Doco's Lodging

When I arrived at Tam's training ground, I saw that the light was still on in his room. When I went over to check, I found that the guy was reading!

"I've come to ask if I can stay with you for the night. Do you mind?"

"The house next to me is empty, you can just live there.💣ඏ 69Şђu 🔥♦"

I explained my purpose to Tam, and he readily agreed. After settling Sivir and Huo Su, I went to his room again:

What book are you reading?

"It's nothing, just some playwrights' scripts."

"You have quite the leisure time. I've come to see you because I have something I want to ask you, something that I feel others might not know."

"Hehe, you think too highly of me. What do you want to ask?"

Do you know what the Soul of Ionia is?

"I don't know, I've never even heard of it."

"Okay, I thought you would know."

Tam refused without even thinking, clearly indicating he genuinely knew nothing about it.

I was a little disappointed. If even he didn't know, then no one I knew would know either.

I then gave him a general account of my experiences since we parted ways, mainly concerning the Ascended and the Vastaya. After listening, he looked up at me, then continued reading his book.

"Stop looking! Can't you at least be serious for once?"

"I'm not fighting them, why are you taking it so seriously?"

"This is a major disaster concerning Runeterra; your indifference will only bring trouble upon yourself sooner or later!"

"Playing with fire? Do you know why people seal away the Vastaya?"

"Of course it's because they've harmed humanity, wreaking havoc everywhere and angering the gods. So the gods taught people how to seal away the Vastaya."

"Then why not kill them?"

"Well... maybe we don't have enough power. Sealing is easier?"

"The power of mortals may not be enough, but the power of gods is sufficient."

Tam's words do make sense. The Ascended's power is supposed to be a gift from the gods, while the Vastaya are descended from the Ascended. Why can't the gods reclaim this power?

Furthermore, why would the gods stand idly by and ignore the void? Since the Ascended are able to seal the void rifts, there's no reason they couldn't handle this calamity.

Of course, I can't presume to know what the gods are thinking. Perhaps in their eyes, a disaster of this magnitude isn't even worth intervening in. Let's hear what Tam has to say:

So what are your thoughts?

"I can't answer you until I have a definitive answer, but it seems we have some clues: there's a mastermind behind all of this."

I thought he was going to say something, but he just said something I already knew, "I already know this. Have you discovered anything about the mastermind behind this?"

"This person isn't ready yet. It seems he's accumulating some kind of power or waiting for an opportunity, so he's just constantly stirring up unrest in various places to cover his tracks."

Can you speculate on this person's purpose?

"The purpose doesn't matter. Since this person has chosen a destructive path, whatever he intends to do, you must stop him, right?"

"Alright, you're right. The other party's purpose isn't important; what matters is clarifying your own purpose: I must stop the destruction!"

Although Tam said the battle had nothing to do with him, he still secretly investigated it. This guy is a bit hypocritical!

This was the first time I had a calm and peaceful conversation with him, and it felt pretty good. Thinking back to my previous misunderstandings about him, I still felt a little guilty.

"I think I should apologize to you, boss."

"Oh? What's wrong?"

"I used to misunderstand you, thinking you were a greedy and despicable person, but it turns out you've been helping me all along."

"Hahaha... I was just joining in the fun, thinking you could bring me some enjoyment. Now it seems you've gotten even stronger."

"I became the Harbinger of Ionia, and gained some Divine Strength."

"Divine Strength... is it true Divine Strength, or power bestowed upon you by others?"

"This is... a power bestowed upon me by others, the Soul of Ionia that I asked you about at the beginning."

"Power bestowed upon you by others cannot be called Divine Strength, because where there is giving, there is taking away; you are merely a tool."

These words suddenly woke me up. Yes, Spiritual Power may be strong, but it is ultimately not my own power.

Given my carefree nature, I might anger the Soul of Ionia one day and have this power withdrawn, just like Syndra did.

Jax also said that there is no obvious difference in strength, but rather in the skill with which one has mastered it.

My favorite power has always been the Wind Force, and it seems I need to focus on that from now on. That's my true power, and I can wield it freely.

"By the way, how are Hailan and her brother doing? You didn't send them to the gladiatorial arena, did you?"

"They weren't with me. I tried to tap into their power after I returned, but I failed. Just then, a little girl from Freljord happened to be passing by, and I had her take them with her."

"A little girl from Freljord? Ashe? Oh, you probably don't know her, is she a beautiful white-haired woman?"

"No, it's Volibear's relative, that little girl."

It turns out that Lili took Yarlin and Maki away. I wonder if they can withstand the ice and snow of the far north.

Tam said that their bloodlines possess powerful sealing abilities. Maki is still too young to help for the time being, but Yarlin will likely become a powerful mage soon!

He's a brave kid; maybe he can help us when he grows up!

"I'm planning to go to Freljord in the next couple of days, do you want to come with me?" Tam suddenly asked.

"That's terrible. I just got back from there. If I'd known you had this plan, I should have come to see you first."

"Never mind then, I'll go by myself. The matter with Volibear from last time hasn't been resolved yet; I hope he won't mind that I'm late."

"Are you really going to help him get out of this predicament?" I still felt a lingering fear when I thought of Volibear's appearance.

"I've already promised him. I should try, whether it succeeds or not. Volibear is a Demigods, and I don't want his resentment to fester like this."

"Then I'll go with you. I'm only going to the west, not the east. I know more people there, so maybe I can find more help."

"Then we'll set off the day after tomorrow. I'll finish reading this book first."

"Could you look at this faster? I don't want to waste any more time; Ionia is still in a state of crisis!"

"If a crisis can be resolved a day earlier, then it's not really a crisis. Go get some rest and don't bother me; the story is almost at its climax."

After Tam finished speaking, he continued reading the script. I lay down on his big bed to rest. The bed was very comfortable and luxuriously furnished. This guy really knows how to enjoy life!