Since the sky was covered, the heavens began to show their holiness

Under the gilded dome of Tyger City, Jarvan IV's black iron boots rolled over the cracked bluestone slabs caused by energy collision. His straight back leaned forward slightly, the tassels of his crown guard cloak swept across the ground, and the lion emblem glowed with a majestic cold light in the sunlight: "Your Excellency can break through the forbidden magic area and enter. You are definitely not an unknown person." The sound of armor colliding lightly made when he saluted, but his peripheral vision was alertly locked on the blood crystal staff behind Zhou Xian, "What is the purpose of your visit to our Demacia this time?"

Zhou Xian stood with his hands behind his back, his robe fluttering without wind, his eyes glittering with a bottomless light. A faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and his tone was so calm that it seemed as if he was just talking about today's weather: "I heard that your Demacia has beautiful scenery and a peaceful and prosperous country. I brought my sister here to have some fun."

Anne at the side shook the Tibbers doll in her arms, and looked around curiously with her innocent big eyes. She was completely unaware of the tense atmosphere at the moment. This scene seemed even more unpredictable and weird in the eyes of everyone.

Garen's knuckles turned white as he gripped the hilt of the sword. The Storm Sword made an uneasy hum in the scabbard, as if responding to the boiling anger of its master.

He narrowed his eyes, and the gaze that shot out from the gaps in his armor was like a poisoned arrow, piercing the blood crystal staff behind Zhou Xian that was glowing scarlet light. "I'm sorry, we in Demacia don't welcome mages."

The memory of that bloody night pricked his nerves again - he curled up in the closet as a young boy, watching the magic fire in the hands of the black-robed mage devour his uncle's life. The pungent smell of burning still lingered in his nose. At this moment, the airflow raised by the forbidden magic field rolled up his cloak, making him feel even colder, "especially the mage from Noxus."

Zhou Xian raised his lips in a meaningful arc, his obsidian eyes moved over Garen, and an elusive light flashed in his eyes. He tilted his head slightly, and spoke in a gentle tone but with a sharp tone: "You are Garen, right? I heard that you have a 'gifted' sister."

The deliberately emphasized ending sound reverberated in the air, and with his half-smiley expression, the four words "gifted" were rendered full of suggestion. Under the pressure of the forbidden magic field, he exuded a calm aura. His light words were like a sharp blade, accurately piercing Garen's most sensitive soft spot.

The soldiers on the wall looked at each other in bewilderment, their spears colliding with each other in anxiety, making tiny clinking sounds. The lion head emblem on Jarvan IV's waist suddenly glowed, and he subconsciously pressed down the halberd in his hand, and the gilded wristband reflected a sharp light in the sunlight. Garen's neck veins bulged, and his originally tense jawline was almost stretched into a sharp blade, and his knuckles left blue-white marks on the handle of the Storm Sword.

The two looked at each other and caught the same shock and vigilance in each other's eyes - how did this outsider know about the magical power in Lux's body that was strictly sealed by the family?
Garen's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, and cold sweat oozed from the gaps in his armor. In Demacia, magic is not a gift, but a curse that can nail the nobles to the pillar of shame. The demon hunter faction has already laid a dragnet in the parliament. Every time the Crown Guard family conceals magic, it is like piling up shaky cards on the edge of a cliff.

If Lux's secret is revealed, tomorrow's meeting hall will surely become a bloody battlefield - those politicians dressed in the cloak of justice will hold up the Blade of Purification and crush the glory and power of the Crownguard family.

The battle flags on the city wall fluttered in the strong wind, but they could not cover up the beating heartbeats in the two men's chests, nor the increasingly heavy feeling of suffocation.

Jarvan IV's strong hand clasped Garen's throbbing wrist like an iron clamp, and the gilded wrist guard collided with the dark iron armor, sparks flew. His straight back was stretched like a full-stringed bow, and his lion eyes were full of vigilance: "Who are you?"

The moment the words fell, the pressure of the forbidden magic area seemed to freeze because of this question. The soldiers under the city wall all gripped their weapons tightly and surrounded the two people tightly. The sound of metal clashing and heavy breathing intertwined into a tense battle song.

Zhou Xian raised his lips in a nonchalant smile: "I am Zhou Xian. I think His Royal Highness the Prince has never heard of it."

His tone was casual, but with a certain calmness that seemed to be in control of the overall situation. His obsidian pupils reflected the tense face of Jarvan IV. Annie behind him was holding the Tibbers doll and shaking her legs. Her innocent behavior formed a strange contrast with the tense atmosphere around them.

"Zhou Xian?" Jarvan IV and Garen frowned and kept going through all the intelligence in their minds, the list of enemy countries in the royal secret volumes, the urgent reports from border outposts, and even the coded letters in the underground intelligence network, but this name did not appear anywhere.

"Zhou Xian?" Garen repeated in a low voice, the hilt of the greatsword leaving wet stains of sweat on his palm. The name had nothing to do with the Noxian surname he was familiar with. Instead, it sounded a bit like an Ionian name.

"You are not from Noxus?"

Jarvan IV asked tentatively, and when he saw Zhou Xian shaking his head, he felt relieved. As long as the opponent was not from Noxus, it would be fine. Otherwise, with the means that the opponent had just displayed, even if all the Fearless Vanguard Legion present attacked together, they would probably have no chance of winning.

Thinking of this, Jarvan IV nodded slightly, the lion pattern on his silver armor gleaming in the sun. He raised his hand and performed a standard noble salute, saying in a warm tone: "I'm sorry for the offense before. Since you two are just here for fun, the gates of Demacia are always open to friends. Are you two new here?"

He turned sideways and motioned to Garen beside him, his gilded wristband drawing an elegant arc in the air, "Why not let Garen take you to appreciate the scenery of the city-state, as an apology." As soon as he finished speaking, the tense atmosphere on the city wall eased a little.

"Then I'll trouble you, General Galen."

Zhou Xian smiled slightly and did not refuse. How could he not understand Jarvan IV's little thoughts? But he didn't care. Besides, he was unfamiliar with Demacia and just needed a guide.

Garen's Adam's apple rolled heavily, and the scabbard of the Storm Sword left deep lines on his palm, as if he wanted to crush all his resentment into this cold metal.

"The two of you, follow me." Every word he uttered seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, his angular jaw was almost trembling, and the cold sweat seeping from the gaps in his armor slid down his neck into his collar. Even though he was full of vigilance and disgust towards the mage in front of him, as a warrior of Demacia, he could only bury his emotions deep in his heart. When he turned around, the airflow brought by his cloak was wrapped with resistance that was difficult to conceal.

Zhou Xian's lips curled up into a faint smile, as if he could see through all the emotions behind Galen's tension. His slender fingers gently clasped Annie's small hand.

"Come on, Annie."

His voice was filled with a bewitching warmth. The little girl followed him excitedly, rocking her Tiberius doll. The moment they entered the city gate side by side, the guards on the city wall breathed a sigh of relief involuntarily, as if they had just faced a ferocious beast.

(End of this chapter)