Have You Ever Seen a Fox Like Me?

[Random Advent selected.]

[Selecting advent location...]

[Random advent successful. Welcome, Summoner Li Ke.]

"Advent successful, Summoner. Your advent will last half an hour."

[Name: Li Ke]

[Race: Human Soul]

[Soul Strength: 7.3 (Scattered Soul)]

[World Exploration: 1%]

The view before him was no longer deep purple, and Li Ke breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around and saw that, like Purple Prison Mountain, this was a forest. But unlike Purple Prison Mountain, with its gloomy, sinister atmosphere, this place felt warm and bright.

The trees did not tower into the sky, and the undergrowth grew in an orderly way. Li Ke could even hear the sounds of small animals.

He took a step, and the next moment, the system's notification rang out.

[Map discovered—Lotus Valley]

[Current map exploration: 0.01%]

[Exploration rewards accumulating]

[Good luck, Summoner Li Ke.]

"Lotus Valley?"

Li Ke narrowed his eyes, then suddenly clapped his hands.

On the Soul Blossom map, only Purple Prison Mountain was illuminated. The other maps were shrouded in shadow, but he could still make out what they looked like.

Most of the map showed mountains, along with rivers and plains. There even seemed to be a place that looked like a wheat field.

But there were only two valleys: one belonging to the Kanmei faction, and one to the Akana faction. The divine figures hidden behind each valley were also clearly depicted. Li Ke could recognize them at a glance.

They were Ahri, the deity of the Kanmei Valley, and Riven, the Soul Blossom deity of the Akana Valley.

So naturally, Li Ke was delighted to have arrived in Lotus Valley.

Ahri was practically the protagonist of Soul Blossom. Of course, Sett, who later set out on a journey to find his father, became the second-generation protagonist, but that didn't change the fact that Ahri was the central figure throughout the entire Soul Blossom story. And Ahri was a friendly, approachable deity—nothing like that old lantern bastard, Thresh.

If he met Ahri, he might not only unlock fifty exploration points, but could even get something out of her.

With that in mind, Li Ke headed down a path and began exploring Lotus Valley.

[Discovered a fairy herb. Exploration points +5]

[Discovered a white moon rabbit. Exploration points +3]

[Discovered a giant spirit deer.]

[Discovered Autumn Moon Forest. Exploration rewards accumulating]

As he wandered around Lotus Valley, Li Ke felt at ease. Aside from its beautiful natural surroundings, the local creatures weren't very aggressive. As long as he didn't approach and provoke them, they simply went about their business when they saw him.

They didn't look weak, either. Li Ke was sure he couldn't beat some of them.

One was a giant deer over three meters tall and two meters long, with a pair of horns like blades. There were also spirit creatures perched in the trees—not animal spirits, but the souls of humans. Li Ke figured he definitely couldn't beat them.

After crossing yet another lake, Li Ke checked the exploration timer and saw that his advent would end in four minutes. He'd been wandering for a long time without running into Ahri, which left him a little disappointed. Still, even without meeting her, he'd gained quite a bit.

Just as Li Ke was thinking this, the trees rustled. A snowy-white blur suddenly flashed past him. Thinking it was some kind of rabbit, Li Ke followed it with his eyes—and saw a little white fox sitting on a rock, tilting its head as it looked at him.

"Lost soul, have you lost your way?"

"If you have, come with me. I'll lead you out of here. You don't belong here yet."

[Warning!]

[Be advised!]

[Deity of Lotus Valley detected!]

[Escape immediately and avoid the target!]

[The deity of Lotus Valley can affect the material world!]

Li Ke rolled his eyes at the sound of the warning.

Was the system's intelligence at the level of an imbecile?

So rigid?

Ahri was the kindhearted leader deity of the Kanmei and a guide for souls. How could she possibly be dangerous?

Besides, even if she were dangerous, Li Ke would have no chance to escape—just like when he'd run into Thresh last time.

Li Ke had indeed grown stronger. His soul strength had increased, and he was now more capable than an ordinary person. But compared to the rest of Runeterra, he was still weak.

At least on Ionia, to put it this way: Li Ke reckoned that even a not-yet-teenage Akali could take on three of him.

So if Ahri really wanted to hurt him, he'd have no way to resist. Besides, she was the one who'd rescued him from that creepy old yandere, Thresh, last time. And it definitely wasn't because he liked Ahri that Li Ke followed her!

Ignoring the system's warning, Li Ke walked toward the little white fox.

The moment he lifted a foot, the fox alertly raised a paw and hopped off the rock. Its pink paw pads touched the grass. It glanced back at Li Ke, its big tail swaying, then started walking.

After a few steps, it stopped and looked back at him again.

The meaning was obvious: it wanted Li Ke to follow.

Li Ke hurried after it, following the little fox through the woods.

When they reached a place filled with fireflies, the fox stopped running and lowered its head to lick its fur.

"You're quite fascinating. You're not even a soul yet, so why are you here, human child?"

A pleasant voice rang out. Li Ke looked down and saw the little fox gazing up at him too, starlight reflected in its beautiful eyes, sparkling brilliantly.

"Just as you said, I'm lost," Li Ke replied.

"Lost? How interesting. I think you came here on purpose. I haven't forgotten you. You and I fought Thresh for days because of you," the little fox said cheerfully.

Then, right in front of Li Ke, it leaped high into the air.

"Poof!"

With a soft pop, white light appeared alongside a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, a pink-haired woman stood before Li Ke. She wore an off-the-shoulder miniskirt and white knee-high boots, with long pink sleeves covering her arms.

A pair of long, pointed pink ears stood upright amid her hair. Her face was strikingly alluring, with three rosy stripes on each cheek. Her narrow eyes were foxlike and captivating. Beneath her Small Nose were full, smiling lips, and she looked at Li Ke with a sweet smile.

"Human child, have you ever seen a fox like me?"

Li Ke was stunned.

He'd imagined that soul Ahri would be beautiful, but now that she was right in front of him, he realized he'd still underestimated her. It was different from what Li Ke knew. No—her beauty was utterly unlike that of humans.

It was a kind of beauty humans didn't possess: bewitching, divine, pure, seductive, adorable, and sexy.

The words seemed contradictory, yet every one of them suited her perfectly.

There were plenty of beautiful women in the two cities: Vi, Caitlyn, Jinx, and some of the people Li Ke had met in Zaun. They were all gorgeous. Vi had a spirited face, Caitlyn had a tall, flawless figure, and Jinx's sickly pale face had a striking blend of innocence and allure. But when compared to Ahri, Li Ke felt only Jinx could come close, thanks to her "crazy" aura.

But that was only her aura. And crazy hardly seemed like a compliment, did it?

"Can't take your eyes off me?"

"Hehe, I like that reaction of yours."

"Human child, come chat with me. I'm curious how you managed to do it."

[Ahri's favorability toward you +1]