Jayce: I Said, Fuck You, Happy New Life Day!

Early in the morning, Marna got up and was about to wake her husband when Marna patted the person next to her and froze.

"Aren't we not supposed to work these days?"

Marna's husband woke up earlier than her, which puzzled Marna, since the Zaun factory had been closed for the past two weeks. Representative Li Ke asked, "What's this? A public holiday?"

This is to celebrate the New Life Community of Zaun and to let all Zaunite have a happy end to the year.

Breathing out the cold air, Marna got out of bed and put on her cotton coat. Yesterday, the snow in Zaun only lasted for an afternoon, but after the snow melted, the temperature in Zaun rose several degrees overnight, making it colder than usual.

It was as if the cold winds of Freljord had crossed the mountains and reached Zaun.

Marna stepped out of the house and saw her husband, bundled up like a bear, happily writing something on the wall outside their house with a brush.

"What are you doing?" Marna stepped forward and looked around. She noticed that many people in the Hope Community had gotten up early and were writing something on the wall, just like her husband.

"The law enforcement officer just came by and said there's going to be an event in the community. He told me to tell you to have Hope Community designate a fireworks area and not let people set up stalls there. The same applies to the other communities." Marna's husband turned around, his brush stained with paint, and made way for her. Marna saw what he had written.

Happy New Life Day!

Next to this line of text is a series of painted flower petals, which are quite beautiful.

Marna's eyes lit up, and she held out her hand. "Let me draw too."

"OK."

"Did the officer say anything else?" Marna asked her husband as she drew.

He said, "Happy New Life Day."

Marna paused for a moment, then nodded and smiled, saying, "Yes, happy New Life Day."

"Our Zaun finally has its own festival!"

Around noon, Wei led her team on law enforcement. Having just returned from Hotarubi Community, she went to Hope Community but didn't go home because she still had various tasks to complete.

"Carry this box of fireworks over there. Also, this box contains children's fireworks. Go to the central square and give them to the kids, telling them they can only play with them at night."

Wei directed the conversation in an orderly fashion, took a sip of hot meat soup, and muttered, "Oh, right, send a few people to the Upper City to call Sevika back. Zaun having a festival these days, and Li Ke said she has to come back too."

"Honestly, who couldn't have done this for Sevika? Why do I have to do it? Isn't this just making things difficult for me!"

Wei said through gritted teeth.

Beside her, a dozen or so law enforcement officers from the Sump received their orders and hurriedly ran off to carry out their tasks.

Vi started moving boxes, and these boxes were full of fireworks—some made by Ekko Jinx, some by Mr. Viktor, and some by that handsome Jayce Talis.

Just as Vi was thinking about Jayce, she saw the guy walk out of the building. He was so conspicuous—tall, well-built, handsome, talented, and rich. A guy like that could never be nobody anywhere.

"Hey handsome, where are you going?" Vi looked at Jayce, whistled, and teased Jayce.

Jayce, his beard unkempt, rolled his eyes, snatched a loaf of bread from Ekko's hand, took a big bite, and shouted, "Back to Upper City!"

"Oh, going home to visit family?" Vi smiled broadly upon hearing Jayce's words.

Jayce snorted, walked past Vi, and said to Ekko beside him, "Ekko, I'll be back tonight. Tell Viktor not to rush into making that thing. Wait for me to come back, and we'll work on it together."

"The Boss said you can stay in the Upper City for a few more days. You came to Zaun as a councilor, not a hostage. Now that you've finished your work, you can go wherever you want. He won't stop you."

"I know, I wanted to come back myself, is that not allowed?" Jayce said, then paused, and added, "Remember, don't let Viktor make it by himself, it was the three of us who researched it!"

"Once this thing is made, the whole world will tremble. We are changing the way the world communicates, Ekko!"

Seeing Jayce's dazed look, Ekko chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll talk to Viktor. But Jayce, are you sure you don't want to tidy yourself up? You're going to go Upper City looking like this?"

"Yeah, I don't have time for that. Once I get there, someone will help me get ready. Ugh, I really don't want to go to those banquets," Jayce said casually, stroking his beard.

During his time in Zaun, Jayce truly rediscovered his old self, becoming obsessed with science, neglecting sleep and meals, agonizing over a single part for days, and then experiencing the exhilarating joy of finally finding a solution.

These emotions helped Jayce rediscover himself. Just as Viktor and Mel said, he wasn't suited for politics; he was suited for science!

Soon, Jayce left the Sump. During this time, no one stopped Jayce, and even the Sump enforcer recognized Jayce and took the initiative to protect Jayce as he walked out of the Sump.

But Jayce refused, because there was no need to worry about that in Zaun now. Jayce had been living there for almost two months and knew very well that Zaun was safe.

Jayce didn't know what Zaun was like before, but now, under Li Ke's leadership, Zaun was doing better Piltover in many ways.

Being poor is not a disgrace.

"In conclusion, the officers' tasks are very important, Wei, you'll have to work hard during this time."

Wei, who was standing to the side, nodded.

"Vander, take a group of men with you tonight and focus on guarding flammable areas to prevent fires. Of course, don't be too nervous; Janna will help us too."

Inside the parliament building, a host of members of parliament, including Li Ke, Silco, Vander, Scar, Heimerdinger, and Marna, were present, as was Janna.

Her seating arrangement was hilarious. Everyone else was sitting in chairs, even Vander's seat was a huge chair that took up the space of three people, while Janna was sitting directly on the table.

If she sat in the chair, the other members of parliament, except for those on either side of her, would not be able to see her at all, so she had no choice but to sit on the table.

Seeing the council members looking at her, Janna nodded.

She was still weak, but she could still manage to blow out a flame or something with a gust of wind.

Well, I just don't know whether the fire will be allowed to rise with the wind, or whether it will be blown out by the wind.

"Alright, then we'll also have a holiday for a while. So during this time, unless there's an emergency meeting, everyone is free to come to work," Li Ke said with a smile.

"So, here's wishing everyone a happy New Life Day."

Happy New Life Day!

After Li Ke finished speaking, he ran away in a flash.

Heimerdinger questioned this, "Didn't we agree that you could rest? Why does Li Ke seem so busy lately?"

Knowing what was going on Silco and Vander exchanged a glance and smiled, but didn't say anything about what Li Ke was doing.

Silco stood up and said, "That's all for now. Have a great New Life Day celebration, everyone."

Piltover, 3:10 p. m.

With Mel's help, Jayce changed into a beautiful new outfit, looked at Mel, smiled, and reached out to touch Mel's face.

"Don't move," Mel said.

"I just... missed you a bit. I never expected that Zaun would solve the problem that had been bothering me. Mel, Viktor is doing very well now, and his health is getting better and better."

Mel smiled upon hearing this, gently patted Jayce's chest, straightened his collar, and then kissed him on the lips.

"Although you look good with a beard, and I like you with a beard, Jayce, could you please tidy up your beard?"

"So I'm really going to grow a beard?" Jayce asked after thinking for a moment.

"Sure, a bit of a beard will prevent people from looking down on you. Your age has always been your biggest weakness, but now, just looking at your appearance, no one would guess you're only in your twenties," Mel said with a laugh.

She reached out and stroked Jayce's beard, then grabbed Jayce collar, taking a step forward, her gleaming legs peeking out from under her gown.

"Come on, my little man, we should go to the dinner party," Mel said coolly.

"Yes, my queen." Jayce smiled, letting Mel lead him.

Piltover, 7:11 PM.

After drinking quite a bit, Jayce ripped open his collar, tied it around his arm, and stood on the magnificent rooftop terrace, looking out over Piltover at night.

The streets were brightly lit, people were gathered together, children were setting off fireworks everywhere in the park, and many scientists had set up stalls on the roadside, telling merchants about their works. All of this made Jayce squint his eyes.

But for some reason, he suddenly thought of Zaun, wondering what Zaun was doing at this moment.

Li Ke said he wanted to make New Life Day even better than Progress Day, but Jayce thought Li Ke was dreaming. With Zaun's current wealth and resources, how could they possibly compare to Piltover?

It's important to know that Piltover's Progress Day is a major festival that traveling merchants from all over the world participate in. Prestigious families will host events, inviting traveling merchants to witness inventions in exchange for their investment and sponsorship.

Thinking of this, Jayce looked towards the banquet hall, where men and women were singing and dancing, and a band was playing beautiful music, but few people stopped to listen, because everyone who came to this banquet had a purpose.

Business, personal relationships, basically all sorts of trivial matters that Jayce hates.

Jayce lowered his head, letting the cold wind caress his face, and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment of tranquility.

Then, someone broke his moment of tranquility.

"Mr. Talis, what are you doing here all alone?"

Jayce opened his eyes and saw the Sandora Family, who had built the transport ship. Jayce gave him a polite smile and said, "I drank a bit too much, so I came out for some fresh air."

"That's perfect, Mr. Talis. I have a business deal to discuss with you." Mr. Sandra smiled warmly and walked up to Jayce. The man, who was only 1.6 meters tall, began to speak.

"Our family generations"

"I think Hextech can be used in..."

"There are still many areas where we can't rely solely on flying gates."

"Mr. Sandra, I really don't want to talk business today. I just want to enjoy Piltover Progress Day. Could you give me some space? We can talk later when we have more time."

"But Jayce, I don't get to see you very often. I think we need to have a serious talk. Senator Hoskall controls shipping routes, but his family doesn't build ships."

"Shipbuilding is very profitable. If you can use Hextech for flying doors, then I think you can use it for shipping too. Do you think it's too much trouble? No problem, as long as you give me authorization, I'll do all of this. You just need to wait for the money to arrive in sacks." Sandra smiled obsequiously, talking about money all the time.

As the head of the family, he naturally noticed Jayce's impatience, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. Besides, Mr. Talis was known in the industry for his shyness and pride. Several heads of small families had shamelessly asked him for help and eventually received his sponsorship and support, which made them rich overnight.

As the richest man in this city-state, Jayce Talis was a highly sought-after prize in their eyes!

How could Sandra possibly let go of such a lucrative opportunity?

"Look, this is what I brought." Sandra said, looking down as she reached into her pocket to pull out the proposal, which she had brought specifically to find Jayce.

"Damn it, aren't you annoying?!"

Suddenly, an angry shout rang in Sandra's ears. He looked up in surprise and stared at Jayce.

Jayce looked at him impatiently and said, "I'll say it one last time, Taven Sandra, I don't want to talk business today. If you want to talk business, go find someone else."

"I've really had enough of you people. All you ever talk about is business. You talk about business every single day of the year. Can't you take a break for just one day? Just one day, please?"

"Mr. Talis?" Sandra couldn't believe that Jayce, who was known in the circle for his politeness and shyness, would actually swear and abandon his aristocratic manners to treat him in such an attitude.

"How could you... how could you talk like that?"

"What did I say?" Jayce looked at Taven impatiently.

He was the most outstanding inventor in both cities. He didn't understand politics, but he was smart. He knew that these people came to him simply because they were taking advantage of his low seniority, his pride, and his inability to refuse them, so they clung to him shamelessly.

In the past, Jayce might have tolerated it, insisted on disagreeing, and the matter would have been dropped.

But why should we endure it?

"You, you just said..."

"Alright, I'll say it again."

"I said, fuck yourself, get it?"

"Get the hell out of here!" Jayce yelled.

Tavin Sandra was taken aback. Seeing that many people in the hall had heard the commotion and were looking over in surprise, he immediately lowered his head and ran away.

Jayce didn't care about the stares; he simply enjoyed the breeze and glanced at his watch.

Mel was also watching Jayce, and when she saw Jayce suddenly lose his temper, a hint of pleasure flashed in her eyes.

That's right, Jayce, sometimes you have to use a stick to beat wild dogs.

If you're too polite, they'll think you're easy to bully.

Although those words were indeed very vulgar.

Mel thought to herself with amusement.

Nighttime, Progress Bridge in Piltover, 11:55 PM.

Jayce hugged Mel, said a few words about taking care of themselves, and then turned and walked towards Zaun.

As soon as Jayce boarded the Screaming Engine, he leaned against the rusty wall and squinted, when he heard the sound of fireworks.

"Boom!"

Fireworks lit up the sky above Piltover, bursts of flame shooting into the air and exploding, illuminating the sky with colorful sparks. Jayce heard a loud bang.

Happy Progress Day!

After midnight, it will be Progress Day.

Happy Progress Day!

Those voices echoed in Jayce's ears, making him smile involuntarily. Although Piltover's Progress Day had become utilitarian, turning into a series of transactions, for ordinary people it was indeed a holiday, a day worth celebrating.

But suddenly, the voice in Jayce's ear changed.

Happy New Life Day!

The shouts coming from the Mid-level Plaza drowned out Piltover's voice and were crystal clear to Jayce's ears.

Happy New Life Day, buddy!

"Hurry, hurry, there's a fireworks display in the West Community! We can still grab a good spot!"

"Don't go to the West Gate. There are fireworks at the Mountain Gorge Community too. I saw boxes of fireworks being set off there with my own eyes this evening!"

Stepping out of the Screaming Engine, Jayce froze.

He always knew Zaun was densely populated, but tonight... weren't there just too many people?

The Dance Hall was empty, but the Mid-level Plaza was packed with people!

The crowds were enormous, their faces smeared with paint, and they wore thick clothes that, while not new, were painted with flower petals—the symbol of Zaun, which had replaced the original mechanical badge.

The Zaunite gathered together, greeting each other with rude language.

"Damn it, why are you still working at this hour? Come with me to see the fireworks!"

"Where's the free lemonade? Didn't they say they'd be giving out free barbecue and lemonade? Give me a glass!"

"Damn, is your ice maker even working? My liqueur ice cream isn't ready yet!"

"Look, they've released them! They've released them!"

Standing in the Mid-level Plaza, Jayce followed the crowd's gaze and heard a loud "bang" as clusters of fireworks shot into the sky, heading straight for Piltover.

"Smack!"

The fireworks exploded, revealing words on them.

Red, blue, green, pink, and purple—they combine to form five big characters: Happy New Life Day!

"So beautiful! My god, these are fireworks set off by our own Zaun!"

"They've released them over there too, they've released them too!"

"Smack!"

Another firework exploded, revealing a blue trumpet pattern, which was quite beautiful.

Jayce watched the fireworks, listened to the noise around him, shook his head, and smiled.

"Yes, if we're talking about grandeur and spectacle, then Piltover wins. But there's one thing we lost."

Jayce looked up at the crowd.

Piltover is rich. The cost of Progress Day is enormous, not to mention the free food they distribute, it's many times better than Zaun's.

The free barbecue that Zaun provides is actually just regular roasted chicken, but Piltover offers free exquisite pastries, fragrant steaks, and fresh seafood.

Free drinks, juices, and various free games and mini-events where you can earn rewards.

Zaun doesn't have any of these.

But Zaun has one thing that Piltover doesn't.

That's the feeling that everyone is enjoying the holiday.

Jayce started walking towards the Sump.

"Hey, Councilor Talis!" A law enforcement officer looked at Jayce and fired a toy cannon at him, sending a shower of confetti flying at Jayce.

Jayce spat out the ribbon from his mouth and looked at the Sump enforcement officer.

He was laughing loudly when he shouted, "Happy New Life Day!"

Jayce: "."

Happy New Life Day!

Jayce said.