Chapter 14

The City of Progress Part 1

Hey, guys! Addy here with the latest update about my trip to Piltover! IT FUCKING SUCKS! Shen insisted we reach Piltover the non-magical way. That means normal travel and by normal travel, the ninja meant walking all the way there!

This form of mine has none of my spells, abilities or OP Innate Powers. It's just me and my Plants VS. Zombies Innate Power. That way I wouldn't stand out as much I would.

Of course, when you say stand out, my plan would be to blend in completely. WHERE THE FUCK DID THAT PLAN GO TO?!

For my own protection (Persephone strongly insisted I should consider that), I summoned 4 Imp Porter, 2 Weasel Hoarder, 2 Chicken Wrangler Zombie and 2 versions of Dr. Zomboss (Zombot Aerostatic Gondola and Zombot Dark Dragon).

I ordered Dr. Zomboss to keep out of sight high in the skies so no one would make a fuss about it. So it would look like I just have 8 Zombies with me when in truth, I had 2 Bosses to watch my back.

Shen had not said a word since we left New Adriel. Not a word at all. "Is there something wrong, Shen?" I asked. Shen took a look at me then shrugged.

"Nothing. My mind is simply full of thoughts. The creatures that came with your gift are quick and efficient. They do fine work, finer than I could. And there's the Ninja Scrolls I failed to protect. My list of mistakes keeps going on and on. Am I not incompetent?" he said at last.

I get the feeling he's saying words that he hasn't told anyone yet. What is with people and unloading all their pent-up emotions in front of me? Marshal does that. He does that all the freaking time. I don't mind it, just so you know.

Magnus and Rick does that too. I must be carrying a placard that says "Emotional dustbin. Dump your heartaches here." I smiled up at him.

"You're human, Shen. You're not perfect. You make mistakes just like anyone else. All that matters is where you'll let these mistakes take you. Better or worse? It's all your decision. Besides, those creatures are fashioned in your likeness. If you let your spirit down, they'll grow weaker. If you think they're strong now, it's all because of your resolve. Man up." I said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Shen looked at me and shrugged again. I know. I'm not much of a inspiring talker or something. "Thank you." I heard him say softly. I raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?" I teased, pretending I hadn't heard him.

The day had gone quite easy. I shifted back to 1st and 2nd at the Demacian palace. I was doing a good job listening and jotting down the requests of the people who flocked into the palace for the King's Grace (Xin told me that's what they call it). And everyone from all over Demacia had started visiting the palace as well because of my extensive redecoration.

I had taken the Pawn Cards with me and gave the job of supply deliveries to the Leviathans (Escorted by Servants) and the Rocs (Escorted by Caladria).

During lunchtime, the two me dragged Garen into a private room and raped him thoroughly. I did the same to Xin around sunset. I should mention the two had fainted when they saw two of me and were more active and feral in their lovemaking.

They actually liked the thought of a constant threesome. Anyhoo, 3rd had a very informative day back at New Adriel. Owing to the fact that my brain seem to jot down everything important that people say, a flood of information had entered my head and it was all about managing New Adriel, the direction we planned on steering it to and the overall representation of New Adriel to Valoran and Runeterra as a whole. I made a mistake. I think I shouldn't have left my 3rd form alone.

The guys had actually got ahead of themselves and went overboard with everything. Mainly, it was Persephone, Hawk Moth, Velma and Fred doing all the talking and Shaggy, Scooby, Daphne and I listened like good little soldiers. What's worse is that I couldn't find the whole thing to be boring. Everything's being recorded in my cranium!

Stop it, please! It's very mind-blowing to be split into four bodies but managing them at the same time. Although I can focus on one form, I was still conscious of the other three and my brain could instantly make decisions and react as if I still had one body.

I snapped back to 4th who was with Shen.

The only things I had brought with me were:

Two infinite purses of gold coins,

Two infinite cases of multi-enchanted, single-use-only marbles (This form only had the Plants VS. Zombies Innate Power after all),

Ten enchanted rings each containing a dozen spells,

A bottomless suitcase that contained over a hundred different clothes and shoes (All of which were designed either by Hawk Moth or Persephone),

A hologram map,

Book of Gluttony (I gave the Feast series to Scooby and Shaggy),

Esperanza and

Mimi and Friends (Mimi was with me. The undead cats hitched a ride with Dr. Zomboss).

That's it.

Plus my Greater Shadow Queens. They're added protection for me.

I think I nerfed myself to the ground in an effort to blend in. I even changed clothes. I'm not wearing the stuff I summoned from Diablo and Elder Scrolls (I gave it to Persephone for safekeeping). It's better this way.

I relied on my Attributes and the Attribute bonuses from Mimi alone. I'm not even walking at all. I floating above the ground and followed at a steady pace behind Shen but the sun on our faces was definitely merciless.

"Shen, how far are we from Piltover?" I asked. "We will reach there in two days at most in a normal pace. If we do not camp tonight and continue moving, we can reach it in a day and a half." he replied. He's kidding, right? I don't want the prospect of traveling all night. We had to rest somewhere. "Aren't you tired, Shen?" I asked. He looked at me in disbelief.

"A Kinkou can walk for a month and have no need of rest nor nourishment." he said as if that explained everything. I facepalmed. I thought so. "Well, Shen, I'm not Kinkou. I need to rest and besides, we have a lot of time in our hands even when we reach there early." I said.

I had to keep reminding myself that I had a lot to do. Swain's coming over to Demacia so I have to free the king and the prince before that. I had sped up time in the realm where they are. Adventurers can't access Island of The Devil while the two royals are still there.

From what I heard from the Cyber Gang, no adventurer had passed through the second chapter yet so the Island of The Devil was still far-off. On that same vein, no adventurer party had finished Act 1 in the Diablo 2 realm yet. Back to the present... The auction will be next week.

Ezreal will be waiting for us there but until then, we had a lot of free time. Shen said it can be reached in two days. I don't know what he meant but I'm thinking along the lines of waking up real early and start walking again. I pulled out the hologram map and beamed up the path we're taking. The Zombies crowded around me to see it.

0_0 - My literal reaction. We could reach Piltover in two days because we had to take a boat ride at a small ferry port roughly a mile and a half ahead and that service offered a fast transport to people with extra coin. THIS NINJAAAAAAAAA...

Shen grinned when he saw I realized what he had schemed. I know I'm paying for those goddamn Ninja Scrolls so he makes me pay for the boat ride too.

"You know, I'm paying for everything, come to think of it." I said in a cheerful voice. He looked at me and grinned wider. "We are placing ourselves at your mercy, Lord Adriel." he said teasingly. "Off with your head, I say." I said imperiously. The Zombies with me giggled at our exchange. They don't talk much, zombies.

But then again, only Dr. Zomboss can talk among them. I can understand them perfectly though. "If you want to rest, the nearest inn is still far off. We have to keep moving if you want your beauty rest." Shen said.

We talked all the way to the inn he spoke of. Apparently, Shen had taken this road before but that was many years ago. His memory is stellar so he had no problems recollecting that information.

"What were you doing in Piltover anyway?" I asked curiously. "Soliciting military support. Zaun had allied with the Noxians so it was easy to convince Piltover to help Ionia." Shen replied. Ooohhh... I think I'm damn lucky not to have arrived at Runeterra during the Ionia-Noxus war. That would be a real pain.

"Adriel, continue talking. There is trouble up ahead. Pretend you did not notice it." Shen suddenly said. DUDE, I DID NOT NOTICE THAT. Dude, blabbering for hours is my specialty. No need to tell me otherwise. The Zombies had sensed it long before I did, I noticed, but they have pretended like nothing happened.

I kept talking but my eyes was searching all around me for the source of that trouble. Bandits? Wild animals? I'd rather come across a bandit than a wild animal. I hate killing the poor things. They're just hungry, after all. "Shen, tell me what it is." I said in a casual tone.

"Three people are following us. They are armed based on their movements. They might be highwaymen." Shen said. Three people against a Kinkou ninja and eight Zombies?

Are they kidding? "Are they strong?" I asked again in that cheerful tone. "They are skilled fighters. They have managed to elude my detection until they were close enough. They have something or someone helping them with stealth." Shen said. I'm resisting the urge to summon a Gargantuar here, people! Don't make me summon a Gargantuar!

I wish I had a Shadow Demon with me. I'll have them deal with it but all my Shadow Demons are back at Demacia orchestrating deaths. "Should we run instead or engage?" I asked.

"No. Just pretend nothing is out of place. They will mistake it as confidence. They know that we know they are near. Your undead servants will discourage them." Shen said. I froze in place.

I opened my suitcase and took out a pair of socks. "What are you doing?" Shen asked, looking at me. "My eyes in the sky tell me they're hesitating. Dr. Zomboss tells me also that, based on their movement and facial expressions, this is the first time they've done this. I think they're desperate people. If you wanna know something about desperate people, Shen, it's better to play to their conscience before things take a turn for the worse. Desperate people are more dangerous than psychopaths, Shen." I said.

I took out the bottomless purse and poured gold coins into each of the socks. When all three were fat, I used a ring containing a Summon Necessity spell to call forth pen and paper.

I wrote something in it and put the socks down on the ground along with the paper. I looked back at the unseen people and waved a hand then pointed to the ground where I left my tokens.

"What if you are wrong and they turn out to be greedy criminals? They will go after you." Shen chastised me. I grinned at him in a self-deprecating manner. "Well, I will reap what I sow." I said as we continued walking.

We walked for several minutes, a good distance away from the people following us. Then a distant mournful cry reached us. With it came sounds of hard sobbing.

"What did you write on that paper?" Shen asked when he discovered we were no longer being followed. I smiled sadly at him.

"But remember this, my brother, see in this some higher plan. You must use this precious silver to become an honest man. By the witness of the martyrs, by the Passion and the Blood, God has raised you out of darkness. I have bought your soul for God!" I sang with all my heart the song that has been so familiar to me.

"It's a line from my favorite musical of all time. Les Miserables. The Miserables, if you will. It's from the scene where the Bishop saves Jean Valjean and turns his life around." I said.

I sang the same line again and again. The mournful meaning of the song had touched Shen's soul. A tear had leaked from the man who had been raised as stone and taught to be unyielding. He was glad Adriel hadn't noticed it.

Though to Adriel's untrained ear there was only silence, Shen could clearly hear the sobbing that continued. It haunted Shen with every step until the sound could no longer reach his ears but its memory had coursed through his vein, shattering his insides with long-forgotten warmth. Shen relished in it. There had been a precious few times where he had truly felt. He remembered each one fondly.

And with each remembrance came the reminder of his training. The Eye of Twilight must stand neither left nor right but in a place where he can clearly see where the two directions would lead the unsuspecting many and make necessary corrections.

This was Shen's fate. For so long, it was the only path he knew. Now he looked at the High Priest before him. More clearly, clearer than the only life he knew, many paths had sprung. Their colors stunned Shen. Their destinations were unclear but they were bright and promising.

Did Shen have the guts to grasp this new path before him? Or will he stick to the grudging path given to him. Generations of Eyes of Twilight had lived the same way he did. Barren, lifeless, a vast trundra riddled with violence and the constant struggle against their mortal nature.

A higher calling, they say. Perhaps, a flower of hope bloomed in Shen's heart, the time for change had come. He didn't know where it would lead them but he would forge a new path for the Kinkou and all the Eyes of Twilight next to him. He will give them a choice.

"You're awfully quiet, Shen. Something wrong?" I asked. Shen looked at me with a tender look. I began to back away. "Are you sure you're alright?" I asked again. He karate-chopped my head. "OOOWWW!" I complained, grabbing my stinging head.

"Nothing. Come along now." Shen said. I noticed a change in Shen's movement. He looked like a boulder had been lifted from his shoulders. "Do you notice something off with Shen?" I asked the Zombies. They took a look at him and opened their mouths.

"Bbbrrraaaiiinnnssssssssssss..." they groaned. I rolled my eyes. "I'll give you some when we reach Piltover." I said. The Zombies looked particularly excited at my promise. We continued to walking and I got so bored somewhere along that time that the Zombies and I had gone humming songs as we traveled.

Then somewhere along those time, we had spontaneously erupted into singing. We mainly sung Lady Gaga songs because I started with Bad Romance. We were so into it that I had unconciously summoned two Dancing Zombie. I now had ten Zombies and two bosses to watch my back. We were a noisy bunch.

The Dancing Zombie and their Backup Dancer had conjured tunes and disco lights and we danced and jived our way as the sun sunk in the horizon. Dr. Zomboss above the skies had a dance competition with the undead cats. Shen secretly grinned as he listened to the catchy songs I was singing at the top of my voice.

We didn't notice how much had passed already. It was dark and there was hardly anyone on the road. The only lights I could see was the disco lights that came with Dancing Zombies.

When I had exhausted all of Lady Gaga's songs, I switched to Japanese ones especially those featured as opening or ending in anime shows.

When I had exhausted that as well, I reverted into singing songs from Les Miserables and other high-pitched ones. When I once again run out of those...

"HOW FAR THE FUCK ARE WE SUPPOSE TO WALK FURTHER?!" I screeched angrily. Shen chuckled. He actually chuckled at my outburst. "There it is." Shen said, pointing at a small, faint light at the distance. I let out a huge sigh.

Final-fucking-ly! In my excitement to finally rest (Even though I didn't even walk), my Zombies and I rushed ahead of Shen. That's when we saw the inn we were supposed to stay. The Sapphire.

It's a big, three story building rising from the lush swells of the green landscape all around it. There were many people. Is it the season of something? Like a trading season?

There are many people. I could see many adventurers, merchants, aristocratic folks among the others that filled the place to the brim. "Are there even any rooms left?" I asked aloud.

My Zombies groaned their uncertainty. Did you remember the promise I had not to stand out too much? Well, I think I'm keeping good of my promise so far.

The adventurers here stand out so much and there are some with "Don't you fucking touch me!" written all over them. Their armor and weapons looked so exotic. I didn't know I looked at an adventurer clan on their way to New Adriel. There's roughly thirty-one of them.

The rest looked like travelers, artsmen, tradesmen and merchants. I stepped into the warmth that came off from the many lanterns around this inn. Eyes looked at the new arrival.

A pretty boy who looked too ordinary that it seemed suspicious, but what caught their attention is the presence of several undead with the boy.

A startling discovery had come from the adventurers. The undead with the boy radiated neither malevolence nor ill intent. Were they servants or familiars? They didn't look like standard undead that plagued Runeterra. These guys looked approachable and funny-looking.

There were four short Zombies who carried immense loads and had the look of a member of an exploration team.

There were two Zombies in Western clothes, clinging unto undead fowls.

There were two Zombies, this time female and a prehistoric one at that too, that wore a log about its body and from the holes of the log poked feral-looking Jurassic weasels.

Then there were two Zombies that danced and jived to the tunes and the colorful lights it came with and four dancer Zombies protectively formed around each one.

"FINALLY! I never thought we'd make it!" I said almost tearfully. The Imp Porter groaned. They demanded food. Unlike me who floated all the way here, these guys walked.

"Yep, yep, yep, I hear you. Let's go find a seat first and I'll order something up." I said. The Zombies stood very still, their eyes hungrily surveying the moving pieces of meat around them. "Don't scare them. Or eat them." I said, reading their minds perfectly. People stood their ground.

I'm pretty impressed but I didn't know that the inn sported such quality bodyguards plus there's the presence of a very popular and powerful adventurer clan renowned all over Valoran.

Ravenfall, they call themselves. Ravensons and Ravendaughters among themselves, a tight knit of adventurers who follow the banner of their leader, Augustus Seekermight AKA "The Devourer".

The adventurers had taken the left side of the inn and had occupied it to themselves. One imperceptible nod from Devourer and his teammates on one table rose up and squeezed themselves to the other tables nearby. "Oh, there's one! How nice of you people!" the boy said as he pushed and pulled his Zombies to the direction of the table.

He thanked profusely the adventurers who gave their own table, bowing in a frenzied pace. "Thank them!" he hissed at the Zombies. They stared for a long moment that the adventurers were so sure they were going to attack. Then the Zombies bowed their heads and sat down.

"Wait here!" the boy said and rushed inside the inn. Devourer looked at the Zombies and activated his silent spellcast ability. In his mind, he called upon his best undead banishing spells and threw it at the zombies.

His teammates, who knew him all too well, looked earnestly at what would happen. The undead didn't even bat an eye. They sat their obediently and went over their master's bag. Devourer's eyes widened. What? An undead that cannot be banished? Was there such a thing?

The spell Devourer used was one of the strongest spells against the undead. Anyone who can wield this spell in a Harrowing event would definitely be an invaluable aid.

And yet these undead stand there like nothing happened. They looked as Imp Porter took an overlarge book from their master's bag. Everyone who recognized that book took a deep, steadying breath. It's the Book of Gluttony.

The rarest and most powerful of all the Provision-type Items. Though the object had impressive magic contained within its pages, the price tag associated with it ensured that only those with deep pockets can afford it.

It wasn't just Ravenfall who stared at the Zombies. Everyone poked their heads from the within the establishment to see what everyone was gawking at.

Another stranger walked into the light of the inn and everyone saw that this cloaked figure was a warrior without peer. They felt the quiet, confident and self-contained aura that the man took with each step.

There was an eerie quietness to his step that people find unnerving. That's something that really caught Devourer. He wanted this guy working for him. Adventurers were a mercenary group and they sought advantage everywhere.

Imagine their surprise when the Zombies took notice of the new arrival and waved their hands as if they greeted an old friend. The warrior immediately walked to them without second thought. Several theories had gone through Devourer's head as how the boy fit into all this.

The boy must be an important figure and these creatures were his bodyguards or the boy must be an emissary of a very important figure, just somewhere along those lines.

The warrior easily sat on the table, feeling right at home among the Zombies. The Zombies had conjured up a parade of mouth-watering food from the Book of Gluttony and feasted upon it like ravenous wolves.

Around that time, the boy came out of the inn, carrying a heavy tray laden with food followed by three more trays that floated unassisted.

"I knew you guys would wait for me." I said sarcastically as I approached. The Zombies swallowed everything up and promptly look excited at another feast. I took the Book from them and an enchanted ring on my finger glowed.

It zoomed upwards to Dr. Zomboss and the undead cats so they can have their much-awaited meal. In my ethereal vision, they wasted no time in flooding their hold with food from the Book.

We started digging in on the wholesome food. It's a nice change to sample the cuisine prepared in this world instead of summoning stuff. Shen was unusually quiet even as he helped himself to the food.

I wanted to ask him if anything was wrong but maybe he's tense because he didn't want his identity given away. Ninjas, after all, work best in the shadows and in anonymity. I should respect his wishes then.

Still, I wondered how they managed to it even with that mask over their faces. Was it enchanted to allow food to pass through?

Devourer watched in heavy interest as the boy had launched the Book upwards high into the air. Interesting move. He gazed above and silently used two magic spells: Clear Vision and Daytime Vision.

Clear Vision would remove obstructions to his sight, clouds in this case, while Daytime Vision rendered his sight as if it was morning. What he saw then made his eyes widened in amazement.

Two mechanical giants inhabited the clouds far, far above. One was a flying machine, a zeppilin of some sort, and the other was a metallic construct made in the shape of a dragon. Both were flying without effort and came sounds of partying from the two vessels. It disturbed Devourer so much.

He couldn't get a single reading from the Zombies and it was the same thing on the two. He couldn't tell what they were. They look and certainly are undead but they seem to be something much more. His interest was at its peak now. Just who is this boy?

The object of his curiosity was just several inches away from him and surrounded by his loyal teammates. His gaze had pierced his target and he looked at him. Thinking Devourer might be astonished at the appetite of his Zombies, he grinned apologetically.

Devourer was about to ask a question when the five-man adventurer team came rushing out of the inn and spotting the boy made a quick beeline towards him. They were the ones to invite Ravenfall to the adventurer-city everyone was talking about.

A pair of furry hands had closed over my eyes. "Guess who?" two seemingly unfamiliar voice asked. "I personally only know four yordles. Misty and Maze." I said easily. The two yordles made a heavy sigh. "You're no fun." Misty complained. I grinned. "I can also smell Simon's horrible ale all the way here." I said. The Freljordian looked offended.

"Well, it IS horrible." Lucre agreed. Simon glared at him. "So, watcha doin' here, Lord Adriel?" Simon asked in a whisper. "Piltover auction." I said easily. "You gonna buy everything there?" Bael asked. "Not really. Just anything that catches my attention." I replied. The Silent Marchers took notice of their fellow adventurers. They grinned widely.

"Hey! You remember the part where you asked us to spread the news far and wide? Well, we did it! We convinced four adventurer clans to try it out!" Bael said excitedly. "Adventurer clans?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh. They're like adventurer teams but bigger. If an adventurer team is over twenty or higher, we call them clans. If they're over a hundred, we call them guild." Maze said. I nodded in understanding. I think that's incomplete though. Surely, there must be benefits from that. I heard from Ezreal that there were several. That's why adventurers actively recruit people into their team.

"By the way, see this many adventurers around you? They're all from the same clan. Ravenfall! They're one of the four clans coming over to Ratharbor!" Simon said excitedly. I looked over the solid form of Simon over to the man who kept staring at me.

Of all the adventurers present, he was the most eye-catching. His size alone was huge and that armor of his made him more bigger. His armor was made out of some kind of metal designed with many figures of monsters and demons. He had a cape made out of souls that wailed and screamed in damning silence. His demonic helm was in the shape of a three-headed dog. I couldn't tell if he's a man or something else.

Silent Marchers looked at the man and grinned. "This is Ravenfall's Clanmaster. We call him The Devourer!" Lucre said. There was awe in his voice. I stood up and walked to him, extending a hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir." I said respectfully. He stared at my hand like it was some sort of drawn weapon. "You don't talk much, do you?" I asked. He didn't even take my hand.

"Devourer, this is Lord Adriel. He's the High Priest we've been talking about. He owns Ratharbor that's now an adventurer city." Bael explained excitedly. "I can't say I'm impressed." Devourer said. His voice was cold as well.

Which is a good sign in my opinion. That means I'm blending well! Mwahahahahahaha... "I can't say I'm not intimidated." I said easily. Devouer grunted. "Don't worry. He's always like that." Simon said apologetically. "Nah. Don't worry. He would be the 75th guy in a row. I met many like him too. He'll thaw." I said with certainty.

"What kind of magic will you employ to do that?" Simon asked. "Nothing. They just do that on their own." I said easily. "What are they?" Devourer suddenly asked, his voice cracking like a whip. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" I asked. "Those things following you. What are they?" he asked. "Zombies?" I replied. He looked at me in the eyes for any signs of lying. I felt like he was prying my head. "You have something that detects lies?" I asked.

Devourer nodded. "I had my eyes enchanted by Azani Kudo, the famous Master Enchanter from Ionia. Paid a fortune for that. Each of my eyes contain ten spells I can each cast for a number of times a day. Pretty impressive, eh?" he said, daring me to be impressed. I would be a hyprocrite if I said I wasn't.

So you can enchant a part of the body. That's an amazing revelation to me. Does that mean you can enchant your- never mind. "He's lying if he says he is. I've seen Lord Adriel use enchanting. It's pretty impressive. Equal or more superior to Azani Kudo." Maze said. Everyone went quiet.

"You're an Enchanter as well?" Devourer demanded. I nodded affirmatively. "Enchant this." he demaded, thrusting a particularly fine-looking sword at me. "I can't at the moment. This body doesn't have that kind of power." I said.

A triumphant look covered Devourer's face. He thought the Silent Marchers were exaggerating. Several Ravenfall mages looked in eagerly, their own eyes aglow as well. "Those rings on your fingers are pretty amazing." one of the Ravenfall mages said.

"Yeah. Twelve spells per ring and they're all pretty useful too." another mage piped in. "You must've bought those." Devourer said. The other Ravenfall adventurers looked at their Clanmaster.

It wasn't like him to be so testy. "That body of his contains just one power. He did it in an effort not to stand out. I applaud this decision because we are going to need every bit of blending in when we get to Piltover." Shen said, his voice truly neutral. Devourer looked at the cloaked man. "Body?" he echoed.

"He has a spell that divides into four separate beings. This one only contains the power to summon these Zombies, which is the source of your frustration. Think of them as special kind of undead for the sake of your own inner peace. It is what I did." Shen replied. He was still eating serenely even as he delivered that frostbite of a remark.

Devourer growled at that. "When you get to New Adriel, there are countless creatures and objects of the same confounding nature. They all call him master." Shen added. Well, that doused the tension of the situation and everything else. "There are four of you?" Lucre asked. "Yeah, so I can be at four different places at once. There's so much to do." I replied, trying to put some warmth back.

"He originally wanted to take the form of a woman for this body. I think it would have been a good idea. I do not know why he did not go with it." Shen added. The Zombies had gone down into bouts of laughter, spilling the contents of their mouth to the floor. Silent Marchers looked at me with teasing looks.

"You can take a female form?" Bael asked, trying to calm down his snickers. I gave him an adoring look. "I wanted to have your babies so much." I said earnestly.

Bael stopped and his face went crimson red. He stammered and started to back away. "I-I-I... Be right back!" he yelled as he dashed back into the inn. I laughed haughtily as he left. "Grosssssssssssssss..." Misty and Maze chorused, looking decently offended.

Simon and Lucre though had erupted into laughter. I felt someone tug at my shirt sleeve. I looked at Chicken Wrangler Zombies. The Zombies stared mournfully at the empty trays before them. I sighed. I didn't even got to eat anything yet.

"Have you guys eaten?" I asked Silent Marchers. They nodded. "Yeah but you can treat all of us to some ice cream though." Simon said hopefully. "Ice cream?" Devourer asked. Simon just winked at him. "They allow outside food here?" I asked. "Just pay the permission inside." Misty said.

I rolled my eyes and entered the inn again. Well, I did order enough food to fill four trays. I then paid for the permission to eat outside food in the inn grounds. I returned to our table but this time, I'm the one listening as I was busy eating. Silent Marchers told me a lot of their adventures during the past weeks.

After we parted ways in Demacia, they immediately went to Piltover where the Valoran Adventurers Guild Confederation headquarters was situated.

They had immediately spread the word about my establishing the adventurer city of New Adriel, formerly Ratharbor. They told me they didn't do that much advertising as my public address at Demacia had been broadcasted throughout Valoran.

They tried hard to convince the adventurer clans and guilds, who were notoriously difficult to impress, to come over and try. Four adventurer clans had agreed to participate and they would rate New Adriel based on their discovery. Their decision would be the critical point for the rest of the adventurer clans and guilds.

"You guys are so gonna get a reward for this." I said to them with sparkling eyes. I had magically summoned tubs of ice cream for Silent Marchers and Ravenfall. Did you know that you can only buy such a thing in Piltover?

It's not called ice cream though and there's a difference. It's like ice cream there in Piltover but not really ice cream. The nation has the most scientific achievements and breakthroughs that they pratically hoard some resources all to themselves.

The ice cream I summoned was way superior though and definitely new to them. They were from the Gingerbread Town. "I missed this!" Simon howled with joy as he took his third refill from me. Who could've thunk this beefy Freljordian had a sweet tooth?

Devourer kept looking at me accusingly, his eyes looked like that of a snake about to pounce on a rat. It was around 10:00 p.m. that Shen said we should rest already.

We'll be leaving for Piltover early tomorrow. I reluctantly said goodbye to Silent Marchers and Ravenfall. They told me they just stopped here to rest for a while. They would continue their travel to New Adriel on this same night.

I told Silent Marchers that in under no condition I would allow them to be absent at Ratharbor by the time I return. I said I could always send my Shadow Demons to abduct them again. When he heard that, Devourer nearly swallowed his spoon. I gave them a final wave and followed after Shen.

I took two rooms for all of us tonight. I originally wanted a big room for all of us but it turns out that I was pretty lucky enough already. All the rooms were taken but two rooms had been freed just the exact moment I asked at the desk if there were available rooms. The time we spent eating and chatting outside had given the staff enough time to clean up.

Since none of the Zombies required sleep, I gave them lots and lots of books to read. I had to summon more for Dr. Zomboss because he was such a voracious reader (And I didn't want to know what would happen if he got too bored).

So the room next door and the Zombots were packed with books. I opened the door to the room Shen and I would be sharing then I nearly fainted. The room only had one bed. Will we sharing a bed together again?

He did sleep with me back at the Gingerbread Town. He looked at me and seemed to read my mind. The room was illuminated by a magical chandelier that hung on the ceiling.

It had automatic turn on and turn off features (By clapping your hands). I must say this inn is pretty good. It was large, well-supplied and the service is good. I went to use the small bathroom first. At first, I thought it'll be the good old bucket. I dreaded that the most but, to my surprise, I found a functioning toilet and a shower area.

I guess this inn's proximity to Piltover lent it an access to technology. I took a long bath then changed into fluffy pajamas. Persephone had done a miracle. This is one of the many. many clothes she had taught the Ratharbor women how to make.

She had taught the women how to put together quality clothes from wool, silk and other kinds of cloth. This one was from wool. I pulled out matching nightcap and slippers and went out. Shen sat at the bed. The room was small but it was spacious.

Something tells me they did a little spatial manipulation of the space. There is no way a room would be this big when at the outside, the doors of each room were so close to each other. "It's your turn, Shen." I said. I turned back to my three other forms back at New Adriel and Demacia.

While I have total consciousness of the actions of my other bodies, it's like seeing someone in the corner of your eye, there's a difference if you actually possess one of those forms.

Autopilot mode scatters your consciousness on each of your form. Existences are absolute masters of this kind of thing but for someone like me, I'm a total newbie.

More accurately, it's like playing Heroes of the Storm's Three Vikings but instead of three, you get four and when things are really happening, you go into full-blown panic mode 24/7.

I gotta ask Persephone how it feels to be like this. I shifted back to 1st, 2nd and 3rd who were gathered back at New I don't have go back to Demacia tomorrow so that leaves me with 1st attending the seminar with Persehone and gang while 2nd and 3rd will go to Island of The Devil to make sure nothing bad had happened upon the two Jarvans there. It'll be bad for my reputation if something bad befalls on those two.

Ezreal had gone back to Piltover once he gotten wind I was coming to visit. He packed all his possessions and headed straight back home, much to the disappointment of Lux. Apparently, he bought a high-quality magic carpet for that purpose (The ones that can fly really high. He bought it using my money, of course) and sped away back to Piltover.

Lux informed his family that their prodigal explorer was coming back home. I learned from Lux that Ezreal was staying over for more than six months. Garen was didn't make an effort to hide his glee now that Ezzy was gone.

Strangely, Marcus and Lilia Crownguard were relieved of the news. Well, I guess Ezreal does excel other than being an excellent choice of a Marksman. He's also an excellent nuisance.

Anyhoo, there's a saying that goes like "The more you have, the more you want" and I think it's true because now I'm wishing I had five forms instead of four. I can have a pair in Demacia and another pair in Ratharbor and one gets to go around in trips while completely blending in.

Maybe I should edit the conditions and power distribution. I brought up the hologram screen for Soul Quadroplets and edited some bit. I have five Innate Powers and I brought up my Spells list.

Spells:

MAXED: Greatest Shadow Demon

MAXED: Greatest Demonic Wish-Granting

• Lessest Devil of Lust

• Lessest Devil of Gluttony

• Lessest Devil of Greed

• Lesser Mass Demonic Summoning

• Darkblight

• Shadow Serpent

• Succubus Seduction

• Darksight

• Seedling

• Grow I

• Grow II

• Grow III

• Lessest Apotheosis

• Blessing: Inspiration

• Blessing: Talent

• Blessing: Power

• Blessing: Fate

• Soul Twins

• Soul Quadruplets

• Future You

Meh. I changed something. 1st will carry Nirn and Sanctuary Innate Power, 2nd will have Age of Mythology and Card Wars Innate Power, 3rd will have Battle Realms Innate Power and Age of Empires 3 Innate Power and 4th, which I currently live in, will have Plants VS. Zombies Innate Power.

Only 4th is not allowed to use Spells, Greater Powers and Lesser Powers. Whoo! That's some nerfing I put on myself. I snapped back to 4th and looked around. I must've looked like a robot on empty batteries, sitting there and looking like a doll, so still and unmoving.

I looked over the bed to see if Shen had finished and what I saw nearly made me pass out. Shen was lying on the bed, eyes turned towards me, and he was only wearing briefs. It was white, faded and valiantly fought back to contain the prodigious endowments of the wearer.

ADRIEL, DON'T FAINT NOW! DON'T YOU DARE FAINT NOW! "Shen! What are you wearing?!" I asked with what indignant voice I could muster. "Would you rather I take it off?" he asked softly. That's it. I fainted.

When I came to, it was early morning. The sun had not risen fully but the night was being chased away by the coming light. I woke up in Shen's arms again. My head was at his massive chest while his strong hand had come around at my waist.

But what truly made me want to faint again was the fact that my hand was upon that indecent and perverted spirit sword of his. The heat coming from the blade almost made me want to jump back. A minute passed and another and then another and another.

DON'T YOU WANT TO MOVE YOUR HAND BY NOW, ADRIEL?! I was mentally screaming at myself. My hand lifted from the sinful mound and tried to move away but then something happened. I truly didn't expect that. Shen's hand shot up and took my hand by the wrist. I gasped.

Oh, no, what will he think? I'll tell you what. He'll think I'm taking advantage of him, that's what! And you what he's gonna say? He's gonna kill himself a queer, that's he'll say! But he didn't.

He simply held my wrist then his palm went up until it covered the back of my hand then laid it back whence it came. I felt my face burn. Shen had put it back on his behemoth weapon and my face was hot enough to bake and barbecue.

Minutes passed and every once in a while, Shen would reach out with his hand and roughly guide my hand across the flimsy cloth upon the bestial weapon as if my hand was a towel made of flesh. He chuckled as I buried my face between his pectorals to cover my shrieks.

I think I had opened the floodgates for this ninja. The supernaturally composed, rational avatar of neutrality was nowhere to be found. In his stead, this malicious tease tormented me. He knew I wanted him! And he flaunted it!

Thirty minutes later... We were back on the road. Shen led the way. I was right behind him and my Zombies were trailing behind me. The torments he put me through were traumatizing.

I was his helpless victim. Although he didn't sport that smirk of self-satisfied bastards, his emotionless face held even greater arrogance behind it.

He made me watch him shower and let me wash his spirit sword for him. I nearly died of blood loss resulting from multiple nose bleeds. He wasn't satisfied with just that so he let me choose what underwear to wear for today.

He let me choose, let me help him into it, let me adjust it and he would say he didn't like it and made me do the same thing all over again with a different one. In the end, he chose to go commando. I. WILL. KILL. THIS. NINJA.

I glared at Shen's back as we continued walking (Floating, in my case). He must've felt my gaze because he would look over his shoulder every once in a while and snap back, his shoulders shaking with mirth. Just so we're clear, just because you're one of Marshal's favorite Champions doesn't mean I will hesitate obliterating you.

As the sun continued its course over the day sky, I started to focus my attention somewhere else. The fields around us were teeming with life and that would be much better than focusing my ire on the Kinkou over there.

Shen must've noticed I wasn't looking at him anymore because I could detect the subtle actions he's doing in order to make me notice him. Shen didn't even allow us to have breakfast so I had summoned food along the way. I summoned a floating picnic table where the Zombies were devouring a huge mountain of food.

The same could be said of Dr. Zomboss and the undead cats above. I had given Shen a triple-decker cheeseburger and I wasn't surprised to find out that he hadn't even known about its existence.

Although he didn't say anything, I knew he was taken aback at the existence of a such a tasty, filling and convenient food. He didn't even realize after the third one that he liked it so much. It was my turn to torment him. I wafted the smell of other fastfood foods into his nose and he glared at me.

Until we reached the ferry service, I had been the thorn to his side instead. When we reached the express, my jaws had gaped at what I saw. I had expected things would look familiar but at the same time alien.

I had never imagined that the express service to Piltover would very much look like something that came out of science fiction.

Hovercrafts that were far advanced than the one currently being deployed back at Earth lined the docks. They were varied in size.

The combination hovercrafts were huge and could transport a easily over an hundred people and cargo at the same time.

The cargo ones were bulkier and armored. The ones intended for passengers were divided into two.

The public ones were just as huge as the combination hovercrafts but they were lighter and were exclusive for people only.

The private ones were the smallest of the lot but they made up for it by their speed and privacy.

Shen guided me to the ticket booths. There were many people here today but Shen said this is nothing compared to a season traffic. People literally came here in droves. I think Ester and her girls went for the longer route.

Shen said the ferry service was very convenient but they were only available to people who can actually pay for the price. Many still preferred the longer way.

Shen unceremoniously launched into his information feed and I was surprised at how much he knew about Piltover but then again, as the spiritual protector of Valoran, he could teleport anywhere via spirit world travel. It was his duty to protect Valoran against the malevolent incursions from the spirit world.

Whenever it may be, the Eye of Twilight is there to protect. He's like a superhero and all of that mountainous burden lie squarely on his shoulder. I paid for a ticket to Piltover using a private craft. Imagine my shock when they charged me 1,000 gold for it.

WELL, NO WONDER FEW PEOPLE CAN AFFORD IT! IT'S A FUCKING ROBBERY! I wanted to yell. That's 1,000 gold starting price and an additional 100 gold per head if it exceeded six people. I had to pay 800 more gold.

I had ten Zombies (Not counting the two Bosses that were unseen high above) but Dancing Zombies' Backup Dancers had skyrocketed the price. We boarded the craft. Our driver was a jolly, heavyset fellow.

"Wouldja folks like ta scenic route around, yeah?" he asked. I looked at Shen who as unemotional as ever. "We'll take you to your offer, sir!" I said excitedly. The driver smiled widely and sailed on. It was evident that the man loved his job.

Instead of taking us directly out of the river channel, he drove the craft deeper into the river course, back into the shores where we never saw because the road didn't pass through it.

The view was gorgeous. Towering trees that sung as the wind blew across their ancient branches, wildlife seem to pop out every now and then, curious at the man-made marvel that run through their territory. I saw small beasts and great ones.

We came across a giant serpent that swam across the river. The driver stopped to let us admire its movement through the water but I was smothering the urge to scream like a girl. Shen looked at me and laughed out loud. Actually laughed out loud.

"Ain't no harm there, sir. Harmless things, they are. Won't hurt anyone unless provoked." the driver said, understanding my fear perfectly. I sighed a heavy one. Well, that's quite the relief.

Good thing that giant-sized beast wasn't aggressive. Then the driver told me that they're real killers come mating season. Only a fool would come around here then. Okay, I take that back.

THANK YOU, MOTHER NATURE, THAT IT WASN'T MATING SEASON TODAY!

I enjoyed the tour. The river was huge and some parts of it were bigger than usual. These parts had small islands that looked so charming and fairytale-like.

I made a lot of player house mods for Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim and I had an obsession with island homes and floating homes. Even as we passed by those small islands, my mind was already picturing the scenic view of a pretty house there. Nurufufufu~!

It was around lunchtime that our driver had dropped us finally into the ports of Piltover. The nation had a huge pier where goods and crafts from all over Valoran were brought in by massive ships. Ionian ships, Demacian ships, Noxian ships, Freljordian ships, they're all here!

Traders from all over the world come to Piltover to trade and purchase and invest into new business ventures. It's the heart of commerce and trade in all over the supercontinent of Valoran.

Its next-door-neighbor, the separate nation of Zaun, had prospered alongside side. Like Yin and Yang, their fates had intertwined. My heart had skipped at the sight of the massive expanse of the city unfolding before my eyes.

I always wanted to visit other places, soak in their culture, learn their history and immerse myself into their richness. Demacia was a great experience to me. I have high hopes of Piltover to be just like it.

Our craft docked into its company's space. We disembarked but before I did so, I handed our driver a pretty tip. I hope 200 gold's enough of a tip.

His eyes bulged when he saw that amount and when he looked up again, we were far away already. He smiled and gave a quiet thank you for the long-haired boy with the magnetic and disarming smile and the most entertaining facial expressions.

I skipped and giggled my way, my eyes threatening to dislodge from their sockets in my haste to see all the sights all around me. People from different nations flocked to every shop and every booth that lined the road. Cries, sounds of bartering and the commercial machinery filled the air.

Like Demacia, Piltover had taken a pristine, white look and everywhere I saw, clockwork had been incorporated into every building.

Cogs, parts and pieces of clockwork technology had been built into mortar, brick and cement. "Adriel, we must go an inn. Piltover is usually full come nighttime. The trading season is drawing near after all." Shen said. I don't know if Ezreal had arrived or not so I think Shen's suggestion made huge sense.

He pulled me off to a nearby hologram. Ezreal had been fascinated at the non-magical hologram I had shown him so I guess this hologram here must be magical then. Shen adeptly pushed some buttons on the screen and a list of results had returned.

It showed the number of inns with available rooms and their location. Shen had picked one in a blink of an eye. I think he just made a reservation. The hologram beamed down a ticket and Shen grabbed it. "We must get to that inn to confirm it." he said.

He dragged me through the crowd, mainly because I gawked at everything I see. While the style and culture of Piltover within immediate sight was a combination of futuristic and steampunk, the overall ingenuity of Piltovans astounded me.

They kept changing, building and improving. Such a mindset would also come with a drawback. At a deeper and more thorough inspection, the Demacian society and Piltovan society would have a lot in common in terms of the negative aspects.

We wove and wove through the endless tide of people. People from other countries were present in droves. Hhhmmm... That got me thinking. What would happen if I sink my fangs into Piltover? I'm not planning on a hostile takeover but...

Ah, what the hell? I employed hostile takeover on Demacia and Ratharbor. Demacia and Ratharbor should be enough.

Right now, I'm leaning towards Ionia and Noxus too but that would be in the future. We finally reached the inn.

The Clockwork House. Funky name, I know.

The inn was attractive on the inside as well as the outside. I booked two rooms for us and Shen pulled me to a corner. He seemed antsy about something. "I need to go away for a while. I want to check on those Ninja Scrolls. I want to know if they are the real deal." he explained. I raised an eyebrow. Shen sighed.

"Those Ninja Scrolls are more than what they appear to be. I will tell you more when we finally get our hands on it." he explained. I sighed. "Here. Take this, in case if anything goes south." I said, handing over enchanted marbles to him. Shen gratefully took them and gave me a nod before slipping away.

Great. He left me here. All by my lonesome self... TO EXPLORE THIS PLACE! YYYEEEAAAHHHHHHHHH! We checked out our rooms. It was an adjoining one so it would be very convenient for all of us. At the thought of exploring, I squealed as we took off.

The goods new about this city is that people are so diverse that someone toting undead with them isn't the first time anyone has seen before. Either that or the people of Piltover are too immersed with themselves. Nobody was giving me any attention.

If someone is, they would just look at the Zombies instead. I'm sure about that because the receptionist back at the Clockwork House didn't bat an eye or spared us any notice at all. Even if I just changed genders. LMAO. We pretty much walked around randomly. I'll go by the name of Athena in this form.

The streets, the shops, the people, the everything. It's almost like walking back at the busy city streets on Earth but not so much as you see buildings and other works that were clearly too magical to be normal.

Whilst Demacia had their own elegance and charm of their streets, their buildings and their works, Piltover had this apparent display of wealth, commerce and invention, Everything here and there are tributes to some famous thinker, inventor or artisan in the city.

Piltover really is the City of Progress and definitely earned its right. The merchant clans that ruled this place was similar to royal and noble courts of Demacia but the difference is people from here are literally filthy rich. I don't have any illusions of Piltover being the perfect place to live.

In fact, name me one world from a computer game that's both safe and ideal to live in. You can't name one, can you? Ideal and safe don't go hand in hand, buddy.

We explored to our heart's content. Every now and then I would see food that looked reminiscent of the ones from Earth but added with Runeterra flavor. We bought one each time we saw one, mainly because I have several hungry undead to feed.

We sat ourselves at the park, munching and feasting while watching the people around us. We sat there until the sky slowly turned dark but we couldn't leave. A literal flood of people had taken over the park.

We should've left while we can but the Zombies insisted we stay and rest. What? What on earth would Zombies need rest for? I think the food had given them indigestion. I wondered what on earth was up for all these people to come over here.

Now that I've taken a closer look, most of them were teenagers and adult women. They looked excitedly at the huge golden sphere that sat at the middle of the park.

Several minutes later, the golden sphere sprang to life. It was bathed in light and crackled with magical energies. The sphere disappeared and turned into something I would very much call a magical version of the television screen.

A smarmy-looking man appeared on the screen, beaming widely, and the females of the crowd shrieked. I think that sound was enough to deafen us.

"Good evening, Piltover! Welcome to the Benny Haynes Show! It's busy crowd we have in our lovely city now that the trader season is coming near! Today's a special day! Wanna know why?" the show host practically shrieked as well.

The crowd shrieked their excitement as well. I get the feeling that he, too, is excited about something. Meh. Some celebrity, I guess. I took the bag of food I had the Zombies carry and helped myself to some juice.

"That's right, folks! Piltover's golden boy just came back (The crowd shrieked harder this time. My ears hurt) from his trip to Demacia! And guess who we have here as our special guest for tonight?! (This time the crowd just broke their own record for the biggest human noise ever produced) Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our very own, very handsome, very daring... EZREALLLLLLLLL!" the show host shrieked harder this time.

The crowd broke their record for the third time and I spat my juice at the person in front of me. She was too busy shrieking to actually notice what I did. MAJOR REVELATION HERE! I looked around wildly and noticed that every single face I could see was looking at the globe.

I telepathically asked Dr. Zomboss if Piltovans were watching the show. He scanned the whole place and his response almost made me faint. He just fucking told me they were. 100%.

All of Piltover was watching the Prodigal Explorer in this show. I watched with my mouth open as the camera, or whatever they call it here, swerve to the blonde and the crowd had outshrieked themselves again.

I nearly laughed when I saw Ezreal had been stuffed into a sharp suit, his hair slicked and his usual messy attire gone. He looked very handsome indeed except for the fact he look nowhere near comfortable. He looked like he would rather be anywhere but where he is currently. He waved weakly into the screen and another noise barrage erupted.

"I can't help but notice you chose a Camilla Von Derich suit tonight. You look good enough to eat. Am I right, girls?" the host said again, eyeing Ezreal quite hungrily indeed. The crowd shrieked again. Okay, that's it.

I stood up to leave but Ice Weasels and Zombie Chickens pulled me back down again. They enjoyed this one on my expense. "So how was your long vacation at Demacia? Was it good or bad?" the host asked.

"Well, it was pretty boring. I mean, nothing beats exploring a trap-infested ruin for me." Ezreal said easily. The host nodded. "It certainly becomes all the better when you explore it with a lady friend, am I right?" he said.

Oh, my God, Ezreal don't you dare take his bait. Ezreal cocked an eyebrow. "Lady friend? Waddaya mean?" he asked. Well, for once the crowd didn't shriek. They're all waiting on baited breath. Really, people? Is he really that popular?

"Well, very reliable sources tell us that you and Lady Luxanna Crownguard had broken up. Was it because of another woman?" the host asked. Ezreal's mouth went O-shaped.

What? They broke up? Not that I care or anything but why? Ezreal certainly hasn't told me anything and neither has Lux. They looked okay the last time I saw them together. Oh, wait. DON'T TAKE THE BAIT, EZREAL! DON'T TAKE IT!

"Yeah! I won't hide it! We broke up but it wasn't because of another woman or another man or anything! We broke up amicably! We're still on each other's friends list!" Ezreal said heatedly. Yep. Once a blonde, always a blonde. OMFG. Listen to me discriminating. I'm so sorry, all of you blondes out there. I didn't mean anything by that.

The host smiled. Now there's the predatory smile I was looking for. Here it comes. He's got something up his sleeve. A picture of a female friend or something. "Well then, can you explain this?" the host said dramatically. The screen changed into a picture and I spat another gout of juice again.

IT'S A PICTURE OF THE TWO OF US! THAT DOESN'T FUCKING COUNT! HE'S A GUY AND I'M A GUY! WHY THE HELL AM I DRAGGED INTO THIS?!

Even Ezreal looked like he was having the same exact thoughts as I did. It's the picture of us Lulu had taken. That was taken back at the Gingerbread Town!

I was smiling with my arms crossed over my chest and he was smiling with a hand over my shoulder, our heads were near each other and our smiles looked dazzling enough. OMFG. That's damning, alright!

HOW CAN ANYONE LOOK AT IT AND NOT THINK THAT?! I dropped whatever I was holding when I realized it.

Now that I think about it, there was a strange gleam in Ezreal's eyes and does that arm of his look, I don't know, a little too overprotective? I'm going crazy. That must be the answer.

You're dreaming up things, Addy! Look at you! More than a handful females from the crowd had either fainted or burst into tears. Fans, huh. I rolled my eyes. Then the picture changed into another one.

It's a picture of me, Lulu, Ezreal and Mystery Inc. Okay. This one still had Ezreal having an arm over my shoulder. Then another picture and another and another. HOLY SHIT.

How did I not realize that our poses looked so damn intimate?!

There's one with Ezreal standing behind me, his arms wrapped around me from behind and head nestled on my shoulders and his eyes was looking at me and not at the camera like mine did.

OMFG! Ezreal has had enough of it. "Are you serious?! You can make assumptions from just that?! That's not even a woman! That's a guy!" Ezreal said, his face very red.

The host's eyes suddenly went alight with excitement and hope. I facepalmed. "A guy, huh? That is SOMETHING." he said gleefully. "That guy is a friend of mine. Bestfriend, in fact, even though I'm the only one who feels that way. And we're just posing for the damn hex-imager!" Ezreal said angrily.

OMFG. This blonde is handing out one misunderstanding after another. I have to admit my heart pounded when he said he thought of me as a bestfriend. "That's a strange pose for two bestfriends." the host said with a toying voice. He looked like as if Snowdown had come early.

"You do realize that's Adriel, right? High Priest of Demacia? Lord of Ratharbor, now currently known as the adventurer-city New Adriel?" Ezreal said in an exasperated voice.

I facepalmed again. With that other revelation, the host leapt up with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Adriel? As in, THE ADRIEL?! ("How many Adriels can there possibly be?" Ezreal muttered) The very powerful High Priest that took Demacia by storm? Appeared out of nowhere? So he owns Ratharbor, huh? Did you know, Ezreal, that all the merchant clans are clamoring to be the first and the only one to strike a trade partnership with New Adriel?" the host said with utter seriousness.

Ezreal nodded no so the host went on instead. "The influx of Ratharbor items to Demacian markets is very much sought after! Ratharbor is literally flooding Demacian markets with high quality items for such cheap prices! It's a mass-production of a frightening scale!" the host said gleefully. Ezreal's mouth went agape again. He didn't know about it. As for me, I just knew about it from Persephone and Hawk Moth's lectures.

"Whoa. Didn't know about that." Ezreal admitted. The host's smile got wider. God, if that smile of his got any more wider, it'll spill off his face. "You can mass-produce it. It's high quality, it's cheap and I hear it's delivered via magic portal by alien creatures. No wonder the merchant clans are fighting over it. It's practically pirate-proof!" he said gleefully. "Nah. Addy would never make a deal. He's too filthy rich that he makes the filthy rich look poor." Ezreal said. "Addy?" the host asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ezreal blushed again and distracted the host by bringing up the topic about his latest book. Apparently, Ezreal has a video-journal of his adventures. It's both parts watching material and reading material and an aunt and uncle of his publishes it as a holo-book.

They called it the Prodigal Explorer's Chronicles. It's got a very big cult following with billions of fans all over Valoran. I guess that's how Ezreal became so popular.

Going on its twenty-second installment, I might add. Ezreal and the Jade Towers. From that part on, I got tired of watching the show entirely and dragged my Zombies away.

We moved through the sea of people who gazed up at the nearest Crytal Screen to them. What shocked me most about Ezreal's fans was the fact that they're so diverse. From the person you would know at a glance to be a fan to the person you'd bet your entire fortune would never be in million years a fan, he's got them all.

If celebrity status here is the same back at Earth, no doubt Ezreal had his fair share of the weird ones too. I saw the neon light sign of the Times Bookstore and an idea popped in my head. We went inside to purchase some books. The Zombies, of course, purchased all sorts of comics.

I was surprised that Piltover had comics over here. It really is the City of Progress. Since it's a no-brainer that Ezreal is quite popular here, I went to the bestsellers section. Yep, there they are.

Ezreal and the Stone of Anhani

Ezreal and the Ahuberrian Sword

Ezreal and the Shuriman Nights Part 1

Ezreal and the Shuriman Nights Part 2

Ezreal and the Curse of the Emerald Sarcophagus

Ezreal and the Ring of Fire

Ezreal and the Phoenix of Upperspire Mountain

Ezreal and the Forbidden Mountain

Ezreal and the Cursed Village: Undead Infestation

Ezreal and the Cursed Village: Edelthon Lich

Ezreal and the Cursed Village: Vampiric Legacy

Ezreal and the Wrath of the Fallen Druid

Ezreal and the Legend of the Sea Serpent

And the list goes fucking on and on. I bought all of the first thirteen holo-books of the series and was on my way to pay for it when something caught my attention.

0_0 - My literal reaction. Because beside the huge bookshelf that was entirely taken up by Ezreal's adventure books were holograms of three of the most recent additions.

Ezreal and the Secret of the Vale Crypts Part 1

Ezreal and the Secret of the Vale Crypts Part 2

Lost Histories: A Documentary of The Legendary Vale Crypts (With Persephone04)

The front page was splashed with the picture of me, Ezreal, Mystery Inc., Scoobies, Sara Ravencroft and Silent Marchers cramming together, posing and flashing peace signs and showing our pearly whites. Again, I keep noticing that Ezreal's arm was around my shoulder.

Man, I really need someone to slap me. I'm making mountains out of molehills. It's nothing really. You're imagining things, Addy. I went up to the register and paid for my purchase. The cashier looked at the books I bought.

"Nice choice. You an Ezplorer too?" she asked excitedly. If she had a tail right now, she'd be wagging it so hard it'll create gusts. "Ezplorer?" I echoed. "That's what we call ourselves!" she said cheerfully. I smothered down a laughter coming up my throat.

EZPLORERS?! PFFT~ MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"Oh, I see." I said, thankful that my voice came out normal. The cashier blabbered on and on. Wow. Ezreal has got the effect on women. I remembered that particularly frosty attitude the receptionist back at the Demacian hotel. That's jealousy. Pure, unadulterated jealousy.

"What do you think about those?" I asked, pointing at the holograms for the Vale Crypts adventure. The cashier instantly reverted to a cold attitude. It's so fast that I took a step away from her.

"Oh, those. They're great too, like all of Ezreal's adventures. There's an eyesore in it, however." she said frostily. HOLY SHIT! Okay.

THIS IS WHAT I MEAN EXACTLY. I've been with Rick, Marshal and Magnus for too long. I know this part very well. "Really? Who?" I asked nervously.

"That stupid girl." she snapped. Yep. I had seen that coming from a mile away. "Girl?" I asked again. "That pretty girl next to him! That stupid High Priestess! She's all chummy-chummy with my Ezzy!" the girl said despondently.

Something in my radar told me I should get moving. "Oh, yeah. That's real sad." I said. I urged her to move faster so I could get my holo-books and get the hell out of here.

"I'm sure that bitch is the reason for the break-up with the Crownguard brat. Have you seen that face of hers? Oh, sure it looks innocent and pretty enough but deep down inside is a witch-bitch with a thirst for famous guys! You'll see! She'll drop Ezzy when she finds another guy! Oh, I hope my Ezzy will be alright! I'll be his girl! We look together, don't you think?" she yammered on and on.

God, preserve me. I can't listen to another babble of this woman any longer. "Don't you think it's a bit harsh? That's Demacia's High Priest, after all. And Ezreal said he was a guy, right?" I said lamely. The rage on the girl's face was amazing. Nothing short of scalding.

"A guy?! A guy that pretty never exists! Obviously, Ezzy just said that to cover things up! And Piltover won't need a High Priest! EVER! We're different from the other countries with their outdated way of thinking!" she said angrily. I rolled my eyes. The girl suddenly balked.

Color drained from her face. "Ye mind yer tongue, lassie. Else we'll mind it for ye." an old woman's voice said. I looked over to where the voice came from and I saw a group of adventurers.

They certainly looked like adventurers but they had hextech augmentations on their body. That I can tell with only a glance. There six of them and while they looked old enough to be grandparents, there was an unnatural inner strength and vitality that came off from them.

"It's not wise to insult the messenger of the gods just because yer jealous. Had it been one of the faithful here, they would certainly cut off yer feet and tongue for it. Even the Glorious Evolved want a High Priest for their cadre." another old woman said.

"I'm sorry!" the girl whined. The old geezers went back to reading their holo-books. "Who are they?" I whispered over to the girl.

"Coldheart. They're the strongest Piltovan adventurer team! They look old but they're very dangerous! They paid a visit to this adventurer-city Ratharbor and came back fanatics! Hey, Ezzy said Ratharbor is New Adriel, right? That's the bitch's lair! She must be mind-controlling them! There's no way a backwater town like that can be half as pretty! It's a den of criminals!" she hissed to my ear. That's so pathetic I can't even muster the will to be angry.

"Say, sweetie, wouldja like to lose yer job? And yer limb?" came the cold old voice from behind again. I quickly grabbed my things and my Zombies and made a run for it.

Goodbye, girl! I pray the gods show you mercy! When I left the bookstore, I couldn't know how the old adventurers looked at each other. They looked quite interested.

"Hey, Gaston, d'ya know what kind of undead things those were?" asked one of them. His companions looked very interested as well.

We returned to the Clockwork House and checked in for the night. It's been a busy day. When I entered my room, I noticed a note had been left on the bed.

"Master, I have gone for an important task. I have sent notice for Zed and the rest of the Kinkou. The Ninja Scrolls are not easily obtained as we have thought. I have discovered that they are not for sale for the auction. The recent theft attempt had convinced its current possessor to leave it. Even if the Ninja Scrolls are displayed in the auction, their prices would have tripled by then. We will attempt once more to steal it. If it does not go well, we will leave Piltover as to not jeopardize you and will leave it in your hands."

And, of course, I saw that coming from a mile away. Ninjas. They're all the same. Trying to act so cool. Meh. But then again, that's what we're expecting of them. Shame. I wouldn't have Shen's body to cuddle with tonight. I began to think of the "what ifs" in my head.

Testing them out, I sent the Greater Shadow Queens to obtain the Ninja Scrolls. For one thing, they're demons, not ninjas. They have their otherworldly nature as one big advantage. I told them to steal the Ninja Scrolls and anything else of value. I specifically told them to steal weird stuff.

I opened Ezreal and the Stone of Anhani and began reading.

Do you remember that feeling the first time you read a book so engrossing? Like a book that really speaks to the you that's inside you? I read a lot of books and I would say that it's the same feeling I got from reading, for example, Harry Potter and any other great books.

It opens the window of the mind, into a world where only you can see and imagine, shaping the characters into people with faces and a world of words into a tangible material for your imagination.

Reading Ezreal's book was something like that but it was also something else. It also included audio and video recordings of things that were critical to the book.

This book detailed the Prodigal Explorer's adventure at the sunken city of the extinct race called Anhani, ant-people in Ancient Valoran.

They were a race of abhumans, a strange mixture of insect and man, and their architectural wonders persist to this day though many of them had either sunk to the seas during the last Rune Wars, looted by treasure thieves or destroyed by natural or man-made calamities.

The name of the city Ezreal found had been lost but its legends existed until today and one of them had reached the explorer's ears.

To cut the story short for you, the Stone of Anhani was rumored to be a special stone, which contained the knowledge of the lost race on how they had managed to build such complex and awe-inspiring structures and contraptions.

For supposedly a people of simple means, they had created buildings and innovations that survive and function to this day and that was something people of the current era even had troubles in replicating.

Damnit. The book is too engrossing. I activated one of my rings. This is a special ring, this one. The Ring of Gingerbread Town. It allows me to summon objects, food mostly, from my Gingerbread Town to my location. It's really convenient.

I summoned Halloween-themed cupcakes called Mummy Cupcakes. They're designed to inspire a childish delight of their namesake and they're enchanted to let you carry on working without resting for a day. I ate a dozen so I don't get tired. I'm way into reading these things.

Knockings on the door and insistent groaning had announced to me that my Zombies were hungry again. These Zombies are high maintenance minions! They need feeding every three hours or so! I opened the door and let them in. They looked expectantly at me. I sighed.

I shifted my soul back and I opened my eyes to find myself floating upon an endless darkness and four huge screens were in front of me.

I looked at my body left back at New Adriel and I felt myself drawn back into it. Sure enough, I was back at New Adriel. I raised my hands and felt like normal. I can understand the feeling of inhabiting a body already. It feels like I'm possessing a doll made of flesh and blood.

I told my Zombies back at Piltover to wait because I'm going to give them something so they don't have to bother me all the time about food. I summoned forth bags of chips via Greatest Demonic Wish-Granting. The objects appeared before me in a black smoke.

I closed my eyes and called upon The Greatest Enchanter That Ever Lived. Focusing on the bags, the little girl's Disney wonderland engulfed it I began to work.

A minute later, the bags had changed. They either had the design of a lawn filled with happy, singing Plants or the picture of a Zombie chomping down brains with a big thumbs-up.

Since this body of mine slept at the Gingerbread Town, I just placed the bags on the table and went back to sleep. Isn't it weird that one body of mine is sleeping while the other three are awake and working?

I went back to my body in Piltover and activated the Gingerbread Town Ring to summon those bags of chips. The Zombies looked at it with shiny eyes. "They're limitless bags of chips. The one with the Plants has chewy candy Plants and the Zombie one has tiny real brains in it." I said.

They immediately feel upon it. I took a pair of each and beamed them up at Dr. Zomboss. Not even realizing it, I had slept to the sounds of their munching like it was a lullaby.

I woke up the next morning, noticing that the Zombies had fallen asleep and their faces buried in the pile of food they had poured on the table. Their snores filled the room.

Zombies snore? That's positively evil. Shen hasn't returned and I wondered what the hell happened to them? Were they discovered?

The auction is two days from now and Swain's visit would be three days after that. I made sure to write those down because they're so important and I had poor memory. I had a lot to do. Yep. I think I'll go touring again today. Where do I find a tour guide here?

I want to call up Ezreal but I want blending in better. I took a bath and found the Zombies ready to follow me around when I came out. I changed into the silk clothes Persephone had packed for me.

It came with a beautiful scarf with picture of a forest with a waterfall, a river and some critters. I loved it because it looked so real and hid Mimi well behind me. She's already hiding behind my long hair but another veil is not a bad thing. If I ever meet Ezreal later and he sees Mimi, he'll know who I am.

We walked the streets again and it was packed with people. It's my misfortune to come here at such a busy time. Thankfully, the sight of the Zombies alone had encouraged people to make a way for us. I was wondering what to do today when I got a look at a hologram of a overly-excited announcer.

"GOOD MORNING, PILTOVER! Today's the grand day for the start of this year's Arena season! So, all of you tough guys and tough gals, sign up and smash, bash, hack and stab your way to that glorious top! Remember, there's glory and riches to be won! Join now! It's what a real man would do!" she said in a silky voice.

Arena? As in gladiatorial fights kind of Arena? I wanted to ask someone about this but someone behind me was already explaining it in excited tones. "What's the Arena, mate?" a guy asked, his voice told me he couldn't be any older than twenty.

"That's a wicked tournament! It used to be an all-out fight between Piltover and Zaun but they've changed a lot of rules and anyone can register there and fight to win!" his friend, of the same age I could tell, had answered gleefully. "Do you think they'll let us in on it?" the other asked excitedly.

"Of course not, you git! We're not cut out for that! The prizes are gonna be amazing this year! You'll never believe what they gave out last year! It was so over the roof!" the other boy said gleefully.

"What're the prizes now?" his friend asked again. "Dunno! But I hear some of it aren't as good as last year! They're giving away ten Raime DuPirece work! Who the hell would want that? Those things are jinxed!" the boy said.

Their voices grew weaker as they walked along. Wait, what? Why did that name sound familiar? Come one, Adriel, remember it. A light bulb had turned on inside my head.

Raime DuPirece is that insane artist that made Howling Man, Grieving Woman, The Sorrowful Women and Anguish Incarnate!

OMFG. TEN OF HIS WORK?! I WANT THEM ALL! I WANT THEM ALL!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!