Passing through the golden portal, the cold wind of the Himalayas swept over the blue bricks and wooden tiles, while the melodious sound of ancient bells echoed amidst the swirling mist, maintaining the desolation and solemnity of this hidden sanctuary for a thousand years.
Unlike the steel and concrete of New York, Kamar-Taj was filled with a primitive and mysterious charm.
However, this tranquility was broken today by a dazzling platinum-gold figure.
Lux strolled across the Martial Arts Square.
She wasn't intentionally showing off, but her suit of platinum light armor, crafted with Demacian royal techniques, reflected a nearly holy luster in the sunlight, looking quite out of place in this ascetic sanctuary full of coarse linen clothes.
She looked just like a foreign princess who had accidentally wandered into a place of commoner cultivation.
The mages practicing their morning drills on the square all cast their gazes her way.
The novice apprentices in white robes had the weakest concentration; as soon as their eyes touched Lux's sun-like smile, they felt their hearts race. In their loss of focus, the spark circles they had only drawn halfway collapsed into a few wisps of smoke with an embarrassing "poof."
The advanced mages in deep red monk robes were more knowledgeable; they stared at the flowing radiance on Lux's light armor, marveling at the forging techniques of this metal, which clearly did not belong to any known civilization on Earth.
As for the few in blue robes, or even those in unique personal colors who were master-level figures, they only felt astonishment at this moment.
Their focus was not on the girl's pretty face or her attire, but on her essence... that seemingly harmless blonde girl was, in their eyes, clearly a radiant sun forcibly bound within a humanoid shell!
"This way is the Library, and over there is the Training Ground."
The Ancient One walked ahead with her hands behind her back, patiently acting as a tour guide.
If Lux were to live here long-term, familiarizing herself with the environment was a necessity.
Yes, the Ancient One had already planned to have Lux stay here.
She was quite overbearing, with a strong sense of possessiveness.
"Ancient One, are they all mages too?" Lux felt the many gazes and looked back at them.
"You could say that, but they are at different stages."
The Ancient One explained with a smile, "White represents the novices who have just entered, like a blank sheet of paper, honing their character. Deep red represents apprentices undergoing rigorous training, who have mastered the basics of the mystic arts. Blue represents official mages who have completed their apprenticeship."
"As for those no longer bound by colors, they are masters who can stand on their own and have their own styles."
She then took the opportunity to explain Kamar-Taj's operating principles to Lux: "Through our practice, we build a bridge between the spirit and dimensions, borrowing power from the great Vishanti or even other dimensional entities to cast magic."
Hearing this, Lux's azure eyes lit up, and she exclaimed with an envious expression:
"Wow! That's amazing! You can actually borrow someone else's power?"
"Sigh, unlike me, I can only use the little bit of magic in my own body. Once it's used up, I have to wait for it to recover slowly. It's so inconvenient."
Ancient One: "..."
The Sorcerer Supreme's originally calm and detached pace faltered slightly.
Not sure if it was an illusion, but she felt as if the air in Kamar-Taj had suddenly become thick with the scent of "green tea"... She looked at Lux's sincere eyes.
After living so long, she actually couldn't tell for a moment if this child was humblebragging or truly envious.
It gave off a sense of déjà vu, like someone saying, "Oh, my house is too big; it takes several minutes to walk from the bedroom to the bathroom every day. I really envy you for living in those small pigeon-hole apartments"... [villainess value +2]
[simulation value +43]
Although she was humblebragged at a little bit, the Ancient One didn't mind.
After the tour, she brought Lux to the guest room prepared for her—
An elegant Meditation Room with a wide view where one could see the snow-capped mountains.
"What do you think of this place?" the Ancient One asked gently. "If you're tired, you can rest here for a while."
Lux sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs, her face overflowing with a heartfelt smile. "No need, Ancient One, I'm not tired, and I really like it here! Everyone is practicing magic openly; there's no need to hide, and no need to worry about being caught and taken away."
"If only my hometown could be like Kamar-Taj..."
Saying this, Lux's eyes dimmed for a moment.
In Demacia, mages were like rats crossing the street, a terminal illness that needed to be "cured."
Looking at the girl before her who possessed World-shaking talent yet seemed to carry a heavy past,
that protective instinct unique to elders was triggered by Lux's casual words.
"Child, in your hometown... you must have had a very hard time, right?"
The Ancient One sighed, her eyes full of pity.
"Huh?"
Lux was stunned by the question.
A hard time?
She instinctively began to recall her life in Demacia... As the pearl of the Crownguard Family, she had lived in luxury since childhood, with royal carriages for travel and crowds of servants at home. Aside from her brother Garen being a bit of a blockhead sometimes and Aunt Tianna being a little strict... "Uh... yes, it was quite hard."
Lux scratched her head awkwardly, her eyes darting around.
Having to memorize such thick etiquette books every day and not being able to go out and play freely.
Even wanting to eat at a street food stall required sneaking around. It really was... quite miserable.
The Ancient One didn't catch the exaggeration in her words, assuming she was just being sensible and didn't want to mention her tragic history.
This child is too strong.
Perhaps she really liked this sensible junior.
The Ancient One rarely opened up, acting like a warm relative chatting with a junior during New Year's as she looked for a topic:
"Since the environment there is so harsh, do you know many mages? For someone as excellent as you, you must have many companions, right?"
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Lux's forehead.
Mages she knew?
"That... I've seen quite a few," Lux said with a dry laugh, trying to be vague. "It's just... well... there aren't many who are still alive and kicking. You know, everyone is quite... introverted."
Yes, introverted.
They're all buried in the ground.
How could they not be introverted?
"I understand," the Ancient One nodded. "So in such a high-pressure environment, with your powerful talent, you must have given those oppressors quite a hard time, right? Righteous resistance is worthy of praise."
Lux: "..."
Now she was truly sweating buckets.
Giving the oppressors a hard time?
Her family seemed to be one of the biggest "chiefs of the oppressors" in Demacia.
But then again, if she hadn't released that damn Sylas, if she hadn't "accidentally" exposed the King's location to the enemy... then Demacia would probably still be peaceful for several hundred more years.
"Cough... I-I guess so."
Lux guiltily looked away, her fingers nervously twisting her hem.
"In a certain sense, I certainly... gave them quite a headache."
That's for sure.
The biggest oppressor, Jarvan III, was indirectly killed by her in just a few words.
That "hard time" was indeed quite significant.
"That's enough. In this cruel World, even a small bit of kindness is helpful to our mage compatriots, isn't it?"
The Ancient One looked at her gently, her voice like a spring breeze.
Don't... don't say anymore... Sister Ancient One... I, Luxanna, beg you!
Lux felt her conscience suffering a series of critical hits from the Ancient One, while the Sorcerer Supreme thought she was praising Lux.
There was indeed a small bit of kindness... but as for help... "Yeah... hehe... everyone says I've been a huge help." Lux's smile looked worse than a grimace.
As for whether "everyone" referred to the people of Demacia or enemy spies... that was hard to say.
This question became the final straw that crushed Lux's psychological defenses.
The Ancient One wanted to ask something else, but was suddenly interrupted.
"That! Ancient One!"
Lux stood up abruptly, her face flushed, and interrupted the suffocating conversation at high speed:
"I-I need to go to the bathroom! Where is the bathroom? I'm in a hurry! Very much so!"
The Ancient One was stunned for a moment, then pointed to the end of the hallway: "Turn left out the door and.."
Before she could finish, Lux had turned into a golden afterimage and vanished from the room with a "whoosh."
Looking at the empty doorway, the Ancient One picked up her teacup, took a sip, and showed a kindly smile:
"This child is still too shy."
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