Although the widely circulated rumor in Demacia was that Petricite had the ability to nullify magic, in reality, its true property wasn't erasing magic, but forcefully absorbing and storing magical energy.
It was just that, in its outward manifestation, when magic was forcefully drained away and stored, the spells would dissipate without their supporting mana. Even if they could be maintained, their power would be drastically reduced.
If Faen were standing in the middle of a Petricite forest, he might actually feel somewhat suppressed.
But if it was just a runic iron cage laced with Petricite powder...
Placing his hand on the cage door, just as Tristana was about to yell out to stop him, she saw Faen's mana surge around him. In the next second, a massive torrent of magic poured directly into the iron door, forcefully shattering it to pieces.
The iron cage itself had been suspended in mid-air. Now, having lost its support, it immediately began to plummet toward the ground.
Fortunately, Faen was quick on his feet and had anticipated this. He simply reached out and grabbed the remaining half of the cage, casually holding it up in mid-air with a single hand.
Watching the cage that had hopelessly trapped them get destroyed so easily, Tristana's mouth dropped wide open. She said in sheer disbelief, "How did you do that?! That's amazing!"
"It works as long as you pump enough volume into it~" Hearing this, Faen chuckled, then admitted frankly:
"Of course, I could have just opened it normally, but I felt like that wouldn't have been shocking enough~"
"That was totally badass!!"
Tristana said excitedly, "So cool! I want to be like you too—no, wait! My mission is definitely to become an excellent soldier first!"
She was excited at first, but Tristana quickly remembered her goal of becoming a top-tier soldier, causing her newfound infatuation with this kind of flashy rescue to instantly cool down.
Well, a Yordle's single-minded focus on certain things was truly a marvel to behold. It was no wonder they always managed to accomplish monumental feats in the areas they obsessed over.
Glancing at Tristana, Faen nodded thoughtfully.
As the saying goes, even a great hero struggles against the charms of beautiful women. Faen fancied himself a grand hero, and his favorite thing to do was to challenge his own "weaknesses."
Even though Tristana wasn't human, nor was she a conventional beauty by human standards, it didn't matter. Faen wasn't an ordinary human either; he was an expert at uncovering beauties that average people couldn't appreciate.
Thinking this, Faen nodded and said calmly, "Becoming an excellent soldier doesn't conflict with having these abilities, you know."
"Eh? Really?" Hearing this, Tristana's eyes lit up, and she said with bubbling excitement:
"Does that mean... I can learn magic too?! And still be an excellent soldier?!"
Hearing this, Faen nodded, then said with a face full of smiles:
"Of course. In fact, truly excellent soldiers often need to master many techniques that ordinary people cannot. The more skills you master, and the purer your focus, the more elite you naturally become!"
"That's great! Then I'm definitely going to become the best soldier ever!"
Hearing Faen's words, Tristana's expression was beyond thrilled.
But immediately after, as if realizing something, Tristana let out a helpless sigh. Her head drooped and her ears flattened, looking incredibly dejected.
"What's wrong?" Faen asked.
"...Nothing." Tristana said in a depressed tone, "Although I really want to become an excellent soldier, I have absolutely no idea how I'm supposed to train."
"If you want, I can help you with that."
Faen finally revealed his foxy, ulterior motives. Standing there, he calmly said, "I actually have a lot of experience in training others to reach their full potential. Hmm, if you need it, I can even introduce you to a few incredibly elite soldiers."
The "excellent soldiers" Faen referred to were naturally Riven, Akali, and even those slutty little bitches like Zeri, Vi, and Jinx.
Although these girls excelled in different abilities and held vastly different identities, their work was all more or less related to a soldier's duty, and they were all absolutely the elite of the elites in their respective city-states.
Faen being interested in Tristana was one thing, but by the same token, Faen had absolutely no intention of deceiving her.
Just like right now—although his starting motives were highly questionable, there wasn't a single word of fabricated lies in what Faen said.
Hearing Faen's offer, Tristana naturally had zero objections. She nodded eagerly and excitedly: "Then I'll leave it in your hands! Instructor!"
"Excellent! Soldier Tristana! But before the training begins, I need to know your military rank!"
"Right now, I'm merely a recruit!" Tristana threw a crisp salute.
Perhaps because this was the very first time someone actually treated her as a real soldier—unlike her parents and friends back in Bandle City who always treated her dream of becoming a soldier as a joke—Tristana felt her heart racing with exceptional excitement.
"I am Private Tristana! Reporting for duty! Instructor!"
"Excellent! Full of spirit!"
Hearing this, Faen nodded in deep satisfaction.
But then he added:
"However, we'll talk about the training later. Right now, we still have other business to attend to."
Saying this, Faen shifted his gaze to Twisted Fate and Graves on the side, then said, "Although the business with the Yordles is settled, the business with you two is far from over."
"Eh? My business too?" Hearing this, Twisted Fate was momentarily stunned. He pointed at himself and said, "I didn't do anything, and I've been trying to talk Graves out of it the whole time. You shouldn't have any beef with me, right?"
"Yes, I can vouch for him!" Tristana nodded from the side, testifying that Twisted Fate indeed hadn't done anything wrong and had even tried to dissuade Graves.
To this, Faen didn't stubbornly press the issue. After all, since the victims themselves had chosen to forgive him, there was no need for him to relentlessly dog the man.
"But Sarah—that is, Miss Fortune—has strictly banned all human and humanoid trafficking." Faen pointed at Graves and said:
"The victims have chosen to forgive you, so I won't pursue this too harshly. But after this, make sure you turn yourself in... Wait, never mind."
Stopping mid-sentence, Faen shook his head and said, "It's better if I just let Sarah handle this kind of thing herself."
Saying this, Faen directly notified Sarah through a mark in the spiritual realm. He then looked at the duo and said:
"Sarah's people will be here very shortly. If you've got the skills, feel free to try and run. Hmm, let's see... a joint three-way law enforcement operation by Bilgewater, Piltover, and Zaun. If you don't feel confident in your chances, turning yourself in to secure some leniency is also a pretty solid choice~"