Void Beetle Evolution Guide

“It would be an honor, Miss,” the man from the city gate tower said to her. “Ms. Augsha would be very pleased to know of your arrival. May I assign a squad of soldiers to escort you to the manor?”

“Thank you, but no need. Do you think I can’t remember the way home?” Lux smiled, and the soldier laughed along with her.

Her eyes darted around, and she noticed that the city was much quieter than usual. "Has Mithril City also been invaded by mages?"

"No, it's just that everyone is exhausted by this search warrant. If you had come earlier, you would have seen the demon hunters setting up checkpoints at the city gates, and we were asked to cooperate with them to check pedestrians entering and leaving using gray stamps."

The soldier's reply made Lux's heart tighten. Luckily, she arrived too late; the demon hunters had already left. Otherwise, if the same thing had happened again in front of everyone, she would have been in deep trouble.

Lux forced herself to remain calm and asked again, "Did you find anything?" Now that she was back on her own turf, she finally stood her ground and spoke with a strong voice.

“Yes. They caught several mages hiding as civilians, but…” The soldier hesitated for a moment, and Lux ​​told him to finish.

"But what?"

“We all know those civilians, they’re all familiar faces. They’ve been honest people all their lives, we never expected they would be mages. Sigh, before, even if we were in the Black Prison, we could still see them in the slums of the Demon Abandoned, but now that something like this has happened, their fate is uncertain.”

Lux nodded, looking thoughtful, and lightly tapped her heel to urge her mount to continue riding forward.

"You've improved somewhat; this time you didn't make any unrealistic promises on a whim," Wild Hunt's voice followed.

Lux longed to make a promise, but that was beyond her plans for this trip. Doing her own thing and letting the tide of rebellion rise sooner was already the greatest help she could offer to these innocent mages imprisoned.

After stopping dwelling on this, Lux suddenly noticed that she would receive praise from the Wild Hunt every time she did something well, even if it was just a small detail.

Thanks to him, the changes she has undergone in the past few days have been far greater than during the time she spent with Morgana.

Chapter 649 Preparations

Lux didn't head straight home. Instead, she bypassed the usually bustling main road and deliberately chose the relatively quiet War Monument Road. After the curfew was in effect, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.

At the fork in the road to the War Monument stood the colossal Galio, as large as a mountain. Lux could already see his crowned figure in the distance even before she entered the city.

This colossal sculpture has a long history and was regarded as a symbol of war by the military. During the Rune Wars, the colossus would accompany soldiers out of the city to fight. Carved from anti-magic stone, the colossus possesses the ability to absorb magic, thus protecting soldiers from attacks by archmages. After absorbing enough magic, it even awoke a few times.

It's a beautiful legend, but Lux knows it's true.

Lux approached the colossus cautiously, not out of fear, but out of concern that she might prematurely activate him without doing anything unnecessary.

Lux's magic is enough to get Galio moving for a while. Once the colossus moves, the whole city will focus on them.

Lux looked up, and the ancient giant, ever vigilant and imposing, surveyed everything. His gaze seemed to pierce through her flesh and examine her very soul.

“I need your help, Galio. Demacia needs you.” She gazed intently at the colossus for a long time before speaking.

A rough, hoarse noise came from the top of the colossus, sounding like someone dragging a heavy clay pot across a cobblestone path, harsh and grating. But Lux stared straight into the colossus's eyes until she saw its eyeballs move.

The enormous stone sphere spun, making a grinding sound, and looked down at Lux, who stood in the grass below. Lux laughed; she could feel the colossus observing her with amusement.

"That counts as having met before. Wait for me, I'll come back to find you soon."

Having left the Colossus and passed through the alabaster arches of the family manor, Lux finally returned home.

Servants had already seen her run off to inform others, and before Lux even entered the hall, she saw her mother, Augsha, standing at the door, welcoming her with a mixture of worry and delight.

“Mount Targon, where have you been all these days? We thought you were missing, and we cried day and night.” Augsha looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes. Lux saw her tear tracks and noticed that there seemed to be more gray hairs at her temples, and her nose suddenly stung with tears.

"Mother, I'm fine, I'm alright... I came back to let you know I'm safe and sound." Although Lux was exhausted after a long day, she still mustered her spirits to comfort her mother.

Lux had too many emotions to vent, and she and her mother talked until very late before going to rest. Exhausted, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, in a familiar and comfortable feeling.

The next morning, Lux was in a daze as soon as she woke up until her mother told her to go downstairs for breakfast.

Although she had no appetite, she still made herself a breakfast of bread and butter. One bite filled her mouth with the taste of anxiety, but she forced herself to finish it so as not to worry her mother.

Lux knew she should contact Sona, but the thought of having to separate from her mother again so soon after their reunion, and making them worry about her, made her heart ache.

In the end, Lux spent an entire day drafting a heartfelt letter home in the voice of a disobedient daughter, to explain her behavior and to reassure her mother that she was safe.

How could I not be worried? What she's doing is challenging the very foundation of this country's system. It would be even more worrying if word got out, but I can't care about that anymore.

Lux left the family manor under the pretext of visiting a friend, and if nothing unexpected happens, Augsha will find the envelope she left on the desk in her room some time after she disappears.

Lux was overwhelmed with mixed feelings just thinking about that scene. No wonder Wild Hunt said she wasn't suited for this kind of thing; if you can't be ruthless, you're destined to be torn by your emotions.

Lux's solution to problems is to put everything else aside and focus on the task at hand. She went to the stables and found her spark.

Starfire is a pony she raised from around ten years old; now it's a full-grown steed. When Lux went to report to Xiongdu, she had to leave it at her hometown, which made her quite sad the whole way.

Fortunately, Starfire still remembered her owner. Seeing Lux enter the stable, Starfire immediately came over, lowered her head, nudged Lux ​​with her nose, and made a happy purr.

"Honey, did you miss me? You must be so bored. I'll take you out for a ride." Lux stroked the horse's pearly white neck and broad shoulders, quickly saddled it, and then rode through the alabaster archway toward Bouvier's mansion.

On her way, she encountered some demon hunters in blue and white uniforms, but Lux walked by openly without arousing suspicion. Upon arriving at the manor, she met Lady Lestara, the widow of the former Grand Marshal.

The couple were both very kind people. It's no exaggeration to say that most of the people in Xiongdu had benefited from their kindness. So much so that when Marshal Barrett held his funeral, the taverns in Xiongdu were packed for seven days straight, and thousands of tents were pitched outside the city, all for people who came to pay their respects.

Like Lux, Lady Lestara is a priestess of the Temple of Lightbringers and a member of the Illuminators. They neither worship gods nor offer sacrifices to spirits, but they still highly value the goodwill of helping the needy and poor.

She dedicated her life to charity, and it was out of this kindness that they adopted a group of war orphans from Ionia, Sona being one of them. Lady Lestara found adoptive families for the others, but Sona, who couldn't speak, was left behind. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the initial statement.)

Looking back now, they must have already discovered Sona's magical abilities, which is why they didn't hand her over to someone else for adoption. Even so, their willingness to help her hide it shows how kind-hearted they were.

Lux greatly admired the lady, but now felt ashamed and uneasy about the fact that she was about to abduct the lady's daughter.

She wondered if being more honest would make it easier for people to accept her. Since the other party had adopted Sona, they should know that the truth couldn't be hidden forever, and they should be able to understand her, a descendant who had been corrupted by demons.

Mrs. Lestara was quite surprised by Lux's appearance and warmly invited her into her home. News of Lux's disappearance had spread throughout the country, and almost everyone who saw her was surprised.

Then the lady spoke to Lux about Kasina, saying she would be very happy to know Lux was safe. Unfortunately, as a Radiant of the Illuminati, Lux was already bound to the army and couldn't receive the good news immediately.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lux casually brought up Sona, learning from the Lestaraf that Sona wasn't home at the moment, but was on tour.

Sona inherited the couple's kindness, and she planned to use her music to soothe the anxieties of those who had just lost their king and were now witnessing their country descend into internal strife.

Chapter 650 Mrs. Lestara

“There are demon hunters everywhere outside, how can we let Sona do such a dangerous thing!” Upon hearing Lady Lestara’s explanation, Lux knew that something terrible was about to happen.

What kind of music can soothe the soul? Only music imbued with magic. And not in a dedicated concert hall, but performing in the grassroots, it's sure to attract the demon hunters.

The lady pondered Lux's words, a look of surprise on her face: "Why do you think that's dangerous? Don't you also...?"

Lux gritted her teeth. She had been hesitating about whether to tell the lady the truth, but now she didn't have to pretend anymore.

“That’s right, I am also a mage.” She stretched out her palm and gathered a ball of light. The light illuminated the room, and her body radiated warmth, her skin shimmering with a familiar rainbow halo.

"Oh my god, put it away quickly!" Lady Lestara looked panicked. Lux could hear the anxious concern in her voice, and immediately clenched her fist to make the light orb dissipate.

After a long silence, Mrs. Lestara went to the window and looked around. Then she drew the curtains to make sure no one had noticed anything unusual in the room before sitting back down next to Lux.

"Child, when did you find out about this? Did Kashina tell you?" she asked gravely. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Lux couldn't very well say that Morgana told her, so she made up an excuse: "No, Kasina didn't tell me about Sona, nor did she know that I possess magic. I only found out that Sona and I are the same kind of people through the subtle connection between mages."

Unexpectedly, after listening, Lestara shook her head: "You've hidden it very well all this time, but you haven't been honest with me. If this feeling really exists, why wouldn't Sona tell me?"

Lux blushed, surprised that she'd been seen through so easily. "Actually, I was just guessing."

"Oh? Then when did we give ourselves away?"

“I saw you having a rather unpleasant conversation with your aunt and uncle at Marshal Bouvier’s funeral.” Lux knew it wasn’t polite to bring up someone’s sore spot, but it was the only explanation she could think of at the moment.

Lestara remained silent, gesturing for Lux to continue.

“At the funeral, you said you wanted to convert your residence in Xiongdu into a library and donate it to the people of Demacia in memory of your husband. However, my uncle, who is a magic hunter, questioned whether there was something bad in your collection of books that might mislead people into thinking that magic is… a kind of neutral power.”

“That’s right. Eldred believes that ambiguous descriptions of magic will poison people’s minds and wants to review my collection, otherwise he will not allow the library to be open.”

“I get a message from your attitude: the Bouvier family does not reject the existence of magic, but I did not expect it to be in Sona.”

"That was seven or eight years ago, you were only about ten years old then, right? I didn't expect you to remember it so clearly. It's quite frightening that a child could have such keen judgment. However, if this matter has led you to be so frank with me now, then it proves that I did the right thing back then." So much time had passed that Lestara couldn't recall whether Lux was present at the time, so she smiled and accepted the statement.

Moreover, Sona performs frequently, and anyone with a discerning eye can easily discover the special magic in her music, which can easily stir people's emotions, thus revealing that she is a sorceress.

"No, not at all." Lux lowered her head in shame. During this time, she had come to realize that she was completely devoid of intelligence. Without anyone giving her advice, she was just a complete naive and innocent fool. To put it nicely, she was innocent and naive; to put it bluntly, she was being taken advantage of and still helping the seller count the money.

"No, no," Lux realized she had been a bit too forward, as the topic should have been about Sona, and quickly steered the conversation back on track: "Why did you let Sona go out to perform when you knew it was so dangerous outside!"

"Sona can never refuse an empty seat on stage; she believes people need a peaceful state of mind to get through this special time."

"You can't just stand up like that in front of everyone."

Mrs. Lestra shook her head. “We treat every performance as if it were our last. I’ve got two people to cover for her, so even if the Demon Hunters find out, it’ll be enough to delay her until she escapes home.”

"Is it just going home?"

“There is a secret passage in this mansion leading out of the city. Sona and I lived in Ionia for a while and trained her to survive alone in the wild. You don’t need to worry too much about her safety. Since she has decided to take this path, she will carry on this career even if she leaves home.”

"A bard who can't speak? Interesting." The Wild Hunt's voice echoed in Lux's mind, and she thought the description was very apt.

"Will this really work?"

“I have never believed that girls should be kept in cages like canaries. Although I only have two daughters, I fully support whatever they want to do. When Kashina chose to carry on Bouvier’s legacy and took up the sword and shield, I did not object. When Sona chose to complete Bouvier’s unfinished business in her own way, I will not stop her.”

"You are truly great." Lux was moved, and her voice became slightly choked.

Since Sona already had this idea and was prepared to leave home, she should not be refused if she shares her plan and wants to take Sona away.

Finally, Lestara comforted her, saying, "Child, you are actually the one in the most danger. Ever since Eldred married Tiana Crownguard, the Witchers have gained too much power, and the death of Jarvan III and the hatred of Jarvan IV have made them even more powerful. Your Crownguard family has close ties with the Witchers, and I strongly support your escape from this no longer safe homeland. If you want to seek refuge anywhere, just tell me, and with my connections, I can definitely get you safely to your destination."

Lux remained silent for a long time before finally declining Lestara's offer. "Thank you, Mrs. Lestara, but I feel I can do more here."

She stood up, looking resolute. "If I take Sona to a place where no one can find her, I hope you won't blame me."

Lestara couldn't hide the surprise on her face, but she said very reasonably, "A place that no one can find means it's safe."

“I have found a way, and I will end all of this as soon as possible. Goodbye, Mrs. Lestara.”

After leaving those words, Lux rode Starfire away from Bouvier's mansion without looking back.

Chapter 651 Sona

Lux rode her horse to a tavern, where she had heard that Sona was performing.

The first thing that hit her was the smell of hay and wood. Lux looked around and saw the so-called "stage." It was originally a barn, but wooden planks had been raised to serve as the stage. There were no seats for the audience; they had to bring their own small stools.

Lux felt heartbroken seeing such a shabby environment.

As Bouvier's adopted daughter, Sona used to perform in grand theaters or on important occasions, with audiences consisting entirely of the wealthy and powerful. Now, she's performing outdoors, and her audience has become the local poor drinkers—the contrast is simply too stark.

The thought of her having to perform while on the run filled Lux ​​with worry. Putting aside Sona's safety, living like this every day would probably age her very quickly.

There weren't many spectators in front of the stage yet, so Lux went into the barn first.

Sona, dressed in blue with blue hair, was preparing for her performance. Her waist-length hair had a gradient from blue to cyan, a rare hair color in Demacia. Her ethereal silk gown revealed her delicate shoulders and neck, while the cinched waist and strapless bodice accentuated her slender curves. Paired with a heavy, ancient iron harp, the contrast between the two made her appear even more fragile, involuntarily evoking a protective instinct in the viewer.

"Sona!" Lux called out.

Sona turned around to see who was calling her. She saw Lux and instinctively made a few hand gestures. Then she realized that Lux couldn't understand her gestures, so she could only smile apologetically.

Actually, the two weren't very close; they just sometimes hung out together because she was a best friend's sister. Communicating with Sona required learning sign language, which was a very high barrier to entry. So, without Kasina as a translator, they were just acquaintances who would greet each other when they met.

It must be said that Runeterra does not yet have a systematic and universally accepted sign language. The sign language that Sona currently uses was invented by her adoptive parents and is only understood by her closest family members.

The inability to speak isn't really a problem; Runeterra is, after all, a magical world, and communicating through magic isn't impossible. But they happen to live in Demacia, a land where magic is forbidden, so they simply don't dare consider such a possibility.

"Quick, come with me, it's not safe here!" Lux came closer and tugged at Sona's wrist, but couldn't budge it.

Standing next to Sona, Lux looks like an underdeveloped potato, far removed from the image of a voluptuous blonde woman, and much weaker in strength.

This is due to her temperament. Don't let Sona's frail appearance fool you; her physical development is far ahead of her older sister Lux.

Sona looked at her, puzzled, as if questioning why she was ruining her performance.

“The demon hunters could come at any time. If they discover the secret in your music, we're doomed.”

Sona responded with gestures, but Lux couldn't understand them at all. Fortunately, Sona wasn't playing solo, and Lux ​​eventually understood her thanks to her lead singer friend's translation.

“She said that there were also demon hunters among her previous listeners, but nothing unexpected had happened before,” said lead singer Etra.

“Things are different now. His Highness suspects that Silas’s rebellion went so smoothly because of collusion with powerful figures. Now, everyone, whether commoner or noble, has to be checked. Before, no one was allowed to bring the anti-magic gray mark into the concert hall, but anyone can come here. The magic hunters will know there’s a problem as soon as they pass by.”

Sona simply shook her head calmly after hearing this, as if she had expected it. In any case, she was determined to finish the performance.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her in a short time, Lux had no choice but to compromise and said, "Then I'll go outside and keep watch for you. If the Demon Hunters really come, you can come with me."

Back with Starfire, Lux was filled with trepidation. Sona was a fairly well-known pianist, and this rare charity performance naturally attracted a large audience.

If the magic seekers are mixed in with them, how can she cover for Sona? If it's common knowledge that she uses magic, won't the whole city know she's a mage? This is really a headache.

Lux quickly calmed down as she saw Sona carrying her harp onto the stage—the performance had begun.

There was no audience as night fell, but when Sona plucked the first string, a few people immediately gathered around. They brought their usual evening entertainment with them to the stage: wine in a jug and cheese wrapped in cloth.

Admittedly, smacking one's lips while listening to classical music is very impolite, but Sona doesn't care about such etiquette, and she is confident that she can get these low-class listeners into the music in a second and make them put down what they are doing to listen attentively.

Sona placed Aihua in the center of the stage, her gold ornaments gleaming. To her right, a man named Kael began to beat the tavern's sheepskin drum. Moments later, Etra's voice joined in, high-pitched, clear, and silky smooth like flowing water. "You're singing about plum blossoms, your forest is empty, your forest is here, is it not here…"