Chapter 235: Divine Envoy Storm (Chemical Zu'an Chapter)

The storm is her weapon, the land of runetimes is her home, and the mysterious Cana is the spirit of the wind elemental, protecting the helpless people in the city of Zaun.

It is believed that she was born from the prayers of the sailors of the Runeterra, who prayed for friendly winds to accompany them through the treacherous seas and overcome the relentless storms.

Later, her patronage and refuge were summoned to the depths of Zaun, where Jana became a beacon of hope for the helpless. No one knows when or where she will appear, but most of the time, her arrival means aid.

Many of the sailors in Runeterra have some strange superstitious practices, after all, their life and death often depend on moodiness.

Some captains insisted on sprinkling salt on the deck so that the sea would not notice that they were coming from the coast. Others show mercy by releasing the first fish they catch into the sea.

Not surprisingly, most people pray for the wind to bless them with smooth sailing, calm seas, and sunny days. Many believe that the wind spirit Cana was born out of these prayers.

At first she was small. Navigators sometimes see a sky-blue bluebird appear, followed by a strong wind blowing the sails.

Others swore they heard a whistle before a storm came, as if to warn them. As word of mouth spread about these magical omens, the appearance of the blue bird became more frequent.

Some swear they saw the bird turn into a girl. With long, pointed ears and long flowing hair, she is said to be a mysterious saint who floats on the water, and with a gentle wave of her staff, she can guide the wind.

Navigators began to build rudimentary shrines out of seagull bones and shiny shells embedded in the bows of ships. More successful sailing ships would carve statues at the top of the masts as shrines, hoping that their swagger of faith would be rewarded with better winds.

Eventually, the sailors of the Runeterrath came to a consensus, and they called the wind elf "Jana", which means "guardian" in the ancient Shurima language.

As more and more sailors believed in Jana, so did the way they pleaded for blessings. Jana has helped explorers navigate uncharted waters, kept ships away from dangerous reefs, and embraced homesick sailors with a warm breeze on a few starlit nights.

As for those who go to sea with evil intentions - pirates, robbers and others, there are rumors that Jana will use a sudden storm to derail them from their course.

Cana finds great joy in her mission. Whether it's helping the weak or punishing the wicked, she feels blessed to watch over the oceans of Runeterra.

For as long as Cana can remember, the two oceans to the west and east of Valoran have been divided by an isthmus. Any ship wishing to communicate would have to embark on a long and arduous voyage around the southernmost tip of the continent. As a result, most of the ships prayed to Cana for a full sail and a strong wind to sail through the treacherous shallows and reefs.

There was a thriving trading city between the coasts on either side of the isthmus, and the city's elders no longer wanted to see ships travel long distances around the southernmost tip of the continent, a journey that often took months.

So they hired the most innovative scientists, and using the region's recently discovered rich alchemical resources, they designed and created a huge waterway canal that would connect the oceans on both sides of the Valoran continent.

News about the canal spread like a plague among the sailors. Such a corridor would open up unlimited potential for trade to make it easier for ships to pass through dangerous waters, reduce voyage times, and make it possible to transport perishables. This pathway will run through the east and west, connect the left and right, and more importantly, it will bring about change.

The existence of the canal made it possible for sailors to no longer need the wind and shelter of Jana, as they no longer had to navigate through the rocky flats south of Valoran, nor did they need to keep an eye on the bluebirds' storm warnings.

The safety and speed of their ships no longer depend on moody winds, but on the ingenuity of human design.

So, in the decades that followed, as the canal project progressed, Cana was gradually forgotten. Her shrine began to cripple and be pecked by seagulls, and her name rarely appeared in silent prayers, even during the rough winter months.

Jaana felt herself weakened and her strength waned. When she tried to summon a gust of wind, she could only create a light gust of wind.

If she turns into a blue bird, she will have to stop and rest after flying for a few minutes. Just a few years ago, she had held a premium in the hearts of the voyagers, and could it be so easy for them to forget the man who had blessed them with peace and answered their prayers?

As Cana drifted away, she saw that the canal was about to be completed, and all that was left of her existence was a light breeze. On the day of the completion and opening ceremony of the canal, people celebrated happily.

In the middle of the isthmus are thousands of alchemical technology blasting devices. The city's elders gathered to launch the ignition ceremony with their own hands, and travelers from all over the world watched with bated breath as they waited to witness the miracle, their faces full of anticipation and their hearts filled with pride.

The device was activated. The alchemical haze formed by the melting of the rocks exploded and spread. Loud noises echoed between the isthmuses.

The surface of the rock face began to crack, the earth began to tremble, and the roar of water and the howl of air were heard. Then people started screaming.

In the years that followed, no one knew exactly what caused the disaster. Some say this is due to the instability of the alchemy explosives, others believe that it was a miscalculation by the engineers.

Whatever the cause, the blast caused a chain seismic reaction that shook the core deep in the isthmus. An entire city fell to the bottom of the sea, and nearly half of its inhabitants were suddenly overwhelmed by the rushing waters from the east and west, struggling to survive.

Thousands of people were submerged under the waves, pleading and praying for a miracle to save them. They called out the name they had been missing for a long time, the name they had called most often in times of crisis and stormy seas: Jana.

A sudden desperate prayer hit her, and Jana felt her power coalesce into a substance, something she had never felt so great.

Many of those who fell into the water had drowned, but the alchemical gas was spreading from the cracks in the earth into the streets, and hundreds of people were unable to breathe under the shroud of the gas, and Jana knew how she could help.

She rushed into the poisonous clouds of dead silence, the sour mist that was robbing people of hope, all of whom were witnesses to the birth of the canal, but who were about to become martyrs.

Jana raised her staff and closed her eyes, and a violent whirlwind began to blow around her, a powerful tornado that made even those who prayed to her fear that they would be swept away or torn apart by the wind. Her staff emitted a brighter and brighter blue light, until finally she slammed it to the ground, blowing away all the poison gas with a final gust of fierce wind.

Those who prayed to her took a deep breath and looked up at their savior, all while vowing never to forget her again. A moment later, a gust of wind blew through the streets, and Jana vanished... But some swear they saw a bluebird nesting in the city's tallest steel and glass spire.

Later, the city called Zaun was rebuilt, and the shiny Piltover was built above it, and Jana's name appeared in countless stories of a wandering wind elf who came to the rescue in times of crisis.

It has been said that whenever the Zaun haze accumulates too thickly, Jana blows it away and then disappears without a trace. Whenever the thugs of the Alchemy Baron become overly arrogant, or the screams of the victims go unanswered, a terrifying gust of wind blows through the streets to help those who have no recourse for help.

Some say that Cana is just a myth, an optimistic fairy tale used by Zaun's most desperate people to numb themselves and give themselves hope in the most difficult moments.

Others are more aware of the truth, remembering Jana whenever the wind blows through the narrow aisles, whenever people gather in front of homemade shrines (now using metal pieces and gears instead of bird bones).

Whenever a strong wind blows on the window bar and blows away the clothes on the clothesline, it must be Cana in the wind. Whenever Progress Day comes, no matter how cold the weather is, believers will open their doors and windows so that Jhana will take away the old and welcome the new.

One would see a bizarre bluebird, flying through the streets of Zuan, and whenever this happens, even the skeptical will feel refreshed. While no one knows when, where, or why Cana showed up, most people can agree on one thing: it feels good to be waited on.