The Plan

The next morning, Jiang Chuan was woken by the fish soup Old Jack had cooked. In Bilgewater, fish was a staple for every household, and their usual diet consisted mainly of fish.

Breakfast was still fish soup and bread. As someone from a modern city, Jiang Chuan didn't like this way of eating. He went to the kitchen and frowned at the ingredients. There was only bread and a few fish of unknown species, with a pumpkin in the corner.

"Forget it, I'll make do. It's better than nothing," Jiang Chuan picked up the pumpkin, cut it in half, steaming one half and boiling the other for soup. After toasting the bread in the oven, Jiang Chuan took a fish, removed its scales and bones, and fried it in a pot. The only seasonings in the kitchen were salt and pepper.

After frying the fish, Jiang Chuan sprinkled it with salt and pepper. The pumpkin was also steamed, and the pumpkin soup was ready. Jiang Chuan brought the food to the table. Old Jack looked at the fish on the table and said, "Roland, can this fish you made be eaten? This fish isn't cheap."

Yasuo took a sip of the pumpkin soup. The sweet taste of the pumpkin soup enchanted him. Taking a bite of the fish, it made him want to eat his own tongue.

Old Jack took a bite of the steamed pumpkin and exclaimed, "By the Bearded Lady! This is too delicious, even better than the desserts the nobles eat! Roland, when did you learn to cook like this! You could open a restaurant in the Upper City!"

Although Yasuo and Old Jack praised his two dishes endlessly, Jiang Chuan still felt unsatisfied. While eating, he couldn't help but feel curious about the development of Valoran. Although Valoran was a continent with highly developed magic, other aspects were similar to ancient Earth. The most perplexing were the cities of Zaun and Piltover.

Zaun and Piltover could be considered the pinnacles of technological development in Valoran, with their technology even surpassing Earth's in many ways. This greatly puzzled Jiang Chuan. If Piltover and Zaun's technology were so advanced and could lead the entire continent, then the whole continent would advance by several steps! Why didn't they do that?

However, in a flash, Jiang Chuan understood why Piltover and Zaun's technology hadn't spread. In Piltover, almost all technology was controlled by nobles. As for Zaun, it was even more so, filled with mad scientists whose research was often converted into research funds and invested in the next project.

Jiang Chuan knew he had no combat power and had to arm himself to be capable of dealing with danger.

After finishing breakfast, Old Jack returned to his work. Yasuo leaned against the doorframe, basking in the sun with a satisfied expression. Jiang Chuan tidied the table and said to Yasuo, "Don't you want to tour Bilgewater? It's great, I also want to go out for a walk. Let's go together."

Yasuo picked up his long sword and followed behind Jiang Chuan. The two arrived at the slaughter docks. The docks were already bustling with activity, with large fish being divided into smaller pieces: skin, bones, and meat. The butchers didn't waste any part of the large fish that could be utilized.

In Bilgewater, gangs were a massive organization, ranging from petty thieves to those with their own fleets. The most famous among them was probably Gangplank, but that was still too early for Jiang Chuan.

The two wandered from morning until afternoon. Bilgewater was indeed as outsiders said; it was a paradise for outlaws, where people could get rich overnight or lose everything overnight. Along the way, Jiang Chuan encountered no less than seven thieves, which greatly displeased him. After strolling for so long, both were exhausted.

Returning to Old Jack's small clinic, Jiang Chuan prepared dinner with the remaining ingredients. After eating, Old Jack began preparing for the next day. Old Jack was different from others. While others were either relaxing in taverns or squandering in casinos, Jiang Chuan didn't know how someone who had lived in Bilgewater for decades managed to do this. Jiang Chuan ignored Old Jack and focused on how to arm himself and defend against danger.

When it came to self-defense, Jiang Chuan's first thought was firearms. Firearms were the best choice for self-defense weapons. Historically, the appearance of firearms greatly propelled human development, and there were firearms in Valoran, which gave Jiang Chuan a direction.

Jiang Chuan placed the flintlock pistol on the table and observed it carefully. Honestly, this flintlock pistol was not as convenient as a modern handgun. Although its power was immense, its internal structure still resembled that of a flintlock, making Jiang Chuan highly suspect if this was Piltover's technology.

Putting down the flintlock, Jiang Chuan frowned. This gun was bought by Roland with all his savings. Although its attack power was strong, its weakness was also obvious. All flintlock guns feared damp environments, and this one was no exception. However, Caitlyn's background story mentioned Mauser guns in Bilgewater. Jiang Chuan began to wonder why Roland didn't buy a Mauser gun but instead bought a flintlock. Although flintlock guns had immense power at close range, their stability was much worse compared to Mauser guns.

Jiang Chuan picked up the ammunition for the flintlock and observed it carefully. Roland had modified the ammunition for this flintlock into the appearance of shotgun shells. After firing, the wound area was enormous. Seeing the bullets, Jiang Chuan finally understood why Roland had spent all his savings to buy this gun. Although this gun was unstable and unsuitable for damp environments, after Roland's modification, it could be considered a short-barreled shotgun.

Jiang Chuan summarized that on the continent of Valoran, technology had merged with magic to create Hextech. However, Earth's knowledge was not useless. Although technologically inferior, Earth's technology had the advantage of mass production. Hextech, though powerful, was likely expensive to produce. To find a way back home, a thorough exploration of Valoran would be necessary. This massive undertaking could not be supported without manpower and resources, which gave Jiang Chuan the idea of establishing an organization. Once this idea took root, a fierce ambition ignited within him!

Just as Jiang Chuan was formulating a detailed plan, a melodious flute sound reached his ears. Jiang Chuan walked out of the room and saw Yasuo playing the flute on the balcony. Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "Are you still sad about Elder Suma? Or are you sad about Yone?"

Yasuo put away his flute and said calmly, "Yone once told me to put aside my arrogance and focus on learning swordsmanship from Elder Suma. When Noxus invaded that day, I was ordered to stay behind. Everyone wanted to fight, including me. The next day, I abandoned my duty and went to the battlefield. By the time I arrived, the war was over. Impatiently, I returned to the dojo. Elder Suma was murdered, and I was falsely accused of being the killer. I was furious and determined to find the killer and bring him to justice. Since then, I have been wandering all over Ionia, searching for clues. Although the killer is at large, I have killed Yone after all."

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "What if the truth is not what you think?"

Yasuo smiled and said, "Elder Suma was killed by the Gale Style. I am the only one known to know the Gale Style. As long as I find him, I can clear my name."

Jiang Chuan asked sternly, "And after you find him, will you kill him?"

Yasuo looked at the moon in the sky and said with a sense of loss, "Perhaps I would have done so before, but now, I just want to prove I'm not the murderer. After all, I abandoned my post, and Yone died by my hand. I can forgive the murderer, but I can't forgive myself."

Jiang Chuan didn't tell Yasuo about Riven. This lonely warrior, like his name, drifted around like the wind. Since he had already forgiven the murderer, there was no great meaning in revealing it.

Jiang Chuan patted Yasuo's shoulder and said, "I can feel that the summoning effect will be lifted tomorrow, and you can return to Ionia then."

Yasuo looked at the moon without speaking, as if the moon of Bilgewater was brighter than that of Ionia. As Jiang Chuan prepared to return to his room to continue researching his plan, he reached the door when Yasuo said, "I don't know why you could summon me here, but you are a trustworthy person, summoner."

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "Yasuo the Wind Swordmaster—you are a free person, unlike me, who can't even return home."

With that, Jiang Chuan returned to his room to continue researching his plan. This plan was related to whether he could return to his hometown, so it had to be formulated in detail. The first step of this plan was to conquer Bilgewater!