The next morning.
"Mmm…"
Kiana had just woken from her sleep when she instinctively called out, "Someone, come here!"
No one answered.
She frowned and called again, louder this time. "Come here!"
"Apologies, Kiana," Edith's voice replied through the intercom, calm as always. "The boss is currently in his lab and can't respond, but I can assist you instead. Would you prefer coffee or tea?"
"In the lab?"
Kiana frowned, glancing at the messy sheets. Wrapping herself in a blanket, she walked out of the bedroom.
After several expansions by Duke himself, his workshop had become more like a standalone mansion, separate from the Blue Lavender Manor, with countless specialized rooms inside.
"Prepare ten tons of drinking water first. If it's not enough, tell Tahm to transfer more!"
Duke was busy finalizing his supply checklist. Since he had decided to head for Shurima, everything—food, clothing, shelter, transport—had to be properly arranged.
Viktor's decision to go to Shurima had been her own, but Duke had his reasons too.
And since Viktor was his friend, trapped there, Duke couldn't just ignore it.
In fact, while creating Wrathborn, Duke had already thought it through—rather than sitting around in Piltover, waiting for Azir's resurrection and the chaos that would come with Shurima's rebirth, why not take the initiative and stabilize things ahead of time?
Besides, the Ascension Ritual intrigued him, and as for Xerath… well, Duke had plans.
Xerath was a pure energy being of arcane power. Maybe Duke could catch him and turn him into a battery?
Just like that blue-haired, white-lab-coat old man and his "micro-universe" battery—Duke could make his own Ascended Battery!
But before any of that, there was much to prepare.
Shurima was a desert nation, nothing like Piltover or any place Duke had ever been. Its lands were harsh and dry, the blazing sun burning down even deep into the night.
If Freljord was one extreme, then Shurima was the other.
Life there was brutal. To survive, one needed thorough preparation. Duke reviewed his inventory from past experiments—useful or not, he noted everything carefully.
Knock, knock, knock…
The sound of knocking pulled him from his thoughts. Duke turned toward the lab door and saw Kiana standing there, wrapped tightly in her blanket.
"I thought you'd sleep in for a while longer."
"No such plan!"
Kiana walked over and curiously peeked at the list in Duke's hand. "What are you doing?"
"Preparing for a trip to Shurima."
"Another long journey?"
She leaned against his waist—since she wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulder—and sighed.
"Pretty much. You just relax and do whatever you like, alright? Don't overthink."
"Fine. How long will you be gone this time?"
"Who knows?" Duke shrugged, setting the list aside. He glanced down at the petite girl wrapped in the blanket—sometimes, being small wasn't a disadvantage.
"Well, I'll do a bit more research before I go."
He picked her up and set her on the table, ruffling her silvery mid-length hair.
Kiana rolled her eyes, brushing a few loose strands from her forehead. "Fine, fine—you win."
"Just don't go running off to puke halfway through the experiment again."
"Relax. I've got the technique down now."
That afternoon.
Shurima, Northeastern Border.
Buergeon.
In a narrow, forgotten alleyway.
From the dry sand, moisture began to seep up. In seconds, water pooled and swirled, forming a powerful vortex.
A massive shadow took shape within it
Plop!
Tahm Kench leapt from the whirlpool and landed solidly on the ground, obediently opening his mouth wide.
Duke stepped out from between his jaws and was immediately hit by a wave of scorching heat.
Even though Tahm had chosen a secluded alley, the shade from the high walls barely helped. The air was thick and hot enough to suffocate.
Panting heavily, Tahm fanned himself with his fin-like hands. "Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll head back. It's too damn hot here—and there's barely any water. If I stay, I'll turn into dried fish!"
"Alright, go." Duke waved, then narrowed his eyes. "Oh, and—you do know what you can and can't talk about, right?"
Tahm froze mid-teleport, his expression stiff. "O-of course I do, boss!"
"Good. Because I've recently been working on a research project called Wall Nation. It involves shrinking certain… unpleasant people down to the size of ants and sealing them inside a wall for observation."
"I'd hate to see you in there."
Tahm wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded furiously. "Never, boss! I swear!"
"Good. Off you go."
"Right away! Goodbye, boss!"
With a splash, Tahm dove back into the whirlpool—fleeing as fast as his fins could carry him. Duke's experiments just kept getting scarier; the thought of being turned into an ant and trapped in a wall made his scales crawl.
Compared to Duke, Tahm realized, he was the real demon.
Duke chuckled softly as the whirlpool faded. That gluttonous catfish always needed a little scare now and then.
As for Wall Nation—so far, Jhin was its only resident. The mad virtuoso, for all his deranged artistry, adapted surprisingly well. He'd even asked Duke for a beetle or a mouse to "paint."
Naturally, Duke refused. "You're lucky I didn't dissect you already, and you want a pet?"
Dream on.
"Now then… what's next?"
He pulled out a special spray, coating himself in a shimmering layer that deflected sunlight and heat before stepping out into the open streets.
The noise hit him immediately—a cacophony of voices in countless dialects.
The streets were narrow, packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Merchants on both sides shouted their pitches, pulling at passersby whether they wanted to buy or not.
Right at the alley's mouth, two stalls fought for his attention—one selling some kind of spiced kebab, the other offering fragrant tea.
Both vendors lunged toward him. Duke gave a polite smile and declined—but instead of backing off, they grew even more enthusiastic.
One grabbed his lab coat, the other pushed a steaming cup toward his face.
"The best spice, the purest water—try it, friend!"
Duke noticed onlookers pausing, grinning maliciously as if waiting for a show.
Bang!
A smoking crater appeared under the vendor's feet. Duke's black ebony gun gleamed faintly as he spoke in a calm, level voice. "No, thank you."
The vendor stared at the crater, then at the pistol, and hurriedly backed off with a nervous smile.
The gunshot echoed sharply through the street. But under Duke's cold, steady gaze, the crowd quickly lost interest and went back to their business.
He sighed softly. "Guess they don't really buy into the idea of civility here."
Here, fists and blades spoke louder than words.
Holstering the gun, Duke melted into the crowd. A few sharp-eyed figures noted his features and slipped away quietly.
He glanced toward the docks, where a black stone archway loomed—the Noxstora Gate of Noxus.
Those gates, carved from black stone quarried near the Noxian capital, were erected in every conquered or subjugated city—a symbol of imperial might and dominion.
Whether taken by force or pledged willingly, every road into such cities bore the mark of Noxus's iron will.
Typical Noxian style—bold, brutal, and absolute.
But now that the Emperor of Shurima had risen again, the northern cities under Noxian control would soon become battlefields.
Duke turned away and continued walking, thoughts swirling.
From Camille, he had acquired the records of the Pharos family's discovery of the Hextech Primordial Crystal. It had been found by Alicia in a canyon in Shurima's northwest region.
He was in the northeast now—he'd need to head northwest eventually.
But Duke wasn't in a rush.
Every craftsman from Piltover left traces, and Viktor surely had too. All he had to do was find them.
"Now, where should I start looking…"
Just as he lit a cigar, the crowd ahead suddenly parted.
A woman with dark skin and an eyepatch strode forward, a massive sword strapped to her back, a few men following close behind.
"Well, well—hello there, handsome."
Duke raised an eyebrow.
Talk about timing.
Looked like someone had just walked right up to him—an informant served on a silver platter.
And not just anyone.
The one and only Desert Rose—Samira.
End of chapter....
IRONBOUND PATRON
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
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