LeBlanc was eventually released, but filled with resentment and unwillingness, this great leader of the Black Rose, the schemer who had been hiding behind Noxus for nearly a thousand years, the legendary female mage of LeBlanc Runeterra, did not leave Noxus, but remained in the Immortal Bastion.
After listening to Swain and Li Ke, she ultimately chose to stay, intending to build Noxus with Swain, provided, of course, that LeBlanc obeyed Swain in everything.
She cannot act on her own, especially not come up with her own ideas.
After all, every time this woman comes up with an idea, Noxus suffers a setback because of it, so Swain dares not let LeBlanc come up with any more ideas.
Noxus is now truly riddled with problems. This woman doesn't need to contribute to Noxus's reconstruction; she just needs to stay put. That's Swain's only thought.
Although Idea Queen was very dissatisfied, she chose to swallow her anger because of Li Ke. As long as she could deal with Mordekaiser, what did LeBlanc have to do?
After all, Sister Yitiao, you don't want Mordekaiser to return to the Material Realm, right?
Getting back to the main point, Janna has returned to Zaun and told Silco about what happened in Noxus, so that Silco can prepare to integrate with Noxus in advance.
Li Ke and Jinx stayed in Noxus instead of heading directly to Freljord because Li Ke planned to absorb more Emotion Points in Noxus.
Before setting off, he planned to give Ahri and Kindred some gifts in the Soul Blossom space to gain favor and some Soul Strength. Then, he planned to store another emotion point in Noxus before heading to Freljord.
It's always better to be prepared.
As for why it was in Noxus, it's because Swain had announced that Noxus would be partnering with the Twin Cities, and he had also posted Li Ke's name on the notice.
There are many ways to collect Emotion Points, but the most effective and the one that yields the largest amount is for Li Ke to personally absorb them from his surroundings.
Li Ke has now realized that as his fame increases and more people know him, he can gain more Emotion Points. The effect is less effective for those who are far away, but much better for those who are close.
The source of Emotion Points is nothing more than the expression of human emotions, such as fear, respect, and gratitude. Although they are not as emotionally volatile as Jinx, the sheer number of these emotions is enough that the amount of Emotion Points that Little Jinx provides to Li Ke is truly incomparable.
Therefore, Li Ke plans to first collect a good Emotion Points in Noxus.
As the year 988 drew to a close, winter arrived in Noxus, and the weather turned harsh. Cold winds blowing from Freljord plunged Noxus into frigid conditions, and Noxians streets of the nearest Immortal Bastion were noticeably quieter.
In the study of the Immortal Bastion, Swain sat in a chair with a small fireplace beside him. Wrapped in a blanket, Swain held a steaming teacup in his hands, sipping the hot black tea, and silently gazed at the woman before him.
The woman in front of me had beautiful purple hair, but despite the winter weather, she was dressed very lightly: a short top that revealed her midriff, a blue cloak, and a purple-royal skirt. She was sitting on the corner of the desk with her legs crossed.
Her face, free of makeup, was fair and smooth, with delicate, flawless skin. The under-eye bags beneath her narrow eyes were exquisite, and a beauty mark under her right eye added a unique charm to her.
"Has he been gone for several days?"
The woman asked Swain.
Swain he looked at LeBlanc in this state.
Well, LeBlanc looks better like this than when LeBlanc's wearing makeup, at least that's what Swain thinks.
Without that scribble-like makeup, LeBlanc looks more innocent and gentle. Just by looking at her appearance, you would hardly imagine that she is over a thousand years old. Looking at her like this, you would only think of her as a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.
"It's been five days," Swain said.
"Tsk, finally gone." LeBlanc scoffed dismissively. She then listlessly fiddled with the teapot on her desk, lazily bending over, a deep, husky voice escaping her throat. "I simply cannot understand why there are men in this world who like women like Jinx."
"Given his status, he could have any woman he wanted, so why was he so fond of that kind of woman?"
Swain listened to LeBlanc's words and recalled how Jinx had been going to visit LeBlanc a lot lately. Then he smiled.
For some reason, Swain found himself becoming somewhat strange lately. No, not only was he becoming strange, but even LeBlanc, the woman he considered his greatest enemy, seemed to be acting strangely as well.
When the veil was lifted, Swain discovered that LeBlanc wasn't "like" him at all. Perhaps this is what Li Ke meant when he said—distance makes the heart grow fonder?
"She's not as bad as you think. Besides, they're childhood sweethearts, a match made in heaven." Swain took a sip of tea and put down his cup.
He looked at LeBlanc and continued, "So, are you planning to continue like this?"
LeBlanc looked up at Swain and calmly asked, "How is it?"
"You've neglected the Black Rose lately, spending all your time reading in your room. Aside from mealtimes, I hardly ever see you. This isn't like you at all."
Swain said meaningfully.
He was obviously referring to LeBlanc's usual ability to cause trouble, but lately she hasn't been causing any. In other words LeBlanc seems to have become quite lazy?
"What a joke, the one sitting here now is the real me." LeBlanc waved her hand dismissively after hearing Swain's words.
She looked at Swain and continued, "You think you know me well, don't you? Ha, without that demon, Swain, you're just an ordinary person with some intelligence and a strong will in my eyes."
"For a thousand years, because of Mordekaiser, I have been traveling and sleeping less than two hours a day. I have used my abilities to create countless versions of myself, which are scattered throughout various regions of Noxus."
A strange emotion flickered in LeBlanc's eyes as she lazily continued, "I've played countless roles: old people, children, men, women, politicians, soldiers, businessmen, dancers."
"I haven't had my own dreams for a long time. Sometimes, I even forget who I am. Which one of me is the real me?" LeBlanc said with a smile, her tone filled with emotion and ridicule.
Over the millennia, she has played far too many roles, and she almost forgot who she was. The only thing she truly remembered over the years was that she was the Pale Witch who betrayed Mordekaiser and the leader of the Black Rose. Apart from that, LeBlanc sometimes felt that she was just one of the many empty shells among the illusions.
She could no longer distinguish between the primary and secondary, or which one was her true self and which one was an avatar she had created.
But recently, she has let go of the Black Rose and Mordekaiser, and has been living a carefree life for nearly two months. She sleeps and eats every day, reads books, and then sneaks away to visit Jinx, who is actually trying to learn magic from her. Gradually, LeBlanc finds many memories from her messy memory palace.
Her name is LeBlanc. She was born 1421 years ago, before Noxus was founded. She came from a wealthy family with both parents and was a noblewoman. However, everything was destroyed by runes.
In short, during this period, LeBlanc truly remembered many things, memories that belonged only to her "original self," which gradually allowed LeBlanc to pull herself out of the illusion.
She's not the doppelganger Li Ke was talking about!
Yawning, LeBlanc smiled and continued to Swain, "But now, thanks to that brat Li Ke, I've realized who I am."
"I've worked so hard for so many years, running around to deal with the tyrant's return. What's wrong with me taking a break now?"
"You want to dump all of this on Li Ke?" Swain saw right through LeBlanc's plan.
LeBlanc hummed twice, lifted her long, gleaming white legs, shifted her sitting position, smoothed her skirt, and said with a grin, "Is there a problem?"
"Now I understand what people often say: 'If the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up.'"
"Even if I do nothing, you and Li Ke will still deal with Mordekaiser. So why should I be so busy? Besides, didn't you tell me not to give you any ideas?"
"Is it my fault?" Stretching her body, Ms. LeBlanc stood up and stood in front of Swain. She raised her hand in front of her and lightly tapped the space in front of her with her fingers.
A golden magic wand floated beneath her feet as she said, "For dinner, I'd like my beef medium-rare and a bottle of fine red wine."
After saying that, LeBlanc vanished on the spot without waiting for Swain's reply.
In the quiet study, Swain stared silently at what was in front of him. After a long while, he suddenly shook his head and laughed.
After careful consideration, Swain realized that he really couldn't blame LeBlanc.
Because sometimes he shares the same thought as LeBlanc: that Li Ke will solve everything.
Just like now, Noxus and the Twin Cities are cooperating. Noxus provides the ore, and the Twin Cities help Noxus improve the quality of the land and sell food to Noxus at low prices.
For Swain, the biggest challenge after taking office as president is not how to change Noxus's current policies, but rather food and economic development.
But both of these issues have now been resolved by the Twin Cities, so Swain naturally felt relieved.
As for Mordekaiser
After acquiring Raum, Swain was indeed wary of Mordekaiser, because he knew very well that with the return of Noxus's former king, San Andreas, Noxus would not benefit from it, but would instead become the first stepping stone for him to seize Runeterra.
This is why Swain didn't target LeBlanc too much.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't that right?
And now, let's just leave the responsibility of Mordekaiser and the like to Li Ke.
Picking up the exquisite teapot that LeBlanc had been playing with, Swain poured himself another cup of black tea and squinted his eyes to enjoy it.
"Everyone, just ahead is Nerazag!"
"Everyone, pay attention, don't rest, we must get into the village as soon as possible."
On the frosty, frozen ground, a long procession crossed the mountains of Freljord and was trekking down into the valley below.
The group consisted of about forty people, including seven enormous moose. Each moose had antlers that were half a meter long, resembling two giant shields. They were two meters tall and nearly three meters long, and were the best companions of the merchants of Freljord.
In addition, the caravan also had ten Freljord yaks. These yaks were smaller than moose and could not venture as deep into Freljord as moose, but their thick, bushy coats and excellent stamina made them the mainstay of the caravan's cargo transport.
Inside the large wagon pulled by two yaks, the black-haired youth heard the noise outside, pushed open the wooden window, and peered out.
A small head peeked out from below him, wearing a thick woolen hat, with a few tufts of playful blue hair sticking out from the edge of the hat. On his small face, which was as white as the surrounding snow, his delicate and cute little nose was red from the cold.
"Li Ke, how much longer until we really arrive in Freljord?"
She exhaled a breath, and seeing the white mist she exhaled instantly condense into icy slush, the girl's eyes curved into crescents, and she was very excited.
Before Li Ke could answer, a member of the caravan sitting nearby chuckled and said, "We've now officially entered Freljord. From this point on, we're in Freljord."
"Remember the building we just passed? That's Noxians's Noxian Plaza. After that, it's no longer Noxus territory," John said gently, looking at the young couple.
"You two are really bold. You're not Noxians, yet you dare to travel on Noxus roads. Tell me, why don't you two take Hex Airship?"
After John finished speaking, he took a puff of his tobacco.
As a businessman, he certainly knew about Zaun and Piltover. It was impossible for any businessman not to know about the Twin Cities now; they were world-class trading hubs, places that all businessmen aspired to visit.
The young couple in front of us are from Twin Cities.
"We're here to experience the local customs and culture at a slower pace," Li Ke replied with a smile.
He and Jinx entered Delverhold three days ago, and after walking for three hours after leaving Delverhold, they encountered John's caravan.
Seeing Li Ke and Jinx on the mountain, John kindly invited Li Ke to join the Jinx.
After all, once you enter the snowy area, you might encounter wild animals everywhere, and if the group is large enough, the wild animals won't dare to attack.
John, upon hearing this, wanted to reprimand Li Ke and warn Li Ke against doing so, because it was truly dangerous.
But before he could say anything, chaos suddenly broke out outside.
John pushed open the wooden window beside him and peered out. He only glanced at it before he panicked instantly.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
Jinx Big Eyes, curious, about what was happening, but John looked sternly at Li Ke and Jinx and said loudly, "Get off the carriage immediately, then you two cover yourselves up well, hide in the crowd, and don't make a sound, understand?"
After saying this, without waiting for Li Ke and Jinx to react, he urged them to get out of the car.
John also got off the car. After getting off, he picked up a flag stuck on the side of the car, shouted two sentences in a language that Li Ke couldn't understand, and then waved the flag.
The convoy stopped immediately.
This was followed by a series of rumbling sounds coming from the permafrost.
Li Ke stood beside Jinx, looking towards the direction from which the sound came, and narrowed his eyes.
Far away, in the snow and among the trees, Li Ke spotted a long line.
Snow wolves, wild boars, and moose—all sorts of unsociable animals—rushed toward the caravan, and on top of these animals were a group of people dressed in furs.
"Winter's Claw?"
"What a coincidence!"
Li Ke laughed.