Delverhold

Information about Delverhold flashed through Ato's mind.

It was a small city-state attached to Noxus, but it had once been an independent little kingdom ruled by a monarch.

Eighty years ago, the Noxian army breached Delverhold's gates, deposed its king, and made him a regional governor under the direct rule of the Immortal Fortress.

Delverhold's current governor was descended from that king.

Noxus had spared the city and left the governorship in the hands of the royal family instead of replacing them with its own people because the mountains around Delverhold produced a high-quality raw material for armor: Iron Thorn Ore.

The old king's family controlled the mining routes and techniques, leaving Noxus no choice but to compromise.

Iron Thorn Ore's great advantage was that it let ordinary blacksmiths forge high-quality armor.

Its quality was second only to armor made in Demacia.

If you asked the pirates of Bilgewater or the merchants of Piltover what they wanted most, the answer would be Demacian armor.

But the materials for this armor were scarce, and only a handful of blacksmiths could forge it. Production was extremely limited, and Demacia kept a tight grip on it, so very little ever reached the outside world.

That was why Iron Thorn armor, which was easy to forge, could be produced in large quantities, and was still high quality, was so sought after.

Every year, Delverhold supplied Noxus with vast quantities of Iron Thorn Ore.

With Iron Thorn Ore at its disposal, Noxus had accelerated its expansion, bringing more and more small kingdoms into its domain.

"Walking straight in would be too conspicuous..." Ato pinched the bridge of his nose.

"With an eastern face, I'd be taken for a spy the moment I reached the gates. The guards would die if they tried to stop me, but there'd be no chance of infiltrating the army..."

"Before this war ends, there'll be almost no Ionians on Valoran. You can tell the difference between the two peoples at a glance..."

"Old man, can't you do anything besides swing a sword? You don't have some flashy magic like a mage, do you? Teleportation, changing my appearance..."

Aatrox replied disdainfully, "Who says I can't? Feel your face again. See what's changed."

"Hm?"

A faint red light flashed, and Ato immediately sensed the difference.

Simply put, his features had become more pronounced, closer to the western faces of the real world.

"When did you learn to do that?" Ato asked, baffled.

"Hahahahaha!" Aatrox let out a strange laugh. "It's a little trick. Nothing an Ascended can't handle."

"Wait." Ato caught on. "I know what you can do. You used the Sword Sheath's power on me. It can even change your appearance."

Aatrox fell silent. "...There really are no secrets from you."

"At least now I look like a Valoran. It's been a long time since I've seen a civilized society..."

Since arriving in Runeterra, Ato had visited Bilgewater, a loose gathering of pirates and mercenaries, and the Freljord, where people still lived in primitive tribes. It had taken him more than two months to finally reach a true city-state.

After confirming that the Demonic Sword of the Dark looked like an ordinary greatsword in disguise, Ato tightened the cloth binding it to his back and followed the road used to transport ore toward the city-state.

Delverhold had torn down its walls after coming under Noxian rule, so Ato didn't encounter any guards at the gates checking papers.

Just as Ato entered the city-state, a group of miners approached, leading a horse that pulled a mining cart.

It was easy to tell who they were. They wore hard-wearing clothes, their hands were calloused from mining and hauling ore, and their eyes were tired.

The group noticed Ato, then quickly looked away and focused on their work.

Ato frowned slightly. "I thought Noxus had built a complete railway system long ago. I didn't expect them to still be using horses."

"I wandered the continent for a thousand years," Aatrox said. "When I was awake, I saw this nation invade its neighbors. Its only purpose seemed to be war and endless conquest."

"I held a high position, and I understood how the empire was governed. You know how powerful Ancient Shurima was, but we waged wars against other nations far less often than this one does."

"As a result, though its military is powerful, it's less developed in other areas than some small kingdoms."

Ato nodded. "That makes sense. LeBlanc has been behind Noxus since its founding. She's an Old Hag too, and a short-sighted one at that..."

"I've been meaning to ask: who is LeBlanc? Anyone who can manipulate an empire from behind the scenes for a thousand years can't be ordinary." Aatrox had never heard the name.

"An old woman even older than Ryze." Ato curled his lip. In the real world, he'd never liked female characters who looked young but had been alive for ages.

"I've watched a few war movies, and I understand war better than she does..."

"Look at what she's done. She leaves the strongest fighter unused and sends him to the harsh environment of the Freljord."

"Steam warships are all over the seas. The sea is developed, but what about the land? They clearly have the ability to build steam trains, so what's LeBlanc doing? LeBlanc's been busy too!"

Aatrox was silent for a long while. In the end, all he could say was, "Times have changed."

"Your mind's in pretty good shape again." Now that they were inside the city-state, Ato began looking for somewhere like a Recruitment Office.

Aatrox glanced at him. "It's hard to imagine in Ancient Shurima that a device invented by humans could play a decisive role in war. We only needed a few Ascended and a squad of ordinary imperial soldiers to take a small kingdom."

"...You were something else. If Ancient Shurima hadn't fallen, ordinary people would never have had a chance to take the stage." Ato brushed him off.

Just then, the conversation between the man and the sword was interrupted.

"Stop! Who are you?" A middle-aged man in official robes stopped Ato.

The people of Delverhold rarely had any use for weapons. Apart from the miners, who made up the largest part of the workforce, most were producers.

So Ato, wandering around with a greatsword on his back, stood out. That was exactly what he wanted: to attract the attention of the city-state's officials.

"Hello, sir. I want to enlist. Where can I sign up?" Ato straightened up, looking like a young man with grand ambitions.

"Enlist?"

The middle-aged man sized Ato up. His black robe concealed most of his build, but his powerful muscles were faintly visible. If the weapon wasn't just for show, then simply being able to swing it meant he was strong. His physical condition certainly seemed good.

"Where are you from? Why haven't I seen you before?" The middle-aged man remained wary.

"Sir, I'm from a small town in the south of the empire. You've probably never heard of it. I've been training beyond the northern border, and when I heard war was about to begin, I returned to the empire today," Ato replied with the story he'd prepared.

"Beyond the northern border..." The middle-aged man looked north, astonished. "You trained in the Freljord?!"