"We learned from Beorn that Orcs have recently gathered in Dol Guldur, so we plan to go there and investigate," Gandalf explained.
Hearing Gandalf's words, Radagast looked apprehensive and quickly tried to dissuade him.
"Don't go!"
"I felt a very powerful dark force shrouding that place, making even me feel alarmed. That power has now spread to Mirkwood, attracting countless dark creatures. It has become even more dangerous there!"
"Then we must go even more!" Gandalf said firmly, "Darkness has appeared again. We must know its true nature to awaken the people of Middle-earth and prepare them for another dark invasion."
"Besides, I'm not unprepared. Don't I have helpers?"
"You and Luke? No, no, no, that's too dangerous!" Radagast shook his head frantically, "You don't know how terrifying that dark power is. The two of you together are no match for it!"
"Of course, it's not just us," Gandalf said with a chuckle, "We came here precisely to ask for your help."
"Me? No, no, no, Gandalf, you know me, I don't fight at all. And it's not that I'm boosting the enemy's morale and dampening our own, but even if the three of us teamed up, we might not be able to leave there safely!"
Radagast shook his head, his face full of disapproval.
"Knowing it's a trap and still walking into it is not a wise move, Gandalf."
"Don't be so quick to refuse, my old friend," Gandalf persuaded, "In fact, Luke shares your view, so we plan to find more allies to conquer Dol Guldur together."
"Allies? What other allies?" Radagast asked, puzzled.
Gandalf looked at Luke.
Luke nodded, stood up, and walked towards the fireplace.
"Radagast, may I borrow your fireplace for a moment?"
"Borrow the fireplace?" Radagast was even more confused, but still nodded, "Please do."
With Gandalf's mysterious smile, Radagast watched Luke wave his wand and murmur to the fireplace.
"Alright," Luke put away his wand, then pulled out a glass bottle filled with sparkling powder, and said with a smile to the two of them, "Time is short, we should set off!"
Gandalf was the first to stand up, taking a handful of Floo powder from the bottle. He then walked to the fireplace and threw it into the fire, which instantly turned green.
"Rivendell!"
Gandalf stepped into the green flames, shouting loudly.
The next second, the green fire directly swallowed Gandalf, making him instantly disappear.
Radagast stared wide-eyed at the scene, then quickly ran over, searching meticulously up and down, before looking back at Luke.
"Where's Gandalf? Where did he go?"
"Didn't you hear? Rivendell," Luke replied with a smile, then handed the bottle to him.
"Take a handful."
"Remember to clearly shout the place name when you throw it down, otherwise, it's easy to be transported to another fireplace."
Radagast grabbed a handful of Floo powder, looking at the glittering powder in his hand with great surprise.
If Luke hadn't stopped him in time, he would have tried to taste it.
Finally, under Luke's guidance, he took the Floo powder, walked into the fireplace, threw the Floo powder at his feet, and shouted the name Rivendell.
Watching Radagast disappear into the flames, Luke then followed him into the fireplace, throwing down a handful of Floo powder.
"Rivendell!"
A dizzying sensation, and during the teleportation, Luke even caught a glimpse of the fireplace window at Beorn's house, vaguely seeing Beorn's tall figure in the living room.
Before he could finish his thought, his feet touched solid ground again.
"Pah, pah… Scourgify!" Luke spat out the ash in his mouth and immediately cast a cleaning spell on himself.
This Floo powder teleportation was very stable and convenient; the only drawback was that each teleportation left him covered in ash.
Outside the fireplace stood Gandalf, Radagast, and Elrond, who had been waiting for a long time.
"Luke, clean me and Radagast too," Gandalf said with a chuckle, "Appearing before Lord Elrond covered in ash like this would be truly impolite!"
Luke waved his wand upon hearing this, cleaning him and the somewhat excited Radagast.
Then he nodded in greeting to the smiling Elrond.
"Lord Elrond, long time no see."
"Welcome back to Rivendell, Wizard Luke," Elrond said, his demeanor elegant and noble, his smile gentle, "Time flies. It feels like only yesterday you left, and today we meet again. What a pleasant surprise!"
"I've already heard from Gandalf that you came from Mirkwood, able to travel thousands of miles in an instant. Wizard Luke, your magic truly amazes me!"
"Lord Elrond, you flatter me!"
After some pleasantries, everyone got to the main topic.
Gandalf explained their purpose to Elrond and told him about the current situation in Dol Guldur.
Radagast also supplemented and confirmed from the side.
Hearing the news provided by Gandalf and Radagast, Elrond's expression also became serious and solemn.
He did not have Saruman's stubbornness and prejudice against Gandalf, so he believed Gandalf's words and immediately accepted the invitation to go to Dol Guldur together.
However, before setting off, he still hesitated, saying, "This matter is of great importance. Do we need to send word to Lady Galadriel and Saruman?"
Especially since Saruman was the leader of the White Council, if they didn't explain, it might cause Saruman to be displeased.
Gandalf pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Of course, we need to send word to them."
"But the journey is long, and Saruman doesn't have Floo powder for teleportation like us. It's normal for him to receive the letter only when we arrive at Dol Guldur, right?" Gandalf showed a deliberate smile, his tone innocent.
Elrond could only tacitly agree upon hearing this.
He knew that Saruman and Gandalf did not get along. At the last White Council meeting, Saruman rejected the request to investigate Dol Guldur. He and Galadriel found it difficult to oppose Saruman's decision, but they actually leaned more towards Gandalf's view.
Not to mention, as the owners of the three Elven rings, he, Galadriel, and Gandalf were naturally more closely related.
Luke also offered a suggestion:
"Lord Elrond, not only are there a large number of Orcs gathered in Dol Guldur, but there are also Nazgûl appearing, and their master behind them is very likely hiding there as well.
To be on the safe side, could we invite more people, such as Lord Glorfindel, who resides in Rivendell, to guard against the enemy possessing even greater power?"
"I cannot decide for Glorfindel. This matter requires his opinion."
Elrond did not immediately agree.
Glorfindel, as an Elf who was reborn and sent to Middle-earth by the Valar, held a very special status. Even Elrond, as the Lord of Rivendell, greatly respected him.
To everyone's delight, Glorfindel finally accepted the invitation and decided to go to Dol Guldur together to eliminate the darkness.
Glorfindel's inclusion made everyone more confident in the mission.
Once everyone was assembled, Luke began to distribute Floo powder to everyone and explain how to use it.
"Radagast's Cottage!"
With each rising green flame and each shouted name.
Everyone successively disappeared from the fireplace, teleporting to Radagast's wooden house in Mirkwood.