Marvel's master of cosmic magic

Chapter 528

"Is it true Demacia’s city walls are made from anti-magic stone?"

"I heard their dragon riders are famous across the continent. Have you seen one?"

"What’s Demacia really like?"

Vi’s two sidekicks peppered Rowan Mercer with questions as they walked, eyes bright with curiosity.

Neither of them had ever left Zaun, let alone seen a foreign nation.

Rowan answered vaguely and half-made things up. He’d never actually been to Demacia himself.

He didn’t care much if the lie fell apart later.

With his strength, it wouldn’t matter.

"Messy place," Rowan muttered, glancing around Black Lane. "But lively."

The market stretched like a canyon between crooked towers of metal and brick. Rusted ladders and hanging bridges crisscrossed overhead.

People of every shape and color moved through the crowd.

Mostly human.

Mostly armed.

Stalls sold everything from scrap weapons to strange animals. Rowan even spotted stone beetles and puffball-like creatures he recognized from the game.

Everyone watched everyone else.

This place survived on suspicion.

"The bookstore’s that way," Vi said, pointing down a side street. "About three hundred meters."

Rowan nodded, then gestured at Powder’s backpack.

"I can feel something unusual inside. If you’re willing to sell it, I’m interested. I like weird artifacts."

Jayce’s Hextech crystals were infused with rune power.

Runes were the foundation of magic in this world.

Perfect research material.

"How much?" Vi asked immediately, eyes lighting up.

Rowan pretended to reach into his pocket.

A large gold ingot appeared in his hand.

"This enough?"

Everyone froze.

Then all three kids nodded at the same time.

"Enough!"

"Way more than enough!"

"Rowan," Vi said as she handed over the bag of blue crystals, "be careful around Black Lane. Don’t trust people too easily. And don’t flash gold like that again."

Zaun ate the careless alive.

"Thanks," Rowan said, smiling.

The bookstore was small.

Old.

Dusty.

Rowan tossed a few copper coins onto the counter and started reading.

Half an hour later, he closed the last book with mild disappointment.

"Not nearly enough. I’ll have to check Piltover’s upper-city libraries. Or noble family collections."

Then a thought crossed his mind.

"Why not just take Piltover?"

He stood there quietly for a moment.

Every guard in the city combined wouldn’t slow him down.

Piltover was the world’s biggest trade hub.

A ready-made intelligence network.

A perfect base.

"One week," Rowan murmured. "One week to take Piltover and Zaun."

The door creaked open.

A massive man blocked the entrance.

"You Rowan?" the man asked calmly.

Rowan glanced past him at Vi and the others, who looked both guilty and frustrated.

"I’m Vander," the man said. "Owner of the Last Drop. Their father."

He held up the gold ingot.

"Those blue stones are dangerous. You should give them back. Here’s your money."

Rowan tilted his head.

"Too cheap? I can add more."

Nine more gold ingots appeared in his hands.

Even Vander’s eyes widened.