At the Lian Hua Gang's headquarters, inside a somewhat decent house—
Li Ke was frowning over a stack of ledgers. Behind him, Jinx was pressed against his back, their shoulders touching. She held a book up with her slender, fair hands and studied it. A closer look revealed that it was filled with detailed instructions and explanations for assembling Purification Devices.
Jinx's long blue braid fell in front of Li Ke, blocking his view. He reached out and looped it around the two of them, tying them together like a rope.
"Have you figured it out yet?"
About twenty minutes passed like that. The position was making Jinx's back ache, and she shifted restlessly before speaking.
"No. I'm still trying to figure it out, too. We can handle the territory easily. In Zaun, all you need is your fists to take land. But in the end, money's the real problem." Li Ke rubbed his brow as he replied.
He turned his head slightly and saw that Jinx had twisted around to face him. Her thin body was pressed against his, and both her hands rested on his shoulders. Her little face was right beside his, very close. Li Ke looked at her profile and couldn't help smiling.
After being looked after for a while, the dark circles under Jinx's eyes had faded, and a touch of color had returned to her deathly pale skin. She was still very thin, though, and her lips seemed a little pouty.
Yes, they really were a little pouty. It gave her a childlike innocence as she blinked her pretty blue eyes and looked at the ledger in Li Ke's hands.
Li Ke could feel a soft warmth against his back. It moved with Jinx as she shifted, easing his headache and making his heart beat faster. Maybe he really should apologize to Jinx.
She wasn't exactly flat, after all. She had a little something there.
"Serves you right for not listening to me," Jinx muttered. "The best solution was right in front of you. Just steal it! That's the easiest way. Isn't that what every Zaunite does?"
"No. We're not a gang, and Zaunites aren't born with no choice but to do bad things. What we're doing now is changing all that, Jinx." Li Ke shook his head and rejected her suggestion.
Steal?
No. He couldn't set that precedent.
Li Ke had only just laid down the rules, and if he threw them away after a few days, what would his people think of him?
Still, money really was a huge problem.
The Lian Hua Gang wasn't a criminal gang. It didn't make money by extorting protection fees or committing crimes. Nor did it have businesses of its own, like the Alchemical Barons. Li Ke had no way to get involved in Zaun's industry, mining, or smuggling. Besides, he didn't want the Lian Hua Gang turning to crime.
But there were more than forty people under his command. That wasn't a huge number, but it wasn't small, either. Li Ke was responsible for feeding and housing them all.
Money really mattered to Li Ke right now.
"Fine, I'll do what you say."
"Enough about me. What about you, Jinx? How are your experiments going?"
"Not great. I'm learning all this from scratch. I've never dealt with this stuff before." Jinx buried her face against Li Ke's shoulder and continued in a muffled, dejected voice, "And don't my experiments need a lot of money?"
"You're out of money, aren't you?"
"It's okay. Just focus on your experiments and don't worry too much about the money." Li Ke smiled, lifted his right hand toward his left shoulder, and pinched Jinx's cheek.
Then Li Ke lowered his head and returned to the ledger.
Looking at Li Ke, Jinx suddenly said, "Li Ke, how about I ask Silco for money? He'd definitely give it to me."
"Would that work?" Li Ke asked, startled.
Silco was the richest man in Zaun, so if Li Ke asked him, Silco might give him the money. But he'd look down on Li Ke for it, especially after Li Ke had made such a bold declaration to him.
But what if Jinx was the one who asked?
Thinking of all the traces of Jinx in Silco's private room, Li Ke figured it might actually work.
I mean, what's wrong with getting a little cash from your father-in-law?
Of course, that was just a joke. Li Ke wasn't about to do that. If he did, Silco would definitely give him the money, but then Silco would look down on him, and it'd be hard to bring Jinx back afterward...
Just as Jinx was about to say something, a voice came from outside the tent.
"Boss, Big Sister Sevika is here!"
Jinx immediately got to her feet, looking sour. She pinched her long blue braid and swung it as she said, "What's that annoying old woman doing here?"
"Who knows?" Li Ke was curious, too.
He stood up and walked out of the house with Jinx.
Outside, he saw Sevika looking irritated, accompanied by a group of people.
"Big Sister Sevika." Li Ke stepped forward and greeted her.
At his choice of address, a complicated look crossed Sevika's face, then quickly vanished. She looked at Li Ke and said, "Silco asked me to bring you these two boxes. Check them over so I can report back."
Sevika just couldn't understand it.
Only a few days ago, Silco had been threatened by Li Ke, and he still hadn't been able to bring that nuisance, Jinx, back. Of course, Sevika was glad Jinx hadn't gone back. But she couldn't understand why Silco had suddenly told her to bring a group of people and deliver money to Li Ke.
Weren't they supposed to be enemies?
"Things?" Li Ke didn't understand.
What did she mean?
Silco sent me something?
"Isn't this what you asked him for?" Sevika asked, frowning.
Li Ke froze, but Jinx had already crouched down and reached for one of the boxes. She lifted the lid, let out an excited "Whoa!" and looked up at Li Ke.
Li Ke looked down, and his eyes were drawn to the box, too.
It was filled to the brim with gold coins.
"Th—" Li Ke took a deep breath. Damn it, there was no way he could refuse.
He didn't know what Silco was up to, but there was no way he could turn this down!
With this money, the Lian Hua Gang could quickly build up the community and even start a few businesses. The money was incredibly important!
Li Ke looked at Sevika and said, "Big Sister, please give him my regards. Tell him I'm very grateful, and I won't forget this."
Sevika gave a brief nod and waved her hand. As she left, she glanced at the Lian Hua Gang's headquarters.
Recently, many of the tents had come down, and most of the gang's members were building houses nearby, planning to turn this once-abandoned place into a New Homeland.
Since it was right next to the Junkyard, they didn't need to worry about materials.
After all, Zaunites were best at creating miracles in desperate circumstances. They took things other people looked down on and turned them into something amazing.
Every Zaunite was a skilled craftsperson—except Vi.
After telling some people to carry the boxes into his house, Li Ke rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Did Silco give you this? Did you go ask him for money that day?" Jinx was excited by the sight of the cash, too.
She didn't really understand money. Back when she was with Silco, if there was anything she wanted, he'd give it to her. Even if it was something only Piltover's rich old nobles could get their hands on, Silco would find a way to get it for her.
But with Li Ke, Jinx had learned what money meant.
Food cost money. Fruit juice cost money. Snacks cost money. Even the materials for her experiments cost money.
And the electricity and water at home cost money, too!
Otherwise, they'd get cut off!
Jinx had come to one conclusion:
Li Ke was poor!
Silco was rich!
Well, even so, Jinx still preferred being with Li Ke.
Vi was here, and so were Li Ke and Isha. She felt more at ease here than she had with Silco.
"I didn't. He sent it on his own." Li Ke shook his head.
"He did it on his own? That's strange. Why would he give you money?"
"I don't know." Li Ke started to say, then paused.
He looked at Jinx's little face, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Hmm.
Maybe Li Ke knew the answer.
Was it possible the money had been meant for Jinx all along?
Seriously, was Jinx really that important to him?
Look at her: she earned him the most Emotion Points, designed and built the gang's weapons, studied and researched ways to change Zaun's technology, and now she'd even brought him money.
Was she a menace?
I'll menace your mother!
Unable to help himself, Li Ke stepped forward and hugged Jinx, wrapping his arms around her as he said, "It's so good to have you here."
"Jinx."
Jinx froze, completely at a loss for what to do with her hands. Li Ke held her as she stood on tiptoe. She had no idea why he'd suddenly done this, but soon her eyes narrowed into crescent moons. She nodded hard and hugged him back.
Jinx beamed with delight.
"I've delivered the money, but I really can't understand it. Li Ke isn't one of us, so why are you helping him?"
At the Fugen Tavern, Sevika couldn't resist asking Silco.
Sitting on the couch, Silco idly turned a coin between his fingers and replied softly, "It's just a simple investment experiment."
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