Inside the council chamber of the Piltover Center building.
The council members from Zaun and Piltover gathered together, their expressions varying—some showing worry, some excitement, and others deep thought.
Silco sat in the upper seat, the seat next to him was empty, and next to that seat sat Senator Talis.
Jayce looked at Silco with a serious expression, his gaze solemn, and saw that Silco was looking down at the documents in her hands.
Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Silco's physique remains unchanged. He still maintains a slender figure due to his well-planned diet and lifestyle, but his authority as a leader has become even stronger. When he sits there, he truly exudes the aura of a leader of two cities.
The documents and intelligence he had were collected by spies from the Clan Ferros. After Camille compiled them, she first showed them to the Piltover council members and then informed the Zaun council members.
Therefore, Jayce, Mel, Borborok, and other senators had already seen the intelligence contents of the secret document.
Silco remained expressionless as he looked at the contents of the document, but Vander looked surprised.
"Bilgewater was almost destroyed? Is it really that bad?" Vander said, his large face filled with disbelief.
"Because even the Deity have intervened in this matter, Councilor Vander's intelligence is highly reliable; it was all gathered by the closest agents," Camille said, sitting down in a seat.
Although she wasn't a senator in Piltover, her power was no less than that of a senator. After all, even Mel was invested in by her. In Piltover, if it weren't for Jayce's sudden appearance and rise, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Ferros could control everything.
She crossed her long legs, shifted her posture, and continued, "The known Deity who have intervened include Janna from Zaun and Piltover, the Bearded Lady from Bilgewater, and another one who seems to be Deity from Ionia, but strangely, she looks more like a human."
"Is Jinx alright?" Silco put down the file and asked.
Camille nodded. "After the Deity of Ionia appeared, Li Ke, Jinx, and Sarah, along with the rest of the Bilgewater pirates, suddenly disappeared. I think they must have been taken away by Janna."
Upon hearing this, Silco nodded, tapping his fingers on the table, and continued, "Then we don't need to worry about Jinx anymore. Since Janna hasn't returned either, she must have come back with Li Ke and Jinx."
"If they were rational enough, they should be on their way back to Zaun right now."
Upon hearing this, Camille said softly, "I'll have someone keep an eye out."
Silco nodded, then asked, "So, what's the second important thing besides that?"
Today's meeting has two main objectives: first, to share the intelligence that Ferros gathered in Bilgewater with Zaun; and second, to discuss the second major event that Camille suddenly received and needs to verbally recount.
Furthermore, if it weren't for the fact that Li Ke and Jinx were involved in the Bilgewater incident, Camille personally believed that this matter was more important and more fatal to Zaun.
"Noxus is in chaos," Camille began, recounting intelligence she had gathered from Noxus. Her usually composed face now displayed a range of emotions. After a moment's hesitation, she continued:
"Yesterday afternoon at four o'clock, a civil war broke out in Noxus. At sixty-one o'clock in the evening, several armies from the Immortal Bastion stormed the palace. At sixty-five o'clock in the evening, Darkwill, the Grand Chancellor of Noxus, was arrested."
"What? Darkwill has been arrested?" Mel jumped up instantly, his hands on the table, mouth agape, and stammered.
She looked at Camille, her eyes filled with skepticism. "How could he possibly be arrested? Who has that right? Who would dare to do such a thing?"
Keep in mind that's Darkwill. Even though he became senile in his later years, he still controlled Noxus. In Noxus, where the monarchy reigned supreme, no one dared to defy Darkwill. Even Ambessa, Mel's mother, that powerful woman, fled Noxus in disgrace after losing a political struggle.
Therefore, Mel felt that this information could not be trusted!
"Swain," Camille said indifferently, glancing at Mel, and continued:
"The one who ordered Darkwill's arrest was Swain, and at nine o'clock this morning, Swain ordered Darkwill to be taken to the execution platform. In front of all the Noxians, he ordered Darkwill to be strangled and seized power at lightning speed."
He seized military power from Darkwill and issued a military order at 11:00 AM today, commanding all provincial families to send their sons to the Immortal Bastion, forbidding large-scale private armies from acting on their own, and declaring that those who disobeyed would be punished for treason."
Upon hearing Camille's words, Mel recalled the man she had met when she accompanied Ambessa into the Immortal Bastion to attend the banquet—a man with white hair, a temperament similar to Silco's, tall and slender, with a cool and refined demeanor, but whose face was as cold as an eagle's.
Even Ambessa, when speaking of Swain, would show a hint of respect and fear in her eyes.
Then, she sat back down blankly, her hands supporting her head, her head bowed, Mel lost in thought.
Seeing Mel's expression, Jayce quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Silco was shocked by Camille's words, but not by the internal strife in Noxus. After all, the Twin Cities had been investigating Noxus all along, with Ferros spies constantly traveling to Noxus. That sieve-like empire was easy to gather information on during this period.
Even privately, many Noxus warlords and nobles cooperated with Ferros, exchanging intelligence for benefits. Therefore, Silco knew very well that for Noxus, internal strife was only a matter of time.
He was shocked by the speed; it was just too fast!
The coup that began last night resulted in the execution of Darkwill by 9 a. m. this morning, and the government seized power by noon, quickly taking control of the Immortal Bastion.
The speed and execution of this action sent a chill down Silco's spine.
He even wondered, if Zaun had gone straight to Piltover after defeating Ambessa on the Bloodied Bridge that day, choosing to seize Piltover instead of cooperating with Piltover, how long would it have taken to truly control Piltover?
After thinking about it, Silco concluded that it would take at least three days.
Piltover is such a small place, and Noxus is so big.
Upon comparison, Silco's pupils contracted, realizing that he was inferior to his opponent, far inferior.
He looked at Camille and asked, "Swain, what kind of person is he?"
Camille was about to speak when Mel beat her to it.
Mel lowered his head, placed his hands on his forehead, and said in a deep voice, "Swain is a pure Noxians, a pure soldier."
Mel then described Swain's character and some of the things he had done.
When the council members heard that Swain consolidate Darkwill's power and Noxus's stability, they could no longer remain seated.
Would one send their own parents to the execution ground for the sake of the country?
Among the members of parliament present, even someone as ruthless and decisive as Silco would never do such a thing.
When Silco thought about Jinx making a mistake and how he could use Jinx to make amends, he asked himself honestly, and his first reaction wasn't to hand Jinx over, but rather how to protect Jinx.
Therefore, this one incident deepened Silco's concerns about Swain.
Mel continued, "That man would do anything for Noxus. And before he was sent to Ionia, he was the most prestigious person in the Noxus army. The countless Noxotora on Shurima today were all established by him. Therefore, if he really seizes power and takes control of Noxus, then Noxus will not fall apart again."
"Valoran will usher in a more powerful Noxus, and in his hands, Noxus will become even stronger," Mel said with certainty.
"That bastard Li Ke! At a time like this, he's still out there with Jinx!" Vander said through gritted teeth.
Old Fan may be honest and simple, but as someone who has also been Boss and launched a rebellion, he is not stupid. His political skills are not as good as Silco's, but that doesn't mean he is ignorant.
Therefore, after hearing what Mel said, Vander realized that a formidable enemy had emerged for both cities.
The two cities already had a grudge against Noxus, and now that Noxus has a wise and powerful leader, it is naturally a problem for the two cities.
At this critical moment, Li Ke, the lord of Zaun and the backbone of both cities, was absent.
What kind of mess is this?
"Quickly dispatch spies to patrol the nearby waters, find Li Ke, and tell him to come back immediately," Silco ordered.
At the same time,
On the sea, several huge rafts made of numerous logs each carried about ten people.
They sat comfortably on the raft, a gentle breeze propelling it as it drifted on the sea, heading towards a destination.
On the lead raft, Li Ke glanced at Sarah, who was lying on the raft not far away, Sarah figure curvaceous, then at Akali, who was resting with her eyes closed, and finally, Li Ke looked at Jinx.
Jinx was sulking, pouting as she fished with a stick attached to her fishing line.
Although the raft appears to drift slowly, it actually moves very fast under Janna's abilities, faster than a regular boat. Therefore, Jinx has no chance of catching any fish.
She's just trying to kill time right now.
"Still angry?" Li Ke looked at Jinx's slender back, a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned closer, amused.
Jinx has been sulking for the past two days. After helping Sarah with some matters, some of her people stayed on a nearby island, while the rest, such as core members like Rafen, went to Zaun with Sarah.
Akali, being a lone wolf with no family or friends, decided to come to Zaun without mentioning anything else.
Jinx was unhappy because she was going back to Zaun.
Thinking back, when Li Ke took Jinx with him, he said he would take Jinx to see the world. After dealing with Singed and Orianna, they would go to the depths of Ionia, and then go to Freljord.
Jinx had never seen an iceberg before, and she was really curious about what this great wonder of Runeterra, Freljord, would look like.
However, things happened suddenly. The struggle between Sarah and Gangplank, as well as the sudden appearance of Nagakabouros, disrupted Li Ke's plans. And with Sarah and her large group involved, he couldn't just leave them alone, could he?
Therefore, Li Ke and Jinx had to return to Zaun ahead of schedule.
"You promised to take me to Shurima, to Freljord, but you ended up in Ionia." Li Ke lowered Jinx head and nudged Li Ke with her head as he approached.
Li Ke neither dodged nor blocked, cheerfully letting Jinx nudge him with her little head. Li Ke reached out and put his arm around Jinx's shoulder, saying, "Isn't there no other way?"
"If possible, I'd like to spend more time alone with you."
"Li Ke, once we get back this time, if I want to go out again, Silco and Vander definitely won't let me. I don't know if I'll be able to go out and play next time," Jinx said, not angry, just a little annoyed.
Whenever this happens, all Li Ke has to do is coax her, and she usually accepts it obediently.
After all, what bad intentions could Xiao Jin possibly have?
She's always had a bad temper, but as long as you give her a way out, she'll obediently take it. Of course, it's a different story with Wei.
She'd do the exact opposite of whatever Wei said; after all, Wei abandoned her in the first place!
"It's alright, I'll sneak you out again when I find the chance," Li Ke said with a smile.
Jinx tilted her head to look at Li Ke, then grinned mischievously, saying with a sly smile, "They'll be furious then."
"Just tell me if you're coming or not."
"Of course, I'll definitely go with you, but... can we bring Isha along?" Jinx asked after thinking for a moment.
She stretched out her legs, her warm, soft body leaning against Li Ke, still holding her homemade fishing rod. She gently kicked her legs on the sea surface and whispered, "You see, when we go out to play and leave Isha alone at home, it's fine once. We told her before we left that it wasn't abandoning her. But if it happens again, she'll definitely be sad."
"What I hated most when I was a kid was being left behind. Next time I sneak out, I'll definitely take Isha with me," Jinx emphasized.
Li Ke held Jinx in his arms, rested his chin on her head, and said with a smile, "Okay, whatever you say. Then we'll bring Isha along."
Jinx narrowed her eyes, yawned, and didn't say anything more.
It's hard to sleep on a raft, so she hasn't been getting much rest these past two days.
Holding Li Ke at that moment, Jinx closed her eyes in a daze. Then, she leaned against Li Ke, her little head tilted to the side, her blue hair covering Li Ke's chest, and she made soft snoring sounds.
Two days later, at the port of Zaun.
The appearance of rows of rafts naturally attracted the attention of the Sump enforcement officers, but when they picked up their binoculars and saw the blue-haired girl with her hands on her hips on the Sump raft, they were instantly shocked and hurriedly sent someone to the parliament building to deliver the message.
Drifting on the raft for several days, food and water were certainly not lacking, but even so, the long drifting time and the upside-down day-night schedule left everyone on the raft looking haggard.
Even the beautiful Sarah's hair became greasy, which matched Jinx's messy, frizzy blue hair in red and blue, quite a contrast.
When the raft reached the port, the Sump enforcement officers were already there to greet them. They looked at Li Ke and Jinx with excitement, Jinx they had been searching for Li Ke in the nearby waters for days.
I finally saw them today!
Furthermore, most of the members of the Sump law enforcement officers come from the Lian Hua Gang, and these people truly worship Li Ke unconditionally.
When the raft reached the shore, Jinx was the first to jump off, leaping lightly and landing on the dock.
"Clang clang~~~"
Standing firmly with his hands raised high, the blue-haired madman put his hands on his hips, tilted his head back, took a deep breath of the air from Zaun, and laughed loudly as he said:
"Hey, your nightmare is back~"