As night approached, Faen and Karma returned to Ionia.
Stepping out of the portal, Faen stretched his waist. As the saying goes, a brief parting makes the heart grow fonder. Although he had Riven every night to help process his excess "nutrients," to be honest, a single Riven was hardly enough to satisfy Faen. For Riven, even using her front and back holes in rotation was a mere drop in the bucket compared to Faen's massive desires.
Now that Faen was back in the Twin Cities, though he spent the morning accompanying Karma, Karma wasn't there purely for a vacation.
After a shallow taste of the local customs outside Ionia, her sense of duty led her to fully immerse herself in the study of Noxian movements and intelligence from the past year. During that time, Faen chose to have a small gathering with his girls in the room next door.
It turned out that the best way to handle Faen's near-limitless lust was through pure "human-wave tactics." Although the pressure was high and they lacked a "main tank" to soak up damage since LeBlanc was currently active in Bilgewater, Zeri and the others—reinforced by many rounds of the Joy Factor—were able to hold their own through constant rotation, battling Faen to a standstill.
After such a release, Faen felt much more relaxed. Casting his gaze toward Karma beside him, he asked leisurely, "How was today's haul? The data I had Caitlyn organize should be very helpful to Ionia."
"It's more than just helpful; this data is a godsend," Karma replied, recovering from her thoughts. She spoke with deep emotion: "Though there isn't a detailed roster, just calculating from the food transport allows Ionia to indirectly confirm exactly how many soldiers Noxus has dispatched, allowing us to prepare more fully for the coming impact. And the records on military supplies and Noxian military culture give Ionia many angles to consider for defeating them indirectly."
She paused and took a deep breath. "This is of great significance to Ionia. As the Karma of this era, I must express my gratitude to you."
"There's no need for that."
Faen quickly waved his hand. "I grew up in Ionia; I love the land beneath my feet just as much. Besides, my luck is good—the Enlightened One of this era is a kindred spirit."
Looking at Darha, Faen said leisurely, "The Karma of this era is not a pedantic, old-fashioned relic, but a person with independent thought and unique insights into the world."
Though Faen's words sounded dignified on the surface, they caused an irrepressible, depraved flush to creep across Darha's cheeks. Only she knew what Faen's so-called "independent thought" actually looked like on that large bed in Piltover a few hours ago.
Just this afternoon, this sacred Enlightened One, worshiped by all of Ionia, had been pinned to the bed by Faen and his pack of "girls," who were as fierce as wolves and tigers. Her high-slit robes had been completely stripped away. Under the dual crushing force of the Joy Factor and carnal lust, Darha's decade-long line of abstinence was shredded like paper. She could still clearly recall how Faen's thick, scorching, purplish-red meat rod had mercilessly impaled her tight, pure flower house, utterly destroying her dignity as a woman.
Not only that, she had even been forced by Faen to kneel on the bed alongside that Zaunite girl, Zeri, like two female dogs in heat, competing to lick Faen's white-paste-covered giant. Faen had shot a massive amount of scalding semen deep into her womb, propping up her lower belly so much that it was still slightly bulging. Every step she took now caused a sticky, wet sound to emerge from the depths of her tunnel.
At this moment, although Darha was fully dressed and had put back on the mask of the Enlightened One's majesty, beneath those wide robes, her plump "doves" were covered in red marks from Faen's brutal kneading. Within her muddy flower cave, left uncovered by any underwear, she still carried a belly full of Faen's "nutritional milk." This extreme sense of immorality—carrying a man's semen while discussing the future of Ionia with such a serious face—made Darha's body tremble uncontrollably.
Hearing his words, Darha let out a light chuckle, then shook her head with a bit of emotion. "It's only because our goals are aligned right now. If they were different, I suppose I would become one of the 'fools' you speak of?"
"No," Faen shook his head. "The stupidity of a fool lies in not knowing how disgusting their actions are, while being proud and self-satisfied, refusing to repent."
"Your evaluation of the elders is truly harsh." Darha shook her head, and after a moment of silence, she said, "Give me your hand."
"Hmm? Okay." Hearing her request, although he didn't know why, Faen felt no malice from Darha, so he candidly extended his palm.
Darha closed her eyes, and the magic around her began to flow at high speed. Though she was one individual, in that moment, Faen could clearly feel that Darha had transformed from a single person into a collective of countless ancient souls. With a lofty gaze, the Twin Jade Dragons behind Darha whirled rapidly, then shot two streaks of light into the back of Faen's hand, forming two faint marks.
I've... been stamped?
Looking at the new marks on his hand, a strange expression appeared on Faen's face. After all, his arm already bore the seven-handed curse of Ashlesh—though as Faen gradually eroded Ashlesh's origin, he was now able to cover those marks with his own will, making them invisible to others.
And now... looking at the Twin Jade Dragons on his hand, Faen could only sigh. After marking the flower houses of Zeri, Caitlyn, and LeBlanc with his own sign, he never expected to be the one getting "stamped" himself.
He didn't get angry, however. After sensing the marks for a moment, he looked at Darha. "What do these do?"
"They allow you to gain the trust of Ionia's myriad spirits," Darha explained. "While ordinary spirits might not sense it, to the ancient spirits, the aura of the Joy Demon Ashlesh on your body is very obvious. Such an ancient existence usually brings catastrophe every time it appears, so it wouldn't be surprising if they attacked you on sight."
"With this mark, they will know you have the recognition and oversight of the Spirit of Ionia. Though some spirits will remain wary, at least there won't be any rash attacks. Similarly, with the mark of the Ionian Spirit, you can resonate better with the spirits of this land. Also," Darha added, "it is the key to entering the Dreaming Pool."
Hearing Darha's explanation, Faen nodded. "I understand—well, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"...Mhm." Hearing Faen was leaving, a flash of daze crossed Darha's eyes, but she quickly recovered and nodded.
Faen departed. Looking at the room that had suddenly become empty again with his departure, a look of loneliness surfaced in Darha's eyes. But just as she closed her eyes and restored her aura of wisdom, gentleness, and intellect, she opened them again only to find Faen back in her field of vision.
Darha was stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Is there... something else?"
"Nothing," Faen shook his head. "Just wanted to let you know, if you ever need anything, just tell me. we can head to other places anytime—only by balancing work and rest can you better fulfill your responsibilities."