Arrival

Piltover, the Sun Gate.

"If you ask me, Reggie, they're just a bunch of old fogies who appeared out of nowhere. Do we really need to be so nervous and guard this place?"

As a member of the delegation welcoming Ixialia, Jayce, wielding Hextech Warhammer, nonchalantly said to a black man beside him:

"If they had taken over our mines, we could have retaliated much more forcefully, instead of trying to communicate with a bunch of natives who have been hiding in the forest for who knows how many years... Can they even understand our technical jargon?"

Upon hearing Jayce's words, the man named Reggie smiled gently and said:

"According to the information our family has obtained, these people from Ixialia are not natives, but rather members of the ancient Ixialia civilization with a complete magical heritage..."

After a pause, Reggie continued:

"You might not be familiar with this, but even in archaeology, the ancient Ixialia remain shrouded in mystery. As far as I know, their lineage didn't die out; rather, they used special magic to isolate themselves from this world when the Ancient Shuriman Empire fell..."

As he spoke, the man named Reggie stroked his chin. "This is an ancient civilization that has been passed down for at least seven thousand years... According to the ruins in places like Paro'sa, their understanding of magic is similar to our technology."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Jayce raised an eyebrow in surprise, then crossed his arms and said somewhat reluctantly, "Then I'll have to see just how good they really are."

Jayce, the guardian of the future. Although Jayce is a great hero in the eyes of outsiders, everyone who has met Jayce knows that this so-called great hero is not humble, not modest, and is even quite arrogant.

This has caused dissatisfaction among many investors towards Jayce, but Jayce and Jayce team are exceptionally capable and remain the most advanced scientific research pioneers in Piltover to this day.

As for why Jayce cares so much about Reggie... it's not because of his sexual orientation. In fact, up until now, Jayce hasn't had much interest in women; he spends most of his time in his lab constantly improving the latest technology.

Reggie, whose full Reggie Ferros, is an investor from the Ferros Family, as his surname suggests.

For scientists like Jayce, this means a financial backer. But Reggie is different from other financial backers; he has a unique understanding of Hextech and is not just an outsider with money to burn.

In addition, Reggie's gentle nature makes him Jayce's favorite benefactor—he never gives unsolicited advice and sometimes even offers constructive suggestions.

As Reggie said, upon hearing that an ancient empire would be communicating with Piltover, not only the guards, the people, and the inventors, but also a large number of historians were excitedly waiting.

Meanwhile, in the castle above the Sun Gate, Camille coldly scanned the crowd.

With the mines occupied and the Hex Crystal processing plant shut down, a large number of Zaun laborers found themselves on the fringes of society.

If it were just laborers and Chem-Baron, that would be one thing. What truly bothered Camille were those treacherous individuals mingling among the crowd, harboring ulterior motives.

Thanks to the Hextech Heart, Camille's physiology is always at its peak. This peak affects far more than just physical activity; her thinking speed and nerve reflexes are also enhanced by the Hextech Heart, far surpassing those of ordinary people.

Using the walkie-talkie, Camille continuously searched the crowd for individuals who might be criminals or have malicious intentions.

After receiving Camille's orders, Caitlyn led the team, and the guards took the suspects away without explanation. Those who did not have any obvious problems but whose suspicions remained were kept under surveillance by plainclothes officers, for fear that another "Piltover gunman" would appear.

But... "Is there any movement ahead? Where is the delegation now?"

Upon hearing Camille's question, a somewhat puzzled voice quickly came from the other end of the communicator:

"Sir, we haven't found any trace of any team yet."

There are still no signs?

Camille hesitated—she glanced at the time. If she remembered correctly, Caitlyn had said they would arrive around nine or ten in the morning. But now it was already nine-thirty, and there was still no sign of them.

Did I get stood up?

Wrong...

Camille thought to herself—based on the clothing features drawn by Caitlyn through her skill, the historians temporarily hired by the Piltover Enforcers have confirmed that they are undoubtedly ancient Yixialian.

Moreover, a team of three hundred people, all of whom are mages at the third ring or above. Such a number and combat power are something that, apart from a few major countries or transnational forces, other small and medium-sized forces simply cannot gather.

Just as Camille was still pondering with some doubt, a sudden gasp came from the crowd below.

The open space in front of the Sun Gate was distorted at an unimaginable speed, and all kinds of energy and magic were twisted into various colors of curved light in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, a small head with curly hair, a ruddy complexion, and a face full of innocent curiosity emerged from the vortex.

Looking at the crowd and reporters waiting at the Sun Gate, Ding... Milio was taken aback at first, but then, following Yuan Chen's instructions, he revealed a bright and clear smile.

After an initial hesitation, the reporters, regaining their senses, almost immediately pressed the shutter buttons on their cameras. Meanwhile, Jayce abruptly stood up from his chair, his face filled with disbelief, and said:

"That's... that's spatial magic? No! It should only be one person teleporting a large number of people at the same time..."

Before Jayce could finish speaking, Milio stepped out of the portal, followed by a large group of Milio -eyed Road Protector dressed in dark green Silk Material robes.

His body shimmered with various magical powers, and the Ring Blade in his hand traced a near-perfect arc of light in space.

Although their Silk Material robes didn't look sturdy and were far less formal than the uniforms of the Piltover Enforcers Guards, almost everyone could clearly sense how deadly the short swords at their waists and the Ring Blade in their hands were.

"Ixialia... has it really decided to open its kingdom?!"

In the VIP section above the Sun Gate, a hairy old Yordle pressed his face against the window in disbelief.

The founder of Piltover, the founder and president of Piltover University, a permanent high council member, a great inventor, Yordle technology scholar, Cecil B. Heimerdinger.

Upon hearing Heimerdinger's words, Abbé Ferros, the technology and investment director of the Ferros Family, remarked with some surprise:

"Professor, you seem to know Ixialia quite well?"

"... Not very familiar, but I know a little about them." Hearing Abyss's question, Heimerdinger hesitated before saying, "Ixialia is mysterious and powerful. It existed long before Shurima was founded... no, it should be said that it existed long before Bandle City was founded."

"But towards the end of the First Void War, Ixialia began numerous attempts at isolationism... and after the Great Collapse of Shurima, it completely disappeared, to the point that even Bandle City couldn't confirm its existence."

"Their isolationist policies lasted for at least three thousand years; I even once suspected they had vanished into the annals of history."

He Heimerdinger, then said with some difficulty, "Their appearance... might not be a good thing for Piltover."

"What do you mean?" Upon hearing this, Abes became serious and asked, "Will they have any impact on Piltover?"

"The eastern mountains of Shurima have been Ixialia's territory since ancient times, but they abandoned all cities except for the core counties when they closed themselves off from the world," Heimerdinger sighed.

"I have always opposed the overexploitation of the Hextech Gemstone veins in eastern Shurima for this reason... that land holds too many mysteries and calamities. And these mysteries are difficult for even me to explain to you."

"Uh... it might be because Professor, your teaching philosophy is too advanced for ordinary people," said Yabais, a man with a middle parting, round-framed glasses, and a small mustache, somewhat helplessly.

"Many inventors in my family have complained to me about you. I've heard that your design drafts are so messy that even the most brilliant mind would need three days to decipher the most basic handwriting..."

"This is a good thing; it can reduce the spread of dangerous technologies." Heimerdinger shook his head somewhat disapprovingly, and after a moment of silence, he added:

"Ixialia's approach to exploring magic is very interesting; it's scientific and rational... Hmm, I need to prepare. I heard they've brought quite a few scholars from Yuentar!"

"What is Yuentar?" Abes couldn't understand.

"Yes, Master!" Heimerdinger replied hastily, then jumped off the stool and walked to the pressure lift next to him to ask questions in person.

Below, the Road Protector emerged neatly from the portal, their eyes fixed straight ahead, their faces solemn. They lined up before the Sun Gate, and with a command from their captain, the square formation of the Road Protector split apart in the center, then turned to look at the portal opposite.

The procession raised a flag bearing the emblem of the Axiom Towers, two maids humbly laid out a red carpet, and then a handsome figure who looked different from the rest, dressed in a red and white long robe, stepped out of the portal.

Beside the man stood a silver-haired girl who appeared arrogant and haughty.

It was none other than Yuan Chen and Qiyana.

The hands clapped, and a kitten darted out of the door, curiously looking around. Then, a thick, ancient book flew out of the door.

After the book fell into the man's hands, the portal transformed into a stream of light that flowed onto the pages.

After scanning his surroundings, Yuan Chen put his hands behind his back:

"Good morning or good afternoon, mediocre people of Piltover."