CHAPTER 173 - The Night of the Prophet's Confession

Kai'sa held a peach in one hand and a small bag given by the vendor around her waist, containing five peaches.

The sweet flesh filled her mouth, but it couldn't suppress her anger at what had just happened.

"I don't understand..." Kai'sa muttered, "That guy clearly wanted to rip you off, yet you gave him so much money."

"He admitted his mistake, didn't he? That's honesty," Li Lin chuckled, patting Kai'sa's head gently. "Do you think I would have done the same if he had continued to be stubborn?"

Kai'sa hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Li Lin, her expression serious as she nodded.

Li Lin rubbed her small head with a bit of frustration.

The metal of the power armor was a bit rough, causing Kai'sa to wrinkle her nose. She dodged his hand and huffed, "Speak properly, don't touch my hair."

Seeming afraid that Li Lin might misunderstand something, she quickly explained, "Um... I mean, don't touch my hair with your metal armor on."

"Okay, my bad."

Li Lin retracted his hand and gestured, and Kai'sa returned to his side.

"But, I do think I made the right choice... If it were you, what would you do if you encountered someone being chased by Voidlings and needed help?"

Kai'sa raised an eyebrow, lost in thought, even forgetting to eat the peach.

After a few seconds, she looked up and responded, "Of course, I would help them..."

"What if they mistook you for a monster?"

Kai'sa froze completely.

A monster...

When Nasus and Sivir first saw me in the underground tunnel, didn't they see me as a monster?

But now, after getting to know each other, they're pretty nice to me...

Kai'sa hesitated for a long time, "I... would still help them."

Her personality is indeed exactly the same as what I understand.

Li Lin bent down, lightly resting his hand on her shoulder, his gaze level with hers.

"The principle is the same. The merchant clearly has a family of his own, and this batch of goods is very important to him, which is why he lied about the price.

"And after we exposed the truth, he didn't choose to be stubborn, but admitted his mistake and showed remorse.

"That's why I chose to help him, because I think he's worth helping, and I happen to have the ability to do so."

Kai'sa remained silent for a long time before nodding thoughtfully.

But judging by her expression, it seemed she didn't quite understand...

Li Lin silently chuckled, realizing that some things were too early for a child her age to understand.

He didn't intend to continue on this topic: "Let's go, let's stroll a bit more before heading back. Otherwise, your father will worry."

The two continued to stroll through the commercial street of Zirima.

In the blink of an eye, they had already walked through most of the town.

Kai'sa ate the peaches quickly, almost finishing all the peaches, including those in the bag, in less than five minutes.

She licked her lips with a look of eagerness, seeming to want to hurry back to eat the remaining peaches.

Having living skin had its advantages; she didn't have to worry about getting a stomachache from eating too much.

The northern gate of Zirima was just ahead, and Li Lin didn't plan to leave the city, intending to take Kai'sa back via another route.

But just as they turned the corner, they noticed a crowd gathered ahead, attracting their attention.

"What's going on there?" Kai'sa asked curiously.

Li Lin furrowed his brows lightly. Through the crowd, he could vaguely see someone in the middle speaking passionately.

"Judging by the situation, it seems like preaching?"

But news of the return of the Eagle King should have spread throughout Shurima by now, and he wasn't friendly toward other deities, or rather, the Shuriman royal family didn't recognize any gods other than the God-Warriors.

Janna, the Wind Goddess of Zaun, was a case in point. Her statue had been toppled during the age of Oshra Va'zaun, under the personal supervision of an imperial-sent God-Warrior.

Who else would dare openly oppose the empire's ideals and promote other Gods?

A name floated into Li Lin's mind—The Void, but he didn't dare to be sure.

After all, Kai'sa by his side was very sensitive to the Void, and those followers of the Void were more or less corroded.

Kai'sa didn't say anything, proving that the person ahead should be an ordinary person.

"Let's go and join the fun, maybe it'll be interesting."

With such sophisticated power armor, few citizens of Shurima dared to block Li Lin's path.

Kai'sa followed closely behind him, and the two quickly squeezed to the front of the crowd, with the surrounding people even "kindly" making way for them, leaving a spacious area.

In front of what seemed to be a notice board, a middle-aged man dressed in a deep purple robe, with a matching turban and veil on his head, was preaching.

Li Lin noticed ancient runes sewn onto the old trailing robe, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The ancient text of Shurima, which he had seen before at the Marrowmark market, was identical to the symbols on the body of the elderly man who harbored the Void and believed in the Void.

Actually, even without looking at these obscure characters, just by his attire, Li Lin immediately recognized him as a member of the Void cult.

However, judging from Kai'sa's reaction and the status displayed by the Data Mind, this person had not yet been parasitized by the Void.

"The Night of Confession is approaching, at which time, the Prophet will reveal her beauty to us! We will wander in the faint purple sea she creates, where we will reunite with our deceased loved ones, whether they be family or friends who have already returned to the spirit realm..."

The Night of Confession?

He vaguely remembered that everyone who joined the Void cult would have their minds influenced by the "Psychic magic" of Malzahar, absorbing their memories and devouring their flesh.

In simple terms, they were used as living sacrifices.

Li Lin's brow was tightly knit.

"What he's saying... could it be about the Void?"

Kai'sa's expression was slightly grave as she reached out and pulled Li Lin's arm, lowering her voice, "Why would he do this?! The Void is clearly the enemy of all living beings..."

"Most people in Shurima have not received a good education, coupled with various strange magical existences, many people who believe in this are easily deceived."

As he spoke, Li Lin discreetly observed the reactions of the people around him.

Most of the people sneered at the words of the Void cult's man, their faces showing amusement.

However, there were several men and women of various ages, mostly over 30, who showed signs of interest.

"Lord Ramos above, may I ask... are what you're saying all true?"

A woman with dark skin, graying temples, and a face marked by the years pushed through the crowd, her voice trembling slightly.

Her eye sockets were red, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, obviously reminded of her long-deceased husband.

"What you call 'the Void'... can it really allow me to see my husband and son, who were killed by Shuriman bandits as guides for a caravan two years ago..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down the woman's face along the wrinkles.

"Yes, yes... the Prophet will reunite you with your loved ones, and your memories will also provide her with strength, it's mutually beneficial."

The middle-aged man's cloudy eyes narrowed into slits.

Although his facial expressions were all covered by the veil, Li Lin could still see that he was smiling.

"We can't let him deceive others!"

Kai'sa couldn't hold back any longer, stepping out from behind Li Lin and running to the front of the crowd.

She pointed at the preacher of the Void cult, her tone furious, "Don't believe this guy's nonsense! The Void only brings destruction, its ultimate goal is to devour the entire world!"

The scene erupted into uproar, with people starting to discuss.

However, only a part of the people were influenced by her recent words. Most of them were surprised, and even panicked, by the strange scales on the appearance of this little girl, Kai'sa.

The murky eyes of the cultist turned to Kai'sa, a hint of fierceness flashing deep within.

But then, his eyebrows relaxed, and surprise appeared in his eyes.

Since Kai'sa had just stood behind Li Lin, blocking most of her, the man hadn't noticed Kai'ssa.

But now Kai'sa was completely exposed in his sight, and the man could easily feel the power emanating from her that was similar to that of the Prophet—

The power of the Void.

"Oh, hehe..." The man let out a strange laugh, "Little girl, it's obvious that you..."

However, before the man could finish his sentence, Li Lin, who had already guessed what he wanted to say, activated the Blink function of his powered armor and appeared in front of him in an instant.

Ignoring the astonished cries of the man and the surrounding people, Li Lin's iron fist smashed into his nose and mouth, preventing him from exposing Kai'sa's identity.

A stream of blood sprayed from his nostrils and mouth through the veil, splattering on the ground.

The cultist was hit by his punch with less force than intended, flying backward and crashing into the wooden notice board before landing heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust, and instantly falling silent.

Everyone around was dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.

The air fell into a momentary silence.

Li Lin took out a handkerchief from his bag and wiped the blood off his right hand, turning around slowly.

However, before he could say anything to the people around him, the excited Kai'sa couldn't help but shout, "Li Lin, you're so cool!"

(End of this chapter)