Chapter 112

Darius, though still dissatisfied, had no choice but to compromise. He slammed his giant axe on the table and, with a flick of his wrist, signed his name amidst the flying crumbs.

He may seem reckless, but he actually has a very good grasp of details—not only in battle, but also in strategy.

Otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for him to become the [Hand of Noxus] on his own.

Contrary to the world's stereotypical image of him as a "brute," he is actually shrewd and resourceful, a true Hand of Noxus.

"I've finished signing, I'll be going now."

Darius, having left his signature, was unwilling to linger any longer and left the hall with a flick of his cloak.

"I still have to manage my army. Please write to me if anything comes up in the future. I also hope that next time I'm on your side, it won't be because you've used some means to coerce me."

"You can always trust the Trifarix Council, my friend." Swain gave a graceful bow and watched the other man leave.

The Faceless didn't hesitate either; he immediately took out a sharp dagger and carved his name on the stone slab—the three large characters still reading "[Faceless]".

Chen Ce remained silent throughout, but the power of the Death Realm within him never relaxed for a moment—he would not let his guard down until he had completely left the hall and was absolutely safe.

However, it turns out he might have been worrying too much.

After the stone tablets were signed, the Faceless left the hall without saying a word, leaving only Swain standing in his place.

"So, what are you planning to say to me?" Chen Ce finally spoke—he was eager to know what LeBlanc's avatar had told Swain.

What cooperation? What promises?

"This is a grand and ambitious plan, and I cannot explain it to you in a short time." Swain smiled again, his enthusiasm bordering on unnatural. "And now is not a good time to talk... You know, the Trifarix Council has just been established, and there are many urgent matters waiting for me to attend to."

"You say you want to cooperate with me, but you won't say what kind of cooperation, is that it?" Chen Ce's eyes, hidden behind the fox mask, revealed a hint of impatience, and his tone grew increasingly cold. "I'm not one to enjoy riddles. If you're unwilling to explain, then I'm afraid I won't make any deals with you."

"Calm down, my friend who has come from afar. I know you; I have seen your feats in the Raven's Eyes... You and your 'friend,' that powerful mage, easily destroyed the Empire's army."

"Then what?"

"I admire your immense power—truly admire it. As a token of my sincerity, I will give you a small gift, and we can discuss it in more detail when we meet next time."

Before Chen Ce could respond, Swain took out another token from his coat—it had the same mark as the back of the stone slab.

The symbol of the Trifarix Council.

Clearly, this was prepared in advance.

"You've traveled across the ocean to the Empire; there must be many things you're not used to and that are inconvenient... This can solve all your problems."

Tap. The token landed in Chen Ce's hand.

"The Trifarix Council's envoy token—like the Faceless of the Assassin Guild, but applicable to all of Noxus," Swain continued. "In three days at the latest, everyone will recognize this token, and I will emphasize it in the proclamation."

Chen Ce silently accepted the token, momentarily unable to fathom what this "demon host" was planning.

He couldn't figure out that cunning and wicked woman at all.

But anyway, it's time to settle the score with that wicked woman...

Chen Ce came to Noxus to do only three things:

Building a faction, building a faction, or damn building a faction.

The war between Noxus and Ionia has ended, and this powerful empire is in dire need of rebuilding. Now is the perfect time to "take advantage of the situation"—if they want to fight against the Void in the future, they must build their own power around the world.

These forces need both mortal armies and [heroes]—in order to stack steel and continuously obtain interaction chests.

In short, it is unlikely that one can resist the Void alone; one must build a sufficiently powerful force, like the former Empress Setaka, to have any chance of survival.

Ionia, Noxus, Demacia, Freljord, Shurima, Ixtal, Bilgewater, the Twin Cities... and even the lofty "realm of the gods"—Mount Targon —must each have its own power.

Of course, all of this must be done step by step, gradually.

Ionia is now largely secured; it's time for Noxus, with whom we already have considerable interaction, to take their turn.

But it seems... things might not be that simple.

Conquering it directly by force is impractical—even if Mordekaiser or Syndra were to destroy the Trifarix Council, the empire would only be "defeated" rather than "conquered" by itself, making it unrealistic to form any kind of power.

If everything is to go according to plan, one must gradually infiltrate the country and then build one's own power as a high-ranking member of the empire—just like Darius and Swain, and as LeBlanc previously said, "To carve up a part of Noxus."

But... LeBlanc and Swain, those two master schemers, are really a bit troublesome.

The former is unpredictable and full of lies, while the latter is also extremely cunning and hypocritical—his enthusiasm at the meeting was so fake that it was almost like he was acting.

Even on his way back, Chen Ce felt that something was off about what had just happened.

Does Swain know that he's being watched through the "Secret Demon"? Does he also know about Mordekaiser? And about LeBlanc?

If he knew, would he still be thinking of making a deal with him?

Or rather... do you still dare?

Mordekaiser is the nightmare of all Noxus.

And then there's this so-called "Trifarix Envoy Token"... It looks like something that can be used to create a "dual identity"—wearing the fox mask makes you Trifarix, and taking it off makes you an ordinary "Noxus citizen."

It does seem convenient.

"There are many suspicious points... We still need to find LeBlanc and get to the bottom of this..."

Chen Ce sighed inwardly and quickened his pace— LeBlanc's clone had taken Syndra to the "safe house" she had prepared in advance, where he might be able to find LeBlanc.

Noxus has much worse air quality Ionia, and you can occasionally see some dark and dirty corners on the streets, but the streets of the capital are impeccably tidy.

There were no vendors hawking their wares on the roadside, nor was there any litter scattered on the ground like in a market. Everyone walked with their heads down, the atmosphere both orderly and oppressive.

The population density of the capital was obviously much higher than that of other cities. Countless minor nobles and merchants traveled in carriages, while the poorer commoners crowded on the sidewalks. As far as the eye could see, there were gray clothes and a dense mass of people.

But sometimes, even in this almost monotonous scene, you can see something different.

Like a frenzied slave owner, like a ruthless knight, like an assassin hidden among the crowd, like...

A magical mark that shouldn't have appeared on the street.

Chen Ce caught a glimpse of the Heartsteel's magical mark in the crowd.

In the crowd not far away... they occasionally flash by, their figures indistinct.

What's even more interesting is that the magical mark seemed to be moving with him.

In this situation, amidst his confusion and surprise, he also felt a sense of unexpected pleasure.

He immediately changed course, no longer heading towards the safe house, but deliberately venturing into less populated areas—empty alleys seemed too deliberate, while the corners at the ends of streets were just right.

"Let's see who wants to join the Steel Gate today..."

Katarina couldn't find an opportunity to assassinate Swain —he was never alone—he was with Darius, the Faceless, and a strange man during meetings, and immediately left with a whole squad of guards afterward, making it difficult to strike.

But that's alright. Today's objective wasn't assassination, but rather to figure out the route and prepare for the next formal assassination plan—of course, if the opportunity arises, we'll assassinate on the spot.

Although they didn't find an opportunity, they figured out the complex layout of the palace and Swain's administrative locations and rest areas, which was enough.

Now she has an "extra mission" to complete—to track down that strange man.

Swain called him a "friend from afar," implying that he wasn't Noxus... which was quite interesting.

Furthermore, Swain's attitude towards him was very warm, and he even allowed him to participate in the establishment of the Trifarix Council as a "witness," suggesting that his identity is not simple, and he may even play a crucial role for Swain...

Has Swain consolidate his position?

We must catch that strange man wearing the fox mask to find out everything.

Carter pulled her coat tighter around herself, the understated yet slightly bulky outfit and hat perfectly concealing her feminine features and hiding the sharp dagger deep in the shadows.

She blended into the crowd like an ordinary dockworker, her "appearance" unremarkable—neither fat nor thin, neither tall nor short—except for a pair of sharp eyes that were constantly fixed on another seemingly ordinary man under the brim of her hat.

She followed behind him at a leisurely pace, making the most of the concealment and unpredictability of the surrounding environment.

Soon, she followed the other person away from the busiest street and into a somewhat deserted and secluded area—which aroused her suspicion.

But she had complete confidence in her abilities.

Besides, although there are relatively few people around, there are still pedestrians on the street. The probability that the other party has spotted her and wants to lure her to a deserted corner to kill her is very small.

So she continued to follow.

But at just around a corner, the other person suddenly quickened their pace.

She knew she should speed up and catch up, but instead of following directly, she cleverly chose to go around from another rooftop—to avoid being spotted and counterattacked by the other party at the corner.

The smooth walls and eaves could not stop the top assassin's footsteps; she easily scaled several alleyways in succession.

Finally, she hid in the shadows.

The strange man wearing a fox mask was walking towards her, completely unaware of her presence.

This is a good opportunity...

As soon as the other person gets close to her, she can pull him into the alley with a little force, while simultaneously covering his mouth and nose to prevent him from making a sound...

The distance is getting closer and closer...

Carter's hand, hidden beneath her coat, gripped the dagger, but in a reverse grip—she didn't intend to kill the other person; extracting information was her goal—whether she would kill them afterward depended on the information she obtained.

Twenty meters... fifteen meters... ten meters...

Look at this foolish prey, he's completely unaware...

Five meters... four meters...

Still focused on the pebbles under your feet? Perhaps a sharp dagger is more worthy of your attention than a stone, haha...

Three meters... one meter...

Now!

The moment they were close enough, Katarina suddenly stood up from the shadows, her slender yet powerful hands swiftly striking out at her opponent.

Smack! She touched the other person's neck with one hand, and her other hand was about to cover the other person's mouth and nose.

Everything went as smoothly as she had anticipated.

But it seems... things aren't going so smoothly.

The other person did indeed fall for it as she suspected, but their reaction was a bit strange... They didn't seem to resist at all? This didn't fit the behavior of a normal person suddenly attacked...

Katarina suddenly felt strangely relaxed—she had easily "controlled" this well-built man with almost the same force she would use on a child.

She found it a bit strange, but there was no time for her to think about it too much now.

But just as she was about to pull the other person into the alley, something unexpected happened—

The man, who had just been as weak as an infant, suddenly became as heavy as a mountain...

She couldn't pull it at all...

The next moment, following her movement, the other person turned around and pinned her against the wall—one of her hands was even wrapped around the other person's neck.

The action came too suddenly and too quickly; she had no chance to react.

"Alright, I've got you." The man's mocking voice came from behind the mask, and Katarina immediately sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

But it's too late for her to run now.

The other person gripped her wrist tightly, and her body was pinned against the wall.

Their posture made them look like two street thugs who had a fight, a common occurrence on the streets of Noxus. At this point, she couldn't even attract attention by shouting to try and resolve the situation...

Damn it... he deliberately went to this place where there were few people but still a few people around...

He wanted to prevent himself from drawing his knife in public, while simultaneously using this method to hold himself hostage...

"An assassin is following me... Let me guess your name..." The strange man wearing a fox mask—that is, Chen Ce —stared with interest at the other's chest—where his beloved Heartsteel imprint was located.

"Short hair, medium build, medium height..."

I guess your name is...

"Talon?"

As Chen Ce spoke jokingly, he relentlessly attacked the other man's chest.

Clang! The sound of the Heartsteel being struck was so melodious.

But the whimpering sounds the other person was trying so hard to suppress weren't so pleasant to hear.

"Hmm..."