At nearly the same time, in an open-air plaza in Piltover's southern district.
"Piltover has prospered for two hundred years. We have faced countless crises, yet time and again, we have overcome them. And now—"
On the elevated podium, Jayce, dressed in a suit, spoke with impassioned emotion.
"For that reason, we need everyone's wholehearted support. I hope each of you can contribute your share."
Half an hour later, the crowds that had packed the entire plaza dispersed.
Mel gracefully smiled and held out a glass of water to Jayce.
"How does it feel to serve the people?"
Jayce gulped down a large mouthful of water, annoyance written across his face.
"I really miss the old days. I'd rather spend an entire day in the laboratory. By the way, how effective have these speeches been lately?"
"Don't be too impatient. The people need time to step out of their comfort."
Mel took the glass and handed it to her butler, then walked around the plaza with Jayce.
"Time. Time is what we lack most. I can feel the immense burden on my shoulders."
Jayce looked worried.
Every day, he walked along the coastline. Zaun across the water changed by the day. He could see the smog swirling above Zaun gradually clearing away. He could see robots standing guard along the shore, and many dilapidated, dangerous buildings being demolished and replaced with exquisite little towers.
Zaun was transforming from a run-down, abandoned city into something entirely new.
Half a month had passed for everyone. What had Piltover been doing?
Nothing!
Without Zaun's factories, they did not even have a place to turn their technology into profit.
After finally pouring so much effort into building factories, the people simply refused to work there.
Piltover could not make promises of the future like Zaun, and the people did not want to live hard lives. Nor could they drive slaves like Noxus. They had no prisoners of war, much less anything else at this point.
The councilors also refused to raise wages, using a lack of funds as their excuse. Being a councilor was truly difficult for him.
"Mel."
Jayce opened his mouth, wanting to ask her to provide funding and improve the workers' treatment. But when he remembered that the factories had largely been funded by the Medarda Family, guilt suddenly filled his heart, and he fell silent.
"Jayce."
Mel's expression turned serious as she reached out to straighten Jayce's tie.
"Piltover is not a city that belongs to you alone. You need to learn how to reach a consensus with others."
"A consensus? Like what happened at the Grand Theater?"
Jayce recalled the night Viktor broke with Piltover. At the time, he had been socializing with several other councilors at the Grand Theater.
Under Mel's guidance, he had come to understand that if he wanted to secure his position as a councilor, he needed to maintain good relations with the others. He had to learn to tolerate some things if he wanted to achieve what he truly sought.
In an instant, Jayce thought of many things. He recalled Viktor's departure and Camille withdrawing from the affairs of the Enforcement Office. Caitlyn still upheld justice every day, but after becoming a councilor, her complexion had worsened day by day.
Was it really for Piltover's sake?
His gaze swept over the surroundings. Bathed in sunlight, Piltover gleamed gold, every exquisite building seeming to be covered in a layer of gold.
This was where he had grown up. There were profit-seeking councilors, professors devoted to science, skilled craftsmen, Enforcers serving the public, and apprentices full of hope.
His gaze landed on an airship in the sky, bearing his portrait.
At some point, he had changed from an apprentice into a councilor. Yet his aspirations had never changed. This city had raised him, and he wanted to protect it, whatever the cost.
But it seemed he had rarely considered what everyone else wanted.
Profit? Knowledge? Wealth? Happiness? Life?
Perhaps understanding them was the key to connecting the hearts of all Piltover citizens.
Jayce took a deep breath and placed both hands on Mel's shoulders, his expression utterly solemn.
"I understand. Although I don't understand why they value profit more than Piltover's safety, I will learn what they want in order to protect this place."
The corners of Mel's lips rose slightly as her gaze met Jayce's sincere eyes. She said casually, "If you want to understand that, you first need to sort out Piltover's entire social structure. How many classes do you think there are here?"
Jayce instinctively frowned. After thinking for a while, he made an uncertain guess.
"Two? Councilors and the public?"
"No. There are four: great nobles, lesser nobles, middle-class citizens, and common citizens."
Hearing Mel's words, Jayce unconsciously followed her line of thought and murmured, "The great nobles are Ferros and Medarda, perhaps Professor Heimerdinger as well. Kiramman represents the lesser nobles, along with perhaps the Talis family I represent. Most councilors belong to this class. Below them are the middle-class citizens... Marcus?"
Mel nodded slightly. "He counts as one. There are also many administrators who handle the city's important affairs. They have no family background and reached their current positions through knowledge and ability. The common citizens at the bottom are the group we need to mobilize."
"Piltover's middle-class and common citizens have enjoyed peace for too long. They have no concept of crisis, much less when the source of that crisis is Zaun."
Mel did not finish her words, but Jayce already understood clearly.
"Piltover has suppressed Zaun for over a century. Deep down, they simply do not believe Zaun can threaten them. Crises have occurred before, but none of them ever harmed them."
"But... a councilor died, and the Kiramman family home was destroyed." Jayce looked puzzled.
This time was different from before. It was not like when his own home had been bombed and only one building collapsed. A councilor had died, and another councilor's home had been leveled.
"That is what you witnessed, not what the public heard." Mel smiled.
"What do you mean?" Jayce froze slightly, his eyes full of curiosity.
He had never felt that the answer was so close, within reach, separated only by a thin veil.
"This gentleman."
Instead of answering Jayce, Mel suddenly called out to a middle-aged gentleman in a suit who was passing by.
The gentleman appeared to be in poor health, and his clothes were somewhat worn. Yet when Mel called to him, he still meticulously adjusted his attire before turning around tremblingly with the support of his cane.
"Good afternoon, Councilor Medarda. How may I be of service?"
After taking several deep breaths, the gentleman respectfully bowed slightly to Mel.
"Are you Colin Levic? Is your health all right?" Jayce looked surprised as he recognized the gentleman.
He was the owner of a workshop in the southern district and also a great inventor. His greatest skill was crafting prosthetic limbs. Nearly every Piltover noble's prosthetic limbs had been personally made by him.
When Jayce had still been studying at the Academy, he had worked at this gentleman's workshop. Colin was also utterly devoted to his daughter, who excelled at making dolls. Perhaps because she was often around dolls, or perhaps because Colin spoiled her too much, Jayce had always felt that there was something odd about the girl's personality and body.
Moreover, after years of research at home and an accident during an experiment, Colin had developed a chronic chest condition several years ago. He did not have much time left.
"Councilor Talis, it has indeed been a long time. When you worked at my place, I knew you would have a bright future."
Although Colin's smile was strained by the pain in his chest, his eyes and manner conveyed sincere blessings.
"Mr. Colin, you know that Councilor Talis has recently been busy recruiting workers, so he would like to ask what you think about the matter."
Mel wore a polite smile. Upon learning that Colin was in poor health, she even had the butler behind her help him over to sit on a stone bench.
"My thoughts?" Colin coughed twice and, without suspecting anything, voiced his opinion. "Councilor Talis's idea is quite good. I also think Piltover needs to be more dynamic, but..."
At that, Colin looked troubled. He hesitated for a long while without speaking.
"Could you be more specific? If the problem lies with me, I need you to correct me. Do you remember when I had just become an apprentice and was completely overwhelmed? You and Orianna always pointed out my mistakes without holding back."
Jayce sensed that something was wrong and looked at Colin expectantly.
"A lot has happened in Piltover recently. First, Zaun became independent. Ordinary people did not feel much about that, though our workshop district was affected. After all, our suppliers were all on Zaun's side."
Colin still hesitated somewhat, but when he saw Jayce's sincere expression, he sighed and continued.
"Then later, we heard that a councilor had died. Those above us said it was caused by a terrorist attack from Zaun, but honestly, none of us truly believed it."
"Why? Zaunites really did commit that act." Jayce's expression changed slightly.
Tonight, this book welcomed its first Alliance Leader, and I'm so excited! A huge thank-you to "Dexing Jianxiu" for the Alliance Leader reward! This is the first Alliance Leader reward I've received since I started writing! Thank you so much!
It is usually not advisable to add extra chapters during the new-book period, but for this Alliance Leader reward, I will add another chapter tonight! Once the book is released and first subscriptions come in, I will make up ten more chapters!
Besides that, I also want to thank "Mengmengda Yuye" for the 5,000 reward, "Mechanical Stray Cat" for the 1,500 reward, "Dusk Falls, Road Far" for the 504 reward, and "Lonely Wandering Bull" for the 300 reward. I remember every reward you give me! Thank you all so much for your support! I will work hard to write and bring you the best story possible!