The main referee is my person, what are you still fighting for? (4K, please follow up)

"You're saying you want to pull an Alchemical Baron down from his position? Wait, are you serious?"

Ekko looked at Li Ke in disbelief, exclaiming in surprise, "You can make a move against them, but you want to pull them down, completely overthrow their rule?"

"Can't I?" Li Ke replied.

Ekko shook his head and said gravely, "Of course not!"

"The Alchemical Barons are all Silco's subordinates. Silco can tolerate infighting and chaos among his underlings, but he won't allow anyone else to touch this pie," Ekko said. He made a motion in front of him, like toppling a pyramid. He looked at Li Ke and said seriously, "You're shaking his foundation, you're digging at his roots, understand?"

"If an Alchemical Baron dies and openly declares war on Silco, Zaun will fall into chaos. This is not appropriate!"

"In the end, everyone will suffer!"

Without waiting for Li Ke's response, he continued, "Honestly, I don't know how you managed to turn Jinx into what she is now, nor how you managed to get Jinx to leave Silco and follow you. But if you ask me, Li Ke, picking a fight with Silco right now is a very foolish thing to do!"

Li Ke smiled upon hearing Ekko's words.

Ekko said "we."

This meant he was considering the matter from Li Ke's perspective.

But. Who said Silco was an outsider?

He was the sponsor of the Lian Hua Gang, a major shareholder of Hope Community, and the future guide for Zaun's direction. How could such a person be an outsider?

However, what Ekko said also made a lot of sense. If Li Ke didn't know what kind of person Silco was, didn't know how deeply Silco loved Jinx, then he would have been like Ekko.

Power was a captivating thing. Silco was now the emperor of Zaun, the Alchemical Barons obeyed him, he was the uncrowned king of Zaun. If someone touched his pie and shared his cake, he would naturally retaliate.

Making an enemy of Silco would throw the entire Zaun into chaos; this was not an empty threat.

At the very least, if Silco died, Zaun's economy would plummet, and the leaderless Alchemical Barons would fight amongst themselves for petty gains, plunging the entire Zaun into war.

But. Silco was not a man obsessed with power.

Li Ke firmly believed this. As long as Silco was like he was in the Arcane animation, then he was not a man who would lose himself in power and abandon his ideals.

He was a man who would hand himself over to Piltover for Jinx's sake, ending the conflict between the two cities.

How could such a man possibly make Jinx sad?

It was funny, Li Ke now realized that his rise to prominence seemed to be entirely thanks to Jinx?

She provided most of the energy, she manufactured the gang's weapons, the gang's funds came from her father, and the smooth acquisition of territory was also because of her father.

Jinx. She was truly his treasure.

Thinking of this, Li Ke couldn't help but look towards Jinx.

Jinx was sprawled on the ground, her long legs kicking up as she chatted with Isha about something, looking very happy.

Carefree, adorable little Jin.

Damn, why is this woman so captivating?

Who was it that invented these little contraptions anyway?

"Did you understand what I said?" Ekko saw Li Ke's gaze and then spoke to him seriously.

"I understand, Ekko, but you don't need to worry about this."

Li Ke smiled and said, "If you need a big commotion, I will deliver one for you."

"I await the Wildfire Gang's joining, Ekko. I need your talent, and I need the Wildfire Gang's strength. We must unite, understand?"

"You still don't get it." Ekko shook his head, seeming a little disappointed.

Seeing this, Li Ke smiled and said, "I'll be waiting for the day you bring the Wildfire Gang to me."

*Heh, I don't get it?

No, it's you who doesn't understand Silco, Ekko.

The next afternoon, Fugen Tavern--

Inside the room, Silco took out a wine glass, poured himself a drink, and placed the cup on the table.

Li Ke sat opposite Silco, reached out to take the wine glass, and said, "Silco, I've come to see you about something."

"Tell me about Jinx first," Silco said softly, drinking his liquor.

Li Ke paused, then replied, "She's doing well. She's gained a little weight recently, her dark circles have lessened, and she's become even cuter. However, I won't allow her to draw tattoos on herself anymore, so she drew this on me."

Li Ke said, lifting his arm.

On his right arm was a blue cat pattern, very conspicuous.

Li Ke smiled as he looked at Silco.

"."

Silco nodded. Seeing Li Ke looking at him, he tapped the table with his finger. Sevika stood behind him, silent.

He said in a deep voice, "Continue."

"I feel like you're ordering me around," Li Ke said, a little displeased.

Silco smiled faintly and looked at Li Ke, saying, "Your relationship with Jinx, do you think it's too much for me to ask you to do a few things? Besides, the money you're using for development now is all mine. If Jin wants you to do something, and it's such a small thing, can you still complain?"

"...Alright, you're right." Li Ke was speechless.

But Silco was right.

Setting aside the relationship Silco and Jinx had with him, Li Ke had to thank Silco just for the money.

Money was indeed what Li Ke needed most, but also what he had the hardest time getting.

Fortunately, Silco had money.

Li Ke spoke up, "She's been researching Air Filtration Devices lately and has already spent a lot of money. Did you hear that, Silco? I said she's already spent a lot of money."

"Can that thing really be useful?" Silco ignored Li Ke's emphasis on money and instead asked about the Air Filtration Device.

It wasn't that no one in Black Alley had tried such experiments before, but they had all failed.

The reason was simple: the filtration devices could only solve the Ash Barrier in a small area, but Zaun had Poison Gas Pollution everywhere.

Li Ke smiled and nodded, "Yes, preliminary experiments have already managed to completely purify dozens of square meters of air, but the Filter Core is consumed too quickly. Jinx believes that to completely change the air in Zaun, we need to change things from the root. She has a very bold idea: to change the gutters first. She wants to dismantle all the wastewater pipes connecting Zaun and Piltover and replace them with the filtering and purifying Metal Pipes she made."

"And then there are the Green Plants. Plants can solve many problems."

"Also the air, and changing the soil in certain areas, and so on. Anyway, she's been researching these things lately."

Silco listened, his expression a little strange.

Li Ke didn't know what he was thinking.

But... Silco's expression was complex, mixed with a hint of apology.

Silco nodded, looked at Li Ke, held his wine glass, swirled it, and said softly, "She seems to be very happy with you?"

"Of course, she sleeps well, eats well, has a Sister, has a Sister, and has me. But Silco, she occasionally misses you. When she sleeps at night, she calls your name in her dreams," Li Ke said after thinking.

This was true; Li Ke wasn't lying to Silco.

The last time Jinx fell asleep with her Small Face resting on his chest, she mumbled Silco's name while sucking her thumb.

As soon as Li Ke said this, Silco's hand holding the wine glass visibly stiffened. He put down the wine glass and started to spin his chair, his movements somewhat similar to how Jinx spun her chair.

As if he didn't want Li Ke to see his current expression, Silco turned around and saw Sevika. Big Sister Sevika looked down at Silco. Seeing this, Silco could only helplessly turn the chair back to face Li Ke.

Then, Li Ke saw the unconcealable smile on Silco's face. Although he tried his best to control it, the corners of his mouth betrayed him.

"Alright, we've finished our casual chat. Now, let's talk about why you came, Li Ke," Silco said.

Li Ke immediately replied, "I want to bring down an Alchemical Baron. The Lian Hua Gang's current territory is no longer enough."

Silco looked up at Li Ke. "Are you telling me, right here in front of me, that you want to pull my people down?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Are we really that close?" Silco's smile vanished, his tone turning cold.

"Of course. You're Jinx's father, and I'm Jinx's partner. We..."

"You two are really together?" Silco frowned.

Li Ke sighed. "What do you think? Given Jinx's personality," Li Ke reached out, pointing to his own head, and said softly, "and the little problem she has up here, what would she do if I disagreed?"

Silco laughed. "Probably tie you up while you're sleeping, surround you with countless bombs, and threaten you to be with her, or else she'll die with you."

"Exactly. So from the night I slept in the same bed with her, I haven't been able to leave her. Of course, I like her a lot too. She's very charming and beautiful. I really like her."

"Wait, you said, slept in the same bed?" Silco's hand moved under the table, the smile on his face gone again.

Damn it!

Shit!

What does he want now!

"I didn't do anything." Li Ke spread his hands helplessly. Although he felt he wasn't afraid of guns anymore, this clearly wasn't the time to argue with Silco. He had to give Silco this respect.

Never do anything that would hurt a daughter in front of her father.

"Hmph."

Silco let out a cold laugh.

Li Ke looked at Silco and said with a cheeky grin, "You haven't lost anything, have you?"

"You don't care about those Alchemical Barons at all. You organized them only to gather Zaun's existing strength, with the goal of negotiating with Piltover for Zaun's independence."

"But Silco, don't you think what I'm doing now is the right thing?"

Silco didn't speak, looking at Li Ke in silence.

"Moreover, you must feel that those Alchemical Barons are useless now, right? Think about it, who did you used to work with? Those were people like Daddy Vander, Uncle Benso, and Big Sister Sevika. And now? You can only gather with those guys."

Sevika's eyes narrowed as Li Ke mentioned her name.

It had to be said, that sentence actually made Sevika feel a little comfortable.

And strangely, although Sevika didn't dislike Li Ke, she didn't particularly like him either. She used to look after him simply because Zaun's future belonged to this generation of children. But today was truly bizarre.

Ever since Li Ke appeared, Sevika had found him very comfortable to look at.

"Who do you want to deal with?" Silco asked Li Ke.

"Haven't decided yet, that's why I'm asking you," Li Ke said, continuing, "I thought I should tell you about this. Although I think the three of us, Vi, and Jinx, are enough to take down an Alchemical Baron, I want to train my troops."

"." Silco's mouth twitched slightly. "So, can I understand this as you telling me you're going to make a move on my people, and you want me to help protect them from getting hurt?"

The word "train troops" was very interesting.

"Train" represented practice, and the prerequisite for practice was no casualties.

Li Ke nodded with a smile.

The only feeling Li Ke had now was satisfaction, true satisfaction.

The guy that Alchemical Baron Ekko and Zeri feared and dealt with cautiously, in front of him, seemed... like a piece of crap.

But thinking about how Silco attended the Baron's meetings, easily controlled their lifelines, and could kill them at any time, well. After roping Silco to his side, the Alchemical Barons were indeed just crap.

After all, your boss is with me!

It was like a boxing match, damn it, the referee is my guy, and if you push me too hard, the referee will help me beat you. How could you possibly win against me?

"How come I never realized you were so shameless before?" Silco said.

Li Ke shrugged and replied, "This is a good thing for you too. You can't control them anymore, and you actually wanted to make a move on them, didn't you?"

"After all, their actions in private are becoming more and more excessive," Li Ke said.

Silco placed his hand on the table, pinched his brow with two fingers, and pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Finn, do you know this name?"

Li Ke was stunned. He thought carefully and then nodded.

Ironclad Firelighter!

He looked like a mini-boss when he appeared, and even "turned" Sevika. But what happened?

He was taken down in the same season, creating a famous scene for Silco and adding to Silco's Charm.

"It'll be him. You can make your move on him. The time is... three days from now."

"I will convene the other Barons for a meeting, leaving him alone, and I will send people to watch his territory, ensuring his people are within his domain, but I won't send anyone to help you," Silco told Li Ke.

Just as Li Ke said, before Li Ke arrived, he had already been thinking about cracking down on these guys.

Moreover, helping Li Ke wasn't just for Jinx.

It was also Silco's way of seeing who was right and who was wrong between himself and Vander.

Previously, he never had the chance to compete with Vander. When Vander rose to power, his policies were no different from Li Ke's now. After he himself took power, Vander died. But now, Li Ke, who inherited Vander's will, might be able to provide Silco with an answer.

Li Ke smiled.

After chatting with Silco for a while longer, Li Ke left, satisfied.

Sevika stood behind Silco and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you helping him?"

"Helping him?"

"Why would you think that?" Silco turned around.

"Sevika, I am helping..."

"Only Zaun," Silco said with determined eyes.

Whether it was him or Li Ke, with either of their ideologies succeeding, the one who would profit would be Zaun.

What he cared about, forever, was this.

Of course, there was also Jinx.