"To be honest, I really never imagined that one day, the two of us would be able to sit together and drink tea."
The Royal Gardens of Demacia, a garden that has always been open to the people of Demacia, is now closed to the public. This is truly unusual, because every Demacia knows all too well what kind of monarch Jarvan III was.
He was intelligent, brave, kind, and fair. As a king, there was truly nothing more blissful than being one of his subjects.
After all, what fault could you find in a king who, in every war, would lead from the front, riding into battle in his sixties and wearing heavy armor, all to protect his people?
That's why the closure of the royal gardens seems strange, but it's not unusual among the nobility.
Because a guest had arrived in Demacia, a guest of high rank and great status.
The middle-aged man, whose gray hair was meticulously combed back, with a slightly long face, deep-set eyes, and hawk-like gaze, calmly reached out and picked up an exquisite teacup from the stone table, taking a sip of the flower tea brewed by the old emperor.
It has a slightly sweet taste upon first sip, followed by a pleasant aftertaste with a strong sweetness. The floral aroma is rich and lingering, making it a very delicious flower tea.
Swain's gaze fell on Xin Zhao, who stood ramrod straight in a corner, holding the Dragon-Slaying Spear and staring straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to his presence. A sense of helplessness welled up in Swain's heart.
Such a powerful warrior, a warrior capable of taking on a thousand men on the battlefield, was lost by Noxus itself.
During his time as Grand Commander, Swain spent many years in the Noxus library, where he investigated numerous Noxus and materials. From these documents, Swain learned about the severe brain drain Noxus was currently experiencing.
Darkwill became senile in his later years, and LeBlanc was solely focused on fighting Mordekaiser. It wasn't that she didn't understand politics; how could someone who had lived for over a thousand years and led a mysterious dark magic organization truly be a fool?
Therefore, LeBlanc clearly doesn't care what happens to Noxus; all she cares about is herself. For her own sake, LeBlanc is willing to sacrifice everything for Noxus, and she doesn't care at all about the glory of the empire.
Swain was quite helpless about this.
He and LeBlanc are complete opposites. Everything Swain does is for the sake of strengthening Noxus, and he would not hesitate to sacrifice his life for it.
And now, he came to Demacia specifically for Noxus.
"I didn't expect that either." Swain looked calmly at Jarvan III, opened his mouth and continued:
"But that's the reality. With the rise of the Twin Cities, both Noxus and Demacia now have to obey Twin Cities."
"I don't quite agree with what you're saying, and I don't like it." Jarvan III shook his head. His beard was white, and his messy hair was also an aged silver-white. At this moment, Jarvan III looked like an old white lion, and his whole person showed signs of aging.
But even an old lion is still a lion, and his aura is no weaker than Swain's, even though he now looks like just an unarmed old human, while Swain is a Demigod with demonic power.
"I acknowledge the power of the Twin Cities. At this point, no force can stop Twin Cities. Lord Li Ke possesses Deity power and is aided by numerous Deity. Coupled with the Twin Cities' advanced technology, frankly, those weapons—the armor and warriors that Demacia is so proud of—are a joke in the face of the Twin Cities' technological weaponry."
"But that doesn't mean Demacia has succumbed to the Twin Cities." Jarvan III looked at Swain, speaking seriously at first, then his expression changed, wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes. He smiled and said, "Besides, Li Ke never had such an idea, otherwise he wouldn't have formed the Federation."
"By forming a federation, merging nations, and uniting against external threats, Twin Cities has placed itself on the moral high ground. He has indeed managed to make everyone listen to him, but at the same time, he has also made everyone watch him closely."
"His words and actions have been exposed to everyone. If Li Ke really wanted to contend for supremacy and unification, there would be no need for him to put himself and Twin Cities on such a pedestal, would there?"
Swain silent, glancing subtly at Jarvan III, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
If Darkwill had possessed even half of Jarvan III's potential in his later years, Noxus would have already occupied half of Runeterra.
"I don't think you're here to talk to me about these things. Tell me why you've come, Grand Commander," Jarvan III said, seeing Swain's silence.
Swain a moment, then said, "I want some Petricite from you."
"Absurd!" The Grand Marshal, who was guarding the old emperor beside Jarvan III, rebuked him directly.
Tianna glared at Swain and said coldly, "Give you the Petricite? Ha! Putting aside what you plan to do with Petricite, what gives you the right? What makes you think Demacia would give the Petricite to its enemy?"
"Enemies?" Swain looked at Tianna and shook his head, saying, "That was a year ago. We are allies now, Grand Marshal."
"The Twin Cities have already left us far behind. It's impossible for Noxus or Demacia to catch up with Twin Cities now, but we can't just sit here and wait to be defeated, can we?"
"I consider myself to have a good relationship with Li Ke, and I understand that Li Ke doesn't really crave power or status. But that's just his opinion. Besides, people change. Nobody knows what choices Li Ke will make in ten or twenty years."
"What about the people around him? He might not be foolish enough to change his views and ideas because of immortality, but what about others? What about the management of Twin Cities? Will they change their minds then?"
Swain's eyes deepened, and as his lips moved, he spoke in a low voice, more to himself than to Jarvan III: "I never believe in ideals; I only see reality."
An ideal is like a bubble, beautiful and dreamlike. When it exists, it attracts everyone's attention, but a bubble is a bubble, and it can burst at any time. A little wind or a ripple can cause it. No one can say for sure.
He has already paid the price for his ideals, therefore he will no longer blindly believe.
The Twin Cities are moving too fast, so fast that Swain gone from being shocked at the beginning to being afraid now.
After obtaining Raum's energy, many things in this world are no longer beyond Swain's control. Even if variables arise, Swain can find a way to deal with them, and even if he can't solve them, he can cope with them.
But what about Twin Cities, and Li Ke?
That was completely out of Swain's control. He could cooperate with Li Ke, but could he really make Noxus submit to the Twin Cities?
That won't work.
At least not during Swain's tenure as president.
Noxus did indeed benefit greatly from the Twin Cities: improved land, increased population, and everyone was able to eat their fill. With time to recover and thrive, everything in Noxus was getting better.
However, this does not mean that Swain will change his original intention.
Upon hearing Tianna opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then fell silent.
The Noxus president is right. The Twin Cities are currently full of goodwill, morally restraining themselves and spreading friendliness to the world, helping countries around the globe. But what about the future?
As the Twin Cities grow stronger, who can say for sure that Twin Cities won't eventually harbor ambitions of conquering the world?
Moreover, what Twin Cities is doing right now is "enlightened hegemony." On the surface, it restricts its power by restraining itself, but isn't that also a way of gaining power?
Essentially, isn't Runeterra currently ruled by the Twin Cities?
Jarvan III looked at Swain, knowing that Tianna's silence behind him meant she had been persuaded by Swain.
But Jarvan III did not. He simply picked up the cup in front of him, held it in his hands, and looked at the flowers in the distance. The weather was cold in winter, and most of the flowers had not yet bloomed, but a few had. Those flowers were conspicuous and beautiful.
It is precisely because they are in bloom that people come to see the flowers in the royal gardens even in winter.
The old emperor was well aware of Swain's reasons for Petricite.
He simply wanted to use the Petricite to deal with the future Twin Cities. He was guarding against Li Ke and the Twin Cities. Hextech is magic, and the Petricite has the ability to eliminate magic.
However, Twin Cities are not only home to magical weapons; those Chemtech Bomb and spears are not magic.
The old emperor gazed at the flowers, and after a long while, he said softly, "I understand everything you're saying."
"I can give you the Petricite, but in return, I need Noxus's runecrafting technology," the old emperor said to Swain in a deep voice.
"Isn't Demacia a country that forbids magic?"
"That was then, Your Excellency. Demacia is currently working to abolish forbidden magic, and I have been secretly implementing it in several places, with extremely good results," Jarvan III said with a smile.
Tianna, listening to the old emperor's words from behind, froze, holding her breath. She knew nothing about this!
She knew Jarvan III wanted to abolish the traditional system and change the status quo in Demacia, but she was truly unaware that Jarvan III had already begun to implement it in secret!
If even she doesn't know, then which noble family in Demacia could possibly know?
Looking down at her sword, Tianna realized that her fingers were unconsciously stroking the hilt.
At this moment, Tianna's feelings were beyond words.
The disconnect between her physical memory and cognitive innovation rendered her unable to speak.
Times have indeed changed.
"Demacia has already begun to change, and I agree with you, Grand Master. Using morality to restrain others is far less effective than using Riot Games to intimidate them. In the face of power, so-called order is just a piece of paper, which can be torn apart at any time."
"But I disagree with your approach."
"Please advise me," Swain a moment's hesitation.
"You want to unite Demacia and Noxus to put pressure on the Twin Cities and check Twin Cities dominance. In my opinion, this approach is all too typical of you Noxians." The old emperor put down his teacup and said with a sigh, "Noxians always think the worst. Your way of thinking is also extremely aggressive."
"Times have changed, Your Majesty. Do you understand what I mean? A few years ago, I couldn't have imagined that something like this would happen in Runeterra. I mean, did you ever think about this happening before?"
One day, the journey from Demacia to Noxus, then to Ionia, and finally to the Twin Cities will only take a morning. The distance between people will be shortened, and the distance between nations will seem to disappear. War will no longer be a matter of riding horses; humanity will now truly possess the ability to fly and dive into the sea.
The old emperor, nestled in his chair, continued slowly, "Our old methods are no longer working. You place too much importance on Noxus, but your perspective is flawed."
"All you care about is the name of Noxus. You seem to have taken it upon yourself to revive Noxus and restore Noxian Empire glory. But have you ever really considered what the Noxians are thinking?"
Swain was taken aback and fell silent.
Upon closer reflection, what Jarvan III pointed out was indeed what Swain had thought.
All he cares about is Noxus.
"Peace is hard-won, Commander-in-Chief. I know you are resolute and not someone who can be persuaded by a few words from an old man like me, but I want you to understand one thing: no one likes war, except for madmen."
"In my eyes, Noxus used to be just a barbaric nation built by a big madman leading a bunch of little madmen. But I could understand it because you needed to survive back then. You could only keep the country stable and the people alive by constantly waging wars and invading others to obtain resources."
But now? You don't need to do that anymore. Back then, you could only keep Noxus running by waging war, running aimlessly. But now the Twin Cities have put the brakes on you, and Noxus has stopped. Instead of running aimlessly, why not take a good rest and find the right direction?"
"As for what you said about whether the Twin Cities will change in the future, that's a matter for the future, Your Excellency."
"I don't know what abilities you possess, but the changes of the times are beyond our control. No matter how far ahead you are, accidents can still happen. Just like ten years ago, if someone had told me that banning magic was wrong, I would have simply said that he had been corrupted by magic, and then ordered his imprisonment, conviction, and exile."
"Li Ke is a trendsetter of this era. He and his Twin Cities have changed this era. Instead of thinking about how to confront or restrain Twin Cities, we should think about how to protect and help Twin Cities."
"Won't this accelerate the growth of the Twin Cities? Won't it encourage those people to change their minds?" Swain's words were interrupted by Jarvan III.
The old emperor rose, pointed to his garden, and then to the blooming flowers, and said:
"See those flowers? If it weren't for them, no one would come to this garden in winter. But it's precisely because these flowers only bloom in winter that people keep coming to visit this garden."
"And when they see these flowers, they think about taking care of other flowers, watering and fertilizing those that haven't bloomed yet, and protecting their growth."
"Preparing for future threats is fine, but trying to maintain a balance of power is wrong. Because you can't stop it. Only by adapting to the times, keeping up with the pace, and dynamically adjusting to maintain equilibrium will Demacia and Noxus avoid being forgotten in history."
"Don't just focus on your own flower. This ecosystem can accommodate many flowers. It's huge, much bigger than you imagine. Instead of thinking about destroying other flowers, become a protector of this ecosystem."
After the old emperor finished speaking, he turned his back to Swain, waved his hand, and took a step, saying softly, "I'm a little tired. People get old, and I can't stand the cold wind. Great Commander, please excuse me. If there's anything else you'd like to discuss, let's talk about it another time."
Swain watched Jarvan III's departing figure silently, seeing the Grand Marshal of Demacia and the Royal Steward following him. He then turned his head and looked at the flowers that Jarvan III had pointed to earlier.
He seemed to understand Jarvan III's meaning: the Twin Cities were the maintainers of the existing order, but at the same time, they were the gravediggers of their traditional civilization.