Bilgewater

The two siblings were very happy to be with us. The girl recovered very quickly, finishing in just four or five days, and her complexion improved considerably. 💋🏆 💥💲

During our few days of leisurely wandering, we didn't find Tam, but we did gain a basic understanding of Bilgewater:

The Bilgewater, with over three thousand islands of Runeterra.

This place is home to thousands of fleets from all over the world, more than half of which have voluntarily joined here, and this trend is growing.

Bilgewater is a lawless place, which means you don't have to pay taxes, and if you're powerful enough, becoming rich overnight isn't difficult.

Opportunities and dangers coexist. High returns come with corresponding risks, such as assassination and the subsequent destruction of families. No one is absolutely safe here.

Originally, this was just a deserted island inhabited by a small number of indigenous people. With the development of seafaring, it was gradually developed and utilized by people.

Preconceived notions are not accepted here. Many newcomers use force to overthrow the original owners and become the new rulers. Desperate fugitives from all sides also gather here and start a new life.

The seeds of chaos were sown from the very beginning, but chaos could not stop the development here. On the contrary, many people came here seeking chaos. They relied on strength to gain a foothold and on wisdom to develop economic trade. They quickly rose from nothing to become local giants.

Such an opportunity can only be found in Bilgewater.

At some point, the legend of the treasure spread, attracting more people to search for and explore it, making the people here more complex and their lives more diverse.

While various countries acknowledge that Zaun is a global trade hub, no one denies that the Bilgewater played a more significant role, both in terms of trade volume and location.

Of course, Bilgewater from an unknown desert island to the world's largest and most prosperous port is not only due to some unique and attractive conditions, but also inseparable from the impetus of many powerful forces.

Over the years of chaotic warfare, four powerful forces gradually emerged on the Bilgewater: the Misfortune Fleet in the north, the Ghost Claw Fleet in the west, the Sea Worm Fleet in the east, and the Daughter of Death Fleet in the south.

The Ghost Claw, Doom, and the Sea Worm have always followed Bilgewater's survival rule: chaos.

They developed their fleets into the strongest in their respective fields, ostensibly engaging in legitimate trade while actually extorting and plundering, and levying exorbitant protection fees on trading ships from various countries, behaving no differently from pirates.

The Daughter of Death of the South are different. They were originally pirates and never cared about their image. They would rob if they could, and if they couldn't rob, they would take a bite out of it before leaving.

Yet this pirate crew is very orderly and rarely commits acts of insubordination.

The greatest thing the Daughter of Death did before unifying Bilgewater was to fight the Noxus navy. Although she was ultimately defeated, she suffered little loss and even seized a considerable amount of weapons and supplies.

From that time onward, rumors circulated that the Daughter of Death was a naval force from somewhere in Shurima who had come to steal a share of the riches of Bilgewater.

Such a powerful and orderly fleet was out of place with the other three. Although Ghost Claw, Doom, and Sea Worm were not united either, they still chose to stick together for warmth in the face of the Daughter of Death's aggressive arrogance.

It is said that the combined strength of the three fleets is far greater than that of the Daughter of Death, but because the Misfortune Fleet in the north has no connection with the Daughter of Death in the south, it is not very active, resulting in a lack of coordination among the three parties.

Later, a large-scale battle broke out among the major fleets. At the critical moment, misfortune betrayed Ghost Claw and Sea Worm, causing them to be devoured by the Daughter of Death, and their territory was divided up.

However, this claim has not been verified by many people; it is merely an anecdote circulating in the streets and alleys.

The four major powers became two, and the forces of misfortune and the Daughter of Death drew closer, becoming irreconcilable enemies, and eventually war broke out.

The war was almost one-sided; the Daughter of Death easily crushed Misfortune with her well-organized offensive and incorporated its territory into her domain.

With the collapse of the last major power entrenched in the north, the Daughter of Death finally unified the Bilgewater, becoming its sole ruler.

Captain Gangplank, the captain of the Daughter of Death, also earned the title of the Terror of the Seas for accomplishing an unprecedented feat, a testament to his immense power.

After Gangplank unified the Bilgewater, he issued many decrees, most of which were aimed at achieving unification.

In terms of ideology, he vigorously promoted the Baju culture and advocated that people worship the Serpent Mother, believing that any family that worshipped the Serpent Mother would be protected by the Daughter of Death.

In his actions, he opened Twelve Waterways, three each in the east, west, north, and south, established a waterway fleet and set up the position of "dredging officer" to manage it, actively intervened to resolve disputes between large and small fleets, prohibited people from fighting in public, and greatly improved the social atmosphere.

This is what we saw when we arrived: people were running around, but there were very few conflicts.

This approach not only stabilized the living conditions of the lower and middle classes but also greatly improved the operation of the fleet.

After years of open and covert struggles, people had long been accustomed to getting something for nothing and becoming rich overnight. Gangplank's approach largely changed this atmosphere.

These practices led to a leap forward in Bilgewater's economy and trade, with an increasing number of trading ships from various countries and a significant improvement in people's overall living standards.

Of course, every system has its drawbacks, and it is especially difficult for the Bilgewater people, who are used to chaos, to adapt.

Those who have already benefited have enjoyed a more stable life and have accumulated more and more wealth, but it is very difficult for them to start from scratch, especially for the poor, who have almost no chance of turning their lives around.

Of course, there are still many malicious incidents happening in the shadows, but they can only be accomplished with the help of a powerful background.

In any case, people had no power to resist Gangplank and could only try their best to live under his rule.

"I feel like Gangplank did a good thing, so why are people here still so resentful?" Riven asked me.

"Because the middle and lower classes make up such a large proportion, they rarely have a chance to turn their lives around, especially those who have been betrayed and can only watch others enjoy the wealth they have accumulated. How do they feel about that?"

"Yes! My parents' property was swallowed up by those scoundrels, and I have no way to get it back!" Yarlin looked resentfully at a luxurious building in the city, which looked like it used to be his home.

Maki is much better off. She rarely saw her parents growing up and didn't yearn for a luxurious life. As long as she could be with her brother, the kind of life she led didn't matter.

"There's a lot of people gathered over there! Let's go take a look!"

Little Maki has been very lively since she recovered. These past few days, she's been taking us around everywhere. She's such a great little guide!