In a short time, Jinx became the Big Sister among the girls, including Karina, while Li Ke was ignored. However, Li Ke didn't care and looked away, eating as Li Ke waited for the ball to begin.
But before the banquet and ball officially began, Jayce appeared.
He noticed Jinx and Li Ke sitting with the Piltover girl, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Then, Jayce strode forward, looked at Li Ke, and said:
"Li Ke, come here for a moment, there's something I need to talk to you about."
Seeing Jayce's serious expression, Li Ke nodded. He was about to tell Jinx that he was going to come over for a bit and would be right back when he saw Jinx pick up a tissue from the table, wipe her hands, and then naturally reach out and take Li Ke's hand.
Without hesitation, Li Ke said goodbye to Karina, glanced at Seraphine as he got up to leave, and then left with Jinx.
Karina felt a pang of reluctance upon seeing this, not towards Li Ke, but towards Jinx.
She looked at Jinx and asked softly, "Jinx, can I come to Zaun to visit you later?"
Jinx coolly replied, "Whatever."
"Come if you want, your legs are your own." After Jinx finished speaking, she didn't look at Karina again, but followed Li Ke Jayce to a certain place.
On the way, Li Ke couldn't help but ask Jinx where she learned those words. She blinked and said:
"What do you mean by 'learned'? This is just what I came up with myself."
Following Jayce into a room, all the council members from Zaun and Piltover were present. Mel looked somewhat grave, while Council Member Kiramman stood beside him with a worried expression.
Silco's expression was calm, but Li Ke, who knew him well, could tell that his expression wasn't quite natural. In other words, Silco was faking it again.
"What happened?" Li Ke asked as he came in.
"The Clan Ferros has sent word that the Noxian-Ionian War is now over. Ionia has won and driven the Noxians out of Navori. Meanwhile, the Ionia resistance has formed the Navori Brotherhood, and I hear their leader is just a 14-year-old girl," Mel said to Li Ke as he stepped forward.
Li Ke was taken aback. After calculating the time, Li Ke realized that this had happened much earlier than he had expected!
According to the story's background, at this point in time, shouldn't Swain have just returned to Noxus, be LeBlanc, and exploring the secrets buried deep within the Immortal Bastion?
How could the Noxian-Ionian War end at this time?
It's important to understand that the Noxian-Ionian War truly ended the moment Swain seized power and issued the order to withdraw his troops.
However, according to the Noxus calendar, it is currently the year 987, and in that year, Swain's arm should have just been severed by Irelia.
The timeline is messed up again?
This happened two or three years earlier than Li Ke had expected!
"She'll tell you the specifics herself," Mel said, stepping aside. Then, Li Ke saw a tall woman with white hair and long limbs behind Mel.
She had an oval face, delicate features, and exuded a chilling aura. Her narrow eyes gleamed with a sharp light. When she saw Li Ke looking at her, she stood up from her chair, elegantly placing one hand behind her back, standing ramrod straight, and said softly, "Camille of the Clan Ferros."
She introduced herself to Li Ke.
But after hearing her self-introduction, Li Ke gave her a question mark look.
The woman in front of him was about the same height as Caitlyn, but her limbs were Caitlyn. To put it simply, her long legs almost reached Jinx's chest at first glance.
Jinx's legs are long enough, but compared to the other person, it's like the difference between a child and an adult.
But what truly surprised Li Ke was the other person's name.
Camille.
She calls herself Camille, and even claims to Camille of the Clan Ferros?
But judging from her appearance alone, the woman in front of him was at most in her early thirties. She had fair and smooth skin, no wrinkles around her eyes or on her face, and most importantly, there was no trace of mechanical modification on her body.
When the hand extended to Li Ke reached out, Li Ke noticed that the other person's fingertips were covered with calluses and dense, thread-like wounds.
This woman, who calls herself Camille?
No, first the Noxian-Ionian War suddenly ended, and the Noxus timeline changed. Now, a beautiful white-haired woman in her early thirties, who calls herself Camille, is standing in front of Li Ke.
Could the timeline of this Ghost Alliance universe really have changed so much?
Li Ke had considered that as his strength and influence grew, he would be able to change more and more things. Just like the butterfly effect, carrying the Soul Blossom system and backed by Ahri, he would change many things on Runeterra.
However, the Noxian-Ionian War was altered, which Li Ke could understand. After all, he single-handedly destroyed the Noxus coastline and sank several warships. It was normal for the Noxians to be afraid, as they believed the one who did this was Ionia.
Looking back now, Li Ke's actions were like the Noxians having just reached Placidium, and then Karma coming out and unleashing a wave attack. The Noxus were like, "Damn, you Ionia have something like this? One wave sinks a hundred-meter-long giant ship, what's the point of fighting then?!"
Ultimately, it was because Li Ke had appeared in Ionia and done some things that the Noxian-Ionian War ended so early.
But what's wrong with you Camille?
How come this butterfly effect also has time travel capabilities?
In Li Ke's mind, Camille, as the de facto mastermind behind Piltover and hailed as the hidden boss of the Twin Cities, should be Jayce's grandmother's age. But now it seems she's actually Jayce's contemporary!
How did she go from being a grandmother to someone her own age?
"Camille Ferros?" Li Ke asked again, emphasizing the question.
Camille nodded and said:
"With the two cities cooperating, the intelligence from the Ferros Clan must naturally be shared with Zaun. Councilor Li Ke, according to the intelligence I've gathered, the defeated leaders of the Noxian-Ionian War have returned to Noxus to await trial by a military court. Many high-ranking nobles in Noxus are dissatisfied with the two cities and are secretly plotting revenge."
"Cutting off trade with Noxus doesn't affect us, but Noxus. Most of the Noxus merchants in Piltover are sent by powerful Noxus families to Piltover money. They send their 'loot' to Piltover, where it changes hands several times before being converted into wealth and returned to their own pockets. Now that this channel is cut off, they are secretly planning revenge against both cities."
"Where did you get this information from?" Li Ke asked.
"Ferros also has a lot of business in Noxus. Noxus isn't as insidious as people imagine, or rather, not as easy for just anyone to Noxus," Camille said softly. She continued, "That's also why the Noxian-Ionian War ended, because a lot of troops were mobilized, and Noxus had no troops left to use in Ionia."
Silco chimed in, "You said you'd only reveal their plans after meeting Li Ke. So, can you now tell us Noxus's plans?"
Camille squinted at Silco, seemingly lost in thought. Then, she took her hands out from behind her back, clasped them together in front of her, and said:
"Please allow me to explain the specific plan to you in detail."