The next morning, at dawn.
When the sun first rose from the eastern horizon, its golden light pierced through the darkness and cold like a blade.
On the deck, Duke—wearing only a thin shirt—was observing the sunrise while taking advantage of it to begin his daily morning practice.
He slowly opened his stance and drew in a sharp breath. His breathing flowed continuously; his heartbeat grew stronger and more forceful. Blood rushed through his veins like a river in full flood—swift, powerful, unstoppable.
Duke had long mastered the body-tempering method of the Fist-Gun Combat Style back when he was still in Demacia. Now, he could perform it while focusing on something entirely different.
His mind submerged into the cultivation of the Force, while his body polished itself through the Fist-Gun method.
Duke emptied his thoughts. His movements, though slow, carried a sense of budding vitality—like a seed sprouting beneath the soil, breaking through the earth, stretching out its first tender leaves.
Before long, he exhaled a thin white stream of breath and slowly straightened.
"Mm…"
Gazing at the newborn sun, Duke lifted a brow.
"Shurima may be nothing but sand and more sand, yet the natural magic here is still abundant. I used to wonder why."
"So that's the reason."
During his morning practice, Duke finally understood why the harsh deserts of Shurima still held such rich magic.
The answer was simple—
The sun.
The sun that rises in the east and sets in the west every single day, without fail.
Whether the tender dawn light, the blazing midday sun, or the fading dusk glow—every ray carried faint strands of magical essence.
The magic in sunlight was minuscule. But once accumulated over countless years, it transformed into a terrifyingly vast reservoir.
And this reminded him of the Sun Disc in the Sunborne Oasis.
The Sun Disc could gather and channel the sun's power for rituals and other uses.
He still wasn't entirely sure what the Sun Disc could do in reality, but Duke knew one thing for certain:
It was no mere symbol.
Not only was it necessary for the Ascension Ritual, but Duke suspected its uses extended much, much further.
After all—sunlight was possibly the purest, most efficient, and easiest magic source in all of Runeterra.
As the saying went: If the heavens give you something and you don't take it, misfortune will follow.
Why not make full use of it?
And the Sun Disc was probably the earliest technological attempt on Runeterra to harness solar power.
"I really want to know how the Sun Disc is constructed…" Duke stared at the rising sun for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. "But that's not something I should be thinking about now. Food must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road is walked one step at a time."
"Take it slow…"
He returned to the cabin for breakfast. Just as he handed his plate to the cleaning robot, Edyth projected a blue holographic screen in front of him.
"Boss, we've arrived at Rage's location."
"We're here?"
Duke immediately stood up, took the white coat Edyth handed him with her mechanical arm, and put it on as he stepped onto the deck. Looking down, he saw a patch of vivid green amidst the endless golden desert.
The small oasis was packed with people.
Arched canvas tents stood closely together, almost covering the entire oasis. Thick ropes secured them into the ground, forming a ring-shaped layout.
At the center was the precious water source. Closest to it were the children, then the women, then the elders; the outermost ring consisted of the warriors.
Though the sun had just risen, the temperature was already rising—and steadily turning scorching.
Warriors holding heat-fired glass weapons were chatting and switching shifts. Last night's guards were returning to rest while the new ones took over.
Pack beasts were being herded out. Hunters checked their equipment—they would be hunting beasts wandering the desert, an important food source.
Several drones hovered above the hunting teams.
Duke recognized them instantly—they were the drones he had built specifically for Rage, now repurposed to watch over the tribe's hunters.
"Seems like your creation is quite competent," Sivir said as she stepped onto the deck, standing beside Duke and looking down. Seeing the thriving tribe, her eyes widened in surprise.
The airship continued to descend, giving them a clearer view. Kai'Sa joined them, watching the tribe below.
At that moment, a joyful barking rose from the oasis. A black-and-white blur shot out, and everyone instinctively bowed as it passed.
"That brat is coming to greet us. Let's go down," Duke said.
"I'll stay here," Kai'Sa shook her head.
Duke glanced at her Void carapace and clicked his tongue. "I knew I forgot something."
He pulled a round device from his inventory and tossed it to her.
"Press it onto your chest, then hit the center button."
"Oh." Kai'Sa followed the instructions, placing the disc over her collarbone. It snapped onto the Void armor, and she pressed the button.
Beep.
Like flowing water, nano-machines spread across her entire body. The terrifying Void carapace was instantly covered by a layer of metallic nano-armor, transforming her into a warrior clad in advanced futuristic plating.
"This will do. As long as you're not fighting, everyone will just think you're wearing a special suit of armor."
Duke patted her shoulder and led Sivir and Kai'Sa down from the deck.
"Come on. Let's see what surprise Rage has prepared."
The three of them descended onto the floating platform and gradually touched down. At the same time, the airship slowly disengaged from its invisibility, revealing its full form.
Everyone in the oasis stared in awe. Born and raised in sand and hardship, none had ever seen something like this in their lives.
As the platform touched the ground, Rage rushed over. The dog barreled toward Duke like a living tank, forcing Duke to raise his hand and lift him with the Force—otherwise he'd be sent flying on the spot.
"Woof!!"
All three of Rage's heads barked excitedly. Once placed back down, he circled Duke wildly, tail spinning like a propeller.
"All right, all right, I know you're happy to see me—but everyone's watching. Maintain some dignity."
After rubbing each of Rage's heads, several people approached. Leading them was Eurydice—the one who claimed herself to be Rage's wife.
She looked about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a black-and-white long robe, her face veiled, only her eyes visible.
At a glance, she looked like she had coordinated outfits with Rage.
"Welcome, my lord."
Eurydice bowed with her hands folded before her.
With one hand still stuck in Rage's mouth, Duke looked at the group.
"So you're the ones managing the tribe?"
"We only bear this duty through the grace of the God-Lord."
A scar-faced burly man spoke. Duke noticed the way he looked at Rage—pure reverence, nothing else.
"Interesting."
Duke slid his hand out of Rage's mouth. Raising huskies always came with the same problem—the dog always wanted to hold your hand in its mouth to show affection.
Of course, that only applied to your own dog. Do that to someone else's, and you'd be booking your rabies shots.
Duke sensed the emotional fluctuations of the gathered leaders. They all respected Rage deeply—even those who had begun noticing the discrepancies between myth and reality.
After a moment of observation, Eurydice invited him, "Please follow us deeper into the oasis. We have prepared the gift you were interested in, as per the God-Lord's instructions."
"I'm not going inside."
Duke tossed out his portable workshop, enlarging it with a button and opening the access door.
"I brought my own place. No need to squeeze."
Seeing him casually summon a strange yet awe-inspiring building with a wave of his hand, many people looked at Duke differently.
As expected of the God-Lord's father—his methods were unfathomable.
"In that case, we will bring the gift to you."
"Good. Come inside first."
Duke invited them into the workshop. Sivir and Kai'Sa sat in their usual spots. Duke patted Rage.
"Maintenance. Go."
"Woof!"
Rage wagged his tail and trotted toward the workshop's repair bay. Eurydice watched him leave until he disappeared from sight.
"Don't worry. He's just getting routine maintenance. Overusing energy bursts can wear down his channels."
Duke provided chairs for the guests. Just then, another group entered—carrying a man with a black ponytail and scruffy beard.
He was bound head to toe in chains, mouth stuffed with a moldy cloth. Someone beside him carried a strange Sunstone weapon—shaped like a welding gun with a grappling hook at the tip.
The man groaned the moment he entered, eyes full of resentment as if accusing the others of betraying him.
"Where did you catch this guy?"
Duke's lips twitched.
He recognized this man very well—especially the head-butting-a-wall moments when his E missed. The nostalgic memories of "team communication" were still vivid.
"We caught him while passing a small oasis. The God-Lord was playing with the children, and this man suddenly rushed out to attack him."
"And then?" Duke raised a brow and picked up the legendary weapon—the Kindred's Mercy, capable of reversing life and death.
"He was subdued by the children behind him."
"A Sentinel of Light… beaten by a bunch of kids."
Duke shook his head helplessly and pointed the weapon at the prisoner.
"You're an embarrassment."
"Akshan."
End of chapter....
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