People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

"Hmm... a little."

Ryze sighed heavily, first asking his new companions to continue their discussions with Zilean, before finally confiding his troubles to Mu Bai:

"Do you remember the void invasion the day before you went through time travel? Some remnants went into hiding, and the cleanup team lost contact while hunting them down..."

"Lost contact? How long has it been?" Mu Bai was somewhat surprised, but he could also understand why the other person had been frowning.

"We've been out of contact for two days, and a whole night has passed since the scheduled latest return time."

"This is terrible... Do you have any plans?"

“I plan to…” Ryze rubbed his temples in frustration, then said, “Send a scout who is quick and agile enough to go to the Secret Forest to scout out the situation, at least to find traces of the search party.”

Shepherd White of the Secret Forest knows.

It was a large forest located southwest of Bandle City, filled with extremely tall trees whose lush foliage almost blocked out the sky. It was easy to get lost inside if you weren't familiar with the terrain, hence its name.

"Have you found a suitable candidate?" Mu Bai asked. "This mission is quite dangerous."

"Yes, there is someone who should be able to do it... She's here."

Before Ryze could finish speaking, a beautiful purple figure entered the Rune Chamber, and Mu Bai's gaze met hers.

The purple light, a symbol of danger and destruction, revealed her identity to everyone—Kasa, the Daughter of the Void.

“Kaisa has an extremely strong sense of the void and is agile enough, making her the perfect choice to complete this mission,” Ryze explained, waving to the girl.

The latter simply nodded indifferently, then stood silently in the corner of the secret room awaiting further instructions.

Her appearance surprised the group of new Chosen Ones. Her terrifying Void Armor was quite eye-catching, and Warwick even sensed an aura of evil emanating from her that was even more sinister than that of the Alchemist Baron.

Here it comes again… The girl raised an eyebrow and shifted her gaze to Mu Bai, which slightly eased the unbearable stinging sensation.

The instant he sensed that gaze, a system notification suddenly sounded in Mu Bai's mind:

[Mission: Travel with the Void]

[Objective: Team up with [Kasa, Daughter of the Void] to rescue the raiding party in the Mystic Forest]

[Description: The girl who returned from the void has endured and lost too much. Perhaps she has long been accustomed to loneliness, but occasionally she still longs for someone to lean on.]

[Reward: Skill Points * 3]

“Mr. Ryze,” Mu Bai breathed a sigh of relief for some reason, and a smile appeared on his face, “Let me and Miss Kaisa go on this mission together.”

....................................

The rising sun cast its rays into the forest, dispelling the terrifying fog and bringing a touch of warmth.

But the squad leader dared not be careless. Leaning against the rock wall, she gripped a greatsword forged from anti-magic stone tightly in her hand, her eyes beneath her helmet fixed on the front, alert to any movement.

"It's time to take a break, Captain Heathlia." A weathered voice sounded from behind.

The female captain did not turn back, nor did she relax, even though her body was on the verge of collapse.

"Captain?" the voice called again.

“I’m fine.” Hesslia shook her head, her voice a little hoarse. “The fog hasn’t completely dissipated yet, and someone needs to stand guard.”

“You can certainly delegate this task to me, or someone else.”

"No, you can't see that damn purple bug... Alright, you should rest now, we'll set off once the fog clears."

"..." The veteran, who was over forty years old, opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

He knew that this young female captain had always been like that—strong-willed, persistent, and fond of pushing herself to the limit.

Once she's made up her mind, no amount of persuasion can change it; only military orders can forcefully alter her actions.

She inherited the spirit of the old sword captain.

"Don't force yourself." The veteran left behind a remark he himself knew was unconvincing, then turned and returned to the resting group.

Hesslia gave a bitter smile, her eyes still fixed on the increasingly thinning mist.

To be honest, she was so tired that she could barely lift her sword, but she didn't want to give up.

She is the fearless vanguard of Demacia, the successor to Garen, the Crownguard, the Sword Master. She swore to protect everyone—until her last breath.

"It's time to change shifts."

Suddenly, another voice sounded from behind, and this time Hesslia turned around.

"Please don't move, Mr. Yasuo. You should rest and recover." She looked at the scarred man in front of her, her tone firm. "I'll stand guard."

"It's just a minor injury, why stay in bed for so long?" Yasuo shook his head, walked over and sat down beside the other person, his movements slow and deliberate.

His chest was wrapped in several bandages, and his right arm, which held the sword, was covered in scars, some of which had scabbed over, while others were still bleeding.

The mantis-like void creature failed to kill him, but it taught him a lesson.

"Don't push yourself," Hesslia said, frowning.

"Aren't you the same?" Yasuo smiled calmly.

“I don’t care, but you are different. You are the chosen one, the most valuable asset of the investigation team and even the entire Bandle City. There is no room for error.”

"Heh, the Chosen One isn't some little baby who needs protection."

Yasuo gently stroked the blade in his arms, his sharp, hawk-like gaze piercing into the depths of the mist.

"It's not time to die yet, don't worry."

Chapter 84 Stay close to me, or hold my hand

The chill of early winter had quietly arrived from the north, and even though it was noon, Mu Bai still felt a bit cold.

He pulled his coat tighter around his neck to keep the cold wind from getting in. The warm sun shone on him and illuminated the rugged mountain path ahead.

Beyond this hill lies the Secret Forest.

"Are you cold?" The girl next to him noticed his little action. "Why don't you walk behind me? I'm not afraid of the cold."

"These words should have been said by a man... Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not so fragile that I can't even feel a breeze."

Mu Bai smiled and turned his head to look at Kasha.

As always, she was bare except for an indelible layer of void armor. It looked pitiful, but in reality, it provided excellent protection against the elements, far surpassing any other equipment in the world.

Moreover, it looks quite good.

When not in combat, the Void Shell does not cover her face, so her flawless cheeks and fair, smooth neck are exposed to the air, and further down, a more vibrant white can be faintly seen.

The faint, ethereal scenery contrasted sharply with the cold, terrifying void shell, creating an inexplicable sense of unease.

“You shouldn’t have come along…” Kasha noticed the strange look in the other person’s eyes, and immediately turned slightly to the side, while changing the subject, “The Secret Forest is very dangerous. Many monsters lurk in the mist and shadows there.”

“I know. That’s why I came along, precisely because it’s dangerous.”

"You like adventure?"

No.

"Then why—" Kasha stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something, and a barely perceptible blush rose on her delicate, fair face.

After a slight pause, her voice was noticeably softer than before: "You must know that you are now the hope of all mankind. Only you can travel through time and space and save the chosen ones. You can't let your emotions get the better of you."

"Stop, stop! I don't want to hear any more lectures..."

Mu Bai shook his head with a wry smile, shifting his gaze from the girl's chest to the distance.

He had already heard this lecture once before in the Rune Chamber—the sermon of the old mage Ryze.

"I just want to go on missions with you, is that not allowed?"

"..." Kasha pursed her lips and remained silent.

He wasn't afraid of me... he even took the initiative to get closer to me...

I'm someone infected by the Void... Doesn't he feel any fear at all...?

How stupid.

The girl's ethereal armor unconsciously dropped slightly—a sign of happiness.

"By the way, when is your next time you travel through time?" she asked softly. "And how long will you be gone?"

“Once we find the investigation team, we’ll probably have to travel through time again as soon as we get back,” Mu Bai said without hesitation.

This is what Ryze and Zilean told him: time travel requires their magic as a catalyst, and each journey consumes a great deal of energy, so they also need to rest.

The time required to rescue and clear out the team was about the same as the rest time of the two old magicians. If nothing unexpected happens, they will have to continue their journey through time once they return.

Finding and bringing back the Chosen Ones is arguably humanity's most important task at this stage, and naturally, the sooner the better.

"As for how long I will be away... it's hard to say, but normally it should be seven to fifteen days."

Seven to fifteen days... Kasha silently repeated the number in her mind, a hint of disappointment flashing in her beautiful eyes.

At the same time, she cherishes her time alone even more now.

No curses, no void monsters, no survival crisis, no hateful stares... This feeling of freedom is wonderful.

"Mu Bai".

"Ok?"

"Thank you."

"...Huh? What are you thanking me for?"

"It's nothing, let's hurry on our way."

………………

The Secret Forest is located southwest of Bandel City, about twenty miles from the town.

Freed from the protection of the runic barrier, this place is filled with mist and darkness. Some Void creatures that were not killed during the Void invasion will escape here and continue to produce new Void creatures by using the ability to corrupt the dead, waiting to join the main force during the next Void invasion.

A few wouldn't be a big deal, but a large number would cause great trouble for the survivors, since the Secret Forest is one of the important areas for people to obtain natural resources.

Therefore, basically every one or two Void invasions, Bandle City would send an elite team into the Secret Forest to hunt down the Void remnants.

These small teams are called "investigation teams." They are few in number, but each member is extremely capable.

And among the investigation team that carried out this manhunt was a heavyweight figure—Yasuo.