Runeterra: I actually know a little bit about everything

After a moment of silence, just as Nasus was about to come to his master's aid, Azir's formal and affirmative voice rang out in the hall:

“I did not witness the deeds of you generals firsthand, but there is one thing I will never forget: your contributions to the Shurima Empire.”

“I am a descendant of the ancestor Setaka, while you generals are his predecessors from the same era. I was fortunate to receive their help in the past, and I still hold them in high esteem today.”

"Although it is just wishful thinking, if you generals are willing to return to the Shurima Empire, I will open the city gates to welcome you and treat you with the highest honors of Shurima!"

"Your Majesty!" Nasus exclaimed upon hearing Azir's words.

He wanted to stop Azir from continuing. He knew better than anyone the ruthlessness of the Darkin, so he absolutely could not allow them to get involved in the Shurima Empire.

With the Darkin involved, Shurima, already on the verge of collapse, will likely crumble even faster.

However, despite Nasus's attempts to stop him, Azir chose to continue speaking.

He looked directly into Zuo Chi's eyes and said with unwavering determination:

“I know that you generals have become bloodthirsty demons, but one thing is undeniable: no matter what you generals are like, you have never once wanted to harm the Shurima Empire.”

"For this reason alone, no one can erase the outstanding contributions they made to Shurima!"

As Azir finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent. Zuo Chi continued to stare into Azir's golden eyes beneath his eagle armor.

Azir was also a little nervous because he couldn't tell what Zuo Chi was thinking, and he didn't know whether Zuo Chi wanted him to get closer to the Darkborn or distance himself from them. His words just now were all from the bottom of his heart.

After a long while, Azir noticed that Zuo Chi suddenly had a very bright smile on his face.

Immediately afterwards, Azir heard Zuo Chi's voice:

"As an emperor, although I failed to discern Xerath's wolfish ambitions at the time, otherwise..."

"You're a good emperor!"

Zuo Chi extended his hand to Azir and then shook hands with him tightly.

"I will help you retrieve the Sun Emblem, as a token of my gratitude for obtaining the full power of ascension. How about it?"

"!!!"

This time, an intense, overwhelming joy appeared in the eyes of both Azir and Nasus.

Shaking hands with Zuo Chi, Azir said in utmost formality:

"Your Excellency Zuo Chi, thank you! Thank you!"

Zuo Chi smiled gently at the two of them: "Can you take me to see Taliya? My girlfriend and she are friends. I haven't seen her in a long time and I miss her."

"of course can."

Azir and Nasus exchanged a knowing smile with Zuo Chi.

Afterwards, Zuo Chi and Kai'Sa were led by Nasus to a certain part of the palace, which, according to Nasus, was the direction of the princess's bedroom.

After not seeing each other for a long time, Taliyah's eyes were filled with surprise and joy when she saw Zuo Chi and Kai'Sa.

"Zuo Chi, Kasha!"

Zuo Chi gently nudged Taliyah: "I promised to bring Kasha to visit you, and I've finally fulfilled my promise."

After sticking her tongue out at Zuo Chi, Taliyah happily took Kaisa's hand and introduced her to Sivir, who had been standing beside her the whole time.

"Kasha, this is Sivir, she is the princess of the Shurima Empire."

"Sivir, this is Kai'Sa, my good friend."

Upon learning Sivir's identity, a look of surprise flashed in Kai'Sa's eyes. She subconsciously glanced at Zuo Chi behind her, and only when she saw Zuo Chi's affirming gaze did she give Sivir a kind smile.

Zuo Chi and Nasus didn't interfere with the three girls' conversation anymore. Nasus looked at Zuo Chi with a serious expression:

"Zuo Chi, were you serious about what you just said? Are you really willing to help His Majesty?"

Zuo Chi shrugged: "It seems I wouldn't gain anything by deceiving Azir, would I?"

Upon hearing Zuo Chi's reply, Nasus excitedly grabbed Zuo Chi's arm: "Thank you, Zuo Chi, thank you!"

Zuo Chi was grabbed and shaken around by Nasus, and Zuo Chi struggled to break free somewhat helplessly:

“I haven’t finished yet. I’m a complete stranger to Narimar, so I need someone to come with me.”

“I understand,” Nasus nodded.

He looked at Zuo Chi with utmost seriousness: "I will travel with you."

Zuo Chi did not refuse, because he really needed someone to be with him, and Nasus, who was calm and knowledgeable, was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

"Left Pond, when do we set off?" Nasus asked.

Zuo Chi looked up at the sun high in the sky and said in a deep voice:

"Right now!"

Nasus nodded: "Okay!"

Finally, Nasus went to the Shurima palace to inform Azir of their itinerary, while Zuo Chi approached Kai'Sa and her two companions who were huddled together, seemingly talking about something.

However, as Zuo Chi got closer, he heard Taliya asking Kasha something.

"Kasha, are you and Zuo Chi dating?"

Kasha blushed and nodded: "I guess so."

What does "should be counted" mean?

Taliya tilted her head and asked, "Haven't you two officially become a couple yet?"

"Um"

Kasha thought for a moment, then lowered her head: "It seems not yet, he hasn't mentioned it to me."

"Then we need to hurry. Zuo Chi seems to be getting stronger and stronger. I heard from the aunties in the tribe that once someone becomes strong enough, it becomes difficult for them to have children."

"Taliyah, what nonsense are you talking about? We haven't even..." This time, Kai'Sa was so exasperated by Taliyah that she wanted to disappear into the ground.

"Cough cough!"

Just then, Zuo Chi's light cough interrupted the two girls' whispers.

Upon hearing Zuo Chi's voice, Kasha turned around quickly like a child who had done something wrong, and immediately put on a very serious expression.

Seeing her adorable appearance, Zuo Chi approached the three girls with a smile on his face.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the three girls, Zuo Chi extended his hand to Kasha:

"Miss Kasha, will you be my girlfriend?"

For a moment, Kai'Sa was stunned and stood there.

After a while, she finally looked at Zuo Chi's smiling eyes and the teasing gazes of Taliyah and Sivir beside her.

Kasha's face flushed red, and her arm trembled slightly as she placed her hand in Zuo Chi's, her voice barely audible:

"Um"

"Whoosh!" Taliyah shouted, then began clapping loudly.

Looking at Kasha in front of him, Zuo Chi couldn't help but smile and wink at her: "Isn't this time more formal?"

Kaisa nodded slightly, wanting to say something more to Zuo Chi, but she quickly noticed Nasus leaving in a hurry.

"Zuo Chi, are you leaving?"

Zuo Chi nodded slightly, his voice tinged with apology: "Because the situation is quite urgent, Nasus and I need to set off as soon as possible."

"Then you must be careful." Although Kasha did not know what Zuo Chi's trip meant, she was still a little worried about him.

Zuo Chi ruffled her long purple hair and instructed her, "Just stay with Taliyah and Sivir during this time, and try not to leave the Shurima palace. Nasus and I will be back as soon as we're done."

After chatting with the three girls for a while, Nasus, who had just left, returned to Zuochi.

"Zuo Chi, let's go."

Zuo Chi nodded, bid farewell to the three women again, and then quickly flew out of the imperial city with Nasus.

After flying out of the imperial city, Zuo Chi looked at Nasus beside him and asked the question that had been lingering in his mind:

"Nasus, are there any powerful figures around Xerath?"

In Zuo Chi's opinion, Azir, the former emperor of Shurima, is still all alone. How could Xerath, a traitor, have more men than Azir?

If Xerath were all alone, everything would be much easier.

But Nasus shook his head when he heard Zuo Chi's words, and his tone became somber:

"Compared to the current Shurima Empire, the regime established by Nasus is much more powerful! He has attracted a huge number of refugees and has many followers, including many mutants who have been modified by his evil energy."

"This"

Zuo Chi clicked his tongue in amazement: "So Xerath knows how to be an emperor even better than Azir?"

Nasus sighed softly: "Left Pool, to be honest, Azir was once known as the most wise monarch in Shurima's history after Queen Setaka, but behind this most wise monarch, he could never get rid of Xerath's shadow."

"It was thanks to Xerath's assistance that His Majesty Azir was able to achieve what he did. Although Xerath is morally corrupt and deserves to die, his talent and wisdom cannot be ignored."

"Now that he has returned, Xerath has seized upon the weaknesses of the Shurima remnants. He knows that these remnants desperately need a stable home, so he has gathered a large number of followers by leveraging his former status as a slave. Moreover, he has also widely publicized the slave system of the Shurima Empire, which makes the already small number of remnants even more afraid to return to the Shurima Empire."

Upon hearing Nasus's words, Zuo Chi fell silent for a moment.

Zuo Chi had to admit that Xerath was truly a talented individual.