Although Kai'sa had heard Li Lin talk about "Hexgates," she had never seen him use this kind of spatial teleportation ability before, so she was very excited.
As for the surrounding citizens, a considerable portion of them had never been to Piltover and didn't really understand Hextech technology.
And the other part who knew about Hextech technology had never seen Li Lin so sophisticated, let alone his powered armor that could "blink" instantaneously.
They all regarded Li Lin as a highly skilled mage, unable to help but exclaim:
"Teleportation... This must be magic, right?"
"Yeah, I met a traveling wizard before, and when he cast spells, it would make your mouth taste sour like camel milk... I just tasted that."
"What's with the metallic armor he's wearing? Why does it shimmer with blue light and move on its own?"
"I've seen similar things before; it's probably Piltover's Hextech technology. That stuff is valuable."
"Is this girl his daughter?"
"Do they have some grudge against this preacher? Why did they go so hard on him?"
"..."
Li Lin waved to Kai'sa, calling her to his side.
Then, he quickly scanned the surroundings and noticed that several people on the outskirts of the crowd were running towards the direction of Vayna Bancroft's mansion, presumably to find the guards.
But Li Lin didn't pay too much attention to it.
Those guards had seen him and would surely report this to Vayna.
And Nasus, who discussed matters with him, would most likely also come to assess the situation, making it easy to resolve this matter.
When the authoritative leaders of Shurima, or even the renowned Grand Magister throughout Shurima, declared the danger of the Void, these people would naturally resist the Void.
In this theocratic country, for those who had their own beliefs, this was the best way to resist the Void cult and the influence of Malzahar.
Following behind Li Lin, Kai'sa walked up to the woman who had been somewhat bewitched by the cultist's words just now, her expression dull.
He raised his mask and spoke as gently as possible, "May I offer you water and shade, madam?"
There was still a bewildered look deep in the woman's murky eyes, evidently not fully understanding what had just happened.
Li Lin sighed softly.
The rapid expansion of the Void cult founded by Malzahar was inseparable from his cunning mind.
His target demographic for recruiting followers was these lonely people who had lost their loved ones, especially those in remote areas far from the Sun Disc.
As long as he casually displayed abilities beyond human capability and coupled it with persuasive language, it was easy to attract those who had already suffered mental blows.
"I'm sorry to shatter your hopes, but what I want to say is that this man is a cultist, and his so-called 'Void' cannot bring salvation."
Li Lin's voice was not loud, but many people around wanted to hear what he would say next, so they kept quiet and gathered around.
He took a deep breath and continued, "The Void is not something of our world; it is a corrupt and evil existence attempting to infiltrate our vibrant world and devour it, rendering all things into nothingness.
"What the cultist just said about the Void allowing you to see your deceased loved ones... The implication is quite clear: only the dead can see the dead...
"But he didn't mention that being consumed by the Void, you wouldn't even qualify as dead.
"Your existence will be erased, you will forget yourself, and become part of the Void, never finding peace."
To those who didn't understand the Void, Li Lin's words seemed a bit obscure.
But one thing they all understood: the Void was something that could destroy the world.
A middle-aged man couldn't help but question, "Is this thing really as exaggerated as you say it is?"
Li Lin turned to look at him, realizing that he was one of those who had been somewhat tempted by the cultist's preaching about the Void.
"Not exaggerated at all!" Before Li Lin could speak, Kai'sa interjected excitedly, "In my hometown, my village was swallowed by the subterranean Void three years ago, leaving only barren salt flats and twisted fissures everywhere..."
The beautiful and cute girl always evoked empathy from others, especially when she showed maturity and an inexplicable sense of world-weariness beyond her age.
"Is that so?!"
"I seem to have heard of this incident; it happened in the Valley of Songs to the east. The village there was wiped out overnight, leaving nothing but remnants..."
"Now that you mention it, there have been quite a few refugees coming to Shurima in the past two years; isn't Bedic one of them?"
"Yeah, that's right. There's been a wandering drunk in the Yellow Sands Tavern for the past two years, called Kassadin, right? It seems his family was from the Valley of Songs, and I heard his wife and daughter died..."
At this point, they all remembered the "threat" of the Void and began to discuss it fervently.
Discussing the Void hit close to home for Kai'sa, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face.
However, knowing that people were still wary and resistant to the Void, she had no intention of revealing herself as a survivor of the Valley of Songs.
And those people all assumed she and Li Lin were relatives, like other survivors who happened to be away from the area or at a distance when the incident occurred.
In the following days, Li Lin and Kai'sa answered people's questions and raised the danger level and threat of the Void to the level of the Darkin War and Rune Wars from a thousand years ago.
Of course, it was indeed an event that ultimately affected everyone in Runeterra.
And... time was indeed running out.
Zirima's guards acted swiftly; the first team of five had already arrived and temporarily controlled the scene.
Of course, they didn't lay a hand on Li Lin, who had been involved in the altercation, but instead showed him utmost respect and courtesy, even controlling the cultist who propagated the Void.
This was someone who could accompany a demigod warrior; even Vayna would treat them with the highest respect, perhaps even considering them distant relatives of Emperor Azir.
Moreover, before sending them, Vayna specifically instructed them not to be rude to Li Lin and Kai'sa.
The guards' attitude towards Li Lin and Kai'sa made their earlier words even more convincing.
After a few minutes, Zirima's ruler, Vayna, arrived at the scene with her twenty fully armed guards.
As Li Lin expected, Nasus and Kassadin, clad in powered armor, were also among the crowd.
More than a dozen guards separated the crowd several meters away, while Vayna, accompanied by four soldiers, went to inspect the condition of the unconscious cultist.
"Kai'sa, are you both alright?"
Seeing his daughter, Kassadin hurried over.
A smile appeared on Kai'sa's face. "Of course, Dad. Don't you trust my abilities? Besides, that cultist was just an ordinary person."
"That's good..." Kassadin breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to Li Lin beside his daughter. "So, what exactly happened?"
"I was strolling in the city with Kai'sa when we happened to encounter that preacher from the Void cult..."
Li Lin explained the situation truthfully to Kassadin.
At this moment, Nasus and Vayna finished examining the condition of the unconscious cultist and walked over to where Li Lin and the others were.
"He has an artifact of ancient Icathia on him, and the shape displayed is indeed that of the Void."
Nasus displayed a purple triangular hollow pendant in his hand, with three tentacle-like arcs extending from its rounded and curved side.
Vayna immediately continued, "You've done well. As the Governor of the Empire, my city does not allow the corruption of the Void to taint the empire's subjects!"
Li Lin glanced at Vayna Bancroft.
It seemed that he had reached an agreement with Nasus, allowing Shurima to regain control of Zirima.
"That guy just said he's preparing for a so-called 'Night of Confession.' I heard he plans to conduct a live sacrifice at that time," Li Lin added.
A hint of confusion flashed across Kai'sa's small face, unsure when he had learned about this.
On the other hand, Kassadin was not surprised by this at all, as if it were entirely reasonable for Li Lin to know so much.
"Confession..." Nasus uttered the word heavily, "We cannot allow parasites to corrupt the Empire's subjects."
Kassadin nodded in agreement, but his words were filled with anxiety, "But we don't know where this prophet is hiding."
He had long wanted to seek revenge against Malzahar, but this guy was too cautious; basically, no ordinary person knew where he was.
"This guy's mouth should be able to pry out some information."
Vayna waved her hand, ordering her subordinates to bring the cultist over.
"No need for that."
Nasus's claw gripped the brass chain of the pendant, allowing it to naturally hang down.
Under the sunset, the purple pendant reflected a strange, eerie light.
"With this medium related to him, the Astrology Magic can be used for tracking."
(End of Chapter)