In the alliance, the more they attack me, the stronger I become!

The man was obviously dissatisfied and disdainful of this behavior, but he did not stop his subordinates for the sake of the empire's face.

He hefted the great axe onto his shoulder and announced in his resonant voice:

"From this day forward, there will be no more Pirate Kings in Bilgewater! No one is allowed to continue following those weak pirates!"

"You should swear allegiance to the great Noxian Empire!"

"I, Darius, the Hand of Noxus, will grant you refuge!"

---------------------------------------------

-------------------------

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world.

Cheng Xiao walked down the mountain holding an ordinary-looking long sword.

This sword looks exactly the same as the "Doran's Blade" he got from Ornn before, but the aura inside is different - now he can no longer sense Ornn's aura from it, and it is obvious that it no longer contains the divine power injected by Ornn.

But that doesn't mean this sword is really mediocre.

The previous Doran's Blade Ornn made was specifically for dealing with Volibear. It had extremely high attack power but was also very fragile. He deliberately designed it to be used as an "alarm clock". He would know once it was broken.

And this one in my hand... although it doesn't have Ornn's divine power, it is extraordinarily hard and has inherited the characteristics of the Forge God.

Rumor has it that the Forge God's true weapon isn't the hammer in his hand, but the very ground beneath his feet...

The same goes for this sword.

Its attack power is not reflected in its simple "sharpness" and "pointiness", its real strength lies in its ability to draw on the power of the earth.

Cheng Xiao gently stroked the dull sword blade, and then swung it in front of him.

He instantly felt that some of the magic power in his body had been drained away... and the sword suddenly burst out with a brilliant red light.

The next moment, the ground shook.

The earth spirits of the Freljord roar and respond... Wherever the sword points is the domain of the gods, and the cracked ground is the will of the gods.

Cheng Xiao used a portion of his own magic power to create a power far beyond his limit.

This is the power of Doran's Blade.

Overall, it's not even worse than the one Ornn gave before.

"Wuhu, take off..."

Cheng Xiao carefully put the sword on his back and felt satisfied.

But what happened next made him a little annoyed - he had to slowly feel his way home, and he didn't know how long the journey would take.

The system simply teleported him to Ornn's new home, but didn't tell him where it was... and Ornn only knew that there were few people here, so he was too lazy to find out where it was exactly.

The only thing that is certain is...where there is no one, it must be exaggerated.

"Where have you been? Is this still Freljord..."

Looking at the entire identical snowfield, Cheng Xiao fell into deep thought.

There was no map or compass, and no buildings, mountains, or seas nearby to refer to...

"send!"

---------------------------------------------

For seven days and seven nights, Cheng Xiao walked on the vast ice field.

He used all his skills and magic to the fullest, such as jumping off a cliff to take a shortcut, using Volibear's thunder power to make fire and smoke, and using ice magic to freeze the river that blocked his way...

Finally, he saw a familiar light.

On the horizon, the flames of the Freljord Alliance camp were clearly visible.

At this time, Cheng Xiao no longer cared about her ragged appearance which would damage her image, and rushed into the camp with a feeling of nostalgia for Ashe and others.

Compared to the beggarly life outside, it's better to be squeezed dry by Ashe and the others...

"Ash!"

Cheng Xiao directly broke open the door of Ashe's office, and the girl inside was startled.

But before he could pounce on the other party, Ashe showed an embarrassed look.

Only then did Cheng Xiao notice that there were not only the two of them in the house, but also a group of elders.

Everyone was looking at him curiously, some were laughing and some were blushing.

"Mr. Cheng Xiao, are you so eager to have some intimacy with Lady Ashe? Oh, I'm so sorry."

"We'll be leaving soon. Please wait a few minutes, Mr. Cheng Xiao."

"Mr. Cheng Xiao, is this some new look? A new way to play with Lady Ashe? Beggar and Queen or something?"

"Mr. Cheng Xiao... your clothes... are so revealing..."

The elders of the older generation were all joking, while the younger generation turned their heads away out of avoidance, fearing that they would see Cheng Xiao's naked body through the gaps in his torn clothes - although it would be nice to see, and they wanted to see it, but Lady Ashe would surely be angry, right?

"Ahem... Um, Cheng Xiao, go change your clothes first..." Ash waved her hand awkwardly, "Come over right after you're done. We're discussing something important."

"Oh." Cheng Xiao didn't mind it too much - he was a grown man, and he was afraid of women seeing him? His ideas were different from those of the Freljord people.

"What are you discussing? Why don't you tell me a little bit first?"

"..." Ashe shook her head helplessly, but in the end she did not force the other party to change clothes first.

But he said seriously:

"A few days ago, a large number of Noxian troops landed in Bilgewater in the southeast, apparently intending to capture the port city in one fell swoop."

Chapter 101: Caring Big Sister Lissandra

"Noxian troops? Taking Bilgewater?"

Hearing these two unrelated names put together, Cheng Xiao was a little confused for a moment.

He didn't even bother to change his clothes and just sat down next to Ashe - the latter was a little embarrassed at first, but finally got close to him in front of everyone.

Cheng Xiao doesn't take the initiative very often, and she won't refuse no matter how embarrassed she is.

"At first we were also surprised to hear the news..." As Ai Xi said this, he took off his coat and covered Cheng Xiao with it to prevent too much of her flesh from being exposed to other women.

"But based on the news brought back by the bards, beast walkers, shamans, and many scouts, this incident should be true—quite a few people have seen it with their own eyes."

"Is that so..." Cheng Xiao frowned and thought for a while.

Bilgewater... He had never been to this city, but it was not unfamiliar to him at all.

That "city" is not an independent city in the true sense, but a "region" composed of an entire archipelago, which is intricately divided into many areas. It is just generally called "Bilgewater" and is considered a city.

Bilgewater is famous for its pirates. Uncontrolled by any government, without laws or military constraints, pirates run rampant, and the one person most feared is the Pirate King—Gang Gangplank.

Um... okay, none of that matters.

If we want to consider the reasons why Noxus would occupy that place, we must think about it from the perspective of interests - what exactly is there there that can attract Noxus?

Is it the various hextech weapons created in this no-man's land? Is it the countless treasures plundered by pirates from all over the world? Or is it... its unique geographical location across the sea from the Shadow Isles?

Hard to say……

"Actually, there's no need to worry too much, Mr. Cheng Xiao." A young elder suddenly spoke, interrupting Cheng Xiao's thoughts.

She is only in her early thirties, with a plump figure, and her constantly flickering eyebrows and eyes reveal the mature and charming temperament of a young woman.

"We're gathered here today to discuss this matter, mainly to find out what those Noxians are planning to do and whether they'll attack Freljord in the future. But there's no rush right now."

"Indeed," another elderly and wise elder nodded in agreement. "At least the Noxians won't attack us anytime soon. That's plenty of time for us to investigate their intentions. Now we just have to wait and see."

"It's impossible for them to launch attacks on two distant areas at the same time." Someone else said.

"To put it bluntly, what does their attack on Bilgewater have to do with us? They're not attacking us, so there's nothing to worry about."

…………

……

Everyone expressed their opinions one after another, and generally speaking, they were not very worried about Noxus attacking Bilgewater.

And the actual situation is indeed so - not only because of the geographical location, but also with the current strength of Freljord, it is not afraid of those Noxian bastards at all.

With the demigod Ornn above and the Iceborn warriors below, and the incredibly powerful Frost Witch and her Frost Guard tribe in the middle, they would not be afraid of the Noxians if a real fight came up.

It is hard to say whether Freljord can cross the mountains and attack Noxus, but at least Noxus will definitely not be able to break in.

If they insist on going their own way, when their army finally crosses the glacier, what awaits them will definitely be a despair blow colder than the severe winter.

The great Forge God will make them all fall into the heart of the earth.

The Frost Witch's ice magic will cause all their ships to anchor in the middle of the icy sea.

Countless Iceborn warriors will take advantage of this perfect terrain to slaughter those fools and leave them without armor...

"They're right, Cheng Xiao." As the leader, Ashe also spoke. She gently put her arm around Cheng Xiao's waist, pulling him into her arms, and using her soft and full body to warm him.

"There's nothing to worry about. Just treat it as a place to watch a show and chat... Go change your clothes quickly. I'll cook for you later~"

---------------------------------------------

Recently, Cheng Xiao has no interest in practicing martial arts with the girls.

Ashe and Sejuani would come to see him from time to time, but seeing that he looked worried, they did not force any action. Instead, they just sat quietly beside him and accompanied him all night - they were both considerate girls.

They didn't know what Cheng Xiao was thinking or what was bothering her, but they wouldn't ask. Since Cheng Xiao didn't talk about it, they knew it must be a problem they couldn't solve. Instead of asking questions and making Cheng Xiao feel irritated, it was better to accompany her quietly.

They knew Cheng Xiao. If it was something they could help with, Cheng Xiao would definitely tell them, and if she didn't, they wouldn't ask.

Cheng Xiao spent several days in silence.

There had been no news from Bilgewater in the past few days, and the Noxians seemed to have easily taken control of the port city.

Just like Ashe and the elders said, Cheng Xiao was actually not worried about Freljord - with the demigods and Lissandra in charge, it was basically impossible for mortal armies to attack.

What really troubled him was...

He felt that he was the one who ruined Bilgewater.

In the development of the original timeline, although the Noxian Empire was very warlike and launched wars against multiple countries or regions almost at the same time, Bilgewater was the only one not included.

Originally, Noxus launched an attack on the Freljord.

During the civil unrest when Ashe's Freljord Alliance was not yet fully mature and the Winter's Claw led by Sejuani was at odds with other forces, the Noxian Grand Marshal Bron Darkwill commissioned the Hand of Noxus, Darius, to expand northward.

Of course, on the surface, it was Commander Darkwill who was driving this process, but in fact, the real driving force behind the scenes was Black Rose - or to be more direct, LeBlanc.

Now that LeBlanc has witnessed the power of the Freljord—she has witnessed the strength of the demigods and the ancient threats from the abyss that must not be taken lightly, she has given up on invading the Freljord.

Instead... a war was launched against Bilgewater, where there had never been a war in the original timeline.

And it was Cheng Xiao who changed all this.

It was his arrival that changed the situation in Freljord and helped Leblanc recognize Freljord earlier. But the cunning old woman knew the true nature of the Noxian Empire - without war, that barren land could not support such a large army and population.

No matter what, Noxus cannot stop the war.

So she had to change her target... Bilgewater.

Of course, there must be other reasons... Bilgewater is far from affluent, and the complex relationships within it will cause the Noxian army considerable trouble. Leblanc's determination to capture this port city must be rooted in some hidden secret...

"Oh, it's really troublesome..."

Cheng Xiao sat on the windowsill, looking up at the bright moon.

Although he never considered himself a good person, he would still feel uncomfortable if he caused tens of thousands of civilians to suffer unnecessary disasters and die in the war.

It has nothing to do with the Virgin Mary, this is a very normal psychological reaction as a human being.

He never gives evildoers any chance to reform. He always believes in eradicating the roots of the problem, but he also doesn't want others to suffer unnecessary disasters because of his unintentional actions.

There is an essential difference between sophisticated egoism and selfishness.

Of course, he wouldn't keep "reflecting" there forever. After all, it was the Noxian army, not him, who really harmed people.

It's like when he was in school and a school bully picked on him, but he couldn't beat him and someone else started bullying him. Should he say to the bullied person, "I'm sorry, I hurt you"? Isn't it the school bully who should be condemned and punished?