Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route-Chapter 181: A True Kindred Spirit with Ahri

"Then have we settled on who's going?"

"Yeah. You and Mel have to go. I definitely have to go too. What about Councilor Silco? He should be going as well, right?" Jayce spoke up from the side. He slid an arm around Mel's shoulders and continued with a grin, "I don't think we should all go. If Noxus decides to go for broke, wouldn't we be walking right into a trap? We need some people to keep an eye on things back home."

Mel pushed Jayce's face away and rolled her eyes. "If this were before, I would never have agreed to an invitation like this—even if I am Noxian. But this is the period right after Swain took power. I don't think anyone would dare stir up trouble right now."

"No one would dare stir up trouble right now…" Silco narrowed his eyes at Mel. "Mel, what if this is Swain's idea?"

Silco asked himself honestly—if it were him, he absolutely could do something like that. The leadership of an entire city-state walks onto your turf, and you don't wipe them out in one sweep? What are you even thinking?

As for what kind of damage that would do to the future… that would be a problem for later, wouldn't it?

"Swain is a complicated man. Militarily, he embraces ruthless stratagems and commands like a god—if victory is on the line, he won't blink at any number of sacrifices. But politically, he enforces strict rules, disperses his authority downward, and refuses to tolerate deception or corruption." Mel hesitated. She knew exactly what Silco was worried about, and she couldn't guarantee her own judgment was correct.

After all, she had just said it herself—Swain was extremely complicated.

Even her mother, Ambessa, couldn't truly see what Swain was thinking or what kind of person he really was, so how could Mel claim she could?

Yes, Mel had become Piltover's wealthiest councilor, one of the people who held the city in her hands—but that didn't mean she believed her political ability surpassed her mother's.

Being in Noxus and being in Piltover were two entirely different worlds.

Still, after a moment of thought, Mel said, "Swain seized power and immediately built the Trifarix, separating executive, judicial, and legislative power. He also overhauled the military system and recalled troops stationed abroad. From that alone, you can tell Noxus won't be picking fights with the outside world for the next few years.

"And right now, what Swain needs most is to change Noxus's image to the world. These years of recovery will require enormous supplies, and those supplies can only be obtained through trade with other nations. So setting aside what I know about him and looking only at this situation, I think Swain won't allow the nobles to lay a hand on us."

"And the ones inviting us…" Mel frowned. She truly didn't know what kind of people this organization lurking in Noxus's shadows really were.

Before they proactively sent the invitation, Mel only had a vague sense—from things Ambessa had let slip—that Noxus had a group of dangerous people hidden beneath the surface.

For her safety, Ambessa had never told her the organization's name. But now they had stepped out on their own, appearing directly in front of Mel.

Almost as if Swain's sudden coup had forced them into the open.

Logan picked up the thread, setting down his chopsticks as he spoke. "I know a bit about the Black Rose. How do I put it… Swain won't let them do whatever they want. Go. I've been wanting to see Noxus for myself anyway. And you don't need to worry about security—we really don't need to be afraid of Noxus right now."

Swain really was strong. And in Noxus, there were existences in the shadows that were close to demigod-level power. As far as Logan knew openly, there were about three of them.

Swain, LeBlanc, Vladimir.

Maybe they weren't demigods, but across Runeterra, they were absolutely terrifying presences.

And in truth, from LoR—Legends of Runeterra—you could glean something else: Noxus had other hidden strength as well, at least two more forces comparable to demigods.

For a powerful empire that had fought the entire world, how could its top-tier internal combat power be lacking? Riot's designers aren't idiots.

In a magical world like Runeterra, individual might could completely decide the direction of a battlefield. If Noxus's "public" strength were only people like Darius, Draven, and Katarina…

Then it really couldn't compare to Demacia—because the angel sisters, Kayle and Morgana, were absolute monsters even among demigods.

So in reality, Noxus wasn't only strong because of its armies. It wouldn't be short on powerful individuals either.

But even so, there was no need to worry. Swain, LeBlanc, and Vladimir weren't on the same side. And with Logan backed by Janna and Ahri—especially Ahri—if she showed up, then as long as Mordekaiser didn't personally appear, Ahri could flatten Noxus all by herself.

Of course, kind-hearted Ahri would never do that. But holding off LeBlanc, Vladimir, and the like? That would be no problem at all.

"You know about that too?" Silco looked at Logan.

"Let me guess—Janna told you again?" Vi said with an amused grin, teasing Logan.

Because every time Logan suddenly knew something, if you asked him about it, he'd always tell you, "Janna told me."

But the truth was… how would Janna know that much? She wasn't some little blue bird flying around the world collecting gossip. At first everyone believed Logan, but after enough times of "Janna told me," followed by Janna looking annoyed and offended, people gradually realized Logan was just passing the blame.

Logan cleared his throat.

Janna had already done plenty in Bilgewater. He couldn't keep throwing her under the bus, so he said, "Couldn't it be something I learned while I was out with Jinx?"

Vi still looked like she wanted to say something, but Logan cut her off irritably. "Anyway, my point is—we can go."

"Fine." Silco nodded.

Jinx raised her hand at the side. "I'm going too!"

"Mm. I won't go. I still have a lot to do."

"I want to go, but I'm right at the key point with my hover-drive research. If Jayce is going, I'll stay in the Twin Cities."

Not everyone wanted to run around everywhere, so in the end, the group going to Noxus for the banquet was decided as follows—Logan, Jinx, Silco, Mel, Jayce, Camille, Sevika, and a number of accompanying Enforcers.

Vi and Vander stayed in Zaun. Caitlyn would be transferred back to Piltover as the city's new Sheriff, guarding Piltover while Jayce and Mel were away.

Councilor Kiramman was healthy as ever. At this rate, Caitlyn would be stuck as the heir-apparent for half her life.

But Caitlyn was happy with that. Compared to being a councilor, her personality and character were better suited to being an officer on the front lines—protecting citizens' interests and solving cases.

Dinner stretched into the night. During it, Jayce, Mel, and the other Piltover councilors left first, while Zaun's side kept eating—though after a while, it was mostly just talking.

Silco, Vander, and Vi all asked Jinx how she'd been doing lately, and Jinxie chattered excitedly as she shared the things she'd run into while she was out.

Logan, meanwhile, was talking with Akali and Sarah.

At eight in the evening, Logan brought Sarah and her group to a house next to the Zaun Council Hall. Pointing at it, he said, "Sarah, you and your people can live here from now on. There are a lot of things inside you might not know how to use—if you need help, ask the building manager downstairs. She'll tell you how to use the appliances."

"Okay. Thank you, Logan." Sarah nodded. Looking at the house, her expression turned complicated.

Back at the table earlier, Sarah had picked up on what Logan was implying.

She'd prepared herself on the way here, but when Logan suggested she go apply for Zaun residency, Sarah couldn't help but feel conflicted anyway.

After that, Sarah followed the building manager, who would handle the rooms and daily arrangements for Sarah and Rafen's group. Sarah and Akali would share one unit with three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen.

Honestly… that kind of treatment didn't exist anywhere in Bilgewater.

And inside, there were all sorts of things Sarah didn't understand.

"Do you know how to use this?" Sarah asked.

As she spoke, she opened a cabinet and found several sets of clothes inside. She held them up against herself—perfect fit. It looked like Logan had arranged for them to be prepared while they were eating.

Then Sarah heard Akali's voice from outside.

Leaving her bedroom—just over a dozen square meters—Sarah saw Akali pointing at a white box sitting on the long table in the living room.

"Zaun stuff usually comes with instructions. Try looking for a manual?" Sarah said, thinking for a moment. She had no idea what it was either.

Akali shook her head. "I can't read the script over here."

Akali could understand Sarah and Jinx when they spoke, but that didn't mean she could read the writing.

The common tongue could be considered the world's universal language, largely because of Noxians—those people ran everywhere, invading other lands and spreading Noxian culture and the common script as they went.

Sarah walked over, searched around the white box, and found a small booklet pinned beneath it.

She picked it up, skimmed it, and said, "Hextech air purifier. It purifies the air in a small area and lowers the indoor temperature."

As she spoke, Sarah pressed a button on the box. It clicked, and the inside began to hum.

Akali bent down, staring at it, listening to the sound, then taking a deep breath.

"…Yeah. The air really does feel fresher. Like there's a clean, earthy smell to it." She looked up at Sarah in surprise.

Sarah waved her hand in front of it and realized the box was actually pushing out cool air.

"And that one?" Akali asked next, pointing to something on the balcony.

Sarah stepped onto the balcony and looked at a waist-high, square black iron box. Sure enough, there was another booklet placed right on top.

It seemed the building manager had prepared all of this ahead of time for them.

Sarah picked it up, read it, then said in disbelief, "Washing machine. Plug it in, throw your dirty clothes inside, pour in detergent, press the button, choose a wash mode… It cleans clothes automatically."

"How does something this good even exist?!" Akali's mouth fell open.

Seriously—she had no idea how much she hated doing laundry.

Back with the Kinkou Order, laundry meant dragging tools to the river and scrubbing everything in freezing water. One piece of clothing could take ten minutes.

But Zaun?

Zaun had machines that washed clothes for you.

After that, Akali and Sarah explored the unit, checking out every device they could find. In the bathroom, they discovered a water heater and a bathtub. In the kitchen, a stove that spat fire with a simple twist of a knob. In their bedrooms, there were smaller air purification devices as well, even more compact than the white box in the living room.

Zaun's tech products left Sarah excited too, and for a while she forgot the unease she'd felt when she first arrived in Zaun—and the sadness of leaving Bilgewater behind.

On the way to the Spirit Blossom Gang's hideout, Logan looked at Jinx walking ahead with a bag in each hand—snacks they'd just bought from a shop. Don't ask. If you did, the answer would be that Jinx had a craving.

Zaun's snack industry was thriving, with all kinds of tasty food. Don't ask if it was healthy. If it tasted good, that was enough.

Logan watched, amused, as Jinx hopped along in front. Jinxie would sprint forward a few steps, then turn back to check on Logan, then bolt ahead again.

"Hurry up, Logan!"

Seeing him strolling along at his own pace, she pouted and yelled back at him.

Logan carried his own bag too, and laughed. "Why are you in such a rush? Isha isn't going to run off."

Shaking his head, Logan moved to catch up—

Then he suddenly froze, one leg lifted and hanging in midair.

"?"

"Logan?"

"What are you doing? Performance art?" Jinx jogged back with her bags, looking up at his shocked face, curiosity written all over her.

But Logan didn't hear her at all.

Because he was staring at the system panel.

[Ding: Special character—Ahri affinity has surpassed 600. Friend stage (Confidant) achieved. Reward obtained: Special character items (Ahri's Memory x1) (Ahri's Token). Contact method for this special character has been unlocked.]

"…"

Ahri's affinity… passed six hundred?

What was going on?

Logan clicked into his inventory. He reached out and tapped two gift bags stacked in the corner—two pretty bags, one white and one pale pink-white.

The white one was labeled Ahri's Memory. The other was Ahri's Token.

Each bag had a cute fox icon on it, a little fox with its mouth open in an "awoo," big bright eyes sparkling.

At the same time—Spirit Blossom.

Over Stillwater Lake, Ahri floated on the surface, holding up a book, cackling with laughter.

Not far from her, Lamb was reading too. One slender hoof rested on the water while the other leg was crossed casually, as she sat atop Wolf's soft, cloudlike body, quietly turning pages.

The fox was loud. Lamb was calm. Wolf was sleepy.

Even among spirits, there were differences.

Seeing the fox being so noisy, Lamb finally couldn't help it. She set her book down and looked at Ahri. With no outsiders present, Lamb removed her mask, revealing an unbelievably cute face.

"Fox," Lamb said, "are you thinking about him again?"

Ahri blinked, sat up, and crossed her legs. Tapping her long, pointed muzzle, she declared loudly, "Of course. Time flows differently in Spirit Blossom than it does outside. For him, it might only have been a few days—maybe a month. But for me… another year has already passed."

"It shouldn't be like this. We were never meant to be part of his world. Getting too involved isn't good," Lamb said after a moment.

Her face was rounder, and when she spoke, her cheeks puffed slightly on both sides, making her look a bit like a tiny cupcake.

But despite that, Lamb's expression was cool and detached.

Hearing Lamb's words, Ahri hugged her book with a pitiful look, lowering her head. Her big ears flattened against her hair, and the joy from reading vanished completely as she spoke in a small, dejected voice.

"I know. But Lamb, you're not the same as me. You at least have Wolf with you… but I—I have nothing."

"If I'd never met him, I could've endured it. But now… it's different." The fox spoke seriously.

"…" Lamb pressed her lips together, then shook her head and said nothing more.

In Lamb's eyes, Fox was the most lively of all the spirits in Spirit Blossom. Every spirit there carried a past they couldn't forget. Even the Kanmei-aligned spirits had old regrets lodged in their hearts—they had simply learned to let go.

Thresh was cold. Cassiopeia was proud. Riven was stubbornly chained to her past. Vayne was trapped in hatred. Yasuo looked like he'd moved on, yet locked himself inside his memories. Lillia was too shy to come out, hiding in the forest. Syndra had lived alone for centuries without contacting the outside world. And Lamb and Wolf themselves were chasing after memories.

In Spirit Blossom, only Teemo could sometimes keep Ahri company… but Teemo had his own things to do.

And that was why the fox really was an outlier in the Spirit Blossom world.

And just then, Ahri suddenly cried out.

"Huh?" Ahri sprang upright.

"Mm?" Lamb made a questioning sound—and Fox's tails began to swish.

"Logan?" Fox murmured, testing the word as if unsure.

Hearing it, Lamb released her divine sense, scanning the surroundings, but she couldn't find Logan's presence anywhere.

That only made her more curious about Fox's reaction.

Then she saw Fox suddenly cheer.

"How can you talk to me now?!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

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