The rustling sound beside my ear was Jinx's murmur. She's usually very well-behaved when she's sleeping, but tonight she was talking in her sleep.
Li Ke listened carefully and found that Jinx's mutterings were all unpleasant words.
"If you like it, then eat it yourself!"
"Let me see."
"Don't keep me waiting too long, Li Ke. I don't want to have any secrets from you."
"Hmph, so secretive. Next time I see it, I'm going to bite it off."
Upon hearing this, Li Ke gasped, "Hiss!"
Jinx has such a cruel heart!
Looking at Jinx's fierce little face, Li Ke noticed that her little mouth moved, making a biting motion as if she were biting and eating, grinding her teeth and preparing to pounce; her sharp little fangs were quite pretty.
Li Ke looked at it carefully for a while, then straightened his body, put on a Hextech Gem that he had prepared in advance, Li Ke then closed his eyes.
The last time he met Ahri, it cost him two energy points, but this time, with the negotiations with Piltover, the establishment of the city-state in Zaun, and the influx of many people, Li Ke also gained a lot of emotional energy. In addition, Jinx has been consistently and steadily providing emotional support to Li Ke, giving Li Ke two energy points now, half a full Energy Bar.
Two energy points are enough for Li Ke to see Ahri again and see if he can pluck some more Fox to strengthen himself. At the same time, Li Ke also wants to ask Ahri if she has any solutions for Viktor's current situation.
If Ahri can't find a solution either, then Li Ke will have to consider having Viktor and Jayce, along with Jinx, Ekko, Singed, Heimerdinger, and other geniuses, research Hextech Core together, because Viktor absolutely cannot die.
A genius like Viktor, almost a jack-of-all-trades in science, is a rare find in Runeterra, appearing only once in millennia. It's strange, though, that the Twin Cities seem to be experiencing their best era during this period?
Even without Li Ke's presence, the issues between the two cities could not be resolved. Lacking absolute power to suppress them, the Zaunite dared not muster the courage to resist, and the people of Piltover were unwilling to back down and cooperate.
But you have to admit, Jayce, Viktor, Ekko, Jinx, Singed —when these guys were born in the same era, it was as if the twin city-states were telling Runeterra that Piltover and Zaun, though small, would never be left out.
Stopping his wild thoughts, Li Ke chose to Advent.
[Entering Soul Blossom-- ]
[Advent successful!]
Good luck, Summoner.
The Advent point was selected on the white light screen.
Using another Energy Bar, the Hextech Gem was transformed into a gift, and the stone appeared in Li Ke's hand as he stood on the Lotus Valley.
After fiddling with the Hextech Gem and putting it in his pocket, Li Ke began his search for Ahri.
However, Li Ke did not spend too much time looking for Ahri this time.
As Li Ke Advent, a dusty Little Fox appeared before him, lying on a large rock and licking its fur.
Much of its snow-white fur had turned jet black, making the Little Fox look somewhat strange. It was staring at Li Ke with its Big Eyes.
"Li Ke, you're here again?"
Ahri shook her little head, stretched out her paws like a cat, and then gracefully walked on all fours toward Li Ke.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Ke asked, looking at Ahri's fur.
Ahri's gray-black fur seemed alive, clinging to her body. Li Ke even saw the black mist wriggling like insects, which made him quickly ask Ahri.
"I fought with two guys, one of whom you know, the Thresh guy."
Ahri's little black nose twitched, and a hint of grievance flashed in her bright Big Eyes. "I can beat Thresh, but then Cassiopeia came to Thresh's aid, and then... then I ran away."
"That's not fair, they're two against one!"
"Cassiopeia?" Li Ke was taken aback.
In the first Soul Blossom skin series, Ahri was the leader, followed by Thresh, Lillia, Kindred, and Cassiopeia.
As for Vayne and Riven's Soul Blossom, Li Ke thought for a moment and concluded that they weren't as strong as Ahri and Thresh, and might not even possess Demigod- like power.
Ahri nodded her little head, tilted it to look at her tail, and raised her large tail, the black lines on it writhing like snakes. She pouted and continued, "A powerful spirit from the Land of Souls, my... sister? I don't know if she counts as my sister, anyway, she's very powerful, and if it weren't for her mirror going missing, I would have really gotten angry if I had wanted to run away."
"But I don't like getting angry, because it doesn't look good when I'm like that," Ahri said softly.
Li Ke nodded, not asking what Ahri would be like when she was angry, because he had already guessed it.
Ahri's Soul Blossom skin has three forms: one is Little Fox, one is a beautiful pink-haired woman, and the other is a half-human, half-beast form with white hair, vertical pupils, and sharp teeth and claws. Li Ke is absolutely a one-man Fox when playing Ahri in the mid lane, and he is very familiar with what Soul Blossom looks like when she activates her ultimate.
Is it a form of a demonic beast?
"Alright, let's not talk about those unpleasant things. Tell me, what brings you here this time?"
"Are you alright?" Li Ke asked about Ahri's injuries.
"Giggle~~" Ahri was taken aback at first, then laughed. Her voice was clear, loud, and melodious, like the sound of silver bells. Her big tail also wagged happily.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine, Li Ke. What could possibly happen to me? This world will protect me, so even if all those bad guys gang up on me, I'll be alright. At most, I'll just be locked up for a few thousand years?"
"..." Imprisoned for thousands of years? Li Ke was stunned.
No!
Ahri, please don't get locked up for thousands of years! What am I supposed to do if you do?
In the Soul Blossom world, Li Ke is counting on Ahri for help. If she's locked up, Thresh will be constantly coming after him, drawn by her scent.
Li Ke had no doubt that this was absolutely not him belittling Thresh's character behind his back after being messed with by Thresh!
Because Thresh is a monster! Absolutely a monster!
Sometimes when Li Ke is bored and has nothing to do, he will check his friends' status bar. Ahri's status is always about her entertaining herself and finding fun in Soul Blossom.
Before Li Ke gave her the book, her daily routine consisted of catching butterflies, chasing rabbits, teasing turtles by the river, or sleeping soundly. Sometimes, the description would say that Ahri was in high spirits and eager to fight, at which point she would most likely go looking for trouble with Thresh.
And what about Thresh's status bar?
The Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit is melancholy and longs to see his destined one again.
[The Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit tormented the soul, but found no pleasure, and thus became even more jade-like.]
[The Zi Qiu Mountain Spirit scooped up a handful of soil bearing the footprint of a certain soul, examined it closely, and gradually became entranced.]
Go to hell!
Look how scary that is!
So if it weren't for Ahri, Li Ke really wouldn't dare to come to Soul Blossom!
"I was just kidding. You really believe I'll be locked up? No way. This world would collapse without me," Ahri said, amused by Li Ke's dazed expression.
"They know about this, so they usually don't interfere when I'm doing things. It's just that Cassiopeia's temper has been getting worse lately. She said I woke her up from her sleep, and then she hit me."
"I'm not a troublemaker!"
Ahri angrily raised her paw and then slammed it down on the ground. Tilting her head, she looked at Li Ke and said, "So, what do you want me to help you with this time?"
"Consider it a way of repaying you for the gift you gave me last time. I'll help you earnestly this time too. But Li Ke, do I have a gift this time?" Ahri looked up at Li Ke pitifully.
She's read that book over and over again almost two hundred times. After looking at all the pictures in the book, she started looking at the doodles, and now she can even draw them on the mud with her paws.
Therefore, Ahri wants a new book!
Of course, other things are fine too, like delicious food and drinks?
Of course, she wanted to eat, but she couldn't eat the things in the Soul Blossom. If she did, she would be no different from Cassiopeia and Thresh. Therefore, every time she hunted, she would reluctantly release the small animals she caught, even though it made her mouth water.
They are not simply small animals; they are fragments of the soul of some being, possessing a past and memories, representing the Spirit of Salvation. They are not to be eaten!
Looking at the pitiful Ahri, Li Ke shook his head awkwardly and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ahri, I only brought this this time. Next time, I'll definitely bring something you like. When I leave later, tell me what you want."
At first, Ahri looked a little aggrieved when she heard Li Ke say that he would bring her something she liked next time he came, but she immediately cheered up and wagged her tail and nodded like a puppy.
Then, she looked at the outstretched hand of Li Ke, and at the round, blue gemstone.
"This stone is really beautiful," Ahri said subconsciously, then let out a soft "hmm."
Extending his claws towards the gem, the Hextech Gem in Li Ke's hand flew towards Ahri, landing on her claws. She looked down at the Hextech Gem, her expression gradually becoming serious.
"Where did this come from?" she looked up and asked Li Ke.
Seeing Ahri's serious expression, Li Ke immediately said, "Piltover, that's the city-state above Zaun that you saw in my memory. They're currently mass-producing this gem."
"Mass production? Are you crazy?!" Ahri exclaimed.
With her hind legs planted on the jewels, she stood upright, and an angry expression appeared on the Little Fox's face.
"You're catalyzing runes! This is extremely dangerous! Humans cannot control this power!"
She spoke loudly, and seeing that Li Ke was completely confused, Ahri gritted her teeth angrily, revealing her canines, stepped forward, looked up at Li Ke, and continued, "You know about Soul Blossom, you know about me, so you must also know about Ionia."
"Did you know? The reason we were born, the reason this world was born, is because the natural magic of Ionia was too powerful, giving birth to the Spirit of Ionia."
After its birth, it heard people's longing for their ancestors. The emotional power of thousands of years strengthened the Spirit of Ionia and the natural magic of Ionia, leading it to choose to lift the veil between the two worlds for humanity, giving birth to the Soul Blossom Land, so that the people of Ionia have a place to return to after death, and so that the ancestors and the descendants can meet again.
But even the Spirit of Ionia could no longer control this world. So, in order to protect itself, powerful spirits, like myself and Thresh, were born.
The world, which initially served only the living and helped them reunite with the dead, has evolved into its current form. Human spiritual power has influenced some powerful spirits, including some of us. This is how the factions of Kanmei and Akana; their differing ideologies have led to constant conflict.
"Even we keep our distance from nature magic and runic power. You, I saw that place in your memories. There was no powerful being there that could protect you after the nature runes went out of control."
"Do you think you can rely on that little bird? She's too weak, she can't do it!" Ahri said in one breath.
She loves human souls and appreciates the stories within them. Therefore, Ahri doesn't want a place where magic goes out of control and a large number of people die suddenly, especially if those people are outside of Ionia.
In Runeterra, only those who died in Ionia, those whom the people of Ionia constantly remember, can have their souls enter the Soul Blossom.
After listening to Ahri's words, Li Ke looked at the Hextech Gem that Ahri had left behind.
He had originally intended to tell Ahri that the gem could help Viktor, and whether she had any way to assist him, but now, looking at it this way... the Hextech Gem... is it a curse?
However, in the drama "Twin Cities," this event is not addressed at all.
No, it is!
Li Ke realized that the Hexcore created by Viktor had devoured Sky, Viktor's female assistant, and altered Viktor's physical condition. Was that what Ahri meant by "out of control"?
"Natural magic is conscious; it manifests as various magical elements that wander Runeterra. The power of runes is also immense; it surpasses magic itself and is the source of all magic. So, Li Ke, you're playing with fire!"
"Although it seems unlikely that this gem will break through its limits right now, because its energy is finite and well-controlled, there's always an exception, you understand?"
"You humans are truly, truly speechless when it comes to playing with fire!"
"That Ahri"
"Heh, Li Ke, I want some good storybooks, no, I want three! You have to bring me three good storybooks, then I'll have to work a little harder to do this for you, it'll really be tiring!" Ahri said, arms crossed.
The Fox- human stood up, arms crossed, its snow-white belly covered in thick fur, and its pink belly peeking out from among the fur was quite adorable.
"Okay, I'll bring you two books next time, and another book the time after that, along with some snacks from Zaun." Li Ke breathed a sigh of relief.
It's good that Ahri has a solution.
The Little Fox immediately perked up. Three books and some snacks—that was fantastic!
She nodded, stretched out her paw at Li Ke, and said, "Come here, let me take a good look at how you made this thing, otherwise I won't be able to find a way."
Li Ke stepped forward, squatted down, and Ahri stepped on his thigh, placing her little paws on his forehead.
This time, Ahri saw even more.
Li Ke even saw Ahri's image in his mind.
She was in human form, naked, with pink hair covering her front, and her body was shrouded in white light.
She wandered into Li Ke's mental world, beginning her exploration.
"Phew, that works, there really is a solution."
"That human named Talis is amazing, incredibly amazing. He's just a human, yet he managed to inscribe various runes onto gemstones, absorb magic, and create this thing called Hextech Gem."
"Right now, the only one out of control is the human you're trying to save, Li Ke. That guy came into contact with the out-of-control Hextech Gem. You need to make him stop researching it. Ideally, you should destroy it yourself. No, you can't do it. You're too weak, and even if you did, it would cause a huge explosion."
"Forget it, find a place to hide it. Don't let any humans come into contact with it again. It has now developed consciousness and will actively lure humans. That human named Viktor, hmm, has a very strong will. His aura is chaotic and frenzied. He must be the human who has been in contact with that thing the longest, but he hasn't been changed?"
"Also, here, have him wear this. It will help repair the damage to his body, and in time, he'll be fine."
Oh, and don't forget my book!
"There are also snacks!"
Li Ke held a jade pendant with a beautiful Fox head carved on it, stuffed it into his pocket, looked at Ahri Li Ke, smiled, and said earnestly, "I won't forget."
"Thank you for always helping me. If you ever need anything from me in the future, please let me know, and I will do my best."
"The great God doesn't need human help. Just bring me good things."
Ahri said with a charming smile.