Speculators and Ambitious Individuals

"So..."

Ashe looked at Herren, who was sipping his bone broth and then shook his head slightly after a long while.

"I swear, Ashe, I really want to stay and help you... but I made a vow."

Oh... have you already taken the oath?

Aisha paused for a moment, then turned her head away and stopped trying to dissuade her.

Heron was indeed moved, and even felt a sense of defeat. He realized that even though he had knowledge that ordinary people did not have, he did not actually do any better than Ash, the native.

This did not discourage him; on the contrary, it motivated him even more... If Ashe was working so hard, he had to work twice as hard.

Winter's Claw is richer than Avarossa is now, but "not good enough." Harren had previously comforted himself by telling himself to respect reality and the actual situation in Freljord, not to rush things, and to proceed step by step.

But Ashe proved with her actions that, using Avarosa as a template, Winter's Claw could have been done much better.

When we get back, we must give that wild boar a good talking-to...

"Alright, Herren, so you came here just to see me?"

"No, I just happened to be passing by; I'm going further south..."

Afterwards, Helen gave a detailed account of the recent situation of the Winter's Claws without any reservations, and finally emphasized the purpose of his trip.

"The Noxian threat?"

Aisha nodded knowingly.

"That does sound very urgent..."

However, Ashe's reaction surprised Herren.

"You just believe that?"

When Harren spoke of his conjecture, even though he spoke with great certainty, Sejuani initially did not believe him. Udyr was somewhat better, but he also felt that Harren was worrying too much.

Only Ashe believed Heron's judgment without the slightest hesitation.

"Of course... Ha, are you surprised?"

Ashe smiled and raised her right hand, the azure blue Herren ring adorning her slender finger.

"The journey across the icy sea was more difficult than I had imagined... I had crossed the icy sea alone before, but leading a group of fire-breastmen was obviously much more difficult. Several times, I felt that I couldn't go on. At that time, the only thing that could give me hope was your confident judgment back then..."

Ashe was referring to the "prophetic" words Heron had spoken when they parted. Because Heron knew them, he was certain that he spoke them with great confidence, which was a rare comfort for Ashe on the icy sea.

"I persevered because I believed in you... so what reason do I have not to believe in you?"

Ash spoke very sincerely, and Herren was even somewhat moved.

Bloom initially listened casually, even drifting off at times, but his eyes suddenly narrowed when he heard Herren's views on the so-called "War of Noah".

This...won't that kill a lot of people, right?

"So, Herren, is your schedule tight? Is there a chance I can keep you for a few more days?"

"Ah... let's hurry. Once we get to Demacia, it won't matter how long we stay. As for the journey, I won't waste any more time... haha, you know Sejuani's temper."

Aisha chuckled, as memories of the three of them together flooded her mind.

"Yeah, if you don't go back for too long, she'll definitely go crazy..."

"Huh... does she?"

Herren scratched his head awkwardly. Although he spoke righteously, he also said that he wouldn't linger before reaching Demacia...

But once he gets to Demacia, things aren't so certain... He'll definitely come back, but if possible, he'd like to stay a few more days and see more of the world.

The unchanging snowscape of Freljord had become somewhat aesthetically tiring for him, and there were so many heroes he might see...

"The main problem is that I'm not familiar with the road to Demacia, and our tribe's shaman said it would be quite difficult to travel."

"That's easy."

Ashe snapped her fingers.

"Our tribe has many hunters, one of whom is called Skinny Monkey. He is particularly familiar with the terrain in the south... Because he is too thin and weak, he can't hunt anything in the north, so he often goes to the mountains in the south. I can ask him to lead the way for you."

"There are people like this?!"

Harren exclaimed in amazement, but he also knew that only Aisha would care about such a talent. In other tribes, such a useless person who could only find his way around and was a hunting novice would not be worth paying attention to at all.

"That's great."

"Hmm... If you're in a hurry, I'll tell him to prepare tonight. Also, regarding the crisis you mentioned... If that day really comes, Avarosa won't stand by and watch Winter's Claw suffer alone, but I hope that day never comes."

Ashe spoke with unusual seriousness, which was tantamount to proposing an alliance, and Ashe genuinely thought so... If Herren hadn't been going to Demacia, she would have really discussed it properly.

Regarding the matter of rebuilding the friendship between Winter's Claw and Avarosa, she was like a mother figure.

At that moment, Herren noticed a familiar little bottle on the table.

A small earthenware pot, with a flame symbol casually engraved on it... Isn't this a flammable mixture?

"Oh, you mean this?"

Aisha smiled and picked up the small bottle.

"How strange, the first time I've heard your name since arriving here is from this little bottle... Heron's Blessing? That's quite interesting."

"No...where did you get this?"

"It's not just me who has them; many warriors in our tribe also keep some on hand... They're transported from neighboring tribes. They're a bit pricey, but worth it; they can save lives in a pinch."

Upon hearing Ash's offer, Herren was so shocked that he slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

The ditch dealer!

To strengthen ties with surrounding tribes, the burning agent was sold to friendly tribes at a very low price, and sometimes it was even given away as a gift for free.

Unexpectedly, a tribe actually sold this magical potion, because the burning potion was indeed very powerful, and they were even willing to ask for exorbitant prices.

If they went to a more remote tribe like Avarosa, the money Ashe had for that one bottle, given to Harren, would be enough to build a wagon.

Dog day!

No! I have to go back and tell Sejuani about this right away!

Herren was angry mainly because the potion was originally made to save lives, and he sold it at a low price out of kindness, but some scoundrels resold it at a high price, which completely violated the original intention of the potion's creation.

Seeing that Herren was getting a little exasperated, Ashe put away the incendiary potion and changed the subject with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Sejuani must have known you were coming here, right? Didn't she think of... passing on a message to me?"

"This...?"

Harren was still resentful, but he sat down anyway. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to relay Sejuani's obviously provocative words.

"It's nothing much. Although she doesn't say it, I can tell she misses you a lot... Besides, she's currently very ambitious and has the idea of ​​unifying Freljord. I think you two will have to clash sooner or later."

"Ha ha."

However, Ashe paid no attention to what Herren said.

"If that day ever comes, and if Sejuani truly makes a change... I am willing to lead Avarosa to the Claws of Winter, and I myself will submit to them."

Hearing such sincere words, Heron couldn't help but recall Sejuani's character, and the contrast was indeed quite stark.

Herren suppressed a laugh and couldn't help but scoff.

"Hard to say."