Twin Cities and Ionia Establish Diplomatic Relations

"We've received a letter from Ionia; the first group of Ionia will arrive in Piltover tomorrow afternoon."

"By the way, Li Ke, that mother and son you mentioned have also been invited to board the Hextech ship tomorrow. But is that kid really as outstanding as you say?"

Blue Smoke Estate, the home of Councilor Talis --

Li Ke, dressed neatly in a black suit and tie, loosened Li Ke tie as he looked at Jayce and said:

"Of course, Sett will grow up to be a humanoid monster no less than Vander's. Don't be fooled by his cute appearance now; you'll understand in a few years."

Young animals, especially wild animal cubs, are exceptionally cute when they are small. It's said that this is a way for them to protect themselves? Anyway, it involves evolution or something like that, and if you asked Li Ke, he really couldn't explain it clearly.

But Sett's childhood and adolescence are indeed two completely different things. After all, it probably only took a few years for him to go from a cute little radish head with animal ears that was a little over 1.5 meters tall to a red-haired beastman with eight-pack abs.

The fact that Sett and his mother came to Piltover was something that Li Ke had already discussed with Sett beforehand.

Therefore, when the first group of Zaun and Piltover craftsmen went to Ionia to build the Hex Gate, Li Ke specifically asked the enforcers to deliver a message to Sett's mother, asking her to bring Sett to live in Piltover.

Sett's mother readily agreed. To her, there was nothing left to cherish in Ionia. Her husband had abandoned her and Sett, and Sett people had driven them away because of Sett. Therefore, Sett was her only concern.

As long as Sett can grow up healthy and strong, she'll do anything for Sett, especially since becoming a student at Piltover University was her dream all along.

"Another Vander," Jayce muttered to himself.

Li Ke's words suddenly reminded Jayce of a scene he had witnessed in the Zaun army camp two weeks ago.

That is, the Ionia black-haired girl that Li Ke brought back, the thin girl who didn't look very old, who was not at all at a disadvantage when facing Vander.

Although she didn't completely defeat Vander was also powerless against her. If it weren't for Vander's monstrous regenerative abilities, which left the girl somewhat helpless, the outcome would have been truly uncertain.

Jayce picked up the teapot in front of him, poured a cup for Li Ke first, then poured one for himself, raised the cup and drank it in large gulps. He then said:

"Is it possible for Piltover to catch up with Zaun's current fighting strength?"

"Yes, you definitely can't catch up with us in terms of combat strength," Li Ke thought for a moment and nodded.

Li Ke has been back in Zaun for over half a month now. During this time, apart from the first few days when he and Jinx would go out every day to meet some people and handle some matters, Li Ke and Jinx have been staying at home the rest of the time.

A few days ago, Mel also sent word that the day after tomorrow is the day when Li Ke will lead his people to Noxus for a banquet, and after communicating with Irelia, the first batch of Ionia will arrive in Twin Cities tomorrow.

It's alright. Although they're happening one after the other, there's no conflict in terms of timing. So, Li Ke will be busy again these next couple of days.

"Tsk tsk, alright then. Anyway, ever since you showed up, the Piltover council members haven't expected to surpass Zaun in terms of military strength." Jayce clicked his tongue, put down his teacup, narrowed his eyes, and said, "What about technology?"

"You're asking me? Don't you know more about technology?"

"It's precisely because I know so much about it that I want to know how big the technological gap is between Zaun and Piltover from your layman's perspective," Jayce said.

"I think, aside from Hextech, Zaun isn't much worse than Piltover," Li Ke said after thinking for a moment. He smiled at Jayce, held up a finger, and continued, "Look, right now we in Zaun have Viktor, Ekko, Jinx, Singed, Heimerdinger."

"Okay, I understand," Jayce said, covering his face.

Depend on,

Looking at it this way, Piltover has actually been surpassed by Zaun in terms of talent.

There's not much difference between Piltover people and Zaunite. After all, they were one entity hundreds of years ago, so there won't be much difference in their genes. To put it bluntly, most people, whether from Zaunite or Piltover, are intelligent.

Therefore, Zaun a good environment and enough time, it really won't be too difficult for Zaun to catch up with Piltover.

Economically, Zaun is still far behind Piltover, but Zaun is making great strides. It's building canals, expanding trade routes, and developing industries. Zaun is no longer the Zaun that was in dire need of rebuilding.

Jayce smacked his lips. He didn't really have any objections to this, but some wealthy businessmen in Piltover couldn't sit still. They were afraid that Zaun would surpass Piltover in these aspects and then sit on their heads.

But think about it, if the Zaunite hadn't been so kind-hearted, would you guys even have time to worry about these things?

Jayce sometimes finds these people quite annoying. When their interests align, they're all good friends, but if there's even the slightest problem with how the benefits are distributed, then things get messy.

"Why are you suddenly asking me these questions?" Li Ke looked at Jayce, thought for a moment, and then asked.

"Because Zaun is progressing so fast, some guys are getting restless," Jayce said casually.

"Who?"

"There are many, even Councilor Kiramman is somewhat worried about it." Jayce waved his hand, a little annoyed, then added, "But don't worry, Mel is already handling it."

"What do I have to worry about?" Li Ke muttered.

Zaun and Piltover have been cooperating well, but as time goes on, some people will inevitably have their own opinions. This is unavoidable. Li Ke is not good at politics, but that doesn't prevent him from understanding the situation.

It's alright. Once Li Ke returns to Zaun, those people's thoughts will disappear.

"More than that, Li Ke, I'm curious about how we're going to handle our relationship with Noxus?"

"From your trip to Ionia, your befriending of the Ionia leaders, and your establishment of two cities to cooperate with Ionia, I can tell, Li Ke, that you intend to unify the entire Runeterra?" Jayce asked seriously, his expression changing.

"Jayce, our enemy is not Noxus," Li Ke said after a moment's thought.

For a long time, the people in both cities, including Li Ke, have only been dealing with their own affairs. However, for Li Ke, while doing what he should do, he also deeply understands one thing.

That means that in the future, whether it's the Noxians or the Demacia, humanity—no, it should be said that all living beings in Runeterra— will only have one enemy: the Void.

It is currently the year 988, but by the time Noxus records the year 989, various major events will occur throughout Runeterra.

In this timeline, Swain takes power in Noxus, establishing the Trifalli Council, while Darius escapes the North and returns to Noxus, becoming one of its three seats. In Demacia, Garen becomes the Captain of the Shield, intensifying his conflict with the mages. Azir in Shurima and Xerath are resurrected. Meanwhile, the Void gradually enters a major phase of events.

Furthermore, Darkin in various regions are gradually becoming more active.

Therefore, if possible, Li Ke believes that Noxus, Demacia, and even Freljord will be places that the Twin Cities will try to win over in the future.

Humanity must unite to fight against the Void and the Darkin.

Besides, Mordekaiser and Viego are both big problems.

"Of course I support you, Li Ke. I, Piltover, we are all willing to follow you. But, do you think the Noxians will think the same way?" Jayce sat up and said to Li Ke.

"That's why we agreed to their invitation to their dinner party, isn't it?"

"But that wasn't a dinner hosted by Swain, and Noxus is now under his control."

"But we'll definitely see him, and then we'll have a good talk," Li Ke said with a smile.

Having obtained demonic power, Swain understood Runeterra would face in the future, therefore, Li Ke thought Swain would agree.

Jayce looked at Li Ke's smile, and after a moment, he smiled too. He nodded and muttered, "Okay, whatever you decide, we'll listen to you."

"Alright, that's enough for now. I need to go pick Jinx up and take her home," Li Ke said, getting up and patting his butt.

After saying that, Li Ke leaped off the second floor and disappeared in a flash before Jayce's eyes.

In response, Jayce simply grabbed a piece of fruit from the side, took a large bite, and chewed the flesh. At the same time, Jayce was pondering a question: Shouldn't they begin developing Hextech Armor to bolster Piltover's combat capabilities?

Sett, his face flushed, followed his mother onto the Hex Airship. Carrying his luggage, Sett looked at the law enforcement officers busy on the deck not far away and wanted to go over to see what they were doing, but his mother grabbed his hand and wouldn't let him go.

"Don't run around, or you'll fall," the mother whispered to Sett.

Upon hearing this, a passing law enforcement officer paused for a moment, then smiled at Sett's mother and said, "Please don't worry, the magical shield will be activated after the spaceship takes off; it won't fall."

"What are they doing?" Sett asked curiously, pointing to the place they had been heading towards.

During this time, he listened to Li Ke's advice and studied to read. Every day, children would go to the library in Bond Village to read, Sett was one of them.

Through the book, Sett gradually learned about this world, and therefore thought he knew a lot. But now, looking at the huge Hextech ship and all those strange devices, Sett realized that he seemed to know nothing at all.

"Mr. Sett, that's the Hexcore device. It's used to determine the airship's direction and find a landing spot," the enforcer said to Sett with a smile.

Me, sir?

Sett was curious about the other party's goodwill. He had been able to sense other people's emotions since he was a child. This was not an innate ability of the Vastaya bloodline, but rather because Sett had been exposed to too many social situations and had been ostracized and bullied many times when he was young. So he naturally learned to read people's expressions.

Therefore, Sett glanced at the enforcer in a low voice and asked, "Do you know me?"

"Of course, Congressman Li Ke said you are his student and that we should take good care of you," the law enforcement officer said.

"Teacher?" Sett was taken aback. Upon hearing Li Ke's name, his eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is Teacher a councilor from Zaun?"

"Yes, Lord Li Ke is the number one councilor of Zaun, and also the lord of Zaun," the enforcer said with admiration and emotion.

"."

Teacher Li Ke, that serious man in class but all smiles and gentleness after class, is actually the master of Zaun?

How is this possible?!

Sett felt a little confused.

The Hextech spaceship was incredibly fast. After only a short nap, Sett was woken up by his mother's shoving, and then he stared wide-eyed at his surroundings.

At this moment, he appeared atop a tall tower, the Hextech spaceship hovering hundreds of meters in the air. Directly opposite him, people were gradually approaching the platform and disembarking from the spaceship.

Soon, Sett's ship approached the platform. After several law enforcement officers pulled a device, Sett heard a "click," and with a jolt, the massive steps connected to the platform.

"People of Ionia, you may disembark now. After disembarking, please do not wander around. Please wait a moment, and someone will come to guide you to your accommodations!"

An officer, holding a megaphone, spoke loudly.

Sett followed his mother, grabbed his things, and disembarked from the spaceship.

Of the Ionia on the spaceship, only Sett and his mother were villagers from the Bond Village. The rest were members of the Navori Resistance, a group of men and women who looked intimidating. However, after disembarking, they obediently lined up in a row, waiting for the people from the two cities who would lead them.

There was nothing else to it. They were genuinely terrified by the magnificent city-state before them.

The hundreds of meters of Hex Gate, and the countless magnificent Piltover buildings beneath it, made them afraid to even speak.

"Over here!"

A moment later, a uniformed law enforcement officer emerged. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a well-groomed beard, and held a megaphone. He then loudly proclaimed, "Ionia, look this way!"

"I am Loris, the Piltover Enforcer, badge number 092!"

"Please follow me, I will take you to your future residence."

The mother took Sett's hand and prepared to step forward, but just then, two other enforcers came up.

"Wait, you don't live in Piltover."

"Yes, my name is Malson, and his name is Weila. Li Ke sent us." The tall, thin young man said with a smile.

"Where's Teacher Li Ke?" Sett asked curiously.

To be honest, he really missed Li Ke.

Moreover, he also missed the landlady a little. Although she was scary, Sett could tell that perhaps it was because of Li Ke's kindness towards him that she liked him even while bullying him.

"Li Ke," Malson smacked his lips, then raised his hand, waved, and said with a smile, "An hour before you arrived in Zaun, he and the council members boarded Hex Airship and headed to Noxus."

"If you want to see him, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be in three days."

Sett nodded.

Subsequently, he and his mother, accompanied by the two Zaun law enforcement officers, arrived in Zaun.

Upon entering the "underworld," Sett was once again awestruck by the environment of Zaun.

Contrary to expectations, it wasn't dirty or chaotic at all. On the contrary, although the buildings were crowded and densely packed, and lacked sunlight, it wasn't oppressive.

The streets were clean, and the walls were covered with various murals. Children around Sett's age were running around everywhere, and the air smelled wonderful.

"You'll be living here from now on. Li Ke said your tailoring skills are quite good, so he asked us to prepare a small shop for you to make a living. Don't worry, no one in Zaun will dare to cause trouble."

Upon arriving at a small house, Weila stepped forward and pulled up the iron gate, revealing a small house inside, probably only a few dozen square meters. The first floor was used as a shop, while the second floor was Sett and his mother's living space, consisting of two rooms, a small living room, and a bathroom.

"Then we'll be leaving now. If anyone causes trouble in the future, please let us know. This isn't a privilege reserved for you, but a privilege that everyone who comes to live in Zaun has."

"Our duty is to protect you, madam. Please rest assured, in Zaun, we accept anyone," Malson said with a smile to Sett's mother.

In return, Sett's mother nodded.

At the same time, in Noxus.

Before the Immortal Bastion, a group of people dressed in red stood in a row. Leading them was a slick-haired, pot-bellied man who smiled as he watched the group approach. A golden tooth gleamed in the sunlight.

Stepping forward, the man said loudly:

"Gentlemen of the Twin Cities, I am the head of the Srilan Family. Welcome."

Welcome to Noxus.

The Srilan family head, whose appearance did not give a good impression, bowed slightly and spoke.