Reversal
Just as Karya had expected, the Lakol people had indeed set their sights on the Thousand Rivers Diversion Project.
After all, if they wanted to make efficient use of the Sun Disc's Ascended Power and create a powerful gravitational field to secure Nareumajel completely, the best way was to channel the energy through the waterways of the Thousand Rivers Diversion Project. They had just seized some Shuriman Empire architectural documents from the Sun God Cult heretics, including quite a bit of information about the underground waterways.
With the help of meltwater from Mount Targon's snow-capped peaks, the Lakol people had confirmed that water could indeed assist in transmitting energy. Under the circumstances, the various sects quickly reached a consensus on using the Thousand Rivers Diversion Project.
Besides, considering the ages of Renekton, Nasus, Azir, and Zilean, they probably knew nothing about this ancient Shuriman project. As long as they kept things secret, the Shuriman Unified Army would never find the energy river. The waterways of the Thousand Rivers Diversion Project were so complex and even drew on the Shurima River's water supply that not even a madman like Azir could tamper with the entire project.
So the Lakol people quickly got to work. They began buying various gemstones used to regulate the flow of energy through the Northern Shurima black market, which was at odds with Azir—in reality, the Uzeris black market. The cash-rich Lakol leadership swiftly snapped up many of the market's most closely guarded stockpiles, including blood crystal and tea agate.
To be safe, the gemstones changed hands several times in secret before being sent up Mount Targon, where they were cut and processed together.
Since the work required great skill, they hired not only Lakol craftsmen but also a group of professional gemcutters from the Marrow