Chapter 37: The Terrifying Nature of Nico

"Huh?!"

Qiyana was taken aback when she saw another version of herself standing in front of her. Then, she instinctively gripped the Oretar Ring Blade that had fallen to the side.

After Neeko transformed into Qiyana, she felt around for a while, then her eyes lit up as she looked at Qiyana and excitedly said:

"Hey! It's Neeko! You like Tarlin too, right? Neeko likes it too! Then we're best buddies!"

Upon hearing Neeko's words, Qiyana almost instinctively showed a look of disgust and quickly waved her hand, saying, "Who likes that! -- But that's not the point. The point is, you can transform into other people's appearances?!"

"That's it!" Hearing Qiyana's question, Neeko nodded enthusiastically and said, "That's Neeko's ability! Pretty cool, right?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Qiyana raised an eyebrow in surprise, then circled Neeko twice, nodding with interest and saying, "Hmm... indeed, very good."

Having grown up in the inner palace, although this was the first time she had seen an ability that could mimic the appearance of others, Qiyana had clearly already come up with many uses for it.

Even if it's just a superficial resemblance, so what? Qiyana knows very well that sometimes, for a superior, simply looking exactly the same is enough!

For example, using doubles or shadow warriors; framing others; infiltration; sowing discord...

Even though Qiyana hasn't yet become the ruthless villain she'll become in the future, she's still quite cunning, just too shrewd to use or even think about it due to her current moral standards.

Just because she doesn't want to doesn't mean Qiyana isn't aware of it.

For example, Qiyana has thought of many things right now, including many ways to prevent it.

"Hehe! Pretty impressive, huh!" Neeko nodded happily upon hearing Qiyana's praise.

Tarlin generally doesn't allow her to communicate with others and forbids her from freely reading other people's shoma.

Nicole didn't seem to care much about this.

Firstly, Neeko genuinely dislikes interacting with ordinary people. The main reason is that the first sailors, pirates, and Noxian soldiers Neeko encountered often had a hostile first impression.

This made Nico reluctant to read their shoma, because it made her feel genuinely uncomfortable and incomprehensible... She didn't understand why the human mind could be so complex.

Secondly, Tarin readily allowed Nico to read his shoma, letting Nico perceive the purpose of doing so through the shoma.

This is also an important reason why Nico is willing to listen to Tallinn.

After all, compared to what others say about why, Shuma's perception allows Neeko to understand things more deeply.

However, Neeko is still Neeko, because when she was in the Misttail tribe, she communicated directly through souls using Sholma, and rarely interacted like a human.

Therefore, when communicating with humans, it is easy to make some of the same mistakes that are common when communicating with fellow members of the Fogtail tribe—or rather, the norm among the Fogtail tribe.

The Fogtail Clan's communication is at the level of consciousness; there are no lies or word games involved. Their communication method is fast and efficient.

However, when it comes to human communication, people tend to express all their thoughts at once due to habit.

"But Tarin doesn't want Neeko to tell anyone... but Qiyana is a friend, so she probably doesn't have much influence, right?"

As she said this, Nico belatedly turned her timid gaze toward Tarin behind her.

Tarlin, however, indicated to Nico that she shouldn't worry about it—it's just transforming into someone else's appearance. Although this ability is terrifying, there are still loopholes in its memory, and it can be easily detected with a little precaution. It's not to the point that it's unacceptable.

Although Neeko has been living a relatively free life during this time, Tarlin does not intend to let too many people know about Neeko's existence.

The reason is simple: in most parts of Runeterra, Neeko's abilities are somewhat too overpowered.

Furthermore, don't let Neeko's current innocent appearance fool you; based on Tallinn's intelligence gathering over this period, he's almost certain that Neeko has already made a name for herself in the coastal region.

"The Monster of Carduga".

The so-called Calduga was a Noxian border outpost where many Noxian soldiers were stationed.

Although Neeko herself had no malicious intent, out of curiosity, she impersonated everyone at the outpost and read their memories.

Although unintentional, it made everyone at the outpost wary and suspicious of one another. Finally, when Nico, transformed into a cook, couldn't help but say:

"Maybe I'm not some kind of monster? Maybe I'm just kind-hearted, but I got lost, a little scared, and just wanted to make friends, eat some cheese bread, and have some fun? Right?"

Afterwards, everyone realized that the disguised monster was real, so they were completely stunned and began to fight each other with swords.

In the end, only four people survived at the outpost. The survivors did not know whether the other was their true comrade or not, so they sent a message to the command post saying that the outpost had been destroyed by savages. Afterwards, the remaining people regarded each other as "Calduga monsters" in human skin and went their separate ways, never to see each other again.

Having experienced the entire tragedy and being the instigator of it, Nicole's final conclusion was simply, "Humans are truly complex animals."

Upon hearing Neeko refer to her as a "friend," Qiyana was secretly pleased, but her expression instinctively raised an eyebrow before she coldly snorted:

"A mere shapeshifter dares to dream of being Qiyana's friend? Lizard girl, how naive you are! You have absolutely no idea just how noble the Qiyana standing before you truly is!"

"Eh, is that not okay...?"

Neeko seemed somewhat disappointed upon hearing Qiyana's words. This surprised Qiyana as well.

Qiyana often refuses requests from others, but no one ever feels sad about not being able to be her friend.

Thinking this, and sensing Neeko's disappointment, Qiyana leaned back in her chair and said:

"However, since you're a member of the Tarlin pack... I can give you a chance to get to know me again. Well, as Tarlin's subordinate, you're barely qualified to speak to me."

Qiyana actually really wants to have some friends—

However, due to a long period of emotional deprivation and childhood trauma, her personality has become somewhat twisted. Even when facing her true feelings, she has to struggle for a while before she can face them openly.

Upon witnessing the interaction between Qiyana and Neeko, Lupe instinctively wanted to offer a reminder, but seeing that Talin and Nidalee didn't react, she hesitated for a moment before saying nothing more.

In contrast, Tarin, needless to say, also wanted to find out what Qiyana would think after learning about Neeko's abilities.

Nidalee, on the other hand, remained aloof, but a faint, subtle smile played on her lips revealed her curiosity about Qiyana's reaction to learning about Neeko's abilities.

When Tarlin first told her about Neeko's abilities, Nidalee was quite surprised for a while by the fact that she could even simulate other people's memories.

Even now, Nidalee avoids the situation altogether, instinctively resisting the idea of ​​her memories being read by others.

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, Neeko immediately jumped up excitedly and exclaimed, "Great! Neeko knew Qiyana was amazing! Qiyana's Shima flavor is definitely not a problem!"

Upon hearing the name "Shuoma," Talin raised an eyebrow slightly but remained silent.

Seeing Neeko's excited expression, Qiyana's lips also curved slightly.

People always treat "pure" people or things differently. Like Qiyana, who grew up in the deep palace, she was exposed to things like status, power, reputation, and inheritance from a young age.

Now, having suddenly met someone as pure as Nico, who expresses all her thoughts without any concealment and wants to be friends with her, she can't help but pay a little more attention to her.

However, Qiyana then noticed that Neeko's choice of words was somewhat strange.

Thinking it over, Qiyana glanced at Neeko's grinning face and simply asked, "Wait a minute, Neeko, what is this 'Shoma' you're talking about?"

"Shuoma? Shuoma... Shuoma..."

Upon hearing Qiyana's question, Neeko was slightly taken aback, then slapped her forehead, and cautiously, pitifully, turned her head toward Tarin beside her.

After sensing Tarlin's peaceful, calm, and unwavering gaze, Nico swallowed hard, her face full of timidity as she placed her hand on her pert little bottom and pleaded:

"Hey... can Tarlin not spank Neeko's butt?"

Tallinn didn't speak, but simply raised his hand in a gesture of acknowledgment.

Although there was no sound, Nico deciphered Tarin's meaning through Shuma.

Raising your hand doesn't mean you won't fight; it means you don't have to struggle.

This brought a touch of sadness to Nico's face.

Because the Misttails do not need to communicate verbally but instead read the sholma directly, Neeko's current expressions, in addition to her lisp, are relatively exaggerated compared to ordinary people in terms of emotions and facial expressions.

Sure enough, just to express that she was very sad, she started to shed tears.

As part of Neeko's requirement to integrate into the pack and human settlements, Tarlin forbids Neeko from reading other people's shoma without authorization unless absolutely necessary.

It's not that Neeko's talents are being limited, but rather that human emotions are exceptionally complex, and contact with human civilization is still relatively superficial. According to Tarlin's research over this period, excessive reading of Shuma might even contaminate the purity of Neeko's own Shuma.

It's not that Neeko is completely forbidden from using it; after all, it's a unique talent of the Misttail tribe. To have it and not use it would be a waste, a squandering of a precious resource.

Even if one were to use it, one must at least have a basic understanding of human nature and the soul; otherwise, indiscriminately reading other people's information...

Ixtal is alright, but if this were in places like Noxus, Ionia, Mount Targon, or Freljord, where superhuman beings exist in the spiritual realm, it could very likely trigger some unknown disasters.

In general, there are reasons why the Fogtail tribe lives in seclusion.

While the ability to read the power of the shimmering mortals is powerful, it also comes at a terrible price.

Just like what happened in Carduga... if a bastard like LeBlanc found out about Neeko's abilities, then... then...

Then there will be another person trying to ruin LeBlanc.

You can always trust the execution ability and success rate of a seemingly foolish but actually beautiful woman.

It can only be said that the writers of League of Legends are truly geniuses. When everyone thought LeBlanc was the mastermind behind everything, they managed to subtly transform a femme fatale into a silly, comedic character through one seemingly cunning event after another.

Neeko's ability to transform into other people is usable, although it may arouse suspicion, but without the relevant memories, it is just a facade.

However, the ability to read the Shuoma to perceive other people's emotions and memories is not only extraordinary, but also exceeds the bottom line that everyone can accept.

No one can accept their secrets being fully known by another person.

This is why Tarin doesn't allow Neeko to freely read other people's Shuma.

Whether it's because her naivety might corrupt her soul, or the trouble that would ensue if others found out, neither is something the innocent Nicole can accept right now.

The reason Neeko follows Tarlin's rules is because she knows Tarlin is doing it for her own good.

Now, realizing that she had subconsciously read someone else's spoof data because she had made a new friend, Neeko looked nervous and covered her butt.

Tallinn had previously said that if she rashly read someone else's memories, she would spank her—spank her until her buttocks were red and swollen!

Nicole also remembered how serious Tallinn was when he said those words.

In order to make Neeko truly realize that Tarin would punish her, Tarin even mentally constructed the content of the punishment and then had Neeko perceive it through Shuma, so that she would deeply realize how serious Tarin was and how serious this matter was.

Seeing Nico's anxious expression, Tarin sighed and then said:

"Nico, this ability of yours will attract the attention of many bad people and those with ulterior motives..."

You've made a mistake, and I need to teach you a lesson you won't forget.

Upon hearing this, Nico also showed a sad expression.

However, because of her perception through Shuma, Nico knew very well that Tarin was doing this for her own good, so even though she was very nervous and scared, she ultimately just nodded and said:

"I...I'll be more careful in the future!"

"Yes." Tarin nodded.

"So could you be a little gentler?" Nicole squeezed her legs together.

"No," Tallinn shook his head.

Qiyana, standing nearby, tilted her head and asked in confusion, "So... what exactly is Shuma?!"