Noxus's War Masons, Why Does Piltover Have So Many Spies!

The meeting was held in the morning, and by the afternoon, Zaun had already taken action.

Starting that afternoon, the Sump enforcement officers of Zaun began patrolling the streets and alleys of Zaun. The entire Zaun, across its three districts, was thoroughly searched. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they turned Zaun upside down. The officers questioned the identity of every outsider and took notes.

In just one afternoon, Zaun drove away twenty-three Noxians, most of Noxians were merchants.

While being driven away, they were still cursing the law enforcement officers for being unreasonable and for not knowing what was good for Zaun. They said they came to do business and to make money for Zaun, but Zaun was driving them away. What kind of nonsense is this?

Do you think Zaun will even want to stay in Valoran anymore? Do you know that if we go back and tell Noxus, they can cut off all of Zaun's trade routes with just a word?

However, the law enforcement officers ignored these words, and if they encountered Noxians were particularly verbally abusive, they would pull out sticks and brandish them to intimidate the Noxians.

Are you kidding me? Do you really think our Zaun is some kind of united, friendly, kind, and peaceful city-state?

If it weren't for the need for a good public image as a law enforcement officer, the officer would have already slapped the Noxians in the face the moment he uttered the first curse.

I thought it was like before!

I thought Zaun was a place where everyone could bully you back then?

Now, it's only us Zaunite who swear at each other!

The law enforcement officers were unaware of Li Ke's return, but that didn't stop them from being hostile to Noxus. Moreover, it was an order personally given by Silco, and then assigned to them by Vi, the chief of law enforcement in Zaun.

For these Zaunite who followed Li Ke in their early years and went from being members of the Lian Hua Gang to Zaun enforcement officers, they don't care at all who their targets are when they enforce the law. After all, Li Ke once said to them, "If one day you see me break the law, I hope you will search me and hold me accountable, instead of letting me do wrong just because I am a councilor."

Therefore, let alone taking down a few Noxus merchants, they even fought Noxus soldiers on the Progress Bridge back then!

"Among the war refugees who entered Zaun recently, there were quite a few Noxians. Should we also investigate them?"

Inside the law enforcement office, Malson stood in front of Wei and began to speak.

Vi, dressed in her police uniform, sat at the table. Hearing the voice, she looked up at Malson and nodded, saying, "Of course, it's not just these refugees. Among the previous refugees, there were definitely Noxus spies. The pretty black girl from the Jayce family said they call these people War Masons."

"Can a stonemason be a spy?" Malson wondered.

"It's just a name. They call them stonemasons, but these people are skilled in everything. They can be resourceful scouts, skilled engineers, and valiant warriors. The black woman also said that, in a way, she was also War Masons sent by Noxus to Piltover, but she fell in love with Piltover and chose to coexist with Piltover."

Vi felt a headache coming on as she spoke. Driving away the Noxus merchants was no problem.

But what about those who drove away the Noxus- initiated war, fled to Zaun, and joined the Zaun refugees?

That's not so easy to handle.

First of all, Zaun needs people, a large number of people. And the way Zaunite has grown all along is through war refugees. Otherwise, it would be impossible to grow Zaunite on its own.

Because the number of people born each day is less than the number of people who die each day for various reasons. Of course, that's not the case now.

Killing someone in Zaun now means getting a beating, going to jail, and being put on trial and punished!

In short, take Scar as an example. He's not a true Zaunite of Zu'an, and even if you trace Li Ke's lineage back, he wouldn't be from Zaunite.

But now, they all call themselves Zaunite.

Zaun is tolerant and accepting of these people, and Zaun has always done so.

Therefore, driving them away would likely cause Zaun to lose its "if all else fails, we'll just flee to Zaun" mentality among the Valoran refugees.

This will significantly reduce the rate of future population growth in Zaun.

Thinking of this, Wei tapped the table and said, "Have Caitlyn come over, and while she's at it, go to Upper City and call Marcus down."

Caitlyn has a strong ability to deduce, while Marcus has served as an enforcer for decades, and later even took over as the sheriff of Piltover Enforcer. He has seen many different kinds of people, so Marcus has a very sharp eye.

Speaking of Marcus...

Wei no longer hates him. She now understands that Marcus did indeed save her back then, even though he threw her into prison afterward, but that was something she couldn't avoid.

Because of Silco's immense power, many nobles in the Upper City were in cahoots with him, and he held absolute power in the Bottom City. If Vi hadn't been in Stillwater Prison, she would have been found by Silco in no time, dragged out, and killed.

"Oh shit."

Wei suddenly cursed, thinking that life was fucking interesting.

She actually contributed to the development of Twin Cities alongside the two people she used to hate, and she gradually chose to let go and forgive them.

Was I this kind of person before?

Wei thought to herself with a hint of amusement.

An hour later, in a dimly lit room at the Sump's law enforcement office, a row of Zaunite sat as Caitlyn questioned them.

Marcus and Vi watched this scene in the room from in front of a one-way mirror, and there was a beautiful bluebird on Vi's head.

That was Lady Janna, whom Vi specially invited. She can see through people's hearts.

With her around, catching spies will be much easier.

In the interrogation room, looking at the documents in her hand, the policewoman asked in a deep and calm voice, "You entered Zaun in 984, right? But Xia Li, I remember that year was exactly when Noxus invaded Ionia."

"Yes, it was because of the war that I fled to Zaun with my family," replied Xia Li, Zaunite had set up a stall in the Mid-level Plaza in front of Caitlyn.

"Family? But you've always been a loner." Caitlyn frowned.

"Because my child died on the way to escape. Starved to death." A flicker of pain crossed Xia Li's eyes, but it vanished immediately.

"I'm sorry to have brought up painful memories, but Xia Li, I have some questions for you," Caitlyn said apologetically, then straightened her expression and asked, "You said you came here as a refugee, so where did you originally live?"

In the past, Zaun didn't do population registration at all; anyone could enter Zaun and live Zaun.

Therefore, the information Caitlyn had did not contain much record of these people's deeds, only their names, ages, and what they did.

"Fendor, a small seaside town northwest of Piltover," Xia Li replied.

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow and said seriously, "So, you were a Noxians before?"

Xia Li was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."

He looked at Caitlyn with some surprise, not expecting Caitlyn to have guessed his identity.

"I used to be a fisherman in Fendor, supporting my family by fishing at sea. But a riot broke out in the port city of Basilich, and soldiers suppressed by the Imperial Army fled into Fendor. I didn't want to join the army. I didn't want to achieve fame or glory. I just wanted to protect my family, nothing more, so I took them and fled Fendor."

Xia Li suddenly grabbed his hair and said painfully, "But on the way, my wife was killed by bandits. I could only take my young daughter and flee to Zaun, but she died on the way Zaun too."

Caitlyn nodded. "Take a break and calm down. I might have something else to ask you later."

"OK."

"He wasn't lying." Marcus had been watching Xia Li's face closely, observing Xia Li expressions and subtle body movements, before making his judgment.

As the former sheriff of Piltover, Marcus had seen too many refugees and poor people come to Piltover wanting to live there, but unsurprisingly, Marcus drove them all away.

Piltover doesn't accept refugees. To put it bluntly, back in the day, Piltover was already having enough trouble with Zaun, so wouldn't Zaunite be considered refugees in Piltover?

Piltover is not big enough to accommodate so many people.

Vi was completely baffled. She asked, "Is that all? Will this really tell us if they're Noxus spies?"

"If you ask me, shouldn't we use violence during interrogations? Like beating them black and blue, to scare them?" Wei said, frowning.

"First of all, they are from Zaunite. Your direct use of violence without reason will cause the Sump Enforcement Bureau to lose its authority in Zaun. Your mission is to protect them, not oppress them, right?" Marcus said to Vi speechlessly.

Wei was taken aback, then nodded.

Yes, they are only suspected of being spies, not that they actually are spies, and it would be wrong to accuse innocent people.

Wei shuddered. She felt that Li Ke would cause her trouble, and she might have to hide behind Jinx and beg for mercy. No, that couldn't happen.

"Secondly, those who can act as spies in enemy countries, especially the Noxus War Masons, are prepared to die when they come here. Coercion and torture won't make them submit; you have to make them reveal their weaknesses on their own. Caitlyn is an expert in criminal investigation; you can trust her."

Above Vi's head, Janna whispered, "That man named Xia Li wasn't lying. When he talked about Fendo, his wife, and his children, his soul was in pain; he was grieving."

"Alright, it's all up to you guys anyway, and I'll take this opportunity to learn something too."

Wei nodded and began to speak.

The investigation quickly concluded, and all the Zaunite who had been under close surveillance were released.

Vi, Marcus, Caitlyn, Janna arrived at Vi's office.

Caitlyn deftly lifted one leg, then sat on the table and began to speak:

"At least from my perspective, there were no spies among them. I first asked each of them about their background and why they came to Zaun. Then, a second time, I asked them about other things individually."

Finally, I mentioned that I had forgotten some of what they had said at the beginning, and asked them again about each of their origins and reasons for coming to Zaun.

During the third round of questioning, I observed the expressions on each of their faces and compared them with their first answers. Ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you that their answers both times were completely flawed, not at all."

Caitlyn explained to Wei,

"The reason I gathered everyone together for questioning, instead of interrogating them individually, was to interrupt their thinking. When I questioned others sternly, they would relax and listen to what I was asking."

If they were lying and fabricating a false story, then under my final questioning for details, and even with deliberate prompting, they should have made a mistake, but they didn't."

Caitlyn's final round of questioning scrambled the order; instead of starting with Xia Li, she randomly selected people to ask. Despite the sudden questions and her deliberate guidance, none of the people made any mistakes.

This shows that these events were not fabricated by them, but actually happened and were things that left a deep impression on them.

Of course, it's also possible they prepared beforehand, memorized the story, or even had magical assistance?

But with Janna here, and since Janna herself thinks it's fine, then Caitlyn believes the above conditions are impossible.

"Really? You're just asking a question, aren't you? Did you just do that many things?" Vi's Big Eyes upon hearing Caitlyn's words.

Are you kidding me?

In such a short time, did the Cupcake do so much?

Marcus, who was listening nearby, sighed.

Zaun's law enforcement is powerful, even stronger Piltover's, but they are lacking in investigation and interrogation skills.

Well, we can't expect too much from a law enforcement bureau that's only been established for a year.

"I think it's probably because Zaun and Noxus had a good relationship before, and Zaun used to be very chaotic with a lot of people dying every day. Plus, Zaun was very poor, so Noxus felt there was no need to send War Masons to Zaun," Caitlyn said after thinking for a moment.

"But Zaun doesn't have Piltover, it will. So Vi, I'd like to ask Goddess Janna to come with me, and then could you please get a document from Councilor Silco? I need to investigate the people of Upper City."

Wei nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you."

"You'll come with me? Um, actually you don't need to come, as long as Lady Janna comes," Caitlyn said after thinking for a moment.

Wei was taken aback, then narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure I don't have to go?"

Seeing Wei's expression, Caitlyn's working brain stopped functioning, and another brain started working instead, nodding repeatedly. "No, no, of course you have to come with me. I'm sorry, I misspoke."

"Hmph, you'd better have said the wrong thing, rather than actually thinking that way," Wei said irritably.

Half an hour later, Caitlyn, holding Vi's waist, used a flyboard to get onto Piltover.

Marcus and Piltover's new sheriff, who was also his student, said something, while Vi and Caitlyn went to see Mel and told Mel about investigating the powerful and wealthy.

Mel agreed, and Caitlyn's mother, Congresswoman Kiramman, also fully supported it.

Soon, in the names of Mel, Kiramman, and Jayce, all the nobles of Piltover received investigation documents.

Caitlyn, along with her entourage, visited each of them one by one.

"Mr. Mickey Kettering, the reason I've come to you is because you entered Piltover in 984, started in the wool textile business, and gradually built it into the largest in the city, right? You and Mel are both Noxians."

After Caitlyn finished speaking, she quickly added, "I'm not doubting you, I'm just stating a fact."

"It's alright, I understand. I was indeed Noxians before, but Noxus, as you know, is too domineering. We merchants in Noxus are nothing more than their mobile vaults."

"To survive, I had no choice but to leave Noxus. So I came from Basilich to Piltover and sold off all the goods I had."

Later, I came back a few more times. To be honest, doing business with the people of Piltover was really enjoyable, and I gradually found myself falling in love with this place. I've been to many places, Shurima, Freljord, but those places are all very poor, unlike Piltover."

Mickey smiled and said to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn nodded and continued:

"As far as I know, the wool and textiles in your inventory are mostly collected from Shurima. But hasn't Shurima been at war with Noxus for years? Many coastal cities have been occupied by Noxus. How did you manage to acquire such large quantities of wool during such a chaotic period?"

"Little Kiramman, you may be a very good law enforcement officer, but you are definitely not a good businessman," Mickey laughed, then continued:

"For itinerant merchants like us, we often have to go to dangerous and chaotic places to make money. War profits are more lucrative than you can imagine."

Because of the war in Shurima, the locals were starving, and wool and textiles, which were valuable elsewhere, had become worthless in Shurima. What use were their fine clothes or beautiful carpets if they couldn't even afford food? Therefore, I could simply purchase these goods with cheap grain and then sell them elsewhere."

"That's how my family rose to prominence," Mickey said.

"I understand," Caitlyn said.

Then, she asked Mickey a whole series of questions.

Mickey remained calm and answered each question one by one.

The questioning lasted half an hour. Finally, Caitlyn looked at Janna on Vi's body, and then saw Janna nod at her. Seeing this, Caitlyn stood up and said to Mickey, "Thank you for cooperating with the investigation. I'm sorry to have taken up your time."

"It's okay, I really enjoy chatting with young people."

Mickey stood up, smiling, and said to Caitlyn who was about to leave, "Little Kiramman, let me teach you another piece of life wisdom, a lesson I learned when I was still a fisherman."

"The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish," he said earnestly to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn was already heading towards the door, but when she heard Mickey's words, she froze, turned around instantly, and squinted at Mickey.

"Fishermen? Ah!"

"I suddenly remembered something. That's why I came to you first – it's because I just heard your name before." Caitlyn clapped her hands, looking as if she had just realized something.

Vi, standing to the side, was completely bewildered. She looked at Caitlyn, thinking, "I've been following you all this way, when have we ever heard of such a name?"

But just as she was about to speak, Marcus pressed his Riot Games against her back.

Wei was taken aback and shut her mouth.

"I just conducted an investigation in Zaun. There's a Noxians, like you, entered Zaun in 984. He was a fisherman before the war broke out, and he came to Zaun alone. But he always remembered a man named Mickey. He said that Mickey was his brother and that Mickey helped him a lot."

Caitlyn said happily:

"He said that since I was investigating, could I do him a favor by asking me to help him find his brother? And you also left Noxus in 984 and came to Piltover."

And my mother said that your family name was only given after your business took off; you didn't have a surname before, right? So, Mr. Mickey, do you think the person he's looking for might be you?"

"It's possible, but I've helped too many people when I was a fisherman. Just by saying that, I have no way of knowing who he is. Maybe he's not looking for me?" Mickey said thoughtfully.

Caitlyn walked towards Mickey. Wearing short-heeled boots, she was slightly taller than the Noxus man. Reaching Mickey, Caitlyn began:

"It's alright, I think he's looking for you. His name is Vincent, and he used to be a fisherman in the fishing port of Basilich. You see, he's a resident of Basilich just like you. In 984, when the war broke out, there was a rebellion in Basilich, so Vincent left Basilich to escape the war."

Mickey first stroked his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly looked up at Caitlyn and exclaimed with delight, "Ah, it's him!"

Even if Vi was stupid, she would know what Caitlyn was doing from behind Caitlyn.

Damn, you've got some skills with those Cupcake!

They can even make the dead seem alive!

And it actually worked!

"Do you really know him?"

"Of course, you don't need to worry about this. I'll go down and talk to him later. No, I'm going down today." Mickey smiled, reached out and patted Caitlyn's shoulder, and said with a smile, "I never thought that an investigation would lead me to a long-lost friend."

"That's great, Caitlyn, you've done me a huge favor." Mickey's smile was genuine.

But Caitlyn simply clapped, and then smiled—a cold smile.

She looked at Mickey, raised her hand, and whispered, "Vi, grab him."

"Damn, that's some skill with the Cupcake! I've really learned something."

A figure leaped past Caitlyn and instantly subdued the terrified Mickey Kettering.

Pressing the man to the ground, Wei raised her Riot Games and punched Mickey on the back of the head as he tried to resist.

How strong is she?

The title of "Zaun Female Boxing Champion" isn't just a random claim!

With just one punch, Mickey let out a muffled groan and passed out.

Caitlyn looked at Marcus and said seriously, "I think it's not just him. There are a lot of War Masons in Piltover. Councilor Mel is right. A lot of bugs have gotten into Piltover without our knowledge."

"I understand. Don't worry, no one will know I took him away." Marcus nodded.

"Wei, we should go to the next place." Caitlyn turned around, one hand on her hip, her hair swaying under her tall hat; she looked incredibly dashing at that moment.

Looking at Caitlyn like this, Vi's Adam's apple bobbed, and then she said with a chuckle:

"Okay, I'll do whatever you say."