Flying was inherently a romantic thing.
The azure sky, the pure white clouds, and the flocks of soaring birds all seemed within arm's reach. The distant mountains, the vast sea, and the rows of towering skyscrapers could easily be taken in at a glance.
Most importantly, there was someone holding your hand to share this beautiful scenery with you.
'I really wish time would slow down.'
Time obviously could not slow down, but they could fly a little slower. Arriving at their destination a bit later meant having an extra minute of companionship.
Levi unconsciously thought to himself.
But he quickly snapped out of it.
'No, this won't do! The Windguides' cause is more important than anything else. I can't delay the meeting just for romance.'
'Even being a few minutes late is unacceptable.'
Because from high up in the sky, they could see more than just the natural beauty of the sky meeting the sea, and more than just the bustling streets of Piltover—there was also the lingering toxic Chemtech smog hanging over Zaun across the canal.
The workers carrying sacks at the docks, the children scavenging for food in garbage heaps, the women standing at the entrances of alleys, the ragged sailors, peddlers, beggars, and vagrants... Because of a Transcendent's sharp eyesight, Levi could see all of this too.
He could not pretend he didn't see it.
"Mr. Levi," Seraphine said suddenly, "I can't fly any faster."
She seemed a bit hesitant, reluctant to part.
But she still took the initiative to say, "Mr. Levi, please use Sister Janna's power to speed us up."
"I..." Levi hesitated as well.
Seraphine held his hand and encouraged him, "It's okay, Mr. Levi."
"Alright." And so, the wind picked up.
Air currents swirled around the two standing on the mobile stage, pushing them forward at a much faster speed.
Piltover wasn't very large to begin with.
At this speed, it wouldn't even take two minutes for them to reach their destination.
What could be done in two minutes?
They could only chat for a few sentences.
Considering this was, after all, his and Seraphine's first unofficial date, Levi felt that he should at least dedicate these short two minutes to the girl.
He should temporarily forget about work and have a proper chat with Seraphine about things that only concerned the two of them.
Therefore...
"Seraphine, what do you..." Levi asked.
"Hmm?" The pink-haired girl trembled with anticipation.
"...think about the current ideological split within the Windguides?"
"..." Seraphine was speechless.
It couldn't be helped.
It wasn't that Levi didn't want to talk about private matters, but mainly because the space on this mobile stage was simply too small!
Like a Bodhisattva's lotus seat or the Green Goblin's glider, it was a single-person flying artifact.
Forcing two people onto it while ensuring they stood firm and didn't fall off inevitably meant standing shoulder-to-shoulder, legs brushing against each other. The two practically had to embrace.
Seraphine's fair and rosy cheeks were right before his eyes, and her smooth, delicate neck and perfectly defined collarbones were completely defenseless against his gaze.
Those strands of pink hair were like Ahri's E skill, constantly blowing into Levi's face with the wind, bringing waves of an alluring, delicate fragrance.
'I really want to pull her into my arms and smooch...'
"Cough, cough, cough!" Levi coughed, instantly snapping awake.
'What the hell am I thinking! This girl can read minds!'
'If I'm already thinking about kissing her now, I don't even dare to imagine what I'll think of next.'
'If Seraphine "hears" those thoughts, my glorious and righteous image will completely collapse. This is only our first date; is it really appropriate to let such a pure, good girl know about these things?'
But how could a person control their own thoughts?
Levi had no other choice.
He could only talk about work.
The cause and faith of the Windguides were the only things that could help him overcome his human instincts.
Thus, Levi asked, "Seraphine, what do you think about the current ideological split within the Windguides?"
Seraphine remained silent for a long while.
Then she finally replied, "Mr. Levi, are you referring to the 'Moderate Route' and 'Radical Route' issue that everyone has been arguing about lately?"
"Yes." Although he hadn't planned to talk about this at all initially, Levi forced the topic open. "Everyone is arguing fiercely over this right now. Seraphine, which side do you personally agree with more?"
In Levi's view, given Seraphine's gentle and soft personality, she would definitely align more with the Moderate Faction's ideals.
She wasn't a true Zaunite. "Bloodshed" was a very unfamiliar and terrifying word to her.
But Seraphine thought for a moment and answered, "I think it's very dangerous."
"Whether people support nonviolent non-cooperation or armed struggle for victory, a divided situation like the current one—where we can neither unify our ideology nor reach a consensus—is extremely dangerous."
Having not seen her for a week, this "Silly-phine" was surprisingly astute and capable when talking about work.
"This past week, for the sake of propaganda work, I've visited the communities, schools, factories, and the various Windguide working groups more than once."
"In the beginning, everyone shared the same vision and worked toward the same goal. Even though we lacked experience, our work progressed very quickly."
"But later, as more people joined the Windguides, our progress actually slowed down."
"Because everyone is just busy holding meetings, arguing, and forming cliques... The most terrifying part is that I can 'hear' their souls. Their souls are all beautiful, but the voices of their souls are becoming increasingly extreme and antagonistic, and their emotions are growing more and more dangerous."
"I'm very worried that if this continues, the divide between them will become increasingly fractured and deep, perhaps even making them worse than sworn enemies."
Seraphine had actually used her abilities to astutely foresee the terrifying future that would result from this ideological split reaching its extreme.
"You're absolutely right," Levi said with a hint of delight.
He was delighted that Seraphine possessed such insight.
He was even more delighted that he had found not just a lover, but a comrade with whom he could freely discuss his ideals.
"Exactly. The Windguides are human too, so it's normal to have internal disagreements. It would be strange if there were no disagreements or factions."
"But if this divide becomes too fractured and the disagreements spiral out of control into hostility, then it becomes very dangerous."
How could they prevent it from spiraling out of control?
That required Levi, as their guide, to explain the situation and reason with everyone, getting as many people as possible to agree with the correct route and helping to unify their ideology.
"But the problem right now is that I can't publicly state the correct direction."
"If I publicly tell everyone that 'nonviolent non-cooperation' is completely unfeasible in the cultural and political environment of Runeterra, and that the only way is to overthrow the Piltover elites through armed struggle and fight for Zaun's independence... the Piltover Council's extermination army would probably show up at our doorstep the very next day."
"We are still too weak. We can't face the enemy head-on yet."
The ideological split had already thrown the Windguides into chaos. Yet Levi was constrained by the circumstances of their struggle, unable to step forward and help unify everyone's thoughts.
This problem seemed to have no solution.
Seraphine listened patiently, thought for a moment, and then asked at the right time, "Then is there really no way to solve this problem?"
"There is," Levi chuckled confidently. "The Windguide general assembly I plan to hold tomorrow is being convened precisely to solve this problem."
"Solve it with a meeting? But Mr. Levi, didn't you just say..." Seraphine asked, her curiosity piqued.
"...that you can't publicly promote the idea of armed struggle yet?"
He couldn't publicly promote it right now. But why couldn't he?
Because Levi was worried the information would leak.
Why would the information leak?
Because there were too many people in the Windguides now.
A full 521 official members. Not only was the number large, but a significant portion of them were "shallow believers" who had recently joined the Windguides under the influence of the "Moderate Propaganda Pamphlet."
Although these "shallow believers" also had faith, their faith was superficial and fragile, completely unable to withstand the test of true hardship.
These people could share in the good times, but it would be very difficult for them to share in the bad.
If they found out that what the Windguides truly wanted to do was rebel—
They would probably be so terrified that they would immediately quit the association and flee. Their faith and convictions might even collapse, leading them to turn around and inform the Piltover Council.
That was why Levi had no way to publicly promote his ideology of armed struggle to the Windguides.
Because there were too many "shallow believers" in the current Windguides, they were far from being a team with firm faith and strict organization.
Even the most basic confidentiality work could not be trusted.
"Our requirements for joining the Windguides are still a bit too lenient," Levi suddenly sighed as he thought of this.
"Then what exactly should we do?" Seraphine asked again, extremely curious.
"Well about that..." Levi smiled. "You'll find out after the meeting tomorrow."
He just smiled, offering no detailed explanation.
A moment later, Seraphine furrowed her brows in complaint. "Mr. Levi, just tell me!"
"Eh?" Levi was slightly taken aback.
Did he even need to say it?
'Don't you know how to read minds?' As long as he thought about it in his head, shouldn't Seraphine know?
"Mmm..." Seraphine murmured, not answering directly.
But her face suddenly flushed red, and her gaze became somewhat evasive.
"U-um, actually..." she stammered.
"Mr. Levi, when you were thinking... thinking about..." Seraphine stammered, her face so hot it looked like it was about to emit steam.
"When you were thinking about pulling me into your arms and doing that, I already turned off my telepathy."
Even though it was just a smooch.
But the smooching scene Levi had imagined—with its professional movements and rich details—was already far beyond what this child could handle.
"Mr. Levi," Seraphine apologized with a blushing face, noticing his awkward expression. "I-I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to look at those things."
"..." Levi was speechless.
His expression grew even more awkward.
Just like that, Levi sat stunned for a long time.
Then he suddenly let out a long sigh of relief. "Seraphine?"
"Hmm?" Seraphine looked over attentively.
Levi took the initiative to hold her small hand, placing her slender, long, yet soft fingers—like a work of art—in his palm to carefully feel them.
Then, he emphasized, "If you're going to use your telepathy again, you absolutely, absolutely must..."
"...tell me in advance," he finished.