Chapter 102

Once everything was over, Chen Ce finally had time to take stock of the battlefield situation—it was time to lay the foundation for the outcome of this nearly three-year-long war.

It's over, it's finally all over...

As night fell, the battle was completely settled. Less than a third of the remaining Noxus soldiers surrendered, and the Resistance Army fighters disarmed and bound them one by one, leaving little room for doubt.

Exhausted, Chen Ce sat down to rest alone in a tent in the corner of the military camp, and began to confirm his gains for the day—he absorbed a very small portion of the energy from each of the Noxus soldiers who died at the hands of Mordekaiser.

Although they are all ordinary people, the sheer number of several thousand adds up to a considerable amount.

Little by little, it adds up.

"This power, combined with everything I've gained before..." Chen Ce silently sensed, gaining a new understanding of his combat strength.

Of course, she's still not as strong as top-tier fighters like Syndra and Mordekaiser, but even if she encountered LeBlanc at her peak, she probably wouldn't be too afraid.

Of course, the majority of this still comes from the Death Realm energy stolen previously.

Furthermore, today we've dealt Mordekaiser both the sweet treat and the big stick, so future cooperation with him should be much more pleasant.

"It's not easy, it's not easy at all..."

Chen Ce lay back, his exhaustion giving way to a deep drowsiness.

He desperately needs a good night's sleep to recover his strength and the energy he had expended recently.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, a shadow suddenly appeared outside the tent.

A slender shadow.

The man was still muttering something to himself, as if trying to convince himself to do something wrong:

"I, Irelia, have fought so many wars over the years, can't I enjoy myself a little...!"

Chapter 108 Cowboy Syndra & Ahri Daiyu

Syndra squatted listlessly in the corner, but her feet still didn't touch the ground.

Her graceful body remained suspended a few dozen centimeters off the ground, her beautiful eyes fixed on the sugarcane juveniles lining up to climb the wall at the corner. She seemed to be observing these adorable little creatures very carefully, but in reality, she was daydreaming.

She started spacing out after Chen Ce told her in the afternoon that she needed to rest for a while, and has been spacing out ever since—until late at night.

It's not that she likes to daydream, it's just... she really has nothing to do.

Having avenged her so-called "great revenge," she was at a loss as to what to do next.

To be precise, she had no idea what she was supposed to do since she was a child.

When she was a child, her parents and brothers would order her to do chores and farm work, which she silently complied with; when she was a little older, her mentor would ask her to Meditation in a solitary confinement room, which she also silently complied with. But clearly, none of those were things she wanted to do herself.

What exactly did she want to do...? She didn't know, and she couldn't figure it out.

She couldn't understand why everyone she saw was busy, seemingly with some goal they had to achieve, while she was the only one doing nothing every day.

While she was in the Dreaming Pool, she always thought about regaining her freedom, regaining her freedom, regaining her freedom... Now she is free, but she doesn't know what to do with herself.

When Chen Ce was around, things were fine; she could do the things Chen Ce asked her to do. But when Chen Ce wasn't around, it seemed like she could only squat in a corner and watch the sugar beetles line up to climb the wall.

Hours of blank staring amplified her inner confusion.

So, when all the sugar beetles had finally climbed up the wall, she stood up too.

She decided to go find Chen Ce.

Whether she wanted to sit with him for a while, ask him what his plans were, or even just ask him what he wanted to do in the future, she had to get going.

She didn't know where Chen Ce was, but she could sense that familiar energy fluctuation—it made her feel warm, and she knew she would never be wrong.

She floated slowly away from the room.

And all the sugar beetles on the wall fell down.

"You all stay here and don't move. I'm going to find Chen Ce first. I'll need to see you all lined up to get on the wall later..."

Following the direction of the magical fluctuations, Syndra floated past tent after tent, which, when viewed from above, looked like tiny mushrooms covered with ants.

Finally, she sensed the most intense magical fluctuations above a tent in the corner of the camp.

She confirmed that Chen Ce was inside.

A hint of joy suddenly welled up in her previously calm and indifferent heart.

She quickly descended, then gently floated to the tent, but didn't go in immediately—she was thinking about what reason to use to go in and find Chen Ce.

Without a suitable reason, she would appear too eager and cheap.

She's the aloof embodiment of hatred! She's Chen Ce's master!

Master... Master must be high and mighty, of course!

Therefore, we must find a suitable reason...

At least Chen Ce can't see through it...

Hmm... they said they wanted to drink the Corrupting Potion? But it seems that the Corrupting Potion has already been stolen by that Vastaya fox girl...

You want to replenish mana...? No, that won't work either. I already said before that you can't directly replenish mana without that gem...

Well then, what should I say... what should I say...?

Syndra lowered her head and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable reason.

Until she inadvertently caught a glimpse of her exquisite footed socks.

She instantly thought of a good idea.

Then, she slowly bent down and placed her hands on her black stockings.

Then, a crisp sound rang out—sizzle!

Then, several more of the same sounds rang out—sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The delicate footed socks quickly developed several holes.

There were holes in the calves, knees, and thighs. Many beautiful white scenes were revealed through the holes, but it didn't look messy or detract from the overall aesthetic.

On the contrary, this feeling of breaking with convention and tearing apart beautiful things adds a strange beauty to her, while the glimpses of the scenery make those perfect legs even more alluring—a more direct and intuitive charm.

Having done all this, Syndra was full of confidence—she could use the excuse, "My socks are torn, can you mend them for me?" to go in and find Chen Ce.

Besides, she had noticed before that Chen Ce seemed to really like her... legs, so this might also attract his attention to some extent...

No, no... I'm the master! I don't need to go out of my way to get his attention!

This is... perfect...! This is a gift from the master!

The master wants to give the lowly Chen Ce a small reward!

Thinking of this, Syndra proudly raised her head and puffed out her chest, then slowly floated towards the tent.

Just as she was about to use her magic to lift the curtain, she suddenly heard a strange sound that didn't belong to Chen Ce —a heavy breathing sound, as if suppressing something, or as if he was enjoying it.

Upon closer inspection, she suddenly realized that there were actually two people inside the tent.

Two overlapping silhouettes were projected onto the tent wall under the moonlight, seemingly committing some unforgivable evil.

In an instant, Syndra was enraged.

Without further hesitation, she coldly unleashed her magic, instantly tearing the curtains to shreds with a powerful surge of energy.

Moonlight streamed in, illuminating two overlapping figures in the dimly lit tent. One was lying down, the other sitting.

To describe it more precisely, it's like one person riding on top of another.

Syndra's Dark Sphere appeared instantly.

The energy sphere, like a black hole, instantly absorbed all the surrounding light, and the two blurry figures became completely invisible—out of sight, out of mind.

"Chen Ce, is this what you meant by 'rest'...?"

The cold voice rang out, and the two men were clearly stunned, remaining frozen for several seconds without reacting.

Syndra floated slowly forward, her body radiating terrifying magical energy.

"Perhaps I've come at the wrong time, haven't I...?"

Finally, the two people on the other side reacted— Chen Ce quickly lit the candles placed beside him.

"You've misunderstood... We're just applying medicine...! You've come at the perfect time!"

The candlelight lasted only a moment before being completely absorbed by the Dark Sphere was like a black hole, but Syndra still managed to see something in that brief moment of light.

The one riding on top... seems to be Chen Ce.

And it seems he was wearing clothes and pants...

Below is Irelia. Although she's somewhat disheveled, she's not exactly naked, and there are indeed several scars on the exposed part of her back...

They do seem to be just... applying medicine...?

The Dark Sphere still surrounded her, but its immense magical power had gradually dissipated, and Syndra seemed to have calmed down somewhat.

The candlelight was turned back on, Irelia, her face flushed, quickly grabbed the blanket—even though she was still wearing some clothes.

"See, you really misunderstood..." Chen Ce explained as he moved to a seat next to him, pointing to the ointment beside him. "Irelia has some scars from the battlefield, and I'm applying ointment to her."

Syndra pursed her lips in silence, feeling a mix of displeasure, embarrassment, and, more than anything, guilt for misunderstanding the other person.

"It's so late, is there something urgent that you've come to see me?" Chen Ce asked with concern in a gentle tone. "If you have any difficulties, just tell me, I will definitely help you."

"I... I..." Syndra suddenly didn't know how to start—repairing scars was obviously much more important than fixing foot warmers.

Although she herself didn't care at all about Irelia being Ionia, that was certainly true from Chen Ce's perspective.

If she interrupted him at this moment and asked him to mend her foot warmers... wouldn't that be off-putting?

"I'm fine... I'll be going now."

"Wait, Miss Syndra..." Just as Syndra was about to float away, Irelia had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. "If you have any difficulties, just tell me. We've already applied the medicine, it's alright."

Syndra paused, then stopped at the doorway.

After hesitating for a moment, she asked again, still somewhat uncertain, "Are you really done wiping...? I didn't necessarily want to come here, I just... happened to be passing by. If you're still busy, I'll leave. I wasn't planning on coming in anyway, staying here would just be a waste of my time..."

"Really." Irelia smiled gently, the blush on her face gradually fading, and she appeared poised and elegant, just like a proper hostess.

Syndra, of course, was the "guest".

"Just come in and say what's on your mind, don't be shy."

"Who's embarrassed... I just didn't want to waste time..." Syndra said stubbornly, but her body obediently floated back, her beautiful eyes still occasionally glancing at Chen Ce, as if trying to confirm something. "But since you sincerely invited me..."

"Mmm~" Irelia nodded gently again.

Then, she subtly withdrew her hand from an angle where the other person couldn't see her.

It was pulled back from a certain part of Chen Ce's body.

Chen Ce quietly pulled his hand back from where she had been pressing it down—from a soft, full area.

They were indeed applying medicine, but what they did before applying it, what they did while applying it, and what they planned to do afterward are hard to say.

However, Syndra, as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, noticed nothing amiss.

"So, is there anything I can help you with, Miss Syndra?" Irelia asked again with a smile.

Syndra paused for a moment, then slowly pointed to her legs. "This..."

"This?" Chen Ce looked in the direction the other person was pointing and then noticed something was wrong.

The girl's black footed socks had several holes in them.

Vast expanses of beautiful scenery are revealed, their alluring beauty sparking the imagination.

"I accidentally cut myself," Syndra continued. "I need Chen Ce to mend it for me."

After he finished speaking, the tent fell silent once more.

A moment later, Irelia smiled again and said, "Let me help you mend it. I used to study needlework, so I'll be more professional than Chen Ce."

She wasn't stupid; she immediately noticed something amiss.