People in the Alliance, Time Management Master

He can get a good night's sleep tonight without worrying about Syndra suddenly waking up and beating him up.

To be precise, it's not that I don't have to worry about her suddenly waking up, it's that I don't have to worry about her beating me up.

Because she can't do it.

After the battle with the Soul of Ionia ended, Syndra's magic power was severely depleted. At this point, apart from being a little nauseous, she was no different from an ordinary girl.

Although her magic power recovers slowly, the recovery speed is ridiculously slow. Even if she saves it up all night, it probably wouldn't be enough for her to float for five minutes, let alone control the Dark Sphere.

"If she's not fierce, she's actually quite pretty..." Mu Bai took one last look at the girl on the bed before closing his eyes to rest.

But just then, the system notification sounded again:

[Quest [First Encounter with Syndra - Option 3] Completed]

[Reward: A candy with super cool waterproof packaging]

Mu Bai was instantly wide awake.

He couldn't sleep no matter what he did, and after carefully examining the packaging for half the night, he finally saw the words between the lines: the entire package was covered with the five characters "White Rabbit Milk Candy" written in Runeterra's common language.

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

Syndra had a dream.

She dreamt that she went back to her childhood—maybe eight years old? Or maybe seven.

She was carrying a worn-out basket containing a few eggs and some rice. She knew she had to get these things home as soon as possible, but her attention was completely drawn to the ants in the tree.

And there are sugar beetles next to them, lining up to climb the wall...

"Hey, you're daydreaming again!" A voice filled with anger and mockery interrupted her observation. "You lazy bum, ants are much more diligent than you!"

It was her brother, Ewald.

"No..." Syndra frantically tried to protect the ant colony, but her delicate body was no match for Ewald's brutality.

The ants and sugar beetles were all trampled to death.

"Oh, you useless child..." A woman appeared out of nowhere and scolded her without saying a word, "Why are you worrying about ants? Oh, you're so useless... I shouldn't have given birth to you."

No, you have no right to decide their life or death... Tears welled in her eyes as she thought, they also have lives, they are equal and lovely...

The scene before her suddenly changed, and this time Syndra transformed into a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl.

She sat serenely in the center of the temple, surrounded by ancient, dark bricks, silently gazing upon the sea. She knew where she was—the tranquil temple on the island of Philol, the home of the reclusive priest Cornigan.

"Teacher, why can't I control my power?" she asked the old man who suddenly appeared. "I have been practicing very hard."

Kornigan sighed, shook his head, and said, "Your energy is too strong and too dark, exceeding my ability as your mentor... I can only try to find a way to neutralize your magic."

"Dissolve? But you said before that you would help me control my power..."

Kornigan sighed again and remained silent.

This is deception, this is betrayal… Syndra thought angrily, why are you always spouting lies…

The scene before her changed again. This time, no one appeared, and she couldn't even see her own body.

Darkness, utter darkness... and the pool of water...

After an unknown amount of time, she finally found a glimmer of light.

Along with the light appeared a voice that was both strange and familiar. She recognized it:

"Wow, the White Rabbit candy packaging is actually waterproof..."

Chapter 4 Syndra: Look, she swallowed it all!

Syndra slowly opened her beautiful eyes, and a ray of warm sunlight fell right on her face.

Then she saw the man's face again. To be honest, he was quite handsome, but she had no interest in appreciating it.

"You're awake? The surgery was... Oh, you're a girl, so it's alright." The man looked at her with a smile, holding a basin of water in his hand.

"..."

Syndra froze for a few seconds before suddenly sitting up, her face showing tension and anger.

She noticed that the other person wasn't wearing a shirt, and his perfectly toned muscles were exposed to the air...

Her black footed socks had been removed, and she was still lying on the bed...

"What did you do to me?!" she screamed, waving her arms in an attempt to summon the Dark Sphere to attack her opponent.

Unfortunately, her magic reserves were far from enough to support her attack, and instead gave her a strong feeling of nausea—a clear reaction of magic overload.

"You despicable...you despicable scum..."

"Don't repay kindness with enmity." Mu Bai shrugged. "If I hadn't pulled you out of the water, you would either be sealed by the Soul of Ionia or taken away by the Noxians who came after hearing the news."

Upon hearing this, Syndra pursed her lips, carefully pulling the blanket over her body while recalling the events that had occurred before she fainted.

Awakening... then a sneak attack from several Ionians... the damned Ionian spirit rebelled once more...

Then... his magic power was depleted, and he fell into a deep sleep...

Finally... I woke up here...

"Even if you help me, it doesn't mean you can..." The girl bit her lower lip tightly, looking like she wanted to devour someone.

Clearly, she misunderstood something.

"Although I can hardly be called a gentleman, I am not so despicable as to take advantage of others in distress."

Mu Bai glanced at her, then walked to the window and took in the clothes that had been drying the night before. The climate on Philor Island was quite nice, with wind and sunshine, so wet clothes could dry overnight.

"..." Syndra looked at the other person holding her footed socks in their hands, feeling an indescribable sense of shyness. Of course, there was also displeasure.

Taking advantage of the moment when the other person had their back turned, she carefully examined their body.

Thankfully, there were no unusual symptoms, and it didn't hurt...

"Here you go." Mu Bai tossed the pair of black stockings onto the bed and started getting dressed. Otherwise, the atmosphere just felt a bit strange.

Syndra still looked uneasy and didn't rush to put on the black stockings. Instead, she silently stuffed them into the blanket.

What she didn't know was that the way she was now, hugging the blanket and huddled at the head of the bed, looked more like it was after the fact.

Mu Bai was too lazy to explain, so he just sat quietly to the side and continued to fiddle with his basin.

Although the candy the system gave us was completely useless, I have to admit, the waterproof packaging is really cool...

I soaked it in the basin overnight and it still didn't get any water in it...

"Why did you help me..."

After a few minutes of silence, Syndra finally couldn't stand the eerie atmosphere any longer and spoke up:

"And who exactly are you? And who is this 'Noxian' you just mentioned?"

"You have quite a few questions... Alright, I'll answer them one by one." Mu Bai turned around and looked directly into the girl's beautiful eyes:

"The first question is that I helped you because it was just a coincidence. After all, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda, so don't always maliciously speculate whether I have ulterior motives towards you."

"My second question is about my identity. As for my background, I've already told you—I'm a traveler from out of town."

"The third question is more complicated... To put it simply, the Noxians are from another country, and they are waging war against Ionia. They are a bunch of complete warmongers."

"Alright, do you have any questions now?"

After hearing what was said, Syndra nodded thoughtfully.

At the same time, she also felt a pang of sadness—the world had changed so much during her slumber!

The worst part is... the magic is gone.

From a young age, she longed to control her power, but not to erase it.

A powerless person is no different from an ant; even their life can be easily manipulated by others...

“That’s all…” Syndra sighed softly. “Thank you for your help, goodbye.”

After saying that, she reached under the covers and quietly put on her black stockings, then walked directly to the door.

"Where are you going?" Mu Bai didn't stop her, he just asked casually.

"I don't know... Anyway, let's go outside for a walk. I haven't seen the sun in so long."

"But your magic hasn't recovered yet."

"..." The girl paused, "I'll be more careful."

"Being cautious is probably useless. The magic you unleashed last night caused an earthquake across the entire island, and now the Noxians are searching for you everywhere."

"..."

"Let's rest for a while first. I can help you recover your magic." Mu Bai shifted to a more relaxed sitting position. "It will probably take a few days, or longer. It depends on you."

"Can you help me?"

Upon hearing this, Syndra stopped in her tracks and withdrew her small hand from the doorknob.

What she needs most right now is magic; without magic, she feels insecure.

“Yes, I have some potions here that can help you restore your magic.” Mu Bai smiled and took a bottle out of his bag.

The bottle was small, cylindrical, and covered with a polygonal metal cap. Inside was some kind of dark blue, thick liquid.

Mu Bai gently unscrewed the bottle cap, and the aura of magic instantly filled the entire room.

“This is…” Syndra’s nostrils twitched slightly, and a look of joy mixed with suspicion flashed in her beautiful eyes.

“It’s a medicine from my hometown.” Mu Bai shook the bottle and explained, “In my hometown, whenever someone’s magic power is depleted, they drink some of this, and the effect is very remarkable. It’s just a pity that the recipe for this potion was lost later.”

"Um……"

"How about trying some?"

Syndra pursed her lips, looking quite hesitant.

She did indeed sense the presence of magic in the potion, but she was also worried that this might be Mu Bai's scheme.

For example... after drinking it, your whole body will feel warm, and then something like that...

"Fine, don't drink it then." Mu Bai noticed the other person's hesitation, raised an eyebrow, and twisted the cap back on. He was very annoyed by being doubted repeatedly.