Janna Will Not Die

Because that Li Wei had once come to the school looking for his younger sister Lina, and with his impoverished Zaunite image, he had caused no small embarrassment in front of Lina and her classmates.

So many of the students present had seen the old Li Wei before and still had some impression of him.

In their memories, Li Wei was supposed to be a rough, slovenly, dull, loudmouthed, foul-tongued man who was both self-conscious and restrained around the wealthy—his temperament completely failing to match his looks—a standard Zaunite Apprentice.

But now, the Li Wei appearing before them, though still wearing that faded, starch-washed old work clothes, smiled with confidence, his eyes bright and sharp, his thoughts clear, his speech refined, and even every gesture he made seemed filled with the power of combat.

Such a complete reversal alone already felt like a miracle.

Not to mention that this ordinary apprentice had suddenly become a "Wind Elementalist."

And on Li Wei's shoulder stood a Blue Bird with lively, intelligent eyes that seemed almost human—everyone knew that in folklore, the Blue Bird was the incarnation of Goddess Janna, representing her will.

From his background and persona to his image and demeanor, Li Wei looked exactly like the legendary Janna's Prophet.

Of course, he also looked exactly like those swindling charlatans.

But these future scientists present were surprisingly taken in by it.

Because in Runeterra, gods and magic were real. Blindly denying the existence of gods was what was unscientific.

So soon, many students accepted Li Wei's claims:

"Mr. Li Wei is the chosen one of Goddess Janna, so..."

Then Janna's Ideology must be the true divine oracle.

Then wouldn't those who followed Janna's Ideology all become true believers of a real god, backed by a goddess so overwhelmingly powerful they could walk sideways across Runeterra?

If so, what great undertaking could possibly fail?

"No, it's not that simple." Li Wei caught and snuffed out this tendency to oversimplify the struggle in time.

He only wanted to give these students confidence, not push them to the other extreme where they'd just lie back and do nothing, waiting for a goddess to descend from the heavens to save them from suffering.

"Janna does exist, but—"

"She is actually very weak right now."

"This gentle goddess exhausted her divine power over two hundred years ago, shielding Zaun during the Canal Explosion, facing that unprecedented great earthquake and tsunami. Now her faith lineage is broken, her followers are few, and her divine power has scattered to nothing. She is no longer the Wind Goddess who could summon storms and seas."

"Huh?" The students were stunned.

Some who thought they had seen through Li Wei's tricks, expecting him to pull out standard missionary lines like "Janna is so powerful" and "Believe in Janna and you'll get this and that," were now utterly shocked.

If you wanted to attract people to believe in a god, how could you make the god sound so powerless?

"Because in that article, I already mentioned that what Janna wants me to spread isn't herself, but the ideological theories she has summed up over thousands of years."

"What we should follow isn't a deity, but the truth!"

"Janna isn't our god; she is our guide, a like-minded companion walking alongside us!"

Li Wei's words rang out with force, leaving the scene in awe.

The people of Runeterra had never encountered such a novel concept—a god no longer a great deity, but someone walking alongside them?

"Yes! Janna was not born great. All of Janna's power comes from human faith. When people believe in her, she is strong; when people forget her, she fades away."

"So divine power never originates from a god, but from us!"

"This..." This startling theory, pointing straight to the essence of Faith Power, left everyone deep in thought.

First they were shocked—so Janna's divine power came from people. Then they were disappointed, lamenting Janna's current weakness.

And then, these sharp minds quickly realized what Li Wei was really telling them:

If divine power came from people, didn't that mean that as long as more and more people believed in Jannaism, the weakened Goddess Janna would grow stronger?

Like... buying insurance?

As long as they were willing to fight for Janna's Ideology, they could, through their efforts and faith, gradually shape a mortal god who could protect them?

"Creating a god with human effort!"

Many students who had originally held no hope for the struggle now perked up.

They gradually came to believe that this was something worth pursuing!

"So what exactly is Janna's Ideology?"

Finally, a student asked the crucial question.

To spread the faith of Janna's Ideology, they had to clarify the content of that faith.

Li Wei's article only mentioned the what and the why, but the most important part—the how—was never touched on.

They had discussed this before, but it had only split them into countless factions, wasted endless words, and yielded no results.

Everyone wanted Li Wei to tell them—

"What exactly should we do? What are we striving for?"

Li Wei slowly picked up a piece of chalk, and the eyes of the entire room followed.

Lina and the students held their breath in tension.

Viktor, focused, picked up his pen and paper.

Seraphine looked bewildered. Still, she strained her ears, carefully chewing over every word Li Wei spoke.

Then Li Wei answered:

"As for what to do, there's actually no standard answer to that question."

"We can only follow the principle of seeking truth from facts, constantly trying and exploring, to find the most suitable path."

Yes, there really was no standard answer to this question.

Li Wei had centuries of theoretical accumulation, and Janna had millennia of experience and insight, but even combining the two might not create a path truly suited for Runeterra.

And he could foresee that on the road of exploring the future, around the question of "what to do," there would likely be even more discussions, more disagreements, and even countless factions splitting off.

"But no matter how everyone thinks about this question, no matter how severe their differences, they can still be comrades, believers of Janna's Ideology."

"Because true believers of Janna—regardless of their gender, nation, region, race, or how much their ideas differ, regardless of the means they each try to use to realize their ideals—"

"Their ultimate ideal is the same, their ultimate goal is the same! And that is—"

Li Wei wrote a line of large characters heavily on the blackboard:

"Great Harmony!"

What is Great Harmony?

Productive forces are highly developed, social products are immensely abundant, and people universally possess a high level of ideological awareness—each contributing according to their ability, each taking according to their need.

It was a flawless dream.

Everyone was captivated by this dream. Their blood burned and surged, their hearts trembled violently.

Seraphine couldn't quite understand Li Wei's profound theories. But she could hear that at this very moment, almost everyone present had souls that were singing something, shouting something.

These souls were filled with light and heat, making Seraphine unknowingly stirred and moved along with them. Even if her abilities went out of control again, even if countless dark and painful melodies surged in from afar like a tide, she was no longer afraid, no longer distressed.

She even inexplicably felt a surge of strength, wanting to save those suffering souls and sweep away this dark canopy of the sky!

"But."

After the fervor, the dream still ended.

Rational students gradually came back to their senses:

Wasn't this ultimate goal a bit too ultimate?

"Mr. Li Wei, what you've described is like a spiritual Bandle City, a utopia almost impossible to realize in the material realm."

"A goal like that."

"Can we really achieve it?"

Countless gazes of doubt, anticipation, and confusion turned toward him.

And Li Wei's answer was: "No—we can't do it, just us."

"Huh?" The students were taken aback:

What kind of joke was this? After saying so much, painting such a beautiful ideal, and then saying we simply couldn't achieve it?

"Why must it be achieved right now?"

But Li Wei asked them without changing his expression:

"Everyone, will you die?"

"Of course." The students looked bewildered.

They were human, so of course they would die.

"Then will Janna die?" Li Wei asked again.

"..." The students were stunned.

Janna was a god, a composite of faith; she would never die.

"Janna won't die!"

"Her ideology won't die!"

"Our faith won't die!"

"As long as there are still people who believe, her spirit will forever drift above Runeterra, forever guiding humanity toward our ultimate goal!"

"So—"

"What are you afraid of?"

"Even if we die, even if we fail, so what?"

"Janna is forever, her ideology is forever. If this generation can't do it, the next generation can keep going; if the next generation can't, there's the generation after that, and the one after that!"

"History spirals upward. Janna is always advancing, and we are always advancing!"

Li Wei didn't think he would live to see that day himself.

Taking even one small step forward was already a victory.

But he believed:

"One day—"

"The ideal will be realized!"