245. Insights

As soon as she finished speaking, Taliyah realized her mistake and covered her mouth in shame, then awkwardly said, "I'm sorry... sir, I misspoke..."

Yuan Chen waved his hand dismissively and said casually, "It's alright. This is how most people would react to me. It's not your fault... Rather, for anyone, this kind of disrupted and roughly reassembled Mana Circuit is rather abnormal."

As he said this, Yuan Chen shook his head with a sigh.

Seeing Yuan Chen's indifferent expression, Taliyah didn't think that Yuan Chen didn't care about his Mana Circuit. Instead, she thought that Yuan Chen had given up hope.

Thinking about it carefully, yes. For a master of earth and rock, the magic he was so proud of could no longer be controlled as easily as before... Although the broken Mana Circuit were not irreparable, the price to pay would be exorbitant.

Ordinary damage is one thing, repairing one or two wires isn't difficult, but it's not too hard either. At least, for a master, it's just a matter of saving up enough money by working as a teacher or bodyguard for a while.

But the harm suffered by this master...

Thinking back carefully, it's no wonder that the battle just now was fought more like a warrior's fight. Clearly, it must have been repaired after the Mana Circuit was damaged.

Wait... change jobs and start over?

Realizing something, Taliyah abruptly raised her head and looked at Yuan Chen. Looking at Yuan Chen's face, which was at most five or six years older than her, maybe seven or eight at most, her face immediately filled with admiration.

To be able to reach such a warrior level so quickly simply by switching professions... even though being a warrior might have been his secondary profession before, this still proves the talent, or rather, the perseverance and willpower of the person in front of him!

Thinking about it, Taliyah couldn't help but exclaim, "You're absolutely amazing!!"

"Ah?"

Yuan Chen expressed his confusion.

But then, Taliyah regained her composure. She cleared her throat a few times, and then asked with some curiosity, "So, Master, what is Yasuo practicing? If it's what you recommended, I think I should pay him a visit! Also... where is Ionia?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen seemed to realize the problem for a moment. However, after a moment of silence, Yuan Chen decided to tell the truth, "His... Yasuo practices the Wind Technique... Don't be so quick to dismiss it. Although it's the Way of the Sword, you can understand it as using the blade as a staff to cast Spellcasting."

"..."

Out of respect for those with perseverance and determination, Taliyah blinked slightly but didn't show any overly offensive expression... Even so, when she heard that the teacher Yuan Chen recommended to her was actually a mage or swordsman who seemed to be a wind elementalist, Taliyah couldn't help but purse her lips.

"So, where is Ionia?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, he fell silent. Clearly, Yuan Chen had also realized the problem... He took out a map and pointed out their location in front of Taliyah.

Runeterra, then lowered his finger to Ionia, which is separated from Shurima by a strait, a continent, two oceans, and countless islands, and said with a somewhat unfocused gaze, "Uh... this is Ionia."

Looking at the distance that seemed to separate them across an entire world, even though she repeatedly told herself to respect this Elemental Master had undergone a career change and retraining, Taliyah's eyes involuntarily narrowed as she gazed at Yuan Chen.

"Then... where should I go to find Master Yasuo?"

At this point, Yuan Chen fell completely silent.

It's true that he sparred with Elder Souma, but that took place during a celebration held at the Harmony Sanctuary in Placidium. Yuan Chen himself... had never personally visited their sect's location.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that while Ionia is free and harmonious, it also has its share of racial conflicts and regional clashes. For example, the unique nature spirits of each region alone create conceptual conflicts.

Although the Eternal Hall's mediation leans towards harmony, more often than not, one needs the Eternal Hall's guide to travel between provinces.

Otherwise, while it wouldn't be impossible to move an inch, there would certainly be people specifically watching over you.

After all, Ionia holds far too many things that should never see the light of day again—people, animals, and life itself.

In particular, monasteries like these often prefer to be built on cliffs, peaks, and valleys, to strengthen the resolve of students and to express their ideals. This inadvertently increases the difficulty of studying abroad.

At least.

For Yuan Chen, a troublemaker who constantly thinks about arming Ionia with violence to deal with the crisis that will appear in the future but is actually impossible in the eyes of the elders of the Eternal Hall, the Eternal Hall will be extra cautious when reviewing the travel permit.

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen could only sigh and draw a circle around Ionia with a resigned expression, "It should be in this area... Why don't you go and look for it yourself?"

"... I feel like you're lying to me."

Although she admired Yuan Chen's decision to change jobs and start over, Yuan Chen couldn't help but cross Taliyah arms and look doubtful as she listened to his advice.

"I suspect that you simply didn't want to guide me, which is why you gave me this inexplicable reason to leave... To travel such a long distance to find a complete stranger, someone I've never even heard of, whose cultivation path is completely different from mine, as my master—it sounds far too... well, a complete fantasy."

"Yes, I admit I was being presumptuous."

Yuan Chen nodded helplessly at this.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. The reason Yasuo and Taliyah were able to become partners who were nominally master and apprentice but were actually close friends was because of the things they had experienced together.

Taliyah was deceived by Noxus and boarded their pirate ship, first becoming an accomplice to evil. Yasuo, on the other hand, caused his teacher's accidental death because of his dereliction of duty... Putting everything else aside, at least before his master's death, Yasuo was a brat who relied on his superior talent to boss people around and was annoying.

After his master's death, he became bitter and resentful, much like Sasuke from the Naruto series next door.

They don't have that much life experience yet; even if they met, at best they would only find each other repulsive...

"However, Ionia is indeed a suitable place for you."

Yuan Chen said somewhat helplessly, "Let's put aside the matter of Yasuo for now. Let me tell you about Ionia's views on Elemental Magic, or rather, on cultivation."