Twin Cities: I am the man of many myths

Chapter 135 Swain

Camille spoke for a long time and covered a lot of things, but if Li Ke were to summarize it, it would be this: Noxus is anxious.

Moreover, the situation is both urgent and chaotic. Noxus is currently facing numerous internal conflicts. Darkwill's incompetence is visible to the naked eye. Anyone can see that the elderly Darkwill has completely lost his mind.

In order to achieve immortality, Darkwill ordered the entire nation to dig out the elixir of life for him, which happened to give some nobles ideas.

Originally, Darkwill didn't care about the small city-state of Piltover, because Noxus ruled countless city-states of all sizes in Valoran. In his later years, Darkwill didn't even know how much profit and wealth Piltover could bring to Noxus. Now, he only had immortality in his eyes.

With his eyes blinded by the desire to survive, he had no idea how many nobles and generals in Noxus had accumulated huge wealth in Piltover without his knowledge.

Of course, these nobles would not be so foolish as to tell Darkwill how good Piltover is. After all, if Darkwill knew, how would they make money?

Therefore, under Darkwill's nose, this group of people regarded Piltover as their own property. Whenever they needed money, they would send their people over there to take some money from this big fat sheep. Then, they could get wealth that ordinary people could not imagine.

But now, Piltover suddenly unilaterally cut off trade with them and refused their people from entering Piltover, which was certainly something they could not tolerate.

But if Darkwill knew that they had sent troops without authorization and put pressure on Piltover, and the wealth of this city-state was exposed, they could all imagine what this cruel monarch would do.

But what if we change our thinking?
Since Darkwill is willing to try anything and believe anything for immortality, they can easily trick Darkwill into giving up the quest for the elixir of life and using technology to prolong his life instead!
Therefore, the alchemical technology, hextech technology of the two cities, and various documents from the nobles of Noxus were delivered to Darkwill. This group of people really praised the technology of the two cities, causing Darkwill to change his mind from sending troops to attack Ionia to starting to focus on Piltover.

To put it bluntly, this group of nobles are no longer afraid of Darkwill. What they are doing now is to take advantage of the fact that the commander-in-chief has not stepped down yet and that Noxus is still relatively "stable" to make another fortune.

These military nobles are now preparing to quickly seize territory and become powerful warlords after the collapse of the empire.

There have been many uprisings and rebellions in Noxus in recent years.

Everyone knows that this country is going to perish.

Therefore, what Camille said is really important.

This also made Li Ke think of something. If... If Swain really died in Ionia, and Irelia did not just break his kneecap but directly chopped off his head, then would Noxus become a part of Valoran's history?

Without Swain, Noxus is absolutely doomed. Right now, Noxus is like the end of a dynasty, with an incompetent monarch and a divided people. The empire's policy of fighting to support the war is hampered, and the entire country is on the verge of collapse.
Noxus has hundreds of warbands, and the most elite one at the moment is naturally the Reiser Garrison. However, according to Camille, nearly half of the warband leaders have begun waiting for the empire to collapse and then bite off a piece of flesh and blood.

Among them is the Midalda family, which has already withdrawn from the stage because of Zaun.

Now that I think about it, a big reason why Anbesa came to Piltover was that she wanted to swallow up Piltover in advance without telling anyone, to gain wealth and military weapons, and to prepare for the future collapse of the empire.

From this point of view, Swain, who was able to hold back such an out-of-control Noxus and prevent it from collapsing, is truly a man sent from heaven.

You can say a thousand bad things about Swain, but even if you are an enemy, you have to admire this iron-blooded soldier who fights for his country.

His personal charm is really strong.

This is probably why so many people know what Noxus is like and like it, because they believe that under the leadership of people like Swain, Noxus will get better and better.

Originally, all the congressmen were planning to enjoy the dinner and dance tonight, but after hearing what Camille said, no one was in the mood to do so.

Hilco and Vandel immediately stated that they wanted to take the mountain behind Piltover as soon as possible and build New Zaun, but there was no rush to live there, and it would be used as the first line of defense.

The councillors from Piltover were actually very scared after hearing what Camille said. Although they had boasted before that the Noxians were not that powerful, in fact, if the Noxians really attacked, the first thing they would consider was whether to surrender.

But Mel comforted them. Since there were too many wolves and little meat, and the Noxians were not united now, Piltover did not have to worry about really facing the Noxian army. Mel believed that by then, they would probably just have to face a few warbands?
If there were only a few battle groups, the two cities would have a good chance of resisting, especially if Li Ke and Vandel showed up.

When the Piltover council members thought of the fighting power of Li Ke and Vandel, they felt a lot more relaxed.

For a moment, based on the information Camille brought back, the two cities began to discuss how to deal with the Noxians.

At dusk, the Immortal Fortress of Noxus——

As the provincial capital of Noxus, the black castle of the Immortal Bastion has a history of thousands of years. Here, you can only see two colors.

One is black and the other is red.

One symbolizes the cruelty of Noxus, the other symbolizes the iron blood of Noxus. And at this moment, a figure is hunched over and walking towards the great library of the Immortal Fortress with difficult steps.

He was leaning on a crutch, missing one arm, with gray hair scattered over his black windbreaker. He had a thin face, a high nose bridge, and a pair of eyes like an eagle, revealing shrewdness and competence.

At the entrance of the library, the guards wearing red armor and black helmets saw him with eyes full of respect, but also a hint of helplessness.

Seeing him approaching, the captain of the guard, Perrin, stepped forward, raised his spear to stop him, and whispered to him:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jericho, you are now banned from the library."

"Although I have been stripped of my military status and demoted to a civilian, I think I still have the right to enter the library." The man raised his head and looked at Perrin calmly, "This library belongs to all the sons and daughters of Noxus, even the civilians, doesn't it?"

His name was Swain, Swain Jericho, a noble who had just been court-martialed, expelled from the army, and demoted to a commoner.

"That's right, but this is General Roll's order." Perrin gritted his teeth and said to Swain, "Please don't make it difficult for me."

"." Swain pursed his lips and lowered his head. Then he raised his head and said calmly, "Well, could you please go in and bring me some books?"

"."

"Please wait a moment." Perrin took a deep breath and nodded.

Even though Swain was demoted and his status is not as good as his now, Perrin still maintains respect for Swain.

Because the man in front of him was once a great general trusted by countless soldiers in the Noxian army.

Perrin had once been Swain's soldier. Although he knew that Swain didn't know who he was and couldn't call out his name, Perrin would not hold a grudge against him.

It was because he had served as Swain's soldier that he knew what kind of person Swain was.

Emperor Darkwill, the Grand Commander should not have demoted this man to a civilian just because of the defeat in the Noai War. Noxus needs him, it needed him before, it needs him now, and it will be needed in the future!
It was because of Jericho that Darkwill's rise to power was so smooth and Noxus was able to reach its peak. If Jericho had not discovered the secret organization hidden in the darkness of Noxus and captured and beheaded them, Noxus would have only encountered more troubles.

Not to mention, during that change, Swain executed his parents and killed many relatives in his family with his own hands. Swain did so much for this country.

Perrin was a simple soldier, but he also believed that Noxus had failed Swain.

Therefore, when faced with Swain's request, Perrin naturally agreed. Perrin was not worried that he would be punished by General Rawl, because someone would be there to take care of it.

Draven, a man who was born a commoner but became a general in the army, and his brother Darius who disappeared in the north, are the symbols of bravery and fearlessness.

When Swain returned to Noxus and was ostracized and ridiculed by everyone, Draven stood up for Swain and came to his rescue.

This is also the reason why Swain was not driven out of the Immortal Fortress. Otherwise, Swain, a commoner, would have no right to live in the Immortal Fortress.

On both sides of Perrin, the other soldiers did not say anything to stop him, but looked ahead silently, pretending not to see what happened.

"Which books do you need?"

"On the first bookshelf, the seventh book in the first row. On the third bookshelf, the thirteenth book in the fourth row."

Swain talked about several books in one breath, each of which was placed on a different bookshelf and in a different order.

Perrin thought it was a little strange, but he just thought it was a number that Swain said casually.

Then he walked into the library, and when he came out again, he was holding a thick pile of books in his arms.

"Here, Mr. Jericho," Perrin said when he arrived in front of Swain.

Swain nodded and took the book from Perrin with difficulty. He leaned on his crutch in his right hand and squeezed the book tightly in his arm. He lowered his head and rested his chin on the book to stabilize it so that it would not fall to the ground.

With one leg's knee completely shattered and one hand left in Ionia, Swain had great difficulty moving.

He walked away from Perrin and other soldiers with the book in such an embarrassed manner. Every step he took was very slow, but each step seemed so powerful.

Looking at Swain's back, Perrin's face under the helmet moved, and after a moment, he let out a sigh in his heart.

"What a pity."

------

At night, in the small room lit by oil lamps, Swain bit the bandage with his teeth and hung up his broken left arm. Then, he tied an iron ring to his left arm with his right hand. In front of the iron ring was a fork tied with a cloth strip.

He opened his mouth, loosened the bandage, and waved his left arm. Then, he leaned sideways, turned the pages of a book with his intact right hand, and used his left arm to pick up the food on the plate. He ate dinner while reading a book.

The books he read were all chronicles of Noxus, written by different authors, recording every period of Noxus' history for hundreds of years. What he was reading now was a history book written by a man named Vincent.

The above records the darkest period of Noxus, which is the period when Noxus was ruled by Mordekaiser.

Swain frowned as he read the book, muttering to himself:

[Still no.]

[Neither the three-eyed crow nor the black rose are in this book.]

As he was thinking about it, Swain's frown relaxed, his eyes brightened a little, and he lowered his head and looked at a line of words in the book.

There was a paragraph of text written in the middle of the book. This paragraph of text was very ordinary, only recording the author Vincent's views on this past event, but Swain saw something different.

He looked at the line of text carefully, and then Swain's hand tapped the table.

A moment later, Swain discovered the secret in the text.

This is an encrypted text.

When he was on the verge of death, Swain saw many secrets that ordinary people could not know from the eyes of the crows that fell on him. Therefore, he understood this encryption, he knew what the secret was, and even knew how to control the existence behind this secret.

But now, what he needs to do is how to find this existence
Stroking the pages of the book with his right index finger, Swain closed his eyes and began to think.

After a moment, he opened his eyes, with a hint of emotion in them.

He took a pen and wrote the encrypted words on the paper, and it read: The eternal flame burning in the darkness is the eye of the devil; it hunts the souls of the dying and devours their secrets. Yes, I am the prey, but so are you.

"Me too?"

"No, I'm not."

Swain held the note tightly in his right hand and crumpled it into a ball. Then he opened his mouth, tore the note off with his teeth, and ate it along with the food on the plate.

That being also tried to devour Swain's secrets, treating him as prey.

But Swain resisted it and devoured it, thus learning its secret.

Now, Swain can sort out many things.

He finally understood what his parents were looking for and what kind of organization they joined. He also understood why Darkwill, who was once wise and brave and whom Swain regarded as a wise ruler and was willing to assist, had become what he is now.

Raising his head and closing his eyes, Swain's throat rolled and he swallowed the note. He looked at the oil lamp on the table, his eyes gradually becoming gloomy.

"Noxus will not be your toy. The more you want to kill me, the more it proves that my path is correct."

Closing the book with his right hand, Swain whispered to himself, words that were meant only for himself.

"Darkwill, now it seems that sitting on the throne only means that you have a butt of the right size. This position should not belong to someone like you."

"call--"

He stretched out his hand to extinguish the fire. In the darkness, Swain's eyes were extremely bright.

His voice whispered in the dark shadows, but none could hear it but him—

"I will not let Noxus fall."

"Absolutely not."

(End of this chapter)