Half a month later.
"I see it, I see it! Look!"
Lux held Annie in her arms and stood at the very front of the deck, her eyes sparkling as she cheered, excited like a child.
In her eyes, the outline of a massive harbor city had already been vaguely drawn out. That was the destination they had spent so many days sailing toward, Piltover!
Hearing the commotion, Luke lazily rose from his lounge chair and yawned.
This time at sea had been extremely boring. Even fishing counted as one of Luke's richest forms of entertainment.
They did often play Monopoly as well. Annie and Lux, the child of destiny, loved the game. It had to be said that other than their astonishingly similar magical talents, the two of them also got along very well in daily life.
Luke walked toward the front of the deck. A cool sea breeze blew against him. His eyesight was better, so Piltover's outline was also much clearer to him.
The most eye-catching thing was the towering sea gate. It stretched across the ocean, connecting two continents, with countless buildings of different heights sitting all around it. At a glance, they were densely packed together like a beehive.
That was Piltover's most famous structure, the Sun Gates.
This one sea gate alone had brought unimaginable wealth to the city.
After all, whether the ships on this side wanted to pass through, or the ships on that side wanted to come over, they all had to go through this gate.
Of course, this was not tyranny. The taxes on passing ships only targeted cargo ships, merchant ships, transport ships, passenger ships, and others that wanted to pass through Piltover to conduct trade.
Ordinary ships basically were not charged.
It was precisely because of the Sun Gates and Piltover's existence that countless visitors from all over the world had been drawn here.
As the ship continued forward, the outline of the Sun Gates gradually became clearer, and from this angle, they looked even more majestic and spectacular.
Clearly, it had taken the careful construction of many generations to achieve such enormous scale.
Noxian city walls were usually built very tall and large, giving them a domineering appearance.
But compared to the Sun Gates before them, they were completely insufficient.
A ship beneath the Sun Gates looked as small as an ant.
At this moment, because of Lux's cheer, quite a few people had already been drawn over to watch.
After leaving the battlefield and returning to a relaxed pace of life, the hearts that had been tense for so long gradually began to loosen again.
After they moved forward for another stretch, a ship suddenly sailed straight toward them.
When it was about to approach, the ship slowed down. Looking closely, it was a medium-small sightseeing vessel. Its exterior carried Piltover's fine craftsmanship and looked especially pleasing to the eye.
A man in Enforcer attire appeared on the ship, looking like a high-ranking official. He then spoke respectfully. "May I ask if this is Demacia's fleet? Is His Highness the second prince aboard?"
His voice passed through the loudspeaker on the ship and reached Luke's side clearly.
Luke heard him and replied, "That's me. A pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." The Enforcer maintained a very polite attitude. "I am Slap Lacazette, the representative responsible for receiving you and the other honored guests at sea this time. Next, I will lead you all to Piltover. Please follow me. We are expected to arrive in another half hour of sailing."
As he spoke, the ship beneath his feet had already begun to turn, changing direction and moving in front of Luke's fleet to lead the way.
Luke naturally had no objection. He gave the order for them to follow. Piltover had sent people so far out to wait for him, which clearly showed they had put thought into it.
At the same time.
Above the Sun Gates, the councilors, high-ranking officials, and nobles who had received the news in advance were already waiting there.
At the front, Heimerdinger stood on a wooden box and looked toward the distant sea, as though doing so would allow him to see the approaching Demacians.
A clean red carpet had been laid across the ground. On both sides, musicians were arranged in rows, ready to perform at any time.
At this moment, everyone was dressed formally for the occasion.
Mel stood among the councilors and waited quietly. Seeing so many people waiting eagerly, she could not help feeling emotional.
Even when her mother had arrived, she had not received treatment like this from Piltover.
On the other side.
Cassandra tidied the collar of her daughter beside her, whose face already looked somewhat impatient, and said solemnly, "Caitlyn, this opportunity was not easy for me to secure for you. If you perform well, your future career will have no problems, so absolutely do not make any mistakes."
Hearing this, Caitlyn said numbly, "I know, Mom. You've emphasized it to me at least ten times these past few days."
"That is because the situation this time is different. The other party's status is noble, and I have arranged for you to be her guard. If even the slightest problem occurs…"
Cassandra stopped right there and looked at her sternly.
"I know. Stop saying it. You're making me a little nervous." Caitlyn naturally knew that if something went wrong, her entire family might not be able to bear the consequences, and she could not help pursing her lips again. "Since that's the case, why throw this kind of trouble at me?"
"Trouble?" Cassandra glanced at her and said irritably, "Do you know how many people dream of having this opportunity and still can't get it?"
Caitlyn muttered quietly, "Then why don't you give it to those people?"
Cassandra still heard her and gave her a sharp warning look. "I know you want to carve out your own career, but wouldn't it be better to have a good starting point?"
"I know you're doing this for my sake."
Caitlyn hugged her mother and could not help sighing again in her heart.
But she really disliked this kind of life where everything was arranged for her from beginning to end.
She wanted to become a sheriff who solved case after case, gradually made a name for herself, and then became famous throughout Piltover.
Not an Enforcer who patrolled the streets every day, caught petty thieves, and stopped vendors from arguing, only to now be arranged as someone else's bodyguard.
And if she failed to protect that person properly, not only would there be no benefit, she might even suffer undeserved disaster.
Still…
Looking at the serious expressions of everyone around her, including her childhood friend Jayce, who stood beside Heimerdinger with a solemn face, Caitlyn could not help feeling a little curious about that second prince.
Without a doubt, judging by the scale of Piltover's reception, the other party's status was terrifyingly high.
She also knew something about Demacia's recent affairs. After all, the matter had caused a huge uproar not long ago, and newspapers all over Piltover had reported on it. She heard that with a simple movement of his fingers, he had reduced Noxus's hundreds of thousands of soldiers to ashes.
Although that version was a little exaggerated, the battle record itself was completely real.
No matter how one thought about it, those were hundreds of thousands of troops. That number was even greater than Piltover's population, not counting outsiders.
And now, this prince who had made Noxus suffer so bitterly was about to personally visit Piltover.
Caitlyn could not help imagining this prince's appearance in her mind. Recently, she had become fascinated with profiling, which meant using what one knew about a person to sketch out their appearance.
Some said he killed people like weeds, so he must have vicious eyes, always wear a gloomy expression, and give people a very unpleasant feeling.
Others said he had repeatedly defeated Noxus, and calling him a god of war would not be an exaggeration. He was very likely broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with an extraordinary presence, not too different from the imperial generals of ancient times.
A substantial image gradually took shape in Caitlyn's mind.
Two meters tall, three hundred pounds, wearing Demacia's silver armor, fierce and menacing, with arms thick enough to crush a cow to death, and eyes sharp and ruthless because he had seen so much life and death.
Once she finished sketching him in her head, she suddenly realized a problem and could not help shivering.
If this prince really was like that, then he obviously would not be easy to get along with.
What was she supposed to do?
If she was assigned to his side, and if she accidentally made him unhappy one day, this man was the kind of person who killed without blinking.
Caitlyn, whose inner world was extremely rich, frightened herself more and more the longer she thought about it. In the end, she even imagined that she might be thrown into prison, shackled hand and foot, and executed in a few days. At that time, her mother could only silently shed tears below the platform, her already white hair looking even paler.
No, things absolutely could not end up like that.
Caitlyn came back to her senses and grew a little hesitant. She stretched out a hand, wanting to tug at her mother and ask whether this could be changed.
But at this moment, Cassandra did not notice at all that her daughter beside her was wildly imagining things. After hearing movement, she immediately reached out and patted Caitlyn. "They're almost here. Get ready."
Caitlyn jolted. She realized that the group in front had indeed grown noisy, then very quickly fell quiet again.
Below the Sun Gates.
Luke's fleet was guided to a special passage.
"Everyone may disembark now. Piltover's shipwrights will be responsible for taking care of and repairing these ships."
Slap had disembarked ahead of them and was already waiting beneath Luke's ship.
Everything that needed to be prepared had already been prepared along the way, so there was naturally nothing much to bring now. Luke, dressed in formal attire, stepped off the ship.
Afterward, Lux and the others also followed him down curiously.
On the way here, they had already been able to see all kinds of ships docking or sailing through the harbor. Ships came and went, and there were truly a great many of them.
The Sun Gates were also especially huge. Right now, they were at the foot of the Sun Gates.
Slap glanced at Luke's face, then immediately lowered his head slightly and said, "Please take the elevator ahead. In order to welcome your arrival, Piltover's councilors and noble representatives are already waiting in advance."
The elevator was, in essence, a lift.
Piltover had naturally mastered the use of electricity very early on, and it could be called quite convenient.
Everyone stepped into the elevator. As Slap pressed the floor number, there was a click, and the sound of electricity and gears operating rang out at the same time. After a slight shake, the elevator began moving toward the highest level.
Everyone found the elevator somewhat novel, but they were not too surprised. With Demacia's current level of technology, it could already use electricity to operate elevators as well.
It was just that later matters involving magic and technology had delayed progress.
What Lux was somewhat curious about was this. "Does the Sun Gates have other levels too?"
Slap answered respectfully, "Generally speaking, there are three levels. The first is for fleets, the place we were in earlier, where ships pass between each other. The second is for civilians. Because the Sun Gates connect two continents, it is also used as a massive bridge. As for the third level, it is an express passage prepared for those willing to pay to save time."
"It allows people to quickly reach Piltover's most developed district. Usually, quite a few people use it. However, today, in order to welcome His Highness the prince's arrival, the council has temporarily suspended the second and third levels."
As Slap explained, the elevator rose higher and higher, but everyone could not see what was beneath their feet or around them.
So they could only wait silently. Soon, with a ding, the elevator shook again and stopped.
The iron gate in front of them slowly opened, and what entered their sight was a red carpet laid all the way to this place.
"Your Highness, the councilors are just ahead. Please follow me."
As Slap spoke, he bowed and made an inviting gesture. Seeing Luke nod slightly, he straightened and walked forward.
Following the red carpet and turning past the elevator level, they soon saw the broad corridor at the very top of the Sun Gates.
This corridor looked extremely large and spacious, and not far ahead, a large group of people had already gathered. It seemed that all of them had come to welcome Luke.
Luke, dressed in formal attire and slightly groomed for the occasion, was naturally very striking.
The moment he appeared, all eyes immediately gathered on him. Only after looking at him for several moments did they spread toward the others behind and around him.
It was not only Luke in their group. Lux, Sona, Yurna, Quinn, and the others were all dressed formally. After all, they had come as honored guests to visit Piltover, so they were naturally quite eye-catching.
"Ready, begin!"
"Everyone, welcome to Piltover!"
As Slap made a few gestures, the musicians standing on both sides lifted the large horn-like instruments in their hands, filled their lungs, and blew hard.
Immediately, a coordinated melody spread out. It was like a festival, full of celebratory flavor.
As they walked, the welcoming music continued all the way.
And the moment Luke appeared, Caitlyn, whose eyes had already immediately locked onto him, froze.
What she saw was a handsome young man with a faint smile, refined and elegant, extraordinarily good-looking. His posture was straight, and both his height and build seemed just right. He looked somewhat sturdy, making his luxurious formal attire appear even more valuable.
His eyes were like stars in the night, carrying a hint of a smile and giving people a refreshing, spring-breeze feeling.
This was that second prince?
Caitlyn admitted that she had stared blankly for an instant. It was not only because he was completely different from what she had imagined, but also because his appearance and bearing were truly stunning.
And the female companions beside him were also each extraordinarily beautiful. The girl with brilliant blond hair looked like an angel when she smiled, and her eyes seemed like dazzling stars.
There was also the blue-haired woman, gentle like water.
And the little girl in a dress, exquisitely cute like a porcelain doll.
Looking back at herself, she was wearing a gray-black Enforcer uniform with tight clothing underneath and a terribly old-fashioned hat on her head. She also remembered that she had been losing sleep these past few days, so she definitely had dark circles under her eyes again.
Her skin was dry too. It must have shriveled up.
These thoughts surged over her all at once, and Caitlyn unconsciously lowered her head a little, sighing inwardly.
Only at this moment did she remember how nice the skincare products her mother had prepared for her were. They were currently sitting in the cabinet in her bedroom, probably already gathering dust.
When she had been younger, she had not known the height of the sky or the depth of the earth. She had thought she was naturally beautiful and would be just as pretty without putting anything on.
But now, after just one look at others, she was almost ashamed of herself.
Although she was only nineteen, Caitlyn felt that at this moment, she had already grown much older.
No one noticed a young girl's wild thoughts.
At this time, Luke walked along the red carpet. Across from him, under the lead of the short blond old man, the welcoming group also moved forward.
"Welcome to Piltover, Your Highness. I am Heimerdinger, one of Piltover's councilors. On behalf of Piltover, I warmly welcome you and your companions."
As Heimerdinger warmly welcomed him, he extended a hand.
"Hello, Councilor Heimerdinger."
Luke also extended his hand and shook Heimerdinger's.
A historic meeting seemed to take place at this moment.
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