, they continued onward.

By evening, they arrived at a meadow and decided to rest there for the night.

The next morning, the players logged in one after another, and after breakfast, Aragorn and the other NPCs gathered everyone together.

“The day has come at last!” he said. “We have long delayed the day of decision. After all we have been through, after such a long journey, how shall the Fellowship continue?”

“Should we go west with Boromir to join the war in Gondor? Or go east, into fear and the Shadow? Or must we split, breaking into small groups according to each one’s will?”

“In any case, we must decide quickly. We know the enemy is on the east bank, but I fear orcs may have already crossed to this side of the river.”

At that moment, all players, including Wang Bo, received a notification.

It was a choice.

Gondor, or Mordor.

Those who knew the plot understood that soon the Fellowship would fall apart; Frodo and Sam, the two Hobbits, would set out on the journey to Mordor.

Aragorn would go to Gondor, for he was the thirty-ninth direct descendant of Isildur, heir to the throne of Gondor.

The players also had two choices: one was to follow Frodo and continue escorting the Ring.

The other was to follow Aragorn and make a name in the war.

After all, this was a game with a high degree of freedom.

Interestingly, if one chose Mordor, they would undergo a dangerous trial in one hour; only by passing the trial could they travel with Frodo.

If they failed the trial, then all was lost.

Wang Bo naturally chose to go to Mordor; he was not interested in war, but he was very interested in the trial. Seeing Wang Bo's choice, Malthus, Caroline, Ada Wong, and the others unanimously chose Mordor.

Yui, Asuna, and Dr. Brave Stone also chose Mordor.

Besides them, most players chose Mordor; only a very few hesitated and chose Gondor. From that moment, the players were split into two factions.

Aragorn did not know that the players had already split; he turned his gaze to Frodo, hoping Frodo could give him a perfect answer.

But Frodo, burdened with the heavy task, chose to retreat, asking for an hour to think.

Aragorn naturally agreed.

So Frodo left alone, and soon Boromir followed him.

The players were not too surprised; they all knew that Boromir had been corrupted by the Ring, and his purpose in following was to seize the Ring from Frodo.