Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route-Chapter 139: Runeterra Is So Big—I Want to Take Her Everywhere

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Runeterra Is So Big—I Want to Take Her Everywhere

"Ahri, you really should’ve told me sooner."

Staring at the system notification, Logan took a deep breath and looked up at the little white fox floating in front of him.

Ahri stuck out her tongue apologetically and turned back to him. "I was just too happy!"

"But don’t be that scared, Logan. Cassiopeia rarely leaves her territory. She usually just stays in her cave, makes some noise out there, and waits for other souls to come to her."

"And she’s been in a really bad state lately—she lost a mirror, and then she lost a comb too, so her power’s weakened a lot. Honestly, I don’t know how I never noticed she loses stuff this easily... Anyway, your little... incident... isn’t enough for her to come chasing you down. She’s busy, and she’s been angry nonstop."

Ahri tried to reassure him, tossing out bits and pieces about Cassiopeia, then added, "And besides—aren’t I here?"

"I’ll protect you, Logan. Don’t worry. She can’t beat me." Ahri’s tone lifted, bright and smug.

"Thanks, Ahri." Logan smiled, though there was a trace of helplessness mixed in.

Ahri: I’ll protect you, Logan—but as for why you need me to protect you in the first place... heh. Don’t ask!

"You’re welcome~" Ahri said, then looked forward again.

Logan, meanwhile, sank into thought.

He actually knew quite a bit about Cassiopeia. She was an important figure in League lore.

She was born in Noxus. Her father was the head of House Du Couteau. She also had a sister—Katarina Du Couteau.

Unlike her sister, Cassiopeia didn’t inherit her father’s martial talent. But in Noxus, strength wasn’t everything—scheming and political instincts were weapons too.

So Cassiopeia, who inherited her mother’s political mind, had a much easier childhood than Katarina.

But her situation wasn’t exactly better.

From what Logan remembered—though the details were fuzzy—Cassiopeia’s mother seemed to be part of some ancient secret cabal.

Which meant her mother was likely a member of the Black Rose, and Cassiopeia entered the Black Rose under her mother Soreana’s guidance.

Not long after Cassiopeia came of age, Noxus fell into turmoil. Swain deposed Boram Darkwill and took power, and with ruthless efficiency, he stabilized Noxus. Because of Swain’s reputation in the military and his iron-fisted style, the noble houses tacitly accepted the coup’s legitimacy—House Du Couteau included.

That left Soreana terrified.

After all, the source of Noxus’s chaos had been the Black Rose. And Swain had already killed many Black Rose members—among them the Jericho couple, Swain’s own parents.

If he could erase his own family for Noxus, then Soreana and the rest of the Black Rose had even less reason to believe they’d be spared.

So Soreana feared Swain, and she assigned Cassiopeia a mission: go to Shurima and find an artifact that could change everything—something powerful enough to influence Noxus itself.

Cassiopeia accepted.

In Shurima, she hired Sivir... and then betrayed her, triggering a chain reaction of massive events: Xerath and Renekton escaping their prison, Azir resurrecting and completing his Ascension, Sivir being revived, and Cassiopeia herself becoming the Serpent’s Embrace...

In other words, if Cassiopeia hadn’t taken matters into her own hands, maybe a lot of what happened in Shurima never would’ve happened.

Or maybe it still would’ve.

Because even if it wasn’t Cassiopeia, it’d be... West Cassiopeia. Or North Cassiopeia. Something. LeBlanc’s plans always blew up like that—she had a talent for creating disasters.

That was Cassiopeia in the material realm: sinister, cunning, beautiful. She had no sympathy. Other people were tools—use them, then discard them.

But Spirit Blossom Cassiopeia was different.

Spirit Blossom wasn’t a simple "good versus evil" story. Kanmei and Akana were opposing forces, but that didn’t mean Akana was just "the evil faction." They were chaotic, sure, but they also maintained Spirit Blossom’s stability in their own way.

Kanmei and Akana differed in how they handled souls—different methods, different philosophies—but both were recognized by Spirit Blossom itself. The true dividing line was whether a soul had let go of its obsession—whether it had truly been "released."

Souls bound by the past, trapped by memories, sinking into darkness and unable to escape... became Akana.

What Ahri did was guide those souls to set down their burdens, find new life, and become Kanmei.

And Thresh?

Thresh made souls relive their past over and over, locking them into endless repetition until they became Akana.

Yeah... Thresh really was a top-tier monster.

And Cassiopeia—the big name in Akana—her Spirit Blossom art was absurdly gorgeous, easily on Ahri’s level.

Back when Logan played that Spirit Blossom dating sim, his favorites had been: first Ahri, second Riven, and third Cassiopeia.

Because when Spirit Blossom Cassiopeia blushed in the mini-game, she looked ridiculously good.

And from the dialogue and behavior in that game, it was obvious she had nothing in common with her material-realm counterpart.

Because she wasn’t the kind of person who threw away "tools" once she was done.

If anything, Spirit Blossom Cassiopeia was a demigod who was extremely sentimental.

Logan had mentioned it before: the Spirit Blossom spirits had no direct connection to the champions’ main-universe selves. This was a standalone story—a skin-universe Runeterra.

And Cassiopeia became the Spirit of Temptation in Akana because when she was still human, she lost a court power struggle and was exiled deep into the mountains, where she died alone. That was probably why she clung so fiercely to old things—and why, when she met "the player," she made them fetch things for her.

So... Cassiopeia should be someone you could talk to, right?

She shouldn’t be like Thresh, who showed up grinning like a nightmare and shouting about "delight" and "beauty" and all that other deranged nonsense, right?

As Logan was thinking that, light suddenly flared ahead.

Ahri’s voice followed right after.

"We’re here, Logan. Lamb and Wolf are already coming to meet us."

Ahri’s voice was bright and pleased—and then Logan realized he was standing above a perfectly calm lake.

Kindred appeared.

Lamb’s hooves tapped the water lightly as she stepped forward with graceful poise, stopping directly in front of Logan. Wolf floated beside her, cackling with joy, looking at Logan like this was the best thing that had happened all day.

Wolf howled, "Kid, you actually came back!"

"Quick—did you bring Lamb’s gift?"

Logan took out the book: a history tome, well over half a million words.

When Lamb saw it, the eyes behind her mask seemed to brighten. She nodded toward Logan.

"Thank you."

Wolf darted in, smoke and mist swirling, jaws opening wide as he lunged toward Logan’s arm—snatching the book straight from his hands and zipping back to Lamb.

Lamb caught it in one hand and patted Wolf’s head with the other.

Wolf leaned into the touch, enjoying it shamelessly, but he still muttered, "Kid... why do you smell like snake?"

"He peeked at Cassiopeia and got caught," Ahri said, completely serious.

Logan froze and opened his mouth to explain.

No—what did she mean, peeked?

Wasn’t it because Ahri didn’t explain anything, and then that "dark sphere" dragged his attention in?

Was he trying to peek?!

Cassiopeia’s title here was the Spirit of Temptation.

Getting tempted was kind of... normal, wasn’t it?

But before Logan could explain, Wolf yelped with excitement. "What? You peeked at that bad-tempered snake?! Kid, your guts are insane! I’m seriously liking you more and more!"

"Tell me—how did you even do it? Last time Lamb and I just passed by her territory and she screamed at us to get out."

Wolf’s tone turned sharp and vicious. "If Lamb wasn’t so kind, I would’ve bitten her to death!"

Lamb sighed and appeared beside Wolf, then inclined her head toward Logan in apology. She patted Wolf’s neck and said, "Wolf, stop talking."

"When she lost her things, we went at the wrong time. The fact she didn’t attack us meant she was already forcing herself to hold back her rage."

"I don’t care," Wolf snapped, rolling his eyes. "She can throw a tantrum, but I can’t? Lamb, you’re so unfair!"

Listening to this kind of inside information only made Logan more curious about Spirit Blossom.

He’d entered a few times already, but because of time limits—and because that lunatic Thresh kept targeting him—he’d only explored small areas, never daring to wander far without Ahri’s protection.

There were so many spirits in Spirit Blossom that Logan still hadn’t met.

Even among the original Spirit Blossom lineup—Vayne, Yasuo, Yone, Teemo, Lillia, Riven—Logan hadn’t seen them yet.

"Kid," Wolf suddenly said, "you brought gifts for Lamb and Fox, but what about me?"

Logan stared. "Aren’t you and Lamb one being?"

Wolf blinked, then burst out laughing. "Heh—fair. You pass."

Yeah. Wolf and Lamb were one.

And Lamb had already opened the book, lowering her head to read.

[Kindred’s affection for you +50]

Logan looked at the notification and realized Kindred’s affection still hadn’t hit a hundred.

With the earlier twenty points included, he was at seventy now—still thirty short of the "first meeting" threshold.

In the friendship stages, that "meeting" level probably meant... actual friends. The kind who would wave if you ran into each other.

Logan looked at Lamb and said, "Kindred, I want to ask you for a favor."

Wolf tilted his head. "Kid, you want us to work for you?"

"...Is that not okay?" Logan hesitated.

Honestly, Logan owed Kindred.

Lamb and Wolf had spent ten years helping him, repairing his soul, letting him revive, and making it in time to return to Zaun.

One book wasn’t repayment. Even if Lamb loved it, Logan wasn’t delusional enough to think a single book settled a life debt.

This was just a small gift.

"It’s fine," Wolf said, grinning as his tone flipped again. "Didn’t I say I’m liking you more and more?"

He turned toward Lamb. "Lamb, you’ll help him too, right?"

"Of course." Lamb raised a hand, closed the book, and her smooth, beautiful hair lifted as if stirred by a wind that wasn’t there. Her voice was cool and clear. "Yes."

Ahri yawned. She didn’t like Stillwater Lake. There was nothing here.

Just an endless sheet of water. No wind, no clouds, no animals. No trees. No flowers. No grass. No bugs.

Seriously—why did Lamb like living in a place like this?

"Should Ahri explain the situation to you, or do you want to search my memory?" Logan asked, relaxing once Kindred agreed.

"Search memory?" Wolf snorted. "Lamb and I can’t do that. Only Fox and Lantern can~"

He sounded annoyed, like it bothered him that he couldn’t.

Then he grumbled, "Fox. Tell me and Lamb what the kid wants."

Ahri stepped forward and lifted her hand. A cloud appeared.

Wolf lunged and swallowed the cloud in one bite, then closed his eyes.

His mist-formed body expanded, swelling bigger and bigger—then with a soft pff, it deflated back down.

When Wolf opened his eyes again, he narrowed them thoughtfully.

"Waking a lost soul, huh... That’s usually Fox’s job, but this soul’s different. It’s a living creature’s soul that hasn’t fully crossed over. Heh. Yeah, that’s not Fox’s territory."

Wolf circled Lamb. "Lamb, this is our job."

Lamb held the book in one hand and her bow in the other. She walked toward Logan, and in a single step she was right in front of him.

A clean, pleasant scent reached Logan’s nose. Looking down at Lamb—who only came up to his chest—Logan found himself getting nervous.

"Don’t be nervous, Logan," Lamb said softly, sensing it. "I’m only placing Wolf’s and my mark on you."

She raised her hand. The front of her crystal bow tapped lightly against Logan’s forehead.

A cold touch shot through him, making his body twitch.

[Kindred is sharing her insight with you.]

[Acquired successfully]

[Skill obtained: Kindred’s Mark]

Lamb drew the bow back. Logan reached up to touch his forehead, but his skin was smooth—only the lingering chill remained.

"Alright, Logan," Lamb said, stepping back. "Now you can return and revive Orianna. You will gather her soul. The rest is for Wolf and me."

Then she continued, her tone turning serious.

"I placed Wolf’s and my mark upon you. That makes you a follower of ours, and grants you the right to decide the fate of souls."

"Of course, you can only decide the souls of creatures weaker than you. If you attempt to decide a stronger soul, you must stay away—otherwise you’ll be devoured by backlash. You could even lose your body."

"Wait—Lamb," Ahri suddenly sprang up between them, eyes wide. She’d been sprawled on the lake like she was about to nap, but the moment she heard Lamb’s words, she flipped upright instantly.

"Does that mean souls from other places can enter Spirit Blossom now?"

"Yes." Lamb nodded.

She didn’t know whether this choice was good or bad. Giving Logan a power like this—was it truly right?

But ten years.

For ten years, Lamb had touched and repaired Logan’s soul countless times.

In the end, she chose to respond to Logan—and to trust herself.

The voice in the deepest part of a soul didn’t lie.

And besides...

Wolf and Lamb also had something they wanted to ask of Logan.

"Then why didn’t you do this sooner?!" Ahri exploded, standing upright like a tiny person, face full of indignation.

"If you could do that, why didn’t you do it before? If you’d done it earlier, Spirit Blossom would’ve had more and more souls—Thresh and I wouldn’t have had to fight over them!"

Lamb lifted one hoof, set it down again, and tapped the water—an expression of weary helplessness.

Then she said to Ahri, "Fox, there was never anyone before who could travel between Spirit Blossom and the material realm."

"This power had nowhere to be used. Do you want me to grant it to the souls here? Wolf and I are already enough. We don’t need help."

"Fox," Lamb said carefully, "Logan is special."

"...Oh." Ahri finally processed it.

"Fox is stupid!" Wolf shouted from the side.

Ahri bristled instantly, baring her teeth at Wolf.

And Logan looked at the new "skill," but honestly, it felt less like a skill and more like another passive.

Seriously...

How many passives did he have now?!

He was already sitting on Ahri’s Charm, Elemental Mastery, Lamb’s Breath, and now Kindred’s Mark—

And the problem was all of them were passive effects!

Come on—couldn’t he get an active skill for once?!

Logan wanted to be a mage, too. Or at least get something with actual killing power.

Something like... Noxian Guillotine. Or Alpha Strike.

As he was complaining internally, Logan suddenly sucked in a breath and stared at the new passive, excitement flashing across his face.

[Kindred’s Mark (Red / Mythic)]

[Effect: As the reapers’ emissary, you possess the authority to decide where a soul belongs. Each time you decide a soul’s destination, you gain 0.01% of that soul’s pre-death soul strength as a reward.]

[Description: "Lamb, tell me again... what may we take?" "Everything, dear Wolf." —The soul’s stay or departure is yours to decide.]

Logan: "..."

This passive was insanely strong.

His face heated up without him realizing.

What did that effect mean?

It meant Logan now had a stacking growth mechanic—like a dark spellbook that grew stronger with every soul judged.

Before, he’d thought the only way to increase soul strength was to grind inside Spirit Blossom.

But now... he could do it in the material realm too.

Then Logan thought it through and forced himself to calm down.

Soul strength scaled exponentially. At thirty-two soul strength, there probably wasn’t a mortal in the material realm who could compare.

To be blunt—if Logan killed a thousand people and decided a thousand souls...

Would he even gain one point of soul strength?

No.

Would he even gain 0.01?

Whatever.

Why overthink it?

It was still a good thing. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Orianna’s problem was solved, he could grow stronger in the material realm, and besides—no matter how small, it was still gain.

And if he could send the souls of people he cared about to Spirit Blossom after they died...

That was absolutely a good thing.

"Alright, Logan," Lamb said. "Now you can go save Orianna."

"But like you, once her soul is brought here, Wolf and I will need time to heal it."

"And what you must do is bring her body to Ionia, so her soul can return to it."

"How long?" Logan asked.

Wolf answered, "Not long. Time moves differently between the material realm and Spirit Blossom."

"Your soul strength is weak, but that woman’s is even weaker. To repair her, Lamb and I only need two or three years."

Then Wolf’s voice turned harsh.

"But this is the last time, kid."

"Letting a soul return like this—Lamb and I are taking a risk to help you."

Logan nodded and thanked them both sincerely.

If Wolf said two or three years here, then outside it would only be a few months.

That wasn’t long at all. In a few months, Logan could do a lot.

The first thing he had to do was lead the Twin Cities against the Noxian warlords.

Camille had reported back: House Rettas, and Viscount Kiril—who controlled two mine tunnels—were already preparing troops, planning to attack Piltover without authorization.

They wanted to seize Piltover before the ruler could issue orders, turning it into their private prize.

And when that time came, airships armed with Hextech cannons would show Noxus what the Twin Cities could really do.

Then after that... Ionia?

Huh.

Taking Jinx on a trip to Ionia?

Once Orianna’s soul was fully repaired, Logan would have to personally carry Orianna’s body to Ionia. Singed would definitely follow.

And as for Jinx—if Logan didn’t let her come, she’d tear the house apart.

So suddenly, Logan found himself actually looking forward to it.

Ever since he’d arrived in Runeterra, he hadn’t truly rested. His nerves had stayed wound tight. He smiled at people often—warmth was the first impression he gave—but the truth was, sometimes Logan couldn’t even force himself to smile.

Constantly thinking about Zaun, constantly thinking about everyone around him... the pressure was enormous.

If Jinx and Isha hadn’t stayed by his side—if it weren’t for the everyday warmth of that little home—Logan would’ve become a different person.

So this time, going to Ionia...

Logan decided right then.

He was dumping Zaun on Silco for a while.

He wasn’t dealing with anything.

He was taking Jinx out and actually living for once.

When Orianna came back, Singed could take her home himself. And whether Logan and Jinx returned to Zaun afterward... or went somewhere else...

They’d decide based on mood.

Runeterra was so big.

He wanted to take Jinx everywhere.

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