Chapter 36: Passionate Nico

Because a series of events happened so suddenly, Qiyana didn't immediately think about the recommendation system.

However, after Lupe reminded her of the contents, Qiyana began to think more deeply about its feasibility.

While Ixtal's system of recommendation and examination could disregard birth—even slaves were eligible to take the exam unless they were serious criminals—registration of identity was still necessary in such cases.

Although she appeared indifferent, Qiyana was still somewhat bothered by Tarin's earlier action of riding on her chest...

Unfortunately, upon hearing Qiyana's question, Tarin's face showed little emotion; he merely raised an eyebrow and said:

"What status are you planning to give me?"

What's his identity? He's Xing Nuli, of course!

Unfortunately, Qiyana could only dream about it.

Seeing Tarin's calm demeanor, Qiyana, though somewhat bothered, remained silent for a moment before letting out a cold snort and saying:

"Although insulting a noble Yuen'alai is undoubtedly a capital offense according to the laws of Ixtal, the magnanimous Qiyana is willing to make an exception and grant you... well, the status of a mentor."

Although she had a slight urge to secretly retaliate against the insults she had suffered, Qiyana also felt inexplicably guilty seeing Tarin's calm demeanor.

Although it sounds strange, Qiyana is actually quite clear that her relationship with Tarin is not equal... because Tarin has more information than she does.

Even now, while Qiyana seems important to Tarin, she knows very well that she is not irreplaceable.

After all, given the abilities Tarin has demonstrated so far, if someone else, Yuntar or Yunalai, were to come, the process might encounter some unexpected situations, but based on the axiom of life alone, it would be enough for them to easily enter Isuoken.

Thinking this, Qiyana also said:

"Although you are an outsider and theoretically cannot become a royal tutor, your abilities are absolutely sufficient."

Once you reach Ixokern, you'll be able to use this identity to connect with other Yuntars before the Vidarian trials. With this foundation, you'll be able to understand the Yuntar community more quickly and identify those you deem useful.

"Besides, you also have a record of hunting Void creatures." With that, Qiyana gestured with her chin towards Kha'Zix's corpse beside her.

"I'll briefly describe your identity as a prophet later...tsk tsk, I feel like you can become a big shot in Ish Oken without any recommendation."

Towards the end, Qiyana couldn't help but purse her lips.

She loves being the center of attention, she loves being seen as irreplaceable number one, she wants to be the kind of person who helps those in need... But the knowledge Tarin possesses and his achievements in hunting Void creatures and warning Ixtal of Void invasions make Qiyana realize that she can only add icing on the cake at best.

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, Tarin shook his head and said:

"Making an outsider a mentor to a Yuen Alai is no small matter; even hunting void creatures won't silence everyone..."

As he said this, Tarin also turned his gaze to Qiyana and said:

"You make it sound so easy, but the resistance you'll be facing is probably considerable, right? Thank you."

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana was slightly taken aback. Feeling Tarin's gaze and listening to his words, she felt a strange emotion welling up inside her.

After realizing what had happened, Qiyana looked away in slight panic to avoid eye contact with Tarin, then nonchalantly fiddled with the ends of her hair and said:

"Hmph, you know that much."

Although she appeared completely unconcerned, Qiyana felt a strange sense of unease when she looked away.

Although she couldn't quite understand what this emotion was, Qiyana was certain it was a good one, because she felt inexplicably happier, and even Tarin's actions of riding on her earlier didn't seem so unpleasant anymore...

However, Qiyana quickly suppressed her emotions and continued to sit arrogantly at one side of the long table, seemingly unconcerned about what Tarin had just said.

Although Qiyana hid it well, it was only from the moment she looked away and the way she twirled the end of her hair with her fingers—

And the insignificant, the icing on the cake, the result of personal effort, the strong perception of pheromones of similar ecological individuals through the combination of the terms "Odogaron ecology," "human ecology," and "Great Jagras pheromone secretion."

Let Tarin be certain that Qiyana is not as calm as she appears on the surface.

Tallinn simply nodded thoughtfully in response.

First of all, Qiyana is definitely a problem child, no doubt about it.

Especially considering the things Qiyana did in the original work, not to mention the minor incident of breaking her own sister's leg.

In order to seize power and profit, they deliberately let Mrs. Piltover find the border village of Ishtar, so that the unsuspecting villagers would be massacred by Piltover and incite nationalist sentiments.

In retaliation, he secretly led a group to the mines in Piltover and massacred the miners there.

Through those unscrupulous means, it's clear that Qiyana in the original story did many heinous things.

However, based on the current confirmed timeline in Tarin and the information gathered over the past period, Qiyana should not have reached that later stage yet.

Or rather, they are still in the developmental stage. Although their personality is still twisted, arrogant, and domineering, they have not yet reached the point of being utterly disappointed and resorting to any means necessary.

Dealing with children whose minds have already begun to become distorted... it's difficult in some ways, but not difficult in others.

In general, it's about a sense of belonging and a sense of value.

The former makes people feel "I belong here, I am unconditionally accepted, loved and needed".

The latter is the feeling of "I am capable, I can contribute, I am useful to others and the community", which can also be called the feeling of being needed.

Simple Child Psychology.

It may sound simple, but when it comes to actually using it, it's easy to fall into the trap of: understanding the principles but going astray in practice.

The core reason lies in the sense of boundaries, empathy, and emotional management. If not handled carefully, care can turn into spoiling.

Treating what I think is what the child needs, and treating the child as an emotional container, leading them to believe that "my value depends on my parents' mood"... being a parent is a very troublesome thing.

In general, Qiyana, as the lowest-ranking, youngest, and most disregarded heir in the Ixtal system, lacks this kind of feeling the most.

Children who misbehave are those who have lost confidence, a sense of belonging, and a sense of self-worth.

However, Tarin doesn't need to be a parent right now; he just needs to use these little bits of knowledge to deepen his relationship with Qiyana.

It's not that he wants to be Qiyana's father, but Tarin wants Ixtal to establish a kingdom and become a part of the Runeterra community that will resist future disasters. Therefore, Tarin believes that he also has a responsibility to ensure that Ixtal has a wise queen, rather than a tyrant who will stop at nothing to seize power.

As for deeper connections in other areas...

Tallinn did not believe that such simple emotional comfort, spiritual care, and attention would make a haughty and proud princess feel affection.

While Tarin was still pondering, Qiyana, who was beside him, calmed her own thoughts and said with a nonchalant expression:

"In that case, let's pack up and head to Ixokeng tomorrow."

"No rush."

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, Tarin shook his head and said:

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. Let us rest for a while and use the Primordial Axioms to determine the formation and composition of life energy. Also, let's wait for a friend to return."

Upon hearing this, Qiyana could understand the first part, but when she heard the word "friend" at the end, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes:

"Friend? Is it someone important that you've been waiting here all this time?"

"A flesh-toothed beast," Tarin said. "Judging by the time, it should be back soon."

Tallinn has always remembered Rengar.

The fleshy beast is very fast, especially with the life energy directly replenished by the recovery potion, so Rengar hardly needs to rest for long periods of time while traveling.

Just eat something and drink some recovery medicine, and you'll be almost fully recovered.

Although Rengar brought some of Kha'Zix's remains with him, to be honest, Tarin didn't think Rengar would be able to gain his father's approval.

The test his father gave Rengar to hunt Kha'Zix wasn't actually a test of Rengar's potential as a hunter; it was simply a way to humiliate him and force him to leave the tribe...

Although he has not yet met Pongaf, Tarin can more or less guess from the description in the background story that the reason is simply that he is old and frail and is afraid that Rengar, who is young and strong and returns with power and honor, will threaten his position in the tribe.

Of course... even if Rengar successfully returns to the Horde, Tarlin, as a friend, will offer his congratulations.

Tarlin instinctively felt that even if Rengar returned to the tribe, once the enthusiasm for returning to his clan subsided and Rengar calmed down, he would find that the tribe he longed to return to was not the glorious hunting pack he once knew.

Instead, it was a tribe ruled by a group of elderly beastmen using hunting knives that had been covered in dust and by the glory of the past...

To compensate for his inherent disadvantages, Rengar, who can only engage in battles and fights with several times the cruelty, would probably find it difficult to integrate into that kind of atmosphere.

However, these are all just speculations. What's more important is to study how to express life energy in the form of primordial axioms.

After obtaining Isuoken, the province showed its weakness when interacting with the other Yuntars...

Upon hearing that it was a flesh-toothed beast, Qiyana raised an eyebrow and said:

"Flesh-toothed beast? You really have a connection with the Vastayans. Since entering Ixtal, you haven't encountered many people, but you've met quite a few Vastayans and wild beasts."

"Who knows?"

Tallinn shrugged, but then, as if remembering something, he said:

"By the way, Nico, you should say hello too, so you don't get spotted by the guards when you get to Ishtar. It would be hard to explain then."

"Neeko?" Upon hearing this name, Qiyana was slightly taken aback, while Lupe, standing beside her, rubbed her temples, a hint of worry appearing between her brows.

Over the past few days, Nico's existence has become known to some people in the village—of course, only a small number.

Including Tarlin, Nidalee, and Lupe, the total number is no more than ten.

Of course, I only know this much.

In fact, even now, Neeko hasn't had any real contact with Nidalee and the others.

Although Nidalee has discovered which cub Neeko has transformed into through her search over this period of time.

As the former leader of the pack, Nidalee did not have a clear plan for the future development of her people. Limited by her experience as a "savage," she always took things one step at a time.

However, he knows much more about the composition of the group than Tallinn, who is a hands-off manager.

There was an extra cub, although Neeko would carefully hide herself when Nidalee was looking for her, transforming into different kittens or even flies and mosquitoes to avoid her sight.

But this kind of hiding is fine for a short time; if it goes on for too long, it's only a matter of time before they're discovered.

What's more, Neeko still has a childlike personality. Once she gets into playing, she forgets everything else and unknowingly wanders into Nidalee's field of vision.

But the others don't know...

The main reason is that Neeko is not very interested in the other people in the village, and spends most of her time playing among the beasts in the form of a kitten.

Nidalee, after her initial wariness, gradually lost her hostility.

She realized that this Vastaya Shari, who, like Tallinn, came from outside Ixtal, was simply driven by intense curiosity, with an endless thirst for knowledge about everything.

Lupe only learned of this person's existence after Tallinn informed him.

However, unlike Nidalee, Lupe had no insightful ability. Even though several days had passed, he still hadn't actually seen Neeko, only knowing her abilities in general through Tarlin.

It's no exaggeration to say that just hearing Tallinn's account left Lupe in disbelief.

Disguising one's appearance is fine, but reading one's soul...

Now, upon hearing Tarin's call, Nico jumped out with great interest—she had noticed the new girl long ago.

However, Neeko was still in kitten form. In Qiyana's sight, after Tarin called out to Neeko, a small, fluffy Paka jungle cat excitedly jumped over.

However, this kitten is clearly different from the other kittens. Although they look similar, its temperament, especially its pair of bright, sparkling eyes, exudes a spirituality and vitality that ordinary cats do not possess.

Just as Qiyana was about to curiously reach out and touch it, she saw the adorable kitten first look at her curiously for a while, and then grow larger and larger in the dim light.

When the light faded, what came into view was another version of myself!