Riven

LeBlanc, was it her?

Ato pieced together the history.

LeBlanc had followed Mordekaiser fifteen hundred years ago. The Immortal Fortress was built by Mordekaiser, and Noxus was established above the Immortal Fortress.

"All the emperors of Noxus for the past thousand years were probably puppets of that old woman..."

"Hiss, better not get involved... Perhaps only Jericho Swain can counter her."

The coachman heard the commotion and turned back to ask, "Sir, is something wrong?"

Ato waved his hand. "Nothing. Are we almost at the Recruitment Office?"

The coachman chuckled. "Still a ways to go. We've only just entered the outskirts of the Imperial Capital."

With that, the carriage turned onto a narrower road.

"Why aren't we taking the main road?"

Ato grew alert. Novel plots he'd read in his past life flashed through his mind: the protagonist arrives in a new place, takes some form of transport, only to be led into a dark alley and fall into a prepared trap.

"Heh, the Imperial Capital has regulations like this," the coachman explained. "It wasn't like this originally, but ever since the Empire bought a lot of four-wheeled motor vehicles from a city called Piltover in the south five years ago, it's become like this."

"Those four-wheeled vehicles are strange. They don't need horses to run! I still don't understand how those vehicles move."

"For horse-drawn carriages like ours, horses aren't people. They might leave something on the road at any time, affecting the progress of the four-wheeled vehicles. So, the Empire decreed that horse-drawn carriages can only use the small roads..."

"..." Ato almost couldn't maintain his composure.

Piltover's technology had already reached this point? They could build cars? How much had he missed?

He asked indirectly, "It sounds like the four-wheeled vehicles are more convenient, and there's even imperial policy supporting them, yet I see many people still riding in horse-drawn carriages."

The coachman said with some relief, "Yeah, thankfully those vehicles aren't affordable for everyone, or I'd be out of a job. This is still the Imperial Capital! Only a minority can afford them; only nobles and wealthy merchants buy them! Outside the Imperial Capital, you won't see a single one!"

As expected, every new industrial product was prohibitively expensive in its early stages...

Ato responded briefly and fell silent.

Sometimes he felt a distinct disconnect between the art styles of these city-states.

Piltover had already built cars and Hextech Gates, coupled with the Hoverboards from the Undercity, it was a complete futuristic tech city. The real world Ato lived in during his past life hadn't reached such heights.

On the other hand, Ionia and Freljord were tens of thousands of years away from even seeing a steam engine on their technological trees.

Suppressing the urge to complain, Ato turned his gaze out the window, observing the appearance of the Immortal Fortress.

Most of the buildings here were constructed with gray-white stone. The architectural style was solemn, the streets narrow and claustrophobic, and the eaves had battlements, making them very suitable for defensive combat.

Some simple houses were also built like fortresses, and soldiers could be seen patrolling the streets from time to time.

Before long, the carriage stopped in front of a solemn building.

"We're here, sir."

Ato jumped off the carriage, bid farewell to the coachman, and walked through the wide-open doors of the Recruitment Office.

Two fully armed soldiers at the entrance glanced at Ato but did not stop him.

Those willing to come here would become the empire's most loyal soldiers, especially with war approaching. People entered and exited the empire's Recruitment Office every day.

Beyond the entrance was an open space with a wooden table covered in stacks of documents. Behind the table sat a middle-aged man with a scar on his cheek.

Ato walked forward and was about to speak when he heard the middle-aged man ask, "Name?"

"...Harris." Ato used the alias he had adopted since leaving Jue Wuo Fortress.

The middle-aged man scribbled something on the paper and then asked, "Origin?"

Ato recalled the map of Runeterra and said, "Port Horezu."

"How strong are you?"

"I haven't measured, but it should be quite strong."

The middle-aged man looked up at him. "Go through the door behind me. The instructor is waiting for you there. Test your strength with her first, and she'll tell me your specific data."

"Understood, Officer." Ato had already decided to control his strength during the spar with the instructor and not appear too outstanding.

He passed through the door behind the middle-aged man and entered a larger open space. He saw many soldiers training in the distance, with various weapons placed nearby.

A slender figure stood there, arms crossed, supervising the training.

Compared to the other tall and strong soldiers, the instructor looked as frail as an ordinary person. What was most incongruous with her physique was that the sword behind her was no less than Ato's Demonic Sword of the Dark—it was a Giant Rune Blade.

"Riven... This will be difficult to control my strength..." Ato smiled. His constitution that attracted heroes was at it again. He really hadn't expected the instructor at the Recruitment Office to be another familiar game character.

The instructor noticed the movement behind her and turned around to size up Ato.

Her skin was wheat-colored, and her white hair was neatly tied back. Her features possessed both feminine softness and masculine resilience. Clad in light armor, she exuded a heroic and spirited aura.

"Nice sword," was Riven's first remark to Ato.

"Instructor, how do you want to fight? Do you need a weapon?" Ato got straight to the point without wasting words.

"You seem quite confident," Riven said, gripping the hilt of the sword behind her. "A sword reveals its wielder. Let the sword do the talking."

Riven drew her greatsword, but the runes on its blade did not light up.

"Come on, recruit," Riven yielded the initiative.

"Instructor, be careful."

The Demonic Sword of the Dark, still disguised, was unsheathed. Ato leaped forward, using the momentum to slash at Riven.

Riven blocked horizontally with her sword. The instant their weapons met, she felt a powerful force push her back several steps.

Riven switched her greatsword to her left hand, shook her right wrist, and slowly exhaled.

"Am I seeing things? That recruit pushed back the Swordmaster?" A soldier training nearby noticed the commotion and asked his comrade.

"I saw it too. The Swordmaster is already a monster. Where did this recruit come from?"

"Do what you're supposed to be doing!" Riven snapped at the other soldiers before turning back. Her gaze toward Ato changed.

"Very good." Riven's fighting spirit flared. She switched to a two-handed grip. "With that one strike, you won't start as a regular soldier. You can at least lead a small squad."

Still couldn't control it... Ato thought bitterly. The more I stand out, the harder it will be to escape once we get to Ionia.

"I used to be a mercenary in Bilgewater, so I know a little about martial arts, just a little..." Ato said, reciting his fabricated reason.