Ornn, the Chosen One, a treasure from ancient times!

Chapter 128 The Significance of Xirui

"It's an honor to meet you, Vastaya Sherry."

"Heh, don't give me that, Ai Weng."

Hearing Ion's somewhat teasing address, Herren was now certain that Ion knew he wasn't Vastaya Shari.

"How did you figure that out?"

"If I were Ionian, perhaps I wouldn't be able to tell, but don't forget, I'm a Freljordian, and from thousands of years ago when demigods were active."

Irwin spoke slowly, giving the impression of a gentle, conversational delivery.

"You can't hide the Freljord aura about you no matter what you do—"

"Ha, no wonder—but why were you willing to lie for me?"

"Lying? No, I am not lying—you are the Vastaya Shrine of this world."

"Forehead?"

This inconsistency made Herren ponder for a while before realizing that the key lay in the word "contemporary".

"What is a Vastaya Shrine? In their language, the name means 'Siri,' encompassing multiple meanings such as life, destiny, and nature—once, I also thought these people were merely demigods, a species neither human nor beast, but after that incident, I was exiled to the spiritual world—there, I finally understood the true meaning of it all."

Herren sat down and listened quietly, while Ion stretched out his hand, and a small flower grew from his wooden palm.

"Life, and protection—humans also call them the Awakeners, and I've seen many Awakeners." They, too, lack the characteristics of being half-human and half-beast, but does that mean they aren't Vastaya Shari? No, they are—like the Shiri, they possess powerful magic, yet they steadfastly protect this nascent land.

"So you think—since I've gained the favor of nature magic and am willing to fight for the nascent land, I should rightfully be given the name Vastaya Shari?"

"Yes, that's how I see it—the Vastaya Xari is a name given by later generations; it doesn't represent a particular race, but rather a responsibility—but I'm curious, you're a Freljord person, why would you be favored by nature magic?"

"Well—perhaps it has something to do with willows?"

"Imperial Willow?"

Harren's transcendence was unlocked when the Radiant Virtue was forged, and its origin also comes from the Radiant Virtue.

The Radiant Virtue is centered on a fragment of the Emperor Willow—which seems to explain why the power Heron gained is so similar to that of Vastaya Shari.

After all, we are of the same origin.

Upon hearing about the story of Shining Virtue, Ivan sighed with emotion, even finding it hard to believe.

"I'm certain that Emperor Liu is dead—I wept bitterly and tried everything to make amends during my atonement, but to no avail—how did you manage to bring a fragment back to life?"

"Well—I'm not sure either, maybe that's just what makes me special."

After discussing the Vastaya Shrine, the two reached a consensus: Ivern would endorse Harren's reputation as a Shrine, provided that Harren could fulfill the duties of a Vastaya Shrine.

Heron also stated his purpose: to protect Ionia's natural magic from harm. Regardless of personal motives, he would fight for the land of birth.

At this point in the conversation, Herren also extended an invitation to Iver, hoping that he could provide assistance.

I learned from Aion that there were no other powerful beings in this Omicayran except for the Vastayavash tribe and Aion himself.

The Vastayawash are not weak fighters, but in this case, they can be ignored—they are simply pure-blooded but more primitive Vastaya.

In other words, Ivern single-handedly deterred hordes of Noxians from invading.

This kind of combat power is exactly what Herren needs.

With Ivern around, he is confident in protecting Omicaiaran, but Heron will not limit himself to that.

Once the Battle of Presidium takes a turn for the better, Heron intends to expand his influence and protect more sacred sites in the hearts of the Ionians.

However, Ivern explicitly refused, which puzzled Herren.

"I am no longer the conqueror I once was, Harren—now, all my power is for protection. I will not go out like you and actively fight the Noxians—when they try to invade Omicaiaran, I will protect this place, nothing more."

Why?

Herren pressed for an answer.

"Aren't you supposed to be a guardian? All you care about is this tiny patch of land, Omikaiaran?"

"Aren't you going to do it?"

Herren was shocked by this statement, which sounded like an attempt to shift blame.

Not a buddy?

"That's why I'm not Vastaya Shari, but you can be."

"—You're unwilling to protect more lives? This isn't killing, Ivern—they're destroying, and this is a kind of protection for you."

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't—"

Irwin sighed and started talking about something that seemed unrelated.

Are you familiar with the Balance Cult?

"Ah, of course I know—those old fogies?"

What do you think of them?

"How else can you look at them? They have power, yet they do nothing when the people who trusted them suffer—a bunch of idiots."

"Hahaha----"

Ivern seemed to have not heard Freljord's refined words for a long time, and was immediately amused.

But after laughing, he defended the Balance Church.

"However, they also have their reasons—the power of the Balance Cult comes from balance." If they participate in the war, it would be equivalent to breaking the balance, and they would lose that power—so even in this situation, they are only determined to maintain the balance. As for me, my power comes from protecting nature and the true meaning of life—I cannot be obsessed with killing and using violence to combat violence.

"In other words—"

"That's right. When you reach a certain level, those so-called gods will actually be bound—no longer able to do whatever they want like ordinary people."

It sounded like a good reason, but Herren still made no attempt to hide his disdain.

"Is that so? Then strip me of my magic. I still have my own hammer; I can still smash heads."

Heron patted the Entropy Force beside him, and Ivern smiled gently upon hearing this.

"That's why you can be a Vastaya Shari, and I can't—"

At this point, Herren realized that he and Ivern didn't see eye to eye on this matter, so he stopped dwelling on it.

Since Ivern doesn't want to use his power in battle, Harren has no choice but to rely on himself.

"Well then, I have a question—I can feel the intimacy of nature magic towards me, but I can't control it. In other words, I can't use that divine power at all; I can only put on a show. You're very knowledgeable; do you know why? Or, could you teach me magic?"