Trade Friction

Viktor projected a beam of light from his staff. Although Jace was hampered by the gravity field, he could switch his Warhammer into cannon mode for ranged attacks. ♔🎄 ✎☠

Jace unleashed a burst of energy to meet Viktor's magical beam. The two powerful attacks collided, creating a violent impact. I created a wind wall to protect the people behind me, and Aubrey's people also quickly set up their defenses.

Soon the impact subsided, and the gravity field beneath Jace's feet also disappeared. He remained standing on the field, while Viktor had fallen.

He was covered in electric current, indicating that the impact had damaged some of his body's mechanisms. However, the broken metal armor revealed that most of his body was still flesh and blood.

"The technological limitations of the old world are too great. Stop modifying yourself. When you lose your physical body, you will slowly lose your humanity and thus lose true power."

"You've won, but there's no need for explanations, because I haven't failed yet. When I evolve and return, I'll come back for you!"

Viktor struggled to his feet, picked up his cane that he had left aside, and limped away.

Aubrey was disheartened. With three out of five games won, he had already lost, and the position of head of the family was no longer within his reach.

The referee then announced that Jorba had been officially elected as the head of the family, and cheers erupted all around, except for the dozen or so people who supported Aubrey.

"This is the first time the Twenty-Eight Chairs have caused such an unpleasant scene. In the past, everyone cheered together for the new head of the family to take the throne, including when Aubrey was elected five years ago." Sheriff Ferg looked somewhat disappointed.

"This is bound to happen when there are many people, but don't worry, Jorba is kind and righteous, I believe he will win them over."

I believe in Jorba's abilities. The fact that most of the gang members support him means that they approve of his character.

After the election, everyone in Kalin returned to their posts and performed their duties. Jorba also began to deal with gang matters and could only find time to chat with us in the evenings.

Before this, Darius and I had been busy trying to help Urgot fix his body, but several workshops refused to take him in.

After being rejected five times, we finally found a tech workshop willing to help with the repairs. Although the price was a bit high, Darius was never stingy with his brave subordinates.

The boss told us that Urgot's repairs would take about two days. It was already dark, so we returned to the Kalin Family.

When I saw Jorba again, I asked him why he was so busy, and he told me it was because of trade frictions.

Trade between Zaun and Bilgewater has been strained recently, with numerous conflicts arising from issues related to arms purchases.

As two famous seaports in Runeterra, Zaun and Bilgewater have very frequent trade relations, covering a wide range of products including agricultural raw materials, technological products, and cultural and artistic items.

Recently, Bill's caravan has been focusing particularly on importing weapons, significantly reducing its demand for other products, and even losing interest in the high-tech products it used to love.

Although Zaun is an anarchic city, it is under the jurisdiction of the three major families, and the management of weapons is relatively strict, as this is related to the security and stability of the region.

Bill's caravan was mostly made up of former pirates. Their sudden purchase of so many weapons is bound to arouse suspicion from the three major families. If they set their sights on Zaun and Piltover, it won't be something that can be dealt with easily.

Therefore, the Phiros Family, the Gerral Family, and the Kalin Family jointly formulated management rules that strictly prohibited the export and transit of large quantities of weapons.

Bill's caravan originally didn't mind Piltover's purchase restrictions, but their ban on the transit of weapons was going too far.

The weapons shipped from Demacia and Noxus could not be transited through Zaun and had to go directly to Bilgewater, greatly increasing the danger and causing transportation costs to skyrocket, which was a major headache for them.

After numerous unsuccessful negotiations, the two sides finally broke off relations, and trade between them plummeted.

This won't have much of an impact on Zaun, as they have no shortage of trading partners. However, Bill's side is in a difficult position. Many of their goods rely on Zaun as a huge transit point, and they are having a very uncomfortable time after the relationship soured.

At this point, someone instigated sabotage. Bill's caravan intercepted ships from other places in the coastal waters and charged them tolls, essentially reverting to piracy.

There was no other way; the three major families couldn't back down at this critical moment, so they established a protection team for patrols.

But they were no match for the pirates. Not only were they constantly ambushed, but many of their ships were also stolen. Some even claimed that the famous pirate king Gangplank would personally lead his army to conquer Zaun.

Aubrey was never good at handling these kinds of things, and the series of losses naturally caused dissatisfaction among many people. So, everyone suggested holding an early election, and Jorba, who has now taken over, is also in a flurry of activity.

After listening to him explain so much, I finally understood. Bill's caravan had no ill intentions; they were strengthening their military to counter the threat from the Shadow Isles, but their poor communication skills led to the misunderstanding.

Since I can help with this, and it would benefit both of them, I'll try to mediate.

"So that's what it was about. Don't worry, I'll take care of it!"

"It's great that you're willing to deal with those pirates! The guards from the Phiros Family alone are simply not enough!"

"No need to deal with them, just lift the ban without worry. We're not enemies."

I briefly told Jorba about the Bilgewater. He was initially surprised, not expecting that I had become friends with Pirate King Gangplank in such a short time.

However, since the ban was jointly established by the three families, it also needs to be lifted together. Jorba immediately sent out invitations, specially inviting the heads of the Phiros Family Head and Gerral families to discuss this matter together the next day.

The two family heads arrived early the next morning. Stivan, the Phiros Family Head, was still the same as before, an old man with a sage-like demeanor. He was slightly surprised to see me there, but then smiled and nodded.

This is the first time I've met the head of the Gerral family. He's a middle-aged man with a round build and squinty eyes, making it impossible to tell what he's thinking.

Neither of them brought any guards, only a servant carrying gifts accompanied them, which suggested they trusted the Kalin Family.

Upon seeing them, Jorba quickly went to greet them, "Welcome, both of you. I apologize for disturbing you so soon after assuming the position of family head."

"Patriarch Kalin, you're too kind. The relationship between our three families has become increasingly close; we're practically family now. Of course, we should communicate more. I was planning to take some time these next couple of days to offer my congratulations, but I didn't expect you to extend the invitation first."

The two heads of the family had their servants hand the gifts to the members of the Kalin Family, and then they took their seats.