Taliyah and Kassadin

Walking through the sea of sand, a slightly thin girl followed a group of people across the vast desert.

"How much longer until we reach Antahill?" the girl asked curiously. "We've been traveling for seven days already, and I feel like I've almost forgotten where our destination is."

"Don't worry, Taliyah, there should be three more days."

A guide wearing desert boots said gently, "Ahead lies the Coastal Mountains. The soil there is firm and easy to traverse. With luck, we can cross the mountain in just three days. Over the next month, the pastures on the other side of the mountain will grow, and then we should be able to find your tribe."

Hearing the guide's words, Taliyah nodded somewhat helplessly. Looking at the distant mountain peaks, she felt a little resigned as she didn't see them.

Taliyah was born in a rocky, hilly region bordering the treacherous shadows of Icathia. However, from as far back as she could remember, Taliyah had never been homeless, as her tribe was also a nomadic tribe. However, they were not the infamous sand bandits, but rather a literal nomadic tribe that primarily engaged in herding and weaving.

Her talent for Earth Element Magic Talent was so great that all the scholars and mages in the entire tribe believed they were incapable of teaching Taliyah.

To avoid harming her tribe and friends due to an accidental loss of control, Taliyah embarked on a journey to study alone at a young age.

Unfortunately, Taliyah has yet to meet a teacher she feels capable of guiding her... Feeling somewhat lost, Taliyah decides to return to her tribe and ask her parents for their opinions.

If my parents can accept it, perhaps I could try going to the Valoran Continent?

Taliyah thought to herself, "That's the most powerful continent in Runeterra; there must be teachers there who can teach me."

As she was thinking, a breeze blew by, and Taliyah's eyes lit up. She quickly squatted down, picked up a stone from the sand, carefully wiped it clean with her palm, and examined it closely in the sun, a happy expression on her face.

Seeing Taliyah's actions, the others in her group smiled knowingly. They didn't think Taliyah had found any treasure, because although the stone had a nice luster, it was just an ordinary piece of stone in terms of texture, with nothing particularly special about it.

Thinking about it, the guide leading the group couldn't help but laugh and said, "What's wrong, Taliyah? Are you interested in these worthless pebbles again?"

"Their value cannot be measured in money!"

Taliyah said somewhat unhappily, "They are the greatest in this sea of sand! Though small and ordinary, they fill every corner of this sand sea. They are trampled upon, polished, and used by people... Don't tell me you don't have knives and bows made of stones. It is because of their existence that we are able to live in peace!"

Seeing Taliyah's forced smile, the tour guide didn't seem to mind much, and continued smiling as he said, "Okay, okay, I understand, they are all great stones~"

Hearing the tour guide's insincere words, Taliyah pouted unhappily.

In fact, it's not just tour guides; in the eyes of many outsiders, Shurima is nothing more than a barren, boundless expanse of yellow sand... and yes, that's certainly true.

But Taliyah was different. Taliyah parents raised her to be a daughter of the desert, allowing her to truly appreciate the abundant beauty of this land. Among the things that fascinated Taliyah the most were the rocks hidden beneath the sand dunes.

These stones, which are commonplace and unremarkable to ordinary people, are exceptionally dazzling in Taliyah's eyes, even like her friends.

When Taliyah was still a toddler, her people frequently migrated with the seasonal changes in Water Source, and she busied herself collecting colorful pebbles along the way. As she grew older, the earth increasingly heeded her call...

Later, when Taliyah grew up and personally felt the call of the earth, she also realized that the Shurima people were able to survive in this sea of sand not only because of their own tenacity, but also because this land constantly protected the people living on it.

Thinking this, Taliyah glanced helplessly at the guide who was looking at her like a child, sighed, and then waved her hand to continue on her way.

Even for those who have lived in this desert since childhood, a guide is indispensable. This is because the terrain and landscape of Shurima are constantly changing. In such a situation, if a person leaves an area without the shelter of rocks or towns for more than two months, the original traces and dunes will be completely erased and altered by the strong winds.

Therefore, even Taliyah, who wanted to return to the area her tribe visited every year in a certain month, would still hire a guide.

The profession of guide is also in high demand – because in order to become familiar with the ever-changing terrain, a guide is someone who needs to stay in one area for an extended period of time.

In such circumstances, experienced guides quickly gain a reputation and become the preferred choice for caravans.

For example, the guide in front of us named Kassadin is said to have originally been a lowly abandoned baby who was hired by caravans in the Great Sahara Desert to protect their valuable goods.

To put it nicely, it's really just acting as bait to lure predators away.

However, as Kassadin miraculously survived several crossings of the desert, he gradually became more than just bait and became a guide for caravans.

As time went by, Kassadin, who had survived, gradually became a celebrity among the guides.

From across the sea to Kumulag, a trading city on the northern coast of Shurima, Bel'zhun Bel'Veth, Tent City trading city on the southern coast of Shurima. On this route, Kassadin is the most famous guide.

Just like this time, Kassadin is Bel'zhun back to Bel'Veth... Bel'zhun is very close to Piltover and is a popular trading city. In the past, when traveling back and forth, he would bring many caravans with him.

But something unusual seemed to have happened in Piltover this time; despite Kassadin's continuous price reductions, no caravans accompanied him.

To earn enough to support his family for three months, Kassadin had no choice but to form a small adventure group with lone wolves, including Taliyah and others.

But just then, as if noticing something, Taliyah couldn't help but ask, "Guide! Why can't we go that way? It's flat sand there, much easier to walk on than the mountain path!"