chsdbacks Chapter 439 Power and Authority
Chapter 439 Power and Authority
Chapter 439 Power and Authority
Just as Dui was slowly regaining his mental strength, Gandalf strode towards him from the distant palace.
"Duir, you arrived earlier than I expected. Have you finished the experiment?" Gandalf said with a surprised smile.
But then his expression turned to surprise and suspicion as he scrutinized Duy from head to toe. "Duy, why do I feel like you're a little different?"
Dui was somewhat surprised to hear this; he hadn't expected Gandalf to be so perceptive.
"What do you think makes me different?"
"Uh—how should I put it, you seem a bit out of place right now, like you're surrounded by some kind of power. Even though you're standing right in front of me, you feel very distant," Gandalf said, puzzled and curious.
Then, the next second, his eyes widened, revealing an incredulous look. His eyes instantly glanced towards the studio, then quickly looked at Dui.
"What's going on? Duir, how can there be two of you at the same time?!"
Duy remained calm despite Gandalf's discovery. He smiled and explained, "The me in the present moment is me from six hours later. As for the me in the studio, I should be finishing up the final product right now."
"So, you've successfully created the Time-Turner? And then traveled back to the present in the past?" Gandalf asked, even more surprised.
"Yes." Dui nodded with a smile and took out the used time converter to show him.
Dui did not hide the fact that he made the time-tamper from Gandalf, nor could he hide it from him anyway.
More importantly, Duy also had some trust in Gandalf, whose real name was Orolin. This Maiar had studied under Veranina, who was in charge of sorrow, mercy, and wisdom, and had also inherited compassion and kindness.
So aside from not telling Gandalf that he could use the Time-Turner to perceive the river of time, he did not hide the fact that he made the Time-Turner from Gandalf.
Upon receiving Duy's affirmative answer, and looking at the Time-Turner in Duy's hand that radiated time fluctuations, Gandalf couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "A divine artifact capable of reversing time—you, Duy, have actually forged it! This is truly incredible! I think if the god of craftsmen, Auril, knew that you had created such a time-turnering artifact, he would definitely want to take you as his apprentice!"
Dui shook his head: "The power of time is too great. The time converter I made can only go back five hours a day at most. Any more than that and it will collapse and be destroyed. Moreover, it cannot change what has already happened in the future. It can only be used as an observer. It has great limitations and can hardly be called a divine artifact."
But Gandalf looked at him with disapproval. "Duir, you are too modest. The mysteries of time are unfathomable. Even the Valar cannot master such power. The fact that you can use the power of time to go back in time is already a remarkable achievement."
"Honestly, seeing all the items you've created, whether it's the making of wands, the construction of the Floo Net, the Crown of Wisdom, the Philosopher's Stone, or now the Time-Turner, I think you have such outstanding craftsmanship that you should learn from Veraoli."
With his guidance, you will undoubtedly have unlimited potential on the path of craftsmanship, and it's even possible that you could inherit Viraoli's mantle!
Gandalf truly believed this. Although he always respected Duy's choice, he would support whichever Vera he chose as his mentor.
However, if he had to choose between Oli, the god of craftsmen, Mandos, the master of the dead, and Manwë, the king of the Valar, Gandalf would recommend that Dui become an apprentice of Oli.
With Duir's exceptional talent in craftsmanship and the series of inventions he has created, he will surely gain the attention of the god of craftsmen, Oli, and may even become the number one person under Viraoli in the future, standing at the top of the Maya.
"Thank you for your suggestion, Gandalf. I will seriously consider it," Dui said sincerely to Gandalf.
He knew Gandalf meant well, which was why he recommended that he become a disciple of Oly, the god of craftsmen.
However, he had long ago excluded Oly, the god of craftsmen, from his list of apprentices, and could only disappoint Gandalf's good intentions.
Gandalf and the others were unaware of Dui's identity as a time traveler. They assumed that Dui had invented and created the wand-making process, the Floo Net, the Resurrection Stone, the Invisibility Cloak, the Philosopher's Stone, the Time-Turner, and so on, which is why they thought he was exceptionally talented.
But Dui himself knew his own abilities. He had simply copied the wisdom of wizards from another world. In fact, he did not have the high talent in craftsmanship that outsiders thought he possessed.
If he chooses to become an apprentice of Valaoli and continue to delve into the art of craftsmanship, with the wisdom and knowledge of a wizard from another world, he could indeed become the most outstanding master craftsman, be valued by Vala, and hold a certain position in Valinor.
But he was not satisfied with such a future, because once he chose the path of craftsmanship, no matter how he developed, he was only expanding the path of the god of craftsmen, Oli, and would always remain below him.
He might be able to reach the level of the Valar, like Eonwe, the leader of the Maiar, but by choosing someone else's path, he can never surpass them, thus locking away the end of his future.
Therefore, even if Dui were to take a Vera as his mentor in the future, he would not choose to follow the other's path, but would instead forge his own unique path.
The most promising path, or rather, the most tangible power, is the power of time, which has not yet been seized by anyone.
The only god who might be even remotely connected to this authority over time is Viri, the weaving goddess and wife of Mandos, the lord of the dead.
Vera, the goddess of textiles, is skilled in weaving. She weaves all that has happened into the historical canvas of her sleeves, hanging it on the walls of Mandos, making it as vast as time itself.
Therefore, Vera, the goddess of textiles, can also be considered the goddess of history, as she records all of time and is thus somewhat associated with the authority over time.
However, even the textile goddess Vera did not truly wield the power of time.
Perhaps in the entire world of Arda, the only one who truly wields the power of time is the creator god Ilúvatar.
However, Ilúvatar is the source of all power in the world of Arda, and can be considered an omnipotent true god who has long transcended the entire world of Arda and does not participate in the management of the world.
Therefore, if Dui could master the power of time, he would undergo a tremendous change, his strength would leap above all the other Maias, and he would become one of the most powerful Maias.
Even when facing Vera, they are able to protect themselves to some extent.
If Dui could wield the power of time, he could leap up to become a powerful being of the Vera level.
However, this goal was too ambitious and unattainable for Dui, and he did not have that much confidence. He could only pursue it as an ultimate goal.
After all, power and authority are not the same thing. Power is simply the ability to exert force, but authority requires complete mastery of the power and imprinting it with one's own attributes.
As Aenu (divine spiritual beings) born from the spirit of Ilúvatar, the difference between the Valar and the Maiar lies not only in their fundamental nature but also in their authority and power.
The Valar hold authority, and the Maiar possess power; hence, the Valar are known as Manwë, the god of the sky, the god of the waters, and the god of the dead.
The Maias, however, did not hold any authority, and therefore could not be called gods or anything like that.