Swain: Darkwill was made stupid, LeBlanc was born stupid

Piltover, the Capitol Building, where the Zaun legislators arrived late at night.

Jinx followed Li Ke up, yawning. She felt bored and resentful about the midnight meeting, muttering under her breath, "Are they crazy? Who holds meetings in the middle of the night?"

"If a missile were to hit us, wouldn't we all be wiped out in one fell swoop?"

Jinx said, squinting her eyes.

Thinking about it, she suddenly felt excited and wasn't sleepy anymore.

Believe it or not, she had actually fantasized about launching Super Mega Death Rocket from Fishbones and bombing Piltover's symbol—after all, the Parliament Building was Piltover's tallest building.

Upon hearing Jinx's words, Mel, who was walking ahead, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

She suddenly realized that Jinx's words made a lot of sense.

Holding meetings late at night seems really unwise, doesn't it? Piltover's council members have held several emergency meetings late at night, and now that I think about it, Jinx was right; it really is quite dangerous.

"You were just saying that offhand, weren't you?" Senator Hoskall, his large belly protruding, turned to Jinx with alarm.

"Of course, I was just saying it offhand," Jinx nodded obediently beside Li Ke.

Hoskall breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, but suddenly a girl's voice rang out behind him.

"But I did think about doing that, um. When I developed the Super Mega Death Rocket? Don't look at me like that, okay? We're friends now, haha, I'm not as crazy as you guys think~" Jinx said, waving her hand as she saw Hoskall looking at her again.

Li Ke couldn't help but chuckle as he listened from the side, but he said nothing and let Jinx do whatever she wanted.

Silco smirked. It was clear that Zaun currently possessed more lethal weapons than Piltover, especially the ones Jinx had developed.

Missiles with an blast radius of 100 meters, machine guns powered by Hextech Gem that can fire in rapid succession, and robots that can replace human labor on the battlefield.

Zaun is indeed thriving.

After everyone entered the council hall, Jayce and Mel sat on one side, Li Ke and Jinx sat together, Vander and Silco sat together, and the other councilors did not sit in their assigned seats, but sat down casually.

Mel began in a deep voice, "Regarding the War Masons, Caitlyn discovered four in total. The first to infiltrate Piltover was the Glasc family, who joined Piltover thirty years ago and established the United Merchants' Guild."

"What? Thirty years ago?!" Hoskall exclaimed in surprise, "How could it be so long ago? Mel, in my memory, the Glasc family has done a lot for Piltover, and the prosperity of this city-state is partly due to them. How could they be spies? Besides, what kind of spy could lie dormant for thirty years?"

Hoskall thought it was a bit outrageous.

Thirty years. Thirty years is enough for a newborn child to become a father, enough for a middle-aged person to die, enough for far too many things to happen.

If Noxus sent its War Masons to Piltover thirty years ago, why didn't they make a move? For them, taking Piltover would have been a piece of cake.

Although Noxus's battle reports to the outside world are not looking good right now--

I heard that the army that attacked Freljord in the north was almost completely wiped out, and the general who led the army was captured and his whereabouts are unknown.

Their war against Ionia, a war that has lasted for nearly ten years, has passed its climax. With the emergence of the Ionia resistance, Noxus's military strength in Ionia is clearly insufficient.

It's worth noting that Piltover's spies in Shurima recently learned that a large portion of the Noxus soldiers stationed at Shurima harbor had been reassigned to Ionia, but strangely, they returned to Shurima en route.

In short, Hoskall believed that even though Noxus had lost its former prestige, it was still the most powerful nation on the continent of Valoran, and the only country that could rival it was Demacia.

With Noxus's military capabilities, taking down Piltover would be incredibly easy.

"This is actually quite normal."

Mel picked up where Hoskall left off, saying, "Noxus has always been like this, with long-term plans. Before launching a war, War Masons will act as scouts in the countries they intend to invade."

As an inside agent, the War Masons will provide Noxus with the best attack routes, but Noxus sending out the War Masons does not mean that it will then attack that country.

"Intelligence, information, whether there will be profits after occupation, and how to obtain the greatest benefit from the war— Noxus will act only after weighing these factors. As far as I know, Demacia also has Noxus War Masons."

But their identities are kept secret; even my mother doesn't know who they are. And they've been lying low in Demacia for a very, very long time. I even think they might have entered Demacia a hundred years ago."

Mel said in a deep voice that she hadn't actually stayed in Noxus for very long, because Ambessa had sent her to Piltover quite early on.

After arriving in Piltover, with the help of the Clan Ferros and the influence of the Medarda family, who were already based in Piltover, she successfully became a member of the Piltover.

Despite her short time in Noxus, Mel, under Ambessa's tutelage, gained a deep understanding of Noxus's way of doing things.

"If this were in the past, Piltover might have already belonged to Noxus. But Lord Darkwill became senile in his later years. In his pursuit of immortality, he issued many strange orders. One second he would send an army to attack a country, and the next second he would suddenly send another army to stop him."

"Like... like he developed schizophrenia in his later years?" Mel asked doubtfully. She continued, "I even think that the defeat in the Noxian-Ionian War was intentional on his part."

"The reinforcements he sent out were called back. It's like he's deliberately letting the Noxians on Ionia fend for themselves?" Mel said in a deep voice.

She had actually sensed something was off about Darkwill Braum a long time ago.

Decades ago, Noxus was a victorious force in foreign wars, with Demacia being the only major obstacle it couldn't overcome. But what has Noxus' performance been like in the last decade?

Without the valor of its former Hand of Noxus Sion, Noxus's dominance gradually weakened, and it could no longer resist Demacia's counterattack. Large swathes of land that it had once occupied were driven back. Darkwill then ordered Sion to be dug up and resurrected the long-lost Noxus hero using forbidden magic.

However, after some time, Darkwill ordered that Sion be buried.

The reason is that once Sion enters the battlefield, he will indiscriminately attack both friendly and enemy forces, and Noxus soldiers will lose their will to fight and flee without a fight because of his brutality.

The problem is, this is not Darkwill's style of doing things in his early years. From Ambessa, Mel knew that Darkwill was a wise and powerful monarch in his early years.

Under his rule, Noxus reached its zenith, with Runeterra Noxus its territory. He was willing to pay any price to achieve his goals, and sealing away weapons of war was simply not something he would do.

Not to mention, in his pursuit of immortality, he ignored the defeats in the Noxian-Ionian War, not only preventing the Noxians were being beaten in Ionia from returning, but also failing to send reinforcements?

Is this still the same wise and mighty commander-in-chief, the Great King Darkwill?

"I'm saying all this to tell everyone that Noxus is in chaos right now, and my mother is a prime example. The higher-ups have already seen that Darkwill is incompetent and senile in his later years, and they've started fighting amongst themselves for power. My mother left Noxus because she lost out in that political struggle."

"This may explain why the War Masons has been buried in Piltover for so many years, yet Noxus has never taken action."

"But these guys are like cockroaches; if you find one in a room, it means there are thousands more," Mel said coldly.

Her description was somewhat exaggerated, but everyone present understood what Mel was trying to say.

That was the War Masons Caitlyn found today; he only revealed part of the truth. There are still many Noxians hiding in Piltover.

"Mel, can I take that to mean that from the very beginning, Noxus treated us like sheep in a sheepfold?" Councilor Kiraman asked hesitantly.

"That's true." Mel nodded to Kiramman.

Silco sneered and said, "So, Zaun has no traitors, but Piltover is full of traitors, is that it?"

"So, can I now suspect that there's Noxians right here at this table?"

"According to Councilor Mel, Noxus can send War Masons into even a closed country like Demacia. What about the senators of Piltover? Can you guarantee that there aren't any spies among you?"

Silco's words caused the Piltover council members present to frown, and even Mel fell silent.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, Li Ke stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Don't be so nervous. Silco was just saying it casually. I personally believe everyone here."

Li Ke currently has no way of knowing whether there are any Noxus spies among this group, but at least Li Ke is certain of one thing: the council members present are indeed from both cities.

Take, for example, the mechanical-headed senator Borborok, who was a true Piltover; he was indeed born in Piltover.

Because Janna knows them and witnessed their birth, the worst-case scenario is that some of those present have cooperated with Noxus before, but past cooperation does not mean they will cooperate with Noxus in the future.

These senators are hypocritical towards Zaun, but they're genuinely sincere towards Piltover.

They grew up in this city and poured their hearts and souls into it; naturally, they are the group least likely to want Piltover to become Noxus's goldmine.

Not everyone can be as open-minded as Li Ke and Silco about the dilution of power.

What Mel had said earlier—that Darkwill seemed to have a split personality in his later years, issuing one order only to immediately reject the previous one, exhibiting a series of idiotic actions that were puzzling—made Li Ke subconsciously think of one person: LeBlanc.

In Swain's personal story, he offended LeBlanc by investigating the Black Rose organization, which led to his suppression. The defeat in the Noxian-Ionian War further turned Swain, who was once highly respected and arrogant in the military, into a prisoner hated by everyone.

It wasn't until he obtained demonic power that everything changed.

He overthrew Darkwill's rule and established the new Noxus. Only then did the Noxus empire begin to have a slightly different and more favorable impression on Li Ke.

What else?

Who in their right mind would like Noxus?

They shouted the slogans so coolly, what--

"Kings used their hereditary power and empty titles to force you to kneel, Noxus will make you stand up."

Noxus values individual ability above all else; if you have the ability, you'll find a way.

"Power is above all else."

The slogans they shout are all incredibly impressive, but what's the reality?

Of all the heroes, Li Ke just wants to ask, why are only the De Lai brothers, as commoners, honored?

What about the other heroes? Why didn't they change their social class? Is it because they didn't want to?

Did you know?

Xin Zhao, who was once a gladiator in Noxus, was forced by Noxus to go to Demacia and become the royal steward.

Riven, who diligently dedicated herself to Noxus, was bombed by her own teammates. After the bombing, she didn't hold a grudge and ran off to Ionia to herd cattle and become a farm girl. But in the end, she was caught and brought back.

Kayn, who suppressed the Darkin with his human body and went toe-to-toe with Rhaast, was sent to the battlefield as a vanguard cannon fodder. Remember that at that time he was just a child of about ten years old.

When Vladimir went out of control, he drained the lifeblood of countless Noxus soldiers in the surrounding area, yet he paid no price, as if none of it had ever happened.

Karthus's backstory depicts Noxus's poor dying in their sleep every day, with no one controlling the plague outbreaks; his sister died in the plague. Is this the situation a "prosperous" nation should be in?

A genius like Rell became a victim of magical experiments. Just think about the children who were captured and experimented on with Rell —how talented must they have been? Is this the Noxus claiming to value talent?

Especially Sion, a great hero of the empire who served the country his entire life, achieved countless feats, and even killed the King of Demacia in a one-for-one exchange before his death, was exhumed and transformed into a twisted and tormented zombie.

Is this how Noxus bestows "glory" upon its great heroes?

Initially, Li Ke did like Noxus because Noxus's slogan was so cool. However, after learning more about Noxus, Li Ke really couldn't like Noxus.

He once criticized Demacia for being hypocritical and corrupt, but if Li Ke really had to choose a city, he would still choose Demacia.

Secondly, is Noxus truly powerful?

Actually, that's not the case. Noxus is indeed at war all over the world, but the question is, has Noxus won any of these wars?

Oh, Noxus conquered the whole world, but never won, is that what you mean?

What's this "Top Esports" guy?

Of course, Li Ke was just thinking casually and making some comments; he wouldn't become arrogant and think that Noxus was all flaws and worthless because of it.

Noxus did indeed empower many oppressed people, attracting numerous small states and city-states to join them and allowing talented individuals to showcase their abilities. However, all of this actually came to fruition after Swain came to power.

As for Noxus now.

Li Ke thought it was a pile of shit. If it weren't for the arrival of the mighty Swain, Noxus would have been destroyed by LeBlanc sooner or later. Even if LeBlanc hadn't destroyed them, Mordekaiser would have smashed the so-called great empire to pieces with one blow.

So.

The reason Piltover has managed to remain unconquered by Noxus despite its proximity and numerous interactions with the Noxus is because...

LeBlanc?

Li Ke couldn't help but laugh when he thought of the idea king's amazing wisdom.

He remembered seeing a picture on a forum once, which showed the various enemies that LeBlanc had created for herself after her scheme failed, including Riven, Annie, Rell, Mordekaiser, Swain, Briar, and even Renekton.

She truly is a woman of extraordinary wisdom and brilliant ideas, a master strategist!

If Li Ke were Swain, he really wouldn't be able to hold back his anger and start cursing.

Swain: Darkwill became mentally disabled later, while LeBlanc was born mentally disabled.

Kled has a say in this too. In the Rift, Li Ke remembers that when Kled kills LeBlanc, an Easter egg line is triggered, which roughly means -- "The small-town girl's dream, I've crushed it all!"

This suggests that LeBlanc does indeed possess some of the traits of a naive beauty.

Don't ask, it's all the screenwriter's fault!

She went to Shurima to cause trouble and managed to resurrect Azir. Don't you think she has a scapegoat mentality?

Of the Runeterra, more than half are related to your chicken!

Li Ke smiled, clearing his mind of distractions, looked at everyone, and said:

"Alright, everyone, let's focus on the two cities now. Instead of driving away the Noxians, we've started fighting among ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Silco smiled and said nothing more.

Mel then spoke up:

"I actually disagreed with the idea of breaking ties with Noxus right now, because breaking ties with Noxus would do more harm than good for us, and smaller countries would be afraid to trade with us as a result."

And I'm worried that Noxus might actually attack. Although we're developing rapidly and our weapons are constantly being upgraded, we still have too few people available. Even with both cities combined, we can only have a maximum of a thousand warriors, while Noxus's cannon fodder units number in the tens of thousands."

Mel said with a smile, "However, I'm not so worried now."

"Because Noxus simply doesn't have time to deal with us; at least not for the next two years."

"According to my information, Darius's fate in the North is unknown, Swain is trapped in Ionia, Demacia has extended its battle line to the border of Noxus. The Leather Guard is currently defending against the Dauntless Vanguard."

"Now is indeed a good time for us to develop. Breaking off relations with them, wiping out the War Masons in one fell swoop, and driving out all the Noxians in the city to prevent them from spying on our internal affairs is certainly a feasible plan."

"Now, esteemed members of parliament, let's vote."

"Those who support this, please raise your hands," Mel said in a deep voice, raising his hand first.

All the council members from Zaun raised their hands. Before coming to Piltover, they had already prepared a unified narrative, and they trusted Li Ke.

Meanwhile, on Piltover's side, hand after hand was raised.

------February 3rd, Year 2 of the Zaun Calendar

Zaun and Piltover decided to cease trade with Noxus, refuse Noxians entry to their cities, and accelerate development to jointly research weapons. Thus began the "Age of Twin Cities" for Zaun and Piltover.

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