Piltover--
Jayce stood silently in front of the glass window, his face calm, but with a deathly resignation.
But suddenly, he took two steps forward, looked up at the bags that had floated out of the glass, and showed a surprised expression, because these bags were Zaun's bags.
But how did Zaun's bag end up in Piltover, or rather, so high in the sky?
A hint of surprise flashed in Jayce's eyes.
"Jayce, this isn't a bad thing. Please believe me, I, I wouldn't harm you. Zaun and their people are showing great sincerity. They genuinely want to cooperate with us; otherwise, they could have easily wiped us out and taken over the city." Mel's voice rang out from behind.
Jayce turned to look at Mel and saw her with a complicated expression and pleading eyes.
"I know, Mel, I believe you wouldn't hurt me." Jayce looked at Mel and calmly continued, "But what about my thoughts? Did you even ask what I thought?"
"We have no right to refuse." Mel crossed her arms, avoiding Jayce's eyes.
Jayce gave a wry smile. "So you sold me to Zaun?"
"Don't you all know how bad and chaotic that place is? It's not a place for humans to live!" Jayce raised his voice, took a step forward, and approached Mel, then said, "Besides, I'm not angry about the matter itself, but rather that you made the decision for me without even asking for my opinion."
"Does my opinion not matter at all?" Jayce looked down at Mel.
Mel looked at Jayce, biting her lip, reached out and stroked Jayce's face, and whispered:
"No, Jayce, given the circumstances, we had no choice but to agree. The Zaunite's power was beyond our imagination. I even thought that even if we developed Hextech weapons, we would still lose this war."
"Please believe me, you won't be gone for long. I will get the cooperation between the two cities finalized as soon as possible so you can return soon."
"What about Viktor? What about Viktor?" Jayce continued, "He's been missing for over a week. Piltover is only so big, and as a senator, I haven't found a single trace of him. It's as if he vanished into thin air, leaving only the door I built for him."
Remembering the situation with that door, Jayce felt worried about Viktor's current predicament.
Where did you go?
Viktor.
"Mel, I don't actually care about becoming a political sacrifice, using myself to secure Piltover's future. I agree, I'm willing, but... why now of all times?"
"Viktor is dying, and now he's disappeared and we can't find him. I'm so worried about him, I'm scared. I'll never see him again in my life."
"It's okay, Jayce, it's okay." Mel stood on tiptoe, reached out and wrapped her arms around Jayce's neck, and whispered, "Everything will be alright. Viktor is smart, he won't just leave like this, I believe that."
"Also, please stop putting so much pressure on yourself. This isn't your fault; it's our problem."
"Jayce, maybe I shouldn't have let you become a senator." Mel hugged Jayce's neck, and Jayce hugged Mel's waist, burying his face in Mel's neck, closing his eyes to smell Mel's scent and listen to her voice.
"From the day you became a member of parliament, I have never seen that same look in your eyes as when we first met. Do you remember? Back then, you looked at me with fear and worry in your eyes, but even more so, with anticipation for the future."
"You were confident and proud, and you never got discouraged when you encountered setbacks in your experiments. You were either in the lab or on your way to the lab every day. But everything changed after you became a senator."
"You no longer have time to go to the lab. You're constantly attending banquets hosted by various families. You've devoted all your time to interpersonal relationships and exchanging favors, which is not what you should be doing."
"I'm so glad you've become so outstanding, such a great figure in Piltover, but I'm also so sad that the Jayce Talis I knew so well is gone." Mel became increasingly distressed as he spoke.
Her initial admiration for Jayce might have stemmed from the benefits and curiosity surrounding Hextech, but later, she gradually became attracted to Jayce and fell in love with this young man a few years her junior.
He was once confident, sunny, handsome, tall, and intelligent.
But when did he start only paying lip service to the word "senator," and begin calculating profits and discussing maritime trade routes?
"No, Mel, he's back." Jayce paused for a moment, then suddenly said.
He opened his eyes, gently patted Mel's back, and leaned back, breaking free from Mel's embrace.
He smiled at Mel and said, "Actually, if this hadn't happened so suddenly, I was planning to resign from my position as a senator and never participate in politics again."
Mel paused, then pursed her lips.
"Alright, don't be sad anymore. After hearing what you said, my resentment has dissipated. Like I said, I don't care about becoming a political sacrifice, because like you said, you didn't have a choice back then. One side was Piltover, and the other was me. Besides, even if you had chosen me against all odds, what was the final result? Didn't we still die together at the hands of the Zaunite?"
"I'm not the Jayce Talis I used to be. I won't act like a child and say, 'Even so, I still hope you'll choose me.'"
"I understand. There are many things that are indeed beyond our control. Don't worry, Mel, my only worry right now is Viktor. It's just going to Zaun, right? I'll go."
"Thank you, Jayce."
Jayce didn't say anything more, but hugged Mel tightly.
The next day, November 4th, at 8:00 AM.
Piltover, a villa district.
Jayce, dressed in splendid clothes and leather shoes, walked out of the house with one hand on his waist. When he got outside, the Piltover people who were responsible for taking him to Zaun had already arrived.
Upon seeing the other person, Jayce immediately stood up straight, his face cold.
Ouch. Last night's intimacy was a bit too much; Jayce is now only feeling pain in his lower back.
He turned around and saw Mel, wearing a nightgown, standing in front of the glass looking at him. He smiled and waved to Mel. Jayce looked at the enforcer responsible for taking him to Zaun, his smile vanishing. Jayce said coldly:
"Let's go, take me to Zaun."
"Yes, Congressman Talis."
As Jayce boarded the electric vehicle, he looked out the window at the scenery and took a deep breath.
Going to Zaun? It's impossible not to be afraid. Jayce was taught from a young age that Zaun was a chaotic and evil place, how terrible it was, and that it was no place for humans to live.
Naturally, Jayce had always had a bad impression of Zaun.
Even after learning that Viktor was from Zaunite, Jayce was worried that Viktor would steal his work. However, in his time with Viktor, Jayce discovered that Viktor was a gentleman, a true gentleman.
Therefore, this trip to Zaun was necessary.
Representative Talis had very mixed feelings.
Resistance, fear, worry
Anticipation, curiosity.
Zaun, Zaun.
What will it actually look like?
Never mind, we'll find out when we get there.
Jayce closed his eyes, preparing to take a nap.