After taking Luke's healing medicine, Zed's injuries quickly stabilized and stopped worsening. His breathing gradually evened out.
Seeing this, Shen silently breathed a sigh of relief.
The grievances between him and Zed had already faded away once the truth finally came to light.
Neither of them said much. Even though they had each chosen their own path, somehow, everything felt as though it had returned to the way it once was.
The members of the Navori Brotherhood at the foot of the mountain had finally rushed over after hearing the commotion.
This was bound to become a troublesome situation, since everyone had killed their leader right under their noses.
In the end, Irelia stepped forward and managed to calm the agitated Brotherhood members.
She had once been the one who led all of them into battle. Although she had never been their official leader, her standing in the hearts of the Brotherhood members had surpassed that of any leader.
That was why, when they later learned of Irelia's decision, every member of the Brotherhood had felt as though she had betrayed them, leaving them consumed with rage.
Now, she publicly exposed all of Kusho's crimes and announced that she would begin establishing a government and forming the Ionian Guard.
The Guard would work to help the people of Ionia return to the lives they once knew. At the same time, it would ensure that what happened with Noxus could never happen again, creating a force capable of uniting in moments of crisis to protect the First Lands.
It would also prepare Ionia for the changes to come and establish an alliance with Piltover.
No one knew what Ionia would become if they continued down this path, but Irelia's conviction was unwavering. No matter what she had to face in the future, she would never retreat.
If no one else was willing to step forward, then she would shoulder it all herself.
Some people suspected that everything was merely the result of a struggle for power, nothing more than a declaration written by the victors. After all, Kusho was dead, and everything they had heard came solely from the mouths of those who had killed him.
Irelia paid no attention to those doubts.
Those willing to believe her would follow her.
Whether in the past or now, if there was one thing about her that had never changed, it was her unbreakable resolve.
Fortunately, Shen and Zed also stepped forward to confirm that everything Irelia had said was true.
That night, everyone rested at the Navori Brotherhood's camp.
By now, Luke felt that he had recovered considerably. At the moment, he was lying alone inside a tent.
After thinking for a moment, Luke raised a hand and released the demonic power within his body.
This was Nocturne's demonic power. Earlier that day, when Luke absorbed the rune from Kusho, he had also absorbed the power of the Tears of Shadow, greatly strengthening it.
At the same time, he seemed to have gained several new abilities.
For example, he could use shadows to create clones.
Just like Zed's shadow magic, he could directly create an unconscious duplicate of himself from a shadow. The clone was controlled by the original body, could not last very long, and possessed far less combat power than Luke himself.
After absorbing the Tears of Shadow, Luke could also create multiple clones at once.
It was a fairly useful improvement, especially for confusing enemies.
The second ability was Shadow Form.
Luke could transform his entire body into shadow. In this state, he could merge into other shadows and move at high speed, while also being able to switch places with his clones.
On top of that, several of his existing abilities had also been enhanced.
Luke withdrew his demonic power and smiled in satisfaction before quietly lying back down.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On a passenger ship heading west, Luke, Akali, and Ahri were saying goodbye to Irelia.
"I'll leave the matter in the Placidium to you. I still need to go meet someone else."
Luke looked toward the young woman standing on shore.
"Leave it to me." Irelia nodded. "Safe travels."
"Same to you."
"Goodbye."
Akali and Ahri waved farewell.
There was no need for lengthy goodbyes. Before long, the ship beneath the three of them slowly began moving away.
Irelia remained where she was, watching them grow smaller and smaller in the distance.
Only after they had completely vanished from sight did she turn around and begin the journey back to the Placidium of Navori.
She had decided to accept Luke's proposal to construct hexgates in Ionia, but her agreement alone was not enough.
She still needed the approval of other leaders and factions. The Kinkou Order, the Order of Shadow, and Elder Nanwu's disciples had already expressed their support.
In other words, she would have to visit many different places next, which was bound to be troublesome.
But since she had already made her decision, she naturally had nothing to fear.
Luke and the others had originally planned to travel to the Lasting Altar, one of the most prestigious powers in all of Ionia.
The person Luke wanted to meet was the current leader of the Lasting Altar, the present-day Enlightened One, Karma.
The name Karma had been passed down since ancient times, representing supreme authority as well as the legacy inherited by generations of Enlightened Ones.
The Enlightened One was a guardian of Ionia, a symbol of peace and harmony, and someone revered by every Ionian.
That was why Irelia's approval could only get Luke halfway there. If Karma refused to give her blessing, the hexgate project would never happen.
Before setting out, Luke had heard that Karma had recently departed from the Lasting Altar as well. She was apparently traveling toward the western seas to deal with some important matter.
So the three of them temporarily changed their itinerary and headed west instead, hoping they might happen to encounter her there.
Far in the distance, another group watched the ship sail away.
Shen looked at the masked woman beside him and asked, "You're not going to see her? When was the last time the two of you spoke?"
"I can't remember."
The woman watched the departing ship, or rather, the girl aboard it.
"That's exactly why I don't dare meet her. When she left the order, perhaps her original intention was simply to show me how dissatisfied she was."
"I don't think you need to worry anymore," Shen said calmly. "She found herself a very good master, someone capable of guiding her onto the right path."
"That's good. I demanded too much from her. I always wanted her to do everything perfectly. I was so strict with her that I completely ignored how she felt."
The woman's voice carried deep remorse, her gaze wavering.
"One day, she'll come to see me with pride in the person she has become. Until then, I don't have the courage to face her. If you approve of this master of hers, then I'm sure he can't be too bad."
On the ship, Ahri noticed Akali staring blankly into space and couldn't help asking, "What are you thinking about? You've been spacing out ever since we set sail."
"I was thinking that we're actually not very far from the Kinkou Order."
Akali came back to her senses and lowered her head as she sat on a barrel.
"Do you want to go back and visit?" Ahri asked.
"I do, but I also don't." Akali sighed. "I've realized that I may have misunderstood the Kinkou Order a little, but that wasn't the only reason I left."
She had once been furious at the Kinkou Order for seemingly turning a blind eye to the war, and in a fit of anger, she had left.
Now she knew that many people within the order had secretly participated in the war, quietly dedicating themselves to Ionia.
But thinking carefully about it, the greater reason she had left the order was probably that person's neglect.
Just because Akali was her daughter, she was expected to outperform even her.
Every other disciple was allowed to throw themselves into her arms and act spoiled, except Akali.
Everyone else was allowed to receive her warmth, except Akali.
That was precisely why she had decided to leave.
She would become even stronger than her mother demanded, but she would not follow the path her mother had planned for her.
Before Shen left, he had actually suggested that she return to the order for a visit.
But she had refused.
The time still wasn't right.
After listening to Akali's story, even Ahri fell silent. She had no parents herself, but just imagining it was enough to make her feel that treating one's own daughter that way was rather cruel.
Still, she could also tell that Akali didn't need advice.
She simply wanted someone to listen.
Luke was sprawled out in a chair. After hearing everything, he lazily said, "Have you ever considered that slacking off can actually be a very effective form of rebellion?"
Akali raised her head. "What do you mean?"
Luke grinned. "The more they demand from you, the more you do the exact opposite. Just stop working hard altogether. Quit pushing yourself, coast through life, and do whatever you feel like. Your parents are already successful anyway, so why not just live off them and enjoy yourself? Eventually, they'll realize that they were the ones who personally drove you to become like that. I'm sure they'd regret everything then."
Akali listened seriously and thought it over carefully.
"That actually sounds like a better idea."
Ahri hurried over in alarm. "Akali, don't listen to the devil whispering in your ear!"
Akali immediately snapped out of it. She glared at Luke through gritted teeth.
"What would even be the point of that?! And what kind of master are you? You're seriously telling your disciple to give up and coast through life?"
"There's something you don't understand. From the moment you acknowledged me as your fa... master, you automatically became a member of my Church of Coasting."
Luke reclined comfortably in his chair, every inch of him radiating pure relaxation.
"Yeah, right!" Akali scoffed. "I'm not joining your stupid Church of Coasting!"
"Ah, young people. Life just hasn't beaten you down enough yet. When you're young, you don't appreciate the art of coasting. You mistake hard work for a virtue!"
Luke shook his head and sighed.
"Hmph!"
Akali stood up.
"Then I'll make your Church of Coasting famous throughout the world and make sure everyone knows it's the hardest-working organization there is!"
With that, she immediately went off to train.
So young, yet already such a natural rebel.
Luke sighed again as he watched her go. The ship rocked gently beneath him, causing his reclining body to sway along with it.
The May sunlight fell warmly across him, filling the air with peace and tranquility.
Ahri dragged over a reclining chair and placed it beside Luke's, then lay down to sunbathe with him, feeling that this moment was especially wonderful.
Akali's clear shouts occasionally rang out from where she was training, but they weren't enough to disturb the two of them.
And so, the days passed one after another.
Before they knew it, half a month had gone by.
The passenger ship had traveled with the wind at its back, rarely stopping and sailing onward both day and night. Even so, it had taken them nearly half a month to reach their destination.
As the ship slowly docked at the harbor, Luke and the others disembarked along with the rest of the passengers.
This place was called Hopehaven, a name meant to symbolize placing their hopes for peace here.
It had been renamed after the war because this was where the Noxian fleet had first landed, and the area had once suffered horrific devastation.
Now the war was over, Noxus had been driven out, and the land had finally been given a chance to begin again.
United, the people had constructed a port city here. In only half a year, it had already regained much of its vitality.
It would still take time to erase the shadow Noxus had left behind, but that day was no longer far away.
Luke, Akali, and Ahri entered the port city and wandered around while gathering information about Karma.
That was their main objective.
Someone as important as Karma could hardly travel anywhere without attracting attention. There were bound to be rumors.
"I heard the Enlightened One is coming here soon?"
"Is that really true?"
"It is. I'd guess she'll arrive before long."
"Then I'd better prepare properly. If I could receive even a little guidance from her, I could die happy."
"Don't get carried away. The Enlightened One isn't someone people like us can meet whenever we want."
"Even seeing her from a distance would be an honor!"
"Come to think of it, is she coming because of what happened on Fae'lor a while back?"
"Probably. I heard something that sounded like an earthquake that night. Supposedly, some terrifying being awakened."
"If the Enlightened One is coming in person, then I guess there's nothing to worry about, right?"
"Of course!"
A group of locals had gathered farther down the street, casually chatting. Their conversation happened to turn toward Karma, the Enlightened One.
With Luke's hearing, he didn't even need to deliberately approach them to catch every word.
He turned to the other two.
"Looks like we arrived a little early. The Enlightened One isn't here yet."
"So what do we do now?" Akali asked.
"For now, we should rent a place in the city. We can wait for her to arrive after that."
Luke thought for a moment and decided they should find somewhere to stay first.
In a city with this much traffic, finding accommodations was naturally easy. Before long, the three of them found a suitable place that was quiet, spacious, and comfortable.
By then, evening was approaching.
With nothing else to do, Luke watched the setting sun and suddenly remembered what he had overheard earlier.
The Enlightened One was supposedly coming to deal with whatever had happened on Fae'lor.
Just what exactly had happened there?
"There's something I'm curious about. You two stay here. I'm going out to look around."
Luke got to his feet, deciding to gather some information.
"Okay."
After spending half a month on a ship, Akali and Ahri had no desire to run around anymore. They would much rather rest.
Luke returned to the streets and casually found a teahouse. After ordering a pot of good tea, he asked the owner, "I heard something happened on Fae'lor a while ago. What exactly went down there?"
"Oh, that."
The owner wasn't busy at the moment, so he began telling the story.
"It's actually been quite a while. I'd say it happened more than half a year ago. The war was nearing its end at the time. Then one day, Fae'lor, which was occupied by Noxus, suddenly started shaking like the whole island was coming apart."
"Later, when people finally went there, they discovered that the Noxian forces on the island had been completely wiped out. Not a single survivor. Bodies everywhere."
"At first, everyone thought some incredibly powerful being had intervened, so people were thrilled. But afterward, no matter how much they prayed or tried to call out to whatever had done it, they never received any response. Eventually, people gradually forgot about the whole thing."
"Then, a little over a month ago, every ship that approached Fae'lor started getting damaged. Nobody died, but it felt like some kind of warning. After that, not a single ship that approached Fae'lor managed to return intact."
"Eventually, people stopped going altogether. Something terrifying might have settled on that island. Of course, there are all kinds of rumors."
"The situation even caught the attention of the Lasting Altar, and the Enlightened One herself is preparing to come here. With her involved, I doubt it'll remain a problem for long."
The owner seemed quite satisfied after telling the whole story in one breath.
Luke quietly finished listening. By then, his pot of tea was almost empty as well.
After paying, he stood up and took his leave.
According to what the owner had told him, the situation was almost exactly what Luke had suspected.
Should he go take a look?
If he could solve this problem ahead of time, perhaps he could earn a favor from the Enlightened One.
That would make it much easier to persuade her to approve the hexgate project.
The problem was, this particular trouble would not be easy to deal with.
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