Treasures of Ancient Times

Heron dared to say that the entire Claw of Winter's army combined didn't know as much about Noxians as he did.

What kind of empire is Noxus? From the perspective of my previous life, populism, zealotism, and imperialism made it a natural villain template.

However, within Runeterra, compared to feudal Demacia, outdated Ionia, and backward and closed Freljord, Noxus's system is still more advanced.

At least the Noxians have no shortage of opportunities for advancement, and they are willing to fight for their future and for their empire.

Of course, as Noxians' opponents, one must always be wary of these dangerous individuals.

The same was true of Herren; he was equally wary of the Noxians.

But he also had his own plans, and he saw an opportunity in it.

"We do need food, and they need Freljord's ore. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"

"That being said, I still have a feeling..."

Udyr frowned, perhaps because he was already wary of these Noxian outsiders.

Sejuani, on the other hand, suffered severe psychological trauma from the Frostguard, and she instinctively rejected the matter.

"You're worried about us being controlled by Noxus, aren't you? Then just try to take the initiative as much as possible."

Herren said with a smile.

"You can see the Noxian's demeanor—confident and skilled. Clearly, this isn't the first time they've done something like this. It's very likely that all the tribes in the vicinity have already reached an agreement with them… Wouldn't it be very antisocial if we didn't?"

"Surround ourselves? Why should we surround ourselves?"

Sejuani frowned and retorted.

"Only sheep need sheepfold protection."

"So, are the Freljordians sheep? No, the Freljordians are wolves starving to the bone; they can't make an equal deal with a tiger on their own."

Sejuani wanted to say something more, but Udyr seemed to realize what was going on.

"You mean...we could try uniting with other tribes?"

"Yes, a wolf pack needs a wolf king to lead it in order to stand up to the tigers... and we have the home advantage. No Freljordian will unconditionally trust the Noxians, so we can definitely get ahead of them."

Herren said firmly.

His thinking was simple; he could see that the Noxians needed minerals… The reason was also simple: the Noxians needed war, war needed weapons, and weapons needed raw materials.

But the loosely organized Freljord tribes gave them the confidence to buy cheaply; Harren wanted to earn even more.

"We can unite with other tribes and trade with the Noxians for food on their behalf, even if we suffer some losses. At least we need to make other tribes realize that it's better to be under the leadership of the Winter's Claw than to fight alone... This will not only bring us benefits, but the Noxians may also indirectly help us absorb other tribes."

At this moment, even Sejuani vaguely grasped the key point.

"You want to monopolize trade with the Noxians? To get more from them? Aren't you dreaming? The Noxians don't seem like the type to be willing to suffer losses."

"Indeed, if we offer them two loaves of bread in exchange for the cold iron that we could normally trade for one loaf of bread, they certainly won't agree... But what if we offer something better in return?"

"Better? You mean?"

Herren tapped the table with a confident air.

"Sejuani, remember what I told you about absorbing the Hearthstone farmers? What would the Noxians do if they realized that the Freljords... no, let me be blunt, if they discovered that the weapons Harren made were of far superior quality to those they made themselves, and that they could save themselves the expense of shipping materials back home for processing?"

Herren held up five fingers.

"I don't know what they did, but if it were me, with a sword forged from cold iron, I would ask them for five loaves of bread right now."

"..."

Sejuani and Udyr fell silent, but they were both intrigued by the plan.

Udyr was concerned that this could indeed bring great benefits to the tribe, and if all went well... Harren's forging skills were beyond doubt, and it was not impossible for him to lead the Hearthstone tribe to forge weapons that the Noxians would accept at a premium.

Sejuani, on the other hand, was interested in the opportunity to strengthen the tribe.

"That sounds reasonable, Herren... If you're confident, I trust you completely."

The War Mother finally spoke, acknowledging Helen's decision.

"So, what should we do next?"

"The first thing is simple... Didn't you promise to fight Olaf at the banquet? The plan remains the same, but we need to be more aggressive, go all out, and fight to the death!"

"Beat them to death?!"

"Yes! In front of the Noxians, show them what you're capable of and demonstrate the power of the Freljords. This will help our subsequent plans... When they are dissatisfied with our absorption of other tribes, the strength you show at this time will make them hesitate to act."

Anyway, Olaf is impossible to kill no matter how hard you hit him, even Ornn couldn't kill this cockroach, so Heron thinks Sejuani can just let go completely.

Instead of sending troops directly to seize the mines, the Noxians chose to trade with the local tribes, with Heron tacitly acknowledging that they were somewhat wary of the power of the Freljord's strongmen.

"Okay, leave this to me."

Sejuani looked at the new flail in her hand.

"With this, I'm full of confidence... What's this thing called?"

"Frostblood Battle".

After saying that, Herren turned to look at Udyr.

"Udyr, in the meantime, try to contact other tribes, and it would be best if you could also explore the major mineral veins in the vicinity."

"Okay, leave it to me."

"As for me... before the banquet, I'll rush to make a decent weapon to give the Noxians a little taste of what's what."

Herren smiled slightly, already having made up his mind.

[Ancient Treasures: Finding the Right Owner for Their Masterpieces (5/5)]

As the inheritor of a thousand-year-old craft, you are no longer merely a solitary master. Your skills should be passed down—when crafting unfinished equipment, blueprints will be generated. Ordinary people with exceptional skills can also forge similar power based on your blueprints.

After handing over the Frostblood Chain to Sejuani, Harren finally completed another mission, and the reward for this mission was the source of Harren's confidence.

If he can find enough skilled craftsmen, he can lead them to mass-produce a large number of excellent weapons of war.