Led by Li Ke, the group headed toward Hope Community. Starting the day after returning from Piltover, members of the Lian Hua Gang built a high platform in Hope Community, a magnificent stage that didn't match the scenery of Zaun.
Tomorrow is the day when Silco leads his team to Piltover to negotiate, Sevika becomes Piltover councilor, and Jayce goes down to Zaun to become a Zaun councilor.
The signing of the Twin Cities Treaty is tomorrow, while today is a big day for Zaun's independence and autonomy.
By 8 a. m., the Hope Community was already packed with people. Zaunite were all crowded in the Hope Community, looking up and peering at something.
After Marna and Kel told the residents of Hope Community what Li Ke had said in the council that night, the residents of Hope Community also became mouthpieces, telling people in other communities that Zaun was now independent and autonomous and that Piltover had lost.
Before long, everyone in the Sump knew that Zaun had won and Piltover had lost.
Meanwhile, Zeri, who was running fast, spread the news of Li Ke's impending appointment everywhere, and today, many people have come to watch the spectacle.
Eighty percent of the population in the Sump has squeezed into the Hope Community, and even the Dance Hall and the Mid-level Plaza are filled with a large number of people.
Guarding the bridge?
There's no need to guard it anymore. The bloodstains on that bridge haven't been wiped clean to this day. Even if you gave those Skinny Guys ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare rush down the bridge again.
Therefore, people gathered here, excitedly raising their heads, wanting to see what the new master of Zaun looked like.
After Vander left, they resisted the word; the Zaunite had suffered too much oppression during the time of the Silco, but now, they were looking forward to it again.
In reality, what the Zaunite want is very simple. They don't aspire to be as wealthy as the people of Piltover. Having a job that won't lead to any accidents and being able to eat their fill every day is enough for them.
They don't even need any form of entertainment; all they need is to live a good life, and now, the Lian Hua Gang has provided that.
At 9:00 a. m., the Lian Hua Gang appeared in the Hope Community. A large group of people stepped forward and used words to persuade the residents who were crowding on both sides to make way.
Then they stood on either side of the road, their bodies ramrod straight, their expressions solemn.
Looking at them, you really can't imagine that just six months ago, these guys were small-time thugs from Zaun who made a living by stealing, robbing, and fighting.
"Quiet!"
Malson stood at the head of the group, carrying a long gun on his back. He raised the gun and fired a shot into the sky.
The noisy crowd fell silent after the gunshots.
Then, a person walked onto the path surrounded by a group of people. He was wearing a black trench coat, smart black slim-fit trousers, and a dark red-black vest. He was tall but somewhat thin, and wore a strange hat on his head.
The hat clashed with the atmosphere; in this exciting yet solemn setting, the three smiling faces on the blue cat-ear hat broke the seriousness.
"Look, it's Li Ke!"
"Lord Li Ke has arrived!"
Hope Community called for a group.
Then, the Zaunite from the Dance Hall and the Mid-level Plaza hurriedly tiptoed and craned their necks to get a better look.
They saw a young man—
She has a gentle appearance, a warm smile, and beautiful, bright eyes. One look at her makes you feel friendly and likable.
He strode confidently toward the stage that had been set up, his black trench coat adding to his imposing presence. The group of people standing behind him made him appear even more powerful. However, this sense of distance between him and the ordinary people of Zaun vanished the moment they saw the comical hat he was wearing.
Upon seeing the cat-ear hat, the Zaunite was taken aback for a moment, then smiled knowingly.
It's the work of the blue-haired madman.
"He's so young?"
"Why is our new Boss in Zaun a child?"
"Damn it, shut your mouth. So what if you're young?"
"You're from above, aren't you? Although Lord Li Ke is young, he only took half a year to reclaim Zaun and has done a lot for us!"
"Damn it, if you want to die, don't drag us down with you. Just look at the way that 'The Sump enforcement officer' is looking at you, you idiot!"
One person subconsciously questioned Li Ke's age. He didn't mean any harm, because Li Ke looked really young. There's an old saying, "A young man with no beard is unreliable."
It's hard to imagine that at such a young age, Lord Li Ke has led the Zaunite to victory over Piltover, forcing Piltover to surrender, and accomplishing something that Zaun hadn't been able to do for centuries.
Hearing the noise around him, Li Ke walked up to the platform, where a red table stood with a microphone on it.
Li Ke reached out and patted the microphone, looking at the sea of people at the Hope Community.
The entire community was packed with people. The Lian Hua Gang, who arrived early, maintained order and acted as a human wall to prevent a stampede.
As Li Ke tapped the microphone, the scene gradually quieted down.
Li Ke leaned towards the microphone and said, "Good morning, everyone from Zaun."
"I am Li Ke, the Boss of the Lian Hua Gang."
Looking directly into their eyes, Li Ke continued, "In your words, I'm a gang leader."
People below didn't react to this statement.
Because in Zaun, there is no shortage of gangs. Since that big explosion, Zaun has lost its order, and gangs have begun to grow and replace the original government system, forming a unique gang culture.
Therefore, the Zaunite have become accustomed to being controlled by gangs and obeying their orders.
But what Li Ke said next shocked Zaunite present.
"But from today onwards, there will be no more Lian Hua Gang in Zaun, and no more gangs will be allowed to exist in Zaun," Li Ke said calmly.
The Lian Hua Gang members below listened calmly, their eyes fixed ahead.
Malson and Manzu had discussed this matter long ago, speculating that the Lian Hua Gang would disband—or rather, not disband, because Lian Hua Gang members would be incorporated into a new organization.
For those who truly become public officials in Zaun, the title of the Sump Enforcer will no longer be a nickname, but a formal position.
"Zaun will officially become independent and autonomous, establishing a city-state government. From today onwards, Zaun will no longer be under the jurisdiction of Piltover. You no longer need to obey the orders of the Upper City residents, the Piltover enforcers can no longer boss you around, and your way of life will no longer be changed by a few words from the Upper City councilors."
"I, Li Ke, will become the first Lord of Zaun, establishing an independent council for Zaun, modeled after the council of Piltover. Apart from the first council members, future council members of Zaun will not be hereditary, but elected by the people!"
"Now, I will introduce the members of the first Zaun Council."
"The first one, that is, me, Li Ke."
"The second member of parliament, Silco."
Silco calmly walked out of the crowd, went up to the platform, and stood behind Li Ke.
"The third member of parliament, Vander."
The moment the name was uttered, Zaunite present was stunned.
Vander?
That sculpture erected in the ditches of the Sump? That hero in the hearts of most Zaunite?
But wasn't he dead?!
But as a huge figure walked onto the stage, everyone was startled by the monster's form.
"I am Vander, and I am pleased to be back in Zaun." After Vander spoke, the murmurs of the crowd quieted down upon hearing his deep voice.
"The fourth member of the council, Heimerdinger."
"!!!"
Another major piece of news!
My God, aren't the identities of these first four Zaun councilors terrifying!
First, there's Li Ke, the current de facto ruler of Zaun, who became the city-state's lord at a young age.
Then there's the previous generation's ruthless tycoon, Silco, who was ostensibly an industrialist but actually controlled all the gangs in Zaun!
Then there's the dead Boss of the Black Alley, the first to lead Zaun in rebellion against Piltover's tyranny and unite Zaun Vander!
Next up is Heimerdinger?
When Heimerdinger walked onto the stage with his hands behind his back, proudly raising his head, and waving to the audience, everyone believed it.
Did the father of Piltover really join Zaun?!
"Fifth, Scar, leader of the Wildfire Gang."
In the crowd of the Lian Hua Gang, Scar suddenly froze. He wasn't wearing a mask today, revealing a non-human face. Hearing his name, he turned to look at Ekko in astonishment.
Ekko smiled at him and said softly, "Go up quickly, Congressman."
"But, you, this should be your place." Scar's lips trembled.
"Rather than being a senator and standing in the spotlight, I'd rather work behind the scenes to do something that makes the Zaunite happy. The senator position isn't for me," Ekko said earnestly, patting Scar on the back.
Scar was his subordinate, his right-hand man, but sometimes Scar was also like an older brother to him; their relationship was not simply that of leader and subordinate.
Scar took a deep breath, and the Wildfire Gang members began to cheer, including Zeri.
Then he went up on stage and stood next to the short Heimerdinger.
"The sixth councilor, Ms. Marna from the Hope Community."
"!!!"
"What? Marna! Good heavens, Marna, Li Ke is calling you!"
Marna, who had come to join the fun, was stunned. She had made a lot of cookies today, intending to distribute them free of charge to the people who came to Hope Community, and she had also prepared a lot of water.
Although it will cost a lot of money, and Marna's family isn't very wealthy, she feels heartbroken about it, but she won't regret it because today is a happy day.
And now, hearing Lord Li Ke call out his name, saying that he was the sixth councilor?
"I know many people will be surprised, but Ms. Marna becoming a councilor is something that all the members of the Lian Hua Gang agreed to. Making Ms. Marna a councilor is also to make everyone understand one thing: Zaun is not the councilors' Zaun, not my Zaun, it's everyone's Zaun."
"Congresswoman Marna will act as the council's guide to the Zaunite; she will convey our voices to you, and she will convey your voices to us."
"Everyone, we are one."
After Li Ke finished speaking, he stood up and began to applaud Marna, giving her the courage to go on stage.
This was truly not a spur-of-the-moment idea from Li Ke; it was something that the members of the Lian Hua Gang and Silco all agreed to.
After all, as long as Li Ke is alive, as long as Li Ke is still in Zaun, then the situation in Zaun will never become like that of Piltover.
Not only Li Ke, but also Heimerdinger, Silco, Vander in the council are not people who will be blinded by interests. Zaun now is perhaps the same as when Piltover was first built a hundred years ago.
The original Piltover had far better councilors than the current ones, and it was because of them and Heimerdinger that Piltover became the wealthiest city-state in Valoran.
The current Zaun is the same.
We'll talk about the future then; right now, Zaun is full of energy!
Marna covered her mouth, and her husband was terrified.
His wife wants to become a member of parliament?
How... how is this possible?
We are just an ordinary family. Marna may know a lot of things, and she is very popular in the community because of her approachable personality. She also has a good relationship with the members of the Lian Hua Gang.
Even Ms. Wei, the law enforcement officer who usually has a sour face, would sweetly call her "Auntie" and ask if she had any cookies for sale that day. But, she's a councilor?
This won't do!
In the hearts of the Zaunite, the word "senator" represents supreme power. Marna, a housewife, an ordinary person, is now... being made a senator by Lord Li Ke?
Marna shook her head repeatedly, refusing in fear.
But then, voices began to rise.
"Sure, Marna, hurry up and go up!"
"Marna, when you led us to rescue the wounded on the bridge a few days ago, I felt you had great leadership skills. Don't be afraid, everyone supports you!"
"Hey, Auntie Marna, come on up, everyone's waiting for you."
On the Lian Hua Gang side, members who frequently patrol the Hope Community also spoke out.
Marna is incredibly approachable. She may be an ordinary woman, but many members of the Lian Hua Gang treat Marna like a mother.
Marna would care for them, give them advice, and cook and make them snacks.
They certainly support Marna.
When the Boss announced that a representative would be elected from among the people, the members of the Lian Hua Gang naturally nominated Marna.
Marna was very touched, but still dared not.
Wei pushed through the crowd to reach her, reached out and supported her, and without saying a word, led her to the stage.
"Don't be nervous, Representative Marna. None of us have been representatives before, and this is our first time," Li Ke said gently, looking at Marna in front of him.
Seeing Li Ke's smile, Marna was stunned for a moment, and her nervousness suddenly disappeared. Then, she nodded timidly and stood next to Scar.
Marna's appearance on stage was met with cheers from the Zaunite below.
Unlike the other council members, the Zaunite might know their names and how powerful they are, but Marna is someone close to them, someone they can greet when they leave in the morning and someone they can talk to when they come back in the evening!
How could someone like that become a member of parliament?
The impact of this is truly intense!
Li Ke then stood back in front of the microphone, facing the audience.
"Now, I'd like to introduce Zaun's seventh councilor."
As Li Ke's voice faded, a group of Lian Hua Gang —no, they should now be called Zaun's civil servants—arrived. Speaking of Zaun's army, Li Ke and Silco hadn't even decided on a name yet.
While the system was modeled after Piltover, Li Ke and Silco disagreed with Piltover's ideas regarding defensive strength.
Such a wealthy city, so rich, yet the entire city-state is defended by only a few hundred law enforcement officers. This is why Noxus is currently at war all over the world; otherwise, Piltover would have long since become Noxus's private treasury.
Therefore, the army of Zaun does not imitate law enforcement officers; law enforcement officers are law enforcement officers, and an army is an army.
Wei couldn't be a soldier, so Li Ke had already decided on a position for Wei early on: Director of the Sump Enforcement Bureau, while the military would be left to Vander's management.
A huge, frame-like object covered with a red cloth was moved onto the stage; it was about three meters high and two meters wide.
This immediately piqued the curiosity of the Zaunite. Everyone looked at the portrait, wondering who had such a high status and power.
Does this person still exist in Zaun?
They specially made such a large portrait of him to prove his status?
Then, Li Ke's voice rang out.
"Zaun's seventh councilor--"
"Janna!"
After Li Ke finished speaking, he took a step back, reached out and tore open the red cloth, revealing a picture frame behind it.
The frame is made of solid wood, and in the center is a portrait of a woman painted by Ekko and the Wildfire Gang.
Ekko has excellent artistic skills and is incredibly talented at painting. The portrait walls in the Wildfire Gang are basically all Ekko work, and now, this painting is breathtakingly beautiful.
The portrait depicted a white-haired woman with a compassionate and holy face. Her hands were clasped together and rested on her delicate chin. Her eyes were half-closed and half-open, and every strand of white hair swayed in the breeze. She wore a pure white dress and faced the crowd directly.
Li Ke looked down at the audience and saw that the cheers he had expected were not what he had anticipated.
Because Zaunite was staring blankly at the woman in the portrait.
But then, one, two sounds rang out, rustling like the fuse of fireworks being lit, followed by cheers and applause.
"Janna above!"
"Goddess Janna!"
Upon recognizing it as Janna, they immediately raised their hands.
Seeing this, Li Ke thought to himself, "That's more like it."
In Zaun, the so-called Deity is not some vague and ethereal belief, but a real, loving elder.
This is a privilege reserved only for Zaunite.
Thinking of this, Li Ke reached out his hand.
"Zaunite, Janna has never left us. Having Janna as a Zaun councilor isn't just for show."
"As the Lord of Zaun and the First Councilor, I, Li Ke, hereby make this promise!"
The seat of the seventh councilor will never change, it will always belong to Janna, and the seventh councilor will have the same power as the first councilor, possessing veto power on major matters!
Li Ke took a deep breath and spoke each word with force.
As long as Li Ke is in Zaun, he is confident that Zaun will not turn bad, but if one day Li Ke is really gone, then Janna will be the most powerful person in Zaun.
She will no longer be Deity detached from the human world, but a real being with the Deity to decide the fate of Zaun.
This is also the greatest gift and the greatest insurance that Li Ke gave to Zaun.
Silco agreed wholeheartedly, because people change. They control Zaun now, Zaun won't change, but what about the future?
Nobody can say for sure.
The hardships they endured forged a strong will that would not be blinded by money and power. But the future Zaunite will not be like them; they will have good lives and their way of looking at things will be different from that of the current councilors. No one can be sure what kind of people they will become in the future.
However, the Deity do not change. Janna has remained unchanged for thousands of years. So, if in the future, the councilors of Zaun become as hypocritical and incompetent as Piltover, then the power that Li Ke has granted to Janna here will come into play.
The Zaunite looked at Li Ke, and many of the clever ones noticed the meaning behind Li Ke words, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Lord Li Ke's words weren't a tribute to Janna, but rather... they seemed to be bestowing a position upon Janna. But Janna is an imposter, isn't she?
But if it's fake, why would Lord Li Ke do such a thing?
This question has been on the minds of every clever Zaunite.
Then, Li Ke answered that question with his actions.
"Seventh member of parliament, please come to the stage," Li Ke announced loudly.
As Li Ke spoke, a gentle breeze swept through Hope Community. A beautiful bluebird, about the length of a human arm, slender, graceful—that was the first impression it gave. It seemed to fly a little slowly?
But nobody paid attention to the speed at which the bluebird flew!
Because they were all stunned when they looked up at the suddenly appearing bluebird!
A pleasant sound suddenly rang in the minds of every Zaunite.
"Janna is willing to serve as the Seventh Councilor," the voice said gently.
"!!!"
Everyone stared blankly at the bluebird as it flew to Lord Li Ke's side and then landed on the table.
The bluebird nodded gracefully to the crowd and raised its wings.
A strong wind blew, and the dust was dispersed.
A cold wind blew, and earth-shaking shouts echoed through Zaun.
Their Deity.
It's true!
Zaun Calendar--
On November 3rd of the first year, at 9:40 AM, the city-state of Zaun was officially established.
The first councilor took office in Zaun, leading the Zaun to solve countless problems, revitalize Zaun, and make Zaun the greatest city-state.
The members of parliament are: Silco, Vander, Heimerdinger, Scar, Marna, and Janna.
And then there's Representative Li Ke, who always says that Zaun belongs to Zaun Zaunite, but is actually the true ruler of Zaun in the hearts of every Zaunite.