Dispute in the Council

A few days later.

The Council session originally scheduled after the Night of Severance had been forced to postpone because Councilor Kiramman had fallen into a coma.

Fortunately, the councilor woke up within two days. Though still injured, she transferred her authority to her daughter, Caitlyn Kiramman.

"Ladies and gentlemen! We need to remain calm."

Seated among the councilors, Mel watched their argument with a headache, irritation written across her face.

Zaun's secession had never been part of her plans. She feared Jayce would be unable to handle such a situation, but since it had already happened, solving the problem was what mattered.

Piltover had no magic. The only thing capable of competing with Hextech was Hextech itself. They could only rely on Jayce.

"Councilor Medarda, how are we supposed to stay calm? The Hexgate has been forced shut, my goods are piling up every day, and the whole world is laughing at us now!"

The short, fat councilor pounded the Council table, indignation written all over his face.

He vented his emotions on Jayce, accusing him, "Councilor Talis, this was your dereliction of duty. Your assistant had been harboring ulterior motives all along, yet you took no precautions against him."

"Mr. Councillor, this is my responsibility, and I deeply apologize. If I had agreed to his request earlier, perhaps things would not have come to this." Jayce gave a bitter smile.

"Now is not the time to discuss that. On behalf of my family, I only want to ask everyone here whether Piltover still has the ability to uphold justice."

Caitlyn frowned tightly and rose from her councilor's seat. Her chilly gaze swept across the room, making the others unconsciously avert their eyes.

Vi, standing behind her, gave her a surprised glance before resuming her stance like a bodyguard. Still, her eyes remained full of mockery for the councilors.

"We should ask Councilor Talis and Councilor Heimerdinger about this," muttered the thin blond councilor.

Those words turned everyone's attention back to Jayce, as well as Heimerdinger, who sat at the head of the table with a bitter expression.

Facing the stares of several pairs of eyes, Jayce remained silent for a moment before saying with difficulty, "If Zaun does not have Viktor, our chances of victory are one hundred percent. If Viktor does not have enough Hex Gemstones, then our chances are eighty percent."

"What if he does? We cannot place our hopes on the enemy having no weapons," Mel asked calmly.

"In that case, our chances are less than fifty percent."

After saying that final number, Jayce slumped back into his councilor's seat.

That statement was practically an admission that Viktor far surpassed him in weapons development.

Zaun's underlying strength was nowhere near Piltover's, but with Viktor's help, their odds of winning had increased dramatically.

"Only a fifty percent chance? You're the founder of Hextech, yet you're inferior to him?" the short, fat councilor rebuked coldly.

"His ideas are... more radical than mine. I suggest permanently shutting down the Hexgate until we determine the victor. Otherwise, too many contraband goods are being smuggled in through the gate, and our odds will only get worse," Jayce proposed.

"No! No! That's impossible, I—"

The tall, heavyset councilor was about to say more when Mel interrupted him.

"If Councilor Talis can ensure Piltover's safety, then I believe this proposal is worth putting to a vote."

"At least that would greatly improve our chances of victory," Jayce said honestly.

"Then let us hold a vote. I propose that Piltover enter a state of emergency preparedness, redirect all materials toward war reserves, shut down the Hexgate, and have Professor Heimerdinger and Councilor Talis take charge of manufacturing weapons." Mel was the first to raise her right hand.

A spotlight descended from above and enveloped her. This was a Piltover Council voting tradition, symbolizing the beginning of a democratic vote.

"I agree!" Caitlyn raised her hand without hesitation.

Immediately afterward, Jayce and a Machine Clan councilor raised their hands, white light enveloping them.

In an instant, the supporting votes reached four. Two male councilors and one female councilor voted against it.

Mel should have been pleased that the votes had passed the majority, but instead, her brow furrowed as she stared at the three councilors who had voted against it.

They should have been her supporters. The Medarda Family would bear the losses from shutting down the Hexgate alone, so why...

Just as everyone stared at the conflicted Heimerdinger, the Council doors were violently shoved open with a bang.

"I personally oppose it, everyone."

Ryan entered in a pure white robe, followed by Katarina and Viktor, who wore a monocle.

"Lord Meredith, this is Piltover's Council Hall," Mel said tactfully.

Ryan swept his calm yet overwhelmingly imposing gaze around the room. He took out a roll of parchment and tossed it to the nearest councilor, whose body was entirely mechanical.

Seeing this, Vi whispered into Caitlyn's ear, "Who is this guy? He's got quite the presence. These stuffed-shirt officials have all gone quiet."

Caitlyn replied softly, "He is from Noxus, apparently a mage. The last time I said a few things about him, my mother scolded me and warned me not to provoke him, or all of Piltover would be buried with us."

"Heh, what a deal. If I go pick a fight with him under Zaun's banner, will he help us take out Silco and Viktor together?" Vi wore a strange grin and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"I'm afraid he'd take you out first," Caitlyn said irritably.

"Hahaha, trust me, Cupcake. I've never met a mage, but I heard they're all frail weaklings. A few punches up close will finish them off." Vi sounded confident.

While the two chatted, the councilor finished reading the parchment. He passed it to the blond councilor beside him, lowered his head, and said respectfully, "I support Lord Meredith's proposal to keep the Hexgate open."

"Why?" Mel abruptly rose to her feet, her eyes fixed on the parchment.

Several councilors who had opposed closing the gate before read it in turn. It soon reached Mel's hands, and she began reading intently.

"Noxus Notice:"

"Piltover has the following three choices:"

"First, maintain the current state of affairs. As long as Noxus's military transport and resource supply are maintained, Noxus will not interfere regardless of how chaotic your internal affairs become."

"Second, cut off the supply of resources and the Flying Gate, and let Noxus's armies come to Piltover in person."

"Third, hand supreme authority to Ryan Meredith and become a part of Noxus from this day onward. Zaun will be erased."

"—Personally signed by Darkwill, Supreme Emperor of Noxus."

The parchment also bore Noxus's National Seal. Clearly, if this parchment failed to serve as notice, then it was a declaration of war—or perhaps a letter of appointment.

"Impossible. Piltover has always governed itself and has never been subject to interference from other powers."

Jayce shot to his feet after reading the parchment, glaring at Ryan, who had just sat down.

"Councilor Talis, this notice came from the Immortal Bastion. If the Empire's armies were not simultaneously at war with four nations, Piltover would already have been occupied by now." Ryan did not even raise his eyes, still toying with the ring on his hand.

"I—"

"Enough, Councilor Talis. I think everyone agrees that the first option is quite good, but we are truly somewhat powerless against Zaun. Noxus must give us some assistance." Mel wore a helpless expression.

She very much did not want Noxus to interfere, but since things had come to this, the key was whether they could gain some tangible benefits.

If the Empire was willing to help, Zaun would be nothing more than a minor problem.

"Assistance?" Ryan looked at her with a faint smile. "I wonder whether you would mind if I brought you a councilor."