It takes a few hours to get from Haven Sea Cliffs to Xiong.

Along the way, the carriage where the four of them were was only Ahri and Josh were tired of being together.

Unable to accept a "lively" environment, Ruiz only prefers to meditate alone, so one occupies a carriage in the back.

Gwen was curious about the scenery outside, the countryside, the villages, the birds and animals that he had never seen in the heavenly bushes, and even the farmers working in the fields.

Sindra, on the other hand, resents Josh and Ahri for having no boundaries and ignoring the intimacy of others, and her eyes linger outside the car window.

But unlike Gwen, Sindra adhered to the habit of cultivating since childhood, and just stared at the clouds of different shapes in the sky in a daze, without saying a word.

The fiery clouds of the sky float leisurely, rendered into a brilliant golden red by the afterglow of the setting sun, pouring down thousands of rays of light, eye-catching.

It was not until evening that the villages of the plain gradually became denser, and the flat horizon finally appeared in the shadow of a huge gray-white wall.

"Miss Ahri, we'll be there soon." Outside the car, the driver who was driving the car reminded him.

Ahri, who had already talked to Josh about her future birth plans, smiled sweetly, kissed him lightly on the lips, and sat down next to him, sorting out Gwen's new battle-specific sentry costume that Gwen had tailored for her.

Sindra finally came to her senses, withdrew her gaze from outside the carriage, and sighed, "Ah...... Dead and silent city, I really don't want to go back here. ”

Since the buildings of Xiongdu are basically integrated with the elements of the Forbidden Demon Fossil Tree, especially the city wall and the Dawn Castle where the royal family is located, the proportion of Forbidden Demon Stones is higher.

The material realm and the spiritual realm are two worlds that are blended together, but the forbidden magic stone can block magic, which also affects the existence of the material realm and the perception of the spiritual realm.

As a powerful spirit mage, Sindra's inexhaustible power comes from another realm.

In other words, she could theoretically use the power of the whole world for herself.

Although Sindra does not rely on the power of the spiritual realm, her own strength is not weak.

But staying in Xiongdu, not being able to bathe in the magic factor is nothing, and almost cutting off the connection with the spiritual realm is the most serious.

This was tantamount to cutting off her arms, much to Sindra's dismay.

"We're not going to stay long."

Ahri said indifferently: "It has been a long time since King Gawain III led his army over the Shining Silver Mountains to repel the tentative invasion of Noxus at the coastal fortress of Karlsted five years ago, and that Brond Darkwell guy has not set his sights on the west side of Valoran for a long time.

"The Dreadnought Vanguard Legion is currently not dispatched, all of them are stationed in the city, and it will take about half a day to mobilize soldiers and logistical supplies.

"We still need to go to the Forbidden Demon Stone Forest to get the world runes, once we come and go, the time we spend in Xiongdu is even more numbered, Anla~~"

Sindra muttered, "Go to the Forbidden Demon Stone Forest...... Then I might as well stay in Xiongdu. ”

"Don't complain, when the time comes, after dealing with the black fog, you can stay on Fuguang Island with me all the time."

"No, I'd rather stay in Ionia than I would have left Filore if it weren't for your help." Sindra said, "Accustomed to the weak material and spiritual barriers of Ionia, I was still a little uncomfortable when I came out suddenly. ”

"Ionian ...... Is it the archipelago continent? Gwen blinked, "I think I've heard this name from other sentinels." ”

"That's right, in the past, people called it the First Born Land, until the government of the First Born Land was established, and the elders and councils of each province combined the local dialects to take the homonym of 'First Born Land' and beautify it, which is why it has the beautiful name Ionia today."

Ahri smiled, and her beautiful eyes turned to Josh, "When Josh first mentioned the land of the newborn to me, I had illusions about that land, and it wasn't until I followed my people to the land that I had never set foot in again that I realized that it was far more magical than I imagined. ”

It's a pity that Josh couldn't be by my side at that time.

Feeling a little lonely in Ahri's words, Josh guessed what she was thinking, and instead took her warm hand.

The two looked at each other affectionately, but Sindra glanced at the corners of her mouth helplessly and looked away.

"Hey, boring."

[Well, I feel that way too. Runicia answered.

Gwen's face was full of hope, "It's good, I'd like to see Ionia too." ”

"There's going to be a chance." Ahri chuckled, "When the time comes, let Josh accompany us." ”

"But speaking of Ionia...... Josh pondered for a moment and asked, "Ahri, do you know what the Noxus side has been doing lately?" ”

"Action?"

Ahri's eyes were a little puzzled, remembering that Josh had said that he had killed Vladimir and Elise Kythera at the No Return, No Return Tavern.

The Kithera family is a powerful nobleman in the Immortal Fortress, but there are few records of the head of the family in the history of Noxus.

But after all, it is the organization behind the war that pushes the entire Runeterras into the suspicion of war every day, and even if Helia has fallen, as the legitimate inheritance of the Sentinel of Light, he still has a considerable degree of understanding of the association that founded Noxus.

Demacia and Noxus are hostile, and the Sentinels of Light and the Black Rose have collided and clashed over the past few hundred years.

At the very least, Vladimir, the ancestor of Kamavia, who can use blood magic, and Elise, the head of the family behind Kithera, and Ahri have all heard of it, but they have not encountered it head-on.

What do you mean? Black roses? ”

The exchange between the two attracted Gwen and Sindra's attention.

"What is a black rose?" Gwen asked.

"An ancient society that existed as early as the time of the Iron Armor Wraith, led by a pale lady who mastered sorcery and magic, and behind her back, guided the former Noxie barbarians to establish the Noxian regime."

Ahri gives Gwen a brief introduction to the Black Rose.

"Iron-armored Wraith?" Gwen did have such a title in his memory, "Is his name Maud Caesar?" A resurrected iron-blooded warlord? The host once told me about the legends of the Valoran continent. ”

[What the hell, when our Dark Spawn is still alive, how dare a mere human make a mistake? 】

"Honestly, that guy is a ''."

While replying to Lunithia, Josh nodded in response: "It's him, and my so-called 'action' can be regarded as the command of the Black Rose, after all, the Noxian Emperor Bron's Darkwell is just a puppet of the Pale Lady." ”

He paused for a moment and continued to ask, "Did Noxus send war masons to Ionia?" ”

"Why send war stonemasons to Ionia?" This time it was Sindra who asked rhetorically, "War stonemasons can only be seen in places where war is coming, do you want to say that Noxus intends to provoke a war with Ionia?" ”

Josh didn't answer the question for the time being, just silently stared at Ahri, who was also silent next to him.

The air inside the car fell silent for a moment.

Not only Josh, but even Gwen and Sindra were aware of the problem.

"Are they really trying to invade Ionia?" Sindra stared at Ahri's face and said in a lost voice.

"For the time being...... Up in the air. ”

Ahri took a deep breath, "However, according to the information sent back by the sentinels, the current situation in Noxus is not optimistic.

"The aged Bron Darkwell seems to be very interested in 'immortality', and for so many years he has often provoked wars regardless of domestic productivity, and has over-depleted national power, so that the already crumbling empire is almost on the verge of collapse.

"If we continue in our current form, according to scholars' estimates, it will collapse in 20 years at most, and the entire empire will collapse overnight.

"Unless there's a new, iron-fisted leader who puts the empire in order and drags Noxus back from the edge of the suspension.

"But in my opinion, the Emperor of Noxus is just a political puppet that Black Rose has put to the fore.

"Either the Pale Lady herself intends to save Noxus and elect an emperor who is enough to affect the interests of all Noxian nobles and be hostile to them, otherwise it will not be possible to save this dying empire.

"Unless ......"

Ahri's words came to an abrupt end.

But in the next second, Gwen subconsciously added: "Unless they can divert the domestic contradictions?" ”

Seeing Josh, Ahri, and Sindra's gaze turn to her at the same time, Gwen's little face suddenly flushed, and she hurriedly said, "I, I'm talking nonsense...... Don't worry about me. ”

"You're not talking nonsense, it makes sense." Josh complimented.

"Huh? Is it...... Actually, I also learned about this based on my master's knowledge. ”

Gwen breathed a sigh of relief, and the embarrassment in her heart subsided a lot, "Foyego had only been on the throne for a year and a half, and most of the knights of Camavia did not trust him as an uneducated prince.

So, in order to deflect the dispute within Camavia, Foyego had to prove himself with victory...... Although the master was reluctant to let Foyego start a war, there was nothing he could do. ”

As he was speaking, Gwen suddenly seemed to think of something, and his face turned gloomy: "The master was also attacked by assassins at the celebration banquet of that battle, and was severely poisoned, and finally died of life. ”

Sindra frowned and stared at Gwen, she didn't expect Isolde to have such an experience.

It can be seen that Isolde really loves Gwen, and Gwen smiles happily every time she mentions her.

Despite verbally calling her master, Isolde is actually more of a mother to Gwen.

Gwen was a poor child, and Sindra was ashamed to recall the hostility and alienation she had shown to her over the past few days, consciously or unconsciously.

Do I really want to do this to her? It's not a fault that you like someone.

But what she likes is what she shouldn't like......

Uh, no, I shouldn't have thought so!

After all, Kamavia is a traditional kingdom, and it is normal for the king to have multiple princesses.

I can't blame Gwen for falling in love with Josh despite Ahri.

Sindra's eyes began to lose focus, slightly startled.

Also, Mother......

If only my mom could be like Isolde did with Gwen.

While Sindra was thinking, Ahri left Josh's side and sat down beside Gwen on her side, taking her hand and comforting her:

"Don't be sad, from Isolde's point of view, she definitely won't want to see you sad, right? Besides, don't you have us now? You can treat us like family. ”

"Family...... Is it? ”

Gwen raised her eyes to meet Ahri's eyes, and when she saw her smile softly and winked at herself, she was in a much better mood.

"Thank you, Ahri."

It's just that Sindra, who was sitting opposite the two of them, crossed her legs with her hands around her chest, her face was complicated, and she sighed softly in her heart.

I'm also part of Ahri's family, but what she says to Gwen is clearly different from my relationship with their family......

Ahri then concluded: "In short, it is not impossible for Noxus to invade Ionia, and we need to be prepared. ”

"But are you going to pit the Sentinels of Light against Noxus?" Sindra was surprised, "Don't forget, although the Sentinels of Light are allies of Demacia, they at least have a reputation as a neutral organization to the outside world. ”

This question was answered by Josh: "Fukumitsu Island is about to be rebuilt, and we will not be neutral right away. ”

Ahri followed up and said, "Josh is right, when the problem of Shadow Island is solved, the mission of the Light Sentinel for a thousand years is over, and it is bound to be reformed and reorganized." ”

"But the sentinels ......," Sindra hesitated slightly.

"Most of them suffered from the black fog, and finally chose to join the Sentinels of Light, and when the curse of ruin is completely over, most of them will eventually return to normal life."

Ahri's tone was very indifferent, as if he didn't care about it, "The reduction of personnel is inevitable, not to mention that the bright sentinels will basically represent Fuguang Island in the future."

"This time, I don't intend to make Helia a legendary utopia like it was a thousand years ago, and with the cultural heritage we have accumulated, we need to play a leading role."

……

……

The architecture of Demacia Xiongdu inherits part of the style of Fuguang Island, and at the same time extends the unique Valoran style on this basis.

The magnificent forbidden stone city wall dozens of meters high rose from the ground, and the statue of a fearless soldier waiting for a defensive tower held spears and shields, combined with the city wall itself, Ling Ran stared to the east.

The huge Arc de Triomphe door is carved with the wings of the Flying Wing Sisters, and the shield and sword stand in the center, which is a cultural imprint exclusive to Demacia.

Due to the late hour, the gate of Xiongdu was about to close, and soldiers were stationed in front of the gate to remind the peasants who had just returned from a busy day to enter the city as soon as possible and not to crowd at the city gate.

Soon, the carriage with the sentry decoration arrived, and after showing the coat of arms exclusive to the Sentinels of Light, the guards quickly let them go, and the captain of the squad guarding the city even called two teams to escort them.

Even if Josh didn't need them.

The urban structure of Xiongdu is relatively complex, belonging to the settlement structure, and each large family in the royal city will have its own jurisdiction, exercising its own jurisdiction under the royal power.

The castle of dawn, where the royal family lives, is located in the middle of the city, built on a lone peak, hundreds of meters high, and the huge square in front of the castle is enough to easily accommodate tens of thousands of people.

Due to the king's lack of skills, the power of the kingdom was delegated to the Silver Council, which is currently composed of eight people and seven families, plus the head of the Illuminator Church, each of which occupies an important position in the city.

Although the Sentinels of Light belong to an organization that has existed since the founding of Demacia, under the leadership of Ahri, they basically do not participate in the operation of Demacia, but are simply allies.

In addition to the Illuminator Sect, which was derived from the Illuminator Sect of the Hylia, it also has a lot of connections with the Light Sentinels.

The second castle located at the northern end of Castle of Dawn, which is also the Temple of Lightbringer of the Illuminator Sect, is basically the main place for the sentinels to temporarily rest in Xiongdu.

Escorted by the guards, several carriages traveled unhindered and soon followed the King's Road to the main hall of the Castle of Dawn.

A few minutes after everyone entered the city, Gavin III, a group of officials, and several shield formations of the dreadnought vanguards who accompanied them had been waiting in front of the gate for a long time.

When Ahri got out of the carriage, a group of people immediately swarmed in.

The king at the head had a thick brown beard and short hair, but it was mixed with a little gray thread, and his resolute face did not lose the softness of an emperor.

He wore a crown made of pure gold with a blue crystal in the center, a gorgeous silver and white gold silk tunic with tan trousers, and crystal clear gems and gold ornaments inlaid on the clothes, all showing the luxury of the royal family of Demacia.

The most conspicuous thing that followed the king was the Ionian, who did not fit in with the faces around him, with his black hair tied up in a high ponytail, and a spear in his hand.

It is not difficult for Josh to see that this is the governor of Debang in his prime - Zhao Xin.

And the woman standing on the other side of the king, dressed in rune armor composed of yellow, blue, and white, equipped with the broad shoulder pads characteristic of Demacia, with long hair in a shawl, and a very resolute face, it is not difficult for Josh to guess-

She is none other than the Sword Captain who currently commands the Fearless Vanguard, Tiana of the Crown Guard Family.

As the king's bodyguards, Zhao Xin and Tiana can be said to be the right-hand men of Jiawen III, loyal to the royal family, and follow the king day and night.

It's just that she has not yet taken over the position of Generalissimo of Demacia, and Galen has not received the title of the power of Demacia and has become the commander of the dreadnought vanguard.

That guy is still a teenager.

As soon as he walked in front of Ahri, Gavin III, as the king of a country, immediately crossed his hands into fists, his left arm in front of his chest, and bowed to Ahri with the etiquette of Demacia.

As a king, he did such an inferior act, but the ministers who accompanied him were not surprised, and they also looked respectful and accompanied King Gawain III to courtesy.

This is the founding ancestor of the country far earlier than the Flying Wing Sisters!

Even if Ahri didn't join Demacia, she was no less important than Demacia's twin sisters, or even slightly more so.

At least in the recorded history of Demacia, without Ahri and the remnants of Fuguang Island led by her, there would be no current Demacia.

"No courtesy." Ahri said calmly, as if he was used to this kind of scene.

Jiawen III straightened up his waist and immediately made a respectful invitation again.

"Miss Ahri, I learned the day before yesterday that you were going to move to Xiongdu today, so I made all the preparations early...... The dinner and the room are ready, please come with me. ”

Thank you for the 1733 points reward for the terminal patients who have difficulty getting up!

(End of chapter)