One day later.
Deep in the Navoli Mountains, Vastaya Camp.
A handsome man with a gorgeous single wing was leaning against a tree trunk in a relaxed manner, with his legs crossed on a branch. He was reading a book with frayed edges in the bright sunlight that filtered through the colorful branches and leaves.
His name is Luo.
The most outstanding war dancer of the Lothal tribe, and also a notorious playboy.
In the past, in his spare time after fighting, Luo would always spread his beautiful wings like a golden peacock and lead his people in singing, dancing and drinking.
But recently, this guy has started reading books seriously for the first time.
"Luo." A faint fragrance came with the breeze.
Amidst the fluttering wings, a figure flashed by like a quick shadow and landed lightly in front of Luo.
She is Luo's lover and the leader of the Vastayan Free Army. She is also a Vastayan hero known in Ionia as "Purple Crow", Xia.
Xia has never forgotten the humiliation of the Lothallan tribe who lost their homes and were forced to leave their homes under human oppression. She has also been committed to uniting like-minded people across Ionia, establishing an independent armed force belonging to the Vastaya, and launching a full-scale resistance against humans.
The invasion of the Noxian Empire and the collapse of Ionia's traditional order created opportunities for Xia's plan.
She successfully united enough Vastaya to form the Vastaya Freedom Army, and went from being a hero who saved her compatriots to a leader who led her compatriots.
Xia is the leader.
Luo is her deputy.
"Luo, according to the distance, Irelia should be here today." Xia came to call him to work: "You should get ready and accompany me to meet our human guests."
"Okay!" Luo closed the booklet in his hand, shook his wings that were unconsciously covered with fallen leaves, and stood up from the branch.
"There's more...really." Xia reached out and helped him pick off the fallen leaves tangled in his hair.
She said, "Luo, you suggested that I try to negotiate peace with humans before. Was it also because of this book?"
"Is it this book that makes you start to believe in humans again?"
Xia's eyes fell on the book in Luo's hand.
That is the "Brief Account of Janna's Thought" which has been widely circulated in Ionia in the past month or so.
The people of Barue say it is a life-saving book and if you understand it, you will be blessed by the goddess.
The news spread from the province of Barou to the province of Navoli across the sea. Along with the legendary story of the leader saving the people, the news was simplified into a popular advertising slogan:
“Trust in Janna and you will be saved.”
Although this sentence is seriously inconsistent with the official values ​​of Leader, its propaganda effect is so direct and powerful.
For a while, the people in the coastal area of ​​Navoli, which was closer to Balue, all spontaneously rushed to buy "A Brief Account of Gana's Thought" on the market with the mentality of buying "salvation tickets".
When the businessmen saw that this business was profitable, they took action immediately like sharks smelling blood.
Not only did they take on the work of Zaun's publicity department, they also spared no effort to help Leaders with marketing and publicity among the people;
They also spontaneously organized production and transportation work, helped the leader print " A Brief Account of ", and tried their best to spread the "gospel" to more places for a fee.
In short, when this wind of change, fueled by commerce, blows from the coastal areas to the interior of Navoli...
The "Brief Account of Janna's Thoughts", which was given for free when buying a Zaun lighter on the coast, has been sold for 10 Silver Blossom Spirit Coins.
The effect of this book has become more and more outrageous as it is spread among the people.
From the beginning, "Trust in Janna to be saved", it became buying a book and getting the wind god's blessing, element awakening, free magic, and a knife for 999...
Luo heard the rumor when he was at the foot of the mountain, so he bought a copy out of curiosity.
Then, he realized that this book was not a secret manual for awakening magic power, nor was it a mysterious and abstruse scripture.
This seems to be a textbook, recording a lot of knowledge that the Ionians do not understand.
After some research, Luo really understood this knowledge.
He especially likes what the leader said: everyone is equal.
What they pursue is not only equality between people, but also the unity of all intelligent species and all soulful life forms in Runeterra.
Whether they are humans or Vastaya, all intelligent life forms share the same belief and have a common identity that transcends any external identities such as country, ethnicity, race, gender, etc. - comrades.
"I told you not to believe in fairy tales like this."
Seeing Luo dreaming about the book again, Xia couldn't help but dissuade him:
"Have you forgotten how humans have treated the Vastaya over the years?"
"I..." Of course Luo didn't forget.
He used to be a moderate who had been dedicated to changing the human impression of the Vastaya with his gorgeous singing and dancing.
He hopes that this method will resolve human hostility and allow humans and the Vastaya to unite.
But in the end…
His fellow tribesmen regarded him as a "Mutahakama", a traitor who sympathized with humanity.
Humans viewed him as a circus clown - no matter how much he danced or sang, no matter how many audiences he captured, he could not change humans' hostile attitude toward their race.
Luo is not pleasing either side.
So, after he became a partner with Kasumi, he followed Kasumi on the radical path of armed resistance against humans.
But even so, his views were not completely consistent with Xia's.
In Xia's eyes, the world is divided into black and white, and humans are always the enemy;
Luo has more sympathy and firmly believes that some humans are not hopeless.
The beautiful ideals described in Leader's book, A Brief Account of Gana's Thoughts, obviously touched his everlasting desire to coexist peacefully with humans.
"This is not desire, this is fantasy, it's a dream!" Xia said bluntly.
"Haha." Luo was not afraid of his girlfriend's lecture.
He put the booklet back into his pocket and replied with a smile: "If people don't dream, wouldn't it be too boring?"
"Tsk." Xia couldn't stand him talking nonsense on such an important matter.
She crossed her arms, turned her face away, and looked at the mountains in the distance with a hint of displeasure:
"Luo, what did you see?"
"I..." Luo followed his girlfriend's gaze and looked up:
In the distance, I saw the rolling mountains and undulating forests. The breeze blew the colorful canopy that was soaked in magic, stirring up rolling waves.
"I saw nature." Luo sighed emotionally: "Nature that has never been touched by humans, the most primitive and pure beauty."
"And then? What did you think of?"
"I..." Luo held his girlfriend's hand emotionally: "I thought of you, Xia. Your beauty is like this colorful sea of ​​trees, gorgeous yet pure..."
"Stop!" Xia shook off his arm in a bad mood: "Idiot, I want you to see where we are now!"
"We are in the deepest part of the Navoli Mountains, struggling to survive in a remote place that is despised by humans!"
"Beautiful? Why don't humans come and live in such a beautiful place?"
"Are all Vastaya people the Misttail tribe who live in the forest? Is it us who don't like living outside the mountains? Is it us who gave up the fertile land of our ancestors and hid in these mountains?"
"Oh..." Luo sighed.
Although he knew that Xia's anger was not directed at him, this was exactly what was bothering him.
Humans had hurt the Vastaya too badly in the past, and the rift between the two races was too deep.
This rift can no longer be repaired.
"The only way out is war, right?" Luo seemed to be asking Xia, but also asking himself.
"Yes." Xia answered firmly.
"Then why did you accept my suggestion and invite humans to negotiate?" Luo asked puzzledly.
"I..." Xia's face suddenly turned red: "I wanted to take this opportunity to completely shatter your last fantasy about humans."
So the words she used in the letter were very impolite, even using the tone of a creditor, clearly stating that she wanted the rebels to return the land, and specifically asked Irelia to come and negotiate in person.
According to Xia's idea, those greedy humans would definitely refuse the invitation.
There is no way the rebels would return such a large piece of land that they have already taken over to a group of Vastaya who are hostile to humans.
That Master Irelia may be the savior of humanity, but she is no friend to the Vastaya. She will not come.
Xia thinks so.
"But who knows..." Xia muttered in a low voice with some embarrassment: "Those humans actually agreed to come."
"Hahaha." Luo couldn't help laughing: "Xia, you see...humans are not as greedy as you think, right?"
"Conspiracy, there must be a conspiracy here!" Xia forced herself to make excuses.
And here they are joking...
The communication wizard in the camp had already found them under the tree.
"Leader!" The mage nodded slightly to Xia, "The rebels sent a message saying they have arrived at the Navoli Mountains."
"But they don't want to go any deeper into the mountains. They hope to find a place on the edge of the mountain range and have you go there in person to negotiate with Master Irelia."
"Oh?" Xia frowned slightly: "Why is that?"
"Because humans are afraid of us." The wizard laughed disdainfully, "The Master Ravi in ​​charge of the contact said that they cannot fully trust the Vastaya people yet. It will be very dangerous for humans to go deep into the mountains."
"Hehe... What's the matter, the great hero of Navoli, are you still afraid of our ambush? Haha." Xia couldn't help laughing.
She turned to look at Luo: "Luo, those human friends you trust don't seem to trust us very much!"
"It's understandable since it's our first contact." Luo shrugged helplessly and said.
"Chief, are we going?" the mage asked Xia for confirmation.
"Go ahead." Xia said, "Those humans are worried that I'll set an ambush in the mountains. I'm also afraid that they will find the location of our base camp and find a chance to attack us later."
In fact, Xia didn't really want humans to come to the Vastaya's lair.
The other party's request to meet somewhere else was exactly what she wanted.
"Send a message to those humans that we agree to change the negotiation location." Xia agreed.
As she spoke, she jumped down from the tree lightly, landing on the ground like a dragonfly: "Luo, let's go!"
…
A moment later, at the edge of the Navoli Mountains.
Although this place is just the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains, the environment is already desolate enough.
The densely populated plains of Navoli are blocked by the towering mountains. What remains here is only the thriving nature and the desolate civilization.
"Is this the place, Master Ravi? "
Irelia controlled the flying blade to push away the branches that blocked her way while asking Master Ravi who was leading the way:
“Those Vastaya people, are they really asking us to come here to negotiate with them?”
"Yes." Master Ravi nodded in confirmation: "Those Vastaya people still don't trust us. They don't want humans to find their lair. So they sent a special message to notify us to temporarily change the negotiation location."
"Okay..." Irelia didn't doubt him.
She just observed the surrounding mountains and dense forests, and muttered in confusion: "Why did the Vastaya arrange such a desolate place, where there is not even a single person to be seen?"
“Haha.” Master Ravi laughed, “This is the Navoli Mountains. We’d be worried if we saw a human figure here!”
That makes sense.
Irelia thought about it and stopped asking.
The group continued to follow Master Ravi and finally arrived at the agreed negotiation location, a pristine valley with few people.
There was no one else except their group of 11 people.
Irelia, Yi, Yasuo, Yongen and other three "brothers", as well as Qingxia, Ravi and other 7 accompanying masters.
These 11 masters can move around almost anywhere in Ionia, so Irelia didn't even think about bringing more followers on this trip.
Although 11 people are not a small number, they seem inexplicably alone in this empty valley.
The water here is gurgling, the air is chilly, and the atmosphere is gradually becoming colder.
"That." While waiting, Master Qingxia suddenly broke the silence.
He looked at the three people from the Gale Sword Sect and said, "Master Yi, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Please speak." Master Yi looked over in confusion.
"I suddenly remembered that I have an important military task that I didn't arrange before leaving." Master Qingxia looked at Yi and the brothers Yasuo and Yone who had childish faces.
"You, the Swift Wind Sword Sect, can ride the wind and travel even faster, so... I wonder if you three brothers can do me a favor and take my souvenirs back to Presidium?"
"Huh?" Yasuo and Master Yi were slightly stunned.
Yong En narrowed his eyes and asked meaningfully: "Master Qingxia, if you are just passing on military intelligence... can't you use the transmission spell?"
"No." Master Qingxia said, "For important military affairs, the rune mark must be verified in person."
"Then it doesn't take three of us to deliver this souvenir, right?"
"Yes, there are three souvenirs, all to be sent to different places ." Master Qingxia said in a subtle tone.
"This..." Now even Master Yi and Yasuo could sense that something was wrong.
Master Yi looked at Master Qingxia thoughtfully: "Master Qingxia, you..."
Do you know something?
Could it be that he is the undercover agent?
Master Yi was shocked, but then he thought again and felt that it was unlikely.
"Master Qingxia's soul is absolutely pure."
"Even Mr. Tam said he reeked of a saint."
Tam can smell people's greed, and Master Qingxia is a person who has no greed at all.
How could a person who has no worldly desires degenerate into a traitor?
"Master Qingxia, do you know something..." Master Yi was about to test him in a low voice.
And just at this moment...
Suddenly, there was a noise between the trees in the valley.
"Someone is coming!" Master Yi subconsciously clenched the hilt of his sword.
Master Qingxia sighed softly, and retreated behind the crowd, hesitant to speak.
Soon, the visitor finally showed up.
They are:
"Vastaya?" Master Yi was slightly stunned.
Xia, Luo, and a total of 10 Vastayan warriors who were accompanying them appeared here in front of his astonished and doubtful gaze.
"Hello!" Irelia looked at Xia's recognizable purple wings and took the initiative to greet her: "You should be the leader of the Vastayan Freedom Army, Xia?"
"That's right." Xia nodded, then looked at Irelia's slightly immature face, her friendly smile, and the row of sharp blades floating around her that absolutely could not be ignored.
Xia also recognized this great hero: "I didn't expect that the great hero of Ionia, the leader of the Presidium resistance, Master Irelia would actually condescend to visit."
"But..." She didn't have much bad feelings towards Irelia, but she still said sarcastically, "You dare to come as a guest, but you don't dare to enter the house. Don't you think it's ridiculous?"
"Eh?" Irelia looked confused: "Captain Xia, what... do you mean?"
"Huh?" Xia suddenly felt something was wrong.
She asked, "Master Irelia, didn't you ask Master Ravi to contact us using the teleportation technique to temporarily change the negotiation location?"
"What?" Irelia was confused.
She looked at Master Ravi in ​​confusion: "Master Ravi, what's going on? Didn't you say that Chief Xia wanted to change the negotiation location? Why..."
Why are the statements of both sides completely inconsistent?
Irelia was puzzled, but Xayah and Rakan had already displayed their wings vigilantly in this anomaly.
Master Yi and the brothers Yasuo and Yongen tightened the hilts of their swords at their waists without hesitation and cast hostile glances at Master Ravi.
"Alas..." Master Ravi just sighed.
He didn't answer, but sighed inexplicably: "Irelia, I gave you a chance."
"Why do you insist on having your own way and clinging to your outdated traditions? Why can't you just listen to everyone and be a good leader?"
"I don't want to hurt you, Irelia. But you... are so stubborn and don't understand human nature!"
"Senior..." Irelia still looked confused.
Or rather, she had heard something, but she didn't dare to face the truth.
"Master Ravi, what are you talking about?!"
Master Ravi still did not answer.
He glanced at Xia, Luo, and Irelia, and finally tore off the last of his mask: "Now that the guests are here, I won't play this trick anymore."
"Irelia, the Brotherhood asked me to say hello to you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Ravi lifted up his sleeves, revealing a shadow rune.
He used his magic to activate the runes and transmit information through his shadow clones. Soon...
In this quiet and deserted valley, noises immediately came from all directions.
More people came, a lot of people.
It was obvious that the enemy had already secretly ambushed around the valley and surrounded the place.
"What?!" Irelia was shocked.
At this point, no matter how slow or naive she is, she should know what she has experienced.
"It's a trap! It's a trap!" Xia gritted her teeth and spat, "Luo, I told you that humans can't be trusted! Damn it... these humans are fighting among themselves and they're trying to drag us down with them!"
Xia, who is always elegant, couldn't help but swear at this moment.
"Internal fighting among humans? No..." Master Ravi shook his head: "This is not internal fighting among humans."
"Because after today, everyone will know that it was the Vastayan Freedom Army that colluded with the Noxian assassins and shamelessly assassinated the leader of our Presidian resistance."
"Master Ravi!!" Irelia looked over in disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Irelia..." Master Ravi sighed, but his expression gradually became cold.
"In short, it was all because we trusted the Vastaya too much that Master Irelia accidentally drank the Vastaya's poison and was ambushed by the Noxian Empire."
"Fortunately, we also successfully killed Xia and Luo, who colluded with the Noxians, in the battle, and avenged Master Irelia."
"You... are shameless!" Xia finally understood.
She was called here to take the blame for these traitors.
Irelia's invincible image is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and there are so many masters around her. If it weren't for the "Vastaya traitor" backstabbing inside and the "Noxus Empire ambush" outside...
Then her death would be like a suicide by being shot in the back, which would be very suspicious.
Now it's all right -
Vastaya backstabbed Irelia and she died suddenly.
The peace invitation they sent to Irelia turned out to be a carefully planned Hongmen Banquet. Then they secretly poisoned and ambushed her from all sides, which caused Master Irelia to fail and die in the death trap set by Vastaya and Noxus.
This version of the story sounds much more reasonable.
"But are you really that confident..." Xia showed her sharp feathers angrily: "Can you and your friends from the Navoli Brotherhood leave all of us here?"
Xia and Luo were both masters, and the 10 Vastaya warriors accompanying her were also top-notch experts in the Vastaya Freedom Army.
In addition to the famous Irelia and the masters present...
Is Master Ravi, alone, and with the power of the Brotherhood, really 100% sure that he can keep them all here?
"The power of the Brotherhood is stronger than you think." Master Ravi completely ignored Xia's provocation.
"And..." he added, "I'm not alone either."
As he spoke, Master Ravi slowly stepped aside and stood opposite Irelia.
The masters who were originally standing beside Irelia left her one after another and stood on the side of Master Ravi.
"Sorry, Irelia." There were two people over there.
"Don't blame me." 3 people.
"You forced us to do it." 4 people.
“…”
The masters didn't dare to look Irelia in the eye, but no one stopped for her.
But in the blink of an eye, six of the seven masters who accompanied her stood against her.
"You, you guys..." Irelia's body trembled slightly.
She was unwilling to accept what was happening.
However……
"Irelia, you are really not suitable to be a leader." After a sigh.
The last master who had guarded her, the senior whom she trusted and relied on the most, also left her.
"Master Qingxia!" Irelia widened her eyes.
A strong emotion came over me, not fear, but pain that went deep into my soul.
"I..." Irelia was confused: "Did I do something wrong?"
"Why? Master Qingxia, why do you want to be a traitor too!"
Master Qingxia sighed, looking very helpless.
But there is nothing I can do.
Master Ravi and others showed infinite guilt in front of Irelia because of their shameless betrayal.
Only Master Qingxia didn't.
"Traitor? No, I'm not a traitor." Facing Irelia's accusation, he said: "Because the one I am loyal to has always been only one person - the Balance."
"Irelia, haven't you noticed yet?"
"What Ionia needs now is not a hero with noble character, but a powerful leader who can end the chaos as quickly as possible."
"When you naively treat this unprecedented change as a wound that can be easily healed, and unrealistically want to make everything in Ionia return to tradition..."
"You are already an obstacle to balance, child."