There was already going to be a next time?
Jayce was stunned. He had explored his professional field for so many years, and the boundaries of science kept being broken again and again. But for short-lived humans, as long as there was a solid enough theoretical foundation, there was no problem with putting it into practice. The road of science had never lacked sacrifice and effort, and they were exactly the kind of people who gladly accepted that process.
"Hold on to these for now. I'll tell you when we start the next one."
Caleb tossed the blueprints into the research lab. As for the next target, he had already thought it through. In fact, she was right ahead of him.
Shyvana looked at Caleb's face with some guilt. She still remembered how, after she fell under the Ruination, her whole body had been driven by hatred, and she had immediately tried to hurt people. Dragonfire and dragon claws were extremely lethal weapons against humans. Even so, he had spared her afterward, and Shyvana kept that mercy in her heart.
"Governor."
Through the citizens' introductions, she already knew that the man before her was the Governor, the main person in charge of the Twin Cities.
"If you can get used to living here, Zaun and Piltover can both arrange housing for you. But we'll have to wait until your condition is stable before letting you settle somewhere crowded."
Caleb needed to observe this person, no, this dragon's character. He could not allow her to keep losing control. Otherwise, the cost of rebuilding alone would be enough to give him a headache. For this kind of highly gifted talent, Caleb naturally had a better choice for what she could do. At the very least, she should become one of the Twin Cities' world-famous symbols of acceptance, not hide away in Demacia as a lowly commoner, living every day in fear of being judged as something different.
Of course, all of that would have to be built on the condition that Shyvana was accepted by this city. The moment something went wrong, for example, if she could not control herself, Caleb naturally would not kill her, but she would also lose any chance of staying in the Twin Cities. Settling in the Twin Cities meant gaining access to news from all over the world. Especially after the Black Mist, commerce would only become more developed. People would need the goods normally imported through the Twin Cities even more than before, so for the Twin Cities, which had suffered the least losses, this was instead an opportunity.
"The council needs you to come over."
An Enforcer spoke quietly beside Caleb.
Caleb also knew that if they were calling him over at a time like this, it had to be somewhat important. He had acted like a god of war in front of the council, killing people the moment he decided to. Now, aside from the Ferros family, no one on the council wanted to get on his bad side.
When he walked into the council hall, it was still as spacious and bright as ever. Unlike the killing tension from last time, this atmosphere was also somewhat heavy, but it leaned more toward business. Caleb looked at everyone sitting there in silence and sighed. From the look of it, this was definitely trouble involving the Twin Cities.
"A group of our miners near the Ixtal border has lost contact."
Mel's voice had softened a lot. It seemed Morey's death really had taught them a lesson.
"So?"
Caleb also knew that place was closer to Zaun, so it was normal for them to ask him to send people to search.
"That area seems to be a gathering place for users of elemental magic, so be careful," Mel continued.
Caleb waved his hand, then walked out of the room.
With the Hexgate's transport, Caleb soon arrived at the border. This was the junction between Ixtal and Zaun, and those Piltover miners had risked coming here to collect rare ores. Strictly speaking, doing this was not very ethical, but they were merchants after all. Caleb could understand using such methods to save costs.
Unlike Shurima's desert, the climate here was more like a tropical rainforest. It was clearly land bordering Shurima, yet the amount of water here was entirely different. However, ever since Icathia's Void invasion, Ixtal had adopted a policy of isolation and stopped communicating with the outside world.
With the elemental affinity granted by the system, along with the Manaflow Band that filled the air and constantly poured arcane energy into Caleb's body, he quickly began searching. Since the mining team had lost contact, the greatest possibility was that they had been attacked by the natives. The other side was so proficient in elemental magic that Caleb did not dare let his guard down. Although they might not have experienced war for a thousand years, it was still magic, one of the greatest creations in this world.
After thinking for a moment, Caleb spotted traces of footprints in a dried-up puddle. The steps were messy. These people seemed to have fled in that direction in a panic. Caleb felt a little regretful. He had not brought Kai'Sa with him this time. Otherwise, with Kai'Sa's powerful hunter instincts, the search would not have been so troublesome.
"Are you looking for someone?"
A voice rang out behind Caleb. Without even thinking, Caleb swung his blade behind him.
The sound of metal striking metal rang out. Qiyana retreated step by step, her face slightly pale. That strike just now had been blocked by the ring-shaped weapon in her hands, but even with elemental power supporting her, the webbing between her thumb and forefinger had gone a little numb.
"Sorry. I mean no harm."
Caleb placed his blade on the ground and raised both hands to show it.
"I'm just looking for a group of miners. Once I find them, I'll leave."
Seeing how guarded she was, Caleb decided it was better to be cautious. If she really wanted to fight him at a time like this, Caleb could suppress her with thunderous methods, but that would be too careless. Leaving this future empress alive would probably allow Ixtal to play a greater role in the coming war against Icathia.
"You crossed the border. Did you know that?"
The other person narrowed her eyes, as if she wanted to cut Caleb apart.
Just what was this man hiding on him?
Qiyana grew a little eager to try, wanting to smash him against the cliff with a Supreme Display of Talent. With the earth element reinforcing her, her defense had also increased. But in the next second, the flames igniting on the tip of Caleb's blade and the swirling clear wind made Qiyana's eyes widen. She had only reached the peak of power in Ixtal because she could command the elements so skillfully. Yet the man in front of her was also using two elements.
Caleb thought briefly, then continued.
"Azir of Shurima has returned. Did you know that?"
Qiyana stared at this madman in disbelief, her eyes full of shock. Even if he knew Ixtal had once been an allied nation under Shurima, Shurima had gone into decline during that Void war long ago. To the people of Ixtal, Shurima had already been treated as a fallen nation. Yet this man was saying it had risen again.
But Caleb's next words made Qiyana feel even more frightened.
"The Void is about to return. If you want to achieve anything, you'd better stop locking your borders."
"When the time comes, not only will the newly risen Shurima be unable to hold, but all of you will also die beneath the Void's endless devouring."
Caleb's eyes seemed to hold some kind of magic, making Qiyana unable to look away.
"So, how about you hand that mining team over to me, and we find somewhere to talk slowly?"
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