In the evening, in a private room of the Zuanfugen Tavern--
Li Ke, Lissandra, Jax, and Master Yi, who just arrived in Zaun today from Ionia aboard Hex Airship.
The four men sat around a table, drinking alcohol, eating fried food, and some braised chicken and duck.
"This little thing is really delicious. How do you Zaunite manage to do it? I've been to many places, and there's really no food that can compare to Zaun's." Jax picked up a piece of duck with two big fingers, lifted his helmet, and then stuffed the duck into his mouth, chewing as he exclaimed in admiration.
Jax wasn't bragging about Zaun's food to Li Ke because of their good relationship; it was simply the truth. He had traveled to various parts of the world and lived for over a thousand years, but when it came to gourmet food, Zaun and Piltover were truly the best.
Zaun is renowned for its exceptional meat dishes, while Piltover is equally renowned for its exceptional pastries and desserts.
Lissandra elegantly picked up a piece of fried frog meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. The fried frog meat had a different texture than the raw and boiled frog meat. It was very chewy and had a spicy and numbing flavor. Lissandra really liked the taste and texture.
Because there are no chili peppers in Freljord, Lissandra didn't even need to eat before she met Li Ke, but now she still indulges her cravings.
What else? Are the three grown men sitting here eating and drinking, while Lissandra stands there like a cold, aloof statue?
However, when it comes to frog meat, Lissandra still can't understand why Jinx's sister likes to eat that slippery, mushy frog meat. Is that stuff even edible?
Thinking of this, Lissandra looked up at the sky, at the bright incandescent light on the ceiling, and thought to herself, "I wish this thing could be introduced to Freljord someday."
Compared to the Twin Cities, Freljord's current situation is, to put it mildly, a Freljord.
To this day, they still rely on sheer willpower to survive the cold, use torches for lighting, and even their excrement cannot be properly disposed of.
"Not to brag, but when it comes to seasonings, Zaun is Runeterra in every part of Runeterra." Li Ke was also eating, chewing on the fragrant duck parts while opening a bottle of rum and pouring himself a glass.
After taking a sip, Li Ke continued, "Before, because we had no money and no resources, we could only rely on condiments to enhance our happiness. Now, we have everything, but we definitely can't give up condiments."
There's no need to worry about health. With the current technology in both cities, let alone organ transplants, to put it bluntly, if Viktor wanted to, he could even transplant a person's head.
Therefore, with this level of technology, the negative effects of condiments are simply negligible.
While eating, the group chatted idly, but soon the conversation turned to more serious matters.
Jax first let out a burp, then picked up a tissue and wiped his mouth before speaking, "Just as you thought, Li Ke, after Yi and I arrived in Shurima, we did sense the presence of powerful individuals, stronger than us."
"Is it Nasus?" Li Ke asked.
During the time he and Lissandra were in Freljord, Jax and Yi supplemented the fighting force of the two cities, and also made a trip to Shurima during this period.
Li Ke knew very well that the Void was indeed a big deal, the final boss, but before that, there were many other bosses.
For example, Mount Targon, the Shadow Isles, and Shurima.
Celestials, Undead, Ascended —these creatures are completely different from humans, so Li Ke is worried that they might cause trouble while dealing with the Frost Watchers.
Especially in Shurima, if Azir were to be resurrected, his strength would certainly not be weaker than Lissandra's. After all, Aatrox was on par with Ornn at his peak, and as an ascended emperor, Azir's strength is naturally beyond doubt.
Among the Ascended, the most perfect Ascended is Setaka. Li Ke doesn't know whether the Ascended Empress's strength or Aatrox's is stronger, but he thinks that even if Setaka is weaker than Aatrox, she won't be much weaker. In a life-or-death battle, paper strength is not worth considering.
As a descendant of Setaka and having ruled Shurima during its most powerful period, Azir's strength is beyond doubt. Moreover, the most troublesome thing is that Azir is not simply a symbol of nobility and martial prowess like Setaka; Azir is a very intelligent and wise emperor.
After all, Azir went through countless trials from prince to emperor. As the least favored and youngest prince, the throne seemed a long way off. But in the end, Azir became the last emperor of Shurima.
Therefore, Azir is a character whose intelligence rivals Swain's, and whose strength completely surpasses Swain's.
"It's not Nasus." Jax shook his head. He could sense Nasus's scent; after all, Nasus had appeared in the battle against the Celestials, and Jax had thus caught Nasus scent.
Yi hesitated for a moment. His mental strength was stronger than Jax's, and Jax perception was naturally better. So he spoke up, "After the battle you created in Shurima, the residual power you left behind destroyed many of the restrictions on Shurima and released many powerful beings. When Jax and I went to Shurima, I sensed four powerful auras there."
Yi recalled, closed his eyes, and said, "One aura was like sunlight, domineering and intense, but that aura had just recovered and was very weak. Of the remaining three, one was very similar to Aatrox beside Li Ke, while the other two were an energy body so strong that it would make me dizzy and lightheaded just by sensing it, and the other was an unknown aura."
"Li Ke, the unknown aura Yi mentioned should also be Ascended," Jax said.
"Ah, I understand now." Li Ke sighed. Sure enough, the unexpected still happened.
Unlike in the original universe, Azir's resurgence wasn't due to Sivir. Noxus was no longer as divided, and while LeBlanc didn't know what was going on, she certainly didn't dare cause trouble for Swain on the surface.
Another point is that LeBlanc had no reason to create trouble for herself. What was the purpose of her millennia-long preparation? Wasn't it to deal with Mordekaiser?
Now, with Li Ke Swain protecting her, LeBlanc naturally doesn't have to worry about these things as much as before.
Therefore, there was no such thing as the Black Rose sending people to Shurima to rob tombs and excavate ancient weapons. Katarina's younger sister, Cassiopeia, is now living as a noble lady in Noxus and will no longer become a half-human, half-snake monster.
Even so, the guys who are meant to appear will still appear.
Yes, the stage is set up, how can it not look good if the main characters don't show up?
"Who are those people?" Jax pressed.
Lissandra also looked at Li Ke.
Even Lissandra has to admit one thing—that Ancient Shurima almost conquered Runeterra and unified the north and south.
The witch was powerful, but she was no match for Ancient Shurima.
There were hundreds of Demigod, many of whom were incredibly powerful. Even in the celestial realm, this force was immensely powerful.
The Ascended of Ancient Shurima possessed power that was, to some extent, bestowed upon them by the Celestials of the Targonians. However, Shurima later broke free from the Targonians' control. If it weren't for Icathia's role in the Ascended's battle against the Void, Shurima might very well have turned against the Targonians and destroyed Mount Targon.
Even after the War of Icathia, the remaining Darkin were still feared by the Targonians, right? They had no choice but to send out the previous Zoe, Myisha, to outmaneuver the Darkin.
"That domineering and intense aura, as powerful as the sun, should be Azir, if nothing unexpected happens," Li Ke said seriously.
Jax was taken aback, unusually tense, and pressed for an answer, "Father Azir?"
"It's him."
He's dead!
"He was indeed backstabbed during his ascension, but the power of the Ascended still entered his body. Besides, can't someone who dies be resurrected?" Li Ke looked at Jax speechlessly.
"How could this be? How could this be? If it really is him, then Shurima ..." Jax's voice held a hint of panic. "He will surely unite Shurima."
"It's not that simple." Li Ke understood Jax's meaning, but Li Ke still didn't quite understand.
Exactly, Icathia isn't extinct. Jax could be considered the last Icathia, right? Even Kai'Sa, who shouts "Icathian Rain" and unleashes a barrage of light, is actually a Shurima.
It can only be said that Jax couldn't let go of the love-hate relationship between Icathia and Shurima.
"Azir wants to revive Shurima, but Zaun will not agree to it. After all, once he integrates Shurima, his next task will be to reclaim Va'Zaun, which was once Shurima's territory."
"Furthermore, Azir bullied Janna in the past, and I won't pretend that didn't happen."
Hearing Li Ke say that, Jax breathed a sigh of relief.
The number of Deity behind Li Ke is not much less than that of Shurima.
Not counting what Li Ke was hiding, let's just talk about the ones on the surface: Janna, Swain, Karma, Yi, himself, Lissandra, and several Old Ways Demigod from Freljord, as well as that woman named Nilah who recently got together with Li Ke.
Jax knew he couldn't beat Nilah; that woman was a monster.
Furthermore, Lissandra alone is enough to give Azir a run for his money.
With that thought in mind, Jax relaxed.
Li Ke continued, "That energy entity is most likely the one who betrayed Azir back then. His name is Xerath, a guy who isn't Ascended, but is more powerful than Ascended."
"Hmm, Azir failed to ascend back then because he usurped the power of the Ascended?"
"That guy is a big problem. Azir may be domineering, but he can still communicate. As for that guy, just kill him on sight. Jax, you and Yi will take Karma to Shurima to find him and prevent him from causing trouble."
"I understand." Jax nodded, as did Yi, who was standing beside him.
"Then there's someone with the same aura as Nasus. If the energy body really is Xerath, then that's Renekton, Nasus's brother, a mad Ascended. Don't worry too much about him; that guy's gone insane and he can't usually unleash his full power."
This isn't just something Li Ke said offhand. Renekton went mad after being humiliated by Xerath for over a thousand years. Hatred and humiliation drove him astray. In Renekton's backstory, he was bullied by a few Sand People bandits. If it weren't for his anger and the power of the Ascended that brought him back to his senses, Renekton would truly be a disgrace to the Ascended!
Yeah, even more shameful than that Ascended got killed by Jax!
"And the last one?" Lissandra asked in a cool tone.
Lissandra would be speechless every time she saw Li Ke speak eloquently.
What exactly have I been doing all these years, working like a diligent little bee chasing dreams? I don't even know as many secrets as Li Ke.
"The last one." Li Ke hesitated.
Li Ke always knew that unexpected things could happen in the world, all sorts of unexpected things.
Just as Aatrox has now become his partner, something Li Ke had never imagined before meeting Aatrox.
And the Darkin escaped the seal due to the influence of the Celestials War's power.
"It's hard to say for sure. The Darkin are numerous. If a harp could be hidden in the underworld of Zaun, then there must be even more Darkin in Shurima."
Darkin are sealed away in various parts of Runeterra, including Demacia, Noxus, Ionia, Freljord, and even Bilgewater.
Demacia's is a shield, Noxus's is a crossbow, Ionia's is a bow, I'm not sure about Bilgewater's Li Ke, but Freljord's is a spear.
Therefore, Shurima, as the starting point of the Darkin, will only have more.
So
"Right now, I have two candidates in mind, and if nothing unexpected happens, they should be the ones." After thinking for a moment, Li Ke said, "The first candidate is named Xolaani. She is among the top tier of the Darkin. Unlike Aatrox, Xolaani is attempting to take control of the Darkin. If she really does escape, it will be a huge problem."
"And the other Darkin candidate is named Naafiri. She's more troublesome because, in some ways, her strength isn't much weaker than Aatrox's. Of course, I'm referring to Aatrox at his peak."
Li Ke emphasized this point.
Jax spoke up, "I recognize those two names. The Darkin War was sparked by Xolaani and Naafiri. The former was known as the Faceless One, and the latter called herself Empress."
"Naafiri almost ruled the Darkin. If it weren't for Aatrox, the Darkin would be active in Runeterra right now," Jax said seriously.
He was a survivor of the Darkin War, so of course he remembered these things.
Li Ke shrugged.
"No matter who it is, our plan cannot go awry."
"As before, Jax, you and Yi will take Karma to Shurima, and I'll take Janna and Lissandra to Freljord."
"Who dares to step forward before the Void is resolved?"
Li Ke drank the rum, placed the glass on the table, and his tone turned cold:
"I'll take care of whoever it is."
No one is allowed to emerge until the matter of the Void beneath Rell is resolved!