I've Arrived on Horseback!

Chapter 7: 7· I've Arrived!

Lupe was silent for a long time, and Yuan Chen didn't rush her, nor did he show any nervousness. On the contrary, he sat there, completely relaxed and at ease, even having the leisure to drink tea.

Thanks to his knowledge of the hero's background story, Yuan Chen knew very well that although Lupe claimed to have given up her yearning for past glory, it was actually because her family lacked exceptionally talented individuals, making her see no hope and forcing her to give up.

In reality, Lupe dreamed of the day her family could return to its peak, once again becoming part of Ixialia's ruling class and a member of the Elder Council of Yuentar.

Yuan Chen's humility before was due to his lack of sufficient value; he was, literally, a pure outsider. But now, Yuan Chen had proven his worth... it was time for Lupe to show hers.

Realizing this, Lupe took a deep breath, then raised her head and looked at Yuan Chen:

"What do you want?"

"Knowledge, power, and information."

Yuan Chen didn't hide his intentions, stating them concisely and clearly:

"I can assure you, I have no ill will towards Ixialia. But I can sense a clear crisis and evil lurking in our world... not just Ixialia, but all of Runeterra."

"I want to change all of this, but with my incomplete foresight, the fates I can see for people are only those truly destined to leave a significant mark on this world – the heroes. But you know, not all heroes can see everything. Even Ryze, the Rune Mage, is like that. I want to gain Ixialia's friendship."

If possible, it would be even better to have Oshirresh's blessing removed...

Of course, Yuan Chen didn't say this last part aloud. After all, Oshirresh, one of the ten primal demons of origin, who controlled emotions like "Joy" and "Pleasure," was too bizarre.

At his most insane, that guy even dared to attack the Aspects in the Immortal Heaven. Although it was of great help to Yuan Chen now, especially the direct control over Water Element, which allowed Yuan Chen to unleash magical power far beyond the original limits of an Elementalist...

But there was a price.

The more he used it, the greater the price. Even though it was of great help to Yuan Chen now, he just wanted to end this forced blessing and this forced transaction immediately.

Fortunately, Oshirresh's attention was entirely on Nila now, and the two seemed to be in some kind of tug-of-war. Otherwise, Yuan Chen wouldn't even dare to speak of anything related to foresight...

Hearing Yuan Chen's words, Lupe breathed a sigh of relief—she had been prepared for Yuan Chen to make an exorbitant demand. Now, what Yuan Chen was asking for was nothing more than her family's full support once their former status was restored.

"When Milio truly becomes a hero and a member of the Elder Council of Yuentar, no matter your stance, I will, on behalf of my family, offer you our full support. But how will you guarantee Milio's future?"

Yuan Chen had proven his worth and stated his demands. Lupe then inquired:

"As you said, Milio may indeed possess extremely high talent and skill. But due to the crime of rebellion, even if Milio has the qualifications to become a hero and an Elder of Yuentar, he will be influenced by various factors due to political considerations...

You know, the traditions of Ixialia are not something one person can change."

Hearing Lupe's words, Yuan Chen chuckled softly and then said, "Lupe, you haven't communicated with the outside world in a long time, have you?"

"..." Upon hearing this, silence.

A moment later, Lupe nodded with some dejection. She didn't mind Yuan Chen calling her by name, and said with her eyes closed:

"Ever since our family was exiled here, we haven't been able to leave this jungle...

Everyone in the family has been confined because of it, and my old friends in the Elder Council also had to stop communicating with me due to various considerations."

Although she called them old friends, Yuan Chen could guess that, apart from the Elder Council members who were truly research-oriented Yuentar elders, all other families with political investments had already abandoned Lupe's family and this so-called friend.

In a country with a conservative, xenophobic, isolated, and primitive structure, rebellion was a grave offense. Lupe's survival was likely due to her good relationships with other elders.

"Ixialia's style is indeed conservative... but not everyone is happy to accept it."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, Yuenale."

Upon hearing the name Yuenale, Lupe's pupils contracted slightly, and she then nodded thoughtfully.

The so-called Yuenale were the ten daughters of the King of Ixialia. With excellent bloodlines passed down for generations, these young ladies had received the highest elemental education in Ixialia from the start and had been trained to undergo Vidalion's trials since birth.

But Ixialia's style was too conservative. Among the ten daughters, only the eldest had legal inheritance rights. However, being born earlier didn't necessarily mean higher talent... and in this generation, the most talented among the Yuenale happened to be the last of the ten daughters.

A girl named Gnar... named Qiyana.

As the last heir, Qiyana's elemental magic skills were unprecedented, which could be seen in the game...

As the leader of the Ixialia region in the game, this overpowered hero had four skills and a passive that combined multiple dashes, gap closers, long-range poke, burst damage, stealth, crowd control, and area-of-effect damage. She was known as Gnar and was ruthless when crushing weaker opponents.

And this girl's ambition was by no means limited to a county or a city-state.

In the game, she could be used in all five roles except ADC, including top, mid, jungle, and support, and her strength was not low. Even in ARAM, she could build a tanky build with Divine Sunderer, Black Cleaver, and Death's Dance, being able to both deal damage and tank.

"You mean..." After a moment of silence, Lupe said thoughtfully, "There are those within Yuenale who are dissatisfied with the current situation?"

"Don't capable people always desire to rise to the top, rather than being subordinate to mediocre individuals?"

Yuan Chen said as a matter of course, "Moreover, even if they fail, their extraordinary talent and the noble status of Yuenale would be enough for them to become the governor of a large county. In any case, it would be enough to restore your family's past glory...

And even surpass it."

Hearing this promise of the future, a flicker of hesitation crossed Lupe's brow. A moment later, Lupe nodded, seemingly having made up her mind.

"I am willing to trade with you...

Milio will accompany you to learn, but even so, you must complete the trial, otherwise the other villagers will not accept you."

"Also, be careful of the Elemental Drakes in the mountains. He is in heat and is exceptionally irritable."

A hint of helplessness flashed across Lupe's face--

Facing an Elemental Drake, the most formidable creature in Ixialia, even she could only barely hold on...

"Of course, I'll get to know the local customs and traditions in my own way~"

As he spoke, Yuan Chen winked at the bewildered Milio beside him.

Milio didn't fully understand what the conversation meant, but he heard that he could go out and play with this big brother in front of him—that was enough to make him happy for a long time.

Perhaps out of consideration for Yuan Chen, or perhaps to observe him better, Yuan Chen ended up staying in the guest room of Lupe's large house.

The rattan bed lacked the softness of springs, but for Yuan Chen, who hadn't had a good night's sleep in a very, very long time, it was already exceptionally comfortable.

He didn't fall asleep immediately. Lying on the bed, Yuan Chen fell into thought, beginning to organize the information and intelligence he currently possessed.

In his previous life, the National Server...

Or rather, the League of Legends universe on the Horse Server had been in a state of neglect. The latest hero background stories were still stuck at the stage of Nila and the Ruined Curse. Much of the crisis and related characters in the background stories that Yuan Chen knew came not only from various plot interpretations but also from the League of Legends card game, LOR, also known as Legends of Runeterra.

The plot of LOR and the plot of the League of Legends universe were not on the same timeline. Instead, LOR's scriptwriters had taken the League of Legends universe as a basis and freely imagined a series of events that could happen.

It was just like the skin universes such as Star Guardian and Program; they were parallel timelines to the main League of Legends universe... they could be referenced, but they were not absolute.

And up to this point, League of Legends had never had a clear, official timeline or sequence of events...

Even the only official lore book, "League of Legends: Stories of Runeterra," had over ninety percent of its content as a simple compilation of the League of Legends universe, with very little actual paid content and almost no substantial parts.

This included its chronicles...

All one could say was that the scriptwriters were very good at talking. The chronicles were presented from a Noxian perspective, based on the "Noxian Calendar," and were the official chronicles of the Noxian Empire, not of Riot or Runeterra.

In other words, as the plot developed, there was a very high probability of timeline inconsistencies. At that point, they could simply blame the Noxians for the problem, and it would have nothing to do with Riot's scriptwriters.

If one wanted to delve deeper, it would be considered an Easter egg.

Currently, Milio was twelve years old. In the plot, it was at the age of twelve that Milio comprehended and mastered his own unique "Fire Axiom," which surpassed traditional axiomatic constraints.

This meant Milio had accumulated enough experience and only needed a trigger to awaken his unique traits and embark on his own Adventure.

Qiyana should also be attempting to ascend to the throne, becoming the queen of all Ixialia as the final heir.

According to the information he had previously obtained, Shurima had not yet revived. Noxus had just begun a new round of external exploration, with Emperor Boram Darkwill still ruling, and the Black Rose secretly manipulating the entire empire from behind the scenes.

Demacia's king was still Jarvan III. His daughter Lux had not yet met the "thief" Senas. The situation in Freljord was unknown due to its isolation, but Zaun and Piltover should have achieved a superficial peace. Bilgewater was still under Gangplank's leadership, and the love-struck character on the Shadow Isles had not yet officially awakened...

As he thought, Yuan Chen subconsciously clenched his fist.

The dances of Ionia could allow him to barely protect himself amidst chaos, but humans had their limits. Just dancing, he wouldn't be able to break free from Oshirresh's demonic curse even if he danced his whole life, nor could he protect Runeterra.

Not to mention anything else, just the crises he knew were bound to erupt were enough to destroy him a thousand times over... Even if he died, his soul might end up in one of the underworlds, Mithna Lachen, to be toyed with by Mordekaiser.

If he thought about it that way, dying directly in Ionia might not be a bad thing. At least the spiritual realm of Ionia could directly receive the guidance of the God of Death and reincarnate... If the opportunity was sufficient, perhaps he could remain in the mortal world as a spirit. Like Yasuo.

Oh, right. He still had Oshirresh's curse on him. If he really died, he'd probably report to the Lord of Joy immediately... Joy Apostle Serial Number! 9527! Step forward!

The image of being a dog for this crazy demon flashed in his mind, and Yuan Chen couldn't help but bare his teeth--

Damn it, if he had the chance, he'd cut ties with this lunatic immediately.

At the very least, Yuan Chen didn't believe the Aspects would let him, an apostle who once tried to devour the heavens, off the hook.

Unite with friends who can be united with, master the power that can be mastered, understand the knowledge that can be understood, and explore the secrets that can be explored...

For Runeterra, the coming times would undoubtedly be a turbulent and grand era...

It made sense. Nearly a thousand years had passed since the Rune Wars. The old systems had long since been shaken and were on the verge of collapse with the torrent of changing times. Take Ixialia, for example. Even the Lupe family, who were part of the ruling class, were involved in rebellion and sedition.

Heroes, thugs, schemers, ambitious individuals, avengers, order keepers, collaborators, madmen, ancient warlords, idealists... Heroes from all walks of life were emerging in endless streams. The traditions that Ionia now upheld seemed almost laughable in the face of changing times.

Recalling Milio, who was about to embark on his own path of destiny, and thinking about what might happen in this world, Yuan Chen felt an unprecedented sense of crisis, as if it were right at his doorstep... a prickling sensation on his back.

He couldn't go back to Ionia anymore.

Yuan Chen thought--Ionia was too peaceful, too gentle, too comfortable. Once, this made Yuan Chen feel comfortable and serene. But now...

Compared to the turbulent changes happening outside, this peace and comfort felt like warm water in a pot, with himself as a frog indulging in it.

Perhaps it was the first time he realized that danger was so close. Although he hadn't had a good rest in a long time, Yuan Chen still slept uneasily that night.

He got out of bed, feeling tired, and could still feel his low mood... Feeling his abnormal state of mind, Yuan Chen seemed to recall something. Although hesitant, he still tentatively deepened his connection with Oshirresh.

In an instant, all his unease, urgency, confusion, and even fear were forcibly transformed into Joy by this demonic power.

Yuan Chen knew that this Joy was like duckweed on the water, and baseless pleasure would only accelerate his downfall. But for a passive person, as long as he could be happy, it was enough!

Thinking this, a smile spread across Yuan Chen's lips--although he had lived in this world for over twenty years, thinking carefully, it seemed like this was the first time he felt so relaxed and happy...

It's just drinking poison to quench thirst, not dying immediately!

Runeterra, here I come!!