Grandma Lupe

Chapter 3: Grandma Lupe

Noticing that his regional reputation had dropped straight from Level 1, Unknown, to Level -1, Disliked, Yuan Chen wasn't surprised in the slightest. On the contrary, he knew full well that people like Audan, who welcomed outsiders, were few and far between in Ixialia.

The vast majority of people who lived here were deeply xenophobic. They were even unwilling to touch or speak with outsiders...

Because of its location and the natural barrier of the mountains, Ixialia had witnessed the fall of the Shurima Empire, the Rune Wars, and the destruction of Fuguang Island.

So, in the eyes of Ixialia's common folk, the lands beyond Ixialia had long since been reduced to a miserable wasteland by disease and war. Under the circumstances, outsiders brought nothing but disease and chaos. Put simply: Out-of-towners, coming to Ixialia to beg for food!

Only a small number of people in all of Ixialia knew that the Outside World hadn't been destroyed, but had instead developed new civilizations.

Thinking this over as he followed Audan into the village, Yuan Chen understood all the better where the locals' hostility came from.

"Don't be mad at them. They're actually good people," Audan muttered quietly beside him. "If it weren't for Grandma Lupe, I might be just like them... There's nothing we can do about it. It's the Elder Council of Yuentar's decision."

Grandma Lupe?

At the name, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow. It sounded familiar—he felt like he'd heard it somewhere before.

Perhaps because he'd transmigrated, Yuan Chen remembered the League of Legends universe particularly well. But those memories hadn't given him much foresight, since the League of Legends universe itself had been rebooted multiple times. Even the champions' backstories had been changed again and again...

Take Master Yi, for example. His weapon used to be an ordinary streetlamp.

Besides, League of Legends was a MOBA game, not like MMORPGs such as Warcraft, Guild Wars, or JX3, where updates to the story could deepen players' understanding of the game's world.

So even by the time Yuan Chen had transmigrated into this world, the backstories of some of League of Legends' older characters were still being endlessly rewritten and rebooted...

Before transmigrating, Yuan Chen had been quite happy to accept those reboots. As far as he knew, Riot Games had been developing an MMORPG set in Runeterra.

It was anyone's guess whether it could replicate League of Legends' success, and surpassing Warcraft's historical standing in the gaming world would be even harder. But with League of Legends as its foundation, it would surely have no shortage of players... For that reason, Yuan Chen had been happy to wait for Runeterra's lore to be fleshed out, then explore its people and customs in depth through the Runeterra MMORPG.

But now... Damn it, the constant rewrites meant Yuan Chen couldn't use the knowledge advantage and foresight a transmigrator was supposed to have to grow stronger quickly.

Take this Primeval Jungle, for instance. Though its magical technology was top-tier in Runeterra, it didn't even have its own faction in the League of Legends card game... In an MMORPG, the appearance of an ancient autocratic empire like this would be more than enough to anchor a major expansion.

But now...

He'd heard of Grandma Lupe, but couldn't remember anything else about her. He could only be certain that she appeared in Ixialia's lore. Beyond that... he'd have to explore for himself.

With that thought, Yuan Chen kept quiet and followed Audan toward the largest house, which stood at the very center of the village.

Audan pushed the wooden door open and called out, "Grandma Lupe! I found a castaway on the shore and brought him to meet you!"

Before long, a voice came from inside the house. It was old but vigorous, and carried a hint of irritation.

"An outsider? Audan, you silly boy! If anyone else sees you, you'll be stuck sweeping the village's main road for a month!"

"It's all right, Grandma!"

Audan laughed, unfazed by Grandma Lupe's words. "He's a scholar from Ionia! I saw him with my own eyes, dancing with the Water Element in a way I've never seen before!"

"A scholar, dancing with the Water Element?"

The mysterious woman called Grandma Lupe sounded surprised by Yuan Chen's identity and what he'd done. Then the tightly shut door BANG! flew open in a swift gust of wind, revealing an old woman with snow-white hair and beard, a staff in hand, and a dark green silk robe.

The old woman sat in a wicker rocking chair, holding a long, slender cane. Though aged, she had a strikingly lively air about her. Her bright old eyes fixed on Yuan Chen with keen interest.

When Yuan Chen saw her clothes, his eyes narrowed, and he grew more serious.

The change was fleeting, but the old woman called Grandma Lupe noticed it. Without hiding her thoughts, she asked directly, "What is it, stranger? You seem to recognize me."

"No, this is the first time I've met you. But I recognize the clothes you're wearing."

Grandma Lupe fell silent for a moment. Then she said, her words laden with meaning, "You... seem to know a great deal."

As she spoke, Grandma Lupe stood up and walked barefoot across the wooden floor toward Yuan Chen. She was not as tall as he was, but the old woman had a remarkable vitality, the kind of resilience that came from gritting one's teeth and persevering after facing life as it was.

The clothes Grandma Lupe wore were further proof that she was no ordinary old woman...

She wore a pale green silk robe and carried a cane. Ixialia had a tropical rainforest climate, yet the robe didn't look out of place or stuffy on the old woman. On the contrary, pure magic rippled across the silk, and the robe was not only weightless but also remarkably soft and breathable, like a second skin.

Yuan Chen had seen the material the robe was made from before. That's right—it was the same material as the emblem on Audan's shoulder.

But unlike the emblem on Audan's shoulder, Grandma Lupe's entire robe was made of that material.

In other words, no matter what her circumstances were now, this elder had once belonged to Ixialia's ruling class. She had been an Elementalist and a member of the Elder Council of Yuentar. Otherwise, an ordinary Elementalist wouldn't have been entitled to a garment like this.

"Tell me what you know."

"As you wish." Yuan Chen took a moment to gather his thoughts, then began.

"Legend has it that, inside the central tower of Yishuaoken, the capital of Ixialia, there's a vast chamber. It lies in a highly unusual place: the ancient Great Elementalists built it at the Mana Node and geometric center of Ixialia—and indeed, of all Runeterra."

Audan looked surprised. He glanced at Grandma Lupe, as if asking whether Yuan Chen was telling the truth.

Grandma Lupe said nothing. She simply watched Yuan Chen, as though waiting to see what else he knew. Seeing this, Yuan Chen continued.

"Suspended above that chamber is an ancient Ixialian relic, a Magic Loom capable of weaving magic into physical matter—the Vidalion!"

"To become a great Elder of Yuentar, one must pass the Vidalion's test. And the test is..."

"Enough!"

When Yuan Chen began recounting everything he knew in detail, even going so far as to reveal what the Vidalion's test entailed, Grandma Lupe couldn't hide her alarm. Her expression changed, and she asked sternly, "How do you know all this? After I left, have the people of Ixialia really started sharing these secrets with outsiders?"

"No. I'm just a little unusual."

Yuan Chen shrugged.

"How unusual? I doubt the Elemental Masters would tell you these important secrets just because you're a little unusual!"

"For example, I'm a half-baked prophet?"

"..."

Yuan Chen's words left not only Grandma Lupe but also Audan staring at him with their mouths agape. After a moment's silence, Grandma Lupe stepped back and studied Yuan Chen. Then she said, "That doesn't make sense... Weren't you a scholar from Ionia? How did you become a prophet all of a sudden?"

"Those two things don't contradict each other, do they?"

"..." Grandma Lupe fell silent, then nodded. "Then tell me what the Vidalion's test is. Don't try to fool me. I know what the test represents! If you dare lie, your next stop will be an Elemental Drake's lair."

Yuan Chen leaned in and quietly told Grandma Lupe what he knew—

He didn't actually need to lower his voice. He could clearly sense that, as he leaned closer, the breeze around them sealed the area, ensuring no sound could pass through or be heard by anyone else—unless they were far more skilled in Elemental Magic than Grandma Lupe.

In reality, the Vidalion's test wasn't as severe as people imagined. The Vidalion itself was a gigantic Magic Loom. It had woven the ceremonial robes worn by the Royal Family and the Elders of Yuentar, the highest ruling class in Ixialia.

When apprentices prepared for their trials and honed their magical abilities, they didn't expect that when they finally faced the Vidalion, they'd encounter an unbearable truth—a fact concealed from all the people of Ixialia:

Ixialia wasn't the only civilization to survive the Rune Wars, and the lands beyond Ixialia weren't a barren wasteland devoid of life. The final test was how those who faced the trial reacted to this truth.

If they passed, the Vidalion would weave their magic into a robe made entirely of magic, yet with physical substance, marking them as an Elemental Master.

That was why Yuan Chen had relaxed the moment he saw Grandma Lupe's clothes. The Vidalion Robe she wore was woven entirely from magic. That meant Grandma Lupe knew that the Outside World wasn't just a place of disease and war, but home to flourishing civilizations as well!

After hearing Yuan Chen explain the Vidalion's test, Grandma Lupe's expression grew incredibly complicated.

"Let's set aside your claim to being a prophet for now. As an outsider, you won't find it easy to fit in here... So, are you ready to face the test?"