Twin Cities: Who says scientists can't be conquerors?

Chapter 68 is all skipped~

From the very beginnings of Runeterra civilization, people have been praying to the wind.

Among them were sailors hoping for good weather and farmers praying for favorable weather.

In the former Zaun, also known as Oshra Vazum, a port city coveted by the Shurima Empire, those who prayed to the wind were often oppressed people yearning for change.

They were all mortals, lacking the powerful physique and magical abilities of celestial warriors, so they could only place their hopes in the howling gales and turbulent currents.

Surprisingly, sometimes the wind actually seems to respond to them:

Navigators sometimes see a sky-blue bird appear, followed by a strong wind that fills the sails.

Some even swore they heard a whistle before a storm arrived, as if it were a warning for them.

Some people repeatedly emphasized that the refreshing breeze was the gentlest encouragement they had ever experienced...

In short, as these miraculous omens were passed down by word of mouth, the appearance of the bluebird became more and more frequent.

Then the story began to change in another direction:

Some people swore that they saw the bird turn into a girl.

The girl had long, pointed ears and flowing hair, like a mysterious saint floating on the water. With a gentle wave of her staff, she could guide the wind.

So the devout people named her, calling this wind spirit "Garn Arem," meaning "Guardian" in Old Shurima—because she always seemed to appear in the most perilous times.

Over time, the name was simplified to Janna.

That is, the word Aaron blurted out unconsciously.

From today's perspective, Janna is merely a beautiful refuge in people's hearts, and often just a harmless breeze.

However, from the perspective of the rulers of Shurima at that time, things were not so simple.

As Janna's fame and reputation spread, the inhabitants of Oshra Vazuan became her most fervent followers.

The believers, relying on the calm sea, continuously brought merchant ships to the city's port.

At the same time, to express their gratitude for Gana's kindness, they spared no expense in erecting statues and shrines.

Even after the Shurima Empire annexed the city, this expression of faith continued...

This is heresy worship that the Shurima Emperor cannot tolerate!

So after the Celestial Warriors conquered the area, the Shurima Emperor quickly issued a decree prohibiting the worship of "false idols"—specifically Janna.

From that time on, statues of Gana were toppled one after another, and more and more people began to worship the ascended celestial warriors. It seemed that the story of the bluebird was about to end.

But soon, people discovered the problem:

Can the Celestial Warriors protect ships from storms?

Obviously not.

Can the Celestial Warriors always save people from danger?

Obviously not.

So many residents of Vazuan who had grown up listening to stories about Janna began to secretly pray to her.

These people often wear amulets with the bluebird motif—smaller, more discreet symbols—as a tribute to Janna.

In this contest of policies and countermeasures, Janna herself was not idle either.

She never left, and always helped the weak who needed her help: whether they were the devout residents of Vazuan or the Shurimas who hated her.

Originally, if this kind of life continued, then one day Janna's reputation would be vindicated due to the Shurima people's gradually changing attitude.

Unfortunately, with that earth-shattering rebellion that occurred during the ascension ceremony, the vast Shurima Empire... fell in an instant!

The once lush land has turned into a desert, and the surviving Ascended beings create war and chaos, disturbing and changing the entire world, causing painful and profound alterations.

This event is known to later generations as the "Darkborn Wars".

It was at that time that Janna, whose strength had been reduced by 99% due to a lack of followers, did not leave Varian with the intention of protecting herself.

Instead, she chose to use her last bit of divine power to continue protecting the city amidst turmoil and conflict... even though its name had been simplified to "Zu'an".

For the next few centuries, thanks to Janna's protection, the Zaunites actually lived quite well during the Darkin Wars.

Thanks to their well-developed waterways and natural geographical advantages, this place remains the most prosperous trading port in Runeterra.

But precisely because the Zaunites did not suffer in the Darkin War, they inevitably developed even greater ambitions—if they could carve a canal across the isthmus beneath their feet, completely connecting the continents of Valoran and Shurima, wouldn't that be...

Soon, the city began to take action.

The people of Zaun poured enormous manpower, financial resources, and time into the construction, which inevitably reduced the number of prayers Janna received.

However, the elf girl was not discouraged.

She was delighted to see her followers, under her protection, create miracles for mortals with their own hands.

No one could have imagined that the construction of the canal would make a large part of the foundation of Zuan unstable.

On the day that disaster struck, an entire town along the Piltover River sank below sea level to the west in an instant!

Thousands of people were suddenly swept away by the raging tide, a flood even more devastating than the one that struck Bahrain!

It was at that moment that those dying souls remembered the name of the ancient guardian from their memories.

They prayed for salvation from heaven, crying out and calling her name:

Gana.

……

"In other words, after you exhausted all your energy to save the people of Zaun, you didn't even have the energy to respond to your followers."

"So over time, the believers who didn't receive a response gradually dwindled, to the point that now, apart from a few places where your portrait still exists, there isn't a single devout believer left in Zaun?"

Aaron looked at the tiny bluebird he held in his palm and mentally confirmed with this incarnation of Gana.

Seeing the bluebird peck at his palm in affirmation, Aaron knew that his memories of Gana were accurate.

The deity who now struggles to even speak is none other than the silent guardian who has saved this land countless times and protected the people of Zaun countless times...

"Sigh, you're really in a sorry state."

"If I hadn't already known your story, with your stuttering, you might not have been able to explain yourself even by next year."

Aaron could hardly help but feel emotional.

After confirming that the voice in his mind was indeed Janna, he immediately understood what she meant by "Thanks to your transformation that awakened me" and "I used too much energy when I saved you":

Aaron's reforms in Zaun perfectly aligned with the origins of the Janna faith, thus restoring some of the divine power to the long-dormant Janna.

The reason why the opponent is still so weak is not only because the amount of "healing" that Janna received from Aaron is far from enough.

Moreover, when the seawater flooded the ditch area, Janna, just like hundreds of years ago, stepped forward without hesitation and used all the divine power she had just recovered to save Aaron and Jess.

Otherwise, even if Aaron survives, Jess in the trunk will surely die completely, relying solely on the Cheng Ying mech itself.

"Chirp chirp~"

The bluebird in Aaron's palm suddenly chirped twice, gesturing for Aaron to bring his ear closer.

Previously, Gana and Aaron communicated using divine power through telepathy, which was quite difficult.

After discovering that Aaron had no hostility towards her, Janna transformed into a little bluebird, capable of speaking human language when necessary.

In this way, she essentially enters "energy-saving mode," and her speech becomes much more fluent.

Of course, Jess couldn't detect either the bluebird's appearance or its voice.

As a typical mortal Piltover player, all he could see was Aaron suddenly looking around and talking to himself, as if he had been stimulated by something.

"What's wrong? Please tell me."

Aaron quickly raised his hand, watching the little bluebird hop onto his shoulder and snuggle close to his ear:

"Door, go inside the door, gurgle."

The little bluebird spoke briefly, but its meaning was clear; it was urging Aaron to hurry up and enter the sandstone gate.

She now especially cherishes Aaron, this follower who can "restore her health and mana," so before Aaron could even ask why, she proactively started chattering away explaining:

"This is a great place, with lots of good stuff, so I brought you here especially."

"Hmm? What good stuff?"

"This is Kalikan's Tomb. Kalikan was an extremely powerful exorcist who left this secret treasure in Vázun after his death."

As it spoke, the little bluebird hopped onto Aaron's other shoulder:

"It's a magnificent holy artifact!"

"All those magnificent artifacts that Kalikan created with his exorcism magic are kept here. Only I know how they got here."

"You really enjoy inventing things, so..."

The little bluebird chirped proudly twice, then pecked Aaron's earlobe twice as if to claim credit.

"I brought you here so I could give you the very best of everything!"