In Piltover, Jayce was dressed impeccably, with Viktor, also in formal attire, standing beside him.
Both of them were wearing white suits, with a beautiful rose pinned to their left breast.
Viktor had become much weaker over the years, and his physical condition had improved after being treated by Singed.
His disabled leg was reinforced with Hextech device, allowing him to walk and run freely.
Now, though working behind the scenes, he remains at the forefront of Hextech research, but with the increase in scientists in both cities, Viktor has a lot more free time.
Viktor uses this time to train himself, so although he still looks very thin, his face is not pale.
At that moment, Viktor was shaking his head helplessly.
"Why hasn't Li Ke come back yet? The wedding procession is about to begin! Everyone's already dressed and waiting for him, but where is he going?"
Sitting on the sofa, Jayce rubbed his forehead, his hair combed back. Mr. Talis had even trimmed his beard today, making him look clean, neat, and very handsome.
Beside him, Ekko, dressed in a white suit with strikingly dark skin, pondered for a moment and said, "Could he have gone to another world again? I remember Li Ke saying that when he was in that world, he forgot the flow of time in our world. Maybe that's why he couldn't get here immediately."
"Is he an idiot?!" Jayce thought Ekko had a point and said irritably. Jayce stood up and continued, "The bridesmaids have already started urging us."
Just then, Malson suddenly rushed in, wearing the same white suit as Jayce and the others. Yes, Malson was also one of Li Ke's groomsmen. At that moment, he entered the room with a silly expression and said, "Um, everyone."
"What is it now?" Jayce looked at Malson, and seeing Malson's stammering appearance, Jayce felt a headache coming on.
As expected, Malson didn't bring good news to everyone, otherwise his expression wouldn't be like this.
"The problem now isn't that Li Ke hasn't returned, but that Jinx has suddenly disappeared," Malson complained, feeling a bit dizzy.
Li Ke hasn't been found yet, and now the bride has disappeared.
What does this mean?!
Jayce slapped his face and shouted, "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and ask Goddess Janna what's going on!"
Everything happening in the Twin Cities is under Goddess Janna's watchful eye. Jinx's sudden disappearance means Goddess Janna definitely knows where she's gone.
Malson's expression grew even more helpless, his tone filled with exasperation. He said, "But the main point is, we can't even communicate with the Goddess Janna anymore; she's ignoring us."
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After listening, Jayce sighed, then slammed his Riot Games on the sofa and said, "I should have stopped Li Ke from going a few days ago."
Hearing what Jayce said, Ekko smiled wryly and said, "You can't stop him, Jayce. For Li Ke, fighting Jax and Jax is like you, me, and Viktor discovering new technological possibilities. The excitement we felt back then was something no one could stop."
Jayce, upon hearing this, agreed with Ekko.
If he makes a new discovery while doing scientific research, he will work on it for a long time without eating or sleeping, and he will not pay attention even if Mel comes to call him to rest and eat.
Then, Jayce seemed to have come to terms with it, waving his hand dismissively and saying, "Forget it, it's not like I'm the one getting married. If we're really worried, let Silco and Vander worry about it."
"They clearly have more reason to be anxious."
Viktor chuckled beside him, while Malson looked helpless.
Although Malson felt very honored to be Li Ke's best man, he worried that the wedding might actually start before the bride and groom were actually there.
No, if that were really the case, what kind of mess would that be?
Thinking of this, Malson suddenly gave Ekko a look. The tacit understanding between Zaunite was very effective, and Ekko immediately understood what Malson meant. Then, Ekko's expression became strange.
Malson was thinking, what if Li Ke and Jinx really did run away together again, and then he'd send Jayce and Mel to the stage?
Hmm. After thinking about it, Ekko felt that this probably wasn't Malson's idea, because he didn't have that kind of guts.
Although Jayce is very approachable and gets along well with the Zaunite, he is still the richest man in the Twin Cities and a senator in Piltover.
Therefore, this was probably that person's idea. To avoid the embarrassment of not being able to find them later?
But here's the problem: what if the person you marry is suddenly forced to change? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?!
Ekko, I really don't understand.
The person Ekko was thinking of was also having a headache at the moment.
Seated in front of Silco were a bunch of high-ranking officials from Zaun, including Auntie Marna. As a councilor with a high level of affability in Zaun, Auntie Marna enjoyed extremely high prestige among the people of Zaun. Therefore, it was natural for Marna to be involved in Lord Li Ke's wedding. In fact, she had made a great contribution to the people.
At that moment, she looked at Silco with concern and heard Senator Silco speaking to Secretary Renata.
"We can't wait any longer. If we drag this out any longer, we'll become a laughingstock in the world. Right now, Janna is pretending to be dead and not responding to us, which is clearly Jinx's doing. Jinx and she have always had a good relationship, Janna is helping her now."
Renata nodded and calmly asked, "So here's the question, Silco, are you sure Jinx is still in town? Could it be like last time, that she and Li Ke have run off to play again?"
"No," Silco said immediately, sitting at the table, rubbing his temples, and said with a pained expression:
"Jinx is itching to marry Li Ke, she's more eager than any of you think to do Li Ke." As she spoke, Silco's face suddenly darkened, clearly indicating that she was in a bad mood.
Indeed, what father would want to see his daughter so eager to get married? Silco found it both amusing and intriguing to watch her so impatient to be married off.
He continued, "Therefore, Jinx won't miss this opportunity; she's definitely somewhere in town right now. We've forbidden her from meeting Li Ke in private for the time being, and have Caitlyn accompany her, teaching her how to be a lady and aristocratic etiquette. This will surely make her resentful."
Silco knew Jinx well, therefore he judged that Jinx wouldn't leave.
Therefore, Jinx is still in the city, but as for exactly where, Silco doesn't know either.
"There's one more thing. The venue is now open, and the delegations from Demacia and Noxus have already entered, waiting for the bride and groom to arrive. Winter's Claw hasn't arrived yet, but I think he should be here soon."
"If Li Ke and Jinx aren't there, it will be a significant blow to Twin Cities, and they'll definitely be laughed at by the outside world," Renata said.
She moved her arm, placed her hand on her chin, and continued, "Should we prepare for a media war in advance? I think it will be difficult. After all, we invited people from all over the world to participate first, and it turned out to be a joke. Even if most of these people came for profit, it will still become their after-dinner entertainment."
"I know." Silco glared at Renata; of course he knew.
That's why he was speechless, okay?
"Let's change the plan. Get Jayce and the others ready, and get all the Hextech hovercars moving to create the illusion that Li Ke is already on his way to pick up the bride."
"Yes," Renata said.
Vi blinked, wondering what to do next. After all, as Jinx's sister, she couldn't be a bridesmaid, and now, as the person chosen to look after Jinx, she'd watched helplessly as Jinx got lost right under her nose.
Therefore, after much thought, Wei decided that it was best to remain silent.
Don't give Silco a chance to criticize you!
Damn, I'm so smart!
Wei became proud.
Noon is fast approaching.
Piltover's streets and alleys were bustling with activity, and the world-renowned Councilor Talis was dressed in formal attire, walking at the head of the long procession. He carried a ceremonial cannon, which would be fired at each stop. Behind Councilor Talis were the best men of the Lord of Zaun, of varying skin colors and heights.
Starting from Blue Smoke Estate, a wealthy neighborhood in Piltover, walk out of Blue Smoke Estate, then across Stellar Avenue, Zodiac Commercial District, and then towards the Dance Hall.
Logically, the leader of this team should be Li Ke, not Jayce, but the problem is... Li Ke can't be found!
The radio was playing soothing music with a touch of the sacred, and a sweet, cheerful voice was broadcasting the announcements.
"The groomsmen are about to walk to the Dance Hall, boarding a brand-new Screaming Engine. They are about to arrive at the Dance Hall, where the beautiful bride is waiting for her groom."
In a tall building in Piltover, in front of a bunch of unidentifiable equipment, a sweet-looking girl with pink hair scrunched up her face, bitterly holding a piece of paper and muttering the words written on it.
Her name is Seraphine, and she's the announcer for this wedding. Right now, she's terrified.
But she had to pull herself together, because she couldn't afford to make a mistake, she couldn't let the people of Twin Cities know that the bride and groom had disappeared during the wedding.
Not far from Seraphine, Mel was watching Seraphine's broadcast with an earphone hanging from one ear and her eyes half-closed. She was both angry and amused by what had happened that day.
The wedding was well-organized, attracting people from all over the world. Law enforcement officers sent out invitations all over the world, and for those few days, the Hextech ships of Twin Cities even picked up guests from all over the world for free to come to Twin Cities. The newly built towns also provided free accommodation for the "guests".
Li Ke's wedding was not just a matter between him and Jinx, but also a matter between two cities.
This wedding can also serve as a promotional event for Twin Cities, allowing them to legitimately invite powerful nations to Twin Cities and thus highlight Twin Cities' status in Runeterra.
But now, it looks like it's going to become a joke.
But Mel wasn't as impatient as Jayce, not because of her personality, but because she wasn't directly involved.
Jayce was at least a groomsman; he was a participant. But what about Mel? She was just an observer. Even if things went wrong or she embarrassed herself in either city, that was Silco's problem, not Mel's.
Instead of thinking so much, why not just enjoy a good show and relax a bit?
Thinking of this, Mel's narrowed eyes gradually relaxed, and she smiled as she picked up the glass of red wine in front of her and took a small sip.
Inside, Seraphine continued her broadcast, this segment recounting Congressman Li Ke's entrepreneurial history, praising Li Ke at length.
We need to create a new persona for Li Ke to present to the outside world of Twin Cities. After all, a celebrity can't be without a story, right?
"What you will see next is the house where Representative Li Ke lived before he became wealthy. Here, Representative Li Ke discovered the shortcomings of Zaun. He stood with the people and experienced it firsthand."
The Zaunite thought that was true. Zaun wasn't a big city. Although Li Ke's status had become more prestigious, in reality, in Zaun, as long as you took the initiative to greet Councilor Li Ke, he would always greet you with a smile.
He's a leader with incredible charisma, and that broadcast was spot on!
That's exactly how our Representative Li Ke is!
But Piltover felt something was off.
Although most Piltover residents have long since given up on Li Ke, and the two Twin Cities are currently in a honeymoon period with an incredibly good relationship, as people living above Zaun, surely they know what the real situation in Zaun is like?
The broadcasts only highlighted the positive aspects of Zaun, but in reality, this positive aspect was described as Zaunite being strong, resilient, and possessing a powerful character.
But if someone thinks about it carefully, they'll realize that this is all because the people of Piltover forced this situation out of them.
Well, that's pretty much the truth, but if you're in the underworld, just say you're in the underworld. Why make it sound so inspiring?
Soon, the crowd gathered in front of the Li Ke residence—where the man was still alive but already had a "former home"—saw a row of law enforcement officers covering something up, and then Councilor Talis shouted through a megaphone, "Let's go!"
With a shout from Jayce, the team cheered, and the surrounding crowd joined in with happy applause.
Various stalls were set up along the two rows of streets, offering free drinks and food, and the people who came from outside were also infected by the atmosphere and became happy.
As the celebrations unfolded, the soothing music blared from the loudspeakers in both cities, quickening its pace. Seraphine's voice rose several pitches, becoming more resonant, as if she were joining in the excitement.
But actually, Xiao Sa was speaking in a high-pitched voice at that moment.
Pretending is a basic skill for female celebrities.
Noon arrived quickly, and the grand luncheon officially began. The entire Black Alley became a "wedding venue," with a huge platform erected in the air visible from the moment Black Alley entered.
Nobody knows how they did it, but that platform, which was over ten meters long and about eight meters wide, was suspended high in the air, and it even had steps?!
How exactly were the Zaunite created?
Forget it, it's not important at all!
Because, now it's open for entry.
The wedding is now in progress.