97 Rendezvous

Walking through the upper streets of Piltover, this must have been the first time Qiyana had encountered a city that still exuded vitality even in the dead of night.

In Ixialia, most... or rather, the vast majority of counties fall into silence quickly after nightfall. Apart from scholars, few people wander around freely.

At least for the Road Protector, the sight of someone wandering around outside in the middle of the night instead of sleeping to have a baby is somewhat unsettling.

Piltover, however, is different. As a trading city, the port of Sun Gate welcomes merchant ships from all over Valoran and Shurima almost 24 hours a day.

Exhausted and hungry sailors sought food ashore, prompting merchants to extend their business hours. Gradually, the concept of nightlife emerged in Piltover.

Looking at the city before her, Qiyana narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything more.

"What brought you out this time? Just to enjoy the night here?"

"No, my destination is further down... Zaun."

"Zaun?"

Upon hearing this, Qiyana paused for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "Is it because of that Dark Descendant weapon?"

"Part of it," Yuan Chen explained. "Zaun has many interesting and capable people. To understand Piltover, you can't just know about the cities above; there are also the cities below."

"Zaun is the truest representation of Piltover."

Qiyana was somewhat puzzled by Yuan Chen's words, but she didn't try to ask. Instead, she nodded thoughtfully and followed Yuan Chen down the road.

In ancient times, Zaun and Piltover were one entity, merely a trading post on the northeastern border of Shurima, and the people of both cities lived on the same land.

Given these geographical advantages, it is foreseeable that the city's technology and trade will develop very rapidly.

Benefiting from its geographical advantages, the money came too easily, like a strong wind blowing in or a huge wave pushing in. Gradually, greed began to grow uncontrollably.

In the name of sustainable development, the city's major families decided to blast the riverbed, widen the canal, and build the "Sun Gate" sluice gate, thereby bringing greater prosperity to the city.

Unfortunately, a construction error caused the alchemical explosives to detonate, splitting Zaun in two. One part became the Upper City, Piltover, while the other became the lower city, which is present-day Zaun.

In this situation, Zaun believed that Piltover had betrayed Zaun, while Piltover considered Zaun a disgrace to her.

The two cities, upper and lower, have a long-standing conflict that prevents peaceful unification. Due to geographical issues, Zaun has become Piltover's sewer system. Household garbage, industrial wastewater from Hextech, and fumes from alchemy all flow directly into Zaun.

The two cities are connected; the upper part is the city of Piltover, while the lowest point of Piltover is called the Promenade. Although it's the lowest point, it's also the highest point of Zaun.

With their swift movements, Yuan Chen and Qiyana quickly arrived in this chaotic and peculiar urban area, despite it being their first time here.

The two cities are completely different in style. Piltover, neat, orderly, bright, progressive, and civilized, is combined with Zaun, which is dirty, chaotic, smelly, dangerous, and savage.

The two styles coexist, but they don't blend together. You can almost immediately tell which is Piltover's and which is Zaun's. It's like two paintings forcibly fitted together in a frame, one side Monet, the other Picasso.

Undeniably, both are masters, representing exceptional skill. But equal excellence does not necessarily mean they can be merged into one.

"Chaotic and ugly..." Qiyana looked at the Promenade with a hint of disgust on her face. The Yuan Chu Axiom advocated strict order and logic. From this perspective, Qiyana could not feel any beauty in the city plan before her.

The rampant growth, with its numerous dilapidated buildings and self-built structures, irritated Qiyana immensely. Compared to the orderly Yishuaoken, the chaos and desolation before her eyes disgusted her.

Yuan Chen understood why Qiyana had such thoughts, but... this time Yuan Chen did not nod in agreement.

Standing on the crisscrossing bridges of the Promenade, Yuan Chen gazed at the chaotic, crowded, and discordant city below.

This is Yuan Chen's first time venturing into Zaun and Piltover... For the past twenty years, Yuan Chen has spent most of his time studying at Placidium and in harmony with the world.

"You know, when I first went to Yishuaoken, I was captivated Yishuaoken its orderly environment and near-perfect geometric lines."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, a sense of pride appeared on Qiyana's face—something all Ixialia were proud of.

"Of course! Because that Yishuaoken! The oldest country in the world—" After a pause, Qiyana added:

"Of course, Ionia is ancient too. But you said that Ionia has no concept of a nation. That's what you said, so don't blame me."

You misunderstood me. What I meant was... it's beautiful here.

"Um?"

Qiyana seemed puzzled upon hearing Yuan Chen's words. Yuan Chen, however, simply stood quietly atop the tower, watching the citizens walking along the street.

Piltover is made of smooth marble, intricate bronze latticework, and gleaming glass.

These modestly wealthy families live in elegant, nestled side by side. Some of the older buildings are constructed of rough stone and old wood. Living among them, people yearn for the Upper City and despise the lower town. But they can't go up, nor do they want to go down. They'd rather live in these old structures and still call themselves progressive Piltover residents.

Towers adorned with gold and silver patterns stretch towards the sky, with a monumental structure at the very top, a testament to achievements and wealth. The emblem representing the family business is inscribed upon it, appearing to stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun when viewed from below.

The impact of alchemical explosives blasting the riverbed was not simply a matter of one piece of land rising and another sinking; rather, it was the erosion of the entire geological structure by the ocean currents that forcibly tore apart the land. This resulted in a network of massive, crisscrossing rift valleys beneath Zaun... or rather, Piltover.

Connecting these massive rift valleys, arched bridges span the tops of the cliffs on either side. Looking down, it's like a cave sealed by a spider web, making it hard to breathe.

Sailors, civilians, black market merchants, smugglers, and even some of Piltover's "upper class" were all on this "spider web" connecting the two rift valleys.

Piltover isn't the only place with schools; Zaun also boasts impressive buildings—the Academy of Tech Magic.

These towers, representing Chemtech, rise into the sky through the thick, poisonous fog at their base, almost reaching the same height as Piltover.

Nestled in the heavy fog and the dim twilight created by alchemical lamplight, the Hextech scholars and alchemists, unable to tolerate the harsh demands and restrictions of the Upper City, recklessly indulged in the unsustainable development of unstable technologies and reckless industries.

Chaotic, chaotic, distorted, discordant... yet brimming with life.

"This is a kind of beauty."

"Um?"

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Qiyana was somewhat puzzled. "Beautiful? What's beautiful about it? Is there something out of place?"

"Beauty is not just about harmony." To Qiyana's confusion, Yuan Chen said, "Don't try to understand, just feel."

"What do you feel?"

Qiyana felt like she couldn't keep up with Yuan Chen's train of thought.

"A mirror of order."

"?"

Qiyana stared at Yuan Chen beside her, bewildered. She felt that Yuan Chen was reverting to his old ways—was it the mystical rambling stemming from his prophetic abilities? Or was it an imbalance of emotions arising from his Spirit Theory?

Just as Qiyana was still pondering this, a shout came from the side:

"Hey! I'm here! Your speech in the assembly hall today was fantastic; all the newspapers are talking about you!"

A blond-haired boy and a guy in a leather jacket darted out from the side and, upon seeing Yuan Chen and Qiyana, eagerly came over to greet them.

It was none other than Ezreal, and Jarl Mirdal, the eldest son of the Medarda Family who left his contact information at the Sun Gate bridge.

Upon seeing the two unruly boys, Qiyana's face showed a hint of disgust, and she then turned away to indicate that she did not want to communicate with them.

Even so, Qiyana still asked Yuan Chen, "How did you contact them?"

She didn't recall Yuan Chen sending out messengers or using magic to make contact.

"Because of this."

Yuan Chen took out Jarl's postcard from his spatial pouch—it was a gift from Jarl to Yuan Chen on the Sun Gate Bridge.

"The main material is brass, with intricate energy circuits engraved inside, and a fragment of a Hex Crystal is embedded within. Once activated, it can transmit information to a certain extent... however, the distance is limited."

Upon hearing this, Qiyana narrowed her eyes and said thoughtfully, "... This city isn't without its merits."

"Hey buddies! Are you guys heading to Zaun?"

Jarl seemed very familiar with them, and looked at Yuan Chen and the others, saying:

"I know this place very well! To be honest, our family has quite a few strongholds here! Many Chem-Baron are our family's trading partners! If you have any needs, just tell me! I will do my best to help you!"

"It will come in handy."

Yuan Chen could easily guess from Jarl's enthusiasm that he wanted to go to Ixialia the delegation.

However, this was Yuan Chen's original intention... As the heir of the Medarda Family, Jarl's arrival would have a politically beneficial effect on the reformists.

Thinking about it, Yuan Chen turned his gaze to Ezreal beside him.

"How's your investigation going?"

I planned to take an afternoon nap yesterday, but I woke up at 4 a. m. I was worried about messing up my biological clock, so I went back to sleep.

Two chapters were missing yesterday, so I'll make up for them today. I guarantee at least four chapters.