Chapter 10

(AN: I tried going for a 3rd person)

During the days travelling Nejime told Phesto about the intricacies of Zaun's layout. Phesto's knowledge about the ancient city was limited to the canon situation of Piltover & Zaun as well as some smaller lore entries and short stories mentioning the ancient city from time to time.

The most interesting thing Nejime told Phesto, was to his surprise, the existence of the Sun-Gates. The Sun-Gates, existing in the time he was currently in, were vastly different to the ones in canon Piltover. In Piltover they were a type of dam, but here they were a replacement for the isthmus connecting Valoran and Shurima, as a canal connecting the two oceans. It seems like some event after the fall of Shurima led to the destruction of the Sun-Gates and the reforming of the isthmus connecting the two continents. Of the top of his head, Phesto could think of some powerful enough but only one interested group. It was probably a Darkin. With all the conflicts between them, Phesto could easily believe that some Darkin probably wanted to destroy the shipping routes of another Darkin. No matter the case, the Sun-Gates Nejime told Phesto told about were also interesting. An artificial landbridge between two continents, also functioning as a gate between two oceans. Somehow these Sun-Gates sounded much grander than the ones we saw in the canon. And from what Nejime knew, they were powered by magic formations flowing through the entire city absorbing, as in typical Shuriman fashion, the power of the sun. Piltovan power sources seemed quite crude in comparison to the burning of Hex-Tech crystals.

Thinking back on how Piltover used hex-tech crystals to power everything Phesto felt was quite ironic, the city of progress quite literally burned away ancient wisdom. Perhaps if Seraphine would have been alive when hex-tech crystals were found, Piltover might have looked quite different.

Other than talking about Zaun's architecture they also planned the details of how they wanted to pass through Zaun. As the ship they were currently on would only buy some merchandise and turn back, they had to look for a new ship to take them to Ionia. But even if it would continue they'd have to wait anyways as by the time they arrive the Sun-Gates would most likely be closed. And even if they weren't closed, ships passing through the Sun-Gates were checked by the Shuriman military and Nejime didn't want to risk a military checkup. So instead, once the ship docked on the western port we'd get off and go through the city on foot until we reached the eastern ports.

Though that was also easier said than done. In the lore Zaun was often referred to as just a "northern trading outpost" or nothing more than a "mercantile city", but those statements were an incredible understatement. Still, its size carried some opportunities for Nejime and Phesto. Those were the more dubious parts of the city, shady markets and other questionable establishments.

With the help of some detours through the city, they could use less patrolled areas to reach the eastern port without drawing unnecessary attention. And although taking a detour would take more time, it would also allow them to resupply and perhaps even buy interesting artefacts if they found some. The title of 'trading outpost' wasn't a lie after all and both Nejime and Phesto had quite an interest in possible artefacts. During her time as a student, Nejime was never really able to enter the black markets, as she had to consider her standing and her guards wouldn't let her, but now as an escapee princess that didn't matter too much. Phesto on the other hand wanted to find good equipment and practice his appraisal ability. Until now he only had the chance to appraise normal equipment or magical structures. He wondered what the system would tell him about magical equipment and whether or not he'd get bonus stats similar to how it worked in league, he was especially curious about the passives, unique effects and mythic effects, even having fantasies of crafting his own items. Considering it was still a few thousand years before the canon era, many items such as the blade of the ruined king or the hex-tech line of items would not yet exist.

But those fantasies would have to wait until they reached Ionia and he found a place to settle down. So instead Phesto sat down with Nejima to finalize their plans.

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Soon the ship got close to Zaun's western port and prepared for laying anchor. While the sailors on the ship got ready to dock, Phesto stood on the deck, mesmerized by the city. He had seen concept art before, but that couldn't come close to competing with seeing it in the flesh. He had been in Nashramae, but that still looked like a desert city, that was just incredibly big, it simply lacked that certain magical zing.

And looking at Zaun Phesto most definitely saw that magical zing. Especially the Sun-Gates, looking at it from the ship the Sun-Gates looked like a golden wall filling the horizon. One could only wonder how exactly they built it. Nejime already told Phesto that 4 times a day the Sun-Gates would open. Opening the Sun-Gates would simply look like a golden bridge.

"But if it looked like a bridge, why didn't they just call it the Sun-Bridge instead?" Phesto asked.

"Why? Hmm, if you haven't seen it then it makes sense why you would ask that. The answer is the process of the Sun-Gates opening and closing." Nejime spoke about the Sun-Gates with a sparkle in her eyes. "I saw that you were already in awe looking at the closed Sun-Gates, and sure a golden wall is quite impressive, but seeing the Sun-Gates do their magic, to see it flow, grow, and shrink. As a scholar and magician seeing and feeling the magic at work is always a chance to learn something new."

"Huh."

Hearing about this Phesto really wanted to see the gates closing and opening for himself. It sounded like an amazing experience, and there was one more thing that stood out for Phesto, and that was that Nejime said it always was a chance to learn a bit and feel the magic at work. Giving his body and the system a chance to come into contact with this magic, who knows what kinds of benefits it would bring him.

"Nene, once we're in Zaun, are there any good places from which we can see the gates open and close?"

Nejime smiled. "Of course I do, if I wouldn't, I'd have wasted my time in Zaun"

"I mean, weren't you here to study? I wouldn't really call that wasting your time, no?" Her expression turned sombre when Phesto asked that.

"I've shown you when we started our journey haven't I, my magical skill, or rather my ability to properly control magic is poor, too poor for even the simplest spell. The only thing I got from these magical academies was knowledge I couldn't use for myself. And the only use I got out of it ever since I learned it was teaching you."

"..."

And with that, the ship docked in Zaun and they started their journey in Zaun, though it started with an awkward silence between the two.

(AN: Chapter titles would have been Arrival In Zaun, but I'm unsure about adding titles if you guys want them tell me)