A Pleasant Partnership

Silco's expression turned solemn as he did everything he could to disparage Jayce.

He had still guessed at the other man's possible demands: the Hexgate and Hextech!

For a powerful empire, unexpected factors should be eliminated as early as possible. But just like Piltover, the greater its reputation, the more it cared about that reputation. That was why someone was needed to do the dirty work.

And he, Silco, was the best candidate for such work. Just as he had control over Piltover's sheriff, he needed people in the Upper City to handle certain matters in secret.

Once he understood this, he quickly found his bearings, and his expression became slightly more composed.

"I don't care whether he's truly naive. I need you to oppose him. On the very morning he took office, he ordered a thorough investigation of Zaun. You'd be helping yourself, too," Ryan said with a faint smile.

His bright eyes watched Silco as though he had seen through every thought in his mind.

"I would very much like to follow your will, but..." Silco's face held a trace of regret. "Zaun's strength is not on the same level as Piltover's."

"Two hundred sets of decommissioned Noxian military equipment."

"My lord, they have guns," Silco said tactfully.

Ryan laughed silently as he looked at the greedy viper before him and said casually,

"I seem to have received some intelligence. Yesterday, the young lady of the Kiramman family went to Stillwater Hold and, under Councilor Talis's orders, retrieved a prisoner."

Seeing the confusion and irritation Silco put on, Ryan made a calming gesture before changing the subject.

"That prisoner looked like a tomboy, with pink hair. Her name seemed to be..."

Ignoring Silco's slight panic, Ryan tapped his forehead and said with a smile,

"Look at my memory. I forgot such important intelligence."

"Tomorrow—no. Tonight, I'll immediately send people to kill the young lady of the Kiramman family and that prisoner together." Silco's face was filled with ruthlessness.

"I admire your decisiveness. The one hundred and fifty sets of equipment I promised will arrive in two days," Ryan said with a smile.

"No problem. You will see my sincerity."

Silco agreed without hesitation, as though the other party had only promised that much equipment from the very beginning.

"A pleasant partnership, Silco!"

"A pleasant partnership."

Silco suppressed the killing intent in his heart and bowed to Ryan with a smile.

The other man knew his weakness. He understood that very clearly.

He wanted to kill him badly, but without absolute certainty, he would never reveal even the slightest hint of it.

Ryan took in Silco's attitude and gave a look behind him.

A cold smile curled Katarina's lips. She cast a provocative glance at Silco and his subordinates before saying arrogantly,

"Lord Meredith, please permit me to challenge the strongest warrior under Mr. Silco. I cannot tolerate their earlier disrespect toward you."

Silco's pupils contracted. His gaze shifted between Katarina and Ryan, and he understood their intention.

"If you don't mind, let Sevika have a match with this young lady."

He understood that this was likely a display meant to show him the gap between them. Still, he wanted to see just how great the difference was between them and Noxus after using Shimmer.

When the dark-skinned woman heard Silco call her name, excitement appeared on her face. She rolled her neck and said provocatively,

"You don't mind if I use some special methods, do you?"

"Do as you please. It's not as though I'm going to kill you," Katarina said coldly.

"Arrogant little brat."

Sevika's entire left arm was made of machinery. With the sound of steam propulsion, a tube of Shimmer was injected into it.

Her left arm blazed with intense purple light. A savage grin spread across her face as she swung her mechanical arm and charged at Katarina.

Slash!

To her disbelief, her mechanical arm struck nothing but air, while a sharp pain suddenly erupted across her back.

It was the stinging pain of a dagger cutting through flesh!

"Too slow!"

A teasing whisper sounded beside her ear, and another bloody gash appeared on her right arm, blood streaming from it.

"Damn it!"

Sevika swung her arm in retaliation, but hit nothing again.

"If you've got the guts, face me head-on!"

"Words of the weak!"

Katarina's voice came from directly in front of her, and joy immediately appeared on Sevika's face.

The other woman was merely fast. As long as she could land a hit, with Shimmer's help, she would surely be able to—

The hiss of steam propulsion rang out again. Another dose of Shimmer was swiftly injected into the mechanical arm, which glowed with an eerie purple radiance. Even the slightest movement stirred up a fierce gust of wind.

With a savage expression, Sevika put all her strength into swinging her mechanical arm, bringing it down upon Katarina with maximum force.

"Die, brat!"

Slash!

Arm and blade met.

"How is that possible?"

Yet the sound was not the thunderous collision Sevika had expected, but a crisp tearing sound.

Thud!

A heavy object crashed onto the ground not far away. Sevika stared blankly at her mechanical arm, now severed in half, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You thought machinery could be sharper than my blade? Foolish."

Katarina sheathed her dagger indifferently and turned back toward Ryan.

Her task was complete. She had demonstrated Noxus's overwhelming power.

Silco witnessed the entirety of that brief battle. Although he had expected it, he could not help but feel astonished.

Throughout the entire fight, Sevika had been toyed with by Katarina. If it had truly been a fight to the death, even with Shimmer's assistance, her throat would have been slit at the first opportunity.

And it was not merely speed. The gap in strength was far greater as well.

Although that mechanical arm had indeed sacrificed much of its hardness to accommodate Shimmer, it should not have been something a blade could sever so easily.

That dagger was certainly no ordinary weapon.

"I'm very sorry, Silco. I accidentally damaged one mechanical arm. But I believe my steward can help you repair it."

Ryan's helpful words interrupted Silco's thoughts. Just as he was about to say something, he saw the refusal in the other man's eyes.

After a moment of silence, he glanced at Viktor several times and understood that he must be the steward.

"It would be my honor to receive your steward's assistance. But... will he be staying here? Zaun's environment is not somewhere ordinary people can endure."

Silco wanted to refuse the other man's attempt to place someone beside him. He could see that Viktor was in poor health, and perhaps this was an opportunity.

If someone had to stay beside them, Katarina would be far preferable to that steward.

He had heard the rumors about Noxus: only the capable were entrusted with important duties. Katarina was clearly skilled in combat, while that sickly-looking steward seemed, no matter how he looked at him, to be a strategist.

"Mr. Silco, the environment I was born into was similar to this. I believe I can adapt," Viktor said in a hoarse but resolute voice.

He understood Ryan's intentions. Having him wear these clothes was meant to send him here to monitor Silco from behind the scenes. And with Ryan's power, he had a chance to gain control of Zaun.

Now, his goal of transforming Zaun was so close.

If his ideals could truly be realized, what did submitting to Noxus matter? Wasn't Piltover merely their dependent as well? If both sides were dependents, he was confident that Zaun could stand as Piltover's equal.

"Very well, then. I'll have someone arrange the finest place for you to rest in Zaun," Silco said, no longer refusing and instead going along with it.

"I hope the two of you get along well." Ryan smiled at Viktor. "Oh, right. There's something I'll hold onto for you for now, so it won't be troublesome when you want to bring it next time."