Inside the Mansion

The Doco is becoming increasingly vibrant, and its scale has expanded considerably. Future exchanges with Freljord will undoubtedly lead to even greater prosperity. 👻💥 🐼🐠

Watching a gladiatorial match first thing every time we come here has become a habit for Riven and me, and this time was no exception.

Since the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of Parliament, and especially the abolition of slavery, the gladiatorial business has become increasingly difficult.

There are hardly any bloody battles between slaves anymore; conflicts are mostly settled between free people.

Once in the arena, life is not guaranteed. When both parties agree to resolve their disputes in this way, it means they are giving up legal protection.

So the gladiatorial combat is still bloody, but the level of excitement has been greatly reduced.

We watched two games and got a little bored, so we went to the training ground to find Tam. Unlike usual, the training ground was very deserted.

Normally, Five Teachers —Strength Speed Shadow Precision— are training here, but today there's not a single one.

We called out and saw someone come out; it was Mona.

"Hi, how's your recovery going?"

"Fortunately, I can walk now. The Charming Women has a unique constitution and strong vitality, otherwise they would have nailed me to death."

How did they find you?

"I don't know either. That night, I was making love with Bernie when I was suddenly taken to Uncle Wolf's place. He said I was a spy and had me nailed to a stake. That old man was ruthless!"

He is dead.

"Yes, I've already figured it out, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"By the way, why are you the only one here? Where's Tam? And have you seen the others Strength Speed Shadow Precision?"

"What 'Strength Speed Shadow Precision'? I don't know that. Tam went to Bilgewater, along with Udyr, A Bing, and Alistar. I heard something big is happening there."

"Such a big fuss? Did they run out of money in the arena and go find another way to make a living?"

"I don't know, but I'm very grateful to him for saving me."

"Actually, it was Riven saved you." I told Mona about the life-saving metal box, and she smiled slightly without responding.

"Life here is so boring. The men in the arena are quite strong, but none of them live more than three days."

"Jeram has been thinking about you a lot. Why don't you consider going to see him?"

"Jeram? Oh, right, the berserker clan kid? Wait, I'll go to Demacia to see my little nephew first, then I'll go find him."

"Don't tell Tiana the secret I told you."

"Why don't I just tell her what someone else told me? I definitely need to tell her about this!"

Mona didn't see the Five Teachers; it seems they had already left when she arrived. Since Tam and the Teacher weren't there, we didn't linger any longer and left after saying goodbye to Mona.

Before heading to Piltover, there's one more place we need to visit: the house Darius gave us.

The Immortal Fortress stands majestically on the eastern coast of Noxus. In ancient times, this was a famous city-state, and later, when the empire was established, it made this place its capital.

Even after Darius and his allies overthrew the empire, they did not move to a new location. They continued to use the Immortal Fortress as the political center of Noxus, issuing orders and ruling the entire country from there.

The last time I was here, I was helping Darius launch a coup as Zhao Xin. Now, several years later, the environment remains unchanged.

Riven hasn't been back for a long time either. Since the successful coup, she has been living a military life, so she inevitably feels a sense of unfamiliarity upon her return.

Following the path she remembered and asking around, she finally found Darius's mansion after many twists and turns—the house that now belongs to us!

"We're home," Riven said softly, but I couldn't help but tremble.

Home is a magical word, especially for us.

I am a wanderer from another world, Riven is an orphan who has lived a miserable life since childhood. Home is a luxury for us.

Although I love life here, I find myself missing my home from another world a little bit.

Although Riven never says it, she always visits the place where she grew up whenever she passes through the Ice Plain Basin.

Any dwelling, once defined as a home, becomes a deep emotional bond, and this mansion before us has become our shared home, firmly locking away those ethereal thoughts.

The gatekeeper found it strange that two strangers came in but neither came in nor left.

"What brings you two here? If you're here to visit the master, I'm sorry, he's not here."

I handed him the deed Darius had written, "Hello, we're not here to visit Darius, but to take over this place."

The gatekeeper thought he had misheard, took the deed and brought it inside. Soon after, an old man came out, who appeared to be the steward of the place.

"This is indeed the general's handwriting, and the seal is unmistakable, but why did he give this place to you?"

"It's nothing, he just did a good job, and he gave us this place because he didn't know how to thank us."

The butler looked rather grim, but still led us inside. It was then that I noticed the strange arrangement of the courtyard:

The mansions I've visited before all had courtyards planted with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants, with an elegant and beautiful overall layout. But this place is full of fruits and vegetables!

Just then, a few children ran over from not far away, surrounded us, and started making a ruckus.

"Grandpa, have we had any guests?"

"Go back inside and gather everyone together. I have something important to announce!"

The children obediently ran off. Judging from their clothes, they didn't seem to be from a noble family. However, it's possible that Darius was rather frugal and didn't allow his family to be extravagant.

To be honest, all I know about Darius and Draven are brothers; I don't know if he has any other relatives.

The butler led the way, Riven, somewhat doubtful of the situation, whispered to me:

Darius said there were only seven people here, and now there might be fewer, but there are more than seven children in this group alone. How is that possible?

"Maybe he hasn't been back for many years, and his family might have had children!"

"I haven't heard of him having any family, except for Draven, and there weren't any children here when I was last here."

"Why don't you go in and take a look? Are you worried there might be an ambush here?"

"I'm not afraid of an ambush; there's no sign of danger here. It's just... well, let's go in and take a look."

I don't know what Riven is worried about, but as long as there's no danger, nothing else matters.

Being so close, the butler naturally heard our conversation. He sighed, said nothing more, and continued to lead the way.

When I arrived at the hall, I was shocked. It wasn't just a few children; there was a huge crowd, probably several hundred people! And there were also dozens of adults.

Fortunately, the house is quite large, otherwise it really wouldn't be able to accommodate so many people!

"Are you the housekeeper here? Could you explain to me what's going on?"

"Yes, my Wells, and I'm the butler here..."