After resolving the incident in the Valley of Songs, the group headed west towards Shurima.
Nasus originally intended to take Sivir back to the Sun City directly, but she flatly refused.
How could she leave when her custom-made powered armor hadn't arrived yet?
Therefore, due to Azir's orders and his duty to protect the royal bloodline, Nasus acted as the group's bodyguard.
On the mountain path to Shurima, Kassadin always thought about curing Kai'sa before heading to Icathia.
When Li Lin asked about the reason, he mentioned his intention to find Malzahar, to avenge his deceased wife and his daughter, who had suffered for three years.
Li Lin was shocked to learn this, finally understanding why Malzahar had been active in Shurima in the original timeline, even developing the Void Cult on the outskirts of Nashramae, preparing to let the Void consume the port.
Meanwhile, Kassadin stayed alone in Icathia, unaware that his daughter had become the legendary "Daughter of the Void" in Shurima.
Emotionally, Kassadin had always felt that this Void Prophet had never left Icathia...
It wasn't until Li Lin revealed Malzahar's activities in Shurima that Kassadin came to his senses, realizing he had been searching in the wrong direction all along.
If it weren't for Li Lin, he might not even have seen his daughter, Kai'sa.
Unconsciously, Li Lin's position in the hearts of Kassadin and Kai'sa continued to rise, almost reaching its peak.
After traveling for dozens of days, they finally arrived at the small town of Zirima, composed of various settlements.
This was a gathering place for caravans and adventurers before entering the desert. Occasionally, travelers and nomads would take a rest here.
Upon entering the town with Li Lin and Kassadin's powered armor and the fourteen Storm Robots, all eyes were on them.
Because of Li Lin and Kassadin's powered armor, as well as the fourteen storm robots that resembled an army.
Kai'sa's Void-powered skin didn't seem out of place either, mistaken by people as Hextech technology.
Among them, especially Nasus, most of the desert's inhabitants had grown up listening to his stories, and there were hardly any who didn't know him.
After experiencing the battle with Xerath and meeting the ascended Azir, Nasus had taken up his responsibilities as a god-warrior and the Grand Magister of the empire once again.
Under the respectful welcome of Wena Bonsol, the ruler of Zirima, Li Lin, Kassadin, and Kai'sa had the honor of basking in the glory of the royal family and staying in Wena's luxurious residence together.
In addition, Nasus planned to discuss with the ruler to restore Shurima's control over the Sun City.
If Wena was willing to cooperate, he could serve as the governor of Zirima for the empire, guarding this frontier territory.
If not...
According to Nasus' thoughts, there were many others willing to pledge loyalty to the Sky Sovereign, and he wouldn't miss out on the opportunity.
As the evening approached, the setting sun cast its glow across the land.
In his room, Li Lin relaxed in a bath and enjoyed some delicacies sent by the servants.
Afterwards, he changed into casual clothes, ready to explore the city.
As he stepped out, he coincidentally met Kai'sa, who seemed to be looking for something, emerging from her room.
Her deep purple hair was still damp, and her face wasn't as dusty as before when they were underground, appearing much cleaner.
Due to the influence of the Void, her carapace couldn't be removed, so she could only wash her hair and face.
Seeing Li Lin, a fleeting smile of joy appeared on Kai'sa's face. "Li Lin~"
During this period, she smiled more times than in the past three years combined.
"Are you going to find your father?" Li Lin walked up to her. "He's in that room over there."
Li Lin pointed diagonally across from Kai'sa's room, which was a few meters away.
This side building had more than ten exquisitely decorated luxury rooms, used by Wena to entertain guests.
Li Lin, Kassadin, Kai'sa, and Sivir's rooms were adjacent to each other.
However, at this time, Sivir should have finished washing up and changed her clothes long ago, probably going to some tavern to drink.
"Thanks, but my father has been working so hard these days, he should rest properly."
A fleeting sense of melancholy flashed across Kai'sa's face.
In just three years, her father seemed to have aged ten years, which pained her greatly.
She fell silent for two or three seconds before the corners of her mouth curved up again. "Are you going out for a walk? I haven't wandered around the city in a long time."
"Of course, I was just thinking the same thing."
To accommodate Kai'sa, Li Lin went back to his room to change back into his powered armor, so that her purple-black living skin wouldn't attract unnecessary attention from others.
After informing the servant guarding the stairs, the two of them walked out of Wena's mansion and into the bustling town.
Unlike the peaceful atmosphere of the Valley of Songs, most of the citizens here were merchants or adventurers, most of whom were just temporarily resting here.
Therefore, most shops would only close late at night. People wanted to quickly sell their goods and then go elsewhere to buy more merchandise.
Walking side by side, Li Lin and Kai'sa enjoyed the customs of the city-state and bought many local snacks.
Of course, Li Lin had already eaten dinner, so most of the food ended up in Kai'sa's seemingly bottomless stomach.
Her carapace-based living weapons required a lot of energy. Almost all the food she ate would be converted into energy as soon as it entered her stomach, leaving no residue.
So no matter how much Kai'sa ate, she hardly felt full or gained weight.
Unless she absorbed a Void Shard first to replenish her energy, she wouldn't feel full.
They walked two more blocks and arrived at the commercial street where the Piltover Caravan was located.
With the Hextech refrigerators, the Piltover merchants could sell fresh fruits and vegetables in Shurima.
Of course, for most people in Shurima, these fresh fruits and vegetables are considered luxury items, with a high price tag.
As they approached a stall, Kai'sa, who was eating grilled skewers, stopped in her tracks, a glint of excitement in her watery purple eyes.
"Hey, beautiful young lady, care for a juicy peach?" the vendor offered. "These are low-temperature preserved fruits, incredibly sweet."
Kai'sa's throat involuntarily twitched, her eager gaze shifting to Li Lin beside her.
"water and shade to you, sir... or madam?" the vendor cautiously greeted.
"Sir," Li Lin controlled his power armor and lifted his visor. "Water and shade for you."
Seeing Li Lin's friendliness, the vendor quickly engaged, "You must be from Piltover, right? I've seen this type of Hextech armor on the streets for two months now!"
Li Lin smiled, choosing not to expose the vendor's small lie.
Currently, he had only crafted power armor for himself and Kassadin. They had arrived in Shurima two months ago. And the armor he made for the elite enforcers of Piltover's Enforcers was significantly different from his own.
Li Lin casually picked up a somewhat decent-looking peach from the stall and inquired, "How much for the peach?"
"A peach costs 10 silver sands..." the vendor quoted, a staggering price.
Seeing Kai'sa's surprise, he quickly explained, "Actually, sir, this price isn't expensive at all. We pick these peaches from the Kuma jungle in Kumungu and use Hextech coolers to preserve them, transporting them all the way down here."
"Besides the labor cost of picking peaches, hiring mercenaries to escort us along the way requires a lot of money, not to mention these Hextech devices need Hextech cube batteries."
"In Piltover, a battery costs 5 silver wheels. Converted into silver sands, it requires 25 coins! It's not easy for us to transport such fresh fruits here..."
Listening to the vendor's lengthy complaints, Li Lin felt somewhat amused.
I haven't said anything yet, why are you in such a hurry?
"This is too expensive. The peaches my father bought back then, the most expensive ones were only two silver sands each!"
Kai'sa immediately saw through the vendor's exaggeration, not wanting Li Lin to be taken advantage of, even though she knew he wasn't short of money.
"You see, where can you find fruits like these now? Mine are all from the Kuma jungle, you know where Kumungu is? It's south of Piltover! You think it's expensive, I also think it's expensive!"
"But, but..."
Young Kai'sa obviously had little life experience and had only seen her parents bargain, never having done it herself.
Bombarded by the vendor's verbal assault, her face visibly displayed a bewildered expression.
"Really, my peaches..."
Seeing the vendor about to ramble on, Li Lin waved his hand repeatedly to stop him, "Enough, enough, that's enough... I haven't said anything yet."
"Uh... sorry, sir." He was afraid that Li Lin would get angry and quickly apologized.
After all, he had several crates of peaches for over a week, and only sold a few. Today, this little girl seemed to love peaches very much, and this young man who could afford Hextech armor seemed to be very wealthy.
To make up for his potential losses, he deliberately raised the price.
But now, he regretted it a bit.
If it were a bit cheaper, they might not hesitate to buy it, right?
Just as the vendor hesitated whether to lower the price, Li Lin finally spoke up, "Your peaches are overpriced, aren't they?"
Oh no! I've been found out...
The vendor panicked inwardly, about to explain, but was interrupted by Li Lin's next words:
"I understand your desire to make up for losses, but I also know the market. During this season, isn't your peach worth at most three or four silver sands? Yet, you're selling it for 10."
The vendor's face grew even paler, thinking that this deal couldn't be completed anymore.
"But, well, since we're both from Ionia, shouldn't we avoid troubling our fellow countrymen?"
"Y-you're right," the vendor lowered his head, looking extremely embarrassed. "The market price for this peach is 3 silver sands, but it's not in good condition, so I can only sell it for 2.5 silver sands..."
A sense of indignation flashed across Kai'sa's small face, "How could you..."
She had only just opened her mouth when Li Lin's large hand reached her shoulder-length purple hair, interrupting her words of complaint.
"Alright, I'll give you 10 gold seas. Deliver all your fruits, including these Hextech coolers, to Wienner Banso's mansion."
Kai'sa: "?!"
Vendor: "!!!"
Trivia: Kai'sa's favorite food is peaches.
(The End of This Chapter)