Chapter 283 The End and the Beginning

Chapter 283 Epilogue·Departure

Northern Shurima, Nashrameh, Bright Market.

A graceful figure, like a nimble fish, shuttled between the stalls of all sizes in the market. Although she covered her face with the latest silk mask, she still attracted the attention of the surrounding male creatures like a magnet.

And just as they were stunned, this graceful figure disappeared silently at the end of the market. Some disappointed people began to whisper and inquire about her identity and origin, but in the end they only knew her name, which seemed to be Cassiopeia.

……………………

Cassiopeia returned to the private house she bought in Nashrameh.

After a tragic defeat in Zaun, she was always worried about the punishment from the Black Rose. After she followed her mother to join this mysterious organization, she had seen many terrible executions, but before that, Cassiopeia had never thought that such executions might befall her.

Cassiopeia, who was afraid, chose to escape. She used family affection to persuade Talon to take her away from Zaun, escape to Beljur, and go all the way west to Nashrameh.

Of course, running away is not a way to avoid punishment. Cassiopeia knew very well that the punishment of the Black Rose could not be easily avoided by running away - the reason she came to Nashrameh was because she wanted to start again from here to find a way to avoid punishment.

In the library of Noxus, she had read a lot of books and documents about the history of Shurima, but most of the descriptions were a bit exaggerated, as if the former Shurima Empire was full of gods walking on earth.

Cassiopeia scoffed at this statement. If Shurima was really full of gods, why did the empire fall?

So, from Cassiopeia's perspective, those exaggerated words should be the product of people mixing history and mythology together.

However, what happened in Zaun gave Cassiopeia a slap in the face.

In Berghun, Cassiopeia, who finally breathed a sigh of relief, recalled the whole incident and unexpectedly found that the description of the Cyclops seemed to be exactly the same as Shurima's record of the construct!

In this case, Cassiopeia had to come up with a subtle idea-could it be that the exaggerated records about the Shurima Empire in history were all true?

Cassiopeia was quite surprised to realize this, and in addition to being surprised, she couldn't help trembling with excitement. She remembered the stories she heard from many explorers when she was a spy in the Piltover Adventurers' Guild.

Although Cassiopeia was just listening to the stories for fun at that time, now she thinks that maybe those stories... also contain some amazing secrets!

And as long as she can get a glimpse of one of the secrets, its value is enough to make up for her mistakes and save herself from the cruel punishment of the Black Rose!

So, Cassiopeia recorded the information she got in the form of a memoir, and temporarily took root in Nashrameh and began to adapt to the desert life of Shurima.

This adaptation took three years.

In three years, she sorted out a lot of notes, and then destroyed most of them - it turns out that bragging in front of beautiful opposite sex can almost be regarded as human instinct. More than 80% of the information that Cassiopeia finally sorted out can be confirmed to be pure nonsense with a simple inquiry.

And among the remaining 20%, another 80% simply changed the names of myths and legends from various places and replaced the protagonists with their own bragging. This kind of story itself has a certain reference value, but the reference value is quite limited.

Only a very small number of stories may really hide legends about certain treasures and powers.

Unfortunately, because of the retelling, Cassiopeia could not find any clues in the legends with certain language or puns. Only those relatively direct stories with clear backgrounds could give Cassiopeia some hope.

During this period, Cassiopeia was also paying attention to the situation in Zaun, to see if she could go back and make some gains, but because she was no longer qualified to mobilize war masons, her main way to pay attention to Zaun was to rely on the Piltover Daily News - through the merchant ships traveling between Nashrameh and Piltover, she could read the Piltover Daily News ten days ago.

Later, she added the Zaun Daily News ten days ago to her subscription list.

It was a pity that Cassiopeia, who wanted to see Zaun in trouble, did not realize her wish. In the past three years, Zaun has been thriving. Even though the Piltover Daily News was as weird as ever, it had to recognize Zaun's achievements in some aspects.

Cassiopeia, who knew the relationship between the two sides very well, naturally knew that when the people of Piltover had to be sarcastic and affirmative instead of criticizing or praising them, the situation in Zaun would be very different from before.

Cassiopeia was quite disappointed about this, but she could do nothing about it.

The people of Zaun were lucky!

Taking out the key and opening the door, Cassiopeia returned to her residence in Nashrameh.

After putting away the key, she took off her veil, stretched out on the lounge chair, and unfolded the newspaper she brought back from the port today.

In yesterday's newspaper, she saw some rare news about Noxus - although it was not good news, but "Zuan and Piltover crushed Noxus's conspiracy", which was the news of Noxus' failure, but Cassiopeia still read it with relish.

After unfolding the two newspapers today, Cassiopeia finally jumped up from the recliner.

In the newspapers she received today, she saw two identical headlines.

"Some Visions on Rebuilding Vaz'uan"

Zuan and Piltover were the former Oshra Vaz'uan, and Cassiopeia knew this.

However, even if she knew this, she was still surprised and speechless when she saw these two identical headlines.

Even though she knew that Piltover and Zaun had cooperated to a limited extent some time ago and jointly resisted a premeditated invasion by the "Ionian fleeing soldiers" of Noxus, she still couldn't imagine how the two cities would think of reuniting as Vazuan.

Having been lurking in Piltover for so long, Cassiopeia was well aware of the huge differences in interests between the two cities - even if the situation in Zaun had changed and it was qualified to be on an equal footing with Piltover, what led to their union?

Cassiopeia was confused.

She couldn't wait to unfold the newspaper, trying to find some clues from it, but after reading it over and over again, the content was mostly legal claims and future initiatives, and the words were full of the flavor of "rebuilding the glory of Shurima, our generation has no choice but to do so", which made Cassiopeia frown.

This flavor is too strong!

She was used to such talk in Nashrameh. In this Shurima commercial city second only to Piltover, the people of Nashrameh have taken "retro is the trend" to the extreme. Any wealthy family will try to use the patterns and styles of the Shurima Empire on themselves, as if wearing clothes of that time would bring them back to that glorious era...

In Cassiopeia's opinion, everyone in Nashrameh seemed to be immersed in a kind of fanaticism that was almost paranoid. After making money, they did not expand the city or form an army. Instead, they were like lunatics, and rebuilt a one-to-one gilded sun disk according to the records in the book!

A complete wonder player!

What made Cassiopeia even more unbelievable was that with the establishment of the sun disk, Nashrameh really ushered in a period of prosperity that was incomprehensible. A large number of refugees came to Nashrameh to admire this Western product, and then, under the guidance of local priests, they finally chose to settle nearby.

Through this sun disk, Nashrameh really gained a large population!

Is Piltover lacking population?

However, in Cassiopeia's impression, Piltover's city welfare is still very good. They will not easily introduce those illiterate Shurima poor who only know how to graze and plant!

For a moment, Cassiopeia was puzzled.

After reading the front-page article several times, Cassiopeia finally turned the newspaper and scanned the other pages. Then, she found two almost identical articles again.

The news content of these two articles is also very simple.

The evil Noxian Empire defeated the heroic rebels of Besilico with cruel means and despicable conspiracies. However, because of the Noxians' wolfish ambitions, Darius, who commanded this army, did not return to the court after the war, but stayed in Besilico and established himself as the commander-in-chief.

Because this Noxus army is based in Besilico, it will be referred to as Noxus (Bei) in the following. The original Noxus is based in Immortal Bastion, so it is called Noxus (No).

According to Mr. Duren, who escaped from Besilico, Noxus (Bei) is currently systematically eliminating local nobles and powerful merchants and establishing a completely different administrative system from before. However, because Noxus (Bei) is still under external blockade, the specific actions are still unknown.

As of the time of the release of the news, Noxus (Bei) has occupied a large area of ​​Noxus (No) territory in the southeastern subcontinent of Valoran. Just one day before the news was released, Bloodcliff City, a major town in the southeast of Noxus (No), surrendered without a fight.

It is reported that the Empire is gathering troops to conquer Noxus (no), and there are reports that General Du Kokao, a famous general of Noxus (no), who once co-hosted the Shurima conquest plan with Noxus (Bey) Chief of Staff Jericho Swain, will lead the army to suppress the rebellion after succeeding the position of Hand of Noxus.

According to military experts, Noxus (Bey) and Noxus (B) may enter a confrontation on the Red River line west of Bloodcliff City in the future...

If the fact that Piltover and Zaun were to unite to become Vaz'uan just confused Cassiopeia, then the division of Noxus now made her completely confused!

The most outrageous thing is that she actually saw the news of her father in the Immortal Bastion through the expired Zaun newspaper in Nashrameh.

After reading newspapers for so many years, Cassiopeia knew very well that Piltover newspapers liked to talk nonsense, and Zaun newspapers liked to downplay things - and now, the two newspapers were reporting the same thing, and the facts in them were likely to be biased facts.

As for the speculation by "military experts" that Du Quecao will lead troops to fight...

To be honest, Cassiopeia thought so too.

Noxus is a big country, with many warbands and many warband commanders.

But there are really not many people to choose from who are qualified to serve as marshals and lead multiple battle groups in a large-scale battle.

Unless Darkwill personally stepped forward to "conquer personally", Cassiopeia's understanding of Noxus would make her father Du Cacao the only choice.

This was undoubtedly bad news for Cassiopeia.

It's not that she's worried about her father's safety, but that once Du Kecao really leads the army to go to war, Tai Lung, who has been protecting her before, may never stay quietly in Naslamy again.

Realizing this, Cassiopeia's first thought was... let's just burn these newspapers.

For Cassiopeia, Talon is really too important. If it weren't for Talon's protection, she would have died at the hands of the killer bought by the Black Rose - and there is no powerful guy who wants to be in Na. If Schramey wanted to collect information and make money, Cassiopeia would have to sell herself personally.

Oh, it seems that selling oneself is not an option either, because of the worship of the ascended Martial Queen, and also because the last emperor of Shurima performed too badly. Nasramei and the nearby Zurita, Bukasha, and Nubrakan are all female-respected cities.

Once Talon leaves, not only will Cassiopeia's search for Shurima ruins and treasures stop, but her own safety will not be guaranteed.

However, when she lit the candle and picked up the newspaper, Cassiopeia rarely hesitated.

……………………

In the evening, Tyrone returned to his residence with a few books.

"Second Miss, there are no mythological books on the market that we haven't bought or read yet." After taking off his mask, he said in a low voice, "We have almost bought them all."

"Forget it if not, I already have a goal anyway, these are just supplements." Cassiopeia waved her hand nonchalantly, "Come and read the newspaper, it's rare for me to see news about the old man today."

There was only one guy whom Cassiopeia could call an old man, and that was her father Du Cacao!

Tai Lung, who was pouring himself water and preparing to drink some water, opened his eyes wide when he heard this. He put down the water glass in his hand, stepped forward, took the newspaper, and almost put his eyes against the stuck piece of paper. On the news circled by Theopia.

"Darius and Swain formed a new Noxus? Lord Kakao is going to lead an army to go on an expedition?!"

Like Cassiopeia, Tyrone also fell into a brief sluggish state.

After a while, Tyrone put down the newspaper, walked around the table with his hands behind his back, and finally gritted his teeth.

"I'm going to find Lord Kecao." Tyrone finally made up his mind, "Second Miss, let's go back together. Now is the time when the empire relies on the marshal -"

"I don't have to." Cassiopeia smiled and shook her head, "The things in Shurima are not over yet!"

"But if you continue to be here, I'm afraid you will be in danger!"

"Danger? There won't be any danger." Cassiopeia said firmly, "I have already contacted the protector... Feel free to go find the old man, before you completely defeat that fool and become the sole heir of the Kecao family. , I will not fall!"

Tyrone seemed to want to say something more, but Cassiopeia put her finger to his lips.

"Compared to me, you should pay more attention to your own situation. My silly brother - the situation the old man is facing now is not simple at all!"

Finally, under Cassiopeia's persuasion, Tyrone hurriedly packed his bags and left Nasramei that night.

When Cassiopeia, who personally took him to the dock and returned to her residence, took out the key and opened the door, a few slender spider threads on the door handle caught her attention.

Looking at these spider threads, Cassiopeia narrowed her eyes slightly, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she chose to open the door and enter without hesitation.

On the lounge chair in the living room, an equally slim figure is lying on it. There is a book "suspended" in front of her. If you look carefully, you will find that the spine of the book is connected by a wisp of slender spider silk. , hanging from the ceiling.

Elise controlled the spider silk to turn the pages, and finally spoke slowly in a lazy voice.

"Our Miss Cassiopeia is finally willing to show her face?"

"I have never covered up my tracks." Cassiopeia chuckled and sat down at the table. "I was just looking for an opportunity to make meritorious deeds."

"If I hadn't known that the guy named Tai Lung has been protecting you, maybe I would have believed it!" Elise temporarily moved her eyes away from the book "Azir's Romance" and glanced at the card to capture the traces. Theopia, "I never expected that you would be willing to throw away such a useful tool."

"It's about the organization, and it's natural to avoid irrelevant people." The smile on Cassiopeia's face became even brighter, "Besides, it's enough with Miss Elise's help."

"That's very well said, Cassiopeia."

As she spoke, Elise moved her fingers slightly.

The book in front of her suddenly closed its pages, and then it was pulled out by the transparent spider silk with a snap and flew away, hitting the corner of the wall heavily. Because the spine of the book was stuck by the spider silk, it not only made a bang when it hit the wall, but also completely fell apart.

At this moment, pieces of paper flew all over the room.

"I know Miss Cassiopeia's mission, it has never been simple." Elise, who was dragged by the spider silk, came to Cassiopeia in a nearly horizontal way, "If you are not careful, it will be a disaster!"

"That's why you must be careful." Cassiopeia didn't even blink, and there was still a confident smile on her lips, "We are all doing meritorious service for our crimes, and we are all serving the organization, Ms. Elise, we still need to work together... that's it!"

End of the volume·The end of the second volume:

In the first volume, Lux was still growing and developing, but in the second volume, Piltover and Zaun became Lux's stage, allowing her to try her hand.

I wonder if any readers have noticed that the second volume is actually a dual-line story. Under the story lines of Piltover and Zaun, there is the story line of Noxus.

Zaun's transformation began with Noxus' intervention, while Piltover's transformation was triggered by Noxus' defeat in Ionia.

In Runeland, individual city-states such as Piltover and Zaun may have the ability to breed the source of progress, but with the wars and peace, foreign invasions and internal strife between major powers, this breeding and development is very unstable.

A Tale of Two Cities records not two cities, but an era of internal chaos after the emergence of Hextech, the re-emergence of Runetech, and the defeat of Noxus.

In order to achieve this effect of seeing the big picture from the small, the author has been trying to record and describe in various other ways, including third-party narration from newspapers and books, and the intersection and separation between multiple characters and story lines.

I don't know whether readers prefer this or prefer to put the camera on Lux's face and tell Lux's every smile.

But… like it or not, the next volume will finally feature Lux again. Originally, this volume could have been written for another ten or twenty chapters, but the subsequent stories are somewhat lackluster, and readers should have expectations, so let’s just end it here!

The next volume, “Twenty Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand,” will be updated in the second half of the night, so stay tuned!