"You? How can you prove it?" Saruman questioned, his eyes cold.
"I have a magic that can extract memories from myself or others." Luke pressed his wand to his temple, recalling the situation at the time, and whispered a spell.
A silver thread was drawn from his temple; it was a memory from that time.
Once a memory is extracted, to view it, one must either implant it into someone else's mind or use a Pensieve.
A Pensieve was not realistic, and everyone around him was, without exception, a powerful individual, likely unwilling to let Luke tamper with their memories.
However, Luke had another option.
He looked at Galadriel and requested, "Lady Galadriel, I heard that you can create a water mirror that shows the past and future. Could you please create a container here that can hold memories, so that everyone can see the scenes within?"
"As you wish."
Galadriel did not refuse. She picked up a wine jug from the table, walked to the nearby river, and scooped up a jug of clear water.
When she poured it onto the tabletop, the clear water seemed to be infused with magic, emitting starlight, very clear and bright, forming a very distinct water mirror.
At Galadriel's signal, Luke flicked the memory thread wrapped around his wand into the water mirror.
The memory merged into the water mirror, creating a ripple.
The water mirror displayed Luke's past memories, from his first encounter with the Witch-king of Angmar possessing a body in the Barrow-downs tomb, to the expedition team encountering hundreds of wights on the road, and the scene of Gandalf battling the Witch-king of Angmar possessing a wight.
Everyone gathered around the water mirror, watching the images within with solemn expressions.
Even Saruman, who was stubborn and unwilling to admit the truth, now looked grim and remained silent.
After all, the facts were very clear. Apart from Luke, everyone present was a far-sighted and powerful individual, and they could all recognize that it was undoubtedly the Witch-king of Angmar.
But Saruman clearly did not want to admit he was wrong.
"Although it is confirmed to be the Witch-king of Angmar, this does not mean that Sauron has returned. When his finger was cut off by Narsil, his physical form was already destroyed, and only his spirit remains, which is nothing to fear."
"Moreover, without the one ring, he cannot gain power and threaten Middle-earth again."
Elrond and Galadriel did not speak, but they stood behind Gandalf, clearly having made their choice.
Saruman saw this scene, and his jealousy towards Gandalf intensified. He was clearly the leader of the White Council, but now he was isolated and helpless.
"Leaving aside the matter of the Nazgûl, just the Dwarves' problem, Gandalf, you need to give us an explanation."
Saruman seized on another topic, pressing him step by step.
"You always love to meddle, clearly there is no trouble, yet you go looking for it yourself. We all know what sleeps in the Lonely Mountain, yet you stubbornly insist on trying to awaken that dragon. You are bringing trouble upon yourself."
"I cannot agree with your opinion, Saruman." Gandalf shook his head, "The dragon Smaug does not belong to any side. Once he allies with the Orc, it will bring unpredictable consequences to all forces in Middle-earth."
"Only by letting the Dwarves reclaim the Lonely Mountain can we restrain the dark forces in the Far East and prevent them from expanding."
Just as Gandalf and Saruman were arguing, Lindir, Elrond's secretary, brought news.
Thorin Oakenshield had left Rivendell early with the Dwarves and Bilbo.
When speaking of this news, Lindir's tone carried a hint of joy.
During this time, the Dwarves had given the elves of Rivendell a huge headache.
They not only squandered all of Rivendell's food and wine but also dismantled the elves' musical instruments for firewood, constantly making loud noises, and bathing in the elves' fountains…
But Elrond, adhering to the courtesy of treating guests as honored, did not blame them.
Now that the Dwarves had left, the entire Rivendell felt like a celebration, and the elves were almost ready to hold a celebratory feast.
This White Council meeting ultimately ended on a sour note due to Saruman's disagreement.
Saruman was the leader of the White Council. Although Elrond and Galadriel agreed with Gandalf's opinion, they would not openly oppose Saruman.
Therefore, Gandalf's proposal for the White Council members to jointly attack Dol Guldur ultimately failed to be achieved.
So Gandalf decided to go to Dol Guldur first to investigate and confirm whether the Dark Lord Sauron was truly hiding there.
Before leaving Rivendell,
After obtaining Elrond's permission, Luke used magic on a fireplace to set up a node for the Floo Network, connecting the fireplace in Rivendell with the one in the Weathertop tower.
Thus, in the future, he could easily travel back and forth between Weathertop and Rivendell via the Floo Network.
And as a thank you, Luke gifted a small pouch of Floo powder to Elrond, enough for one person to use for ten teleportations.
Traveling from Rivendell to the Lonely Mountain required crossing the Misty Mountains, where the terrain was rugged and impassable.
So Luke left his carriage and the pony, Little Dullard, in Rivendell, entrusting them to the elves' care.
Afterward, he and Gandalf set off on foot towards the Misty Mountains, following in Thorin's footsteps.
Thorin and his company had departed a day earlier than Luke and Gandalf,
However, the two were not in a hurry, instead walking at a leisurely pace.
Luke had the Palantír, so he wasn't afraid of not finding Thorin and his company.
"Where are they now?" Gandalf plopped down on a stone, slowly puffing on his pipe as he inquired.
"Let me see." Luke picked up a small leather pouch from his waist, pulled out a crystal ball several times larger than the pouch, and looked carefully into it.
"Hmm… They are already nearing the High Pass. If we want to catch up, it will probably take a lot of time."
He then stuffed the Palantír back into the small leather pouch and pulled out a bottle of water to drink from it.
Seeing this, Gandalf couldn't help but exclaim, "Your magic truly surprises me more and more. It even involves spatial magic."
"This is the Undetectable Extension Charm, merely a magic that expands space. It's not even considered spatial magic," Luke said, shaking his head.
The Book of Spells recorded many spells, including the Undetectable Extension Charm.
The Undetectable Extension Charm can infinitely expand the internal space of an object without changing its external volume.
Many things in the magical world apply this charm, such as Wizard suitcases, magic tents, secret bases, and other scenarios requiring concealment and expansion.
Among them, the most iconic item is Newt Scamander's suitcase, which almost contains a small world filled with countless magical creatures.
The Undetectable Extension Charm is an advanced spell, very difficult to learn. Luke practiced for a long time and only managed to expand a stable space with a diameter of over two meters inside a small leather pouch.
With this space, Luke's life became much more convenient. All the items in his carriage were packed into his small leather pouch, including his personal sword and dagger. Aside from a wand in his hand, he could be said to be traveling light.
Gandalf was very envious of this and begged Luke to create a space for him as well. For this purpose, he specifically expanded his pipe pouch, intending to use it exclusively for storing Shire tobacco, so he could smoke tobacco wherever he went in the future.
No wonder Saruman would mock him, saying he had been addled by the hobbits' tobacco.
"Excessive humility is pride, Luke." Gandalf shook his head, disagreeing,
"Your magic is different from ours. We borrow the power of nature from outside, while your magic is more like an embodiment of your inner self, changing with your will. You say 'Let there be light,' and there is light."
"Such an ability is beyond us. Although it is still very small, its future is limitless."
"Oh, by the way, you now have the elven gem gifted by Lady Galadriel. You can start making your staff. What wood do you plan to use? Once you've chosen, I will begin making it for you."