Chapter 75
The only thing that puzzled Lillia was... what was so special about the "Syndra" they were looking for on Fae'lor Island that made Mr. Chen Ce so persistent?
She didn't understand, so she asked directly:
"Mr. Chen Ce, why are you so obsessed with finding that human named 'Syndra'? It seems like you've been thinking about this ever since Lalin."
"Yes, I've been thinking about it for a long time," Chen Ce replied while looking at the map, "Because only she can quickly end this pointless war."
"War... does it refer to those very, very fierce humans?"
"Yes, they are Noxus."
"Oh... so how do we end the war?"
"Just move your finger."
"Huh?"
"Syndra's power is beyond the comprehension of mortals." Chen Ce put away the map, glanced around at the surroundings, and then explained to Lillia:
"She can turn half a massive fortress into ruins with a mere wave of her hand, and when she unleashes her full magic power, she can levitate the entire island into the sky... Her magic power is inexhaustible, and even the Spirit of Ionia cannot completely suppress her."
"The Spirit of Ionia...?" Lillia was stunned again, her limited imagination struggling to grasp the terrifying power it represented. "You mean... her magic... is even stronger than the Spirit of Ionia...?"
"Not really... no, it's hard to say." Chen Ce shook his head. "In short, when she went berserk back then, no one could stop her. In the end, it was only the Spirit of Ionia that managed to seal her deep underground, but that still couldn't completely suppress her bodily functions—she still has thoughts, and she can even dream."
"Oh, this..." Lillia was even more shocked.
In her worldview, her tree mother is already the second most powerful being in the world in terms of magic—the first being, of course, the Spirit of Ionia, since even her tree mother draws her magic from the Spirit of Ionia.
But... after hearing Chen Ce say that, she realized that the human named "Syndra" was probably even stronger than her tree mother...
Even many, many, many times stronger...
After all, even her tree mother is incredibly small compared to the Spirit of Ionia...
And that "Syndra" was actually able to withstand the full suppression of the Spirit of Ionia, and even maintained her consciousness under those circumstances...
"Is she really that powerful?" Listening to their conversation, Ahri curled her lip in disdain. "I've become very strong now, no weaker than that 'Syndra' thing."
Chen Ce knew that the little fox girl was a little jealous or resentful, but he really didn't dare to comfort her now—sometimes white lies don't lead to good results, but only make people blindly confident, ultimately causing a disaster.
What he needed to do now was to show Ahri just how terrifying Syndra was. "Let me put it this way, in a head-on battle... even if a hundred of me attacked together, Syndra her finger."
"Are you deliberately exaggerating her abilities?" Ahri frowned slightly, still seemingly unconvinced. "I know you are very strong now."
"My strength is only relative to mortals," Chen Ce said with a smile, shaking his head, "While Syndra has far surpassed the realm of mortals."
"Tch... How does she compare to that big lump of iron from before?"
"In terms of pure strength, Syndra is more terrifying than Mordekaiser."
"... real?"
"Really. If it were in the material realm, even Mordekaiser might not be able to gain the upper hand against Syndra."
"This..." Ahri couldn't imagine how strong the power of the Spirit of Ionia was before, nor could she understand how powerful the magic that could send an entire island into the sky was, but as long as she was given a reference point, she could quickly understand it.
After all, she had actually fought against Mordekaiser.
She knew all too well how domineering Mordekaiser's power was, and Syndra was even stronger...
"So, do you understand?" Chen Ce gently patted the fox girl's head, as if to comfort her. "If we can successfully recruit Syndra to our side, she will be the super weapon to end this war."
"Hmm..." Ahri nodded slightly, her nine evolved light blue fox tails all drooping, looking somewhat dejected—she had been completely outshone...
The three walked in silence for a while longer.
Suddenly, Lillia thought of another question, "By the way, Mr. Chen Ce, didn't you say before that Syndra was sealed deep underground by the Spirit of Ionia? How are we going to find her?"
"This will depend on one person." Chen Ce had already planned for this.
"Who?"
"A traitor."
"Huh...?"
"An Ionia traitor who defected to Noxus."
Kalan stood atop the fortified walls of Feilor, his gaze sweeping across the Narrow Sea toward the inland lands of the First Lands —a land now ravaged by war.
He is a Vastaya —yes, the Vastaya unique to Ionia.
But he was also a Noxus officer.
Some call him a traitor, saying he betrayed both Ionia and the Vastaya legacy, but he doesn't care. What they think is irrelevant.
Fortress Feilor is located on the westernmost island of Ionia. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It has stood there for hundreds of years, resisting the attacks of countless enemies, but it finally fell during a long siege in the Noxus invasion.
At that time, he had not yet Noxus. At the crossroads of fate, Battle of Placidium, he surrendered to Swain. Later, he demanded the position of ruler of Feilor as a reward from the Empire.
The Noxus mocked him behind his back, and he knew it all too well. He could have won a much greater reward—but he chose Feilor, a forgotten corner on the fringes of the empire.
They didn't understand. But he didn't care. He needed to stay.
Because of a prophecy.
Everything, all of it, stemmed from a prophecy.
The prophet's prophecy gave him two choices—two completely different paths.
The prophet hesitated before giving the prophecy, telling him that these two choices would be difficult.
But it's actually not difficult at all.
There couldn't be an easier multiple-choice question.
He chose the more difficult path.
For his children.
The moonlight is bright tonight, and the sea breeze is icy cold.
Kalan's eyes remained fixed on the other side of the strait, lingering on the past.
For the sake of the children, the prophecy told him to stay here.
He stayed here because...
To be able to watch over "her" forever.
Chapter 87 Who says only those standing in the light are heroes?
After several days and nights of travel, Chen Ce and his group finally arrived at the edge of the mainland, which faces Fae'lor Island across the sea.
They rented a small boat locally, and then, despite constant advice and warnings from fishermen and local residents, sailed straight to the Fae'lor Island on the other side—everyone knew that Fae'lor Island was now Noxus territory.
Feilor is no longer the center of tranquility and enlightenment it once was. Talented young Ionia would come from all directions to learn how to better harness their innate talents. But now it has become a fortress.
In fact, Feilor's original design was not a fortress at all; it was completely different from what a fortress should be.
But after a certain point in time, everything changed.
Once a vibrant place of life, study, and peace, the Fae'lor Island has become a barren wasteland and a prison. Almost no vegetation grows on the island surrounding the fortress; only withered thickets of thorns and ghostly gray moss thrive here.
Numerous birds and other wildlife from the nearby islands now avoid this area, except for the dark, hateful crows and ravens that followed the Noxus and have never left.
A fortress, a prison. Whom does it imprison?
Nowadays, very few people in Ionia know about this—only a last group of "the Nameless" still remember it and are willing to give everything for it—everything they have, including their lives.
Chen Ce also knew about this.
But he didn't Nameless, nor did he intend to spend decades like them, watching over the [embodiment of hatred and power] imprisoned in the "prison."
What he was going to do was the exact opposite of what the Nameless had to do.
He wanted to open the prison cage and release the "prisoner".
He didn't understand what "balance" meant, nor did he want to. He only wanted to end this meaningless war in his own way and minimize Ionia's casualties.
Is so-called "equilibrium" really more important than human life? Equilibrium, equilibrium—who does equilibrium save?
Sacrificing one's compatriots for some vague and unrealistic ideals, and letting go of those executioners whose hands are stained with the blood of evil, is something only those idealistic bastards would do.
Chen Ce admitted that he was shallow and short-sighted, so he only wanted to save those who needed saving right now.
So he took a ferry and approached the Fae'lor Island.
They also approached the warships anchored near the island.
Thirty-three Noxus warships, plus less than half that number of merchant ships.
A patrol of soldiers marched along the ramparts and soon spotted the small boat of unknown origin.
"Who are you?!" A shout rang out, accompanied by a whistle, and more than ten Noxus soldiers immediately surrounded them.
But Chen Ce did not panic, nor did he immediately turn the boat around and run away. Instead, he simply stayed put and waited for the patrol team to approach.
He had Ahri cover her Vastaya symbol with a loose coat and hood, and also had the half-human, half-deer Lillia hide in the cabin so that she wouldn't attract too much attention.
"What are you doing here?!" The patrol leader approached, his torch and halberd making him look fierce. "Where are you from? Tell us the truth!"
"We came from the other side." Chen Ce stepped forward, his tone calm and confident. "We're here to see Commander Kalan."
"The other side? You're Ionia?!" The squad leader gripped his halberd tightly, as if preparing for battle.
The other soldiers also assumed fighting stances.
But Chen Ce remained calm and did not reveal his weapon. "You have no right to know our identities—and likewise, you have no right to know our purpose here. I will only negotiate with Commander Kalan."
"Do you think you can just see Commander Kalan whenever you want?" The patrol squad leader frowned, his tone becoming even more aggressive, clearly dissatisfied with the other party's arrogant attitude.
As he spoke, he even stepped off the dock's plank and onto the other person's small boat, seemingly intending to board directly.
"If you want to go ashore, tell me your identities first! I not only need to know your identities, but I also need to inspect the items on your ship!"
"I told you, you have no right to know." Chen Ce calmly moved half a step to the left, blocking the squad leader's path.
The latter's brows furrowed even more, and he seemed to have reached his limit of patience—he was about to explode.
I'm saying it one last time... Get out of here.
"What if I say no?" Chen Ce shook his head and sighed softly—in those few dozen seconds, he could already sense how bad Kalan's prestige had become on Fae'lor Island.
Although he was the highest-ranking officer here, the vast majority of Noxus soldiers did not respect him... because he was a "traitor".
An incompetent and short-sighted traitor who defected from Ionia to Noxus.
Unless it's in person, even a patrol squad leader wouldn't really give him face.
Otherwise, he would have thought things through carefully rather than directly displaying such a tough attitude—normally, offending the highest-ranking local official would be a serious offense.
"This is my dock!!" the squad leader roared.
"No, this is Commander Kalan's dock," Chen Ce said calmly. "You must follow Commander Kalan's rules."
"My rules are the rules!!!" The squad leader could no longer contain his anger and roared before taking action.
He shouted and brandished his halberd, which at first glance seemed quite powerful and heavy, and the other patrolmen on the shore cheered like onlookers.
But obviously, opening champagne at halftime is not a good idea.
Because it's easy to be proven wrong.
Clang.
After a crisp but not loud sound, the squad leader's halberd came to a stop in mid-air.
It was a hand that gripped the very tip of the halberd.
That hand was not only incredibly strong, but also as hard as steel... It actually caught the sharp blade without getting hurt.
Chen Ce smiled slightly and then applied a little more force to the side with his fingers.
Clang! This time the sound was loud enough.
The halberd snapped in two.
The cheers and shouts from the shore stopped abruptly, and the squad leader froze on the spot.
"I can kill you anytime, or even all of you—it's as easy for me as crushing a swarm of ants. You should know that." Chen Ce held the halberd fragment between his index and middle fingers and gently placed it into the other man's pocket.
"So, may we bring Commander Kalan out now?"