Noxus Glory

Chapter 8 Noxus Capital

Late at night in the dead of winter.

The biting wind danced in the night sky, swirling snowflakes and howling like a mournful cry.

The dim starlight falling from the sky seeped through the snow-white curtain, casting a hazy veil over the sprawling Iron Thorn Mountains.

Nestled in a low, flat mountain valley, inside a damp cave entrance covered in ice and snow.

The Noxian scouts, who had been traveling for half a day, were resting in a cave. They had not removed their armor and were either leaning against the wall or sitting cross-legged.

Huo Jixing exhaled a breath of frost, half-squatted down, took out a fire box from his waist, rubbed the two iron pieces together, and tiny sparks flew out, but were extinguished by the cold wind in an instant.

He remained unmoved, repeating the motion, rubbing the iron block again and again.

However, Huo Jixing was more silent than usual, his mind filled with the scene of dismembering a wild boar in the snow not long ago.

Although his predecessor endowed him with the skills of wilderness survival, which included some similar bloody scenes, the images in his memory and reality are ultimately two completely different concepts.

He forced himself to endure the discomfort and suppress his physical reactions.

puff!

A flash of light appeared, tiny sparks ignited the rags, and a wave of heat slowly emerged.

Huo Jixing came to his senses, fiddled with the scraps of cloth, and slowly lit the pile of dry and wet branches. The warm firelight began to illuminate the dim and damp cave.

The Noxian scouts scattered around gradually sat down around the campfire, warming their cold bodies.

Huo Jixing sat in the corner, rubbing his hands together to dispel the chill in his body with the help of the flames.

Since joining Freljord, as a newcomer, even with DeWitt's help, he has been unable to quickly integrate into the team.

Therefore, he adheres to the principle of speaking less and doing more.

Through these efforts, he gained some goodwill, to some extent.

"Let's go clean the wild boar meat."

Not long after I sat down, before my body had even warmed up, DeWitt came over, carrying a piece of cut-up wild boar meat.

After hunting snow boars, skinning and deboning them yields a large amount of wild boar meat, freeing them from having to chew on tough, unpalatable dry rations.

Huo Jixing got up and walked outside the cave with DeWitt, washing the wild boar meat with the accumulated snow and ice.

Facing the cold wind, Huo Jixing wiped the pork in his hands, thinking to himself about the deer carcass in the cedar forest earlier.

This is so Freljord!

In this harsh and cruel land, the cycle of life and death may seem different, but the harsh environment ensures that there is almost no waste.

After the snow boars finished off the elk, they eventually fell into their hands and became food.

Every drink and every bite is part of the cycle of reincarnation.

After cleaning the wild boar meat, Huo Jixing and DeWitt quickly returned to the cave entrance; it was too cold outside, and it was warmer inside the cave.

Gurgle! Gurgle! Gurgle!

Boiling water bubbled in the iron pot hanging over the campfire, with some icy stains remaining on the rim.

Upon seeing the water boil, Mur, who was in charge of cooking, quickly used a short knife to cut open and clean the wild boar meat, put it into an iron pot, sprinkled it with salt, and covered it with an iron lid.

Fifteen minutes later, dinner was ready.

Large serving of bone broth!

Huo Jixing took a light sniff of the air, and his hungry body emitted a low growl.

The cave wasn't filled with an overwhelmingly pleasant aroma of meat, but in the current frigid weather, a bowl of hot soup and a bite of meat were quite a treat.

Eric got up and bent down, first filling himself a large bowl, then drinking the broth and chewing on chunks of meat, ignoring the scalding heat.

"It tastes good!"

Then, the Noxian scouts gathered around the campfire began to eagerly ladle out their bone broth and devour it.

After everyone had eaten, Moore, sitting next to DeWitt, began to process the remaining wild boar meat, which would become the Noxian scouts' food for the foreseeable future.

Of course, the amount of wild boar meat obtained from hunting is definitely more than this.

However, considering the tasks ahead, the scouts couldn't afford to add unnecessary burdens by carrying everything on their backs.

They packed the cut and processed wild boar meat with ice and buried it deep in the cave.

Huo Jixing didn't rush to do it this time. He and DeWitt needed to rest early because it was their turn to keep watch during the coldest part of the night.

Night deepened, and the sky grew dark.

The brilliant stars that remain in the night sky may also choose to hide in the clouds out of fear of the cold.

Between the vast expanse of heaven and earth, only flakes of pure white snowflakes danced wildly, desperately pounding against the mountainside.

"star!"

The voice calling in his ear woke Huo Jixing from his deep sleep.

Turning my head, I saw that DeWitt had already gotten up and was tidying up the solid and exquisite composite armor.

"It's our turn to keep watch."

DeWitt turned to look at him, his coffee-colored eyes bloodshot and weary.

"Sorry, I overslept!" Huo Jixing said apologetically, stretching out his hands and vigorously rubbing his slightly stiff face, which made him more awake.

Taking advantage of the remaining free time, Huo Jixing had an idea and opened the data panel.

Name: Huo Jixing

[Essence: 0]

【Strength: 1.24】

[Physical Fitness: 1.20]

[Agility: 1.24]

【Spirit: 2.15】

[Skill: Intermediate Warrior, Wilderness Survival]

[Talent: None]

Compared to when he left the Noxian camp, his attributes were almost unchanged, which is why Hoji Star didn't have time to train.

Aside from regular rest, the entire day was spent traveling.

"I hope the mission ends soon," Huo Jixing muttered.

He then closed the data panel, got up to tidy up his messy armor, and put his gray-white cloak back on.

The cave was dimly lit and filled with loose stones, making it a bit uncomfortable to walk on.

Using the dim yellow light filtering in from ahead, Huo Jixing and DeWitt walked slowly forward.

The air was filled with an unpleasant odor, a mixture of sweat and animal fur, and occasionally, the sound of snoring echoed inside and outside the cave.

This cave was one of the resting places prepared by Corporal Eric.

The cave was a bit damp inside, but it was well-hidden and could protect the area from wind and snow, making it a decent place.

A campfire burns in front of the cave entrance.

The fireworks, which should have been bright, appeared somewhat dim in the biting cold wind.

Hearing footsteps behind them, the two Noxian scouts, who were huddled in a corner, looked back into the depths of the cave and saw Hoji Star and DeWitt.

They eagerly got up, nodded to each other, wrapped their cloaks tighter, and quickly returned to the cave to escape the biting cold of the frozen north.

Seeing this, Huo Jixing shook his head helplessly and chose to sit down against the wall near the campfire, where some warmth still lingered.

De Witt also chose a similar position.

Their field of vision encompasses each other while also allowing them to observe the environment outside the cave entrance.

Crackling sounds!

Huo Jixing wrapped his fur cloak tighter around himself and poked at the warm campfire in front of him.

Dim light flickered, and a few sparks leaped out, streaking across the dark gray walls and swaying, revealing the sleeping figures of the Noxian scouts inside the cave.

"Give!"

DeWitt spoke in a low voice, handing over a piece of roasted wild boar jerky, its surface somewhat hardened and surrounded by traces of frost.

Somewhat hungry, Huo Jixing's eyes lit up. He reached out and took it, ignoring the fishy smell, and stuffed it directly into his mouth, gently grinding and chewing it with his teeth.

"How is it?" DeWitt asked.

Huo Jixing looked surprised and glanced at DeWitt, but still answered truthfully, "It tastes pretty good."

"I wasn't talking about dried wild boar." DeWitt raised an eyebrow, grinned, and then said nothing more.

Huo Jixing chewed on the dried wild boar meat in his mouth, vaguely understanding that DeWitt was referring to the previous hunt. It seemed that his attempt to cover it up had been somewhat in vain.

He lowered his gaze and looked at his chest. After resting for most of the night, coupled with the healing effect of the green gemstone necklace, his body was no longer in any serious condition.

Seemingly unable to withstand the cold wind, DeWitt curled up and gazed at the hazy starry sky outside the cave entrance.

"This is just the appetizer; the snows of Freljord have buried far too many corpses."

Huo Jixing swallowed the dried wild boar meat in his mouth. The real death he had faced during the day added a touch of worry to his scout mission.

But he had no other choice.

run away?

Huo Jixing did indeed have such thoughts after leaving the Noxian camp.

But the icy environment of Freljord, and the bloody war between Noxus and Winter's Claw, completely extinguished his thoughts.

Even with the wilderness survival skills inherited from his predecessor, he didn't believe he could escape Freljord unscathed.

"Is there anything else?" Huo Jixing licked the corner of his mouth, seemingly still not satisfied.

Although the Noxian camp also provided food, it was never as carefree as it is now, where people could eat meat to their heart's content.

"Don't eat it all, leave some for later, the night is long." DeWitt shook his head slightly, a smile hidden in his deep-set eyes, and tossed over another serving of wild boar jerky.

"Thank you!" Huo Jixing took it, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

"Food." DeWitt murmured with a hint of nostalgia, "In the slums of Noxus's capital, food is the most important resource!"

"The capital of Noxus, the immortal fortress?"

Huo Jixing's expression shifted as he recalled the somewhat familiar term and looked at DeWitt.

"It's an immortal fortress, but the capital of Noxus is more than just an immortal fortress," DeWitt murmured, gazing up at the starry night sky.

"How so? The Immortal Fortress is the heart of Noxus's capital, but with long-term expansion, the capital has long since covered the plains."

"I saw it from afar, and I still remember it vividly."

The immeasurably high, dark gray exterior walls, and the countless imperial flags hanging from the towers, are etched deep in my memory; nothing embodies Noxus's power better than that.

"It's a bit of a shame that I've never been inside since I was born."

"Why don't you go in and take a look?" Huo Jixing asked, puzzled.

"Go in?" DeWitt looked at Huo Jixing strangely, as if he were looking at a 'monster', but when he thought of Huo Jixing's status as a wanderer, he shook his head slightly.

"I was born in the slums of the capital, a place of utter darkness where there was not a glimmer of light. Only by joining the Imperial Chapter could I have any hope of leaving there with my family."

DeWitt's tone was somewhat somber, then he chuckled softly: "Perhaps after this war, we might be admitted to the Immortal Fortress because of our military achievements."

The firelight flickered, and Huo Jixing looked at the smiling young scout in front of him and fell silent. He suddenly understood why DeWitt was looking at him with such a strange gaze.

Not only because of his status as a vagrant, but also because of his 'ignorance'.

What do slums represent?

It is hunger and poverty, disease and plague, and even death!

The fact that DeWitt was able to emerge from the slums and survive in this frozen wasteland speaks volumes about his hard work and extraordinary abilities.

Huo Jixing swallowed the dried wild boar meat in his mouth, subtly changing the subject, and continued chatting with DeWitt to pass the long, cold winter night.

(End of this chapter)