The next day, Luke deliberately waited until Sarah woke up before saying goodbye.
Miss Fortune was not the melodramatic type. After what happened last night, the reluctance to part had already vanished from her heart.
They would see each other again, after all.
She prepared a ship for Luke's voyage, while Luke had Yurna remain behind.
Bilgewater was unlike most places. It had once been known as a lawless land, free from the restraints of both law and morality.
Even though Sarah now firmly held the position of the city's most powerful leader, she would inevitably encounter all sorts of danger.
Yurna had never been weak. She was at least on Fiora's level, and leaving her here would allow her to help Sarah deal with any trouble that arose.
Luke knew he would return someday, so he did not feel the slightest reluctance to leave. Taking advantage of the clear skies and gentle winds, he boarded the ship and set sail.
He had already chosen his destination.
It was Ionia, located north of Bilgewater.
It was a land blessed with extraordinary people and natural beauty, known as the First Lands. It consisted of a vast archipelago whose islands were collectively regarded as a single continent.
Unlike Valoran and Shurima, which contained numerous nations and factions, Ionia was considered a unified whole, even though no true nation existed anywhere on the continent.
It had no clearly defined ruler and no powerful military force.
Despite that, the people of Ionia had always lived together in harmony. Throughout history, many nations had coveted the land, with the Noxian invasion being by far the most devastating.
This peaceful continent had nearly fallen entirely beneath the invading armies of that brutal empire.
However, Ionia had held firm and driven the invaders from its shores. It was an achievement considered nothing short of miraculous throughout Runeterra.
A continent that had already lost vast stretches of territory had launched a desperate counterattack on the brink of destruction and ultimately turned certain defeat into victory.
That alone proved Ionia was far from ordinary.
Rather than boarding a passenger ship bound for Ionia, Luke chose a small sailboat and headed directly out to sea.
The sea monsters inhabiting the surrounding waters posed no threat to him, and the smaller vessel allowed him to travel much faster.
Sitting aboard the ship with the sea breeze brushing across his cheeks, Luke gazed out over the endless blue ocean and found himself appreciating just how incredible an invention the hexgate truly was.
If hexgates eventually spread across all of Runeterra, many things would become far more convenient.
At that moment, Luke's ship was traveling at a distinctly unnatural speed.
Anyone who examined it carefully would notice that the entire vessel was enveloped within a field of wind energy, allowing it to glide across the surface of the sea as though it encountered no resistance whatsoever.
Naturally, Janna was responsible.
For her, making a ship travel faster required little more than a casual wave of her hand. It barely consumed any of her strength.
Even so, the voyage remained a long one.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
As the first dim light of dawn appeared, Luke opened his eyes. The ship beneath him continued sailing naturally despite having no one at the helm.
A vast island slowly emerged on the horizon, occupying an immense stretch of his vision.
"Are we finally almost there?"
Luke stretched and gradually shook off the last traces of sleep before glancing at his map.
They were approaching Bahrl. Ionia consisted of numerous enormous islands, and Bahrl was one of the islands closest to the central landmass.
It was not considered particularly large among the archipelago. Even so, from what Luke could see, it was many times larger than the Blue Flame Isles.
Now that he was close, Bahrl occupied such a vast portion of the horizon that its outer boundaries were no longer visible. It resembled a true continent rather than an island.
Numerous mountains rose from the land, joining together into towering ranges.
It would not be long before the ship could reach shore.
With nothing else to do, Luke spoke silently in his mind.
"Check in."
[This check-in has been identified as a monthly check-in. It has automatically been converted into a special check-in.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained the high-tier skill, Aura Concealment.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained ten years' worth of mana.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained two advanced skill upgrade cards.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained three intermediate skill upgrade cards.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained two basic skill upgrade cards.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained the item, Soul Contract.]
[Congratulations. The host has obtained the weapon affix, Soul Severing.]
[The system rewards have been deposited into the system inventory. The host may inspect and claim them at their convenience.]
A succession of system notifications sounded inside Luke's mind.
Only then did Luke realize that it was already April 25. He could not help feeling that time had passed incredibly quickly.
He began examining the rewards from this check-in.
The first was a high-tier skill called Aura Concealment.
It reminded Luke of Stealth Arts. The two names seemed remarkably similar.
After briefly reading the description, he understood the difference.
Stealth Arts was an actively used ability. Once activated, it allowed him to move unseen and conceal his presence.
Aura Concealment, meanwhile, was essentially a passive ability. It made Luke's presence naturally more restrained, preventing others from seeing through him.
At present, even if Luke deliberately suppressed his presence, truly powerful individuals could still recognize that he was also strong.
More importantly, a high-level Aura Concealment could even hide the demonic power, runic energy, and other forces within Luke's body.
Anyone with sufficiently powerful perception could easily discover the demonic power inside him after coming into contact with him. They might even sense the World Rune.
Illaoi, for example, had detected the aura of one chosen by a god the moment she saw him.
Ionia, his next destination, had no shortage of similarly formidable individuals.
After thinking it over, Luke decided that the skill had arrived at exactly the right time.
The power inside him was demonic, after all. It would be troublesome if someone mistook him for a demon.
He immediately learned the skill and used upgrade cards to raise it to level seven.
At that moment, another system notification sounded in his mind.
[Two skills of the same category have been detected, Stealth Arts and Aura Concealment. Would you like to fuse them?]
"Fuse them."
Luke did not hesitate.
Something similar had happened in the past. Luke had once obtained Gecko Wall-Crawling and another movement skill from the same system. After the two fused, they evolved into his current Godspeed Footwork.
[Fusion successful. Congratulations. The host has obtained the skill, Stealth LV9.]
The system delivered its notification.
The fusion had immediately produced a new max-level high-tier skill, although the name merely appeared to have lost a single word.
Luke examined the changes and discovered that the effects of the two skills had indeed merged, becoming considerably stronger in the process.
If he truly wished to hide, even someone with extraordinarily powerful perception would probably struggle to discover him.
The second reward was ten years' worth of mana. Luke had obtained the same reward from a previous check-in. Claiming it would grant him an amount of mana equivalent to what someone would accumulate after ten years of cultivation.
He immediately claimed it.
At once, Luke felt countless streams of clear spring water flowing through every corner of his body. The sensation was incredibly cool and strangely pleasant.
The mana inside him continued to rise until it had nearly doubled, only then gradually coming to a halt.
Although Luke had never deliberately practiced magic, the mana within him was now no weaker than that of a mage who had trained for twenty years.
The total amount was already substantial. It was probably still nowhere near Lux's reserves, but it had surpassed that of an ordinary mage.
Fortunately, Luke possessed powerful mental strength and could contain such a large quantity of mana.
Getting power for free really was the best.
He temporarily ignored the skill upgrade cards and inspected the next reward.
It was an item called the Soul Contract.
After briefly reading its description, Luke discovered that it was the same type of contract he had once tricked Nocturne into signing.
As long as both parties reached an agreement, the contract would take effect. If either party violated the agreement, they would receive punishment that directly targeted the soul.
As the owner of the Soul Contract, however, Luke would suffer almost no punishment at all.
It was an exceptionally useful item.
The final reward was a new weapon affix called Soul Severing.
Although its purpose was already fairly obvious from its name, Luke still read the description and quickly confirmed his suspicions.
The affix could grant a weapon the ability to sever souls.
Ordinary weapons inflicted significantly reduced damage against creatures such as demons and undead. The specialized weapons used by the Sentinels of Light, however, could harm such spiritual entities as though they possessed a natural elemental advantage against them.
The Soul Severing affix Luke had just received worked in much the same way.
Once applied, the weapon could strike spiritual bodies normally while inflicting additional damage.
It was an excellent affix, so Luke immediately applied it to Snowglance.
The sheath containing Snowglance trembled softly as a flash of light appeared within it and vanished.
Luke drew Snowglance. A sound resembling a dragon's roar accompanied the blade as its sharp edge gleamed beneath the sunlight.
"It seems even sharper than before."
Luke was quite satisfied. Although its appearance had not changed, Snowglance had now become a fully fledged Zanpakutō.
That concluded the rewards from this check-in, except for the two advanced skill upgrade cards.
Luke thought for a moment before speaking silently.
"System, use the advanced skill upgrade cards on Destiny."
[Upgrade successful.]
[Destiny has reached LV9.]
Luke used both upgrade cards to maximize the Destiny skill he had recently obtained.
It was currently his only ability capable of transporting him across long distances. Raising it to the maximum level could only benefit him.
With a flick of his wrist, a card appeared between his fingers. Luke closed his eyes and activated Destiny.
His spiritual awareness spread outward, instantly reaching the farthest point within its range, which was already on the land of Bahrl.
The distance was at least thirty to forty thousand meters.
The improvement was impressive.
With a single thought, Luke vanished and reappeared in a secluded part of a marketplace near the island's harbor.
No one noticed that someone had suddenly appeared there.
Luke examined his surroundings with satisfaction. This had saved him a great deal of time.
At maximum level, Destiny's range had expanded tremendously, nearly doubling. Its activation time and mental energy cost had also decreased considerably.
However, reaching the maximum skill level did not mean the ability could no longer improve.
Destiny's range was determined by Luke's mental strength. As long as his mental strength continued increasing, its range would expand with it.
Destiny could also be used to observe distant environments, although doing so consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.
When Luke activated Destiny, he saw countless scenes folded together like cards. To teleport, he had to locate his intended destination among those images.
That was not difficult for him.
After Destiny reached its maximum level, using it had become significantly easier.
It could now essentially function as a detection ability.
The lively atmosphere of the nearby marketplace soon attracted Luke's attention.
He stepped out of the shadows, and the first thing he saw was Ionia's breathtaking scenery.
Mountains and rivers stretched across the land, surrounded by dense forests. The colors were vibrant and distinctive. Everywhere he looked, the scenery was magnificent. The presence of nature washed over him, and a refreshing fragrance filled the air.
The landscape was not limited to the whites and greens of ordinary mountains and forests. It was filled with countless other colors. Vast groves covered the land, including white-barked trees bearing crimson leaves. Flowers bloomed everywhere, some trees were large enough to resemble houses, and unusual little animals vanished into the undergrowth.
In terms of scenery alone, Ionia was far more beautiful than Valoran.
A marketplace stood not far away. Luke saw Ionian residents carrying baskets on their backs or cloth sacks in their hands as they walked toward it, laughing and chatting along the way.
Half a year had passed since Ionia defeated the Noxian invasion.
Those six months seemed to have given the area enough time to recover. No traces of the war remained visible.
An indescribable sense of harmony lingered in the air.
However, the psychological wounds Noxus had left on the people of Ionia could not possibly heal so easily.
Luke headed toward the marketplace. His destination was the central island, and he still had a considerable distance to travel.
Before long, Luke entered the market. It was fairly spacious, with several tree houses standing throughout the area.
Some vendors had erected simple canopies, while others sat directly on the ground and displayed their goods before them. The stalls offered all sorts of merchandise.
Unfamiliar fruits, bird feathers, unusual plants, food, tools, and clothing filled the market in a dizzying variety.
Luke had never seen many of the items before, so he wandered from stall to stall.
Quite a few people noticed him along the way. Even though Luke had concealed his presence, there was no hiding his appearance.
However, no one disturbed him. Whenever their gazes met, the locals merely offered friendly smiles.
Most Ionians were not combative. They were honest, kindhearted, and preferred peaceful lives free from conflict.
They believed in living harmoniously with nature and pursuing balance among all things. That had long formed the foundation of Ionian culture.
Although no nation existed here, its residents lived prosperous lives and conducted trade primarily through barter.
Despite the absence of a formal government, various orders, monasteries, temples, and provincial militias worked together to preserve law and order throughout the land. Ionia itself also possessed a mysterious power that protected its people.
Many nations that had attempted to invade Ionia through brute force found themselves rejected by the land almost as soon as they came ashore.
However, everything had its advantages and disadvantages. The traditions the Ionians had followed for so long had also nearly caused the destruction of their homeland.
When a more powerful and ambitious nation like Noxus arrived in Ionia, what it saw was a land overflowing with treasure and ruled by no one.
To the invaders, the people living there resembled lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Their inherent temperament left them with little will to resist. Guided by their belief in balance, they assumed the invaders would inevitably suffer the consequences of their actions and that the conflict would naturally fade away.
As a result, those who possessed great power stood aside and did nothing, while the weak were slaughtered without resistance.
Only after the invaders began burning, killing, and plundering, occupying one territory after another as they pushed ever deeper into Ionia, was that balance finally shattered.
Only then did a small number of people awaken to reality, take up their weapons, and begin fighting back against the invaders.
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