A New Storm Has Appeared

Finally, the gag order jointly issued by the Crown Guard and the Buweiers allowed Garen to escape disaster—although his image had already been shattered in many people's minds, he only needed to hide from these people for a while. He shouldn't need to flee Demacia.

Well, congratulations, congratulations.

However, the matter was not over yet.

Soon, Ogesha, who had rushed over, took matters into her own hands. She grabbed her son by the ear and dragged him all the way to the Buweier family's manor to apologize.

Since the Crown Guard Manor and the Buweier Manor were at opposite ends of the Demacian Imperial Capital, almost all the residents of the Demacian Imperial Capital saw Garen, that little scamp, being dragged by his ear through the streets by his mother.

The onlookers clearly didn't know what Garen had done, but the sight of a ten-something angsty teenager being disciplined by his mother, ears in tow, was common among all classes, from nobility to commoners, with all sorts of bizarre reasons given. So, everyone was happy to spectate, forming a spontaneous and strong crowd along the way.

Compared to Lux's words, the social death caused by being dragged by the ear through the streets was a level down, but Garen still felt utterly dejected and hopeless.

Fortunately, Mrs. Buweier did not make things difficult for Garen after learning the whole story. She even reprimanded her own foolish daughter, finally bringing the whole incident to a close.

Except for the next day during training, when Jarvan IV looked at Garen's red and swollen ears and laughed seven times in total, this matter was at most occasionally brought up when some unruly child was being disciplined: "Do you want to be like that scamp that day, dragged by the ear for two miles?"

Well, the Imperial Capital was born with only Garen injured.

However, although this incident was a huge blow to Garen, it was nothing more than a minor event for the Demacian Imperial Capital—and even less worth mentioning for Demacia as a whole.

Even Bullet Buweier and Peter Crown Guard didn't take it to heart. When they met at Dawn Castle the next day, they didn't mention it even once.

For them, the more important matter was to focus on the War between Noxus and Ionia.

More precisely, it was about focusing on war intelligence.

Unlike the Noxians, who had established professional war artisan organizations, Demacia did not have professional spy organizations—for nearly a thousand years since its founding, their intelligence had mostly come from the voluntary contributions of peddlers, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Demacia itself had no desire for territorial expansion, and its strategy had always been focused on stable defense. Occasionally, it would poke Noxus a bit and cause some trouble, making it one of the few "benevolent nations" in Runeterra. Furthermore, many countries relied on Demacia's grain exports, so in terms of intelligence, Demacia followed the "virtuous path" of gaining widespread support.

It couldn't be said that everyone in Demacia was a saint, but at least it could be said that they shone by comparison.

This approach worked well when dealing with Valoran affairs, but it was not very effective when monitoring the Ionian War—the great distance made intelligence transmission difficult, and the chaotic situation in Ionia even made firsthand intelligence lack accuracy.

Even with Demacia's fastest ships, it would take more than three months round trip from Whitecliff City across the Valoran Strait to Ionia—and that was without considering a Noxian blockade.

Therefore, even though the Demacians had brought many refugees out of Ionia, they could only guess at the specific situation in Ionia, assuming the best for the enemy.

Precisely because of this, even though some northern regions suffered frost damage, the feudal taxes of the Crown Guard family were not reduced—Demacia needed to prepare for War. What if the Noxians were only feigning an attack and actually intended to strike Demacia?

Pretending to be at war with other countries and then launching a surprise attack while Demacia was off guard was something the Noxians had done many times in their history!

Look at the cities on the northern coast of Shurima that had defected to the Noxians!

Almost every time a city changed hands, the Noxians staged a siege battle that was all sound and fury, signifying nothing. If Demacia showed the slightest negligence, the Trivell or the Noxians at the old gate would launch a full-scale assault, attacking without declaration...

Fortunately, on the very day of Garen's "parade," the latest intelligence finally arrived in Demacia after several transfers.

After comparing intelligence from multiple sources and analyzing it multiple times, it was finally confirmed that the Noxians had indeed deployed an unprecedentedly large force in Ionia—twenty legions were all main forces, not conscripted militia, and the Sea Watch Fleet had all set sail.

This meant that the Ionians would likely have a hard time holding on, but at the same time, Demacia's borders would be stable for a long time.

Therefore, at today's internal meeting, Demacia would discuss a specific countermeasure for this War.

"First of all, Your Majesty, I believe it is impossible for the Noxians to turn back now." Unlike his subservient demeanor towards his wife, Peter was known for his outspokenness in internal meetings. "From the corroborating information we've obtained in Ionia, the Noxians have indeed committed their main legions to the war in Ionia—although a few legions have been withdrawn recently, it's likely due to pressure from the north. Judging by the time, it's about time for those barbarians in the north to become active."

"So, the scale of this War is far greater than the several landing operations in Shurima, is that right?" Jiawen III carefully examined the map that had finally been sent from Ionia, gesturing at the location of Waili. "The Noxian main fleet landed here?"

"According to the information provided by local Rangers in Ionia, that's correct." Peter nodded beside him. "But it's not just here. Besides Waili in the Navoari Province, Noxian landings have also occurred in Baruo's Nongpu, Shangzan's Sanda, and Zhiyun's Laiken."

"This is truly a grand undertaking." Jiawen III looked at the landing points marked with sailing ship symbols on the map and couldn't help but rub his temples. "Is Noxus really trying to swallow all of Ionia in one go this time?"

"Objectively speaking, we lack the necessary information on this matter." Bullet was still cautious and rational. "However, Your Majesty, I share the same doubt, because in the past, when Noxus attacked Shurima, they never launched arrogant multi-pronged attacks."

"Even when they captured Bel'Juin." Peter added. "That time, Noxus only dispatched one fleet, and it was mainly responsible for transporting troops—but this time, almost the entire Noxian Sea Watch Navy has been mobilized, even leading to a rapid increase in Bilgewater pirate activity. Many Piltover merchants are complaining that the Sea Watch has become very dangerous."

"Will they succeed?" Jiawen III looked at Xin Zhao, who had been silent all along. "Are your countrymen as brave as you?"

"They are braver than I am." Xin Zhao licked his slightly dry lips. "The Noxians have encountered valiant resistance, but when my fishing boat was seized, I was directly taken prisoner and sent to the Noxian arena."

"That's not your fault." Jiawen III couldn't help but shake his head upon hearing this. "You should understand what I mean. If—I mean, if Ionia cannot withstand the Noxian invasion, then when that beast devours your homeland and completely digests it, the entire Runeterra will be laid out on its dinner table."

"That's impossible." Xin Zhao also shook his head, his tone firm. "Noxus may win, but I believe Ionia will not fall completely."

"...Let's hope so." Jiawen III was silent for a moment, then exhaled a breath of relief. "But thinking about the arrogance of Noxus after they gained Bel'Juin and Uzeris, I think we need to come up with a plan to curb this evil expansion."

"I already have some ideas regarding this." Speaking of this topic, Peter stepped forward again. "Since it has been confirmed that the main Noxian forces have moved west, we should also take this opportunity to strengthen and transform our western defenses."

"Elaborate?" Jiawen III cast another deep glance at the map of Ionia before returning to his throne. "Strengthening is understandable, but what about transforming?"

"Offensive fortresses, Your Majesty." Peter stated bluntly. "We cannot stand idly by while the Noxians gain a foothold in Ionia. Even if this despicable surprise attack has been successful, we must not allow this beast to digest peacefully and prepare for its next meal!"

"So, when it opens its mouth again and bares its fangs, we will give it a hard punch?" Jiawen III nodded. "I agree with this idea, but the problem is... we are not adjacent to Noxus."

This was a rather awkward problem—for Demacia, not being adjacent to Noxus meant there was a buffer zone between them. This should have been a good thing for Demacia's strategic defensive posture.

But if Demacia were to take action in response to Noxus's actions next time, this buffer zone, formed by small countries and city-states, would instead become an obstacle for Demacia.

Noxus could brazenly invade when causing trouble, but if Demacia were to do so, it would break its persona—although this was unfair, if Demacia were to actively attack and invade these buffer zones, their carefully maintained good image would likely collapse.

For Demacia, this was an unbearable burden!

"We can go through... the Gate of Sorrows." Peter hesitated for a moment and proposed a suggestion that made everyone present frown. "Then go through Trivell."

"That's impossible." Bullet finally interjected, vetoing the suggestion. "Crossing the Shimmering Silver Mountains is not a simple matter. The Noxians have already proven this with their failures."

"This is why I said we need to overhaul the western defenses," Peter seemed prepared. "By making a series of modifications to the existing Gate of Sorrows fortress, the difficulty of crossing the Shimmering Silver Mountains will be greatly reduced. Then, we'll only need to deal with the relatively gentle southern slopes."

As he spoke, Peter took out a map of the area near the Gate of Sorrows and pointed to the mountain terrain, explaining his strategic concept: expand the Gate of Sorrows fortress, then stockpile more food and equipment, and build a military road along the ridge to Jiayin Peak.

Once they reached Jiayin Peak, Demacia's forces could make a decisive push through a narrow, gentle slope on the southern side of the Shimmering Silver Mountains, heading straight for Darkwill.

"If that's the case, it's theoretically feasible," Bullet nodded reluctantly after considering Peter's diagram for a moment. "However, Your Majesty, I must point out that this plan is incredibly costly. Even with water transport support, building a military road all the way to Jiayin Peak will still consume an astonishing amount of manpower and resources."

"Manpower and resources... that will require detailed calculations," Jiawen III neither affirmed nor denied directly, instead bringing up another point. "But what about after we take Trivell? I recall the royal family of Trivell is no longer there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. When the Noxians conquered Trivell, they killed all the nobility of the royal family," Bullet nodded. "We cannot help Trivell restore its kingdom."

"That's truly terrible," Jiawen III's face showed sorrow, as if he were genuinely saddened by the misfortune of Trivell's royal family. "It seems that after that, we'll need to build an additional defensive line to guard Trivell?"

"I'm not too worried about that," Bullet finally smiled. "After driving out the brutal Noxians, the people of Trivell will surely be happy to help us—after all, it's also about protecting their own homes!"

"Then it's settled," Jiawen III stroked his chin and finally made his decision. "The Green Tooth Peak direction will remain primarily defensive, while we reinforce and modify the Gate of Sorrows. If the Noxians do not cease their atrocities in Ionia, we'll give them a harsh blow in Trivell!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"What a shame Ionia doesn't have its own King. Otherwise, I'd definitely sign a joint statement with him..."

And so, regarding the Ionian War, Demacia finally confirmed its stance—although theoretically, all of this would still need to go through the Noble Council meeting in three days.

But based on past experience, there were only two outcomes when Jiawen III made up his mind.

Unanimous agreement.

Or initial opposition, followed by persuasion.

There was no choice, as His Majesty and the loyal Buweier family and Crown Guard family were all on the same page.

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This chapter is mainly about the impact of the Ionian War on Demacia and Demacia's decisions. It also sets up a couple of plot points, so it's not filler~