Confrontation

"We have arrived, the sacred Frost Guard Fortress."

Listening to the old priest's calm tone, Ato felt an urge to show reverence.

They were all Guardians of the world, hidden in darkness, unknown, shouldering the responsibility of saving the world alone, even if they knew they were being used.

The old priest Loraka made a gesture, and the fortress's heavy gates opened automatically, revealing the decorations inside to Ato's eyes.

The most striking was the giant skull placed in the center of the hall behind the gate, possibly from some Beast.

Religious ornaments hung from the ceiling on ropes, the floor was covered with thick carpets, and most of the other furniture was made of polished stone.

"The Matriarch is waiting for you in the sacrificial hall, upstairs. Please follow me." The old priest turned a corner and walked up a rather steep stone staircase.

Ato followed closely, arriving at the corridor on the second floor and walking all the way to the end.

The old priest made another casting gesture, opening a stone door, and Lissandra stood tall inside the room.

The old priest bowed deeply to Lissandra, then turned and left, leaving only Ato and Lissandra.

Ato first bid farewell to the old priest, then entered the room.

This was a circular hall, with several stone seats on each side, intricate symbols drawn on the floor, and several candles burning on an altar in front.

Lissandra stood in the center of the circular hall. Her original height already exceeded two meters. If the True Ice platform beneath her feet was included, she was over two and a half meters tall.

Ato, who was just over 1.8 meters tall, stood before Lissandra, appearing like a child who hadn't grown up.

"..." Ato tilted his head back, staring speechlessly at Lissandra, "Are you planning to talk to me like this? My neck can't take it!"

Lissandra clasped her hands in front of her, looked down at Ato, and said calmly, "It is indeed inconvenient."

Then, to Ato's shocked gaze, she waved her right hand, and the True Ice platform beneath her feet disappeared.

She slowly descended to the ground, strode forward, and in a few steps reached a stone seat on the side, sitting down gracefully.

"...So she has legs and feet and can walk! I thought her robe was made of True Ice, incredibly hard, making it impossible to sit down!" Ato complained silently.

"Your thoughts are very rude, I can hear them!" Aatrox reminded him promptly.

"Uh... This is much better." Ato forced a smile and walked to the side of a stone seat, leaving three empty seats between himself and Lissandra.

"Let's get straight to the point."

She wore a flat hat that covered her eyes, connected to her deep blue robe, but her "gaze" never left Ato, as if she still possessed sight.

Coupled with her commanding tone, Ato felt an invisible pressure.

As expected of an Old Hag who had lived for over ten thousand years, compared to her, my less than thirty years of life experience would be seen through in an instant... Ato felt like he was facing a parent.

"Here, it's just us. You can let the one behind you drop the disguise."

Lissandra used her unique observational method, trying to see the essence of the demonic sword. However, through the sword sheath, she could feel nothing.

Ato shook his head. "No, we're too close to the Howling Abyss. He was once corrupted by the Void. Once he leaves the sheath, he might establish a connection with the Watchers below."

"Although I have control over this weapon, there's always a chance. If the Watchers corrupt me through the weapon, I can't guarantee what will happen."

"He's right." The disguised Demonic Sword of the Dark left Ato's back and floated in front of the two. "We can communicate like this. It's best not to let me leave the sheath."

"I see." Lissandra shifted her attention to the sword sheath, sensing its unusual nature.

"This scorching sensation... is it the work of the Demigod Ornn? What did you use to impress Ornn and have him forge such a divine sword sheath for you?"

"Nothing much, just some news that interested him." Ato waved his hand. "It won't work again with that method. I was just lucky."

Lissandra took a deep breath, folded her hands elegantly on her lap, and asked seriously, "Can you tell me about the specifics of the war three thousand years ago that you showed me in my dreams, and the origin of those giant warriors?"

Here it comes... Ato carefully chose his words. "Before that, I have a trade for you. Are you interested?"

"What trade?"

"I know you've been instigating conflict between the Avarosa Tribe and the Cerylda Tribe, hindering their development."

The Cerylda Tribe was an extension of the Winter's Claw Tribe, and also one of the fastest-developing tribes.

The tribe's War Mother was Sejuani, who inherited the will of Cerylda. She was once Ashe's close friend, the War Mother of the Avarosa Tribe.

Upon hearing these names, the exposed half of Lissandra's face changed drastically.

She didn't know why this mysterious person knew about her secret machinations. Only a few trusted confidants knew about this!

"What I want to trade with you is that you stop hindering the development of those two tribes, stop instigating conflict between them. Instead, when they encounter difficulties, you must offer them assistance."

"What can you give me?" Lissandra suppressed all her emotions. She had already decided to refuse the trade if Ato couldn't offer sufficiently generous terms!

"Reinforcements." Ato said calmly, as if stating a trivial matter.

"What reinforcements?" Lissandra leaned forward, but then seemed to realize something, a look of disbelief on her face. "Are they those tall warriors from the dream?"

"A trade with no loss. When the Watchers break through the True Ice seal, you will see reinforcements from us. They once repelled the Void head-on."

"How about it? Do you feel more confident now? You don't have the conditions to unleash that ultimate magic from ten thousand years ago again. How many sisters do you have left to squander?"

"You..." Lissandra shot to her feet, wisps of cold air covering her arms.

The secret she had hidden for ten thousand years, the secret of the single preserved manuscript in the entire Frost Guard Fortress, was so easily revealed by a human!

"In your eyes, is preserving secrets more important than fighting the Void?" Ato retorted, also standing up to confront Lissandra.

"The Grand Magic you paid a terrible price to unleash was meant to kill everyone present, to cover up that it was you who made a deal with the Void?"

"You'd rather make a deal with the Void than fight the Void alongside me?"

"You've been a Guardian for ten thousand years, and now you're going to let ten thousand years of effort turn to ash for the sake of tribal infighting?"

"I know the truth of what happened to you back then, but does that really matter?!"

Hoo... Ato sat back down on the Stone Throne. He hadn't expected that he, who wasn't good with words, could actually unleash such a string of soul-piercing questions!

Since their conversation began, Lissandra hadn't managed to say more than a few words!