"Did you two come here looking for treasure?" Sejuani looked at Caleb's seemingly utterly sincere eyes, and found it a little hard to believe.
Ionia called itself the First Lands, a place rich in species and varied terrain, so why would anyone deliberately come all the way to this bitterly cold land? Not to mention, they had races transformed from the Vastaya from before. No matter what kind of treasure they were searching for, surely they would not need to come to the Freljord.
"We won't say too much about the object we're after."
This time, Caleb had switched identities. He was no longer the Governor of Zaun, but a swordsman from Ionia across the sea. The main reason was that Zaun at least bordered Shurima, while the Freljord was separated from it by the entirety of Piltover and Noxus. Ionia was a better cover, and there was one more important point.
If his real identity was exposed and he ended up provoking a demigod, Caleb would simply put away Youmuu's Ghostblade and return straight to Zaun. They could try finding him there if they wanted. The faith in this land could not be underestimated. Those devoted believers really would chase someone to the ends of the earth.
And the gods they worshiped were not easy to deal with either.
Caleb did very much want to unify the Freljord, then return to the Twin Cities for a while, rest, and prepare for a major event or his next mission. At the very least, the good news was that judging by Sejuani's age, Ashe, who had grown up alongside her almost like family, should also be a grown young woman by now.
That meant the Avarosan tribe should already be rising as well.
That would save him a great deal of time on unifying the tribes.
The problem lay at the peaks of the mountains, not with the mortals walking between them.
Those demigods, and even Lissandra, who remained hidden deep inside Frostguard Citadel, all wanted more believers. Yet the demigods had already formed a delicate balance of mutual restraint. None of them wanted to be the first to move and ruin this hard-won peace.
But every one of them wanted more believers to keep praying to them and holding rituals in their name.
And so, once again, the burden fell onto the shoulders of mortals.
The more devout their worshipers were, and the greater their numbers, the stronger the demigods would become?
Speaking of that, Janna had once had a brief conversation with Caleb. When Shurima conquered the world, it toppled the temples of demigods wherever it went. That included Janna's temples as well.
Caleb was also very curious. Why would so-called demigods, beings that powerful, grow stronger or weaker because of human faith?
Shurima had ordered the people within its territory to worship the so-called god-warriors, and the purpose had also been to strengthen the Ascended under its command.
The secret behind all this might be the key to Caleb officially stepping into the T2 tier.
After all, Caleb was not an Aspect or a true god by race. He could only rely on a slower path.
Maybe when the time came, he would even need to borrow the Sun Disc's power?
"I'll believe you for now, but," Sejuani said, her clear eyes gazing toward the far horizon, "since you're joining the Winter's Claw, you'll naturally follow my rules."
"Of course."
Although Caleb agreed, he still felt somewhat unconvinced.
If it was one-on-one, even with Olaf's group of Iceborn added in, Caleb, who carried Serylda's Grudge and had Yuumi at his side, would not be afraid.
In truth, he wanted to join Ashe's Avarosan tribe even more, but luck had simply led him here.
Caleb was not too bothered by it either. He would meet both tribes eventually. Seeing one sooner or later made no real difference.
However, since he had come to the Winter's Claw, he naturally could not use the same softhearted approach.
"Warmother…"
Seeing that Sejuani was still chatting with Caleb, the Frost Priest at the side stepped forward again.
Caleb looked at his staff and the headdress made of deer bones, and for some reason, he felt uncomfortable.
It was not just a feeling, but his body's sensitivity toward the elements.
He had used Pillar of Ice many times, but whether it was the True Ice chill contained within Serylda's Grudge or ordinary ice, neither felt the same as the aura radiating from these Frost Priests.
"You noticed it too?" Kai'Sa said softly at his side.
Caleb nodded silently.
Was this a unique trait of the Freljord, or was it some specific kind of thing?
Caleb would have to confirm that slowly.
Sejuani let out a slow sigh. Winter would arrive earlier this year, and this winter would only become harder and harder to survive.
Lack of food was still secondary. The most damaging issue was the Winter's Claw's combat strength.
Whether the Iceborn could bring out ten percent of their strength or one hundred and twenty percent depended entirely on the logistics handled by the hearthbound.
And in the harshest environments, no matter what someone ate, there was always the excuse of "doing it to survive."
During this kind of severe internal drain, the loss to the Winter's Claw's combat strength would be extremely serious.
If things continued like that, they could only watch helplessly as the Avarosans grew stronger.
At that point, Sejuani would no longer be able to hold firm to her beliefs.
That would be no different from admitting defeat.
They had to survive this winter.
They had to defeat the Avarosans.
They had to become the strongest tribe in this northern land.
Sejuani's resolve could not be doubted, and it was as hard as iron.
That meant the food problem had to be solved.
At present, whether it was the warriors of the Winter's Claw or the fleet outside, this was not a suitable time for hunting or raiding.
The harbor did not have any suitable merchant ships for the Winter's Claw to plunder either.
"You two, come with me. There's something I want you to confirm."
Sejuani turned and walked toward the rear of the column. Caleb and Kai'Sa exchanged a glance, then followed after her.
Perhaps there was only one unreliable way to solve the food problem.
…
"You're sure he hasn't eaten anything for half a year?"
Caleb looked at the man in front of him and could not help asking in confusion.
The man showed absolutely no signs of weakness or hunger. On the contrary, his complexion was healthy and ruddy.
"I didn't believe it at first either, but he used to move very slowly, and he really wasn't given any food as one of the hearthbound."
The man before him was a genuine warmblood. The Iceborn blood in him was almost negligible.
His clothes were not especially thick either. After all, he had looked fairly old before and had not been able to help the group much.
But now, his skin could almost compare to that of a pure Iceborn. It was fair with a healthy flush, and much of his extra weight had also disappeared.
"I'm telling you, it was all thanks to that miraculous great cauldron. As long as you drink one mouthful of soup from it, you can become like me. You might even grow young again."
"This guy really doesn't look like he's about to enter old age."
Caleb frowned deeply. It was even hard to confirm the old man's condition.
If Sejuani had brought over a strong hearthbound hunter to fool him, Caleb would have believed that too.
"Legend says Ornn forged a special great cauldron, and the hot soup inside could even grant eternal life."
"Though it makes sense, it still feels a little too far-fetched…"
Caleb's thoughts once again turned to the image of that ram.
Ornn, the god of forge and craft, could be considered one of the earliest lives to appear in the Freljord.
It was just that this guy was rather withdrawn and did not like dealing with people.
Still, given how approachable Caleb had heard he could be, he was willing to try negotiating with him.
"However, that great cauldron is no longer with Ornn…"
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