I don't understand," General Grunz muttered, nervously trying to block out the light from the lantern. "There's nothing here. It's a dead end. ”

He stood at the edge of the threshold, and on the inside of the dark stone carved door frame was a deeper darkness. He couldn't see the open doorway in front of him, nor could he see the Ochen's inscriptions around him. He couldn't see the shards of bones scattered on the stone bricks beneath his feet.

I laughed and started acting. "It's dark," I told him, "the simplest truth." ”

The general turned, his face full of confusion and anxiety. "Don't mess around with me, cousin, do you know how much risk I'm taking just by standing here, do you know what will happen if we get caught, this area is a forbidden area, and the council directly prohibits that there are legions patrolling everywhere"

This is true. Ever since the usurper Svein came to power, the Immortal Fortress has been blockaded. The official rhetoric was to protect the Trivary Council from retaliation from the nobles who opposed the establishment of the Parliament.

The unofficial narrative is that he is challenging people like Braningulans to see who dares to oppose him.

"But they will not doubt your loyalty," I reassured him, "that you are none other than a hero at the Gate of Sorrow." You will be rewarded by the Commander himself. How dare they say that if we are discovered, you don't even have to run. ”

His face darkened. "Oh, don't run away in front of the Trifali legion."

Don't let me listen to this unabashed propaganda anymore. In less than a year, Svein had already created a sense of mystery around himself and Noxus's hand, and all those who were loyal to them had become mysterious along with him. It was a brilliant plan, and I have to admit it with hatred.

Even so, I didn't interrupt Gruns. We're here to get him to figure it out.

His gaze fell to the ground. "We didn't win, the Gate of Sorrow was won by the Legion. That's why Svein didn't attend the celebration at all. He knew we weren't needed for this victory, damn it. That boasting ceremony, just to humiliate us, and in front of the whole of Noxus"

I nodded, placing one hand on Gruns' shoulder. That's why we have to make him pay for what he did. You are a real Noxian, and everyone can see it. I've talked to other people about you, and they all want to see you in person. She wants to see you. ”

"I won't see anybody, cousin, unless we go in first." He looked around. "Is it black rose?"

I shrank my head. "Don't call it by that name. It looks like you're like you just said, and it looks like you don't understand. ”

I squeezed past him and into the huge mouth. He was so surprised that he almost didn't hold the lantern, and that's when he saw the entrance. Grunth staggered after me, looking around to make sure we weren't being followed, then squinted at the dark shadows deep down the hallway.

"Is it true?" he whispered, "Are all the rumors about her true?"

I didn't slow down. "Come on, seeing is believing."

Contrary to what most Noxians believe, the Immortal Fortress is not a monument. Unlike the memories of ancient tribes, it is not just a fortress.

The stones around us were so powerful that they almost made a sound on their own, but Grunth was barely aware of them. I've seen this meeting countless times over the centuries.

He knew something was wrong, but all he felt was some heavy dead air dragging at his limbs, only a vague itch at the back of his head.

Few mortals could hold out for much after being so close to the source. I had to praise him for still being able to keep his senses, and when a figure in a robe emerged from the shadows, he could still reach for his dagger.

I walked past the two of us. I look a little haggard.

It doesn't matter. It's going to be done soon.

Gourance looked at me suspiciously until I disappeared from sight, and then he slowly walked over to the man he recognized as his cousin.

"Who are these people, Hydrion?" asked Gourne, as more mysterious figures appeared and vanished. "I don't know any of them. Are they the allies of the other clans?"

I sighed. I am disappointed that top military minds are often unable to face up to the facts in front of them. They empathize with our family's plight," I tried not to let my voice reveal disdain.

"All of us are committed to overthrowing the rule of the usurper and restoring the royal power of the Empire. It's better if you don't know their names and don't know what they look like. ”

He scoffed. "So how are we going to work together?"

He was silent in the middle of his sentence as we turned the last corner.

We stood at the edge of the Well of Souls, a shaft that plunged deep into the bedrock beneath Noxus, far deeper than the fortress itself could contain.

The cold blue and suspicious green blended into a tumbling miasma, swirling far below and reflecting the three bridges that straddled above the mouth of the gorge.

Underneath the bridge, in a mad vortex, a huge, terrifying black figure of a human hung in the air, and no Noxians could be mistaken.

A pair of inanimate armor is bound to be mentioned in every history book. There are thousands of statues of it in the Old Town, all of which have been smashed off their faces.

Gurans took a half-step back. "No way," he muttered to himself, "No way"

His voice trembled. His eyes were filled with tears. I leaned over his shoulder and whispered behind his ear.

"Now, have you seen the truth, the truth behind the great Noxian Empire has been like this for hundreds of years, since the time of the previous kings, and without the permission of the mistress of the Immortal Fortress, there would have been no Grand Commander, Emperor or Overlord. There are many who have worked for her, but very few are truly qualified. ”

I gently pulled the lantern out of his trembling hand and led him away from the breathtaking sight and into the corridor on the other side, where a row of curtained niches lined up on one side.

"Svein must step down. Our secret society is undistracted by this, and will do whatever it takes to achieve its goals. ”

In a way, Gourance didn't need me to draw the curtain to know what he was going to see.

It was the dismembered body of his cousin, Hydrion. The young man's expression froze in the frantic smile of death, but at the same time it made one feel a definite peace.

"Your family was most unfairly isolated during the coup. Brannin Gourans. Your father and his brothers lost everything they had, only because they ended up sticking to their allegiance to Brondackwell.

Heydrion willingly gave his life for revenge. Are you willing to bear this blood debt, and join us as well"

Gurance slowly knelt down and looked up at me with a different look. "You. You are her. You are the Pale Lady. ”

When the second pale lady appeared next to me, he didn't move. We said with the same voice, "I'm everywhere." Everybody is me. You only know what you need to know, and only see what I let you see. ”

Jerry Kosvein isn't the only one who exaggerates his saga.

The third Pale Lady stepped out from behind Gourne, followed by the fourth. Still, he was facing me and bowing his head. He undoubtedly understood. Without needing our prompting, he noticed an empty alcove next to his cousin.

"I will serve you with all my heart," he began to swear, "with my noble blood, my lady." I will not sleep until the Puppet Emperor Svein is gone. ”。

This naïve fool thought he was going to be the hero who ended everything. I let him be self-absorbed because it was what I wanted. Actually, the goal this time was just to test the Grand Commander's vigilance.

I drew the insignia of the Secret Society in mid-air in front of Gruns' forehead, marking him as my man. Anyone who can see the emblem will not interfere with the conspiracy we are going to carry out next. "Stand up, Noxi's pride. The oath has been made. Together, we will triumph, and your name will be glorified as the savior of the Empire. ”