Secret Intelligence

"This..."

Only then did Ato understand that Aatrox had been talking about his experience of being sealed inside a weapon—the reason for his madness and his pursuit of death!

"After the last bloodline of Empress Setheka fell, we indeed failed to restrain our ambitions and carved up the empire's territory..."

"But our minds were corrupted by the Void—so what? Even if we fell into Darkin and slaughtered one another, it was still better than the Celestials creating a pack of mad monsters!"

"Even after meeting you, even with the sword sheath suppressing the corruption within me, my will to seek death has never changed."

After Aatrox finished, Ato remained silent for a long time, able only to sigh quietly.

"You've been so normal lately that I nearly forgot about our original deal. I'd wanted to help you gradually let go of your obsession with death. Sorry, I was overthinking it."

He had merely gone half a month without a phone while traveling. If Ato had experienced Aatrox's sealing, he would not have fared much better.

"Little Thing, when it comes to obsessions, you're no less stubborn than I am. You are the only Mortal who has ever defeated me in my Mental Battlefield." Aatrox's tone had returned to normal.

"Heh, that really..." Ato sucked in a sharp breath. "Forget it, forget it. It still hurts just thinking about it. If the obsession in my heart hadn't kept me hanging on and unwilling to die, I would've become your nourishment long ago."

Ato pushed open the door, letting the sunlight outside pour into the room.

Looking at that dull, ordinary sunlight now, Ato felt a sense of familiarity.

His mind began to turn, latching onto random thoughts to distract himself.

"The ship has entered the inland river port... Even with a steam engine, this ore ship is still so slow. Maybe I should go to Piltover and have Jayce modify it, using Hextech Crystals as a power source?"

"Piltover was founded in 772, and Jayce gave his speech on Progress Day, the city's two-hundredth anniversary... This year is 984. After all this time, Hextech should be stable by now...

"I wonder if Jinx is still alive. She's so good at causing trouble that she'll get caught sooner or later... She can't already be over twenty-five this year, can she?"

"Irelia isn't even an adult yet. At fourteen, she's about to chop off Swain's arm..."

After muttering to himself for a while, Ato's mood completely turned around.

"Mr. Harris, our ship will stop at the inland river port outside the Imperial Capital City. Ore ships aren't allowed into the city. We transport the ore from here to nearby factories for refining. If you wish to enter the capital, you'll need to find another carriage. What do you think...?"

The old captain forced himself to come over and explain the situation to Ato, but Ato did not make things difficult for him.

Before Jue Wuo Fortress discovered him, he needed to join the army as quickly as possible.

"The Immortal Fortress is right there, within my sight." Ato looked at the three grayish-white Stone Pillars faintly visible in the distance. "You crossed half the continent to bring me here. That's enough. I'll handle the rest of the journey myself."

The old captain sighed in relief. "If there's nothing else you need to take, please come with me. I'll bring you somewhere near the refining factories where there are more carriages."

The old captain led Ato off the ship and out of the factory grounds. After spotting several carriages parked nearby and giving Ato a brief farewell, he left as if fleeing for his life.

"Why are people still afraid of me?" Ato touched his disguised features. "Is it just because I'm carrying a Greatsword? Noxians admire strength, and plenty of people use greatswords."

"Because you killed a mage," Aatrox explained. "Even in Ancient Shurima, mages were rare. They possessed great power without undergoing the Ascension Ritual. In any era, those capable of killing a mage would be revered by Mortals."

"Looks like even with a disguise, my strength is still too conspicuous... I need to watch out for that..."

Ato boarded a carriage and pulled out two banknotes, handing them to the driver. "Take me to the Recruitment Office in the Imperial Capital City."

The driver accepted the money, his face breaking into a delighted grin. "Thank you for your generosity, sir. To be honest, I've been driving around the capital for years. There isn't a single place here I don't know. I guarantee I'll take the shortest route."

"Did I give him too much..." Ato muttered under his breath.

He had not asked the price, hoping to conceal the fact that he had never spent money before. Judging by the driver's expression, this was probably several days' worth of earnings.

"You seem very experienced." Ato settled into his seat and began chatting with the driver.

"You're from out of town, aren't you? People who haven't been here don't know how fast the Imperial Capital City has expanded."

"For example, you go to sleep, and when you wake up the next day, there's suddenly another ring of houses around you. Inexperienced drivers can get turned around easily!" the driver said with some pride.

"I don't live in the capital. How do those nobles treat commoners?"

"Hup!" The driver gave a short shout, setting the carriage in motion. "Sir, even an uneducated man like me knows the policies the empire follows. It is my honor to live in this empire."

"They may be called nobles, but most of them rose up from commoner ranks. They all have their own business to attend to—how could they have time to concern themselves with others?"

Ato thought of Demacia on the continent's western coast. So long as commoners were not mages, they could live and work there in peace.

The Royal Family at least did not discriminate against commoners and provided them with a certain degree of security. But it was almost impossible for a commoner to become an official, as the nobility monopolized every path to advancement.

In Noxus, however, ability determined everything. Ordinary people could indeed become nobles. Darius, for example, came from a port city and was now the right-hand man of Emperor Boram Darkwill.

Yet the number of poor people at the bottom of Noxian society far exceeded that of Demacia. Those without ability could not even obtain farmland, and could only enter factories or survive through begging and theft.

"Sir, are you asking whether the nobles are too harsh on us? Every outsider thinks that way. Actually, as long as you pay your taxes properly, the nobles won't make things difficult for you..."

"Also, sir, I'll tell you a secret as thanks for your generosity." The driver went on and on. "Apart from hereditary nobles—for instance, the Swain Family can inherit noble titles—nobles who rose from commoner ranks only have the title themselves!"

"In other words, General 'Hand of Noxus'—his descendants aren't nobles! Unless his descendants rise through their own abilities as well! I heard this from someone else, so don't tell anyone!"

Ato raised an eyebrow, feeling that the world before him had become even more vivid.

"Don't worry. No third person will ever know." Ato casually brushed him off, his thoughts already analyzing Noxus's situation.

Those two hundred-value bills seemed pretty worthwhile after all?

What a clever method... Reducing the influence of the nobility to the minimum and making the emperor supreme.

Then using noble status to entice commoners, gaining an endless supply of talent.

Darkwill?

He wasn't capable of this... It had to be LeBlanc!