For hundreds of years, Ruiz has been on a mission to find and hide the world's runes. www.biquge.info In the early days, he had the idea and action of cultivating a successor, but in the process of absorbing the high magical power of the world's runes from time to time, the quantitative change caused a qualitative change, distorting and lengthening his lifespan. Since then, he has not dared to expect to unload this heavy mission, firstly, because it is difficult to feel at ease, and secondly, it is out of unbearability.

So he always carried it on his shoulder, and even though the vicissitudes of time passed, Ruiz never dared to slack off. Because most of the world runes formed by the ancient times were psychic, they always tried to avoid the interference of a seal seeker like him and suddenly appeared one after another in a certain period of time, and the years between them would make this world forget the price required to use the power of runes.

And this is also the root cause of several rune wars that have spread around the world, and Ruiz must always be vigilant.

……

Going deep into Freljord for the fifth time, as he walked, Ryze suddenly felt a little nostalgic for the not-so-cold he had had been when he arrived for the second time thirty years ago, as his body was now hot from the active energy. The weight he was carrying made Freljord's brutal cold seem insignificant.

The Frost Troll's cry of hunger in the distance didn't shake him in the slightest. He had come here to accomplish a task, not a task that pleased him, but one that he had to accomplish, and which he could no longer escape.

Approaching the gate, he could hear the sound of a fur cloak scraping against the pine wall as the warriors of the tribe approached to search him. Within seconds, the gates were lined with spears, ready to kill him, just waiting for the slightest sign of his unwelcomeness.

"I'm here to meet Yagu." Rze said as he lifted the cloak and hat he had put on so as not to stand out on the ice field, just to show his blue-purple skin.

"It's urgent."

The warriors on the wooden fence recognized the wandering mage, and a hint of surprise flashed across their originally cold and hard faces. They climbed down the wooden fence and shouted trumpets to lower the heavy hardwood gate, which seemed to let out a low, frightened roar at the stranger.

In fact, visitors are rare, and the few visitors are usually stuck in spears as an example. The exception to this is Ryze, whose growing popularity has allowed him to visit the most exclusive areas of the Runeterras...... At least give me a few minutes, if nothing else.

His countenance did not betray his slightest uneasiness, and he walked quietly among the stern gazes that greeted him in the middle of the passage, and everyone seemed to be looking at him for any flaws that could be provoked. A little boy who was less than five years old "bravely" left his grandmother's side and ran close to him and yelled at Ryze.

"Are you a warlock?" The little boy asked.

"Pretty much." Ruiz replied, squinting slightly around him, not stopping.

One glance was enough, and he found his way to the back of the village. To his surprise, the village was almost exactly the same as the last time he saw it, years ago, and he had expected that the tribe would definitely attract the surrounding tribes if they hadn't moved away...... He walked over to the characteristic building, a dome made of ice crystals, glowing with a dazzling blue glow between the dim trees and dirt around it.

Putting aside the distractions, Ruiz thought that Yagu had always been a smart man, and perhaps he would choose to cooperate...... Ruiz thought as he walked into the temple, secretly determined that he could no longer hide from it whether it was a blessing or a curse.

Inside, an elderly frost mage is pouring wine on a plate on an altar. He turned to see Ryze approaching, silently as if looking at him quietly. Ruiz felt that her heart had been overwhelmed with regret.

After a while, the mage smiled and hugged Ruiz like a long-lost brother.

"You've lost weight," the mage said. "It's time for you to eat."

"You should eat less." Ruiz replied, smiling at Agu's slightly drooping belly.

The two old friends laughed out loud for a long time, and it seemed that they had never been separated. Rickets gradually felt his wariness begin to fade. There are few people in this world who can make him a friend, and to be able to talk to a friend can greatly benefit his weary soul.

For the next hour, he and Agu chatted about the past, had a good meal, and talked about new things to each other. Ryze seems to have forgotten the pleasure of talking to another human. He could even stay with Agu for two weeks, drinking and talking about the ups and downs of success and failure.

"What was the wind that carried you deep into the mountains of Freljord?" Yagu finally asked.

This question brings Riz back to reality. He immediately recalled the words he had carefully prepared for this moment.

He then recounted a story he had experienced in Shurima. He went to investigate a burgeoning tribe of nomads who had amassed vast amounts of wealth and land and turned into a small kingdom almost overnight. After some inspection, Ruiz found that they had a World Rune in their hands. They are stubborn, so they ......

Ruiz lowered her voice to adjust to the silence in the room. He explained that sometimes something bad has to be done so that the whole world can be preserved. Sometimes these bad things are at least better than the terrible disasters that come from sitting idly by.

"They have to be kept safe."

After a pause, Ruiz made his final point.

"All."

Yagu nodded slowly with a stern face, and the warmth that had just ignited between the two old friends was extinguished in this instant.

"You're going to take it from us? You know it's the only way to keep trolls away, right? Agu asked in a deep voice.

"You always knew that day was going to come sooner or later." Ruiz didn't come up with any other workaround. "You've known it all these years."

"Allow us some time. When spring comes, we move south. What are our odds of winning in the winter? ”

"You've said that before." Ruiz said coldly.

Immediately, Ruiz was startled, and Agu suddenly grabbed his hands and begged him sincerely.

"There are many children among us. There were also three women who had just grown their bellies. Do you want us to die? ”

In the final trill, there was a hint of despair.

"How many people are in this village?" Ruiz asked.

"Ninety-two." Aguta.

"How many people are there in the world?"

Agumer was silent.

"Can't wait any longer. The forces of darkness are gathering for it. I'm going to take it with me today. Rhyz said in a commanding tone.

"You're going to keep it for yourself!"

Wrinkled and trembled, Agu accused loudly, jealousy and anger erupted!

In silence, Ruiz looked at Agu's face, which had become distorted, a face of grief and resentment—the face of a friend, no longer the man Ruiz had ever known. But he was still willing to explain again, earnestly saying that he had long ago learned that runes should not be used, because the price was always too high. And then he could see that the madman in front of him had completely failed to listen to the reason, was he coming again? Again......

Suddenly, Ruiz felt a sharp pain all over his body, and then he realized that he was curling up on the floor, salivating at the corners of his mouth. He looked up and saw that Agu was in a spell-casting stance, his fingers crackling with power that no mortal should have.

Reize, who had come to his senses, even if he was taken the lead, still used the arcane ring to imprison the frost mage, just enough time for him to get up and stand firm.

Then, the two swam around each other and used magic to confront each other, a meeting that hadn't been seen in this world for years. Agu burned Ryze's flesh deeply, and it felt like the heat of twenty suns. Ryze also unleashed a barrage of arcane blasts. The battle lasted for more than ten minutes, and the two of them destroyed the walls of the temple with a magical attack, and the heavy ice crystal dome smashed down.

Badly wounded, Ruiz crawled out of the ice and rock, barely on his knees. He vaguely saw Agu, also covered in bruises, digging out a lock box from the rubble and trembling to open it. Ryze could tell from the greed and determination in his eyes what he was looking for, and even more so what would happen if he was allowed to succeed.

Running out of magical energy, Ruiz decisively jumped behind his old friend and strangled him by the neck with the belt on his own robes. He didn't have any relenting at the moment, and the man who had asked him to keep his hand from time to time a few minutes ago was now just a task that had to be done.

Agu struggled hard, kicking his legs wildly, trying to find a point of support, and suddenly, his body sank and he died.

With a slight breath, Ruiz pulled out a key from Yagu's necklace, opened the lock box, and took out the world rune, on which the strange symbol was flashing orange.

Tear off a rag of the robe from the dead mage, wrap the runes, and carefully place them in his satchel, so that his self, which can be used as a conductor of energy, will not be washed and assimilated by the original magical energy due to too long direct touch. Then he staggered out of the temple, and let out a sad sigh at the thought of having lost another friend.

Limping towards the village gate, flanked by the wandering mage, the same weather-beaten faces as they had come. He watched them with mixed eyes, wondering if he would be attacked, but the villagers did not stop him. These people are no longer fierce guards, these are stunned people who are about to die. They stared at Ruiz with wide, helpless eyes.

"What are we going to do?"

The little boy's grandmother, who protects him in her fur coat, asks Ryze a question.

"I'll leave." Ruiz replied.

He knew that if they stayed here, the trolls might come down the hill and attack the village at nightfall, leaving no one alive. And beyond the village, there lurks even more vicious dangers.

"Can't we go with you?" The little boy shouted.

Ruiz paused. A part of his heart—the shred of irrational compassion that remained in his heart—screamed, taking them, protecting them, forgetting the rest of the world.

But he knew he couldn't. He stepped into the snow of Freljord, and he chose not to look back, no longer at the faces he had left behind. Because those are already dead faces, and his task is related to those who can still be saved.

……