With Zach now among them, the villagers walked with far more confidence.
After all, they had seen it with their own eyes.
Zach had killed that old mage with a single punch.
Having someone as strong as Zach traveling with them was a tremendous blessing, both for them and for the village.
Zach was also more than happy to walk with these villagers.
He had only just crossed over into this world, and everything here was still far too unfamiliar to him.
This was a perfect chance to learn some necessary information from the villagers.
“It’s not like we don’t want to leave Icathia.
This place stopped being somewhere ordinary people could live a long time ago.”
“But where could we even go?
We are doomed to spend generation after generation living on this land corrupted by the Void.”
Hearing their words, Zach could not help falling silent.
Just as the man said, Icathia sat in the far southeastern corner of the Shuriman continent, and even of all Runeterra.
To the south was the boundless Guardian’s Sea.
To the north lay Shurima’s endless desert.
For ordinary people to leave this place and find somewhere suitable to live was far too difficult.
Thinking of that, Zach asked tentatively, “Have you ever thought about living in Shurima?”
“Shurima?” The leading man paused slightly.
Then he shook his head.
“Shurima has been silent for thousands of years.
Bandits run rampant there.
It’s no different from Icathia, and just as unfit for people to live in.”
Zach said cautiously, “I heard a rumor that the last emperor, Azir, has returned from the dead.
Shurima might have a chance to rebuild its former glory.”
“Yes, that does sound like a rumor.”
The man nodded with certainty.
“Not reliable at all!”
Zach said nothing.
Zach did not bring up the subject again, because he knew they would not believe him.
Following their guidance, the group gradually approached a village.
Many areas around the village had spiked fences, and there was a watchpost set up every short distance.
Seeing this, Zach gained a deeper understanding of just how difficult life was for Icathian commoners.
In a peaceful and prosperous land, why would ordinary people need to arm themselves like this?
At least Demacia and Ionia would not be like this!
“Captain Xize!”
At that moment, a shout from one of the watchposts drew everyone’s attention.
The burly man beside Zach waved in that direction.
“It’s us!”
After greeting his companions on the wall, the man looked at Zach again.
“Benefactor, come into the village with us.”
Zach nodded.
“Sorry to trouble you.”
The fence was pushed open, and Zach’s group entered the village under the welcoming gazes of the elderly and children.
At that moment, a hunched old man came before Zach and the others.
As he spoke, the old man’s gaze also turned toward Zach.
“Mighty warrior, I am the village chief.
Thank you for saving my people.”
Zach shook his head.
“It’s all right.
I should be thanking you for taking me in.”
After that, Zach did not disturb Xize and the village chief while they continued their report.
A short while later, the old man walked over to Zach.
“Warrior, Xize has not returned for quite some time and needs to go home to see his wife and children.
I will take you to your lodging.”
“Thank you, chief.”
“Heh.”
The old village chief smiled kindly and led Zach toward the center of the village.
Soon, Zach was brought to a rather simple but very clean room.
After settling Zach in, the old man prepared to leave.
However, just before he left, he suddenly looked at Zach with great seriousness.
“Warrior, unless it is necessary, please do not go to the west side of the village.
There may be danger there.”
“Hm?”
Zach’s eyes moved slightly, and he asked softly, “Do you need my help?”
With his current strength, driving off ordinary Void creatures should not be too difficult.
They had been willing to take him in, so naturally, he wanted to help wherever he could.
But the old village chief shook his head.
“There is no need.
Just keep away from that side.
There is someone cursed by the Void there!”
“???”
This left Zach even more confused.
“Someone cursed by the Void…”
Based on Zach’s understanding of these villagers, they should absolutely loathe the Void.
So why would there be someone cursed by the Void inside the village?
“Sigh!”
The old village chief let out a soft sigh, then explained anyway.
“It’s a girl.
She was cursed by the Void and fused with a Void monster!”
“But not long ago, she saved a child from the village who had gotten lost, and she suffered very serious injuries because of it.”
“She looked so pitiful that I allowed her to stay in an unused storage room on the west side of the village.”
“!”
This time, Zach’s brow rose sharply.
A girl fused with a Void creature.
For some reason, as he listened to the village chief’s words, a very familiar figure suddenly appeared in Zach’s mind.
A girl whose village had been destroyed by the Void, who had returned from the Void alone!
However, Zach had not yet seen the girl the village chief was talking about, so he could not be certain whether she was the person he had in mind.
Just remember, do not go over there.
You are the village’s benefactor, and I do not want you to be harmed by the Void.”
While Zach was lost in thought, the old man turned and walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he did not forget to add thoughtfully, “I will have someone send you a set of clothes in a little while.”
Only after the village chief left the room and closed the door did Zach come back to his senses.
Lying on the bed, Zach stared at the ceiling and sank into thought.
Perhaps because there were too many questions in his mind, Zach eventually pushed open the door and walked toward the place ahead where the women and elderly had gathered.
According to Zach’s memories from his previous life, places like this were usually the village’s intelligence agency.
If anything happened in the village, these people would know it better than anyone.
Of course, most of the information might also be hearsay.
The elderly, women, and children who had been chatting among themselves all greeted Zach kindly when they saw him.
After all, Zach was the village’s benefactor, so they were still very friendly toward him.
Zach came before them and asked softly, “Ma’am, I wanted to ask, has the village taken in anyone else besides me?”
“Shh!”
Before Zach could finish, the white-haired old woman with a hunched back grabbed his arm.
“Keep your voice down.
Don’t let that monster hear you!”
Even several nearby women holding children echoed her.
“That person looks like a Void monster at first glance.
I truly don’t know why the village chief took her in!”
Hearing their words, Zach frowned slightly.
“Ma’am, I heard from the village chief that she saved a child from the village, and even suffered serious injuries because of it.”
The old woman nodded slowly.
“That much cannot be denied, but we still cannot accept someone cursed by the Void.”
“None of us can be certain whether she might suddenly go mad and destroy the village.”
“So naturally, the farther away from her we stay, the better!”
As the old woman spoke, the person the village chief had arranged to bring Zach clothes also arrived.
Zach did not continue discussing the matter with the old woman.
Because Zach knew that, for people who had suffered under the Void their entire lives, their hatred of the Void could never be erased.
At the same time, Zach could also be certain that these people were not bad by nature.
Otherwise, they would not be so kind to him.
Their hatred was only aimed at the Void.
After greeting everyone, Zach returned to his room.
For the rest of the time, Zach did not go out again.
He simply stayed quietly in the room and waited for night to fall.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon, the bright moon rose into the sky.
At a certain moment, Zach’s tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, and his gaze passed through the window frame toward the outside.
Just now, Zach had sensed a figure flash over his room and rush straight toward the west side of the village!
That figure seemed to be badly wounded, and stumbled as it ran.
Zach slowly sat up.
After hesitating for a moment, he leaped out through the window and chased after it.
Zach had a feeling that he was about to meet his first old acquaintance after coming to this world!
He becomes connected to Silco’s side, gains a Skin Master System, and uses League skin-based weapons, tech, armor, and abilities to change the fate of Zaun.
Instead of letting Arcane’s tragedies play out exactly the same way, Felix tries to protect the people around him, especially Powder/Jinx, and push Zaun toward open rebellion against Piltover.
The story starts with the Piltover-Zaun conflict, then expands into the wider Runeterra setting: Noxus’s invasion of Ionia, Demacia’s internal conflict, the Freljord, Shurima, the Void, and eventually the Ruination/Shadow Isles plotline.