Legends of Runeterra

Ezreal, who had already witnessed Lee En's charm in Piltover, ignored Qiyana's strangeness and glanced at the insect fragments around him that emitted a pungent smell. The explorer's sixth sense made him shiver.

"Leen, what kind of monsters are these things?!"

"Yeah, Brother Li En, these things make me feel...'disgusting'."

"These things...are definitely not creatures born in the Ixtal Jungle!"

"Well, Qiyana, you guessed right."

Li En took a few steps forward and then waved his hand gently.

“Hula~!”

The remains of the insects and the strange gray-white mud surged, and the things buried underneath suddenly appeared.

"This is..."

The sharp-eyed Ezreal immediately stepped forward and looked at the tattered clothes in surprise and suspicion.

"Shua~!"

The hook was swung out, and a palm-sized badge was taken out from Ezreal's clothes.

"The emblem of the Morse family of Piltover!?"

"Sure enough, these things were caused by outsiders..."

"It has something to do with them, but not much. Logically speaking, they are just unlucky people."

Li En pointed to the broken and corroded tools that were surging out.

"Under the guise of exploring and mining Hex Crystal Mine, we were actually discovering treasures in the ruins in the jungle, but in the end we encountered these monsters and eventually became their nutrients."

Looking at the expedition team that had only broken and tattered clothes and not even bones left, Milio couldn't help but shudder.

"Brother Li En, next we..."

"Come with me."

After Li En finished speaking, he took the lead and walked on the road he had cleared.

Qiyana followed closely behind, Ezreal touched the gauntlet on his arm, and followed with Milio.

Neeko took a step forward subconsciously, then paused and looked at Nidalee. After seeing her nod, she quickly followed the crowd in front. Nidalee frowned and glanced around vigilantly as she walked.

...

It seemed that they had all been killed by Qiyana before, and the group did not encounter any insects as they continued to go deeper into the underground cave.

Gradually, Milio found that the road ahead no longer needed his "fire treasure" to illuminate. A brilliant and deep purple light was faintly lit from the corner.

"Slightly rustling~!"

In a trance, everyone only felt that they heard meaningless whispers in their ears.

"Hoo~!"

The golden-red aura transformed into five petals and floated towards everyone.

"Just touch the petals in front of you with your fingers."

Upon hearing this, the four of them, including Nicole, all touched the petals decisively.

Only Nidalee looked at the golden and red petals in front of her, and under Li En's gentle and calm gaze, she slowly stretched out her hand.

"Om~!"

As the petals melted in everyone's palms, a warm and reassuring feeling surged into their hearts, and the noisy whispers disappeared.

"Li En, this is..."

"Necessary protection measures, Qiana. These are the existences that your father and the members of the Yuntal Elders Council are extremely afraid of. Do you think they are just some weed-like bugs?"

"Of course not. I have already experienced the weirdness of those monsters."

"Well, everyone else should also be prepared. If you have any concerns, it would be best to leave now."

"How is that possible? Adventurers pursue the unknown and danger!"

"Brother Li En, don't worry, I will take good care of myself."

"Nico is here to help too!"

This time, when Neeko jumped out, she was not stopped by Nidalee. Instead, although she did not speak like Neeko, she also held the spear in her hand and gave eye signals.

"Okay, let's come together."

Everyone followed Li En. Even though the brilliant and deep purple light still made them feel uncomfortable and fearful from the bottom of their hearts, when their eyes fell on the figure in the front, everyone's hearts suddenly calmed down.

As they turned the corner, the source of the purple light appeared before everyone's eyes.

Scar-like cracks covered the ground and the rock walls, and purple light shone out from the cracks. At the source of all the cracks was a nearly oval-shaped hole that shone with brilliant purple light.

The material realm was stretched and twisted to form a long and slender passage, deep and quiet, and it was unknown where it led to.

After just staring for a short while, everyone felt dizzy.

"Om~!"

A warm and reassuring feeling came over me, and the discomfort instantly dissipated.

"Li En, those guys just now...did they come out from here?!"

"Yes."

"Who could have built such a strange transmission channel?"

“It’s not man-made, Qiyana.

The bugs you just saw were just miscellaneous soldiers at best. This passage was dug by a special race among them."

"A bug that can dig through space!?"

Facing everyone's suspicious gazes, Li En nodded, and then looked at Qiyana calmly.

“This passage is just one of them, and just like the countless tiny roots around a tree, such passages have quietly invaded most of Ixtal.

This is why, as the patron saint of Ixtal, you need to seek my help.

He was indeed able to wipe out these pests, but under that kind of momentum, it was Ishtar who collapsed first."

"But...how do they do that?"

"This is the answer I need to find."

Ezreal's eyes lit up when he heard that.

"Leen, are you saying we are going to walk into this portal!?"

"Uh...actually I..."

"Please, Li En, you must count me in this time. This is really great. Saving the world is what an adventurer like me should do!"

"Okay, okay, I didn't say I won't take you with me. Don't look at me like that, it's disgusting."

"Hehe~! That's a sincere look! I used it to get a 20% discount from several adventure supply stores in Piltover!"

"It's not easy to make a little money, and those bosses are uncomfortable meeting you."

After Ezreal's brief joke, the tense atmosphere among everyone eased a little.

“Anyway, I will take you through this portal and directly reach the lair of these monsters in Ixtal.

The number of people you will face then will not be as small as here. Even with the protection I give you, you must not rush in recklessly and get surrounded."

"Okay, Brother Li En!"

Milio answered loudly and seriously, and the others nodded.

"Well, let's go now. Relax and don't resist."

"Om~!"

An invisible force field enveloped everyone, causing them to float more than ten centimeters above the ground, and they slowly floated into the passage along with Li En.