At the western edge of the Argent Mountains, deep in the serene forest atop the peak, a blue-white rune-engraved circle appeared on the snow-covered ground. After a few seconds, the circle emitted a burst of light, and countless blue magical particles coalesced.
Following this, a tall figure clad in blue-black armor suddenly materialized. It was none other than Li Lin, who had just teleported from Piltover to the border of Demacia.
As soon as he landed, Li Lin couldn't help but frown, forcing down the nausea rising in his throat. "Ugh, I need to find a way to deal with this teleportation dizziness..."
[Perhaps we could construct a new type of teleportation using pure technology, like your theories on hyperspace and wormholes.]
"It's too early for that. We haven't even fully mastered nuclear fusion yet," Li Lin replied, taking in his surroundings through the holographic display on his armor.
The Argent Mountains looked just as barren as he remembered, with large areas of exposed gray limestone and basalt and towering trees reaching up to the sky. Given the season's end and the high altitude, snowflakes were already falling.
In the scanning mode of his armor, various animals like birds, squirrels, and rabbits could be seen in the underbrush and trees. Most of the animals, unfamiliar with someone exuding such immense energy, watched him with wary curiosity.
"AI, where exactly are we?" Li Lin asked, opening the map.
[We are at the saddle west of the Gates of Mourning, precisely at the intended teleportation coordinates.]
[As you wished, this location is far from the Gates of Mourning, so the sentries atop the mountains won't notice the teleportation magic's glow.]
Nodding slightly, Li Lin released five stealth drones to scout the area. Then, he activated the "optical camouflage" mode on his armor.
The next moment, his blue holographic display changed color, and he, along with his armor, turned semi-transparent. From the outside, it looked as if Li Lin had vanished, blending into the snow, trees, and evergreen shrubs.
[Optical camouflage mode is active. Noise reduction system fully engaged. Nano energy core operating at 30% power.]
Following the holographic map and guided by the drones, Li Lin headed towards the Gates of Mourning outpost. Along the way, his armor scanned many Noxian sentries camouflaged and hidden in various corners, blending seamlessly with the environment. Their stealth capabilities were indeed impressive.
However, Li Lin's mission at the Gates of Mourning was reconnaissance. To avoid alerting the highly vigilant elite sentries, he refrained from testing his armor's stealth capabilities on them.
After five minutes of brisk walking, climbing steep slopes and rocks, Li Lin reached the outskirts of the outpost at the Gates of Mourning. This small fortress could easily accommodate about a hundred people. The white stone walls were covered with thick snow, reflecting Demacia's meticulous architectural style, though the dark red Noxian flag fluttering above looked out of place.
Li Lin found the southeastern iron gate of the Gates of Mourning and crouched in the surrounding forest, controlling his drones to scan the outpost. As the camouflaged drones flew over the outpost, infrared thermal imaging transmitted the positions of all the Noxian soldiers to his holographic display.
"A total of 73 Noxian elite soldiers stationed here. It seems the main force didn't stay long... Hm?"
Suddenly, Li Lin noticed an anomaly in the energy readings displayed by his armor. "What's going on?"
The AI immediately projected the detected anomaly on the holographic screen.
[According to the energy fluctuations, 22 of the 73 Noxian elite soldiers appear to be mages. Among them, 6 individuals exhibit energy levels far exceeding the average. Additionally, 16 soldiers...]
The AI uncharacteristically paused, recalculating the data after scanning their bodies with the drones.
[The remaining 16 soldiers exhibit significant deviations from typical human physiology. They... no, it would be more accurate to call them "entities." Their hearts seem to have stopped beating, some have fatal wounds, yet their blood still flows vigorously.]
"Zombies?" Li Lin muttered, his expression darkening. He had heard from Ionians who fled to Piltover that Noxus had an undead legion. Despite suffering countless fatal wounds, these undead, bloodthirsty monsters would rise again and continue their assault on Ionian militias.
Li Lin knew well that these dirty tricks, denying warriors' souls their rest, originated from the Black Rose Society's Crimson Reaper, Vladimir. Blood magic, a forbidden sorcery from ancient Shurima, combined water and spirit elements in a taboo practice.
These soldiers must have signed a blood pact with Vladimir, gaining control over blood and even the ability to resurrect the dead. A strong sense of revulsion rose within Li Lin. He retrieved his drones and walked toward the outpost's walls.
[Master, these "humans" exhibit behaviors similar to ancient blood magic. I am uncertain if your energy shield can block such dark sorcery. I advise against contact with these blood mages.]
[If you wish to eliminate them, I recommend high-altitude long-range attacks using particle disintegration cannons to dismantle them at the atomic level.]
"Don't worry, I won't act recklessly," Li Lin assured, already slipping past a Noxian guard. His armor's soundproofing was excellent, especially in "optical camouflage" mode, so their conversation couldn't be heard from the outside.
However, perhaps due to a seasoned warrior's intuition, the soldier frowned and glanced around as Li Lin passed by. The surroundings remained silent, and since Li Lin was flying at low altitude without leaving footprints, the guard felt even more puzzled.
Li Lin hovered up to the walls, his armor's propulsion system noise drowned out by the howling wind. Peering down, he saw four individuals sitting in a corner of a small training ground, laughing and playing with chess pieces from a Noxian game called Tyrran Stone.
Among the players were a corpulent man, a lean, dark-skinned man with a flamboyant hairstyle, a short-haired girl with red lips and red cloth wrapped around her legs, and lastly, a silver-haired woman with a delicate face and bloodstone earrings, her expression one of utter boredom.
This woman made Li Lin feel an instinctual, bloodline-based dread, as if facing a natural enemy. He activated his "Data Mind," and the woman's information appeared on his system panel:
[Name: Kai Noladi]
[Age: 136]
[Race: Noxian, Undead]
[Occupation: Blood Pact Follower, Junior Blood Magic Practitioner, Noxian Gray Legion Lieutenant]
[Abilities: Eternal Youth, Blood Conversion, Blood Missile, Blood Piercing, Blood Reversal, Blood Burst, Blood Feast]
(End of chapter)
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