บท 373: CHAPTER 373 - The World Runes
According to Ryze's story, the journey to collect the World Runes was anything but smooth; in fact, it could only be described as fraught with difficulty.
In the years following the end of the Rune Wars, he roamed across the ruins of various nations within Noxus, places that once held fragments of the Runes.
He even interacted with the barbarians who established the Immortal Bastion and founded the nation later known as Noxus, all in the hopes of finding these Rune fragments and sealing them away safely.
This was his biggest harvest yet: several fragments of the Runes that had been misused by those fallen nations, including a cornerstone rune from the blue Sorcery set.
However, over the following decades, Ryze's search for the World Runes hit a bottleneck, encountering numerous obstacles.
Had he not regularly been in close contact with the Runes, which prolonged his life with pure magic, his search might have ended here.
Since his master Tyrus left no instructions on how to use the scroll, at first, he thought it merely served to seal Rune fragments, preventing their energy and aura from leaking out, much like his master once did.
It wasn't until he journeyed to the perilous Blessed Isles, searching for records about the World Runes, that he discovered the scroll he carried all these years also possessed a tracking ability.
As time passed, he roamed the world, following rumors and continuing his search for the World Runes while studying this scroll.
It took him over two to three hundred years to reach even a basic understanding of how to use it.
Still, even with this knowledge, it didn't offer Ryze much convenience.
The scroll's tracking was too vague, with a single, unchangeable random target each time, forcing him to search an area repeatedly within a general range.
At times, he also had to confront powerful magical beings—guardians of the World Runes or creatures drawn by their aura—that posed significant danger.
Through all these years, the yellow Precision set and green Resolve set were the only Rune sets Ryze managed to gather with any completeness.
He managed to collect four cornerstone runes from the Precision set that could be combined, three cornerstone runes from the Domination set, along with a few unique fragments with special abilities.
As for the Sorcery set, he only found two cornerstone runes and a few fragments, one of which his apprentice, Kegan, had come into contact with. This unfortunate encounter cost Kegan his soul, transforming him into the revenge-driven pyromancer Brand, hungry for the power of the World Runes.
For the red Domination set, Ryze only managed to find some fragments and never came across a cornerstone rune.
And as for the blue Inspiration set, he hadn't found a single piece.
As for why the underground chambers in Demacia contained a petricite column seemingly designated for storing dangerous magical artifacts, this traced back to a previous king of Demacia.
Ryze couldn't remember the king's name since no records of his story existed in books; only a depiction outside the collapsed stone walls of this underground chamber.
This king had also discovered fragments of the World Runes, but as a descendant of the Rune War's refugees, he understood their danger.
Rather than using the Runes to repel the Noxian forces eager for the fertile western lands, he chose to build an underground palace at the heart of the petricite forest and placed a column in its center solely to seal the Rune fragments.
To prevent others from learning about the World Rune or the existence of this underground palace, he erased all historical records of it, allowing this history to fade away with time.
If Li Lin's predictions were accurate, Ryze would, in the coming years, find more World Runes in Ionia and Freljord.
Ionia should be related to the Sorcery set, while in Freljord, he would likely find fragments of the Precision set and perhaps a Domination cornerstone rune.
Returning to Freljord would also mark his first encounter with a Voidborn, a creature created by the Void Watchers, such as a Void Eye, the species of Vel'Koz.
After recounting his story, it was already dawn.
Li Lin stood, summoned a mechanical worker to clean up the mess, and helped Ryze up.
"In the morning, I'll have Zoe take you to Ionia. If you wish to return, you can use the Hex Gate from Ionia to Palclyff City, south of the Argent Mountains. This should greatly cut down your travel time."
"Can't we go tonight?" Ryze asked with a frown.
"I've already cut about six months off your schedule. You're worried about a few hours?"
Li Lin chuckled, considering a friendly pat on Ryze's shoulder, but decided against it, seeing Ryze's usual discomfort with social interaction.
"Tonight, we're heading to the petricite column. I want to record everything related to the World Runes."
"To be honest, I'd rather you didn't."
Though Ryze and Li Lin were now on more amicable terms, and he understood Li Lin had no interest in the Runes' power, the topic was still sensitive, especially with the thought of recording it.
"Don't worry, this is science, not magic. This database is for my eyes only."
Li Lin called Zoe, who was sipping the last of her soda, and instructed her to open the portal leading to the underground palace of the petricite forest.
He turned back to look at Ryze, who seemed hesitant, "Besides, I can perceive the general effects of the Runes... though only roughly."
"What?!" Ryze exclaimed, "You have that kind of ability?"
After all, through the years, he'd only known the abilities of Runes that had been previously used. Those he found in isolated regions or on altars he dared not use, leaving their effects a mystery.
But that didn't mean Ryze wasn't curious.
Knowing one's enemy was the key to survival, and fully understanding the World Runes would make their collection and sealing a far more manageable task.
That had been Ryze's aim for centuries.
"Come and see for yourself."
The three of them quickly crossed the portal and returned to the central, dim underground hall, illuminated by a white glow.
This time, however, Li Lin, Zoe, and Ryze were no longer at odds.
"Hmph~~ In the end, didn't you still ask us to examine the World Runes?" Zoe teased, clearly still holding a grudge from their last confrontation.
Ryze ignored Zoe's childish remark, choosing to let her comment slide.
It turned out that this approach worked well with someone like her.
Seeing that Ryze wasn't responding, Zoe stuck her tongue out at him but refrained from saying more.
"Which Runes would you like to examine first?"
Ryze activated his magic, invoking the resonance of the World Runes.
Li Lin glanced around, his gaze settling on several crimson Runes floating within the petricite column, "Let's start with the simpler ones."
(End of Chapter)
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