lol: After being blessed by the Happy Demon, I became the harem king

Page 87

As she spoke, the old woman offered a clump of clay with her finger, and the pottery pot, upon contact with the clay, merged into its cracked surface in rhythm with the sound of the bell.

Then, the old woman said gently, "Whether it can be healed or not depends on whether the souls of all things wish to return to wholeness."

Upon hearing the old woman's words, Riven sat there stunned for a long time before finally snapping out of it. Looking at the old woman in front of her, her eyes were filled with gratitude as she said, "Thank you... This is of utmost importance to me."

"No need to thank me, you've simply seen your true self, haven't you?" the old woman said with a smile.

Riven said nothing more, but turned and left the house, looking at the still clear blue sky outside. Although she had been in Ionia for some time, this was the first time Riven felt that the air and environment here were better and clearer than she had ever experienced before.

She let out a soft breath. Although it was just a brief chat, Riven felt completely relaxed. It was as if a huge burden had been lifted, or as if her heart had started beating again. A sense of lightness from within made Riven involuntarily happy. However, immediately afterward, Riven pouted and looked away with a look of disdain.

The guy standing there with a beaming smile was none other than Faen, the one who brought Riven to Ionia.

Before, Riven felt a strange sense of unease and confusion. But now, meeting Fain's gaze, Riven felt incredibly relaxed.

She stepped forward, giving Fain a disdainful look at him for a moment, but then Riven bluntly said, "You, you were already prepared for this to happen, weren't you?"

Farn did not deny this, but nodded and said, "More or less, but I didn't expect these things to happen so quickly."

Regarding whether Riven could overcome her inner confusion, Fahn wasn't 100% certain, but he was about 90% sure. Besides Riven's similar discussion in her short story "Cracks and Scars," another reason was that while Ionia might lag behind many other nations on Valoran in other aspects, when it came to psychological counseling, Ionia was second to none in the entire Runeterra.

Just kidding. Ionia's history over the past few thousand years is essentially a history of psychological counseling. And this counseling isn't just for individuals, but for a regional, continental group, aiming to help them achieve peace, acceptance, and understanding, thereby reducing conflict in the spiritual realm.

Admittedly, what just happened was highly random; after all, not just anyone you meet can be a Repairman. A Repairman is someone who enjoys communicating, is good at explaining, and is willing to offer psychological support. However, in Ionia, there are several such elders in every village, and even in every caravan—this is a positive aspect of Ionia's ancient traditions.

Even if he didn't encounter such a kind and gentle elder along the way, it didn't matter. Fain happened to know the kindest, most, most, most, most, most gentle elder in Ionia, also known as Karma the Enlightened One.

If even Karma herself can't solve the problem, then Fane will have to try other methods, such as high-dose stimulation with pleasure-inducing drugs.

However, it now seems clear that there is no need to consider such a situation.

"How are you feeling now?" Farn asked Riven with some curiosity.

"Excellent." Hearing this, Riven looked down at her palm. With a simple opening and closing, and a clenching motion, feeling the continuous flow of power within, Riven knew that it wasn't just physical strength, but also her own magic.

Although Riven doesn't believe she possesses any so-called magic, according to Fain, she has the ability to transform willpower, fighting spirit, and battle intent into magical power and release it as force and storms.

Fane is stronger than her and knows more than her, so what Fane said must be right—with this simple thought in mind, and as the power in her body continued to surge, a resolute look flashed in Riven's eyes.

“It may sound strange, but from the Noxians’ perspective, their wars are not wrong, because they were born for war, and their entire civilization is a nation disguised as an army.” As she said this, Riven drew the Blackrock Greatsword from behind her.

In the past, this represented glory and honor. Some time ago, when she learned the whole truth, it represented the shame of being deceived and misled, and the uncertainty of the future. Now, with the uncertainty in her heart completely dispelled, this sword points Riven to a new mission.

“But now, I’m certain that Noxus was wrong, wrong from top to bottom!” Gripping her greatsword, Riven clenched her fist and declared, “I will get Noxus back on track! At any cost!!”

Speaking firmly, Riven then looked at Fain with a burning and resolute gaze, before grabbing Fain's wrist and pulling him toward a nearby guest room.

"Elbow! Follow me into the house!"

"Sister Wen, no!" Faen didn't even bother to make a token struggle.

274·Blade Dance

After a brief skirmish, Fain leisurely pulled up his pants, his gaze sweeping over Riven, who was still lying on the bed behind him. He raised his chin and said, "I thought you'd become much stronger after figuring out your inner confusion. But it seems you're still just a small fry."

Upon hearing Fain's words, Riven, sprawled out on her back, covered in grime and bruises, raised an eyebrow, then curled her lip in disgust and said, "Don't pretend to be innocent after getting the better deal. I know your physical abilities. From the beginning, I never thought I could take you down by myself. I'm only being proactive now because I need the power!"

As she spoke, Riven scraped some of the milk that had spilled onto her skin into her mouth with her fingers. Feeling the power rising within her, a look of contentment appeared in Riven's eyes.

Opening her eyes again and feeling Fain's gaze, Riven, though already used to it, still grumbled a little, annoyed at being watched as she ate the milk. But then, with a fierce look on her face, she said:

"No matter what, I must get Noxus back on the right path... Perhaps to Noxus today, I am a traitor. But I can no longer tolerate more people like I used to be deceived by the current Noxus, which is all show and no substance, becoming pawns of that damned LeBlanc. So whatever it may be, I am prepared!"

As she said this, Riven took a deep breath and got out of bed. Due to gravity, some of the thick milk spilled out and dripped down from her crotch, but Riven didn't care. Instead, she went straight to Fain and said seriously, "Please help me."

"Of course." Upon hearing this, Fain gave a thumbs up to indicate that there was no problem.

Seeing Fain's reaction, Riven smiled, but then quickly forced the spilled milk back into her body. Afterward, she sighed helplessly, "Although I expected this, it seems I'm going to be thoroughly played by you, at least during my time in Ionia."

"You still need to restrain yourself a bit." Hearing this, Fain said with concern, "If you can't take it, you can tell me, and I can take a break..."

Hearing Fain's concerned words, if it were a naive and innocent girl like Seraphine, she would definitely be overwhelmed with emotion, pounce on Fain, hug him tightly, and then get all hot and bothered, only to be thoroughly satisfied by Fain. But Riven simply rolled her eyes and said:

"But then again, the happiness factor will quickly replenish energy and enhance growth, so there's no possibility that I can't handle it. So you probably won't stop, but will instead help me replenish nutrients and accelerate recovery even more intensely."

"As expected of a warrior, your intuition is truly sharp." Fain gave a thumbs up. Riven sighed and rubbed her forehead, but didn't say much. She just glanced in the direction of the door, then went to the side to put on her clothes while saying, "Your junior sister is here to see you. Hurry up and get ready. She still has many beautiful fantasies about you... Sigh, I really don't understand why these innocent and kind girls are all rushing to you. It's like they're hoping you'll ruin them and ravage them..."

Having overcome her inner confusion, Riven's mastery of her innate magic has reached a new level. While there aren't any major or obvious changes in her combat power yet, her versatility in using magic has visibly increased significantly.

The most obvious of these is the ability to sense the aura of others—of course, this aura is essentially a form of magic, albeit a different one. Compared to the magic used by mages like LeBlanc for casting spells, this magic is more geared towards physical enhancement, like Akali's.

While Irelia practices the Silk Dance, which will become the Blade Dance in the future, it is still essentially a form of battle aura and remains within Riven's perception range.

In response, Fain reached out and manipulated the water flow to clean up the scene. As Fain changed his clothes, Irelia's lively and cheerful voice came from outside the door.

"Senior brother! Are you there? It's Irelia!"

"I recognized the voice." Shortly after Irelia's voice fell, Fane's voice came from the house.

As Irelia opened the door, her familiar senior brother appeared before her. Inside his room stood Riven, busy making the bed.

Irelia didn't mind too much about this, because she already knew that Riven and Fain's relationship was not just that of bodyguards - but also that of close servants!

Because on the way here, Riven would stay in Fain's tent every night when she rested. Although she went to bed early every day, Riven would have a slightly tired look on her face when she woke up every morning, and she would also make her bed for her afterwards.

This made Irelia feel a little embarrassed, but Riven's reaction was firm, not allowing Irelia to interfere with tidying up the house. Of course, in Irelia's view, this was probably Riven's favoritism and protection towards her, which was why she took on the task of tidying up her own bed as well.

Although somewhat helpless, Irelia remembered that her senior brother was indeed rather lazy in all aspects except for cultivation...

However, upon closer reflection, Irelia didn't find anything particularly wrong with it. While Ionia claimed equality, this equality was more about equality of personhood than equality of status. Therefore, in practice, differences in social class still existed. For example, during his first two years in the Order of the Balance, Jie served as a menial disciple, handling dirty and strenuous tasks, learning little beyond basic farming skills.

As the eldest daughter of the Zan family, and a celestial being in the art of silk dance, Irelia possesses a gentle and polite personality. However, influenced by traditional customs and culture, she still holds some traditional Ionian beliefs.

Thinking this, Irelia excitedly looked at Fain and said, "Senior brother! I've learned the Blade Dance you told me about!"

275·Sword Dancer

Upon hearing Irelia's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Fain's eyes.

Although it was already known that Irelia would eventually awaken Blade Dance—Blade Dance isn't a unique magic, but rather similar to LeBlanc's illusion magic; anyone can learn it, but not everyone can master it. It is precisely because of this that, although it's not magic unique to Irelia, only Irelia possesses this talent.

However, Irelia should have acquired this talent in the future, awakening after witnessing the deaths of her family and experiencing a surge of grief and anger. But now…

While thinking to himself, Fain didn't show much expression on his face. Instead, he looked at Irelia with a mixture of surprise and delight and asked, "You awakened so quickly? Your talent is indeed as outstanding as I thought!"

Hearing Fane's words, Irelia couldn't help but smile sweetly, clearly pleased with the praise. But then, like a little adult, she coughed lightly and said, "It's alright. Grandma said I haven't fully mastered it yet, only grasped the basics. And it's all thanks to you, Senior Brother, for laying a solid foundation for me back in Presidium; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to adapt so quickly."

As she said this, Irelia slapped her forehead and said, "That's right! Grandma is waiting for you! Senior brother, you should go quickly!"

As she said this, a hint of anticipation and shyness appeared in Irelia's eyes. This made Fahn realize something, and he nodded. Then, he led Riven and followed Irelia toward the Zan family's backyard.

In the backyard, in the ancestral hall, Irelia's grandmother, Lady Zan, knelt respectfully. Countless memorial tablets of various sizes lined the front. On the largest and most ornate tablet in the very center was simply the character 'Dance'.

On either side of Lady Zan stood Irelia's mother, father, and several of her brothers. However, Fain could clearly see the same confusion and bewilderment in their faces, as if they didn't understand why Lady Zan had suddenly asked them to come to the shrine together.

Lady Zan remained silent, simply kneeling quietly on the futon in meditation. Only after Irelia happily announced, "Grandma! I've brought my senior brother!" did Lady Zan open her eyes again.

Looking back at Irelia, a hint of envy flashed in Madam Zan's eyes, but she quickly calmed down and turned her gaze to Fain, saying, "Although you are still young, your ability, wisdom, character, and integrity are undoubtedly those of a master. Therefore, I will call you Mr. Fain."

"You flatter me." Farn cupped his hands in greeting, knowing that for someone of Mrs. Zan's age to address him in this way was a sign of respect, or rather, an expression of her high regard for him.

To this, Lady Zan shook her head and said, "Do you know the origin of Blade Dance?"

“I only know that Blade Dance exists, but I don’t know its origin.” Fain shook his head.

Lady Zan turned her head and looked at the largest memorial tablet in the center, saying quietly, "Blade Dance originated in ancient times. Before the Land of the First Birth was called the Land of the First Birth, giants of flesh and blood descended from the sky, wantonly trampling on this world. In order to fight against these giants, the ancestors of Ionia actively combined with the spirits of the spiritual realm, making their bodies a part of nature, transforming into the various forms of this world. And these ancestors of Ionia were called Vastaya Shari Shari."

"And the children born to Vastaya Shari and normal humans are the Vastaya people of today."

Upon hearing this, Fain nodded in understanding.

He knew this information, and also knew things Lady Zan hadn't mentioned. For example, most Vastaya active in human settlements had degenerated with continuous reproduction, their perception in the spiritual realm becoming weaker and weaker, or even nonexistent. Those Vastaya living in the original civilization, however, mostly maintained some form of primitive magic, and so on…

Of course, in any case, the vast majority of Vastaya are stronger than humans; Rengar, the Pride Hunter, is the best example. As a flesh-toothed beast, Rengar's height of 2.23 meters is even considered underdeveloped. His bone strength and muscle density are even more impressive—of course, for someone like Riven who can enhance herself through magic, the raw data becomes less important.

While Farn was thinking, on the other side, Lady Zan continued, "Among them, apart from those Vastaya Shauri who are one with nature, there are also people who are one with the world itself."

Lady Zan looked at Farn and explained, "This group of people is significantly different in appearance and ability from the Vastaya Shari who are integrated with all spirits. The Vastaya Shari mostly have such obvious animalistic features, and their abilities are mostly derived from changes in form. The other group, which is integrated with this world itself, still maintains a human appearance."

Upon hearing Lady Zan's words, Farn nodded thoughtfully, then tentatively asked, "For example... the Venerable One?"

“Venerable Karma is indeed one of them.” Upon hearing this, Lady Zan nodded in confirmation of Fan’s conjecture, and then continued, “The reason why Venerable Karma is respected by people is because Venerable Karma is the only remaining ‘enlightened one’ in the material realm today.”

Upon hearing Lady Zan's words, Fane raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had initially thought that "Awakener" was a title unique to Karma, but now it seemed that wasn't the case?

Rather, it was a name used in ancient times, similar to 'Vastaya Shari', to refer to a particular group.

Not only was Fann surprised, but Irelia's parents and family members also showed the same astonishment, finding the information Mrs. Zan had given them utterly unbelievable.

"Our ancestors...were also enlightened beings?! People as great as Venerable Karma?!"

"Irelia's brother exclaimed in disbelief, a hint of surprise and delight in his eyes. After all, even in a mundane world without magic, the concept of bloodline still has fertile ground; how much more so in Runeterra, a world where magical power and supernatural powers transmitted through bloodlines truly exist?"

In response, Madam Zan simply looked at the memorial tablet behind her and said, "Back then, our ancestors were called... the Sword-Dancing Immortals."

276·Regret

Upon hearing Madam Zan's words, Farn raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, "...A sword-dancing immortal?"

"Yes, the Sword-Dancing Immortal."

Hearing Fan's question, Lady Zan nodded and said, "Use the positive emotional projections of Ionia in the spiritual realm, such as courage, resilience, and indomitable spirit, as a weapon to slice through the world itself in battle. In ancient legends, our ancestors used the method of slicing through multiple spiritual realms to seize the necessary reflected essence, instantly turning large numbers of giants into ashes."

Hearing Madam Zan's words, everyone present couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

Although they didn't know what giants were—after all, that legend was too ancient—it didn't prevent them from imagining their power. After all, even Venerable Karma lived in that era, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with Venerable Karma, how could the Sword Dancer be weak? Rather, judging from their abilities alone, compared to Venerable Karma, whose prophetic abilities and immortality were well-known, the Sword Dancer, as described by Lady Zan, might be even more powerful in combat.

"Unfortunately, although the Awakeners are more powerful than the Vastaya Shari, they are also weak in the material realm because they have not merged with the Spirit of All Things." Lady Zan said with some sigh, "The combination of the Vastaya Shari and the Spirit of All Things caused the ancient people to lose their human form, but they also gained a longer life and a stronger physique due to the change in their bodies, and this life force can be passed down through bloodlines."

"In comparison, although the power of the Awakened is greater, and they can enhance themselves in battle through extraordinary power that far exceeds what ordinary people can understand, they are still essentially mortals. Even if they are more powerful, their lifespan will not be extended by much. And this talent cannot be transferred as easily as it is with Vastaya Shari."

As she said this, Lady Zan turned her gaze to the many family members behind her and said:

"In the past thousands of years, including myself, the number of people in the Zan family who have awakened the talent of Blade Dance is less than ten. Including Irelia, there are only eight. This is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that Blade Dance, whether in terms of power or the knowledge it represents, is something that ordinary people can not understand. Even if one only extracts a tiny bit of it, one can make rapid progress in one's own field of expertise and achieve remarkable results."

"Unfortunately, this is too cruel for the person involved."

Hearing Madam Zan's words, everyone was immediately puzzled. After a brief silence, Madam Zan said:

"Unlike the revelation that Venerable Karma received, the power wielded by the Ancestor was far too destructive from any perspective. Admittedly, the Ancestor annihilated the most giants in the ancient wars. However, the division of the domain itself also had a serious impact on the veil. Even if this was not the Ancestor's intention, this enormous power still severely blurred the boundary between the two domains."

"In the end, apart from Venerable Karma who remained in the material realm to protect Ionia, the other Awakened Ones either disappeared into the depths of the spiritual realm or returned to the lives of mortals to grow old quietly. Our ancestor was the latter."

After hearing Madam Zan's explanation, everyone turned their attention back to the memorial tablet behind them. Looking at the flamboyant character "舞" (dance) on it, everyone's understanding of it began to differ.

To be precise, they had previously viewed this dance simply as a family heirloom, a silk dance. But now, they were beginning to truly realize that this dance represented an ancient, unknown story from the distant past.

But then, Lady Zan's daughter, who was also Irelia's mother, asked in a low voice, "Then what does 'unfortunately' mean..."

"It's because even if we possess this talent, we cannot cultivate this power in peacetime."

A bitter look appeared in Mrs. Zan's eyes:

"In using Blade Dance, one first condenses their own fighting spirit, and then condenses the will of Ionia itself. This is the power of the Spirit of Ionia. In times of peace, when the spiritual and material realms are balanced, careless use could risk throwing both realms into imbalance. Therefore, neither the will of Venerable Karma nor the ancestral remnants within this power will allow us to master it in times of peace. At most, we can only understand a portion of it."

"To be surrounded by a mountain of treasures, yet only able to take a tiny fraction of it, is a torment for anyone who yearns to advance further on the path of knowledge."

Thinking about it, Lady Zan also turned her gaze to Irelia, her eyes filled with deep envy.

“But you are different, Irelia… A new era has arrived, and war has already unleashed a massive wave on the other side of the material realm. Whether for yourself, for your family, or for Ionia itself, the conditions for Blade Dance’s liberation have been met.”

During the conversation, Mrs. Zan also glanced at Farn's right arm—after arriving here, or rather, after arriving in the area close to the front lines of the war, Farn no longer hid the mark on his arm, but instead displayed it openly to prevent any unnecessary trouble or conflict.

"Your return to the Zan family with Mr. Faen at this time, although it may seem like just a casual journey, it also indirectly conveys her opinion to me... This Venerable One of this era is perhaps different from any one before him. So, I envy you so much."

With a look of helpless bitterness in her eyes, Madam Zan said, "In this unfortunate era, you have already reaped the first bit of luck that I had longed for so much."

Hearing her grandmother's words, Irelia opened her mouth, then whispered, "But...Grandma, if I can learn Blade Dance, can you use it now too?"

Mrs. Zan simply shook her head regretfully at this.

"Ten years ago, perhaps that was still possible. But now..."

Lady Zan glanced at her withered hands and simply shook her head, not continuing. Instead, she looked at Fan and said, "Thanks to your foresight during your time in Presidium, Irelia, who has developed a sense of crisis early on, has already completed the initial steps. But to truly grasp the essence of Blade Dance, she needs to step onto the real battlefield."

277. Difficulties

Upon hearing Lady Zan's words, Fane nodded and then said, "I understand. So, Irelia will be traveling with me from now on, is that right?"

Upon hearing Fain's words, Irelia blinked. Although she didn't say anything more, a look of anticipation was clearly visible on her face.