Ornn, the Chosen One, a treasure from ancient times!

Chapter 90 Secret Alliance

There's no time to mourn for the Ionians, because that's what Harren wanted too.

Helen followed Jarvan to the palace, which was somewhat unethical, but Helen was excited.

His month-long stay paid off, and things indeed took a turn for the better.

Outside the palace, the nobles who had finished their meeting were coming out one by one. Many of them stopped to greet Herren and Jarvan when they saw them.

Jarvan is a prince and the heir to the throne, which is only natural, while Heron earned the respect of these people because of his unparalleled skills in the capital.

This also includes the newly appointed Grand Marshal Tiana.

Herren had seen her from afar at the inauguration, but this was the first time they had met up close and greeted each other—just as Jarvan had said, she was always fierce.

Tiana's expression was not good. She had just taken on the responsibility and encountered trouble, which made her very unhappy. Her serious face was gloomy and intimidating.

But she still managed an awkward smile and gave a brief greeting.

Herren helped her family rebuild the statues of their ancestral crown guards, giving them a new lease on life.

Both logically and emotionally, she had to give him a friendly look.

Without much conversation, Tiana left in a hurry, and Jarvan continued walking with Herren.

"I get scared when I see her—let's go, Father should be waiting for you."

Upon arriving at the familiar palace, Jarvan III was sitting on his throne, his hand on his forehead, while Zhao Xin stood beside him with a spear in his hand.

The scene was familiar, the personnel were familiar, but the situation was quite different now.

"Take a look."

Without exchanging pleasantries, Jarvan III had Zhao Xin hand over a stack of intelligence to Heron, who carefully reviewed it several times.

Things were far from as easy as Jarvan made them out to be—thanks to Demacia’s rudimentary intelligence system, the war hadn’t actually broken out a few days earlier. To be precise, even the informants couldn’t tell when it started, but their delay allowed them to see more valuable intelligence.

For example, how the Noxians swept through Ionia—

Herren checked several times and, seeing no movement from the Noxian Northern Army, felt somewhat relieved.

"Your prophecy has come true, Heron—I never expected this to happen."

Jarvan III looked at Zhao Xin with some annoyance.

He was not only shocked by Noxus's massive invasion, but also by their power.

His personal guard captain and the palace steward was a native Ionian—King Jarvan III had asked Zhao Xin many times how many people like him there were in Ionia.

Zhao Xin's answer was that if Ionia had a kingdom, with his abilities, he would never be able to become the governor; at most, he would become an ordinary guard.

Sects like the Order of Balance and monasteries—their extraordinary powers were countless, allowing Jarvan III, who was not averse to magic and was quite curious, to briefly sense the power of Ionia.

He knew Zhao Xin well; he was humble, but he wouldn't gloss over his questions.

So, the Noxians are so ferocious—the entire country of Ionia is completely powerless against them? Even the supposedly supreme Order of the Balance can't stop the Noxians?

What if Noxus wins in Ionia and then invades Demacia?

King Jarvan III tapped the armrest of the throne with his finger for a long time before speaking.

"Helen, I originally intended to discourage you and make you leave, but now it seems I have to reconsider your suggestion —"

""

Jarvan III readily admitted that he had been deliberately keeping Heron waiting, but the current situation had far exceeded his expectations.

The Noxians will reach Presidium in just a few days. Is the complete annihilation of Ionia far away?

"I can send people to help you train your army, but you must guarantee that if the Noxians become unruly, you will stand on the side of Demacia."

"I assured you of that from the beginning, Your Majesty. I understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'."

"Um----

Jarvan III nodded.

So, who should we send?

"I will send a small, fearless vanguard squad, the most experienced and rigorously trained, but who will lead this squad—"

Jarvan III looked at the eager Jarvan, then shook his head and looked at Xin Zhao.

"Believe me, are you willing?"

Jarvan III's idea for this matter was to send someone mature, prudent, and trusted by him, who could also endure the hardship.

Ideally, he shouldn't be in the military and shouldn't affect Demacia's own defenses—Zhao Xin would be a very suitable candidate.

"I?"

Zhao Xin nodded, then shook his head.

"My homeland has been ravaged by the Noxians, and I'm willing to do my part—but I need to protect your safety."

"The palace is safe; no one will come here to assassinate me."

Jarvan III said with great confidence.

He was well aware of Zhao Xin's abilities and wanted to give him a prominent position, but he was limited by Zhao Xin's Ionian identity and could not assign him a high-profile role.

Rarely did King Jarvan III have an important mission that didn't require drawing attention, so he immediately thought of the sweeping monk in front of the palace.

"I know your abilities. It's a waste of your talents to keep you in the palace. Go and gain some experience. When you come back, you might be able to lead an army on your own."

Seeing that King Jarvan III had made his decision, Zhao Xin no longer declined and was grateful for the emperor's trust.

"As for the choice of attendants, Herren, you and Xin can discuss it. Also, I will draft an agreement tonight, and you can take it with you. Time is of the essence. Sigh, I'm getting old. I should have sent you back a month ago."

Jarvan III felt somewhat saddened, thinking that his hesitation might cause Demacia to suffer even greater losses.

"It's not too late, Your Majesty—we, the Claws of Winter, have no shortage of powerful warriors. With a little training, they are more than capable of standing up to Noxus."

"That's for the best—"

After the meeting, Jarvan and Herren went back together, sighing all the way.

"Alas, what a pity, such a good opportunity, and I can only stay in Xiongdu—"

"You are, after all, the only heir, Jarvan. You can't come with me to such a freezing place."

"Oh! And I won't even see you again."

"???"

Herren trembled upon hearing this and involuntarily moved a little further away, creating some distance between them.

Jiawen, however, remained oblivious and continued to pour out her heart.

"I really miss my father when he was young, when I could travel freely, but I can't now —"

"Don't be discouraged, let's talk about something cheerful—didn't you say you wanted to build a weapon? Tell me your ideas, and I'll try my best to build it for you before I leave."

"Really?! It's surprising that you still remember this!"

Jarvan was overjoyed.

"However, my halberd is still at home. I'll take it to you later."

"Do you have a weapon?"

"Yes, but I rarely take it out. I usually use the ones assigned to me by the Fearless Vanguard—I want you to polish them a bit for me."

"Alright—just send it over as soon as possible."

After saying goodbye to Jarvan, Herren returned to his "hearth" and began tidying up some unused items and completing the unfinished orders.

Lux had already slipped away while Harren and Jarvan were gone; hopefully, she could get to her bed before Tiana arrived home.