The reason Li Lin chose to depart from Sai Kahleek was primarily for two reasons.
Firstly, with Nasus accompanying them, the threat of Rek'Sai was not significant. She was merely a Void creature, despite her title as the Queen of the Voidborn, which posed no threat to a Divine warrior.
Even if they didn't encounter Malzahar, Nasus could still brush up on his skills by defeating some minor creatures to enhance his affinity with machinery, gain some experience, and acquire more blue essence.
Secondly, the border between Shurima and Icathia lies in the southeastern part of the continent, known as Sai Kahleek.
To reach there, the fastest route was through the Great Sai to reach Vekaura, then enter the neighboring Sai Kahleek.
However, Li Lin felt that given Malzahar's temperament, he wouldn't openly show up in crowded cities.
Most likely, he would pass through the desolate central part of the Great Sai, cross the River Kahleek, pass through Sai Kahleek, and head towards the border of Icathia.
While ordinary people feared the Void Burrowers, Malzahar was an agent of the Void, with Rek'Sai and Xer'Sai at his disposal; it was impossible for them to harm him.
Of course, Sai Kahleek occupied a third of the southern part of the Shuriman continent.
Finding one person in such a vast golden sea was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, if not more so.
Fortunately, except for those who had no choice, hardly anyone dared to traverse Sai Kahleek.
Moreover, Malzahar always wore a purple robe, which differed significantly from the attire of the merchant caravans, making him relatively easy to identify.
With the semi-intelligent chips in the Storm Robots today, their ability to identify objects was much stronger than before, making it quite easy to recognize an individual wearing a purple robe.
Li Lin had already formulated a plan.
There were many Piltovian merchant caravans selling Hextech technology in Shurima, which could be used as cover. He would then purchase some Storm Robots from the shops.
Creating something out of nothing once was enough.
Doing it again would not only raise questions from Kassadin and the others, but Nasus might also become curious, which would be troublesome.
Besides, Li Lin still had 4628 blue essences left, and since he wasn't a mage, most of the equipment in the shop was of no use to him.
A Storm Robot without bullets and energy crystals cost 100 blue essences, and he had 24 energy crystals in his Dawnlight, just enough to power 12 Storms.
He planned to buy 12 Storms, along with the 13 he already had chips for, assigning each one to patrol a specific area of Sai Kahleek throughout the day.
With some luck, they might actually catch Malzahar.
Li Lin discussed the next steps with Kassadin, Sivir, and Nasus, planning to rest in Shurima for three days before heading to Sai Kahleek.
During these three days, Li Lin wrote IOUs to several Piltover merchant caravans, purchasing all Hextech devices including some precision mechanical devices.
He happened to gather enough materials and also created an auxiliary chip for the manually operated Storms.
In addition, he equipped the Storms with signal amplification devices to ensure faster transmission of signals.
Li Lin spent three days holed up in the room. When the appointed time came, he walked out with 26 Storm Robots, nearly dropping everyone's jaws.
If the Storm Robots that used to follow him were like loyal guards, they could now be considered a small combat force.
Under the astonished gaze of Vayna, his subordinates, and the citizens of Shurima, Li Lin, Kassadin, Kaisa, and Sivir respectively rode on newly purchased camels, accompanied by Nasus who didn't need a mount, and left through the northern gate of Shurima, heading north.
...
...
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Lin and his group followed the River Kahleek upstream. When they reached the middle section, they changed direction and headed east.
The northerners called Sai Kahleek the "Sea of Bones," which was actually quite apt.
Even before they fully entered this sand sea, they encountered numerous large, white skeletons submerged in the yellow sand.
Kassadin had ventured into Sai Kahleek as bait a few times when he was in his teens.
Fortunately, he survived.
Therefore, he had some experience on how to navigate through Sai Kahleek.
Abandoned by impoverished families, it was impossible for a young lad to traverse these quarters of bones and yellow sand in the desert for several seasons.
The vast majority perished within Xer'Sai's belly, becoming their nourishment.
Those lucky enough, like Kassadin once was, earned enough money to flee this place.
They would rather wander the endless plains of "Sai Faraj" than face the terrifying Voidborn lurking underground, leaving people helpless.
However, Kassadin did know a middle-aged man named Shaib who had traversed Sai Kahleek for more than ten years.
His reputation in the Marrowmark market was comparable to Kassadin's back in Belveth.
Kassadin told Li Lin and the others that the survival foundation in Sai Kahleek was a method called "footing," which every guide must learn.
A considerable number of Xer'Sai lacked visual systems, relying entirely on some form of sensory organs in their bodies to perceive movement on the ground and capture prey entering their territory.
In Sai Kahleek, camel riding was not allowed, and the weight of people and goods would greatly shake the ground.
Furthermore, people couldn't wear shoes while walking, which would increase the contact area between the feet and the ground, allowing the Ekse to sense them quickly.
Moreover, because the gravel in the desert was not like that on the beach, footing was a very painful process, often accompanied by profuse bleeding and gravel embedded in the skin of the feet.
Some people couldn't avoid suppuration and inflammation during this process. Once it reached that level, it meant they were beyond saving and would be abandoned by guides and merchant caravans.
The desert's survival environment was harsh.
Kai'sa, who had never heard such stories from her father, fell silent.
Looking at the skeletons on the ground again, she felt uneasy, her determination to rid the Void strengthening.
Sivir, on the other hand, exclaimed, "It's fortunate to have Nasus with us. Those voidborn are not a concern."
Nasus, walking heavily beside Sivir's camel, breathed out heavily, not refuting her point.
"Our main target this time is Malzahar, but if we fail to capture him, eliminating the Void threats in this place would also be considered a service to the people," Kassadin said solemnly.
"Queen of the Voidborn, Rek'Sai, right?" Nasus's voice was low and hoarse. "They should be variants of the burrowers."
"Does Rek'Sai really exist, Dad?" Kai'sa was curious about the legend of Rek'Sai. "You've told me before that hardly anyone has seen its true appearance?"
"Because most of those who have seen it died," Li Lin answered hastily.
"Li Lin is right..." Kassadin fell silent for two seconds. "However, Shaib saw it later."
"Really? Did he... did he tell you what Rek'Sai looks like?"
"At the time, there was a sandstorm, so he didn't see clearly, only vaguely distinguishing it as a gigantic creature several hundred meters long."
Kassadin sighed. "The caravan led by Shaib was completely wiped out, and only he and two young lads survived. Fortunately, the weather was bad at the time, saving their lives."
"Kai'sa, Rek'Sai's level is about the same as the tentacle mantis underground in the Valley of Songs. If you devour it, your skin armor will evolve further."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Lin regretted it.
If Kai'sa really absorbed a digger and evolved the ability, wouldn't she be digging holes underground...?
The thought of her digging underground made Li Lin shiver involuntarily.
No, no, my proposal was too... inappropriate...
Before he could retract or Kai'sa could respond, Nasus suddenly perked up his ears, squinting into the distance, entering a state of alertness.
"Prepare for battle, I heard movement beneath our feet!"
(End of the Chapter)
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