Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route-Chapter 162: My Name Is Logan—They All Call Me the Lord of Zaun (EC)

Getting from Navori to Bondweave Village didn't take long. For Ionians—whose legs and stamina were absurdly strong—only provinces separated by open water, where you had to use a bamboo raft, would slow you down. Otherwise, any given Ionian could cover a hundred kilometers in a day, a long-distance beast.

And if Irelia didn't bring attendants and guards, she could move even faster.

Standing on a rise in the plains and looking toward the dense forest ahead, Irelia wore red battle armor, a silver bladed-feather crest on her head. Behind her, several blades drifted with the wind, trailing long streaks of silver.

Then she turned and looked at the not-small group behind her, an expression of helplessness crossing her face.

This group was, what—dozens of people?

She hadn't wanted to bring so many, but the moment everyone heard she was going out, they'd deliberately arranged powerful guards to prevent Irelia from being assassinated on the road.

If the Brotherhood hyenas found out Irelia had left alone, they would one hundred percent send countless squads to kill her. But realistically…

Were these people really here to protect her?

If Brotherhood assassins actually showed up, it would probably be her protecting them instead.

Still, their pace was fast, and on top of that, there were no traitors inside the resistance. So they set out at midday on the first day, and by the morning of the second day, Irelia's party had reached the outskirts of Bondweave Village.

Leading the group, Irelia entered the village.

Dozens of strangers flooding into a small village naturally drew attention. Bondweave Village was tiny—everyone knew everyone—so forget dozens of newcomers; even if a single unfamiliar face appeared, the villagers would recognize it instantly and become wary.

Babb was called in while he was working the fields. When he hurried to the village center and saw Irelia, his eyes went wide. His weathered face filled with excitement, and he dropped to his knees right in front of her.

"Sir—what are you doing?!" Irelia startled, rushing forward to help him up.

"You're Xan's daughter—you have to be Xan's daughter, right?!" Babb blurted, trembling with emotion as Irelia pulled him up. He stared at her youthful face like he couldn't believe she was real.

Babb's words made the surrounding villagers freeze—then all of them looked at Irelia with eager, burning eyes.

Xan's daughter.

The Xan family wasn't some famous house in Ionia—honestly, you could even say it had nothing to do with "famous" at all.

Because the villagers of Bondweave Village had no idea what "Xan" meant on its own. But if you added the last two words—Xan's daughter—then they all understood.

She carried countless labels: the great hero who resisted Noxus, the leader who fired the first shot of Ionian armed resistance, the girl who cut off a Noxian commander's arm…

In Navori, no one didn't know that name.

Seeing their reaction, Irelia could only give a bitter smile. She nodded. "That's me. But please… don't do that."

With Irelia's support, Babb stood, still staring at her as if he might cry.

He didn't trust the Brotherhood. He didn't trust the resistance, either. But he was willing to trust Irelia—because it was because of her that Ionians had freedom now.

"Someone like you… why would you come to a tiny place like Bondweave Village?" Babb asked curiously.

Was the resistance recruiting?

But Bondweave Village was so small that even counting all the able-bodied young adults, there weren't fifty. A leader like Irelia coming in person didn't make sense at all.

So…

"Oh!" Babb suddenly thought of something. "You're here for Mr. Logan, aren't you?"

He'd seen Logan's strength with his own eyes. If Xan's daughter had personally come to invite someone from Bondweave Village, it could only be Logan.

Irelia was about to nod, but Wen immediately spoke up beside her. "Wait a little, Irelia. Not yet."

"Why?" Irelia frowned. "You're the one who told me to come."

Wen answered, "He's teaching right now."

"The Brotherhood got wrecked last time because they interrupted his class," Wen said after a moment's thought. "People like him… have rules."

Irelia's temperament was good. She nodded, then looked at Babb—who clearly wanted to keep talking—and asked, "Sir, do you have water?"

"Of course! You—go, hurry! Bring water and food!" Babb barked at someone at once.

Irelia quietly watched. When the food and water arrived, she distributed everything to her people. She only kept a piece of fruit for herself, then sat with Babb and talked.

Irelia liked talking with elders. She liked hearing stories, hearing reason, and she never got tired of it.

Because it reminded her of her late grandmother.

"Before class ends, there's something I need to say."

Inside the classroom, Logan swept his gaze across the students, then looked at Jinx—sitting on the windowsill—and Akali, who was watching him.

Jinx came to class today for one reason: she wanted to see what the "girl who could beat Vander" looked like.

And what she saw was a girl about the same height as her—clearly younger than her—yet carrying an air more mature than Jinx's.

Damn it…

Is having a baby face my fault?!

Jinx was furious about it.

Seriously—she was already nineteen. But if she stood next to Akali, everyone would absolutely assume they were the same age. No one would guess Jinx was four or five years older. Some people would probably even think Akali was Jinx's older sister.

"In a few days, I might not be able to teach you anymore," Logan said calmly.

If he counted the time, it was about when he'd agreed to meet Kindred. He needed to notify Singed ahead of time, so Singed could bring Orianna's body to Ionia.

So his "teacher" identity in Ionia was basically ending here.

Down below, the moment Logan said that, Sett, Link, and the rest of the kids immediately panicked.

"Why?!"

"Teacher, are you abandoning us?!"

"Teacher, we'll behave! We won't be late anymore!"

They hurriedly promised, all talking over each other.

At first, studying had felt like torture. But as they learned more words and understood more about the world outside, they gradually started to like learning.

If they could, they didn't want Logan to leave.

"It's because I'm not Ionian," Logan said gently. "I'm from Zaun. You all already know that. So sooner or later, I'll have to leave this place."

He looked at them, braced both hands on the lectern, and smiled. "And I still have things I need to do. I won't have time to teach you in the future. But I hope you won't give up on learning."

"Zaun and Piltover are expanding. If you want to, you can go see the Twin Cities someday. The environment is better, and you can learn more advanced knowledge there."

Both cities were pushing education hard and expanding territory, so immigration to the Twin Cities was very convenient right now.

Especially for Ionians. Ionians basically had no criminal records—everyone in Runeterra knew what Ionians were like.

If they went to Zaun or Piltover, Silco or Jayce would approve and happily take them in.

The cities truly didn't lack money. They didn't even lack force.

But they definitely lacked population.

They were really short on people.

"Alright, I won't say more," Logan said. "You won't need to come to class tomorrow. But I prepared a gift for you. Actually—forget it, I won't tease you."

He smiled. "This classroom will be filled with books. I hope you'll come every day to read. And don't worry—when you finish them all, I'll have more books delivered."

After that, Logan dismissed them.

Even though they were reluctant, the kids obediently filed out.

Akali stood as well and looked at Logan. "I've only been reading for two days, and you're already running off?"

"Akali, I was never really a teacher," Logan said, giving her a look.

Then he added, "If we're talking knowledge and wisdom, my wife is better than I am."

Jinx immediately looked at Akali, her small face full of smug victory.

Yeah. The "wife" he meant was her.

You little homewrecker.

Akali met Jinx's eyes and frowned.

Back when she'd seen this woman in the afternoon, Akali had already noticed the hostility.

And… wife?

"You married a woman younger than me?" Akali put one hand on her hip and looked at Logan with open disdain—like she was two seconds away from calling him trash to his face.

"Younger than you? I'm younger than you?" Jinx slammed the desk and sprang up. "I'm nineteen, okay?!"

Akali: "?"

"You're nineteen?" Akali looked Jinx up and down—then her gaze dropped to Jinx's chest, which… honestly hadn't developed as much as Akali's.

"The hell are you staring at?!" Being "ladylike" and "Jinx" had never been in the same universe. The moment she noticed Akali's rude gaze, she snapped and lunged, reaching for Akali's hair.

In her agitation, Jinxie completely forgot what Logan had said—that Akali could beat Vander.

Or maybe it was simpler than that: as long as Logan was beside her, she wasn't afraid of anything.

Akali reacted instantly. Her body vanished from in front of Jinx, and when she reappeared, she was already behind her. She lifted a hand to seize Jinx's arm and restrain her.

But a hand pressed down on Akali's shoulder.

Akali's arm was forced down immediately.

Her pupils shrank. She turned her head and saw Logan's face—stern—his large hand resting on her shoulder.

Akali frowned and tried to resist, but she couldn't generate any strength at all. It felt like… 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

…like a mountain was pinning her in place.

"You cursed again," Logan said to Jinx.

"She looked down on me first," Jinx shot back.

"She only looked," Logan said, exasperated. "She didn't say anything."

The fact that Jinx was nineteen—if you told people—besides Zaunites, even Piltover folks wouldn't believe it, let alone people from other regions.

Because she looked way too young.

Slim, all angles and no curves, a cute, innocent face, and that hyper, chaotic personality—no matter who saw her, they wouldn't think "adult."

No wonder her title was the Loose Cannon.

And honestly, Logan found it hilarious.

Before Arcane came out, who would've guessed Jinx was older than Irelia and Akali?

In the first three episodes, the writers outright said Jinx was around eleven or twelve. Then the timeline jumped six years in the later episodes. That meant that around the time Noxus invaded Ionia, Jinx was already about eighteen.

And yet her champion title was still—

the Loose Cannon.

That twitchy, manic—but undeniably cute—face made players instinctively assume that in the "modern era," she was still just a teenager, maybe not even twenty.

But in reality?

In Riot's modern-era timeline—around year 997—Irelia is clearly about twenty-six.

And Jinx?

She's already past thirty, creeping toward forty—a full-on grown woman.

So Jinx's looks and vibe—no, even her personality—were absolutely deceptive.

A fully legal, unhinged, pint-sized menace.

"Apologize to Akali, Jinx," Logan said. "This is Ionia, not Zaun. In Zaun, everyone swears, everyone talks dirty, and nobody cares. But here, you can't."

"I—I…" Jinx puffed out her cheeks, but in the end, she still looked at Akali with annoyance and said, "I shouldn't have yelled at you. That was my fault."

After she said it, she turned away and refused to look at Logan.

Of course, Jinxie wasn't actually mad. She just felt… a little irritated.

She knew Logan was on her side. She wasn't stupid.

Wasn't Akali the one who couldn't even move under Logan's hand?

Akali only nodded in silence and accepted Jinx's apology.

And suddenly, Akali realized her assumption yesterday might've been wrong.

Yesterday, she'd thought that even if she couldn't beat Logan, she could at least run—and he wouldn't be able to stop her.

But now…

Logan's speed seemed even faster than hers.

And that strength…

Akali was already strong. The Kinkou Order's training was brutal, and she'd become the current Fist of Shadow at fourteen. Her physical ability was beyond question.

Yet right now, under Logan's palm, she couldn't use even a trace of power.

If Logan knew what she was thinking, he'd only smile.

Akali's strength was impressive—she could probably lift hundreds of pounds, maybe even over a thousand.

But Logan?

Logan was someone who could shatter a warship with one punch.

Akali wanted to compare strength with him?

After returning to Zaun from the Spirit Blossom revival, Logan considered himself basically unbeatable across Valoran.

He wasn't bragging.

Aside from the truly abnormal ancient monsters and the demigods, Logan really could rampage across the continent—and that was exactly why he dared to bring Jinx with him. Because sure, plenty of beings could beat him… but those were the kinds of beings that stayed quiet for decades or centuries at a time.

And those things weren't really "human" anymore.

Among humans, Logan honestly didn't think there were many he needed to fear.

Of course—except Ionia.

If you were talking about Shen or Zed, Logan figured he probably couldn't win.

And Master Yi? Forget it.

That man was someone who could easily suppress Darkin.

Xolaani was currently hiding within the Wuju temple with zero movement. Was it because she hadn't revived yet?

No.

It was because as long as Master Yi was there, Xolaani didn't dare stir trouble.

Because Master Yi's sword didn't just cut flesh—it cut souls.

"One strike to cut everything" wasn't a joke.

If Jax was the ceiling of human martial skill—the unquestioned war-god who fought demigods with a mortal body—then Master Yi was a true Sword Saint. Maybe he didn't have demigod-level power, but his blade could absolutely harm one.

Ionia was just not normal. There was no point comparing anything here. People here ranged from terrifyingly strong to helplessly weak.

Like how—even among fishermen—you could get someone like Xin Zhao.

Logan figured if he fought Xin Zhao, the best-case scenario was fifty-fifty. A worse scenario was that he couldn't win, but could escape. The worst-case scenario was a life-and-death battle where he heavily wounded Xin Zhao… and then got run through by a spear.

"Can you let go of me now?" Akali said darkly.

Logan stepped back and released his hand.

Akali rubbed her shoulder and snorted. She understood the message.

It looked like Logan was just making Jinx apologize, but in reality, he was pinning Akali down—using force to warn her.

If he only wanted Jinx to apologize, he could've simply stood between them.

He didn't need to press Akali down so she couldn't move.

Still, Akali didn't say anything.

To Logan, she was just a stranger.

Helping his wife was perfectly normal. Not helping would be strange.

"Mad again?"

"No."

"If you're not mad, turn around and let me see."

"I'm not turning around."

"Alright, it's my fault. I was wrong, okay? I shouldn't have said that." Logan stepped forward and started coaxing Jinx.

He moved in front of her, bent at the waist, and lowered his head to look at her face.

"And you say you're not mad—your lips are puckered enough to hang a ketchup bottle off them."

"How about a kiss? Will you stop being mad?" Logan blinked at her.

Akali, listening from the side: "…"

Jinx raised her fist in annoyance and punched Logan once.

She was about to say something when a voice sounded.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

All three of them looked toward the treehouse door, and saw a girl peeking in.

Her black hair fell smoothly around her shoulders. Her features were sharp and handsome, her face delicate and refined. Through the crack in the door, you could see her red armored dress—and the several floating blades behind her, silver blades splitting apart and converging as they danced in the air.

The students hadn't closed the door properly when they left, leaving a gap.

Wen reached out and pushed the door open. Looking at Logan, he said, "Mr. Logan, our leader is here."

"Is it convenient to talk?"

Irelia walked in and looked at Logan with a hint of curiosity—then she saw Akali, and surprise flashed through her emerald eyes.

Logan looked at Irelia with a sense of emotion.

Honestly… for people who played League, aside from ADC players, who didn't love Irelia?

Especially players who knew her lore.

In the game, Ionia was clearly inspired by East Asian aesthetics, and Irelia, Yasuo, Yi, Xin Zhao—these Ionians were depicted as unmistakably East Asian.

Don't ask why people who split off from the Freljord looked like that.

Logan didn't know either.

"Of course," Logan said, smiling. "I also happen to want to talk with the leader of the resistance about something."

He gestured for Irelia and Wen to come over.

After they sat down, Logan laced his fingers and placed his hands on the table. Jinx sat beside him, staring at Irelia the whole time.

Logan had said this woman was even stronger than Akali. And that she'd cut off a Noxian commander's arm—some high-ranking commander named Swain.

Anyway, Jinx was extremely curious about Irelia.

Logan noticed Jinx's little behavior and found it funny.

Because if this were Summoner's Rift, the moment Jinx dared to look at Irelia, she'd be rewarded with Irelia dashing in with her Q and chasing her down the lane, carving her up with blades the whole way.

Logan looked at Irelia and said:

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Logan. I'm from Zaun. I'm Zaun's leader. They all call me… the Lord of Zaun."

The moment the words fell—

Wen stood up immediately.

His face went iron-gray. His teeth were chattering.

The sentence "Irelia, let's go" almost burst out of his mouth.

Irelia just stared at Logan, stunned. Then she looked at Wen.

Her beautiful face filled with confusion, a clear "?" written in her eyes.

Wait.

What had Wen told her again?

Right—he told her to come to Bondweave Village and recruit two people into the resistance.

But Wen never said the person she was recruiting was the Lord of Zaun?!

You think that highly of me?

Is that someone I can even recruit?!

For a moment, Irelia felt completely lost.

There was no way she could force out the words "Please join us."

Irelia didn't understand politics, but she understood one thing:

That sentence could not possibly be spoken now.

Meanwhile, Logan smiled and said:

"Come on. I've got some things I want to discuss with you too. The Brotherhood doesn't follow rules and they're too brutal. Your resistance, on the other hand, is good."

"This will involve the interests of Zaun, Piltover, and Ionia."

"A deal that won't leave you worse off."

Logan didn't notice Irelia's tiny panic, and he didn't realize he'd completely taken control of the conversation.

But he really did have a deal to discuss with her.

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