CHAPTER 155: TERRITORY EXPANSION

Sylas was astonished when, quite by accident, he transformed an Orc into a firebird.

The firebird perfectly blended the magical operations of both dragon and Great Eagle, with the fire rune at its core forming a new, complete, and seamless magic circulation system. It possessed the size of a Great Eagle and the fire-breathing ability of a dragon.

Of course, because the Orc’s original magical reserves were limited, the firebird’s overall strength still fell short of a true Great Eagle. Its flames, though magical and stronger than ordinary fire, were nowhere near the searing dragonflame.

Even so, Sylas was more than satisfied. Looking at the creature before him, he realized he had created something entirely new.

Once transformed, the Orc was no longer an Orc at all. Its magic cycle had undergone a qualitative change; in truth, it was now a firebird with the soul of an Orc.

From that moment on, Sylas immersed himself in studying the firebird. His ambitions, however, stretched far beyond a fire-breathing Animagus.

His ultimate goal was to evolve his Animagus into a phoenix.

The phoenix, known as the immortal bird, could rise from its own ashes time and again. In a sense, it was deathless. If he could take on a phoenix form, perhaps he too could share in its rebirth and immortality.

As the years passed, and Sylas lived among the Elves, Arwen among them, he became increasingly aware that his time was finite. Wizards were long-lived, it was true, and the stronger their magic, the longer they endured, yet they were not immortal. Not even they matched the lifespan of the Dúnedain.

Aragorn, for example, was already well past eighty when the War of the Ring began, yet he still appeared as a man in his thirties. If Sylas lived to see that age, he would likely be an old man.

Thus, he prepared two possible paths to immortality. One was to perfect his Animagus into a phoenix, gaining its legendary cycle of rebirth. The other was to create the Philosopher’s Stone, which could grant unending life.

The phoenix path had first taken root in his mind after meeting Beorn and gaining a bird Animagus form. After all, was there not a saying that a sparrow could become a phoenix? All birds shared the same essence, why should an owl be any different?

The greatest obstacle was that the phoenix did not exist in Middle-earth. With no living example to study, Sylas’s vision of evolving into one was little more than a castle in the air, without a single stone laid for its foundation.

Thinking of this, Sylas summoned the copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and found the page about the phoenix.

As a master of magical zoology, Newt Scamander’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them recorded magical creatures from all over the world and was regarded as an encyclopedia of such beings. Newt’s introduction to the phoenix was particularly detailed. In the preface, he even expressed his gratitude to Dumbledore for lending him the phoenix Fawkes for a period of study.

There was also a moving illustration of Fawkes in the book, a magnificent bird with golden-red plumage, a long, graceful tail, a golden beak and talons, and dark, intelligent eyes. Sylas gazed at the portrait, his eyes filled with longing.

Yet after reading the entire entry, he found that Scamander’s research focused mostly on the phoenix’s habits and abilities, not on the structure of the bird itself. The only valuable insight he gained was a reliable-sounding guess about its origin: that the phoenix was born of flame, a spirit conceived within fire.

This was not Scamander’s own speculation but a remark from Dumbledore. Though it was just one sentence, it gave Sylas a clear sense of direction. Dumbledore was one of the few great wizards to have a phoenix as a companion, and his family had a mysterious connection with the bird, so his words were hardly idle.

Sylas decided that his next research would be to explore the mysteries of fire and the phoenix, applying what he learned to the firebird he had already created. If he could craft a phoenix in Middle-earth, there might be hope for his Animagus evolution.

When it came to understanding fire, only one name came to mind: Gandalf, bearer of the Ring of Fire. In times of difficulty, one should turn to allies, and as a member of the White Council, Sylas naturally sought Gandalf’s help. He suspected the wizard would also be intrigued by the idea of creating a phoenix.

After nearly half a year secluded in his laboratory, Sylas finally left his tower again. His first destination was to meet with the village chief, or rather, Mayor Luke.

Over the past year and a half, the small village of Hogsmeade at the foot of the mountain had grown into a thriving town of nearly ten thousand people, with more arriving each day hoping to settle there. As mayor, Luke regularly went up the mountain to report the situation to Sylas, recording all matters of taxes and new residents in a ledger for the wizard to review.

"Luke, what brings you here this time?" Sylas asked when they met in the reception room.

Luke’s face lit with unconcealable joy. "My lord, I have great news! Do you remember the Mayor of Bree? He came to Hogsmeade to see me not long ago. He wanted to meet you, but you were busy, so he didn’t disturb you."

"Oh? And what was his purpose?" Sylas asked with mild curiosity. He remembered Graeme well, an ambitious man with a hunger for power, status, and wealth. Such men were common in Middle-earth, and Sylas had never paid him much mind.

Luke grinned with a touch of mischief. "Sir, Graeme says Bree is willing to pledge allegiance to you and become one of your towns, accepting your rule."

Sylas was taken aback. "Bree wants to join me? Is this a joke? Did the mayor truly say that? And can he speak for the whole town?" As far as he knew, Graeme valued his authority above all else. Would such a man truly accept a ruler over him?

"Of course he doesn’t want to," Luke said, smirking. "But if he refuses, he can forget about remaining mayor."

Sylas glanced at Luke, raising an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Luke wasn’t surprised that Sylas could guess there was more to the story. He chuckled. "I simply persuaded the residents of Bree to move to Hogsmeade. After all, not only are taxes lower here, but we have vast tracts of fertile land to distribute. And with you here, my lord, no one would dare infringe upon your territory."

"So how many residents of Bree have come to Hogsmeade?" Sylas hadn’t expected Luke to cut the problem off at its root and grew even more curious.

"Only half came," Luke said with a hint of regret. "There could have been more, but that Graeme acted quickly, closed the city gates, and used a lot of sweet talk to persuade the rest to stay."

Sylas’s mouth twitched. Half of Bree’s people had been taken away, yet Luke still looked disappointed. He could already imagine how furious the mayor of Bree would be once he found out. After all, if there are no people left, how can one remain a mayor? A commander without troops?

"Since there are still half the residents left, why would he still want to rely on me?" Sylas asked.

A sly glint of pride lit Luke’s face. "I told the people of Bree who moved here to write to their relatives and neighbors back home. They are to tell them of your power, justice, and kindness, the grandeur and beauty of your castle, the happiness and peace of Hogsmeade, and how honored they feel to be your people. Once word spreads, Graeme will not be able to keep control. Who could refuse to become your subject?"

He went on, "So now the people of Bree have begun to demand that their town accept your rule, so they can enjoy the same life as our citizens. And if Graeme wants to keep his position as mayor, he will have no choice but to request your protection himself."

Sylas looked at Luke with genuine admiration. He had not expected such cunning from him.

If Bree’s mayor, Graeme, knew about this, he would probably hate Luke to death. Sylas had originally no intention of annexing Bree, but now that the other party offered it to him, he naturally would not refuse.

So with Sylas nodding in agreement, Mayor Graeme of Bree and the town representatives soon came to Weathertop Castle again with land inventories, tax books, and more.

In the hall, in the presence of everyone, the mayor and representatives presented land inventories, tax books, resident registration books, and other official records, formally swearing allegiance to Sylas.

Bree thus became the second town under the rule of Sylas.

As for the mayor, Sylas still allowed Graeme to remain in the position. There was a real shortage of capable administrators. Although Mayor Graeme was greedy for power, he could at least manage Bree competently.

Besides, with Graeme restrained by Luke, who was a tough overseer, there was no need to worry about him harboring dangerous ambitions.

When Graeme heard that Sylas wanted him to continue serving as mayor of Bree, he was overjoyed and repeatedly declared his loyalty.

At the same time, he truly had no other plans and simply wanted to please Sylas so that he could hold onto his mayoral seat, and perhaps one day replace Luke as the most trusted person under the lord.

Although they were now colleagues, he swore to crush his rival and ensure Luke could never surpass him.

And while Hogsmeade might be close to the lord, Graeme did not forget that Bree stood at the crossroads of the East–West Avenue and North–South Avenue, with excellent transportation advantages.

Graeme vowed to develop Bree better than Hogsmeade and prove his worth to the lord.

From his seat above, Sylas noticed the unspoken rivalry between the Mayor of Bree and the Mayor of Hogsmeade, and a faint smile touched his lips.

As long as it was merely healthy competition and not a conspiracy, Sylas would not interfere.

...

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