The grand show ended perfectly.

The season of falling cherry blossoms is the time when love flowers bloom all over the place.

Seraphine happily stayed with Oriana at Hayden's Bistro for dinner, and then slowly floated back to the Floating Castle.

When she leisurely returned to the library on the top floor of the Mage Tower, she heard Lady Sindra's voice as soon as she entered the door:

"Demacia has discovered a mage who controls the rhythm."

Seraphine's face was slightly pale, and she said curiously, "Do you have the same soul talent as me?" ”

"No, she's just a gift for sound magic."

She saw Ms. Sindra sitting at the desk and shook her head slightly, she blinked and asked:

"Ms. Sindra, is there a task for me to do? Will she be recruited? ”

"She doesn't mean much to us, and Svein thinks you should go to Demacia and enlighten them." Sindra said lightly.

"But... Aren't we enemies? Seraphine was puzzled.

She understands that enlightenment is to help Demacia clear up her spiritual confusion, which is what she does best.

But in doing so, there is no doubt that the enemy is being funded.

Sindra flipped the pages of the book, and her tone was indifferent:

"It's an attempt at cultural transmission in the Empire, and it's your next lesson. From here to Demacia, every place is your stage. ”

Hearing Lady Sindra's nonchalant words, Seraphine seemed to understand something.

It seems that in the eyes of his two teachers and the upper echelons of the empire, Demacia is not a target worth dealing with.

They have the confidence and ability to completely crush Demacia...

"Sounds great." There was a hint of intent in Seraphine's eyes, "Shall I put it down for the time being over there at the academy?" ”

"Read 10,000 books and travel a thousand miles. This is what he said, and it is also the realization that every mage should have. Sindra said lightly.

Setting off with the students, Seraphine instantly understood the subtext of Ms. Sindra.

Where is this training mage...

There was helplessness in her eyes, Lady Sindra's words were spoken by his teacher, and they were the standard for all mages in Noxus.

The mages in Mr. Ryan's eyes are completely different species from the mages defined by Rune Continent.

In the eyes of her teacher, the mage should know the changes of the sun, moon and stars, and the changes of the continent over the years.

In addition, it is necessary to read thousands of books, travel thousands of mountains and rivers, and understand all the mysteries of magic.

And her training plan is formulated according to such a benchmark.

Therefore, Seraphine believes that she is not an apprentice of a mage, but a reserve of gods.

"I'll be prepared."

Seraphine nodded in response, her eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

Walk between Noxus and Demacia and feel the collision of two cultures. Perhaps, this is a very interesting thing.

Sindra nodded slightly, and continued to shift her gaze to the book in her hand.

Alley was lying under her right hand, a magical interaction between the two, as if sending a message.

......

Sunset.

On the desert on the border of Acacia.

A poor village welcomes two dusty guests.

The people who were doing farm work in the village raised their heads one after another, staring at the stranger with a frown, and there was wariness in their eyes.

These two visitors are Kai'Sa and Ryan all the way, and after experiencing several waves of attacks from the Void creatures, Ryan is finally able to restrain his strength, at least not to provoke ordinary Void creatures to pounce like mad dogs.

"Outsiders, what is the purpose of your visit?"

An old man with a dark complexion walked up to the two, his tone revealing undisguised hostility.

Ryan stopped Kai'Sa, who was about to speak, and said calmly:

"We are travelers from Noxus and want to go to Acacia."

His words made the old man's face change slightly, and his brows furrowed deeply:

"Acacia, it's a dead place for a long time, and no one wants to go there."

"But it's a magical shrine for thousands of years, and there will always be some traces." Ryan replied with a smile.

"Young man, you should be a powerful mage. But I still have to give you a word of advice, it's too dangerous there. The old man discouraged.

"Don't worry, we have our own measure." Ryan smiled, and said with a nonchalant expression, "We want to spend a night in the village, dare to ask if it's okay...?" ”

"Go and stay at my house for one night, I hope you will come back alive."

The old man sighed, but welcomed the two into the village.

Walking in the village, you can feel the enormity of this village.

The village is unusually empty, and there is only one house far away.

However, around the houses of each family, fences were fenced, and poultry and livestock were constantly crying.

Ryan and the others observed their surroundings as they walked, and chatted with the old man by the way.

During the conversation, Ryan also learned the other party's name, Karui, who was the head of the village.

Following the village chief Karui into an ordinary courtyard, the village chief went out after a few words, telling the two not to go out at night, and the neighborhood was not safe after nightfall.

Seeing the village chief walking away, Kaisha frowned and said:

"Lord Ryan, this is the fifth village we've explored, each one is about the same, with a very small population, but a large number of livestock. They must know something, I can see Karui's fear of Acacia. ”

Fear of Acacia is normal for natives like them.

But beneath Karui's fear, there was a hidden frenzy.

With the ability to coexist with the Void, Kai'Sa could easily perceive this.

Especially in the villages, the villagers raise far more cattle and sheep than the population can carry.

If it is a village, it can also be explained that it is to supply the rest of the villages.

But this is already the fifth village, and the sum of the cattle, sheep, and poultry in these villages is enough to supply the Immortal Fortress.

You know, this is a desert, and raising these cattle, sheep and poultry consumes far more resources than the rest of the region.

The corners of Ryan's mouth turned up slightly, and the rune blue light in his eyes flickered and dimmed:

"The village was full of the breath of life, but I didn't perceive the void. There must be a reason why the Void doesn't come closer. ”

"What do you mean... What does this have to do with the Void? Kaisha's face froze slightly.

Ryan tapped his chin: "This is inevitable, in the past 10 years, those who do not believe in the void should have been screened." ”

There is hardly any shadow of the great powers on the borders of Acacia, and the warlords of Shurima will not come here.

This land has been stocked for decades, and it is estimated that the last time an organized army visited here was when he led people to invade the Shurima continent, sending people to search for Kaisha and her family.

It had been 7-8 years since then, and the soldiers had only gone to Kaisha's village. He didn't know much about the situation on the ground.

But one thing is for sure.

The villages that can survive now must have all believed in the void, and may even be rations for the void captivity.

And the one who manipulates or receives rations on behalf of the Void is the 'Prophet'.

Perhaps, the other party is doing this for the sake of preserving human life, or perhaps, the 'prophet' is a member of the void.

Ryan's eyes flashed with curiosity and inquiry, and for him, the current situation had piqued his interest.

The land is infested with void creatures, and magical detection is almost ineffective against the land, but instead startles the snakes.

That 'prophet' was not like a brainless creature of the void.

With great power, it seems like it's been a long time since he's played against an unknown enemy.

Interesting!

"Maybe tonight, or tomorrow when we leave, we should be able to detect something." Ryan looked up meaningfully.

In the direction of his gaze, Karui had a few words of conversation with a middle-aged man, who ran towards the desert with a solemn face.

The direction he left was exactly the direction of Acacia.

This village was different from the ones they had visited before, there were more cattle, sheep and poultry and they looked older...

In the rest of the region, although there are many domestic animals and poultry, they are all juveniles.

They were given the explanation that the older poultry and livestock had already been sold to the towns, while the new batch was still growing.

From here to the days of sacrifice to the void... It shouldn't be far off...

"That's right—" Kai'Sa nodded knowingly.

Master Ryan had taught her that she needed to think about the big picture in the details.

In the last few days, every time she heard Ryan's nudge, she had a feeling of sudden realization.

These experiences reminded him of the old days.

His father was employed by caravanserans, so he was often away from home, and would travel around the world to give some precious treasures to distant employers.

Although my father spends little time at home, he always tells her a lot of interesting stories that he encountered during his travels.

On the way back from one of his father's visits, he met Ryan, who was seriously injured at the time.

At the gracious invitation of her father, Ryan stayed at her home to recuperate.

From Ryan's mouth, Kai'Sa hears a different kind of realization, an experience from the perspective of a mage.

It was because of some teaching and guidance from Ryan that she was able to spend so many years in the void.

Otherwise... When she faced the first void creature, she had already followed her mother and died...

Thinking of the void, Kaisha's eyes were filled with pain, and after she suppressed herself, she reluctantly smiled and asked:

"Lord Ryan, do you think we'll be able to meet the 'prophet' this time?"

For the past few days, they have been walking in the Gobi Desert...

Many villages have been found, but not a single trace of the Void has been found, let alone the 'Prophet'.

Where there are villages, there is no void, but beneath the land where there is no living thing, there are traces of the void.

All kinds of signs reveal weirdness.

And the source of all anomalies can only be the hand of the 'prophet'.

Ryan casually opened the translucent blue reticle, which made Kai'Sa frown and realize that someone was approaching.

Immediately afterward, she heard Ryan say:

"The void is chaotic, that's what we can conclude at the moment. Or rather, the sapient beings of the Void lack power, or lack the understanding of space. ”

Lately, they've been in contact with Void creatures almost every day, and Ryan's concept of them has become clearer.

The Void, a destructive, parasitic organism.

They survive by absorbing nutrients from other organisms, but they have no restraint and only devour everything they know.

The Void is like a virus, devouring and destroying all living organisms in large areas, leaving nothing behind.

When they devour all living organisms, because they cannot find a new devouring object, that is, their new owner, they will also die due to the lack of energy sources.

In addition to this, void creatures will also devour each other. When they devour a certain amount, they will usher in evolution.

The most common void creature is an insect-like creature with sharp limbs and a carapace, small in size, appearing in a large group, and was also called 'ethereal' by the pioneer who was in the mausoleum at the time.

Further up, Ryan had only seen the big-eyed Void Creature, the test subject he had obtained from 'Vazuan'.

Even if it has gone through thousands of years of wear, even if the energy is almost cut off, it is difficult to die a void creature.

This is a high-level void creature that is much more difficult to deal with than the ethereal spirit. Even if they are only disturbed by its whispering, or just stared at by its big eyes, ordinary people will lose their lives unconsciously.

The current level of void does not seem to exist on the border of Acacia.

Or, the 'prophet' is at this level and cannot control the void at this level.

Ryan explained his known notion of the Void, and just by saying it, he had a feeling of being watched by an unknown being.

But it seemed that it was because of the world runes in his body, or because of the rune continent itself, this feeling only appeared for a moment when the void was mentioned, and then disappeared without a trace.

At least... The current void can't help him.

The corners of Ryan's mouth curled slightly, and he continued in a good mood:

"It has now been determined that the 'Prophet' or his creatures have the ability to manipulate the creatures of the Void. Just let me see their sacrifice once and I will be able to find it. ”

Obviously, the void creatures under this large area of land are all because of the offerings of these villagers, so they will have such a large scale.

"Rebirth: The Great Age of Waves"

Now, not far from the time of the village's sacrifice, he was eager to see the 'prophet' behind it.

At the same time, 1 kilometer from the village of Acacia, there was a deep, narrow ravine, the inside of which was dark and bottomless, and it was intimidating to look at.

The middle-aged man who had left the village before had already run here.

He knelt on his legs, his head slammed against the rock, and his whole body appeared to be prostrate, only his palms were upward, as if he was praying some kind of prayer.

"The Void... The Great Void... Answer the call of your faithful servant! ”

The man's mouth continued to mutter a mysterious language, an ancient language originating from Acacia, long since been lost.

His voice was soft when it spoke, but it seemed to contain some wonderful magic.

As he repeated, his pitch rose and his surroundings changed slightly.

The ground began to tremble slightly, and the narrow crack in the ground was slowly getting bigger.

"Shhh

Beneath the cracks in the ground, the first roar was heard.

Immediately afterward, the sound became more frequent and harsh.

After a few breaths, one by one the void spirits shook their limbs and drilled out of the cracks in the ground, densely packed.

These ethereals were stacked on top of each other to form a giant limbed monster.

The ethereal spirit that made up the head let out a roar at the same time, and it actually caused a storm, blowing on the middle-aged man's body, tearing the cloth on his back, and scratching blood marks.

If it weren't for the man prostrate on the ground, he might have been knocked away by this wind.

The man's legs trembled, and he said with horror in his tone:

"Void, great deity! Two mages have arrived in the village, and they want to go to Acacia. ”

"Tomorrow night is the day of sacrifice, should they become our tribute, and hope that the gods will give a will!"

Several of their villages had been informed of each other's progress toward Acacia.

According to the usual custom, mages are the sweethearts of various villages.

Acacia attracts countless explorers who don't want to die to hunt for treasure, but most of them don't live to reach the land of Acacia.

For the Void, magic is far superior to the tonic of livestock.

Every mage can save the village from a month's sacrifice.

Other villages have asked the Void, but the Void's answer is to ignore it. The rest of the villages are far away from the time of the sacrifice, so they can only be foolish.

But unlike the rest of the village, tomorrow night is a monthly sacrifice day.

On this grand day, they would sacrifice cattle and sheep as sacrifices. The Void, after receiving their offerings, will also keep them safe for the month.

This tradition, they have been going on for almost a decade.

And the arrival of these two mages symbolizes additional benefits for them.

Before they can do that, they need to make sure that their actions will satisfy the Void.

"Let... They... Leave... Tomorrow night... Sacrifice... Normal! ”

The stacked monsters of the ethereals let out a roar, interspersed with tones similar to those of Shurima's language.

Although the middle-aged man didn't really hear it, he still understood the meaning of the ethereal spirit.

He bowed to the void spirit again and left tremblingly.

In the process, he didn't even dare to raise his head, let alone look at the void.

He returned to the village in embarrassment, just in time to see the village chief Karui waiting at the entrance of the village.

"How? Does the Void have any purpose? "The chief of Karui made a gesture of piety despite his eagerness.

At this moment, the sun had set in the west, and the moonlight and the starry sky shone on the earth.

With the faint light, a large number of villagers with weapons in their hands could be seen gathered around the village chief.

They had been busy feeding their livestock before, and at this moment, they gathered together with steel forks and iron guns, waiting for the middle-aged man to bring back news.

Apparently, the two mages who lived in Karu's house had taken them as an extra tribute from the village to the Void.

"The meaning of the void... The sacrifice is as usual, let them go tomorrow. The middle-aged man said tremblingly.

The journey that had just met the void seemed to have exhausted the spirit of his body.

He was cold now, and his body couldn't stop shaking.

"Do the will of vanity." The village chief of Karui said with a straight face, which matched his status as a fanatical believer.

Compared to the Karui Village Chief's fanaticism for the Void, the rest of the villagers put down their weapons with regret in their eyes.

Two mages are worth at least two months of sacrifice.

And all they had to do was to take advantage of the darkness to kill the two weak mages.

Something like this has happened countless times in the past ten years.

Ryan's house is a house made in the village for 'VIPs', and it's made entirely of flammable materials.

All it takes is a spark to incinerate it.

At that time, the rubble on the roof will fall one after another, and even a powerful mage will be smashed into a lot of injuries.

They threw iron spears in the distance, and there were few mages they couldn't handle.

The Void Sacrifice does not need to be alive, and it is only a day after death, and the mana in the body will not even pass.

It's a pity... The sacrifice in hand was rejected by the Void.

At the same time, Ryan, who was sitting quietly at the table flipping through the books, had a sarcastic smile on the corner of his mouth.

It seems to be mocking the ignorance of the villagers, or the weakness of the void.

The night was peaceful.

The next day, the sun rose in the east.

Facing the complicated gaze of all the villagers, and with the respectful send-off of the Karui village chief, Ryan and the others left the village.

On this day, Ryan and the others stepped over the restored crevice on the south side of the village, and walked a long, far way in the direction of Ayxia.

Until night falls again...

On a dirt bag not far from the village, Ryan and the others stood silently.

They were encased in a translucent blue shield, and both were held up by magic and suspended in mid-air, not in contact with the ground.

Walking outside the shield, even if you pass by the ground below them, you won't notice any trace of them.

"It's almost exactly the same as that night."

Kai'Sa looked at the campfire burning in the distance, with a hint of pain and unbearability in her eyes.

That night was the same as the village in front of me today.

The villagers put their cattle and sheep together, tied their limbs and placed them around the campfire in the middle of the clearing, singing in incomprehensible language.

It's just that at that time, there were not as many cattle and sheep in her village as there are now. Moreover... She did something stupid at the time, she and her friends...

The cattle and sheep that the villagers bought...

Released!

And that may be the real fuse for the Void to come.

But every time she thinks about it, Kaisha's heart is full of anger and unwillingness.

Perhaps, they will survive like the village now.

Or, like the ruins of the village, they will be destroyed because they can't make up the sacrifices to poultry and livestock.

But why...

As human beings, they are sacrificed to a group of filthy and brainless beasts, even as weak food!

The Void, her eternal enemy.

One day, she'll wipe them all out!

At this time, Ryan seemed to notice something, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he reminded loudly:

"The sacrifice has begun!"