91. Speculations About Norra

Using the "Sword Control Technique," Yuan Chen quickly caught up with the main group, calling out from afar:

"Stop! Try a different approach!"

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Qiyana gestured for the team to stop, then looked up at the sky—or more accurately, at the cat on Yuan Chen's back that had landed on the ground.

Looking at Yuumi, and then at the Book of Thresholds beneath her, Qiyana, as the crown princess of Yishuaoken, could clearly sense the extraordinary nature of both the cat and the Book of Thresholds.

Cats are alright; they're probably rarer magical creatures with high intelligence. Although these creatures are very rare, they're not impossible to find if you're determined to search for them.

But the Book of Thresholds beside her was different; the mere magical aura emanating from it made Qiyana involuntarily squint her eyes.

Undoubtedly, it was inscribed with a wealth of knowledge about spatial magic... Even for Ixialia, spatial magic remained profound and mysterious. Throughout Runeterra, including the spiritual realm, those capable of influencing space were still few and far between.

"This cat... and this book?"

Qiyana looked at Yuan Chen with a puzzled expression. "What were you doing just now?"

"I went to the bathroom and found a cat," Yuan Chen said succinctly, shrugging his shoulders. "Then I brought it back."

"No, no, no matter how you look at it, this cat and this book don't look like things you could just pick up anywhere, do they?" Qiyana waved her hands repeatedly, looking at Yuan Chen with a puzzled expression. "What are their names?"

Qiyana pointed to the cat and book floating in the air. Before Yuan Chen could explain, Yuumi nearby, said excitedly:

"Haha! My name is Yuumi! I'm the bravest cat!!"

Yuumi waved excitedly at Qiyana, her kitten face beaming with joy—it's safe to say Norra did a great job socializing Yuumi; she wasn't afraid at all even after seeing so many strangers all at once.

Upon hearing Yuumi's words, Qiyana leaned back slightly, somewhat unaccustomed to the situation. But after regaining her senses, Qiyana eyes filled with surprise:

"Wait a minute... is this cat talking?!"

Qiyana looked on in disbelief—after all, being able to cast spells and being able to speak and communicate with people are two completely different things.

Even powerful beings like dragons, with the exception of a very few ancient dragons, can only communicate with humans through body language or mental magic.

In this situation, a cat capable of speaking human language...

"That's right! I'm the most amazing cat too!"

Sensing Qiyana's surprise, Yuumi's vanity was greatly satisfied. She lay on the Book of Thresholds, her tail wagging excitedly.

"I've been to many places! From icy mountains and deserts to forests, I've left my mark everywhere! If you'd like to give me some dried fish, I wouldn't mind sharing my adventures with you!"

Feeling Yuumi's excitement and joy, Yuan Chen gave Yuumi's head a couple of hard pats.

The kitten, who had been vain just a moment ago, almost immediately showed a pleased expression. Yuan Chen then bluntly told Qiyana why Yuumi was there—to find her owner.

Upon hearing the reason for Yuumi's appearance, Qiyana's eyes revealed a hint of understanding.

While Bandle City may seem mysterious to ordinary people, it is merely a special realm to Ixialia —or rather, a realm that is mysterious and unknown to other kingdoms of Ixialia, but to Runeterra it is nothing special.

For example, for the people of the Valoran Continent, things like the Shadow Isles, the Harrowing, the Rune Wars, and demons are all unheard-of legends. In a city, perhaps only one or two elderly scholars would know about them.

However, for Ixialia, almost any Element Apprentice could find the knowledge they needed in the Great Library. And Elemental Master like Yuentar could directly enter the King Yuen Treasury for study.

In such circumstances, not only Yordle, but even some Ixialia have entered Yordle territory directly through portals... only their exits were rather disastrous.

After a brief moment of thought, Qiyana, who was standing beside her, said thoughtfully, "You found items about Norra in the Shurima desert... but that might not necessarily be in Shurima."

"Huh? Where is that?" Yuumi seemed surprised upon hearing Qiyana's words and quickly asked, "Do you have any clues?"

"It's not exactly a clue, but there are certainly some guesses."

Nodding, out of respect for Yuan Chen, Qiyana didn't press the matter further, and simply stated, "It was around 1200 years ago that the Kingdom of Icathia launched a rebellion against the Ancient Shuriman Empire."

"At the beginning, the Kingdom of Icathia did gain an advantage to some extent. However, with the arrival of the Ascended on the battlefield, Icathia lost more than 90% of its territory in just a few days, and even the Magic King was personally beheaded by the Ascended."

"In an attempt to salvage the situation, the mages of Icathia summoned the monsters they had discovered underground— the Void."

Qiyana's face was somewhat solemn. Even for Qiyana, who was the crown princess, the existence of the Void was mysterious and terrifying.

In all of Yishuaoken's books, anything involving the Void is strictly forbidden, and only the most elite masters, such as school leaders, are qualified to conduct even a simple consultation.

No wonder Yishuaoken revered truth and knowledge, was so wary of the Void, because the Void was too powerful; for some treacherous mages, a single moment of carelessness could lead to disaster.

"The Void is incredibly powerful. The Ancient Shuriman Empire sacrificed countless Ascended and warriors, even the Ascended Queen Setaka perished in the process. Yet, even so, the Void only suffered a superficial defeat..."

As she said this, Qiyana gave Yuan Chen a complicated look—if it weren't for the fact that she and Yuan Chen had gone deep into the mine earlier, even Qiyana wouldn't have known that the Void Creature had already woven a large net underground.

And the Monolith Fortress built by Yishuaoken, the most powerful elemental mage, Ne'Zuk Ascended, and with all the wisdom and resources of Ancient Shurima, still exists and continues to function...

Thinking it over, Qiyana said, "There are some slave laborers from Shurima in the mining area. According to them, there are a large number of monsters similar to Void Creature beneath the Shurima desert."

"If you found the aura of your master in the ruins of Shurima... then your master may also have some connection to the Void."

As she spoke, Qiyana paused, glancing at the Book of Thresholds beneath the kitten's body.

Even for Qiyana, this Book of Thresholds, which records many portals, is a rare, even unique, treasure.

"If this contains information about portals to the Void... then anything is possible."

As she said this, a strange look appeared on Qiyana's face. "But if it really is the Void..."

The writing didn't continue, because the kitten's face was filled with terror, and even the Book of Thresholds was fixed firmly in mid-air as if glued on, not moving at all.

After a long pause, he swayed back and forth with difficulty, seemingly frightened by the nightmarish conjecture.

If even the mature and steady Book of Thresholds is like this, then let alone Yuumi, who wants to be flamboyant and outgoing.

The blue cat's face was filled with disbelief, its mouth agape, and even its tail drooped limply behind Ali.

After a long, stunned silence, Yuumi finally came to her senses and looked at Yuan Chen in a flustered manner. "Um, you're a prophet! Quickly check if Master is alright! Didn't you see him?!"

"It's alright, don't worry."

Upon hearing Yuumi's words, Yuan Chen promptly offered words of comfort, saying, "Although I can only see a glimpse of the future, there is no sign of your master being in danger in what I see..."

"Yes, we were indeed in danger, but at most we were trapped; there was no danger to our lives."

Hearing this, Yuumi breathed a sigh of relief, then patted the Book of Thresholds beneath her with renewed fighting spirit:

"Hey! Book of Thresholds! Cheer up! We must rescue our master!!"

Hearing Yuumi's encouraging words, the somewhat dejected Book of Thresholds swayed back and forth a few times, followed by the rustling sound of pages scratching, as if saying something like, "I'm fine, don't worry."

"So... this Book of Thresholds also possesses its own consciousness?" Qiyana stroked her chin, somewhat surprised and uncertain. "Although I've heard of powerful mages in Bandle City, this kind of grimoire... is truly the first time I've ever seen one."

"This book is probably one of the most mysterious things in Bandle City."

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, Yuan Chen shrugged and said, "To concentrate such a large number of portals onto a single book and maintain the integrity of its energy... in terms of precision, even Vidalion might not be as good, right?"

Hearing Yuan Chen compare a book to Ixialia's sacred relic, the Vidalion Loom, Qiyana frowned in displeasure. She wanted to object, but after a moment's thought, she could only sigh helplessly.

Although teleportation magic sounds simple, it actually involves a vast amount of knowledge.

To construct a stable portal, the data involved includes the spatial constants of the two regions, coordinate anchor points, magic concentration, elemental strength, and the corresponding stability of the mental domain, among other things.

A small error can lead to a huge mistake. If even a single step contains a decimal point error, what you create won't be a portal, but a meat grinder...

The most absurd thing is that, depending on the passage of time and the progress of the world, the data at both ends of the portal, and even in the spiritual realm, are constantly changing. This means that even if the construction can be completed, a lot of effort and time will be needed for maintenance afterward.

Want to experience what it feels like to have your eyes transported into your intestines? No problem, just enter a portal with incorrect data.

And now... hundreds and thousands of teleportation portals are reliably recorded in a single Book of Thresholds. The teleportation spells from different regions not only don't conflict, but they all function normally. Even the Book of Thresholds itself can be considered a powerful Magic Item...

Realizing the Book of Thresholds's value, Qiyana stroked her chin and asked, "Do you think... if I take this Book of Thresholds back with me, will Father King pass the throne to me directly?"

Swish!

The Book of Thresholds cautiously closed its pages, facing Qiyana from afar, as if it were about to slip into the portal at any moment.

"Stop fooling around."

Hearing Qiyana's words, Yuan Chen shook his head helplessly:

"Once you've completed what's next, your becoming the King of Ixialia is now a certainty... If you truly intend to become the King Yuen by offering up the Book of Thresholds, it only proves that your so-called reforms are nothing but a joke."

"Of course, if you're saying that your purpose in implementing reforms is to become king, and that abandoning reforms now is also to become king faster... then disregard what I said."

"Ha, who do you think you're underestimating?" Upon hearing this, Qiyana proudly tossed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I will become the greatest queen of Ixialia tradition and bloodline, but because of myself!"

Yuan Chen smiled in agreement.

Yuan Chen wasn't worried that Qiyana would become the next King Yuen by offering up the Book of Thresholds; he simply silently noted down the information Qiyana had just mentioned—or rather, her guess.

Norra may have been tainted by the Void...

Thinking about this, Yuan Chen also felt quite troubled.

In Runeterra, the Void is the closest to the final boss in terms of both strength and prestige. The others, whether it's Mordekaiser or Blade of the Ruined King, at most can only wipe out all the opponents and continue to rule Runeterra —the latter being able to resurrect his lover.

But the Void is different; its goal is to destroy the universe Runeterra is located—because the universe where Runeterra is located disturbed the peace of Void and disrupted its balance.

In terms of its concept as a villainous boss alone, Void is many times better than Iron Man and other native villains from Runeterra.

If the Chaotic Void is like this, then the Pure Void's vision of creating a completely new, unified world is even more so...

Thinking about it this way, Norra has immense value to both the Chaotic Void and the Pure Void... or perhaps, the Book of Thresholds has immense value.

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen shook his head and said:

"Let's put everything else aside for now and head to Piltover first."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen waved his hand at the Book of Thresholds. The next moment, the Book of Thresholds opened its pages and created a portal that was brass, gold, and blue.

"And the first act begins with our grand entrance!"

Just got home, will correct the typos first and then fix them later.