Bel'Veth's Temple

Seeing his hometown still peaceful and intact as when he left, Kassadin, who had been filled with worry, breathed a sigh of relief.

After walking down the hillside and glancing back at Yuan Chen and the others, Kassadin, confirming that Yuan Chen hadn't been here before, said, "Would you like me to explain?"

That would be perfect.

Yuan Chen nodded. Although he had learned more about Bel'Veth before setting off, considering the changes in the timeline, it would be best to pause and consider what Bel'Veth was like in Kassadin's mind.

Seeing this, Oran, who was standing to the side, also nodded excitedly:

"I never expected there to be such a large city on the Shurima... What is that? It seems to have a port as well?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing Oran's voice, Kassadin nodded and said:

"The Shurima is divided into the Northern Route and the Southern Route. The Northern Route is more popular because it allows for the acquisition of resources from the Valoran Continent along the way. The Southern Route, on the other hand, is relatively less resource-rich, but its advantage lies in the absence of any censorship. The only problem to face is the Bilgewater Islands, the pirate islands that occupy the other end of the route."

"That's why those who can navigate the southern routes are invariably large ship owners and wealthy merchants. And behind them often are nobles from powerful kingdoms; we frequently see large quantities of standard-issue weapons on those ships..."

As he spoke, Kassadin glanced at Oran, paused, and said, "Among them, even the finest Demacia armor..."

Oran nodded calmly upon hearing Kassadin's words.

Although Demacia is not large in area, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It is surrounded by mountains on two sides and the sea on the other. The side facing the sea has daunting cliffs that make amphibious landings impossible. The mountain ranges on both sides further divide the city into several mountain ranges, sealing off the entrance to Demacia layer by layer.

No matter how large your army is, if you want to cross a single-plank bridge, you can only do it one by one. This kind of terrain means that Demacia does not need to prepare a large number of soldiers for attrition like the Plains Kingdom. It only needs to send a team of elite soldiers to garrison in the pass or the Rift to resist the advance of the entire army.

This is also an important reason why Demacia is keen to cultivate elite players.

Scholars in Piltover once calculated that the training materials and equipment consumed in training an ordinary Demacia soldier for a year were equivalent to the annual resources of five Noxus soldiers. And that's just for ordinary soldiers; elite units like the Dauntless Vanguard, capable of taking on ten enemies each, often require twenty or thirty or more.

A good horse needs a good saddle, and the mountains on both sides are rich in a mineral called "Demacia Hard Steel." Even with crude forging, it can possess remarkable hardness and toughness. In contrast, although Noxus is vast and rich in resources, its soldiers often have to maintain their own weapons.

Thinking about it, a sense of pride appeared on Oran's face.

"Haha! They probably tried every means to steal them! But it's no wonder they're so envious; after all, during the last border conflict, weapons from Demacia easily cut through countless Noxus soldiers' weapons!"

"Yes, Demacia weapons are always bestsellers."

Seeing that Oran didn't seem to care much, Kassadin shrugged and said nonchalantly, "A Demacia steel sword, if sent to Shurima, can often fetch at least three times its original price. If it's mixed with the legendary Mana Stone powder, the price would conservatively be more than ten times higher."

"After all, no one would joke about their own life."

During the conversation, Oran seemed to casually ask, "Speaking of which, does Bel'Veth have any places that sell information? I'd like to see what other interesting places there are outside."

"Just pick any bar at the port," Kassadin said dismissively. "When the sailors are drinking, they can't wait to brag about what they saw, heard, and encountered at sea."

Upon hearing this, Oran nodded and then remained silent.

Following Kassadin all the way to the Bel'Veth City, walking through this trading city constructed of numerous tents and stone houses, Yuan Chen inquired:

Do you live in this city?

"Yes, we just moved in last year."

Perhaps because he was certain that Bel'Veth, or rather his wife and daughters, were unharmed, Kassadin relaxed considerably, becoming unusually talkative.

"Mainly Kai'Sa, she wants to hang out with her friends in the city... Although city life is a bit more expensive, there are more opportunities, and she can also receive instruction from the Sun Temple."

After a pause, Kassadin added with a smile, "Being a priest is much safer and more respectable than the dangerous job of a guide."

Although the Shurima Empire has long since perished, the Sun Priesthood, representing the Shurima religion, have not disappeared. On the contrary, without the Shurima Empire, the only force capable of uniting the entire Shurima, the temples scattered throughout the major cities of the Shurima became the anchors that maintained national stability in the early stages after the Great Collapse of Shurima.

These priests from the Sun Temple proclaimed the nobility of the Golden Blood and the invincibility of the Ascended, which once awakened hope and conviction in people's hearts and revived Shurima, which was on the verge of collapse.

Unfortunately, this revival did not last long. Because what followed was the collective fall of the Dark Descendant... Compared to the will of the people, the Ascended did not believe that mortal priests who had lost the leadership of the Golden Bloodline had the right to command them.

It was during this period that a large number of Sun Temple were destroyed by the Dark Descendant. Today, only a handful of Sun Temple remain on the Shurima, many of which are replicas rebuilt by ambitious individuals and charlatans... If Yuan Chen remembers correctly, Bel'Veth City should be one of the few city-states that avoided the Darkin War and thus preserved the legacy of the Sun Temple intact.

"Would you like to take a look around?"

As an experienced guide, Kassadin possessed an exceptional ability to read people and immediately discerned Yuan Chen's thoughts.

In response, Yuan Chen glanced at Kassadin, then shook his head and said, "Now that we've arrived in Bel'Veth, the Sun Temple is right there; we can go anytime, no rush. More importantly, you should go home first and check if your family is safe."

Upon hearing this, Kassadin's eyes showed a hint of gratitude, and he then said, "Would you all be willing to travel with me? Let me introduce my wife, daughters, and family."