Runeterra: I actually know a little bit about everything

"My Lady War Mother, I have traveled a great distance to visit you. I humbly request that you do me the honor of shaking my hand!"

Zuo Chi's voice was loud, attracting everyone's attention almost instantly. At the same time, the tribal members watching all regarded Zuo Chi as a fanatical fan of Aisha, and clamored for Zuo Chi to get out of the way and not disturb them as they watched their War Mother crush the challenger.

Aisha looked at Zuo Chi, who had a faint smile on his face, with a puzzled expression, but in the end she still reached out and shook hands with him.

The moment their hands clasped together, Aisha's body suddenly trembled, and at the same time, her gaze toward Zuo Chi underwent a dramatic change.

A surge of life force flowed from Zuo Chi's palm into Ai Xi's hand, quickly filling the void in her body, and Ai Xi's weak body recovered rapidly.

After all the life force flowed into Aisha's palm, Zuo Chi slowly released his hand.

"Thank you, Mother of War, for granting my wish!" Zuo Chi said loudly again, and then quickly walked into the crowd.

Just as Zuo Chi walked into the crowd, the sounds of the soldiers playing around him rang in his ears.

“You’re really lucky, kid. I’ve been in the tribe for so many years and I’ve never even shaken hands with the War Mother. She almost never interacts with anyone.”

"You bet! I really envy that kid!"

Faced with their playful banter, Zuo Chi laughed and said, "It's all because I'm more charming than you guys. You should try to imitate me!"

On the other side, Ashe looked at Zuo Chi, who was frolicking with the warriors of the Avarosan tribe, with her shimmering eyes, and her grip on the Zhenbing Longbow gradually tightened.

Although the power of the Life Gem cannot restore her full strength instantly, even 50% is enough!

The battle began under the watchful eyes of all the tribal members in the encampment.

Ashe and the War Mother of the subordinate tribe stood in the center of the encampment, both gripping their weapons tightly.

In a split second, the two charged at each other.

"Bang! Crack!"

The two men's arms collided violently, producing a dull thud, followed by the screeching sound of their feet scraping the ground.

Even though Ashe has only recovered 50% of her power, she is still far superior to her opponent.

The War Mother of that subordinate tribe truly experienced the power of War Mother Ashe for the first time, but it was also the last time.

The battle lasted only a moment before it ended, and as everyone expected, Ashe turned and walked off the field. Behind her, a lifelike ice sculpture was covered in cracks and then shattered completely in the next second.

"Ashe! Ashe! Ashe!"

Everyone was chanting Ashe's name with fervent expressions, but Ashe's gaze was searching for that figure.

Finally, after searching for a while, Aisha and Zuochi's eyes met in the air.

Zuo Chi winked at Ai Xi, and although a flicker of emotion flashed in Ai Xi's eyes, she simply nodded to the crowd and then walked into the room.

However, just as Ash was about to close the door to the room, she suddenly heard that voice that was so familiar to her.

"Aishie, I have some questions I want to ask you. How about I come to see you tonight?"

Aisha paused slightly on the door, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

Chapter 105 One Man, Two Women, One Show! It's All a Misunderstanding!

As night quietly falls, the last bit of warmth that the sunlight brought to Freljord is also wiped away.

The howling wind and snow fell on the camp, gradually filling in the footprints left by people during the day.

"dong dong~~"

"Squeak~~"

There was a knock on the door. Aisha, who had been sitting at the table dealing with tribal affairs, rubbed her temples and stepped forward to open the door.

It was at this moment that Aisha and Zuochi, who was outside the door, made eye contact.

Zuo Chi smiled gently at Ai Xi: "Are you feeling better?"

"Mm," Aisha nodded. "Zuo Chi, thank you!"

"Come in quickly."

The door to the room slowly closed, completely shutting out the cold and noise from the outside world.

Stepping into the room, Zuo Chi curiously examined the things in front of him.

Inside the not-so-large room, the charcoal fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, and the True Ice Magic Bow was hanging on one of the walls. In addition to the longbow, a map of Freljord was also hanging on the wall.

Because it was late at night, and she was in her own room, Ashe took off her daytime cloak, wearing only a close-fitting inner armor on her upper body, a neat navy blue short skirt on her lower body, and gold bandages used to tighten the top of her boots. The bandages looked very similar to the leg rings that Zuo Chi had seen before.

As an Iceborn, Ashe is not afraid of the Freljord's cold, so her attire is all about being as neat and tidy as possible.

However, it seems that apart from Zuo Chi, an outsider, the other Freljordians do not consider Ashe's delicate and graceful figure to be beautiful.

In this harsh environment, only the muscular physiques of Sejuani or Illaoi are considered perfect.

A robust physique also signifies greater strength, stronger survivability, and a higher hunting success rate!

In the dim firelight, Aisha tidied her white hair, her delicate face showing a hint of sorrow. She stood facing Zuo Chi, staring blankly at him.

However, seemingly not wanting Zuo Chi to see her too vulnerable, Aisha tried to adjust her facial expression.

"Zuo Chi, you said you had something to ask me today. Is it about what you and Sejuani talked about before? Just ask, and I'll tell you everything I know."

Zuo Chi scrutinized Aisha before him, recalling the duel that had taken place that evening, and asked softly:

"Ashe, it seems there are many hidden motives behind your recruitment of the Blood Alliance?"

Having been in Freljord for two days, through people's stories and his own experiences, Zuo Chi has gained a clearer understanding of Ashe's current situation.

Everyone knows she is the War Mother of the largest tribe in Freljord, but no one notices how much effort she has put in to consolidate this vast, empire-like power.

If it were an autocratic empire like Noxus or Demacia, it would be fine, but the Avarosan tribe is composed of countless tribes of all sizes.

Once, after her mother's death and her falling out with her sister Sejuani, Ashe had nothing left but a few dozen Hearthstones with little fighting ability.

But with the "Holy Bow" in her hands and her identity as the reincarnation of Avarossa, Ashe marched south and won over some of the rich tribes in southern Freljord, forming a powerful alliance.

It was around that time that the present-day Avarosa tribe gradually took shape.

As time went on, Ashe gradually consolidated her rule and earned the respect of everyone.

However, it is precisely because the members of the Avarosa tribe are scattered tribes that managing these autonomous tribes becomes extremely difficult.

If they are slightly dissatisfied, a tribal rebellion may break out, or they may directly challenge Ashe, the War Mother.

Just like the challenge this evening, it was related to the recruitment of the Ashe Blood Alliance!

Zuo Chi had many doubts about the current situation of the Avarosa tribe, which is why he wanted to ask Aishe for clarification.

When Aisha heard Zuo Chi's words, a look of melancholy flashed in her eyes.

She looked into Zuo Chi's eyes without hiding anything, and said softly, "The Avarosa tribe has too many members, and its composition is extremely complex. Each tribe has its own selfish motives, and they all want to gain more benefits from the Avarosa tribe."

"Therefore, at this time, they must try every means to improve their tribe's status among the Avarosa tribe. And becoming my blood ally is undoubtedly the fastest way."

“All the tribes want me to choose one of them as my blood ally, especially the powerful tribes, who are more eager than the weaker ones. But…”

Ashe turned to look at the Frostbear Magic Bow on the wall of the room. Her voice was soft and slow, as if the immense pressure was about to crush her.

When facing Zuo Chi, she set aside the dignity and wariness she usually displayed when facing other tribal members, and instead opened her heart.

“No matter which tribe I recruit blood allies from, it means that it will cause great dissatisfaction among other tribes, and the alliance that I have worked so hard to maintain may be destroyed overnight.”

"Logically speaking, the War Mother can recruit many blood alliances, but the consequence of that would only be to bring endless conflicts under my command. Warriors from different tribes would only scheme against each other all day long in order to gain more benefits for their own tribes."

Listening to Aisha's story, Zuo Chi gained a clear understanding of the predicament Aisha is currently facing.

Ashe is now in a very precarious situation; one wrong step could wipe out everything she has worked so hard to maintain.

Ultimately, it comes down to a lack of centralized power, but it seems unrealistic to completely consolidate power in Ashe's hands.

Because these diverse tribes each have their own management methods, it is difficult to achieve a perfect balance.

Zuo Chi sighed softly, raised his hand and gently patted Aisha's shoulder, expressing his worries.

"Aish, are we just going to wait for the results of the tournament in a day? I feel that even if you choose the strongest fighter in the tournament as your blood alliance, those major tribes will still be dissatisfied, right?"

They'll think that since you can recruit members of that tribe as blood allies, you can naturally recruit blood allies from many other tribes, and those blood allies should be chosen from their own tribes.

Aisha didn't say anything in response to Zuo Chi's words, but simply bit her lower lip and nodded slightly.

Clearly, Ashe had also thought of these things.

"But I really have no other choice."

Aisha looked up at Zuo Chi, her icy blue eyes filled with helplessness.

"I don't want the Avarosan tribe to crumble, and I certainly don't want the small tribes I've sheltered to return to a life of hunger. Freljord deserves to be unified."

Aisha's voice grew softer and softer until it became a faint murmur.

Looking at Aisha in front of him, Zuo Chi seemed to understand why the goddess of ice and snow, Anivia, would bestow her unique blessing upon Aisha.

Compared to Sejuani's belief in the survival of the fittest and Lissandra's isolationist policies, Ashe now acts more like a benevolent leader.

However, due to her own lack of power, Ashe is clearly unable to become a dictator with absolute authority.

At this point, it seems there's only one way to perfectly resolve everything.

Just as Aisha stood in front of Zuo Chi, her icy blue eyes gazing intently into his, she suddenly realized that Zuo Chi was getting closer and closer to her.

The next instant, Ash felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, pulling her into an embrace.