Forbidden Magic Stone? Rune Stone!

Jiawen III and a group of staff officers and generals finally reached a consensus on the matter of the Ionia War.

Meanwhile, Lux and Sona's studies continued as usual.

And studying—even for absolute scholars like Lux and Sona—was never an easy or pleasant task.

Especially now that Karya realized what would happen if he controlled Lux's body, and no longer performed "experimental demonstrations."

It was also thanks to the mutual support between Lux and Sona that the two were able to maintain a relatively good enthusiasm for learning under such immense pressure.

When the new year arrived, and Lux and Sona successfully entered their tenth year of life, Karya announced news that sent both of them into a frenzy of joy.

"Considering your passable learning ability, I can finally teach you something practical in the new year—however, don't get complacent, you are still the worst batch I've ever taught."

Practical things!

Upon hearing this, Lux and Sona ignored the latter half of the statement and became excited in unison. After half a year of study, they were already showing signs of developing into "magic Wang Yuyan," their theoretical knowledge increasing bit by bit, but their spellcasting ability remained close to zero.

In such a situation, hearing that they could learn something practical, even Lux, who was still wary of magic, felt a faint sense of bitterness turning into sweetness.

It was not easy!

Then, the next day, as the two excitedly gathered, ready for some real action, Karya finally revealed the theme of their studies for the year.

"This year, your main focus of study will be on Nullstones."

Nullstones?!

Hearing Karya say this, Lux and Sona were stunned. The two young girls exchanged glances, both suspecting they were hallucinating.

Nullstones... aren't they devices that suppress mages' spellcasting and imprison their Magic Power?

What did studying Nullstones mean?

Could it be that they were going to learn how to counter the Nullstone's nullifying effect?

What was the point of learning this?

Fortunately, Karya didn't keep them in suspense. Amidst their confusion, he got straight to the point, revealing the unknown essence of Nullstones from the beginning.

"Lux, you've read the legend of the Winged Sisters. Does the legend mention the origin of Nullstones?"

"...No," Lux recalled for a moment, then silently shook her head. "But why would the legend of the Winged Sisters talk about the origin of Nullstones?"

"Because the legend of the Winged Sisters and the discovery and utilization of Nullstones happened in the same era—but since it's not in the legend, it means Demacia has consciously blocked this part." Karya said understandingly. "Then I'll start by explaining this part. First, Nullstones are not natural stones."

"I know that," Lux added with a nod. "Nullstones seem to be a composite material, as if lime was mixed with some kind of mysterious material and fired together. Demacian steel is the same, with this material added to the steel."

"Well said," Karya affirmed Lux's statement. "Nullstones come from the fossilized remains of the Nullwood. They were discovered by the ancestors of Demacia when they fled the disaster of the Rune Wars before the founding of Demacia. And these people were the thirteen noble families that Lux knows."

"Nullwood?" Lux blinked curiously. "You mean, that mysterious material is actually the fossil of a tree?"

"That's right. You Demacians call it Nullwood." Karya affirmed again. "However, I prefer to call it Rune tree—as for Nullstones, their name should also be Rune Stones."

"Rune Stones?" Lux and Sona's eyes widened in unison. "How is that possible?"

Lux and Sona both knew about runes; they were the representative marks of magical energy and what Karya had mentioned as the origin of the name Runeterra, embodying high-purity Magic Power.

But Nullstones were clearly stones that prohibited Magic Power. The relationship between the two could not be described as similar, only as completely different!

"Sounds strange, doesn't it?" Karya seemed very pleased with their surprise, his tone gradually becoming cheerful. "But that's the truth—the suppression you perceive is actually absorption!"

Absorption?

This explanation greatly surprised Lux and Sona. They simply couldn't believe that the Nullstones, which had protected the birth and rise of Demacia, did not suppress magic but merely absorbed it.

"Is this conclusion hard to believe?" Karya continued his explanation. "But unfortunately, this is the truth—and for many years, Demacia has been tirelessly recharging these Rune Stones. Honestly, I don't know when these Rune Stones will be full, but what is certain is that once they are full, a magic-less nation of suppression will instantly transform into a magical kingdom."

Lux was completely dumbfounded. She had been happily preparing to learn something practical today, only to hear such explosive news right at the beginning, leaving her somewhat dazed.

However, even so, she still tried her best to calm herself down and then asked a question full of hope: "Is this your speculation? Or do you have evidence?"

"Of course, there is evidence," Karya's reply shattered her last hope. "And what you will be learning this year is how to extract and master the power within the Nullstones."

"Relatively speaking, I'm more concerned about how to solve this huge problem!" Lux suddenly stood up. "No, I'm going to tell my father—"

"Tell him what?" Karya retorted. "Tell him that Nullstones are Rune Stones? And then tell him everything I've told you?"

"This concerns all of Demacia!"

Unfortunately, before Lux could take a step, she froze in place.

"Then, how did you know all this?" Karya asked, lightly controlling Lux while continuing his soul-searching question. "Go tell Mr. Peter that his dear daughter got this sensational news from a scoundrel?"

"No, it's not like that, Karya... Please, let me tell my father this news!" Lux's eyes reddened as she struggled to break free. "Please—I won't reveal anything about you, and I'm grateful for your teachings, but I can't just stand by and watch my country remain blissfully unaware on the edge of an erupting volcano!"

"So, you intend to tell your father that you discovered this by chance, that the essence of Nullstones is actually absorbing magic, not suppressing it, right?" Karya hardened his heart. "But, use your brain, Lux, will that really be useful? I can prove all of this, but can you prove it?"

"I—" Lux was speechless, and after a long while, she answered somewhat dejectedly, "I can't."

"I can actually understand a ten-year-old child's desire to save everything after discovering a shocking secret." Karya released Lux. "But, unfortunately, you have no evidence, and actually, in Demacia, there are people who know about this."

"Who knows about this?!" Lux tightly gripped her sword hilt in disbelief. "Why aren't they saying anything?"

"Perhaps they said it, but no one cared?" Karya snorted, seemingly disdainful or perhaps helpless. "Sona, if I remember correctly, your mother is a member of the Illuminati, isn't she?"

"That's right."

"I think, in the secret records of the Illuminati, there should be research related to Nullstones." Karya threw another bombshell without a sound. "It's just a pity that magical knowledge is not systematically passed down in Demacia. Even if they are researching, it's hard for them to come up with anything."

Under the impact of one shocking piece of news after another, Lux had become somewhat numb. She finally shook her head and honestly sat back in her seat. "Karya, I won't act impulsively again—you're right, there's not much I can do right now."

"Very good, Lux," Karya's tone held a hint of admiration. "Calmness is crucial for spellcasters. You're finally starting to look a little like a mage now. Next, I'll tell you all about Rune Stones..."

Though still filled with worry, the calmer Lux listened quietly to Karya's explanation.

This part of the explanation, aside from some hidden history, could generally be summarized into two points: one good news and one bad news.

The good news was that even though Demacia had been established for over a thousand years, the Nullstones here were still a long way from being fully charged and completely transformed into Rune Stones. According to Karya's estimation, even the city walls of the Demacian Imperial Capital might not have exceeded thirty percent conversion progress.

The bad news was that the charging speed of Demacia's Nullstones was rapidly increasing. Besides mages who awakened their Magic Power naturally, there was a more powerful Source of Magic Power somewhere that was charging Demacia's Nullstones!

These two pieces of news, one good and one bad, left Lux with extremely complex emotions. She remained silent for a long time before gripping her dress sword again. "So, Karya, what do you want to teach us?"

"I want to teach you how to use the Magic Power stored within the Nullstones," Karya replied directly. "This Magic Power will be part of my trial, accelerating your growth. If you are truly worried about the safety of the Nullstones, I promise you'll have the ability to handle any incidents before they occur."

Hearing Karya say this, Lux visibly relaxed. She leaned against Sona, looking as if she had been completely drained, her eyes unfocused as she stared at the ceiling.

Then, as Sona quietly comforted Lux, Karya spoke again:

"As for Sona... if you can master this power, perhaps one day you can return to your homeland and use your own strength to end the Noxians' expansion plans."

This time, Sona's body stiffened slightly. Someone with her gentle nature found it difficult to commit to facing a war. In a sense, she needed an extra push. While Lux was in turmoil, Karya happily played the role of tempter.

Sona hesitated.

She disliked conflict and was unwilling to join a war.

But at this moment, she couldn't help but recall her previous promise to Lux—they had linked fingers and sworn to support each other on the path of magic and the future.

Lux had her own ideals, but what about her?

Would she silently follow Lux?

Or would she boldly, like Lux, strive to do something for her homeland?

Sona didn't have an answer to this question yet. However, that didn't stop her from resolving to study this knowledge diligently.

Even if it was just to help Lux and protect her parents!

With this thought, the gentle Sona finally clenched her fist: Sona, you can do it!

Due to the secrets surrounding the Nullstones, Karya did not continue his lecture that day. Lux and Sona, their minds in disarray, also chose to rest early.

However, when the night was deep and quiet, Lux quietly climbed out of bed.

This time, she didn't bring the dress sword she had carried with her almost constantly for the past six months. Instead, she changed her clothes alone and left the bedroom.

The garden in the dead of night was not as beautiful as it was during the day. Lux leaned against the Nullstone garden wall and then, struggling to control the flow of her Magic Power, attempted to emit a little light.

However, as soon as a faint arc of light appeared at Lux's fingertips, the Magic Power she desperately outputted dispersed due to instability. The arc flashed and vanished, and an indescribable emptiness caused Lux's legs to buckle, and she collapsed onto the cold earth.

The cold beneath her helped Lux calm down. She got up in a mess, looked at her dirt-covered hands, and suddenly felt like laughing.

Karya hadn't lied to her.

Or rather, Karya had never lied to her, nor did he need to.

He was going to teach her how to use the power of the Nullstones. If everything he said was false, mere alarmism, then what would he teach her?

Why had she suddenly become like her brother, acting like a fool!

Realizing this, Lux found it somewhat amusing and also inexplicably reassuring. The fact that Nullstones were Rune Stones was indeed terrible, but at least Teacher Karya was trustworthy. He had never deceived her, and she could always rely on him!

Letting out a long sigh, Lux whistled a tune and, with light steps, unceremoniously returned to her bedroom. She dove into the washroom, took a nice hot bath, and then returned to her bed.

By her bedside, her dress sword still lay quietly.

Lux turned and dove into the soft bed, bouncing twice before finally grabbing her dress sword and hugging it tightly.

"I'm sorry, Teacher, I was too willful today," Lux whispered. "Next time, I promise, I won't do this again!"

Then, before Karya could react, she tossed the dress sword aside and chose the most comfortable position, sprawling out completely.

Soon, low snores could be heard. To Karya's bewilderment, Lux, exhausted from the day's events, finally fell asleep.

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Lux has finally truly accepted magic and is about to learn how to use the Magic Power within the Nullstones. She's about to take off!

Today, as usual, two chapters totaling eight thousand words. Wishing all dear readers a Happy Lantern Festival!