Kinkou Order

After walking in the intended direction for two days, we finally saw Ionia's first town—Prexian.

Prexian was very prosperous, with people from all walks of life coming and going. I even felt it was more bustling than Silver City, just a bit less orderly.

Whether it was Demacia or Noxus, there was nothing similar to this place. The vast Sea of Conquest and the Sea of the Watcher created significant cultural differences on both sides.

The buildings here were not tall. A large portion of them were various churches, temples, and monasteries. People wore loose robes, and everywhere you looked, people were giving speeches and discussing academics.

I didn't understand why a place so focused on academics was so chaotic. What were these people studying? Or were freedom and chaos inherently linked?

The Kinkou Order was a very famous sect, and I thought I would find it easily. However, no matter how I asked, no one would tell me its exact location.

Most of them would quickly avoid the topic as soon as they heard the words "Kinkou Order," which was very strange.

"You're looking for the Kinkou Order?"

"Yes, do you know where it is?"

I was very surprised when someone voluntarily spoke to me. I turned around and was a bit disappointed because it was a blind person. But then, this blind person actually pointed me in the right direction:

"Don't think because my eyes are blind, my heart is too. Walk ninety steps south from this street, and you'll see an academy. Go straight through the academy for another ninety steps, and you'll see a church. Go to the priest there and say the blind man sent you."

"Thank you. Why wouldn't anyone here tell me?"

"Because they cherish their lives."

"Cherish life? Would the Kinkou Order kill someone who gives directions?"

"They..."

Before the blind man could answer, a projectile suddenly flew from an unknown direction, slitting his throat. So, someone really did kill the person giving directions!

Poppy and I couldn't react in time, or rather, we never expected someone would dare to kill someone in broad daylight. We could only watch as the murderer disappeared from sight...

"It's this chaotic here. It seems Ionia isn't much better than Noxus." Poppy stayed close to Akali.

When we arrived at the church the blind man mentioned, I knocked on the door. A person in a red robe opened it. Most of his face was covered by his collar, and he looked sinister.

"The blind man sent us, but he was killed," I said directly.

"Don't worry about it. His life was meaningless. Come in."

He wasn't surprised at all to hear about the blind man's death, nor did he ask who killed him. There wasn't even the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if it were expected.

I was startled when I entered the church. In the center of the main hall was a huge skeleton. The skeleton was as tall as the church, with its tailbone and wings extending along the walls, as if the entire church had been custom-made for the skeleton.

"Is this a Dragon's skeleton?"

"To be precise, it's a Young Dragon's. It was only twelve years old when it died."

"Are you the only one here?"

"Yes, this is the Dragon Hall. I am the priest here. It's been a long time since anyone came for a baptism. People have forgotten the fear of being dominated by Dragons."

"Not everyone has forgotten them. There are still many living Dragons in the southern jungles of Valoran. I've seen two myself," Poppy added.

"Oh? A Yordle? Why have you come here?"

"We're planning to go to the Kinkou Order, but no one was willing to give us directions, except for the blind man."

"The Kinkou Order, that's a good place."

After saying that, the priest in red took out paper and a pen. He drew a map while giving directions. At first, I thought it was unnecessary, but when I actually tried to find the place, I realized:

Without this simple map, I would never have found it.

The Kinkou Order's location was very cleverly hidden. After passing many corners, I finally found it. On the low gate, a few crooked characters were written:

Kinkou Monastery.

At this moment, Poppy suddenly said she had something else to investigate and asked me to take Akali inside first. She left before I could ask anything.

The structure of the Kinkou Monastery was like a flask. It looked narrow from the outside, but it was spacious inside. However, there wasn't a single person in the courtyard. They were all hidden.

From the moment I entered, I felt countless eyes watching us, which made me very uncomfortable. Now that Poppy was gone, I was afraid they would harm Akali, so I quickly said:

"Please don't misunderstand, we are not enemies. I have something important to say."

As soon as I finished speaking, two people appeared from nowhere and said they would take us to see the abbot. So, I carefully protected Akali and led her to an open space.

In the middle of the clearing was a sculpture shaped like a ring formed by three fish with their heads and tails connected. Strangely, no matter from which angle I looked, the sculpture always faced me, as if it were rotating.

"This is our sect's emblem, carved from rare Illusion Stone. It looks the same from any angle. Welcome, friend. I am Shen, the abbot of the Kinkou Order."

Shen, who in the game is a masked ninja, was now wearing loose robes with a very handsome face, giving off a friendly impression. Meeting him eased much of the tension I had felt on the journey.

"Greetings, Master Shen. My name is Zhao Xin. I was asked by someone to come find you."

"May I ask who asked you to come?"

"The villagers of Yanglin Village..."

I told Shen about what happened in Yanglin Village and also about Jhin's terrifying nature. I thought he would consider it for a moment, but he agreed immediately:

"Rest assured, we will not stand by and do nothing about such a violation of balance. Hai Shu, Tian Shi, each of you will lead ten disciples to apprehend the criminal so he cannot continue to disrupt the balance."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Shen gave the order, and the two immediately set off to investigate.

I was about to hand Akali over to him as well when I suddenly remembered the conversation between Alanta and Zed: they had both left the Kinkou Order.

I didn't know the reason yet. If I handed her over to Shen rashly, what if Alanta was a defector from the Order? Wouldn't that harm Akali? Besides, the fog was thick when I arrived here. I should probe him first.

"Master Shen, this is my first time in Prexian, and I don't know the way here. I asked others, but no one was willing to tell me. The only person brave enough to guide me was assassinated. What's going on?"

"Alas... it was the Shadow Order's doing. To isolate the Kinkou Order, they sent people to kill many who sought help or wished to join the Order. As a result, no one dares to mention this place anymore. They are in the shadows, and we are in the light. Such things are hard to guard against. Please forgive us!"

Shen sighed deeply, looking helpless.

I never expected Zed to be so shameless, targeting the Kinkou Order to this extent!

Knowing this, I needed to ask about Alanta next. I couldn't ask directly, so I had to lead into it indirectly:

"To be honest, before I came to Prexian, I met two people: one was an assassin in tight clothing, and the other was a woman wielding dual scythes. From their conversation, I learned that the assassin was from the Shadow Order, named Zed, and the woman was called Alanta. Do you happen to know them, Master?"