Ishad came to her senses. "The order I got didn't say you were on the ship."

"Anyway, I'm here." He handed Ishad a scroll bearing Captain Odiz's mark. Odilon noticed her anger and grinned meaningfully. "Looks like we're in the same boat."

Ishad stood at the bow of the frigate, looking out at the horizon. After setting sail, the ship was in a long line, many of which wanted to sail out of the estuary and into the ocean. After waiting in line for several hours, what was waiting was a detailed and thorough boarding inspection. The fortifications at the mouth of the sea were guarded by many soldiers to defend the sea route to Noxus. After they had searched every inch of the Lookout's deck and looked at Ishad's orders for no less than six rounds, she was finally allowed to leave the port.

Ishad had been to sea many times, but never on her own boat. The sea has always felt both stunning and magnificent for her. It's an endless deep blue plain, where the sea and the sky meet, sealed with a faint heat wave in the midday sun.

Now, somewhere ahead of their course, Isad's fate awaits. A new land is about to be explored, conquered, and finally incorporated into the Noxian Empire.

She had tasted glory, an opportunity won with a blade, but it was definitely not an enduring feat. Although Ishad has tried her best to forget, she always hides a misfit street orphan in her heart - never really giving herself to the collective, never trusting anyone but herself.

Unless Ishad gets what she wants, she never stops.

She heard heavy footsteps on the deck, and looked back to see the Master Beast Tamer approaching. She quickly jotted down the last symbol in a journal with an old leather cover, then closed the book and slipped it into her coat pocket.

"Jing'er is good, huh?" Odilon said, pressing his knuckles against the railing.

Ishad asked in a bad tone, "Why are you here?" ”

"I need a boat."

"This is my ship," Ishad said. "It's also my adventure. Remember this, and there will be no contradiction between us. ”

Odilon shrugged. "It's up to you to come to be a soldier. All I care about is that we get to our destination, and when we get there, you don't get in my way, I still have to find something. ”

Ishad turned to face her. "Looking for what?"

"Look for the monster, kid." He smiled. "Majestic monsters. If I can't catch it, I'll die. ”

They sailed on the open sea for three weeks and finally came to the edge of the Anaconda Delta. There are dozens of plots scattered here and there, and there are small sand dunes that can barely stand on people; There are also small islands with an area large enough to accommodate a village. This archipelago is the gateway to the southern continent of Shurima and the unexplored area on the eastern side of Shurima.

The waterways are full of boats and rafts, and fishermen and local vendors are looking for opportunities to do business. The appearance of a Noxus ship, even a frigate like the Yuanwang, was a rare sight, so it caused quite a commotion. The inhabitants who live on the river almost never miss the opportunity to peddle their wares.

Ishad made her way to the main deck from the captain's cabin and found the hull crowded with locals. Men and women of all stripes stood on their rocking boats and shouted, holding handfuls of fresh fish and various trinkets, luring the sailors and crew of the ship to look down from the railings. Odilon had descended among the locals, babbling something in their language, while his trappers were checking their maps with the locals.

"There's no time for you to ramble." Ishad said. For a moment, she imagined aiming the ship's iron cannon at the boat and the sampan that stood in her way, but the idea was quickly dispelled. This behavior was an unnecessary expense for the already resource-starved expedition, and the fact that the natives alive was more valuable to her.

"Don't be nervous." Odilon shouted to her from below. He scrutinized a piece of beautifully carved wood and threw it back to the disappointed vendor. "After that, the waterways start to be dangerous. Don't be in a hurry to refuse someone's good face. ”

Ishad didn't budge. "We replenish some supplies and fresh water, plus a guide. No one is allowed to go ashore. ”

Odilon gave a military salute with great pomp and went on to talk to the locals. Ishad left the master tamer alone, as she had to make sure that the few Noxian sailors were on duty and vigilant on board. Just as she had finished checking the ship's guns and gunners, she saw Odilon pull a man from the sampan to the deck.

"I've got a guide for us," Odilon said, leaning over to hear what the man had to say in the local language. "He said welcome to the Python River, he can take us upstream."

"Good," said Ishad succinctly, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

The guide said something to Odilon again. "But he asked, why are we going upstream?" The master beast tamer said. "What's so good about that place?"

"Tell him," said Ishad, "that when our mission is complete, it will belong to Noxus." They were replenished with oddly shaped local fruits and pickled fish, and the expedition left the floating trading post. The islands became denser, and the labyrinth of waterways between the scattered lands grew narrower, until all that was left to drive the Far Hope was a wide, dark river that stretched deep into the rainforest.

They spent days on calm waters, and each day was the most real and pristine wilderness as far as the eye could see. She and her crew were among the first Noxians to see this untamed land, and the thought of it made Isade Mimi's heart surge. There is a beauty of its own, with lush vegetation hidden under the canopy of trees that have grown in bursting momentum, and flowers of different colors dazzlingly dotted among the foliage.

There's something else here.

The guide reluctantly led them deeper along the way, pointing out many landmarks and allowing the boat to avoid all reefs and shoals. But at the same time, Isad felt an irresistible itch – at first imaginary, then more real and intense. There was a dark layer around the river, which seemed to be shrouded in a shadow. But this shadow cannot be seen, only felt.

Ishad found that her hand would subconsciously wander to the sword at her waist. She always removed her hands and then crossed her hands over her chest to force herself to concentrate.

But the silent fear was always there, permeating everything she could see.