Loyalty and Transaction

Chapter 42: 40. Allegiance and Transaction

Clad in a Vidalion-woven bandeau skirt, Qiyana's gaze was fervent, looking at Yuan Chen as if he were a long-desired treasure—recognition.

Vidalion-woven garments were formed by the wearer's own solidified magic, capable of changing into any shape according to the user's needs. Qiyana had chosen a bandeau skirt.

The exquisite skirt, a blend of ash and emerald, shimmered with a subdued luster in the sunlight. It wasn't flashy; in fact, for a noble of Yuenale, Qiyana's attire was rather understated.

Yet, even so, the fine fabric accentuated her near-perfect pear-shaped figure, making her appear alluringly ripe.

Her silver hair cascaded behind her. One foot rested on the ground, while the other propped against the carriage's side panel. Black stockings perfectly outlined her legs, their graceful curves like those of a runway model.

Leaning forward, the bandeau created a cleavage that invited imagination. Qiyana took a cursory glance and immediately pinpointed Yuan Chen's location.

There weren't many people in the carriage—only Yuan Chen, Lupe, and Milio. Mordas and the others guarded the Dragon, fending off anyone who dared approach, even Road Protectors.

Looking at Qiyana, Yuan Chen recognized her true identity almost instantly.

Holy crap, a model!

Unlike Milio, who was hard to identify as a youth, Qiyana's features were undeniably distinct.

A head of silver hair was the most prominent characteristic of the upper nobility of Ixialia.

Combined with her fine figure, beauty, crown, and more importantly, the ring blade—which appeared large and heavy compared to her slender body and was embedded with three Elemental Gems—there was no doubt about the identity of the person before him.

Sensing Yuan Chen's surprised gaze, Qiyana reached up and played with her long bangs. Looking at her delicate, fair skin, Yuan Chen didn't feel much aversion, but after a moment of thought, she spoke:

"You're not from Ixialia... Black hair, yellow skin, brown eyes. You're from Ionia, aren't you?"

"That's right... So, what do you want to do? Arrest me? Or exile me to the Miasma Jungle?"

Yuan Chen looked at the somewhat assertive young woman before him with curiosity.

Qiyana, in turn, shook her head and stated plainly:

"I will protect you. Even though I'm the lowest-ranked, the tenth Ale, it's easy for me to shelter a Foreigner."

Hearing Qiyana's words, Yuan Chen found it quite amusing. If this were his first day in Ixialia, he would have undoubtedly agreed without hesitation. Because back then, Yuan Chen had nothing.

But things were different now. Through much effort, desperation, and luck, Yuan Chen was no longer alone.

He didn't intend to refuse, but the way he met Qiyana had certainly exceeded his expectations. Looking at Qiyana, Yuan Chen asked directly:

"Then what do you want from me? Or, what do I have to give?"

"I can tell you know a lot," Qiyana said crisply as she climbed into the carriage. The large ring blade was placed diagonally beside her, and she sat down, legs crossed. "You think I can succeed, and I will definitely succeed... Become my Vassal. I'm serious, I'll give you everything you desire!"

Saying this, Qiyana paused and added, "I'm not trying to take anything away, I just want to reclaim what should have been mine!"

Qiyana's voice was very firm.

This wasn't the first time she wanted to be the Ritual Host. She clearly had the best talent, but the outcome was always the same as last time.

Again and again, she was always just a spectator, a Mascot used to showcase the Royal Family's harmonious unity. This made the unwilling Qiyana feel her emotions reaching the limit of her patience.

Looking at the girl before him, Yuan Chen fell silent.

Regarding Qiyana, Yuan Chen could say he was deeply impressed—incredibly deeply impressed.

Damn it, back when Qiyana wasn't nerfed and the First Strike bug that allowed her passive to trigger twice was still around, Yuan Chen was playing Lucian in the bottom lane, 5/0 with three core items at twenty minutes. He went to the mid lane to farm and ran into a poorly developed Qiyana with only two core items and low health.

What else was there to think about?

Yuan Chen, without a word, activated Ghost and prepared to go up for a flurry of E, Q, E, Q, W, Q, Q, Q, Q.

Logically, at the twenty-minute mark, a Lucian with three core items should have been able to take down not just a squishy Assassin with that short combo, but even a Rock Giant would have lost a layer of skin.

But what happened? As soon as Yuan Chen made a small sidestep with E, Qiyana unleashed a combo of ERQWAQ, flashing the dog tag and sending question marks in the public chat.

The damage was incomprehensibly high. After she finished her skills, Yuan Chen still owed Qiyana half his health bar—what do you call that, the 'health bar disappearance technique'?

How strong was Qiyana back then? It wasn't enough to suppress her in lane. You painstakingly farmed minion by minion, and then the enemy, at level six with First Strike, would roam and snowball.

Even when the bug was fixed, the players' Evaluation was: [After this change, Qiyana's burst damage in the mid to late game has been greatly reduced, and she now needs a full combo to kill someone.]

Yeah, saying she needs a full combo to kill someone makes it sound so reasonable... The multi-dash, multi-displacement, AoE damage, AoE crowd control, stealth, execute, and slow mentioned earlier were completely unchanged.

The damage was nerfed, the bug was fixed, but the damage was still considerable. The mechanics were still overpowered, and with the collaboration skin with LV, wasn't that Gnar?

Although ruthless in the game, now, looking at the girl before him, Yuan Chen didn't feel much threat or power. Instead, he felt more of Qiyana's unwillingness.

"In my plan, I did intend to help you get what you want. I just didn't expect us to meet so soon."

"That means you're right! It's fate that brought you to me! Come assist me, I will become the Queen of all Ixialia! No matter what you ask, I will fulfill it!"

"Stop, stop, stop, don't be so absolute, it makes you seem superficial and unreliable." Saying this, Yuan Chen paused and added:

"If possible, I'd prefer our relationship to be a transaction, rather than subservience."

Hearing this, Qiyana was slightly taken aback, but after a moment of silence, the heat in her eyes slightly receded.

Removing the emotional outburst of receiving approval, she returned to her usual calm. After thinking for a moment, Qiyana nodded seriously:

"You're right, I was blinded by anger... But I'm very satisfied with your attitude."

Saying this, Qiyana also returned to her usual relaxed demeanor. At least on the surface, Qiyana did appear relaxed:

"Whether it's a trade or allegiance. State what you wish to obtain, so we can better understand what both of us want, can't we?"

"Elemental Sacred Beasts," Yuan Chen said.

Qiyana fell silent at this. Then, her eyes fixed on Yuan Chen before her. After a moment, she said hesitantly, "Elemental Sacred Beasts... what do you mean? Explain clearly?"

Without answering Qiyana, Yuan Chen first spoke to Lupe beside him, "Please leave for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Lupe felt confused but still left the caravan with Milio, leaving Yuan Chen and Qiyana alone—

Lupe somewhat guessed that Yuan Chen was about to say something she shouldn't know.

Prophets were always so cryptic...

After Lupe left, Yuan Chen stated plainly, "Do you know about demons?"

"..." Hearing this peculiar term, Qiyana narrowed her eyes vigilantly, her hand falling to the Ring Blade beside her.

Demons were never good things.

Thinking this, Qiyana said, "I know... What do you want to say?"

"I've been marked by a demon," Yuan Chen said. "A powerful demon left an anchor on me. Thanks to some special gains, I can now temporarily suppress the curse brought by the demon."

Through Nedeli, Yuan Chen learned that there might be a solution to his problem in the west. But there were too many things in western Ixialia... The Void, Shurima, Mount Targon, none of them were easy to deal with.

Since the Wilderness Blessing could exempt him from Oshirresh's curse to a certain extent, perhaps Elemental Sacred Beasts could too.

Even if it couldn't completely remove it, simply strengthening the suppression effect would be a good gain.

At the very least, it was worth a try.

"So you thought of Elemental Sacred Beasts?" Qiyana nodded thoughtfully:

"If it's Elemental Sacred Beasts... there's no problem. These beings born in the spiritual realm are no match for Elemental Sacred Beasts. Even if they can't kill them, they can dispel the curse on you."

"However, this isn't something that can be done easily. Elemental Sacred Beasts taught the ancient people of Ixialia the original Axiom Way. They slumber in the gaps of nature, and only a select few who are recognized will receive blessings from the Sacred Beasts."

Qiyana frowned and said:

"I am not qualified to ask for Elemental Sacred Beasts... nor is my Father King."

Qiyana was unwilling to admit she couldn't do it and used the fact that her Father King couldn't do it either to prove that Yuan Chen was making an unreasonable demand.

Thinking this, Qiyana huffed somewhat resentfully, "What kind of demon did you encounter? Even without Elemental Sacred Beasts, if it's an ordinary demon, I have enough ability to help you get rid of it!"

"Then forget it. Let's discuss other terms."

Yuan Chen shook his head. Suppressing the demon through Elemental Sacred Beasts was originally Yuan Chen's guess. He wasn't too disappointed to receive a negative answer now.

And from Qiyana's reaction, Ixialia clearly knew about the existence of demons.

Hmm, it made sense. Ixialia was isolated from the world and had existed for far longer than any other country on Runeterra today.

Coupled with their unimaginable mastery of Elemental Magic, it was reasonable for them to know about the existence of demons. And judging from Ixialia's current state, they even knew how to avoid their influence—