"Come with me. Don't wander off. Your build is different from the Yixialians'."
Qiyana recovered quickly, thanks to the magic power surging through the air in Yishuaoken. It could strengthen a spellcaster's body and rapidly replenish lost stamina and magic power.
Of course, even without Yishuaoken's magic power, it wouldn't have mattered. The Vydalian Robe Qiyana wore was solidified magic power in its own right.
Hearing Qiyana's words, Yuan Chen nodded in understanding and raised no objections.
With its tropical rainforest climate, Ixialians generally had brown skin, and their lower bodies—
especially the women's—were more full-figured than those of people from outside. Surprisingly, though, everyone except Qiyana was quite tall.
That didn't fit the build one would expect of a tropical rainforest people. Yuan Chen guessed that Ixialia's abundant magical resources had nourished its people.
Otherwise, they should have been shorter.
Take the Pygmy people from his previous life, for example. They averaged 1.2 meters tall and weighed less than fifty kilograms. They had small hands and feet, large bellies, and reached sexual maturity at eight, when they could marry and have children. Their average lifespan was only thirty or forty years.
But now, at a glance, he could see plenty of Ixialian women who stood over 1.7 meters tall.
Well, except for Qiyana.
Qiyana was... maybe 1.56 meters tall?
Standing behind Qiyana, Yuan Chen's gaze wandered as he tried to estimate her height. He couldn't help reflecting... Maybe her forceful personality had something to do with her height?
Some sort of psychological compensation mechanism?
"I feel like you're thinking about something extremely rude," Qiyana said, eyeing Yuan Chen with distaste.
Yuan Chen hadn't said a word, but Qiyana's instincts told her his gaze was impolite.
"Must be your imagination," Yuan Chen replied without batting an eye. "Everyone who knows me says I'm reliable and low-key."
"I'll grant you reliable, but I haven't seen anything low-key about you," Qiyana said, pursing her lips.
After a moment of silence, Qiyana said, "From now on, you're an Element Scholar. You seem to have some good insights into Water Element, and Ixialia respects knowledge. With that title, no one will give you trouble."
"Of course, you still have to stay with me. You don't want the Road Protectors dragging you off for questioning all the time because you're an outsider, do you?"
Qiyana gestured with her chin toward the Road Protectors walking along the street.
Because of his build, skin tone, and bearing, Yuan Chen looked like a wild giant panda wandering through Ixialia. The residents of Yishuaoken stared at him from every direction.
The Road Protectors were even more wary, their Ring Blades in hand.
Fortunately, Qiyana was right beside Yuan Chen. Her Yuentar Robe, patterned in ash gray and emerald, and the Jade Crown on her head both proved the high status of the person before them: a Yuenale.
Although Ixialia forbade contact with the outside world, even outsiders who accidentally entered Ixialia were exiled to the Miasma Jungle—
only a very small number were accepted and allowed to remain as honorary Ixialians in remote counties.
But these laws barely applied to the Royal Family and the Yuentar class. You couldn't expect a feudal autocracy to have advanced and fair laws.
Fairness was like a lie, deceiving everyone and offering hope that could never be realized.
Thinking little of it, Yuan Chen silently followed behind Qiyana. As if she had sensed something, Qiyana glanced back at him twice, then continued at an unhurried pace toward her palace.
When they entered the Imperial Palace, Yuan Chen was stopped, but Qiyana stood her ground and turned the guards away.
Faced with the forceful Tenth Yuenale, the palace guards could only shake their heads in resignation. In the end, they merely warned Yuan Chen not to wander off or he would be arrested at once, then let him pass.
Although this was Yuan Chen's first time in Yishuaoken—and in its Imperial Palace—Qiyana didn't take him on a tour. She wasn't favored, and bringing an outsider with her would only invite more criticism.
So Qiyana simply took Yuan Chen to her room.
As the youngest daughter in the family, Qiyana's room should have been the smallest. Even so, it was incomparably luxurious beside the homes of Yishuaoken's commoners and even some minor nobles.
Yishuaoken had four levels—or, if you insisted, five, though the fifth consisted of nothing but five stone pillars.
It was the foundation of Ixialia, which maintained the Veil Technique. Even Yuentar scholars and traditional Ixialian nobles had no right to enter at will.
From top to bottom, the fourth level housed the Royal Family; the third, the Great Nobles and Yuentar elders; and the second, minor nobles, the wealthy, and Element Apprentices. The first level, along with the woodlands surrounding Ixialia, was home to the poor.
From beside the window, he could see the entire Ixialian landscape. The vast region stretched out before him, and the roads of Yishuaoken seemed to reach all the way to the horizon touched by the sun.
As he was looking out, Qiyana suddenly tossed a set of clothes at him.
Catching it, Yuan Chen unfolded it without thinking. It was a distinctly Ixialian, emerald-green... women's outfit?
And it was a little small.
But Yuan Chen soon relaxed. This wasn't ordinary fabric; it was a creation of Vidalion, just like the garment Qiyana wore.
The outer shape didn't matter to a Vydalian Robe. It could change into different styles according to its wearer's will. Still...
"Is this appropriate?" Yuan Chen asked hesitantly. "The Vydalian Robe is a symbol of the Yuentar. Without any merits or academic achievements, if someone sees me wearing it, you..."
"Don't worry," Qiyana said with a pout.
"It's made from my own solidified magic power. You can't activate it by wearing it. A dimmed Vydalian Robe is no different from ordinary fabric. Besides, you'll be right by my side. What can anyone do if they see you? I'm a Yuenale!"
At that, Yuan Chen shrugged and focused his mind on the short, one-piece dress in front of him. At first, he encountered a little resistance, as if it were rejecting him.
But when Qiyana placed her hand on the robe, Yuan Chen quickly connected with it without further difficulty. A moment later, the original dress transformed into a distinctly Ixialian outfit for a man.
He went into the changing room nearby, and when he came out again, he looked entirely different.
A dark green ribbon cloak with a silky texture draped over his shoulders. Out of habit, he had formed a Feather Pattern across the ribbon.
His upper body was bare, his well-built chest and back exposed to the air. His evenly developed muscles formed a single, solid shape. They were full but not bulky, and their streamlined contours gave him a harmonious beauty.
From just above his navel down, the garment was made of Vidalion Fabric: a close-fitting, battle-skirt-like Silk Hem. His long, shapely, muscular legs were also wrapped in dark green silk resembling tights, completing the look of battle armor.
Yuan Chen's physique was undeniably excellent. Even in Ixialian-style clothes, his near-perfect dancer's build made the outfit work.
Indeed, Qiyana raised her brows the moment she saw him and clicked her tongue in amazement.
"I really couldn't tell... You're in fantastic shape."
"Smooth, flawless skin, too. You're quite the prize. If I sent you over right now, plenty of nobles would be eager to get close to you."
Yuan Chen paid no mind to Qiyana's teasing and simply adjusted the sleeve of the Vydalian Robe.
Since this Vydalian Robe had been woven from Qiyana's own magic power, Yuan Chen couldn't fully draw on its power, even while wearing it.
Even so, as an epic-grade item, its properties far surpassed those of his previous Fine Leather Armor.
Indeed, even without binding it, Yuan Chen could feel that his stamina, physical strength, and magic power recovered at least twice as fast as before. If Qiyana wore it, he estimated her Recovery Speed would be at least five times greater.
Wait... Qiyana's innate trait, Elemental Dominion, gave her an extraordinary ability to sense and control the elements. If she converted this solidified magic power into elemental magic power, her Recovery Speed would be at least ten times faster than Normal State.
Tsk, tsk.
So, in the game, she was a squishy assassin, but in reality, she was an Element Warrior skilled in both physical and magical combat?
Well, it made sense... The Oretal Ring Blade in her hands could have its weight reduced with Floating Axiom, an advanced form of Wind Axiom. Even then, thrown at someone, it could easily crush and slice them apart.
So, in ARAM, Black Cleaver and Death's Dance really were Qiyana's proper build in Runeterra?
Thinking this, Yuan Chen couldn't help but grin. What the hell do pro players know about League of Legends? The designers should come out here and take their punishment!
"What are you laughing about?"
Qiyana, standing nearby, seemed puzzled.
"Don't tell me you're looking forward to it?"
"Looking forward to what?"
"To letting the nobles get close to you... Don't say I didn't warn you: the men among Ixialia's traditional nobles are even more perverted than the women."
"You're overthinking it."
Hearing Qiyana's words, Yuan Chen shook his head helplessly. "I was just thinking that it's terrifying that everyone in Ixialia can have an epic-grade item like this..."
"Only the Yuentar and Great Nobles have them. Not everyone can endure the pain of Vidalion drawing out their magic power."
As she spoke, Qiyana rolled her eyes, then looked at Yuan Chen with a beaming smile.
"Of course, if you can earn enough merit—say, by helping a great queen ascend the throne—then that queen might grant you this honor, even though you're an outsider."
"...I'm so moved I want to kneel and kowtow to you."
"I'll gladly accept~"
I've seen a lot of readers say they can't get into Qiyana, for example, because they aren't used to her art style or outfit design.
To be honest, I'm struggling with it too. The Qiyana pictures in my collection that look good tend to show very little clothing, and they'd probably get taken down if I posted them.
I'll try to find some more. In a little while, I'll upload the original artwork of Ixialia's regional clothing style to the comments section.
Before you continue