lol: After being blessed by the Happy Demon, I became the harem king

Page 54

Just got home

As the title suggests, I ran into some problems with the renovation. I've been busy dealing with them all day and just got home and finished dinner. I'll update later.

138. Dealing with Riven

Upon hearing LeBlanc's request, Fain nodded in understanding.

For a vigilant person like LeBlanc, Riven, with her strong willpower and execution ability, is fine as a subordinate, but if she is an enemy, she must eliminate her completely to prevent her from becoming a future threat.

Meanwhile, Riven overheard LeBlanc and Fain's conversation. Although she didn't know what Mordekaiser or the Deathclaw Cult that Fain and LeBlanc had mentioned were, and had never even heard of them, she immediately realized what was going on when she heard them talking about her. Her eyes filled with anger as she glared at LeBlanc.

"You bastard! Who are you? What are you—"

Before Riven could finish speaking, LeBlanc casually waved her hand. Immediately, surging magic transformed into black chains that burst forth from the shadows behind Riven. Caught off guard, Riven's arm was instantly bound. The sudden attack startled Riven, but her warrior's instincts kicked in, and she reacted swiftly, gripping her chained right arm in an attempt to break free. But in the next instant, another chain shot out, firmly locking her left arm in place.

After that, the chains in the shadows did not stop. In just a few breaths, they locked Riven tightly in place and dragged her to her knees like a sinner.

Feeling the pressure emanating from her entire body, Riven was filled with despair and rage. Her eyes, blazing with anger and murderous intent, were fixed on LeBlanc.

Compared to Fain, Riven now hates this guy in front of her even more for whoever took Amyst's body through some dirty means.

If Riven wasn't entirely sure before whether the person before her was Amystine, now she was certain it wasn't. At least, Amystine didn't possess such magical abilities. Even in past battles, Amystine had always relied on her wisdom to strategize and then used her courage and her knowledge of alchemy to defeat her enemies. She certainly didn't seem to be able to unleash such powerful magic so casually.

LeBlanc remained expressionless, instead turning her gaze to Fain beside her, raising her chin and saying, "You won't let me kill her, so tell me, what are you going to do?"

LeBlanc's voice was cold: "Zaun and Piltover, I can give them to you. But Noxus is my territory, and I will never allow this guy to return to Noxus."

After a pause, LeBlanc said frankly, "Now that you know the truth about Noxus, I can also tell you that soon, after I leave here, that idiot Darkwell will issue orders to hunt down this woman."

Upon hearing LeBlanc's words, a flash of intense hatred and disbelief crossed Riven's eyes.

For Riven now—and indeed for most Noxians of this era—Darkwill was the most reliable and wise ruler in the world. This can be seen from the Noxian territory located on the northern coast of Shurima.

Currently, half of the northern coast of Shurima is under Noxus control. While Shurima appears to be a desert, its gold, gems, and other precious minerals, as well as its vital elemental veins, are several times greater than those of Valoran. Even though most of it has fallen into the hands of various legions and nobles, countless others still benefit.

Take Riven, for example—even on the Empire's state-run farm, not everyone can grow up safely. Especially a pretty little girl like her…

And now...

Sensing LeBlanc's determination not to allow any potential threats to arise within Noxus, Fain nodded in understanding—now was the time.

In other words, LeBlanc is currently still trying to consolidate her control over Noxus. Just wait and see; once Swain gets going, LeBlanc won't be able to control everything. The most obvious example is that after Swain rose to power and successfully gained Darius's support, acquiring both strategic acumen and strength from the three pillars of the empire—strategy, cunning, and power—the cunning LeBlanc began focusing her attention on improving her power, becoming less cautious in her actions.

Characters like Riel and Annie only emerged under this kind of reckless enhancement.

Well, it's hard to say whether to strengthen one's own power or the power of Swain and the others.

However, we can't be so absolute. After all, just like Rael, LeBlanc trained her with the intention of using her innate magical iron manipulation to deal with Mordekaiser. And given Rael's later personality, if Mordekaiser really did appear, she would definitely rush to fight without hesitation.

Thinking this through, Farn said, "I'll take it."

"You want it? Why?" Hearing this, LeBlanc raised an eyebrow and said, "You probably don't lack playthings like this around you, do you?"

After glancing at Riven, Fain also looked at LeBlanc beside him, not hiding his thoughts, and said frankly and directly: "Just like why you value her so much, even bestowing the Blackrock Greatsword upon her... I also value her talent."

While Riven's strength in the Runeterra universe is generally average—or rather, the strength of most ordinary champions, especially outside of Ionia, is quite average. Take Darius, for example; the nickname "Might of Noxus" sounds impressive, but in reality, a single gust of cold wind can easily subdue him, especially with Sejuani. Champions like Riven, Garen, and Xin Zhao, on the other hand, often require special methods to maximize their potential.

Garen's Judgment Sword possesses the magic of the Judgment Angel, and Xin Zhao hails from Ionia—a significant advantage compared to other regions. After all, Xin Zhao, originally an Ionian fisherman, became a top-tier assassin in Noxus and the Commander of the Royal Guard in Demacia. Riven, on the other hand, elevates her power ceiling through a powerful weapon…

Well, it's not just Riven; characters like Quesant also raise their power ceiling as mortals through similar methods.

However, compared to the Black Stone Greatsword in Riven's hand, Faker was more concerned about Riven's potential in the skin universe.

139. LeBlanc's Compromise

For a game, skins might just be an embellishment. But in the game world, these skins become an unavoidable part of what Fane has to consider.

The reason is simple: the skin universe within the League of Legends universe maps to the main universe. In fact, some skins are part of the main universe's timeline. For example, the Sentinel and Spirit Blossom skin lines are both part of the League of Legends main universe's timeline. Of course, this doesn't mean the skin universe's design is inherently more powerful. Fiddlesticks is a good example of this.

Fiddlesticks is the oldest demon in the League of Legends universe, and the chief of the ten primordial demons. He is a projection of the very first moment life was born, a moment of fear in the mind that arose upon encountering this strange world. He is the most primal source of fear for all things. Similarly, all fear provides power to Fiddlesticks. Even those calamities that were not caused by Fiddlesticks still provide him with power.

In this respect, Osiris was the same. He could draw power from any kind of pleasure. Unfortunately, after being taught a lesson by the gods of the Eternal Heavens after getting carried away, Osiris now only maintains his immortality through the power of his very essence.

Regardless, this demonstrates the power of Fiddlesticks and other primal demons. It is precisely on this basis that these beings, who are powerful in the main universe, often perform rather poorly in the skin universe.

For example, Fiddlesticks from the Battlecast series is just a simple, unadorned war robot. Besides that, characters like Candy House and Ghost are even less impressive. In the main universe, they'd be easily crushed. Only the Star Guardians series is somewhat decent, at least its setting is based on an older source.

Similarly, there's Aurelion Sol, whose skin universe setting looks cool, but it's actually no match for a single hair of the main universe's creator dragon god.

But for a mere hero like Riven, it's a completely different story.

Aside from Crimson Elite, which represents part of her military career, Riven's skins, whether Jade Swordsman, Dawnbringer, or Templar Assassin, all significantly enhance her power. Dawnbringer, in particular, is one of the original gods in the game's universe. In the main universe, even if she couldn't rival Aurelion Sol, she would still be on par with Bard, the Wandering Celestial.

Even if such a high-level skin universe mapping may not be possible, the Spirit Blossom series in the main universe timeline is equally compatible—all you need to do is attend the Spirit Blossom Festival in Ionia, which is not a problem at all for Fahn.

Upon hearing that Fain valued Riven's potential and considering her prophetic abilities, LeBlanc remained silent for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Since you know about Riven's talent, you should be able to guess that I'm never generous... What are you prepared to offer in exchange?"

"You seem to have some serious illness."

Upon hearing LeBlanc's words, Fain shook his head in confusion and said, "Did my polite words to you cause some strange misunderstanding? Did it make you think you have the right to blackmail and manipulate me? Or do you think that your current body is enough to support you in unleashing your full power and killing or taking Riven without my permission?"

As he spoke, Fain casually waved his hand. Then, just as Riven was bound to the ground by dark illusion chains, high-pressure water jets carrying a storm-like force formed almost instantly. Even with LeBlanc's defensive magic providing advance warning, the sheer power of Amysthan prevented her from reacting effectively and promptly.

In an instant, the flowing water whip tore through Amystine's armor, the streams of water digging deep into her flesh, dragging her to the ground. Beneath dozens of streams, Amystine couldn't even muster the strength to move, let alone resist. LeBlanc frowned slightly, noticing that even her own consciousness had become unusually slow, a significant delay appearing in her control of Amystine's body. Not only was control difficult, but even severing the connection had become incredibly slow.

Realizing Fain's purpose in doing this, LeBlanc fell silent.

In response, Farn simply walked slowly to LeBlanc's side, then squatted down and looked at her, saying, "Our deal was unequal from the beginning, because you don't have what I desperately need. What I possess, however, is the knowledge and information you crave."

As he said this, Farn patted LeBlanc's face—well, it was Amyst's.

LeBlanc maintained her composure and indifference throughout, simply staring at Fain without uttering a word.

Seeing this, Fane released his grip, and the flowing touch that had bound Amyst's body vanished completely. Looking at LeBlanc getting up from the ground, Fane calmly said, "So, you can go back and verify things slowly now, Deathclaw Cult in the lower levels of Immortal Fortress. Hmm, remember to also think carefully about whether you can create some demand for me; it'll benefit you, after all, I also hope my information can fetch a high price."

"I will." After a moment of silence, LeBlanc took a deep breath, and then her expression changed from calm and silence to an elegant and dignified smile.

"I don't want my partner... no, I should say my trading partner to be able to completely control me during the transaction. Trust me, as an immortal being, I can definitely prepare what you need before we begin a more enjoyable and in-depth transaction."

As soon as she finished speaking, LeBlanc glanced at Riven behind her, a hint of regret flashing in her beautiful eyes.

"For you to value her so highly, it seems that Riven's potential might be even greater than I imagined. But there's nothing I can do about it. After all, there are very few people who can read the past and the future, and no one would easily give up on a promising talent worth nurturing... Well, I hope Riven can be a testament to our friendship."

Upon hearing this, Riven's eyes widened in fury, and she struggled as if trying to say something. But unfortunately, the illusion chains also blocked her mouth, leaving her only to let out a helpless, incomprehensible growl.

After saying this, LeBlanc left Amyst's body.

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I'll stay up all night tonight and try to get my sleep schedule completely back in shape by July. I missed about 36,000 words of updates in June, I'll try to make up for it in July.

140. Taming Riven

As LeBlanc's consciousness faded, Amystine's body suddenly lost all strength and collapsed to the ground. A moment later, as her mind gradually regained control over her body, Amystine belatedly opened her eyes.

Sensing the fragmented memories and commands left behind by her master in her mind, a look of surprise and uncertainty flashed in Amyst's eyes.

Although everyone works for someone else, not every boss is as generous as Farn, giving employees the corresponding freedom... and very few people would turn a meeting into a party with their employees like Farn does.

Even though Amystine was personally trained and loyal by LeBlanc, when LeBlanc uses Amystine's body, Amystine's consciousness remains dormant deep within her own mind, devoid of all perception of the outside world. Just like in Xi'an's case, the current Amystine is completely unaware of the communication between Fain and LeBlanc, and can only execute orders based on edited memories combined with LeBlanc's commands before leaving.

Raising her head, Amystine glanced fearfully at Fain and said respectfully in a low voice, "I will go back now and have the Noxian troops leave Piltover. Please wait a moment."

“That would be best.” Farn nodded.

As LeBlanc spoke, Riven, feeling the oppressive force on her gradually weaken, struggled fiercely, her eyes fixed on Amystine, her voice filled with anger, hatred, and disbelief as she said, "Amystine! What's going on! Have you really betrayed His Majesty Darkwill?!"

In the past, Amystine might have put on a show and tried to fool him. But now, exchanging a glance with Fane and sensing the calm and indifference in his gaze, Amystine more or less realized what Fane wanted her to say—without feeling regret or hesitation, Amystine simply turned her gaze casually to Riven, and after a moment of silent eye contact, said in a slightly disdainful tone:

"Betray Darkwell? No... Riven, I have never shown any loyalty to Darkwell, so how could I have betrayed him?"

As she said this, Amystine shook her head and said, "It's been so long, and you still think you were able to grow up safely because the bureaucrats of the Imperial Farms remembered that fool Darkwell's kindness? Wake up, little girl. You were able to grow up safely simply because your talent was discovered early on. The true masters of Noxus needed a strong and stable Noxus, which is why you rose to power. But that's all."

As she said this, Amystine bowed slightly to Fain and said, "By order of Master LeBlanc, may Riven be a witness to the friendship between you and Noxus."

"Yes, it will." Fain nodded seriously and said, "Noxus and I are destined for each other; there are definitely many more friendships waiting to unfold between us."

Amystine offered little comment, simply bowing slightly before turning and leaving.

Not long after Amystine left, Fain turned his gaze to Riven, who was standing to the side.

With Amystine gone, Riven had also broken free from the magical suppression. However, unlike before, Riven's face now showed less anger and hatred, and more confusion and bewilderment. She seemed somewhat unsure of where her future should lead.

It was at this moment that Riven felt Fain's gaze. She struggled to lift her head and look at the man before her, her voice hoarse as she said, "Those things... Amyst, and what that woman said... what exactly happened in Noxus?"

“Let me correct you, it’s not that something happened, it’s that Noxus has always been like this, it’s never changed.” Fain shrugged. “You’re just realizing it now.”

Upon hearing Fain's words, Riven closed her eyes and fell into a brief silence. A moment later, when Riven opened her eyes again, they were filled with resolute indifference.

Looking at Fain, Riven's face showed no more confusion or wavering; she simply said calmly, "Then kill me."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Fain raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

Riven, however, showed no discomfort whatsoever, calmly stating, "Regardless, I am a Noxian, a Noxian warrior. Even if my entire life has been a lie, I am still a warrior, and I will never submit to you. So, don't even think about trying to bribe me with some small favors; all you'll get is a corpse called Riven!"

Upon hearing Riven's statement, Fain nodded and clapped with feigned seriousness.

"Good, good, very good. It's just a pity that you think the choice is in your hands?"

Farn tilted his head, looking helpless: "You talk as if you have the right to force me."

"I know I'm no match for you, but I will never surrender!!" Hearing Fain's words, Riven pursed her lips, then resolutely stood up, and amidst her agonizing pain, drew the Black Stone Greatsword that had once represented her glory. This blade, even wider than her body, bestowed upon her by Emperor Darkwill, had been the testament to all her pride and honor. But now, all that pride and honor crumbled in an instant, turning into a laughable, mocking malice.

Having never had a proper education, and as the Legion's swordswoman captain, Riven rarely thinks about anything outside of combat skills. For Riven now, perhaps only dying in battle is the only glory she can strive for.

Thinking this, a strong fighting spirit also burst forth in Riven's eyes. She looked at Fain and raised the runic greatsword in her hand. Although she knew that she could not win, she still launched a fearless charge.

"To abandon one's honor is to live a life of ignominy. No matter what, I will never become a shameful deserter!!!"

As she spoke, Riven charged toward Fahn. However, in the next breath, Fahn, who was standing still, didn't even move, while Riven's body was sent flying backward at three times the speed.

Showing no mercy whatsoever, Fain's vicious punch landed squarely on Riven's abdomen, penetrating her armor and etching his mental domain mark deep into her solid abs.

141. Riven's Anxiety

The punch landed squarely, and Riven only let out a muffled groan of pain as she crashed into a nearby shelf with a clattering sound.

Without unleashing much power, Riven soon stood up, holding her greatsword and staring intently at Fain, her eyes filled with an unyielding fighting spirit and a death wish.

Even though she was prepared to die, feeling the punch from Fain, feeling the tremor in her lower abdomen and that faint, persistent pain that seemed to disappear without a trace, Riven couldn't help but secretly marvel at how strong he was.

There were no fancy moves, just a simple punch, but it completely exceeded the limits of her visual perception and reaction speed. Even as she was being sent flying, Riven wasn't sure if she had been attacked. It wasn't until after she landed, with the collapsing shelf, the pain in her lower abdomen, and the subtle sensation of her internal organs being jolted, that Riven came to her senses.

Using her greatsword for support, Riven, after catching her breath, once again aimed her blade at Fahn. She unleashed a soul-shaking roar—not a meaningless shout, but a skill Riven had honed through countless battles. She gathered her inner fighting spirit and killing intent within her chest, unleashing it to instantly intimidate her opponent. Against those with weak wills, often just one roar was enough for Riven to freeze them in place.

This kind of honing of one's fighting spirit and skills is something every strong player must master and integrate. Of course, Riven didn't believe that her roar would intimidate Faen. Rather, Riven was shouting like that simply to wake herself up and suppress all the fear and anxiety in her heart.

With a clear mind, only the purest fighting spirit of a warrior remained. She charged towards Faen, her right leg thrusting forward, the surging fighting spirit coalescing into a storm that formed a faint shield around Riven—although in the game Riven's second skill, Gale Slash, gives the impression that she possesses the talent of the Wind Blade, it's actually just a remnant of the storm magic left over from Elder Souma's destruction of the rune greatsword—well, don't be fooled by the fact that Yasuo, Yone, and Yi all wield swords.

However, their essence in Runeterra is that of mages, and their so-called swords are just another form of staff.

Riven, on the other hand, relies more on her fighting spirit to win battles.

Just as Riven, who was using her ultimate (R) in her normal state, used her W followed by E to get in front of Fann, preparing to use QAQAQA to instantly kill him, Fann, meeting Riven's battle-ready gaze, suddenly raised his right arm and clenched it tightly. In that instant, having just raised his blade, Riven felt an indescribable force sweep over her.

With wide eyes, Riven stared at Fain in front of her, trying to control her body to swing her blade down, but she found that not only was swinging her arm impossible, but even moving a finger had become pure delusion.

Gazing at the head so close, seemingly within reach of her, as if it could be severed with a mere flick of the arm, and feeling the mockery and amusement in the other's eyes, Riven felt utterly humiliated.

"What...what did you do? Why can't I move?!"

"That's just how you warrior classes are." Faen glanced at Riven, a hint of melancholy in his voice. The Darius joke was that Darius players couldn't resist using their ultimate once they activated Ghost, and if you didn't chase them, they'd panic and feed. Riven players were no different. Even after activating their ultimate, if you didn't engage, they'd frantically use EQQQ to rush in and fight you head-on, afraid of wasting the damage boost and second slash from their ultimate.

Thinking this, Fain revealed his palm, the seven-armed seal originating from Osiris shining brightly. However, compared to the initial cloud-like seven-armed seal, the current seal had incorporated elements of Fain under his constant influence. To be precise, the cloud-like quality had been greatly reduced, replaced by the solidity of flesh and blood and the wildness of a storm—yes, the storm originated from the union of Fain and Janna.

If it were LeBlanc, she would immediately realize everything upon seeing the mark, especially the changes within herself. But Riven is different. As a warrior, Riven demonstrates why warriors are often disliked—Fane's techniques, though seemingly simple, involve a level of mental knowledge that would make even the sages practicing in the Ionian Sanctuary proclaim invincible.

This masterful control and mastery over the spiritual realm has surpassed the limits that most Ionian practitioners can reach.

And what about Riven? As a warrior, it's no wonder that even though they are at the same level as mages, mages are called "Grandmaster Mages," while warriors are mostly called "XX Dogs."

However, it's not fair to say that warriors are perceived as inferior. In fact, it's simply because warriors are more focused on themselves, resulting in a limited understanding of the world.

Thinking about it, Fain decided to use a more direct approach to let Riven know exactly what had happened here.

So Fain stood before Riven, and to her astonishment, tore open the armor at her waist. Riven's eyes widened in fury, her delicate face contorted with disbelief, anger, and disgust as she cried out, "What are you doing?!"

"Calm down, this is just to make you more aware of what's going on here."