The salty, briny sea breeze, laced with the sharp stench of fish from the docks, washed over them. Faen, holding Lulu's hand and with Tristana carrying her giant cannon trailing behind him, stepped onto the wooden boardwalks of Bilgewater.
Dusk had already fallen. Under the dim, fading light, the crooked, haphazardly built stilt houses looked exactly like lurking, dormant monsters. Fishing nets hung out to dry on ropes fluttered in the wind, and the occasional shrill cry of a seagull echoed through the air. The entire port reeked of a rugged, eerie atmosphere.
"Is this... is this really still Bilgewater?"
Lulu timidly shrank closer to Faen, her tiny hands clutching his clothes tightly. Magical light motes danced restlessly at her fingertips. "It feels... so cold."
A Yordle's perception was far more powerful than a human's. In Faen's eyes, whether it was the colors they could see, the sounds they could hear, or the scents they could smell, what Yordles experienced was vastly richer and more intense than an ordinary person.
It was precisely for this reason that Lulu and Tristana could clearly sense the aura of an imminent, deadly threat circulating in the surrounding air.
Sure enough, right after Lulu spoke, Tristana instinctively tightened her grip on her cannon barrel, looking around vigilantly. "Instructor, the people here all look so fierce and scary."
Greeting their eyes, the two sides of Bilgewater were currently teeming with a diverse array of figures.
Most of these people wore grave, solemn expressions. They were busy rapidly transporting supplies or setting up various defensive fortifications.
Although they had visited Bilgewater once before, the current Bilgewater was entirely different from their last visit. Just the tension plastered on the people's faces was enough to strike fear into Lulu's heart, her eyes filled with worry as she looked around.
In contrast, Faen, walking beside them, appeared incredibly casual, showing absolutely zero signs of tension or unease. He merely patted the two girls' shoulders. Sweeping his gaze over the bustling crowd, he said casually:
"In Bilgewater, pirates and fishermen coexist, and they have their own unique set of rules. Right now, they should be preparing for the Harrowing.
"We came here this time specifically to deal with the culprit behind the Harrowing anyway, so we might as well see how their preparations are coming along. Either way, whatever happens, don't panic. I'm right here~"
Hearing Faen's words, the tension on Lulu and Tristana's faces faded slightly.
Because Faen always knew so much, and the immense sense of physical power and mental erudition he exuded gave the two girls an unimaginable level of absolute trust in him.
Thinking this, Tristana quickly jogged her memory. Then, as if recalling something, she gripped her giant cannon slightly tighter, her voice carrying a mix of tension and curiosity:
"The Harrowing... Right, Instructor came to Bandle City specifically to deal with this. Thinking back carefully, I remember the old man next door mentioning that it's supposed to be a night where the undead appear?"
"The undead?! Undead are going to appear?!" Hearing that there were ghosts and monsters, Lulu was so terrified she immediately hid completely behind Faen, exposing only a pair of watery, jelly-like eyes. The magical light motes surrounding her dimmed significantly in fear.
To this, Faen nodded and said, "That's right. It's Bilgewater's ultimate nightmare. It looks like we arrived right on time to see exactly how the people of Bilgewater defend against the Harrowing."
Hearing Faen's words, Tristana also began looking around curiously.
The bustling activity on the docks continued—or rather, it hadn't stopped since the moment they arrived.
Some people were setting up small ballista turrets in the windows of the stilt houses. Some were squatting on the ground, coating their cutlasses and harpoons with pungent-smelling potions. Others were piling bundles of oil-soaked firewood in the corners of the docks, clearly preparing for nighttime illumination.
Occasionally, sailors assigned to patrol duty would walk briskly past, their hip flasks clinking softly with every step. Their eyes were as sharp as eagles, staring dead ahead toward the open sea, terrified of missing even the slightest abnormality.
The originally scattered crowds gradually gathered together, forming small, clearly divided squads with distinct roles, showing absolutely zero signs of chaos.
"Sailors, residents, sea-monster hunters... even pirates!"
After observing for a while, Tristana, aspiring to be an elite warrior, quickly realized that the number of people participating in the defense against the Harrowing was unimaginably massive.
It was the entirety of Bilgewater. They had all mobilized, joining forces to face the crisis of the Harrowing together.
Seeing this, Faen nodded in understanding and said, "Sarah truly did an excellent job organizing them. At the very least, the current Bilgewater is finally no longer a scattered pile of loose sand like before."
"Sarah? Who is that?" Lulu asked curiously.
"She's the red-headed pirate empress here~" Faen said with a smile. "She's also an incredibly capable girl. Before her, the uncrowned king of this place was named Gangplank. He commissioned Sarah's mother to custom-make a pair of pistols..."
He gave a brief introduction to Sarah's past and origins. Upon hearing that Sarah eventually achieved her revenge and became the undisputed Empress of these seas and of Bilgewater, Tristana couldn't help but clench her little fists and say:
"So cool! She sounds like a truly amazing warrior! I really want to meet her!"
"You'll get to meet her very soon~" Faen said with a smile.
And just as Faen's words fell, a crisp, commanding voice pierced through the bustling atmosphere:
"Everyone, hurry up! Reinforce the barricades one more time! Check the harpoon cannons on the left flank, make sure the Hextech cores are fully charged in advance! Do not slack off! This concerns our very future! Think about your families and your children!"
"Yes! My Queen!!" The busy crowds shouted their response in unison.
This even included those traditionally lawless pirates—with Gangplank dead and Sarah ascending as the Empress, Sarah had also used her connection with Faen to ally with the Twin Cities. Following the promulgation of Sarah's Code, the pirates had lost their safe haven.
Among these pirates, some left Bilgewater to seek out the next pirate city. Others chose to turn over a new leaf, becoming Piltover naval officers or fleet captains.
As for the former, as long as they didn't interfere with her cargo, Sarah couldn't care less. As for the latter, Sarah didn't force them too harshly either, but simply put them to work contributing their strength to the newly reborn Bilgewater.
This ultimately led to Sarah becoming the most respected and worshipped leader in all of Bilgewater's history.
Even those who had once been her enemies, or the pirates who had long since left Bilgewater, had to admit that under Sarah's rule, Bilgewater was continuously getting better and better.
Wearing an elegant, flowing dress and stepping out in a pair of high stiletto heels, she walked along the coastal port of Bilgewater, her steps echoing with crisp clack, clack, clack sounds. Sarah's large, striking eyes were fixed solely on Faen the entire time. As she drew closer, amidst the surprised gasps of Lulu and Tristana beside him, she proactively threw her arms around him and offered him a deep, passionate kiss.
"I didn't embarrass you, did I? My darling Master~" Sarah said with a beaming smile.