The Taiwan Server System in the League

The most troublesome part is that the Hirana Monastery is also on the mountain.

I really don't understand why all monks love building monasteries in such places... it's practically a stereotype at this point.

"If we set off from here, we should be able to bypass that mountain range... but it'll add another two hundred miles to our journey, which is a bit of a hassle..."

By the light of the campfire, Chen Ce circled and marked his map while eating and resting.

As for the other member of his party—a certain fox-girl...

She had no interest in the roasted meat or jerky, keeping her eyes fixed longingly on the Corrupting Potion hanging from Chen Ce's waist.

"This Concubine is hungry~~~"

"But you just drank some this morning." Chen Ce didn't even bother to look at her. "Your wages for today have already been paid; don't even think about having more."

"Then let this Concubine draw an advance on tomorrow's wages~~~"

"You'd definitely just ask to draw an advance on the day after tomorrow, too."

"I wouldn't~~~"

"That's exactly what you said yesterday."

"Oh, come on~~~"

Ahri curled her tails around her body and rolled on the ground, acting cute and coquettish, though it was hard to tell if she was being serious.

Chen Ce didn't even lift an eyelid.

After rolling on the ground for a good while, Ahri gradually accepted reality, puffing out her cheeks into a pout—a reaction that was certainly fitting for someone of her age.

But just as she secretly resolved never to pay him any mind again, she suddenly sensed an unusual disturbance.

Yes, sensed—not through basic perception like sight, touch, smell, or hearing, but by "sensing" strange movements through her innate connection to the Spirit Realm.

To be precise... she had actually felt a faint sensation like this during the day, but it hadn't been obvious enough for her to pay it much heed.

But now, she was certain that something was... watching them?

"Boss, Boss..."

"Even if you talk until the sky falls, I'm not giving you an advance on your wages." Chen Ce waved his hand.

"That's not what this Concubine is talking about!" Ahri grumbled, scratching the back of his hand in protest. "This Concubine feels like something is watching us... I don't know if it's a human or something else..."

"Hm?" Hearing this, Chen Ce immediately put down his map. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure... but this Concubine can't describe what it is... it seems to be very far away..." Ahri had always been confident in her sensory abilities, but this time, she really wasn't sure.

The entity seemed to have the ability to conceal itself.

Back when she followed Chen Ce to "stalk" the brothers Yasuo and Yone, she could accurately detect their unusual magical fluctuations even from miles away, but now... she could only sense something, yet couldn't pinpoint its location at all.

"Can you at least estimate the direction?" Chen Ce asked again.

"I can't..." Ahri shook her head, looking troubled.

"Then can you sense what kind of 'emotion' this presence holds toward us?"

Chen Ce remembered that Ahri possessed this ability—she could distinguish whether others held hostility toward her through energy fluctuations.

It was precisely this ability that had allowed her to hunt in the past.

"Mm... let this Concubine try..." Ahri's pupils gradually narrowed into slits, her sensory perception constantly merging with the Spirit Realm.

All nine of her fox tails stood upright, and her fox ears flattened into "airplane ears," making her look like a nervous little kitten.

A short while later, she revealed a puzzled expression.

"It's... curiosity...? An emotion similar to curiosity...?"

"Curiosity?" Hearing this word, Chen Ce was also confused.

"It seems so... this Concubine isn't quite sure..."

"Mm... alright."

Seeing this, Chen Ce naturally wouldn't force her to come to a definitive conclusion, so he silently took the weapon off his back and placed it by his feet.

"Let's take turns keeping watch. You take the first half of the night, and I'll take the second."

"Okay." Feeling uneasy, Ahri stopped acting out and obediently leaned against him to rest.

For the sake of safety, and to put her own mind at ease, she even used her tails to wrap them both tightly together, though she was careful not to restrict his limbs.

"If anything happens, remember to wake this Concubine up. Don't leave me behind and run away alone..." She looked up into his eyes, her tone filled with caution. "Please, don't ever leave this Concubine alone... can you...?"

"Of course I wouldn't do that, don't overthink it." Chen Ce rubbed the fox-girl's head to comfort her—Ahri had already been abandoned by her own kind once, and in all these years, she hadn't even seen another of her own race; the loneliness within her made her feel very insecure.

Although she often acted playful and cute, she was actually always anxious deep down.

Some people can endure loneliness, but no one ever truly likes it.

"Mm..." Ahri let out a soft sound, pulling one of Chen Ce's hands to her cheek and resting her head on it as if it were a pillow.

The latter didn't refuse this small request, letting her sleep while using his hand as a pillow—he just hoped his arm wouldn't be numb by morning.

The late hours of the night passed slowly, but fortunately, Ahri's breathing gradually became steady—even if it remained very shallow.

She dared not fall into a deep sleep. She was too terrified of being abandoned once again.

Chen Ce, meanwhile, watched his surroundings in silence, not even daring to close his eyes to rest.

Something could spring out from the darkness at any moment... He did not know what that thing watching them was, nor was he certain of its strength, so he could only remain as cautious as possible.

Under such intense psychological pressure, he even felt that the shadows of the trees in the dark resembled human figures... The feeling of seeing an enemy in every blade of grass was truly unbearable.

Yet, he still gradually began to feel a hint of drowsiness.

Perhaps it was because the day's journey had been too exhausting, or perhaps the previous battles against Sion, LeBlanc, and the others had drained too much of his energy; in any case, he was slowly growing sleepy.

His eyelids accidentally closed time and time again, and he forced them open again and again.

As time ticked by, the breathing of the fox-girl gradually became heavier—she seemed to be sleeping very soundly.

Even the horses nearby were asleep. It felt as if, in the entire world, only he, Chen Ce, remained to put up a desperate struggle, resisting that unstoppable drowsiness.

Really... so sleepy...

No... cannot...

Cannot sleep...

Cannot...

Sleep...

Lillia extended one hoof, moving with extreme caution.

Then the second, the third, the fourth...

Her movements remained so careful, as if the fallen leaves on the ground could turn into monsters at any moment and devour her whole.

She tried her best to keep her steps as light as possible, but her clumsy movements remained somewhat stiff.

Clop, clop, clop, clop... Her hooves always made a distinct sound against the ground, which terrified her.

But she still could not suppress her curiosity.

She wanted so badly to get to know those two—a girl who looked like a fox, and a human who looked quite young.

Clutching the branch in her arms, she approached slowly, stopping every three steps, terrified of accidentally waking the two in their slumber.

Those two had been "put to sleep"—a result of her own ability.

She was curious about everything in this world, and she wanted to meet those two people who seemed so interesting.

But she dared not approach rashly... She was too afraid. Even she herself did not know what she was afraid of.

In any case, she decided to start with their dreams.

Perhaps she could learn something from their dreams first—about their pasts or the like—and then make friends with them.

"My name is Lillia... Hello...!"

Lillia hid behind a giant rock, glancing at the two sleeping figures while secretly rehearsing her opening line:

"I am Lillia... I am a bud that fell from Mother Tree... It is nice to meet you...!"

"No, that sounds too easily misunderstood, it sounds just like a bad person..."

"My name is Lillia, it is nice to see you...!"

"That won't work either, introducing myself so directly would seem too abrupt..."

"You two are very interesting, can you be friends with Lillia...!"

"Like this? Hmm..."

Time ticked by, and the timid little deer was still rehearsing what she would say later.

Yet, no matter what, she could not think of a suitable opening line, and a long time had already passed.

If she delayed any longer, they would wake up.

Helpless, the little deer had no choice but to continue approaching, intending to peek into their dreams first before rehearsing her opening line again.

She paced forward cautiously, finally stopping at a distance of several dozen meters from the two.

She poked half of her face out from behind a tree trunk and carefully waved the branch in her hand.

In an instant, she perceived the dream of one of them—it was the man's.

She saw many beautiful and strange images.

The scenes in the dream did not seem to be in Ionia... There were many magical things there... like steel rhinoceroses speeding along the road, "iron cage" friends that opened automatically and carried people up and down when pressed, and small iron boxes that could display many different images...

This was truly amazing!

What was this place called? Blue... Blue Star...? What a magical place!

Lillia gradually revealed a beautiful smile; the beautiful and warm images in the dream made her feel a sense of satisfaction, as if she were tasting a peerless delicacy.

She could not help but continue to peek into that beautiful dream, and she took the initiative to "turn the page" for it.

The scenes that followed became even more novel.

She saw the man sitting seriously at a table, with a large "box" placed upon it, but inside the box were many things that kept changing.

What were those things...

Wait...

Those were...

Tiny little people, one after another?

How could they have become so small, and how were they trapped inside that little box?

They had even been reduced to existence as thin as paper?

How terrifying!

Lillia was startled by the sight within the dream, yet an intense curiosity still drove her to keep watching.

Until she witnessed an even more horrifying and ghastly scene—

She saw...

Herself trapped inside that narrow little box as well...

And that man spoke her name aloud...

[Lillia, just do it for me, use the Noxian Guillotine on the top laner!]

Eh eh eh eh eh...?

Eh--?!

Lillia was frightened out of her wits.

She was certain this was her first time seeing this stranger, so why... did she appear in his dream? And how could he accurately call out her name?

How did this man seal those people inside that little box?

This is... black magic!