Big Trouble

Xayah was Vastaya, a race commonly found in Ionia and even throughout Runeterra.

Their bodies carried not only blood, but also powerful magic.

Every Vastaya was a natural mage. From birth, they knew how to use magic to strengthen their bodies and cast all kinds of spells.

And under normal circumstances, Vastaya were naturally powerful.

But they were also among those most affected by their environment.

Vastaya power changed with the concentration of magic around them. When magic was abundant, their power grew; when it was weak, or had been stored away somewhere, their power waned.

Humans, on the other hand—even those born into the magic of Ionia—couldn't survive unharmed in places where magical elements had nearly become tangible, the way Vastaya could.

Given my personality, there was no way I wouldn't make good use of this trait.

For example, I could store vast amounts of magic in crystals and transport them in secret, or have a flying race drop them onto a Noxian battlefield and set them off.

The moment the powerful magic erupted, it would destroy everything around it. Then the high concentration of magical elements would put the Noxians, with their extremely low magical affinity, at a tremendous disadvantage. Many of them might even have their souls ripped from their bodies by the excess magical energy.

At that point, I could send in a powerful squad of Vastaya warriors to launch a surprise attack, taking advantage of their natural traits to boost their combat strength and survivability.

Finally, a force made up of Ionians could surround the enemy, calm the rampaging magical elements, and clean up the battlefield.

A perfect bioweapon strategy. And it was easy to see how this way of fighting could greatly reduce casualties among both Ionians and Vastaya.

Most importantly, with just a few of the spells Li Ke knew, carrying this out wouldn't be difficult at all. It might even be quite simple...

The only problem was that the Vastaya and Ionians didn't get along very well.

The Ionians kept binding magic to open up more settlements, creating more low-magic regions. In those areas, Vastaya grew weaker and less healthy, and even their ability to reproduce declined.

That was why Vastaya rarely managed to live peacefully alongside Ionians.

Xayah's murderous rampages were also tied to the Ionians nearly wiping out some Vastaya tribes.

And in Ionian society, the Vastaya were looked down upon.

The reason was simple: they were strong, looked strange, and had different customs and habits. That was more than enough.

So Li Ke figured that when he'd gone looking for Xayah in the simulator, he hadn't been thinking only about finding his wife. He'd had other plans, too.

Something like a grand alliance between the Vastaya and Ionians. That must have been what he'd been aiming for.

No wonder he'd caught so many people's attention and changed so many lives.

"I'm really despicable, aren't I?"

He took a sip of fruit wine and listened to Shen brag about his experiences. Li Ke nodded along, agreeing with him, while continuing to think about what role Shen could play.

Shen might not be able to help with much, but he was still useful, and a pretty decent person, too. He was an excellent choice for a friend.

But at the moment, the only way Li Ke could make use of him...

Was to improve his own mood.

"By the way, Shen, what kind of person is Zed? The stories say you're taciturn and always act by the rules, while Zed is cold-faced and treats rules like iron law. But I've already seen what you're like. What about Zed?"

Looking at the chatterbox in front of him, Li Ke just couldn't reconcile him with the taciturn man from the game, so he asked.

"What do you mean, you've seen what I'm like?!"

Shen immediately slapped the table and stood up. But when he saw the wine in his hand and the steaming hotpot in front of him, he sat back down, his face turning red.

"I was just taking a little break. What do you mean, you've seen what I'm like..."

Shen grumbled in annoyance. He thought Li Ke was great in every way: humble, capable, hardworking, and confident in his abilities while still knowing his own limits. He was exactly the sort of person Shen enjoyed talking to.

But that mouth of his... If only he didn't have that mouth...

How could someone so decent have a mouth like that?

But to keep himself from getting even more embarrassed, Shen changed the subject.

"As for Zed, don't let that cold expression fool you. He always looks at people like they owe him money, but the truth is..."

Shen lowered his voice, drawing Li Ke's attention.

"...he's a closet romantic."

Shen's expression was positively lecherous—not at all befitting the senior student of the Balance Order.

Just as I thought!

A closet romantic's best friend could only be another closet romantic!

Li Ke silently took a sip of wine, then gave Shen a piece of lamb, urging him to continue.

"Now, Zed looks even more serious than I do, but let me tell you—one day, I secretly went to the flower festival to see my fiancée, Ye Wu. Along the way, I spotted that white-haired natural perm of his—the one that's going bald before its time! When I found him, he was staring fixedly at the arm of the girl next to my fiancée! He jumped when I showed up, and nearly fell off the roof."

Shen smugly revealed his friend's embarrassing secret, while Li Ke held his wine cup, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Are you sure he was looking at the girl next to your fiancée? Not at your fiancée herself?

Li Ke watched Shen laugh heartily, his face free of a shadow as he described Zed's comical expression that day. He felt he shouldn't think of the future master of the Order of the Shadow that way. They weren't that kind of people.

Besides, Zed falling for his friend's fiancée, then killing his friend's father and betraying his master to become Zed... What kind of ridiculous second-rate melodrama was that?

It was too absurd.

I'm the one with the dirty mind.

But...

Why are you telling me all this? Are we even that close?

As Shen kept talking, Li Ke began to sense that something was off. Why would Shen so casually reveal something like this—something entrusted to a close friend, involving his own wife, his friend, and even secrets of their order? They weren't close enough for that.

Just as Li Ke was puzzling over it, Shen continued with a laugh.

"And another thing—he once told me he liked women with big breasts. But I'm telling you, what he really likes is girls' feet! One day, we were on a mission together, and he spent several seconds staring at the feet of a girl picking lotus flowers! To be fair, her feet really were beautiful... whiter than lotus roots, with lovely lines. They made you want to hold them and play with them."

His face remained completely carefree, but Li Ke shuddered as he listened.

Shen was being far too open with him, as if they'd been friends for years! But that was impossible!

If Shen was just a blabbermouth, or had drunk too much, then it was only a moment of carelessness. But if he was acting this way because of Li Ke...

Li Ke felt that he was in serious trouble.