Shen's Suspicion

"You need to understand one thing, Shen: it is not that Ionia is no match for Noxus. Although Noxus holds an absolute advantage in terms of structure, manpower, numbers, and weaponry, and their desire for battle is so intense that even farmers will fight to the death without retreating—while Ionia is scattered like loose sand—they still cannot defeat Ionia!"

Li Ke summarized the situation between Ionia and Noxus, answering Shen with a straight face.

"No, I don't see any chance of Ionia winning in your explanation at all, okay?"

Shen responded to Li Ke with an expressionless face. Honestly, when Li Ke first said he could defeat Noxus, Shen had held some expectations, but this was the result?

Just this?

Just this?

He felt even more desperate after hearing that.

"Well, how should I put it? You should know better than I do, right? How many terrifying experts are there on this land? Let me name a few: Yi, Syndra, and Karma."

These three alone could slaughter the hundred-thousand-strong Noxian army.

This isn't a game. In reality, Karma, possessed by the consciousness of Ionia, can easily mobilize the power of the entire land.

The current Karma possesses the memories and abilities of at least a hundred people, and she is a very motivated young girl herself. If not for the constraints of the Order and the Elders, she could have burned the entire Noxian fleet off the coast of Ionia by herself.

Master Yi, the Wuju master. Although he is just a swordsman—a guy who only does basic attacks in the game—his Wuju Style is...

Well, how to put it? If he lets loose, channeling the power of nature, a single slash from Yi creates a thousand-meter chasm. It is a sword style specifically designed to deal with Ascended and Darkin; a single strike can kill an Ascended, let alone ordinary Noxians.

As for Syndra, she is slightly different. She uses telekinesis. Her level? She can lift an entire fortress into the sky to use as her home, and incidentally, detonate a mountain.

However, Syndra is currently still sealed by the Spirit of Ionia because she cannot control her power and often ends up hurting others.

Moreover, if anyone tries to seal her power, this girl, who has been deceived before, will think you are trying to kill her.

There is no helping it; after all, when her teacher discovered he couldn't control her power, he didn't choose to guide her, but instead tried to kill her or permanently seal her away.

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

Shen was somewhat surprised by Li Ke's intelligence, wondering how he could know things that ordinary people shouldn't.

"You could say that. Elder Souma has always been quite fond of me."

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

"Fine... but the people you mentioned cannot simply act at will. If Master Yi uses the Wuju Way, it will inevitably cause uncontrollable chaos between the Spirit Realm and the Human Realm. And Karma is the symbol of Balance; she represents tranquility and harmony. Asking her to go out and slaughter others, to take lives—that is unrealistic... And Syndra, you should have heard her story. She cannot control her power and can only remain sealed. Once she awakens, it will not be a good thing for Ionia."

Shen sighed.

"Many things are like this. Conflicts between mortals can only be resolved by mortals themselves. But with such a disparity, I don't see how this is useful."

That is because your philosophy of Balance is, in itself, a moronic concept. While the logic isn't wrong, the direction is absurdly off.

Li Ke thought this to himself but didn't voice it.

His relationship with Shen hadn't reached the point where he could say such things, and even if Shen's brother, Zed, were to say it, he would likely be met with a fierce lecture from Shen.

There was no helping it; this was a matter of perspective. Having lived under the philosophy of Balance since childhood, nothing Li Ke said would be useful. Only by letting Shen realize his own mistakes would he ever truly awaken.

"Sometimes, we need to change our way of thinking."

After saying this, Li Ke ignored Shen, leaving him to his own thoughts, while he began searching the ground for usable weapons to arm himself.

After all, Li Ke had plans to make Shen the King of Ionia; Shen had to change his mindset... but if he couldn't, then Li Ke wouldn't bother making him king.

There were plenty of other candidates.

Irelia, or even Kusho, Souma, or even Karma would suffice.

He was the only one who wouldn't do it.

Because he didn't know magic and wasn't a descendant of a noble family, the resistance to him becoming King of Ionia would be immense. It was better to find someone he was satisfied with to take the throne; that was the best result.

When a better result exists, there is no need to invite unnecessary suffering.

Besides, he didn't particularly like being entangled in trivial matters.

He preferred to wander the world and witness interesting things.

Crucially, he had his "golden finger." The idea of being tied down by a mere King of Ionia was simply too whimsical. A region where development prospects were completely strangled and an industrial revolution was out of the question was destined to be nothing more than a tourist attraction and a place for retirement.

Such a throne was tasteless to eat but a pity to discard; it was truly meaningless.

Honestly, he didn't think much of it.

If he really had to choose a place to develop, he would choose the Valoran Great Plains near the sea. It was suitable for large-scale grain cultivation and rich in mineral resources. Whether pursuing industrialization or another path, one could thrive there.

It was just that such places were hard to find. The only two countries that met the criteria were Demacia and Noxus...

That was a tough pill to swallow.

"Ionia cannot lose its Balance."

Shen sighed. He felt he had crossed a line again; for a disciple of Balance to begin doubting the existence of Balance was, in itself, an ominous sign.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Perhaps I should view Balance with cold eyes and separate human relationships from it. Because no matter how the human heart changes, before reaching a certain state, humans can never be balanced. Balance can only exist in material reality, not within the human heart."

He felt this thought was blasphemous, because in Ionia, it was believed that internal balance could achieve both spiritual and material harmony.

But a voice in the depths of his heart told him that his cold, detached idea was the correct one.

As for why the human heart could influence nature, it was purely because of magic.

But if he were to follow this path...

Touching the Ionia Five-Year Plan in his robes, Shen fell into confusion.

He increasingly doubted whether his father letting him follow Li Ke was a good thing after all.