Shen's Doubts

"You need to understand something, Shen: Ionia isn't going to lose to Noxus. Sure, Noxus has an overwhelming advantage over Ionia in its institutions, manpower, numbers, and weapons and equipment. Its people are eager to fight, too—even its farmers will fight to the death. Ionia, on the other hand, is a disorganized mess. But Noxus still can't beat Ionia!"

Li Ke summed up the situation between Ionia and Noxus, then answered Shen with a perfectly serious expression.

"No. I don't see any chance of Ionia winning in your answer."

Shen replied to Li Ke without changing expression. Honestly, when Li Ke had said they could defeat Noxus, Shen had felt a little hopeful. But this was all he had?

That was it?

That was it?

After hearing him out, Shen felt even more hopeless.

"Well, how should I put it? You know better than I do how many terrifying masters this land has, don't you? Let me name a few: Yi, Syndra, and Karma."

Those three alone could slaughter Noxus's entire hundred-thousand-strong army.

This wasn't a game. In reality, with the Spirit of Ionia possessing her, Karma could easily call upon the power of all Ionia.

Karma currently had the memories and abilities of at least a hundred people. She was also an ambitious young woman. If not for the restraints of the Order and the elders, she could have burned the entire Noxian fleet off Ionia's coast all by herself.

Master Yi. Though he was only a sword master, and in the game he was just some guy who swung his sword, his Wuju Style...

Well, how should I put it? If he let loose and went on a killing spree, drawing upon the forces of nature, a single slash from Yi could carve a thousand-meter-wide ravine. His swordsmanship had been created specifically to fight the Ascended and the Darkin. One strike could kill an Ascended, let alone ordinary Noxians.

As for Syndra, she was a little less powerful. She could use telekinesis, and, well, she could uproot a fortress and float it in the air as her home. She'd also blown up a mountain.

But Syndra was still sealed by the Spirit of Ionia because she couldn't control her power and often hurt people.

And if anyone tried to seal her power, this girl, who had once been deceived, would think they were trying to kill her.

It couldn't be helped. After her teacher realized he couldn't control her power, he'd tried to kill her or seal her power away completely instead of guiding her.

"...Did Elder Souma tell you all this?"

Shen was surprised by how much Li Ke knew. These were things an ordinary person shouldn't know.

"More or less. Elder Souma has always been fond of me."

Li Ke smiled, gave a thumbs-up, and unconsciously touched the scroll tucked inside his clothes.

"Fine... But none of those people can act freely. If Master Yi uses the Wuju Way, it will inevitably cause uncontrollable turmoil between the Spirit Realm and the Human Realm. And Karma is the symbol of the Balance Order. She represents peace and tranquility. Having her attack others and take their lives isn't realistic... As for Syndra, you should have heard her story. She can't control her power and can only be kept sealed. If she wakes, it won't be good for Ionia."

Shen sighed.

"Many things are like that. When it comes to conflicts between mortals, mortals have to handle them themselves. But I can't see how they could overcome a disparity like this."

That's because your idea of balance is stupid to begin with. The principle isn't wrong, but the way you apply it is completely off the mark.

Li Ke thought this to himself, but didn't say it aloud.

He and Shen weren't close enough for him to say something like that. Even if Shen's brother Zed said it, Shen would probably tear into him.

It couldn't be helped. This was a matter of perspective. Shen had grown up under the Balance Order's teachings. Nothing Li Ke said would change his mind; he had to recognize his own mistakes before he could come around.

"Sometimes, we need to change the way we think."

After saying that, Li Ke left Shen to think it over and searched the ground for weapons he could still use to arm himself.

After all, Li Ke planned to make Shen the King of Ionia. Shen had to change his way of thinking... But if he couldn't, Li Ke wouldn't make him king.

There were plenty of other candidates.

Irelia, or even Kusho, Souma, or Karma.

He was the one person who wouldn't take the throne.

He couldn't use magic, and he wasn't descended from a prestigious family. If he became king in Ionia, he'd face enormous resistance. It would be far better to find someone he approved of and put them on the throne.

There was no point choosing a harder path when a better outcome was within reach.

Besides, he didn't much like being tied down by trivial matters.

He preferred roaming this world and discovering interesting things.

More importantly, he had a cheat-like system. The idea that the mere title of King of Ionia could tie him down was absurd. A region with its development prospects completely strangled, where an industrial revolution was out of the question, was destined to become a tourist destination and a place to retire.

The throne wasn't worth much, but giving it up seemed a shame. It really wasn't interesting.

To be honest, he didn't think much of it.

If he really had to choose somewhere to develop, he'd choose a coastal stretch of the Valoran Great Plains. It was suitable for growing crops on a massive scale and rich in mineral resources. Whether he pursued industrialization or some other path, he'd thrive there.

The trouble was that places like that were hard to find. The only two countries that fit the bill were Demacia and Noxus...

That was a tough problem.

"Ionia cannot lose the Balance Order."

Shen sighed. He felt he'd overstepped again. A disciple of the Balance Order beginning to doubt its existence was a bad sign in itself.

A thought suddenly came to him.

"Perhaps we should look at balance with cold eyes and separate the relationships between people from it. No matter how people's hearts change, they can never achieve balance before reaching a certain state. Balance can only exist in the material world, not in people's hearts."

He felt that this thought was deeply heretical. In Ionia, people believed that balance in the heart could bring about balance in both the spiritual and material worlds.

But a voice deep within him told him that his cold, detached idea was the right one.

As for why people's hearts could affect nature, that was simply because of magic.

But if he followed that line of thought...

Feeling the Ionia Five-Year Plan tucked against his chest, Shen sank into confusion.

He was beginning to doubt more and more whether his father had made the right choice in having him follow Li Ke.