The Symbol of the Eagle

Chapter 73 The Symbol of the Eagle (6k)

"The Hawk, the Band of the Hawk?"

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Sivir was slightly taken aback, seemingly unable to process Tarin's abrupt change of thought.

But immediately after, Sivir quickly added, "That certainly depends on your opinion—but I'm curious, what is it about me that you care about? Is it really just talent?"

Although somewhat nervous, Sivir clearly possessed many of the qualities that successful people should have—calmness and composure.

Although she was initially a little doubtful, Sivir quickly calmed down after confirming that Tarin meant no harm.

To this, Tallinn calmly replied, "Your bloodline."

"Bloodline?" Upon hearing this, a look of confusion flashed in Sivir's eyes, completely unexpected that Tarlin would bring up her background.

If Sivir were truly from a prestigious family, that would be one thing, but the problem is—Sivir remembers that her family didn't seem to have anything particularly remarkable about them.

In fact, she was worse off than an ordinary person. This was because when Sivir was very young, all her parents and relatives were killed by the Shuriman Sand Bandits.

If I had to pinpoint any impression I had—it would be that when my grandfather was still alive, he mentioned something about his ancestors being high-ranking officials in ancient Shurima.

But that's all there is to it.

Thinking this through, Sivir didn't directly deny it, but simply nodded silently and said, "I'll think about it carefully—"

""

"Um."

Tallinn nodded and said, "Then go ahead and do your thing."

Seeing that Tarlin had let her go so easily, Sivir breathed a sigh of relief and then turned back to her original encampment.

Upon seeing Sivir's return, Zhaihalo, clad in armor, raised an eyebrow and looked at Sivir, saying, "You're back already? Did they tell you something?"

Upon hearing the leader's words, Sivir, who had been pondering, was slightly taken aback before truthfully replying, "They seem to be interested in my weapons and said some things that I don't quite understand."

Upon hearing this, Zhaihaluo stared at Sivir with suspicion for a while.

In the beginning, when Zhaihalo allowed Sivir to rejoin the Blood Sand Mercenary Group, he only used Sivir as a consumable.

Surprisingly, despite her seemingly unskilled combat skills and her Shurima-style peaceful demeanor, Sivir quickly learned how to survive and fight in the desert.

With his active performance in one mission after another.

Now, Sivir has gained a reputation no less than that of Zhaiharo, having worked her way up from a mercenary entourage servant to earn the recognition of all the mercenaries through her own efforts.

Now he has become his right-hand man and one of the top figures in the mercenary group.

Zhaiharo single-handedly founded the Blood Sand Mercenary Group, leading it from obscurity to become one of the most legendary mercenary groups in the Shurima desert.

Initially, Zhaiharo was willing to nurture Sivir's rise to prominence, but as Sivir gained more recognition and prestige within the mercenary group, Zhaiharo began to feel a sense of crisis.

Thinking this, Zhaihaluo didn't show much expression on his face, but simply said casually, "It's good that you're alright."

While saying this, he was already thinking about whether Sivir's continued development in this way would affect his control over the legion.

Sivir didn't notice the change in Zhaihaluo's expression; she was only thinking about how to confirm her bloodline identity.

Sivir is a person who is used to planning before acting. Before accepting this mission, Sivir also made a point of learning about Ixtal.

An elemental kingdom that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Shurima Empire since the time of the ancient Shurima Empire—and, in terms of civilizational time, even older than the Shurima Empire—

Since that's what they said, I need to take a closer look.

The reason for doing this is not to use one's bloodline status to inflate prices, but simply to establish one's own value.

Sivir was well aware that in the sands of Shurima, the power of bloodlines was meaningless; true power lay in one's own strength.

Those who lose their sense of self-worth simply because of their bloodline often meet a terrible end.

Meanwhile, watching Sivir leave, Qiyana raised an eyebrow and looked at Tarin, saying, "You seem quite concerned about that girl?"

"Yes." Tarin nodded and said, "Once things are settled in Piltover, I'm preparing to head to Shurima, and this girl will be indispensable there."

"Oh?" Hearing Taklin's words, Qiyana wasn't angry at all. Instead, she asked with considerable curiosity, "You care that much? Did you see her in the future?"

"Um."

Tarin nodded, then glanced at Qiyana, Farin, and the others, and said, "She should be the last person with golden blood in this era."

"Golden bloodline?" Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana and Farin were initially taken aback, then quickly reacted, their eyes revealing a look of astonishment as they said, "Wait a minute, golden bloodline?! Could it be the golden bloodline I was thinking of?"

"That's right, it's the one you guessed."

Tarin nodded, gazing in the direction Sivir had left, and said, "The royal bloodline of the ancient Shurima Empire legally possesses the authority to rule over all Ascended beings, originating from the golden bloodline of the Ascended Queen Setaka."

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana couldn't help but glance at her aunt beside her, only to find that Farin was also subconsciously looking at her with a startled expression.

The two women, aunt and niece, looked at each other, their eyes filled with similar, intense astonishment.

"The golden bloodline—it actually still exists—"

Farin muttered to herself.

It's important to understand that the reason the Ascended Ones collectively fell was not due to the corruption of the Void.

Or, if the Void's corruption is truly that severe, then after the Void Wars end, the Shurima Empire will fall into serious internal strife and will not be able to wait until Azir leads the Shurima Empire to a revival five hundred years later.

In fact, the Ascended are called Darkborn because with the collapse of the Ascension ritual, the golden bloodlines that had returned to their ancestral lands from all over the world were wiped out.

The background story also explicitly states that, having lost the guidance of the golden bloodline, the ascendants gradually degenerated and formed one overlord after another, waging war against each other.

Even after these Darkin were sealed away, their former subordinates turned into warlords who continued to wreak havoc and breed evil in Runeterra until Mordekaiser emerged.

Thinking this over and over, Qiyana, who was standing next to her, nodded thoughtfully after a moment.

"I see—so that's why you suddenly brought up the idea of ​​establishing the Band of the Hawk—it seems you were indeed prepared all along."

"————Huh?" Upon hearing this, Tarin was slightly taken aback, and then curiously looked at Qiyana.

I'm making a meme, so you can't make a meme too?

Feeling Tarin's gaze, Qiyana took it as a test and smiled, saying, "In the culture of the ancient Shurima Empire, the eagle symbolizes glory, vision, royalty, and immortality."

Even Ascended beings with avian features receive more worship in Shurima than other Ascended forms.

"Furthermore, as far as I know, during the immediate aftermath of the Great Collapse of the Shurima Empire, the priests of the Temple of the Falcon prophesied that the eagle would rise from the ashes and that Azir would return—"

Although not many people remember this prophecy now.

Upon hearing Qiyana's connection between the Group of Hawks and Shurima's animal worship, Tarin smiled with interest and then said, "That's right."

Upon hearing Tarin's acknowledgment, a look of pride appeared on Qiyana's face.

Tarlin was not surprised by this, because his preparation to establish the Band of the Hawk was indeed based on his beliefs and his ability to rally support; the joke was only one aspect of it.

In the culture of ancient Shurima, the eagle was regarded as the bird closest to the sun and was deeply associated with the Shurima's belief in the sun disk.

And—after Azir completed his ascension, he also took the form of an eagle.

Preparing this intention in advance and promoting it accordingly will make things much easier when you officially get involved in Shurima in the future.

Meanwhile, Caitlin, who had overheard Tarin's words and was watching the conversation between Tarin and the others, didn't seem to care much about the Band of the Hawk, since it shouldn't be a problem for Piltover.

What really caught Caitlyn's attention was the instinctive reaction of Qiyana and Farin when Tarin revealed that Sivir possessed the golden bloodline.

Even just recalling the expressions on their faces at the time, a hint of doubt and confusion flashed in Caitlin's eyes.

Caitlin was no stranger to the Golden Bloodline—Piltworth was not a country, but operated as an independent city-state.

Therefore, the judicial and law enforcement powers held by the Giraman family are essentially Piltover's army.

Piltover Security is the Pentagon in Piltover.

In this context, Caitlin learned from a young age the instinct to gather information on the military forces of the surrounding city-states and regions of Piltover.

In present-day Shurima, with the Great Crash of Shurima, the passing of the Golden Age has returned this desert to its appearance ten thousand years ago.

There has never been a unified, massive empire that could command respect, but there has never been a shortage of ambitious individuals and conquerors.

This has led to Shurima being filled with warlords of all shapes and sizes.

Among these, Caitlin knew of at least five warlords and religious leaders who claimed to possess the golden bloodline.

According to the Gilamann family's investigation, these so-called golden bloodlines were mostly fake.

According to the Explorers Guild and numerous historical records from Shurima, all the Goldbloods attended Azir's ascension ceremony.

As a result, the ascension ceremony went out of control, and the ascension energy washed over the land. Many of Azir's wives and children were instantly vaporized into dust, and his other close relatives were not spared either.

If this had come from someone else, Caitlin might have been more skeptical—

Even if Tarin had said those words, Caitlin would have suspected that Tarin wanted to create a legal code in order to plot against the Shurima Desert.

But if that's the case—why is Princess Ixtal so surprised? And why does she seem so convinced despite her surprise?

Although Caitlin had considered the possibility that these people were conspiring to deceive her, she only thought about it briefly before dismissing the idea.

Because it's unnecessary—

Ignoring Caitlin's exaggerated reaction, Tarlin calmly stated, "Sylvie is undoubtedly the last remnant of the golden bloodline in this era—remember what I said? In the coming era, the disasters and hidden dangers of the past thousands or even tens of thousands of years will erupt simultaneously."

Similarly, some ancient civilizations will not miss this era.

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana nodded thoughtfully after a moment of silence, then smiled and said, "Hmph, come on then, I won't lose to that little girl!"

Tallinn simply blinked without saying anything.

It's clear that Qiyana is projecting the idea of ​​the Shurima Empire's return, as described by Tarin, onto Sivir.

For example, Sivir might receive some kind of inheritance and start building a new Shurima Empire, competing with her on the continent of Shurima.

Unfortunately, the situation will be far more serious than Qiyana anticipated.

However, Tallinn did not give any specific reminders, as the future development of this matter remains to be seen.

Or perhaps, rather than explaining everything from the start, Tarin preferred to enjoy Qiyana's shocked and incredulous shouts—

"What do you mean Azir didn't die? What do you mean Azir even completed his ascension ritual?!" and so on.

The fact that the rightful heir of the ancient empire is still alive is completely different from the fact that the ruler of the ancient empire was never dead.

I, Qin Shi Huang, am sending you money.

After thinking about it, Tarlin shook his head and said, "There's no need to rush now."

Sivir hasn't even obtained the artifact Charikar yet, so there's still a long way to go before the storyline of Azir's return.

Thinking this, Tarlin looked at Caitlin and said, "Alright, now lead the way to Piltover."

"----Um."

Upon hearing this, Caitlin took a deep breath and resolutely walked back the way she had come.

However, compared to the worry and solemnity she felt when she first left Piltover, Caitlin's heart is now filled with determination.

In a sense, Caitlin even feels pretty good about her current situation.

Compared to the confusion, helplessness, and bewilderment she felt during her journey to Ixtal, Caitlin now has a clear and definite goal.

Blow the hell out of Piltover!

Although the chances of actually accomplishing this were virtually zero, perhaps it was the confidence that Tarlin displayed that gave Caitlin a strange sense of assurance.

Call it arrogance or hubris. To so naturally dismiss Piltover as insignificant suggests a descent from an ancient civilization like Ishtar, and even a profound understanding of Piltover.

All these reasons gave Caitlin hope of winning.

For someone like Caitlin, as long as there is hope of winning, she will not consider surrendering or admitting defeat.

Upon returning to their original base, Caitlin quickly regrouped her forces and then led Tarlin and the others toward Piltover.

On the second day of their journey, since they no longer needed to clear the road, the extra cutting wheels and robotic arms were removed, and the vehicle was used purely as a vehicle.

She groggily opened her eyes, and what came into view was an unfamiliar ceiling—an unfamiliar car roof.

Suddenly, Wei recalled what happened before she lost consciousness. Her body almost instinctively sat up straight, but then she was stimulated by the intense pain coming from all over her body, causing her to tremble violently and hiss as she gasped for breath.

"You're awake? But don't move around too much, your injuries haven't healed yet!"

A young girl wearing a nurse's cap came to Wei's side upon hearing the news and said, "Lie down quickly, or the wound will reopen."

Upon hearing this, Wei simply shook her head vigorously, then covered her head and looked at the nurse, saying, "More importantly—how are things now?!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing Wei's question, the little girl was slightly taken aback, and then stammered out an explanation of the current situation.

However, it's clear that this girl isn't very aware of what's happening outside.

Or perhaps she simply didn't know how to concisely recount what had happened during this period, which made Wei feel even more confused after hearing the answer, instead of relaxing.

Fortunately, Vi managed to glean some useful information from the little girl's fragmented words, such as that Caitlin and the main force had not suffered serious harm.

Thinking about it, Wei shook her head and said, "Never mind—where is Caitlin now?"

"In Mr. Tallinn's camp."

Upon hearing this, Wei nodded, feeling that the name "Tallinn" sounded somewhat familiar, but she didn't think much of it and simply followed the direction the nurse was pointing to the tent where Caitlin was located.

As evening approached, the convoy was taking a break. Calculating the distance, they should arrive in Piltover around tomorrow afternoon.

Walking among the crowd, and noticing the unfamiliar figures in the procession, Wei could sense that something was amiss.

For example, the direction of travel, the pioneering locomotives that had all their extra cutting wheels removed, and the extra brown-skinned rainforest dwellers dressed in pale blue and dark green fabrics.

Unable to resist, Wei also inquired about the current situation.

Initially, Vi sought out law enforcement officers in Piltover.

But these enforcers were elites Caitlyn had brought from the Giramanen family, and their attitude towards Vi was, if not friendly, certainly quite cold.

As the adopted daughter of the previous leader of Zaun, Vi was naturally at odds with the law enforcement officers.

Although Caitlin's presence kept them from making things too difficult for Vi, that only happened when things were going well and they were in a good mood.

They were utterly crushed before even reaching the edge of the enemy's main city, and their mood was extremely bad.

It's important to understand that they initially entered the rainforest with the intention of beating up primitive people, and many even harbored the thought of spreading the glory of civilization and progress to Ixtal.

As for the story told by the pioneer hunter who had luckily escaped, they paid no attention to it.

after all----

What do you mean by a caveman blowing up your tank with a spear? Kid, are you out of your mind?!

Driven by a desire to expose counterfeits, to spread the glory of a progressive city, and with the dream that a pair of Piltover stockings could buy the red lips of an indigenous girl—the law enforcement officers then encountered Tallinn.

Then he witnessed Tarin punching the Atlas Gauntlets, made by Jess, the founder of the Hextech Revolution, the representative of Piltover's Dream, and crafted by the meticulous Jess himself. These gloves were so finely crafted that wearing them for more than a few minutes could cause permanent bone damage to ordinary people.

No, it wasn't just the Atlas Gauntlets. It was a punch that pierced through the blast shield and then struck the Atlas Gauntlets, turning them into scrap metal and sending the user flying like a cannonball, smashing countless people away.

They had witnessed firsthand the testing of the defensive capabilities—even direct artillery fire could not break through the blast shield's defenses.

So now—what does it mean that a primitive man's punch is more powerful than a direct cannon shot?

I'll blanch it, original!

Given the fatigue from the long journey and the exhaustion they had endured, the officers were too lazy to answer Wei's questions and simply gave him a vague and dismissive response.

In the end, it was a rough-around-the-edges mercenary from Shurima who answered Vi's question.

In short, you were knocked unconscious with one punch, Caitlin surrendered, Caitlin pledged allegiance to her, and Caitlin began ordering the troops to return to their original positions. During her rest day, Caitlin was summoned to the camp to do some shady things.

Confused and puzzled, Wei arrived at the camp with some suspicion.

Because of the guards at Ixtal, Vi didn't rush over rashly, but waited outside with some worry.

Just as Vi was hesitating whether to have someone announce her arrival, the tent next to her was suddenly opened, and Caitlin, her eye makeup slightly damp and her face pale and tired, walked out from inside.

As he walked, he wiped the white foam from the corner of his mouth.

In fact, Caitlin was indeed exhausted.

During this period, whenever Tallinn rested, he would ask her in detail about various intelligence reports about Piltover, as well as many personnel details.

Sometimes, even before Caitlin herself could recall it, Tarlin would suddenly bring up a part of the memory she had just remembered.

Caitlin didn't know what Sholma was, only that Tarin seemed to possess the ability to read minds. Combined with the hot and humid environment of the rainforest, and the fact that she lacked any axiomatic spells to cool herself, even her eye makeup was now soaked with sweat—

The psychological pressure, the physical discomfort, and the constant questioning that brought foam to her mouth all left Caitlin feeling utterly exhausted—hoping nothing more unexpected would happen.