[End of Advent]
[Advent for this Advent is in progress--]
The settlement is as follows:
Gained +50 affinity with the Special Character Ahri, currently converting it into attribute points. Soul Strength increased by 1.2!
This exploration progress: I learned some secrets about Soul Blossom from the Special Character Ahri, and gained 200 exploration points.
Settlement process underway.
Rewards for this exploration:
1: Soul Strength +1.2
2: Gain +50 favorability with Special Character.
3: Gain exploration points and elemental affinity.
4: Obtain the Special Character Ahri's treasure (Fox Pendant)
Congratulations, Summoner.
Li Ke opened his eyes in bed and began to summarize what he had learned this time.
I learned the reason for the birth of the Soul Blossom Land from Ahri, greatly increasing my exploration progress and even granting me elemental affinity?
Moreover, with the increase in favorability, his Soul Strength has increased by 1.2, making it much easier to fight Vander. For Li Ke now, every 0.1 increase in Soul Strength makes him stronger.
Li Ke then looked at his two gains from this trip.
[Fox Pendant (Unbound)]
[Quality: Red (Mythic)]
[Usage Level: None]
[Effect: Repairs the soul and heals injuries. The pendant contains powerful Deity energy; while it cannot bring the dead back to life, it can certainly prolong life, allowing one to live to a ripe old age.]
[Description: A stone pendant made by your special friend Ahri out of boredom, containing a few tufts of her hair and her saliva.]
Li Ke: "."
Saliva—this is probably the drool that Ahri accidentally fell asleep while making it, and that's why it drooled out?
Next, Li Ke looked at his personal panel.
[Name: Li Ke]
[Race: Human Soul]
[Soul Strength: 15.4 (Spirit Essence)]
[World Exploration Progress: 6.3%]
[Current Item: Fox Pendant (Mythic)]
[Mastered Skill: Elemental Affinity]
With his Soul Strength exceeding fifteen, Li Ke's Soul Strength reached a new stage, no longer Scattered Soul, but a refined essence.
At the same time, a skill panel appeared. Unlike the previously obtained memories of the unknown soul fist technique, which were not skills but rather added knowledge of fighting to Li Ke, this elemental affinity was different.
[Elemental Affinity (Blue/Spirit)]
[Effect: Gain elemental affinity, allowing you to perceive magical elements in the air more easily than ordinary people]
[Introduction: Your contact with the Deity has greatly benefited you, granting you superhuman powers. Perhaps... you have the makings of a mage?]
Li Ke: "."
Me, a mage?
Li Ke looked up and around suspiciously, then concentrated and opened Li Ke eyes again after about five minutes.
It doesn't seem like anything has changed.
Aside from a clearer perception of the air, was his mind also more alert? In any case, Li Ke genuinely didn't notice any changes in his body due to elemental affinity.
After thinking for a while, Li Ke gave up on further exploration; after all, having skills is always a good thing.
He lay down, closed his Li Ke, and began to sleep.
In a daze, a head came close to his chest, and Li Ke instinctively reached out to hug it.
After getting up early and making breakfast for Jinx and Isha, Li Ke left home with the Fox pendant in his hand.
Viktor and Jayce lived in a residential area not far away. It took Li Ke three minutes to get there. He went upstairs, entered the house that Jayce and Viktor shared, Li Ke walked into the living room.
"Um?"
As soon as I entered, I saw Jayce studying a manuscript. When he saw that it was Li Ke, Jayce nodded.
"How did you sleep last night?" Li Ke greeted him first.
Jayce said, "It's better than I expected. Apart from the bed being a bit hard, everything else is great."
"You're here to see Viktor, right? He seems to have just gotten up and is probably still getting ready. Do you want to go directly to him, or sit here and chat with me? Li Ke, I actually have something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Let's talk then."
Li Ke sat down in front of Jayce.
Jayce placed the manuscript on the table, took a deep breath, and said, "It's about Ambessa."
"Worried about your mother-in-law? Don't worry, she's locked up in the dungeon, eating and drinking well, and Doctor Singed healed her arm injury," Li Ke said with a smile.
Jayce didn't refute the words "mother-in-law," but instead asked in a deep voice, "What will the Medarda family offer in exchange for Ambessa?"
"Let me think about it," Li Ke said, pondering.
Regarding Ambessa, if it weren't for Mel, Li Ke would have intended to kill her outright. However, Mel was crucial to the cooperation between the two cities. Although she was Noxians, as viewers of the show know, Mel was more inclined towards Piltover.
She is an outstanding woman. With her around, the two cities will achieve twice the results with half the effort in diplomacy, commerce, and even military affairs. This is also the biggest reason why Li Ke kept Ambessa around.
But that doesn't mean that Li Ke would be foolish enough to try to please Mel by releasing Ambessa in exchange for Mel's goodwill; doing so would only earn Mel's contempt.
Moreover, what sense would a winner offer goodwill to a loser?
Therefore, after some thought, Li Ke reached out and looked at Jayce, "Fifty percent of the Medarda family's assets will be invested in Zaun's business, and you and Mel will each send some managers to Zaun to serve as management for a period of time."
"Anything else?" Jayce frowned, but seemed to agree.
Fifty percent of the Medarda family's wealth is already comparable to the entire assets of Zaun. This money flowing into Zaun would be a tremendous help to Zaun!
Zaun has no shortage of manpower; there Zaunite everywhere who need to work. However, Zaun lacks job opportunities. The Silco and the Alchemical Baron have started businesses, but that only adds a few factories to Zaun. That's not enough; it's far from enough.
The reason Jayce was removed from the management team was because Li Ke believed that Zaun currently lacked a person who truly knew how to do business.
Silco claims to be an industrialist, but behind the scenes he's involved in nothing but smuggling and human trafficking. To put it bluntly, Silco's involved in the black market. He's completely unfamiliar with legitimate business, so he'll need a long time to learn.
To put it simply, in Zaun, there aren't many people who have ever done legitimate business, and selling things at a stall certainly doesn't count.
Therefore, Zaun needs someone like Mel, who can drive the economy of Piltover, to boost Zaun's economy.
"Furthermore, I can release Ambessa, but the money you offer isn't enough. She must get out of both cities and never return here, paying the price for her actions," Li Ke continued.
"She's paid a heavy price; she brought hundreds of people to Piltover, and now less than ten are left."
"So what? If Zaun hadn't gotten stronger, I'd be the one left with less than ten people." Li Ke scoffed at Jayce's words.
"I understand. I'll tell Mel, and she'll agree." Jayce nodded.
"Is there anything else?" Li Ke asked Jayce.
Jayce shook his head and sighed, "No, I'll do my best as a councilor for Zaun in the future."
"Silco is right about one thing: the scientific atmosphere in Zaun is indeed no worse than in Piltover. The people here are more eager to change their fate, and their thirst for knowledge exceeds my imagination," Jayce said earnestly.
He said this because yesterday evening, while working with Ekko, he watched Ekko ask Viktor countless questions, and he also asked him many questions.
The white-haired boy's eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge; he would be overjoyed for a long time whenever he solved a problem and got the answer.
Li Ke and Jayce sat in silence. Fortunately, after a while, a door was pushed open, and Viktor walked out on his cane.
Upon seeing Li Ke, he smiled and nodded, saying, "Good morning, Li Ke."
"Viktor, you've come at the right time. I have something to tell you." Li Ke waved to Viktor.
Jayce got up to help Viktor, gave Viktor his own stool, and then stood behind Viktor.
What happened?
"First, this." Li Ke took out the Fox pendant and handed it to Viktor. "This is a talisman Janna gave you. It can heal your body. Wear it well, and your body will slowly recover."
"Are you serious?!" Jayce exclaimed.
Viktor covered his ear with one hand and picked up the pendant with the other, his eyes filled with excitement.
If one could choose not to die, then who would want to die?
Viktor abandoned his research on the Hexcore because he discovered its dangers. It wasn't that he had given up or wanted to die; rather, he had given up hope.
But now, holding the pendant, his dead heart began to beat again.
"This was given to me by Janna, how could it be fake?" Li Ke rolled his eyes and said.
"But Li Ke, why is there Fox on the amulet bestowed by the Goddess Janna?" Viktor asked, looking at the pendant.
Jayce, who was standing nearby, also leaned over to look. He brought his face close to the pendant and felt a comfortable coolness. His eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out to touch the pendant.
As expected of something given by the goddess, is this... the effect of magic? Jayce believes this thing is a more magical and advanced magical artifact than Hextech Gem.
"Don't ask so many questions, just put it on, Viktor. You don't need to worry about your health anymore. Lady Janna said it herself, it will only take about three months for your legs to be able to walk again."
Viktor's eyes widened, he gripped the pendant tightly, then put it on and said earnestly, "I'll wear it carefully, Li Ke. Thank you, thank you, Goddess Janna."
"Don't mention it, Viktor, we're both from Zaunite."
"Hey, Li Ke, does Goddess Janna have any more of this pendant?" Jayce coughed and asked tentatively.
"That's it, don't even think about it, Jayce. This is one of a kind." Li Ke looked at Jayce with amusement.
The pendant Ahri gave me isn't that powerful, because it doesn't actually make a person stronger. But it's not that weak either.
Because it can allow people to live a full life without illness or disaster, and even has the effect of extending lifespan, if those wealthy old men knew about this, they would definitely go bankrupt and spend money to buy it.
But in the Zaun, will alchemy be able to develop drugs that extend lifespan? Li Ke believes it is possible.
Viktor and Singed both study it, they will surely succeed within twenty years.
Li Ke believed this whole thing; after all, Ekko had even created a device to control time in the future. If time could be controlled, extending lifespan seemed like a trivial matter, didn't it?
"There's one more thing, Viktor, about the Hexcore," Li Ke added.
"Li Ke, that thing is dangerous. Where did you hear about it?" Viktor frowned and said in a deep voice, "I've stopped researching that thing, but Jayce ..."
"What exactly is dangerous about it?" Jayce asked, puzzled.
Viktor didn't explain, but continued, "If you need it, I can make something else for you, but that thing is really dangerous. I think it's like it has a life of its own; it's tempting me to use it."
Upon hearing this, Li Ke laughed and said, "Then we really are thinking the same thing, Viktor."
Li Ke told Viktor his purpose: to seal the Hexcore underground in Zaun and destroy it once he gained the necessary power.
After hearing what Li Ke said, Viktor breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Okay, then I'll go to Piltover with Jayce tomorrow to bring it down."
"Hmm." Li Ke nodded, stood up, and began to think about the economic development of Zaun.
Viktor noticed his thoughtful expression, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Is there something else? Tell me, Li Ke, as a way to thank you."
"Alright, Silco and I have been looking for business talent lately. Zaun is currently undergoing an industrial revival, and we have the materials, money, and manpower, but we lack someone who can manage and direct everything."
"These kinds of people are hard to find, Li Ke. You might be disappointed about what you just said about me sending management personnel down here," Jayce suddenly said. He added, "Because of the conditions you just mentioned, the only person I can think of who can meet them is Mel. Representatives Kiramman and Hoskall might be able to, but they certainly wouldn't be willing to come down."
"See? This is what's giving me a headache. There are no people in Zaun who do legitimate business, or rather, no one who knows how to make big money." Li Ke looked at Viktor with a troubled expression.
This is a really troubling situation. Think about it. We already have the funds, manpower, and factories. Once we get the ransom from Ambessa, Zaun will undergo a major overhaul. At that time, it won't just be the Sump who get rich, but the entire Zaun.
However, they lack someone to execute the plan, someone who can help Zaun make a lot of money.
It's not a good idea to just sit around and live off your savings.
"Making money? I... I think I know someone," Viktor said, frowning.
"From our Zaun?" Li Ke immediately pressed.
"Yes, I was just like you when I was little, Li Ke. I was also born in the Sump. But I came to Piltover when I was a teenager and went to Piltover University. Before that, I received help from a family in Zaun." Viktor began to recall, then continued:
"That family's daughter, she's very good at making money, and she's a bit older than me. Her family owns an alchemy potion shop. I used to be poor, but I was weak and sickly, and they often provided me with potions to help relieve my pain."
Li Ke raised an eyebrow, suddenly feeling that the story was somewhat familiar.
"Her name is..." Viktor frowned even more.
"Glasc, yes, Renata Glasc," Viktor said.