After spending a few days beside Ornn's forge, they finally waited until Ashe and Tryndamere returned.
"You visited Ornn while we were away?"
Ashe was very surprised. She had only been gone for a short while, and they had already gone and visited him? And from the sound of it, things had even gone rather smoothly. After all, no one in the group was missing, and no one had lost an arm or a leg. That was already the best possible outcome.
To Ashe, more of her strength should be focused on building her ideal nation. But the still-inexperienced her did not yet know that the gods of the old ways were already stirring, and even more terrifying, the Void lurking behind everything could arrive at any moment. Caleb still had not told these two Warmothers how serious the situation was, because he knew humanity had lived in stability for too long. Ever since the rule of the three sisters, the influence of the demigods had also continued to weaken.
Aside from Tryndamere's original tribe and the Ursine, there were already very few tribes that worshiped the ancient demigods on a large scale. Mortals shaping their own fate had become the new belief. But if they did not use the power of the demigods against the Void this time, then Caleb was almost certain that humanity could not win this war. Even ancient Shurima had only sealed the Void rift summoned by Icathia by throwing the lives of the Ascended into it.
This was an extremely terrifying matter. It meant that as soon as the ice and snow over there melted, the Void forces that had been filled with hatred for ages would swiftly corrode the entire Freljord. Since this concerned the survival of the entire Freljord, Caleb also believed Ornn and Volibear would not stand aside and watch. As for Anivia, who invented True Ice, since she had always intended to help humanity, she would naturally help the tribes of the Freljord, both large and small.
It could be said that there was no real issue with the big three heavy hitters on this side. The problem was that the Freljord had far more demigods than just them. If he could gain the support of all the demigods, that would naturally be best. But very often, things did not go as people wished.
Caleb also knew that, for example, the god worshiped by Tryndamere, that great tusked beast king with endless fury, would probably meet him in a scene like this: Caleb would barely get two sentences out before the other party rammed him straight into the sky and turned him into the brightest star.
That was terrible. It was exactly what Caleb was trying his hardest to avoid. So it would be better to simply not bring him along. Perhaps when his beastly instincts sensed the Void's invasion, he would come help a little.
As for the Seal Sister, who had once helped Ornn by drawing seawater in to cool his forge, Ornn said he would go ask her for help. It was said that the water the Seal Sister once brought in had caused the entire sea level to drop by several centimeters. But looking at Ornn and Volibear, whose bodies were only seven or eight meters tall...
Well, although they were still magnificent, compared to the Mecha suits Caleb wanted to build, as well as the blueprints he envisioned afterward, they still did not look quite enough. But Caleb had no doubt that they could make their bodies enormous. Maintaining their current forms was probably one of the most "condensed" states of their muscles and rune energy. Once war began, when they shifted into a state meant for maximum destructive power, they would likely become even taller and stronger.
"But because fewer and fewer followers have worshiped the demigods over the years, the demigods' strength has clearly declined."
According to Caleb's understanding of "conservation of energy," that power should have been distributed to the increasingly flourishing human race. But if it had been shared among the people, then Ashe's and Sejuani's tribes should have grown compared with the time of the three sisters, yet they had actually shrunk.
So where exactly had the vanished energy gone?
Caleb's doubts kept rising, but for the moment, no one could give him an accurate answer.
"Let's go. We'll head to the coast first, then circle around the mountains and go to the Frostguard Citadel."
Caleb put away the map. This route was the result of discussion between him and the two Warmothers. Caleb now had two keepsakes in his hands, and he could also summon Volibear with a falling bolt of lightning. The demigods would arrive very quickly, but the premise was that Caleb had to survive long enough.
So the route Caleb chose would not let them fall into an ambush on a mountain. After all, they had to guard against the priests' ability to foresee the future. If the Frostguard came riding warhorses down from the mountain by then, even if Caleb used his trump cards, they would probably still be scattered. At that point, how many of them survived would be entirely up to fate.
At least on flat ground, they still had the option to run toward the mountains.
Honestly, Caleb's mind could now be called a tangled mess. Even with three sharp trump cards in hand, he still did not feel confident enough. Caleb did not know why he felt so lacking in confidence, but being a little cautious was always a good thing. This was a true war, after all.
Unlike Piltover, which had compromising nobles and the capital in their hands, once this war began, it would become a fight to the death. And the Void creatures sealed inside the True Ice would not hold back at all. There were no conditions to discuss either.
They were coming to descend into the world. If you tried to negotiate and said, "Sorry, this is a bad time. We've already delayed you for a few thousand years, so please come back next time," Caleb could figure out with his toes that such a thing was completely impossible.
As they continued north, Caleb could clearly feel the temperature falling, but everyone around him looked completely unaffected.
"I mean... forget them. At least they grew up here."
Caleb leaned close to Kai'Sa's ear and asked in a low voice, "How come you and Yuumi don't seem affected either?"
Caleb's constitution could completely withstand this kind of severe cold, but he was not used to it. That cold sensation kept lingering around him, making him feel very uncomfortable.
"The Void is much more bone-chilling than the cold here."
"As for me, I've been to lots of places! So I won't catch a cold from this little bit!"
Caleb suddenly understood. As a long-lived yordle, Yuumi had always had plenty of time to adapt to all sorts of environments. Besides, yordles were ultimately lifeforms born from the spirit realm. The so-called temperature of the material realm, and even storms, were not particularly frightening things to yordles.
"So after half a day, I'm the only one who feels miserable."
Caleb silently placed his hand on the hilt of Youmuu's Wraithblade. Ever since Ornn had strengthened it, Caleb could always feel warmth from this sword that should have been cold. It was a very strange feeling from Caleb's perspective.
Originally, the "wind" he had hidden inside the blade when using his skill had gradually allowed this blade to awaken its own mind. But now, Caleb could feel that the sword in his hand was no longer quite as obedient to his will. It was like a child he had raised had suddenly grown up by a few years. The process of taming this blade would probably have to be extended again.
To Caleb, this state was actually more suitable for him. It would let him further temper his swordsmanship. Caleb had learned one or two moves of Ionia's wind sword technique. Yet with just those two moves, Caleb had already developed many variations. For example, he had been trying to store the wind accumulated with each slash into the sheath.
The more skilled he became with airflow, the greater the maximum current he could draw out with his blade, and the more precise the wind he unleashed would become.
"Over there!"
They had finally reached the seaside safely, without encountering any Frostguard along the way. But then they heard a scream.
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