Chapter 88

Chen Ce's movements were very light and slow, his fingertips tracing down her full thighs, the incredibly wonderful sensation continuing all the way to her ankles.

But he suddenly stopped at ankle level.

It wasn't because he was embarrassed, but because...

The other person seemed a little uncomfortable.

Perhaps it was the gentle touch of her fingertips that made her feel a little ticklish, because Syndra had turned her head to the other side without realizing it, her cheek flushed, and her legs were rubbing together unnaturally—as if she was trying to suppress some kind of impulse.

Even so, she was still very dissatisfied with the other person stopping. "Who... who told you to stop... continue..."

"Are you really alright?" Chen Ce was getting a little nervous.

"It's just... taking off my knee-high socks... what... what could possibly happen..."

"Then I'll continue...?"

"Stop talking nonsense..."

"Alright..." Seeing that the girl was determined, Chen Ce didn't hesitate and continued what he was doing.

The footed socks were very tight, and there was some resistance when trying to get through the slightly wider ankles, so he had to give up on trying to do both feet at the same time and choose one at a time.

He gently tugged at the edge of the sock with one hand, and lifted the girl's delicate foot with the other, preparing to pull it off between her toes.

But because of his touch, the other person suddenly trembled violently and made a strange sound.

"Hmm..."

The girl's face turned even redder.

Chen Ce then noticed that the characteristic of footed socks was that... there was a large bare area under the feet.

His touch was almost equivalent to tickling the other person's feet.

But because the texture was so delicate, he had initially thought there were footed socks covering it— Syndra's skin was just too good.

Her jade-like feet... really, they haven't touched the ground much since childhood, so there's absolutely no way they could have calluses or roughness.

It's very soft and smooth.

And it is precisely because of this that her delicate feet are more sensitive than anyone else's.

"Sorry, sorry..." Chen Ce apologized hastily, while speeding up his movements—a short, sharp pain is better than a long, drawn-out one.

Snap. With a crisp sound, the footed sock on her left leg came off.

But Syndra couldn't help but let out a sound that was even more easily misunderstood—perhaps she herself felt the sound was a bit strange, she even covered her mouth with her hand.

"Mmm..."

"..." Chen Ce felt the atmosphere becoming increasingly ambiguous and awkward.

He had to remove the other foot sock from the other person more gently and slowly.

Syndra, feeling nervous and shy, stretched her legs out even further—almost her entire calf was draped over Chen Ce.

But Chen Ce didn't mind.

After all, those jade feet... really had absolutely no scent.

Syndra was sealed in the Dreaming Pool for decades, and after waking up, she never walked on the ground, nor did she wear shoes. How could she possibly have a smell?

Even if you insist on saying there is one, it's the same light fragrance as the rest of her body—a faint natural scent.

The notion that "all pretty girls' feet smell bad" clearly doesn't apply to Syndra.

The second footed sock slowly slipped off, finally exposing those perfect jade feet to the air without reservation.

It was so white it looked as if it were wrapped in a thin, translucent white silk.

It really is "ice cream".

Syndra clenched her teeth, her cheeks flushed, but she managed to refrain from making any more strange noises.

The tingling sensation in the soles of her feet lasted for quite a while. She turned her face away, covered her mouth, and waited for a long time before gradually getting used to this strange feeling.

Finally, she trembled as she withdrew her feet.

She waited quite a while before the blush on her face subsided somewhat.

"Now... we can begin." Even so, she had to maintain her tough and aloof persona.

Chen Ce remained silent for a moment, making no move.

"What are you waiting for? Quickly transfer your magic to me." Syndra frowned slightly and emphasized again, "I don't want to drink the Corrupting Potion, I want to absorb your magic directly."

"Um... actually..." Chen Ce scratched his head sheepishly, "Actually, you shouldn't be able to directly absorb my magic power..."

"What's the meaning?"

"Just... literal meaning..."

"If that Vastaya fox girl can do it, why can't I?" Syndra's tone grew colder. "Isn't it enough to just be naked and then hug each other? Are you making excuses?"

"No..." Chen Ce waved his hands repeatedly, then explained guiltily, "Ahri can absorb... partly because she can draw upon the power of the Twin Gemstone, and partly because it's a unique kind of magic or ability she possesses... but you shouldn't have this ability, right...?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Syndra also fell silent.

A moment later, she parted her lips slightly, her icy tone revealing a hint of murderous intent that bordered on embarrassment and rage. "Why didn't you say so sooner...!"

"What I wanted to say... was that you kept ordering me to take off your foot warmers..." Feeling the gradually expanding dark energy, Chen Ce nervously swallowed. "Besides... you didn't even ask...?"

"So... you mean it's impossible?" Syndra floated up again, her unbound legs gradually straightening.

"Maybe... probably..." Chen Ce looked at the long legs getting closer and closer to his face and suddenly had a bad feeling.

And as it turned out, his hunch was correct.

Syndra first extended a finger and used magic to make the two footed socks float up, then manipulated them to slap the other person's face hard.

Smack! The sound was crisp, but the thin, soft footed socks didn't hurt much when they hit my face.

Unfortunately, this was just a smokescreen.

Once Chen Ce's eyes were completely covered by the footed socks, the jade-like foot that was so close to his eyes came into view.

Smack! The sound of a foot being stepped on was loud, and it hurt a lot.

"Let you touch and look for free...!"

As night fell, the Noxus capital, which should have been brightly lit, was now dark and gloomy.

The residential area was no longer lit, and most of the streets were pitch black, exuding an atmosphere of desolation.

The Noxian Empire, historically adept at using war to sustain itself, should have become wealthy through war, and its victorious warriors should have lit lamps and drunk wine all night long. But now, things are different.

The Empire's successive defeats on the Eastern Continent nearly depleted the national treasury, and the obituaries from the defeated legions plunged many families into grief over the loss of loved ones.

The gold coins were never obtained, and the warrior died far from home.

The defeat in this war may have been inevitable... Some wealthy merchants and nobles have already sensed the impending decline and are secretly transferring their assets. The atmosphere of panic even overshadowed the warlike spirit of the Noxus warriors.

But not everyone was disheartened by the defeat in the war.

For example, some ministers who are blindly loyal.

For example, some traitors plotting rebellion.

For example... Noxus's Grand Commander, Braum Darkwill, who still lives a life of debauchery, indulging in nightly revelry.

In this dimly lit Noxus capital, only the palace of the Grand Commander remained brightly lit.

A stench of decay and decadence permeated the magnificent palace. Pool water, mingled with wine and hormones, splashed across the floor, while seductive coquettish moans and feigned cries echoed from the rafters.

The obese Grand Commander leaned back in his chair, and even the most luxurious and sturdy throne seemed unable to fully support his bloated flesh. His limbs, stacked in sections, looked as if they might fall off the throne at any moment.

Several scantily clad, alluring maids surrounded him, coaxing him with the most explicit and vulgar words, and using their bodies, which had served countless powerful figures, to bring him decadent pleasure.

The somewhat drunken commander shook his head, his fleshy face revealing a deep sense of emptiness, as if a gust of cold wind could kill his 300-pound body.

"Good... well done... reward... three hundred gold coins..."

The president's drunken ramblings further strained the already meager national treasury.

Several ministers accompanying the revelers immediately threw hundreds of glittering gold coins into the pool, prompting a group of maids to giggle and jump into the water.

The president and several ministers also laughed.

The laughter abruptly stopped when a maid, climbing out of the water, accidentally splashed water onto the Grand Commander.

The Grand Commander looked at the delicate body, soaked through and barely visible due to the vacuum inside, and made a gesture without any emotion.

"Send it to the arena."

"No... Your Excellency... No...! Please...!" the maid screamed and pleaded, but all that awaited her was the merciless dragging of the palace guards.

And a future ravaged by gladiators.

"No... no--!"

The maid's screams gradually turned into heart-wrenching wails, which annoyed the Grand Commander, who waved his hands repeatedly.

Just as the guards were about to drag the maid out of the palace, a tall man suddenly walked in from outside.

Ignoring the chaotic scene inside the palace and the Grand Commander's impatience, the man walked straight to a spot less than ten meters from the throne.

"To my esteemed Commander: News has arrived from the front lines that Fae'lor Island has fallen this morning."

"Lost? What were those useless idiots doing at the front?" Darkwill frowned in displeasure, but it seemed to stop there—not even as displeasure as when a maid accidentally splashed water on his face.

"The Ionia Resistance Army has revealed their trump card, sinking all thirty-three warships in a single day," the tall, general-looking man continued his report.

"Only thirty-three ships?" Darkwill was taken aback at first, then waved his hand dismissively. "My great Noxus isn't short of troops. If they're gone, they're gone. We'll just send another hundred warships to wipe out that so-called trump card."

"What the Commander-in-Chief says is absolutely right." The man nodded and bowed, but his eyes revealed a deep sense of disdain.

After a moment, he respectfully suggested, "The situation at the front has changed. I recommend abandoning the western suburbs and launching a full-scale attack on Placidium."

"Attack Placidium? We've already suffered a defeat there!" Upon hearing this key phrase, Darkwill flew into a rage again, his massive flabby flesh jiggling in front of him.

"That idiot Swain ruined us! Those damned Ionia called that battle the Stand! Damn it, damn it all!"

"I apologize on Swain's behalf." The man bowed again. "But this is our last chance, my esteemed Grand Commander— Placidium is the only hope for the elixir of immortality."

Upon hearing this, Darkwill, who was furious, calmed down a little.

The elixir of immortality—that's what he wants most.

This was also the most direct reason why he sent troops to attack Ionia.

"Hmm... are you confident this time?"

"Yes, Your Excellency." The man bowed again.

"Alright, go ahead." Darkwill agreed casually, his nonchalant manner making it seem as if he were agreeing to reward a maid with three hundred gold coins. "The army is at your disposal. You can give it to Darius to take over once he returns—don't disappoint me until then, General Clay."

"I will not fail in my mission, my respected Commander." The tall man, known as General Clay, gave a final salute before slowly leaving the palace.

When he reached the outside of the palace, the maid who had just committed the "serious mistake" was about to be escorted into the arena by the palace guards.

The screams, wails, and pleas for mercy continued.

He stood there and watched for a while.

Then he waved to the palace guard.

In an instant, a strange black magic enveloped both the guards and the maids.

As the black roses scattered across the sky dissipated, the guard had already fainted, and the shackles on the maid's hands snapped.

The maid stood there, stunned.

She looked around in confusion, only to see a slender figure in the darkness.

She was a pale-skinned, pretty woman. The man was gesturing for her to be quiet.

The Pale Lady smiled in the quiet night.

Her slender figure and elegant steps faded into the darkness.

Only a soliloquy, spanning mountains and seas and thousands of miles, remains:

"That's all I can do to help you with accelerating the war, young Chen Ce..."