First Meeting with Silco

Looking out at Piltover's bustling cityscape through the window, Viktor spoke with feeling:

"I used to believe that once I possessed the power to change the world, neither Zaun nor I would have to be at anyone else's mercy."

"That aligns perfectly with what we believe in Noxus. I think you would like it there," Ryan said in agreement.

Viktor gave a bitter smile and shook his head, speaking each word slowly.

"Politics, prejudice, magic, military force, technology, wisdom. Countless forms of talent came together to create Noxus. But in Piltover, all I see are prejudice and politics."

As the mechanical car neared the bridge dividing Zaun and Piltover, the commotion caused by the Enforcers darkened Viktor's expression.

Just that morning, when Jayce became a Councilor, the Council had announced an order to thoroughly investigate Zaun. Large numbers of Enforcers wearing gas masks had flooded into Zaun. There was no need to imagine how chaotic it was there now.

That was also when he had completely given up on his partner. They could work together on research, but Jayce would never understand the suffering of those from the Undercity.

Prejudice made it impossible for Piltover's people to calmly resolve the underlying conflict between the Twin Cities. They would only rely on forceful suppression, dealing with each issue as it arose.

The mechanical car did not stop by the bridge, but Katarina had already slipped nimbly inside.

"I have never seen a place this chaotic. There was no killing with blades or guns, yet it was filled with a nauseating air of despair."

Katarina showed no intention of avoiding Viktor's presence, her face filled with disgust.

"Then it seems that place did not leave you with a pleasant experience, Miss Katarina." Ryan's expression did not change in the slightest. "However, I assume you found a suitable location for my meeting with Silco."

"The rooftop of The Last Drop. It has a good vantage point, and it is Silco's stronghold now. I heard it used to be Vander's territory." Katarina turned her gaze toward Viktor, seeking confirmation of the intelligence.

"That is true. Cough, cough. It is the tallest building in Zaun, but also the most chaotic place now."

The moment the car entered Zaun, filthy air seeped inside, making Viktor unable to stop himself from coughing.

Even so, he insisted on looking Ryan and Katarina up and down, only to find that neither of them had changed expression.

"You seem surprised? Frail scientist, some places in Noxus are a hundred times more unbearable than this." Katarina sneered.

"Councilor Talis's performance back then must not have been very good."

Ryan suddenly spoke up, seeming to understand something. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"It was nothing. Everyone has their own aspirations. This is the real Zaun. The air reeks of chemical agents, but compared to the mine and chemical factories, this smell is practically pleasant." Viktor tried to change the subject.

"Look on the bright side. You have a chance to change this place. Besides, I firmly believe in one saying." Seeing that Viktor was in low spirits, Ryan offered some comfort.

"What saying?" Viktor asked curiously.

"The purpose of mastering knowledge is not to escape our impoverished homeland, but to ensure that our homeland is no longer impoverished."

Katarina and Viktor were both stunned. Yet while Katarina quickly wore an expression of fervent agreement, Viktor seemed lost in thought, muttering something under his breath.

The mechanical car traveled smoothly all the way, continuing forward without obstruction over Zaun's muddy roads. Viktor had designed and built the vehicle with its use in Zaun in mind.

Unfortunately, the only people who could own it were from Piltover, and those people would never come here.

"So this is The Last Drop. Being able to operate in the center of Zaun, it truly has something exceptional about it."

After getting out of the car, Ryan admired the tavern's mottled, colorful lights. The building was old, but its graffiti decorations gave it a distinctly rebellious feel.

"When Vander was Zaunite Leader, this was the safest place around. Unfortunately, everything is different now. Still, his statue remains over there. Every day, someone lights the pipe in his mouth, as though mourning his departed soul."

Viktor walked one step behind Ryan, pointing at the statue in the distance and dutifully serving as their guide.

"Looks like Silco's relationship with him was anything but ordinary." Katarina recalled what Ryan had said not long ago, mockery in her expression.

What was this? Killing his former boss with his own hands, then carrying some kind of longing for him every day?

Ryan glanced at her and said meaningfully, "If one day the dagger in your hand pierces General Du Couteau's throat, you may come to a similar realization."

"That man has already abandoned me. If one day I..." Katarina retorted irritably, but her voice gradually grew quieter. At last, her eyes became wistful. "I don't know."

Ryan's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly as he looked toward the entrance of The Last Drop.

"So you're the big shot from Noxus? You look pretty weak."

A sturdy dark-skinned woman stood there, looking drunk. Seeing Ryan's frail aristocratic appearance, her face was full of defiance.

Whoosh!

Katarina's face turned icy once more. She became a shadow, appearing before the woman in an instant. With one elbow strike, she knocked the woman's raised arm outward, folding it at an unnatural angle, and pressed a sharp dagger against her throat.

"Watch your words, idiot."

"Don't scare her. She is Silco's subordinate. We need her to lead the way."

Ryan remained calm, crossing past the woman with the equally unmoved Viktor.

The blade lifted from her throat. The woman still seemed somewhat unconvinced, but with Katarina's dagger still in hand, she could only darken her face and lead the way.

After climbing several flights of stairs, the group reached the rooftop of The Last Drop, a broad platform.

The woman mockingly glanced at Viktor, who was slightly out of breath, perhaps thinking Noxus was nothing special. Then she stepped forward and whispered something into the ear of a short, thin man.

The man turned around. He had an extremely frightening face. Only the right half was intact, while the left was covered in wrinkles. The sclera of his left eye was black, and the pupil emitted a diffuse orange-red glow.

He approached with a smile, his hoarse voice carrying goodwill.

"I am Silco. Welcome, friends from Noxus, to Zaun. My foolish subordinate did not receive you properly, and I hope you can forgive her. I imagine an important figure from Noxus would not lower himself to argue with people from the Undercity like us."

Ryan smiled at him. His eyes suddenly flashed with a deep blue light, as if some rune had flickered through them.

This posture made the woman tense up in alarm, while Silco's expression remained unchanged.

Blue magical light continued to glow in Ryan's eyes as he softly said,

"Your body bears traces of multiple Shimmer injections. Recently, three injections in the right leg, two in the left arm, and one each in the right arm and left leg. The injection technique is highly unprofessional, as if it was deliberately meant to torture you. The left side of your face has mutated. Every day, you need multiple injections of Shimmer through your left eye to sustain your life. You have a severe addiction. If you go three hours without a Shimmer injection, at best your entire body will be in agony; at worst, your body will collapse."

After saying that, he lowered his head to look down at Silco, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

"Am I right, Mr. Silco?"

After he finished speaking, not only were Silco and his subordinates utterly shocked, even Viktor and Katarina, who knew he was a mage, were greatly surprised.

Silco forced out two laughs, his face regaining its composure. After taking two deep breaths, he said,

"As expected of Mage Meredith from Noxus. May I ask what instructions you have for me?"

Having spent so long in Zaun, he was all too familiar with this routine.

If Ryan were truly an enemy, there would have been no need to tell him so much.

Revealing the secrets of his body from the start was clearly a display of strength. Ryan was openly telling him that their strengths were not equal.

Faced with someone who even stood above Piltover, he had little choice beyond submission.

Besides, there was no conflict of interest between them.

"What do you think of Piltover's new Councilor, Jayce Talis?" Ryan suddenly asked.

Silco was somewhat surprised by the question. He cautiously watched Ryan from the corner of his eye, his mind constantly turning as he tried to find the answer Ryan wanted.

Beside them, Katarina wore a cold expression and showed no interest in the conversation between the two men. Instead, she kept her eyes on Silco's subordinate, who inserted several vials of purple liquid into her mechanical left arm and gave Katarina a provocative look.

Viktor, meanwhile, kept looking at Silco. He found it difficult to connect this man with the Zaunite Leader. He knew Silco as a practical Zaunite entrepreneur with quite a reputation in Piltover. No matter how he looked at him, Silco did not resemble an underground emperor.

He was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Silco to be the source of Zaun's recent chaos.

Silco pondered for a long while. Unable to read anything from Ryan's expression, he could only honestly speak his mind.

"In my eyes, Jayce Talis possesses considerable talent, but he is a typical Upper City man. He grew up under the deliberately guided, ignorant education of the Upper City, pure as a blank sheet of paper."