Visitors from Ionia

Chapter 51 Visitors from Ionia

In the message that Qiyana conveyed, Tarin concealed his identity as the prophet.

It's not about keeping a low profile or anything like that; it's just that this special status often carries different meanings in different situations.

If it were a private gathering of a few people, Tallinn could naturally act as a prophet without any reservations.

However, introducing such an uncontrollable situation about future fragments in a formal setting like this is not in line with Tallinn's thinking.

It's acceptable to introduce it, but it should be done at the right time, rather than revealing one's identity without considering the context.

Adhering to the idea of ​​speaking with reason, after a brief exchange of pleasantries, it was time for the Yuentars to speak.

The first to speak was the elderly Yu'en, dressed in a gray robe and holding a thick, brick-sized book.

His gaze held a hint of curiosity as he stared at Tarin for a moment, sensing the gentle aura emanating from him. He then inquired, "Your age doesn't seem very old? I'm not questioning your talent or ability, but I'm simply curious whether the Ionia's pantheon and the Ixtal's primordial axiomatic system can truly be reconciled?"

As he spoke, the old man added, "I have also glimpsed some aspects of Ionia through special means. And as far as I know—Ionia's system seems to be closely related to the conditions of the nascent land itself?"

Upon hearing the old man's words, Tallinn nodded and then said calmly, "Yes, the main reason is the ancient era before the Great Migration, about ten thousand years ago."

"Ten thousand years ago?!" Upon hearing Tallinn's words, a look of surprise appeared on the old man's face.

Tallinn continued, "Yes, before the Great Migration, a group of flesh giants descended from the sky."

To protect our homeland, the ancestors of the Ionians broke through the veil of the First Land, merging with the core of the spiritual realm, and ascended to become the Vastayan ancestors—the Vastayan Shari.

"Although we ultimately achieved victory, as a price, the veil of Ionia suffered irreversible damage, and the connection between the spiritual and material realms became even stronger."

Upon hearing Tarin's words, the Yuntars' faces also revealed expressions of curiosity.

Even old Yuen, who asked what Tallinn Ionia was like, was no exception.

After all, even though they had seen Ionia, they had only spied on it from afar through the Vidarion Looms and had never truly ventured deep into Ionia.

Our understanding of Ionia's culture and knowledge system is limited to observation and organization. The information gleaned from this observation and organization is often one-sided, unsystematic, and riddled with doubts and loopholes.

But now, after Tallinn's explanation, many of their doubts have been resolved.

Thinking about it, the Yu'en people asked curiously, "If that's the case, then what are the specific manifestations of animism in all things?"

"All things have a spirit, and this cannot be explained in a single sentence." Hearing the question and sensing the curiosity of the crowd, Tarin nodded, then calmly explained, "Suppose a jar that has been used for a long time in your home breaks, I wonder what you people of Ixtal would do?"

Hearing Tarin's question, the Yuntars seemed somewhat surprised, but quickly composed themselves and then said with great interest, "If the jar is broken, perhaps it can be repaired in Ixtal using the Axiom of Earth?"

"Or should I just throw it away and buy a new one?"

"It can also be reshaped according to the axioms of water."

The Yuntars offered their respective answers and ideas.

After receiving responses from everyone, Tallinn nodded and then gave Ionia's approach.

"In Ionia, all things have spirits, so even if a jar that has been used for a long time is broken, it will not be simply thrown away."

Because of its influence in the spiritual realm, prolonged use has allowed the jar to develop its own thoughts and spirit. Discarding it or further damaging it will harm the jar's soul, or "spirit."

"Perhaps to you, the spirit of a jar is unimportant."

However, influenced by the veil, these victimized spirits will generate special emotional aggregates on the other side of the veil, thus forming demons.

"Therefore, for the Ionians, repair is the best option."

Upon hearing Tarin's words, the Yuen nodded thoughtfully. Then, an elderly Yuen Tar said thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it—I seem to recall something like that."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the other Yuen also turned their gazes toward the aged Yuentar.

After recalling for a moment, the aged Yuntar nodded thoughtfully and then said, "I remember now, it was during the Rune Wars."

"During that period, a large number of magical individuals passed through the veil and developed their own consciousness, but the reason for this remains a mystery to this day."

"Those magical entities are demons, and the cause of demons is the thoughts and spirits of living beings."

Upon hearing Yuen's words, Tarin also said, "Magic is the river that separates the material realm from the spiritual realm, and the human spirit is the food that demons rely on for survival."

"During the Rune Wars, the entire Runeterra was shrouded in disaster and fear, and this negative emotion greatly nourished the evil consciousness aggregates on the other side of the veil."

"Combined with the overuse of world runes during that era, the veil of reality across the world was affected to some extent."

Naturally, many evil spirits seized the opportunity to slip through the veil, transforming into demons capable of directly influencing reality and producing the emotions they desired.

As he said this, Tarin paused for a moment, then added, "The damage to the Veil from the Rune Wars can still be reversed, but the Veil of Ionia has been affected too much to recover from."

"It is precisely because of this that the existence of evil spirits threatens Ionia at all times."

To reduce the emergence of evil spirits, harmony, peace, and kindness became the mainstream values ​​of Ionia.

Upon hearing this, the elderly Yu En nodded in sudden understanding and said, "I see!"

"But if that's the case, then someone who can repair jars must have a pretty good status in Ionia, right?" a slightly younger Yuntar said. "After all, it reduces the number of evil spirits."

"Yes," Tarin nodded. "In Ionia, this is called 'Repairman.' By communicating with the spirit within the 'jar' and providing it with the necessary materials, such as clay and magic, the broken jar can be naturally restored to its original state."

Tarlin's explanation aroused even more curiosity on the faces of many Yuen.

This curiosity is not like the curiosity of finding a novel toy, but rather a curiosity about how another knowledge system solves the same problem, like "I never knew it could be done this way."

The Yuens found Tallinn's explanation particularly interesting, as it was a solution they had never considered.

Or rather, it's a solution that only Ionia can use.

After all, according to Tallinn, if it were another city-state or region with a more stable veil, let alone whether similar problems would exist.

Even if they exist, objects do not easily possess a "spirit," and people cannot easily perceive the existence of a "spirit."

Thinking this, one of the Yuntars asked curiously, "Mr. Tarlin looks very young, how does he know about these ancient things?"

Upon hearing Yuen's words, Tarlin smiled slightly, neither admitting that he had read the script nor portraying himself as someone who could glimpse the past and future.

In situations like these, we should let people find and discover things for themselves, rather than having them talk about it on their own.

People tend to believe the truth they discover themselves, while being skeptical of information easily obtained from others.

Even now, Tarin simply smiled slightly after a brief silence and said calmly, "These things can be confirmed with the ancient lord of Ixtal, the demigod Skana."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared in the eyes of many Yuntars, who seemed somewhat surprised to hear the name Skana from the mouth of this outsider, Tallinn.

Yuntar remained silent for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "There's no need to trouble the great demigod Skana with such matters—but more than that, I'm curious how you know about the demigod Skana?"

"I found out by chance," Tallinn replied succinctly.

Hearing Tarin's answer, the group was clearly dissatisfied, but then they turned their curious gazes to Qiyana standing to the side—

An ordinary Yuntar might not know about the existence of Skarner, but as the tenth Alai of Ixtal, Qiyana was qualified, and indeed did know.

In response, Qiyana shook her head, crossed her arms, and said nonchalantly, "I didn't tell him—Tarlin knew all this from the beginning."

As she said this, Qiyana also gave Tarin a strange look.

Although she didn't know why Tarin wouldn't let her reveal her ability to see fragments of the past and future, Qiyana chose to respect that.

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, the members of the Entar clan, who had been silent, became more serious. At the same time, several of them looked at Qiyana with puzzled expressions.

Although Qiyana is known as arrogant and proud in Ixtal, what is happening now is clearly not as simple as it seems on the surface.

However, considering environmental factors, the Yuntars still focused their attention on Tallinn.

After exchanging pleasantries and learning about Tallinn's personality, everyone became serious and began to focus their attention on the axioms of life.

After all, the pleasantries they had just exchanged were merely harmless greetings. Although Tallinn's response gave them a sense of having broadened their horizons, they did not forget the real focus of the day.

"Qianna said that Your Excellency has incorporated Ionian life energy magic into the system of primordial axioms, forming a completely new set of fundamental axioms."

The aged Yuen said, "The new fundamental axioms are of extraordinary significance to Ixtal. If it is presumptuous of you, please explain what life energy is and how it is manifested in the form of primordial axioms."

"No problem." Tarin nodded, showing no stage fright despite the attention of the crowd, and spoke calmly and unhurriedly.

"Life energy can be understood as the original energy of life flow. It is different from ordinary elements and does not have obvious physical form. Instead, it exists in the depths of the world, in the depths of the body and spirit."

"Does this sound like a kind of healing magic?" a Yuntar asked.

"The ways of expression are somewhat similar, but the essence is not the same."

As he said this, Tarin stretched out his hand, and to everyone's astonishment, his right hand transformed into a chaotic dragon claw. With just a light swipe, he left a huge scar on his arm.

"Generally speaking, healing magic is an active, externally intervened repair process. Life energy, on the other hand, is different; its recovery is passive, a natural replenishment of internal life force."

As he spoke, Tallinn merely had a thought, and then the scar on his left arm healed at an astonishing speed.

Upon witnessing this scene, a thoughtful expression appeared on the faces of the Yuentars.

"There was no fluctuation of magic power—yet it displayed such strong vitality and regenerative ability, completing the healing of the injuries."

Looking at Tallin's arm, a man named Yuntar, who appeared to be around fifty years old, nodded thoughtfully. He then looked at Tallin and said, "Just now, when your arm was healing, I seemed to sense some strange energy rhythm. Was it some kind of life energy?"

"Yes." Tarin nodded, then continued, "Life energy is different from elemental magic; it can directly affect the physical body of any living being, naturally enhancing the body's recovery speed and nutrient absorption rate. In addition to its healing properties, it also possesses considerable combat power."

As he said this, Tarin paused for a moment, then looked up and said, "In matters of combat, it's difficult to demonstrate them more clearly through words alone. If possible, would any gentleman or lady be willing to spar with me?"

As he said this, Tarin added, "It's not about fighting for some kind of victory, but about better demonstrating the unique characteristics of life energy, which distinguishes it from ordinary healing and enhancement magic."

Upon hearing this, the many Yuental exchanged glances, then subconsciously turned their gazes toward Qiyana.

It's not that they look down on Tallinn—it's just that Tallinn is too young. For people like them, whose average age is over forty, to actually fight with Tallinn, who looks to be only in his early twenties, would seem a bit like bullying him.