Councillor Ferros and the First Proposal She Brought

"Councilor? No, no, no. Piltover already has eight councilors, and I don't think it needs another." Mel's face stiffened as she refused in rapid succession.

If another councilor with a Noxian background were added, her current dominant position on the Council would collapse entirely.

Anyone with eyes could see that her standing in Noxus was far lower than Ryan's, and her mother wouldn't be stepping in to back her now.

"Then that will require your vote. I trust you can handle these matters. Am I right, Lady Camille?"

"Cowardly, incompetent, noisy, ignorant, foolish. So many years away, and seeing you all again, you're still just as utterly worthless."

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The sound of blades striking the floor tiles accompanied a woman's voice, ethereal yet laced with mockery.

The Council's doors were pushed open once more, and the Enforcers at the entrance still dared not block her—instead, they knelt on one knee on either side.

Entering was a tall woman with short silver hair and mechanical blades for legs. Her face was even colder than Katarina's, and her eyes gleamed with a piercing blue light as she surveyed every councilor seated in their places.

"You've returned."

Heimerdinger, seated at the head of the Council, let out a sigh.

"If I hadn't come back, Piltover would be gone. All useless fools." Camille strode forward and stopped beside the seat of a female councilor.

"Madam Ferros, Piltover welcomes your return."

The woman rose respectfully, yielding her seat to the arriving Camille.

"Who's she now?"

Vi watched Camille sit down unhurriedly and whispered in Caitlyn's ear.

"I don't know either. All I know about the Ferros Clan is that the head is Stevan, once Piltover's richest man." Caitlyn looked just as puzzled at the imposing woman.

"The younger generation has already forgotten my name—how regrettable." Camille raised an eyebrow. "But there are quite a few new faces."

She swept her gaze around, offering a critique of each new councilor:

"Medarda, your mother's blade is too slow. It'll go dull one day, and then you'll be collecting your foolish brother's corpse."

Her eyes then shifted to Caitlyn beside her:

"Kiramman? You look just like your mother. She was exactly like you in her youth—wanting to uphold justice in her heart, yet never carrying it through to the end."

"I won't be like my mother. Shouldn't you say your own name?" Caitlyn suppressed her anger.

"Interesting. It seems your mother rarely told you bedtime stories. Child, my name is Camille—Camille of the Ferros Clan, this city's guardian." Camille's eyes flickered with blue light, brimming with amusement.

"Hex!? You implanted Hextech into your body?"

Jayce, who had been observing Camille all along, couldn't help but exclaim. He knew Hextech best and was the first to recognize the source of the blue gleam in her eyes.

On the other side, Viktor, standing behind Ryan, noticed the same thing. He couldn't help but take a few more glances at her, then at her mechanical legs, sinking into thought.

Before coming this morning, Ryan had told him that a figure would appear at today's Council meeting who would inspire him. Now, he believed he had found that person.

A Hex Core implanted into the body, limbs replaced with machinery—was there any idea more fascinating in the world than this?

The gaze hidden behind Viktor's monocle flickered with dawning realization, as if a brand-new path had opened before him.

Camille, however, paid no mind to Jayce's shock. Instead, she studied him with interest, muttering to herself:

"Oh? Sharp eyes. You're the founder of Hextech—Jayce Talis? Heimerdinger, can you imagine my surprise when I heard in Ionia that Piltover had developed Hextech? A science you explicitly banned—how amusing."

Heimerdinger said gravely, "Camille, I still believe continuing its research is wrong. Studying Hextech is like studying magic—Piltover will be destroyed by it. That power is now in Viktor's hands, and that's a threat to the city."

"Then you should argue with Talis all day first. Power has no right or wrong—we need Hextech as Piltover's blade."

Camille crossed her legs and spoke to Jayce in a leisurely tone:

"Child, have you heard of the Chitin People?"

"The Chitin People? I've never heard that name." Jayce was momentarily stunned.

"See, Heimerdinger? You don't even tell him about the danger—you just talk about opposing it?" Camille's smile carried a hint of mockery.

"Councilor Talis, allow me to enlighten you."

Ryan spoke with a smile, but his gaze signaled Viktor behind him.

Though he said it was for Jayce, it was equally a lesson for Viktor.

"The Chitin People have an extremely long history. They originated in Shurima, and their first large-scale discovery in recent years was in the underground of Zaun, where many crystals formed from their remains are still buried."

"Crystals?" Jayse seemed to grasp something, his face showing surprise.

"The Hex Crystals you named—their essence is the Primal Crystals fused within the Chitin People."

Ignoring the shock on Jayce and Viktor's faces, Ryan continued in detail:

"Long before humans set foot on Shurima's scorching sands, this desert was once filled with untamed, primal magical energy. Amid a cluster of steep cliffs and jagged rocks, there lay a hidden canyon.

"There, the ancient Chitin People unearthed the primal crystals deep beneath the desert. Every noble Chitin would fuse with a crystal, and upon death, their consciousness would be stored within it for eternity—and that is the origin of Hex Crystals."

"So that means the underground mines in Zaun hold a massive amount of Hex Primal Crystals?" Jayce couldn't help but ask.

The crystals he used for research had initially been funded by the Kiramman family, later supplied by Mel—he had never known their true source.

"Exactly, child. Originally, they were guarded by our Ferros Clan, but then, thanks to my incompetent brother, Medarda got her hands on them."

Camille's cold gaze fell upon Mel:

"I heard the mine was lost a few days ago. It now belongs to Zaun."

"Our defensive forces were insufficient. Zaun has taken it." Mel's face was bitter.

"Utterly useless." Camille shook her head. "First, according to Piltover's rules, we vote. I will represent the Ferros Clan as the ninth member of the Council. Does anyone object?"

Under Camille's watchful eye, everyone—including Mel and Heimerdinger—voted in favor.

Soon, another seat was added to the Council table, and she sat upon it.

"She's so imposing. I like her style. It's just that she seems to have a grudge against Noxus, but she has to hold it in." Vi whispered again in Caitlyn's ear.

Caitlyn looked puzzled. "You can tell all that?"

"See that Noxian? He's had that fake smile on his face the whole time, never once looked us in the eye. Only when he glanced at the new Councilor did his gaze turn a bit serious." Vi analyzed.

"I thought you only knew how to fight. And what about Councilor Ferros?" Caitlyn teased.

"I was born in the Undercity—oh, it's called Zaun now. If I didn't have sharp eyes, I'd have been taken out in the shadows long ago."

Vi muttered:

"She's even easier to read. Didn't you notice? She's domineering, but she still waited until her name was called to walk in. I bet if you were that mage, she'd have already chopped your face off with her leg. The blade on her leg gives me a seriously dangerous feeling."

"I'm from Piltover. Why would she treat me that way?" Caitlyn said irritably. "I'm starting to recall some things about Councilor Ferros. Maybe, by age, I'd have to call her grandmother."

"No surprise there. I could tell that silver hair of hers was real from the start." Vi nodded with mock seriousness instead.

Camille settled into the Ferros Clan's Council seat, twisted her neck to survey the room, and spoke first:

"We have no time to waste. Let's get straight to the point. I propose full development of Hextech and Augmentation Technology, and I will lead the operation to destroy Zaun."