At this moment, Mike, sitting by the high tower window, was studying the Palantir in his hand.
A magic crystal ball the size of a watermelon, it could also be considered a small "Eye of the Dark Lord."
Previously, Saruman had used this crystal ball to transmit real-time information about the situation of the Human race in Middle-earth to Sauron, who was far away in Mordor.
As Mike's hands touched the crystal ball, a huge vertical pupil burning with flames suddenly appeared in the transparent crystal ball, and then Sauron, shrouded in black mist, also appeared in the crystal ball.
"Saruman, what is it again…," Sauron, habitually began, but seeing that it was not Saruman who appeared on the other side, he suppressed his anger and asked, "Lord of Lonely Mountain, why is it you? What have you done to Saruman?"
When enemies meet, their eyes turn red, especially since Sauron, was the one who was unilaterally frustrated.
However, considering the importance of the Orc breeding method to him, Sauron still suppressed his anger and inquired about Saruman's situation.
"The Saruman you're looking for is out in the cold, and I'm afraid he won't be able to help you for a while," Mike said with a smile.
Although not explicitly stated, Sauron, understood from the other party's demeanor that his cooperation with Saruman had been exposed.
And his desire for a larger Orc army was certainly already dashed.
"Lord of Lonely Mountain, you will pay for your actions!" With his plans repeatedly thwarted, and old and new grudges intertwined, Sauron's anger finally could not be contained.
As his deep voice resonated, the black magical energy within the Palantir surged.
"Are you threatening me?" Mike calmly remarked, "A fellow who only hides in the shadows, you don't deserve the title of Dark Lord at all…
If you're not convinced, you can come challenge me to a duel; I'm waiting for you anytime."
If one does not consider the amplification of the One Ring, Sauron's strength is only comparable to Queen Galadriel who has overdrawn her magic.
This level of strength posed no threat to Mike at all.
Of course, even if Sauron, obtained the One Ring, he would still be a nobody to Mike.
Therefore, the Dark Lord, whom everyone in Middle-earth feared, held no sway with Mike.
Sauron clearly realized that he had no way to deal with the human on the other side, so unwilling to endure further humiliation, he immediately disconnected from the Palantir.
Gandalf, climbing the spiral staircase to the Wizard's Tower, witnessed this scene.
"Was that Sauron?" Even Gandalf had never seen the Dark Lord in such a state of exasperation before.
"As you can see, it's that coward." Mike, in a good mood, weighed the magic crystal ball in his hand twice before tossing it to Gandalf, continuing, "This crystal ball is useless to me now; I'll leave it to you to handle."
The crystal ball, with its positioning and communication functions, was indeed magical, but this magical Palantir could only connect singularly with Sauron.
Therefore, it was quite useless and held no value for collection in Mike's eyes.
However, for Gandalf, anything related to Sauron, was worth taking seriously.
So, after receiving the crystal ball, he carefully wrapped it up and put it away.
"Next, I'll tell you about Saruman's situation…" After dealing with the Palantir, Mike proceeded to explain Saruman's "good deeds" to Gandalf.
Roughly, it involved betraying the forces of light, collaborating with Sauron, and breeding Orcs in Isengard.
"How to deal with Saruman, you decide for yourself." Ultimately, Mike handed the authority to deal with Saruman over to Gandalf.
Again, while Mike could easily eliminate Saruman, there was no need to provoke Iluvatar, the true patron behind him, over such a matter.
"Let me meet Saruman alone! After all, he was once one of us." Gandalf, frowning deeply, still decided to grant Saruman some dignity.
He wanted to resolve internal issues internally.
"As you wish."
Mike shrugged indifferently, then condensed a surge of divine power and sent Gandalf to the top of the Wizard's Tower.
"Saruman, I know everything you've done." Seeing Saruman up close, Gandalf noticed that his condition was even worse than he had imagined.
Mainly his mental state seemed to have suffered a great blow.
Of course, given the things Saruman had done, his current appearance did not warrant Gandalf's sympathy.
"After things here are settled, I will personally take you back to Middle-earth and report your actions in Middle-earth to Iluvatar in detail…" As a former colleague, Gandalf ultimately granted Saruman some dignity.
As for what punishment Saruman would receive upon returning to Middle-earth, that was not Gandalf's concern.
"Do you think you've won? If it weren't for that human, you and those useless Radagast would only be fit to grovel at my feet!" As Gandalf prepared to leave, Saruman, with a hint of madness in his eyes, suddenly spoke.
Yes, even at this point, Saruman still didn't believe he was wrong.
Arrogant by nature, he had always, deep down, looked down on the other four Wizards, led by Gandalf.
In this situation, how could he possibly accept Gandalf's "judgment" of him?
Even though Gandalf's approach was as gentle as possible, in Saruman's eyes, the other party's visit was undoubtedly to gloat over his misfortune.
"What?" Gandalf also didn't expect that even at this point, Saruman was still so deluded.
"Don't pretend, you can never defeat me!" As a Maia sent to Middle-earth to maintain peace, Saruman's failure would undoubtedly greatly diminish his standing in Iluvatar's eyes.
In other words, his path to advancement was already cut off.
Unwillingness, anger, and various other negative emotions intertwined, making Saruman increasingly annoyed with Gandalf.
After all, relatively speaking, Saruman's failure meant that Gandalf was about to rise to power.
Therefore, in a fit of rage, Saruman rushed towards Gandalf without hesitation.
He wanted to prove that even if he failed, he was still stronger than the other party.
Indeed, this was the case; Saruman, possessing a demigod's body, was still a formidable fighter even without his magical power.
Coupled with his reckless frenzy, he actually managed to throw Gandalf, who held his staff, into a temporary disarray.
"Calm down, Saruman!"
Gandalf also saw that Saruman's mental state was not right, and after defending for a while, he finally couldn't help but unleash his magic.
He wanted to push the other party away.
However, the top of the Wizard's Tower was only so big, and after Saruman was thrown back by the magic, he accidentally rolled to the edge of the high tower.
"No—!!!"
Accompanied by a terrified wail, Saruman, who had reached the edge of the high tower, ultimately failed to grasp the protrusion at the edge, and his body plummeted down the high tower.
The towering Wizard's Tower was at least a thousand meters high, and even a demigod's body falling without any defense would have no chance of survival.
So when Gandalf rushed to the edge of the high tower, he only saw an indescribable pile of shattered flesh at the bottom of the high tower.
Further to the side, a circle of Ents were gathered, watching the spectacle.
From their gesturing, it was clear that they were cheering for the death of a bad person.
"Gandalf, I didn't expect you to finally be decisive for once. Well done," Mike, who then appeared at the top of the high tower, smiled and gave the Wizard a thumbs-up.
He, who had observed the entire process from the room below, actually had the opportunity to save Saruman.
But for various reasons, he did not do so.
"I…" Gandalf, turning his head, still wanted to explain that he had not intended to kill Saruman.
However, as things stood, there seemed to be no need for an explanation.
Of course, as a Maia, although Saruman had been splattered, he hadn't truly died.
Having lost his physical body, his soul would eventually return to the embrace of Iluvatar, the Creator God.
It was not impossible for him to reshape his body.
Perhaps, Saruman's soul was already complaining about Gandalf to Iluvatar.
However, for Gandalf, that small mistake earlier was not a big deal.
At worst, when he returned to Middle-earth, he could confront Saruman face-to-face.
After all, in the grand scheme of things, Saruman was the one who had made the more serious mistakes.
"Alright, snap out of it," Mike called out to the Wizard, who was lost in thought, and said, "The troubles created by Saruman haven't truly been resolved; the Orc army on the Rohan defensive line is still waiting for us to deal with."