On the eastern continent of Shurima, Lin Wen took on the role of an investigator.
After getting Kai'Sa's approval, he approached the Void-corrupted land, grabbing a few stones to bring back for further study. Lin Wen had no idea about the source of Void power or whether these corrupted stones held any power.
After examining the contaminated land, Lin Wen, guided by Kai'Sa, entered the area where she used to sneak in to steal fruits.
"These plants are extremely dangerous; they seem to have a life of their own," Kai'Sa told Lin Wen seriously in the tropical jungle south of Kumungu.
Lin Wen thought, Isn't that obvious? This entire jungle is Zyra's embodiment. If you steal fruits in someone's home, they're naturally going to retaliate, even if it's just a symbolic swaying of vines to threaten Kai'Sa. After all, Lin Wen didn't think Kai'Sa could be stronger than Zyra.
After picking some fruits with Kai'Sa in the jungle, they continued their journey together. However, Kai'Sa gradually realized that Lin Wen was heading in the wrong direction.
He was going north.
Kai'Sa, of course, noticed, and she prepared herself for the inevitable parting with Lin Wen.
Although the days with someone to accompany, talk to, and the days of having enough to eat and drink were good, and even the days of cleanliness were good, Kai'Sa knew there would always be a day of parting. So she didn't have any special thoughts about it.
But in the vicinity of the Kahali River, Lin Wen said a bunch of things to her.
This changed Kai'Sa's original thoughts.
She agreed to Lin Wen's request.
She thought, maybe she truly didn't like being alone.
Before, it was just unavoidable.
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In the year 984 in Noxus, on November 3rd, at the port of Bel'zhun.
Lin Wen boarded the ship with his luggage, accompanied by a figure covered in a cloak.
"I didn't expect you to really agree to my request."
Once the ship set sail, Lin Wen leaned against the railing and spoke to the cloaked figure beside him.
The sea breeze coming towards them lifted a corner of the cloak, revealing her delicate chin. Her red lips pursed lightly as she spoke, "You mentioned wanting to fight against those underground creatures. My strength alone is not enough."
"I thought about it and realized you were right."
"I wasn't lying to you. Those things can't be killed; they are manufactured," Lin Wen said earnestly.
"I know that," she replied. "They are endless, and I am more aware of this fact than anyone else."
The person next to him was, of course, Kai'Sa.
Well, initially, it was just to activate Kai'Sa's card, but Lin Wen didn't expect that he would actually take Kai'Sa away.
"Science, the science you talked about. What kind of power is it?"
Kai'Sa pressed down on her hat to avoid it being blown off by the sea wind, revealing her face.
In Bel'zhun, her appearance was still intimidating. She didn't want to be seen, and she detested being treated as a monster.
So, following him, maybe it wasn't just about fighting subterranean creatures but also had something to do with his gaze? He never looked at her with fear, not from the very beginning.
As he said, Kai'Sa thought he might have truly seen too many "creatures."
"It's a kind of power that allows ordinary people to have the ability to kill monsters," Lin Wen affirmed.
Kai'Sa looked at Lin Wen strangely and asked, "The power you used that day was also scientific?"
"No, that was magical power."
"So, is science powerful, or is magic powerful?"
Now, Lin Wen couldn't come up with an answer.
Is magic powerful or is science powerful?
This topic is tricky.
Science and magic, these two combined, naturally spark controversy, especially in Piltover, where discussions on this are the most intense.
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As a person from the modern society, Lin Wen is well aware that so-called magic is powerful, but the undeniable power of science is evident in numerous science fiction works. Science, when developed to its extreme, can even possess the ability to destroy stars.
Ever heard of the Star destroyer Cannon?
One shot, one runeterra continent!
Of course, whether there is such advanced technological civilization in the universe is not something Lin Wen is concerned about. While creative imagination is fascinating, delving too deep into it is akin to foolishness.
That's the job of the Riot Games designers.
It's what the likes of Aurelion Sol, Bard, and others need to care about.
In any case, the current progress of Hextech research in Zaun has reached a commendable level. While it may not be comparable to Piltover, when combined with alchemical technology, the power is enormous.
So, Lin Wen could only say to Kai'Sa, "It's not easy to say, they each have their own characteristics."
Lin Wen explained further, "When I talk about science, it can make an ordinary person fly in the sky at a very fast speed and also have powerful attacks like yours."
"But magic requires training, and the number of people who can use magic is very limited. Describing it as finding a needle in a haystack would not be an exaggeration."
Kai'Sa nodded. If that's true, then what Lin Wen said about science is indeed very powerful.
Kai'Sa hasn't had much contact with science. Her father mentioned it before, saying that the former Shuriman Empire was powerful and possessed numerous ancient weapons. However, with the fall of the empire, those powerful weapons were buried under the sands.
Are those weapons also a form of science? Kai'Sa didn't know.
"I have another question," Kai'Sa said, looking at the sea.
She felt that her mood was unusually good.
Seeing the sea, Kai'Sa was very happy.
This was the first time in her twenty-plus years of life that she saw the sea.
It's really vast and boundless, stretching as far as the eye can see. This kind of vastness is hard not to bring joy to a person.
Shifting her gaze from the sea to Lin Wen's face, Kai'Sa asked him, "Are you really just a traveling merchant?"
"Of course, you just saw it yourself. Many people around here know me. I've been in Shurima for almost four years."
"But why do I always feel like you found me near that Village was not a coincidence?"
"Hmm," Lin Wen evaded Kai'Sa's gaze.
"Look at me, please answer my question," Kai'Sa said to Lin Wen.
Now, thinking back, Kai'Sa realized there were significant loopholes in her and Lin Wen's encounter.
After all, it's quite strange for an ordinary person to approach her in the middle of the night, especially considering that Lin Wen later displayed formidable strength in front of her. He was not the powerless human she had initially imagined; he was powerful, possibly even stronger than herself. So, Kai'Sa wasn't a fool.
"Who knows."
"Please answer my question."
"What would you like to eat tonight? There's a chef on the ship, and we can get something delicious."
"Answer my question!" Kai'Sa was getting a bit angry, her beautiful face showing signs of irritation as she looked up at Lin Wen.
The earlier perception that Kai'Sa was tall was an illusion. In reality, she was about 1.7 meters tall, shorter than Lin Wen by about half a head. But due to her body proportions, she appeared exceptionally tall, especially with those long legs.
Lin Wen looked up at the sky and murmured, "I heard they have Noxian dishes on this ship, like lamb chops seared with wine. They're fragrant and tender, absolutely delicious!"
"Please..."
"Oh! Right, the fruit juice we bought in the city we passed by last time. You can have it on this ship too. Do you want to drink alcohol or fruit juice?"
"Please... Give me fruit juice."
"Alright, then Noxian lamb chops plus fruit juice?"
"Yeah."
Kai'Sa let out a sigh.
He's not willing to answer; let it be.
If he doesn't want to, then it's his choice.
Anyway, if she's dissatisfied, she can leave on her own.
He's not faster than her.
Kai'Sa thought like this.