Piltover Winds

Riding her motorcycle, Caitlyn recklessly charged through the Sun Gate.

The guards on duty wanted to warn her, but after spotting Caitlyn's sheriff's epaulets and her signature custom-made top hat from afar, they let her pass without a second thought.

Caitlyn, the Piltover Caitlyn, is only a sheriff in Piltover Enforcers, but she comes from the noble Kiramman Family. Her mother is one of the most powerful auditors in the Kiramman Family.

The so-called auditor is similar to the family's finance minister. Many trade-related funding approvals require the auditor's review. The auditor also provides necessary data support when conducting joint transactions with other large families in Piltover.

Caitlyn enjoys a high reputation in Piltover's high society because of her mastery of Piltover social etiquette.

The police officers and citizens also liked this young lady very much because she enjoyed hunting in the suburbs during her free time, and she would often give the game she caught to the poor people in the neighborhood.

She can blend into the high society of Piltover and also track wild deer in the muddy forest. This kind of persona—born of noble birth yet down-to-earth—is always very appealing.

Now, the guards at the Sun Gate could clearly see Caitlyn's face, filled with solemnity and urgency, and Vi, sitting in the back of the wagon, who was always full of fighting spirit and radiant, but was now covered in bruises, disheveled, and unconscious...

"Start alert!!" Caitlyn's cool voice came from the motorcycle:

"Be vigilant! Level 1 alert! No unregistered personnel are permitted to pass through the Sun Gate!"

Upon hearing Caitlyn's words, the officers, who had been somewhat relaxed, immediately became serious.

The so-called alert is actually combat preparation, which is divided into three levels from high to low, with level one being the highest and level three being the lowest.

Even the lowest level, Level 3, means there's a possibility of a large-scale armed attack. And Level 1 alert directly threatens the safety of the entire city of Piltover.

Even in Piltover's past history, the number of times a Level 1 alert has been exercised is extremely limited. And those few instances were usually directly related to some of the most powerful empires in Runeterra, such as Noxus.

In this situation, a typical police officer would at most issue a Level 3 area alert. But Caitlyn is different; she comes from the Kiramman Family, which, while not as prestigious as the top four families, still holds a prominent position in Piltover.

Moreover, according to rumors, many members of the four major families have high hopes for this police officer from the upper class. This background is also the key to Caitlyn's ability to bypass restrictions and directly issue a Level 1 alert.

Almost instantly after hearing Caitlyn's words, all the Piltover Enforcers guards at the Sun Gate began a rapid mobilization.

With the Hextech power unit in operation, the sluice gates slammed shut, sealing off the strait separating Valoran Continent and Shurima.

The cargo ships operating on the sea sounded their horns in fierce protest, and phone calls from various family caravans and fleets flooded the Piltover Enforcers headquarters and the families with inquiries.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Caitlyn, riding a speeding motorcycle, drifted to a stop at the hospital entrance. She rushed inside, carrying Vi, Caitlyn only breathed a sigh of relief after watching Vi being wheeled into the emergency room.

She knew that Vi wasn't in any real danger. But for some reason, perhaps because of Vi's fighting spirit even when she was unconscious, Caitlyn couldn't simply see Vi as a colleague from the police department.

After resting for a while and calming herself down, Caitlyn didn't linger. She straightened her hat and headed out the door.

Just as Caitlyn had guessed, the once bustling hospital lobby had been evacuated completely. At the end of the corridor stood a tall woman with silver-gray hair, dressed in an elegant leather jacket.

Her body pulsated with blue light, and the intermittent arcs of light revealed her slender waist and inhumanly long legs. Her attire was impeccable, and the moment Caitlyn emerged, the woman opened her eyes—they were a pair of deep blue eyes.

"I have very few pleasures, a freshly brewed cup of tea is one of them... unfortunately, that's been disturbed now."

The woman took a step, her feet, which had been transformed into sharp blades, leaving sharp scratches on the hospital's ceramic floor.

The deep blue light originated from the hips on the outside of her legs, and her inhumanly long legs were like a pair of sharp knives.

This is an extremely advanced hybrid, unlike the hybrids prevalent in Zaun and Piltover. Whether in terms of materials or its core energy source, the hybrid in this cyborg is far more rigorous, refined, precious, and powerful.

Looking at the woman who appeared in front of her, Caitlyn didn't speak, but narrowed her eyes— Caitlyn didn't know this woman.

But as a symbol of Piltover Enforcers, Caitlyn's popularity is not solely due to her good looks. At least, Caitlyn is well aware that in many of the cases that made her famous in the past, there was an unseen hand pushing her to succeed.

The closer a case gets to a dead end, the more likely clues are to be presented to you by chance.

Approaching Caitlyn, the woman looked down at her condescendingly. "Can you tell me why, Caitlyn?"

"I don't know you, ma'am."

Despite the special circumstances, Caitlyn did not forget her identity and responsibilities; on the contrary, she stated it in a very straightforward manner:

Please show your identification.

Upon hearing Caitlyn's words, the woman raised an eyebrow, circled Caitlyn, and said:

"That's a good answer. Although I don't like it, the law does need constant protection to safeguard its people."

As she spoke, the woman placed her hand inside the tightly sealed leather jacket, and after a moment took out a postcard-like object. On it, the name Camille Ferros shone brightly, and on the back of the postcard was a deep blue Hex Crystal.

"Your superior is a spy for the Ferros Family. You may or may not know, but we've cooperated many times before. Your reaction at our first formal meeting satisfied me."

After briefly praising Caitlyn's law enforcement spirit, Camille continued to ask:

"Now, answer me, why did you activate Level 1 alert?"

"The mine has been attacked." Caitlyn's eyes were fixed straight ahead, her gaze unwavering as she followed Camille's movements.

The name Ferros is familiar to every Piltover. Although its rise to prominence was relatively recent, it had already established itself as one of the four great Medarda Family, Keworld Family, and Abinno Family.

The key factor that enabled them to quickly attain such a position was that the Ferros Family was the first family to discover the unlimited potential of Hextech Originium.

Besides, the synthetic Hex Crystal with lower power but available for mass production are also produced by the Ferros Family.

The Piltover Enforcers is ostensibly there to uphold the law, but Caitlyn, coming from a powerful family, knows very well that this so-called upholding of the law is merely a convenient way for these powerful families to rule Piltover.

Because the "parliament" at the pinnacle of power in Piltover, which revised the laws, was created by these four families.

Upon hearing Caitlyn's words, Camille went straight to the point:

"The mining area is attacked every month, but Piltover has only been on Level 1 alert a handful of times since its inception... State why, or you will face judgment from the very laws you uphold."

Upon hearing Camille's words, Caitlyn did not tense up. Instead, she quickly calmed down and even relaxed. She recounted what she had encountered in the mine and added her own judgments and conjectures.

After hearing Caitlyn's words, Camille also realized the seriousness of the problem after a brief moment of thought.

If anyone else had heard Caitlyn's words, they would have scoffed at Caitlyn foolishness and shamelessness for being able to concoct such a clumsy lie.

The mining area is about to be attacked by a group from an ancient country from a thousand years ago? That sounds like a joke.

But Camille was different; Camille had always been focused on Caitlyn, a girl who was distinctly different from the traditional girls of Piltover's high society.

Despite knowing the social etiquette of Piltover's high society perfectly, I still chose this arduous journey full of thorns... just like myself when I was young.

"They weren't indigenous people, but the ancient Ixialia civilization, which disappeared long ago and was isolated from the Outside World for thousands of years... Do you know that if these words of yours were to get out, the archaeological association would be overjoyed?"

"Oh, right..." Camille said, as if remembering something, "There have indeed been explorers discussing the Ixialia civilization in the past."

After a moment of silence, Camille ordered, "Go to the Archaeological Society and immediately arrest the external member explorer Ezreal. I will handle the rest myself."

"As you wish, Ms. Camille ..." Caitlyn paused, but showed no intention of immediately going to carry out the mission.

Seeing this, Camille raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything else?"

"Excuse me... ma'am, who is the middleman 'C'? You should know."

The mysterious middleman "C," who caused Caitlyn's mother to resign from her position as auditor and brought serious harm to Caitlyn's family—is someone Caitlyn has been searching for in her own way.

There's one more. I'm updating a bit late today, but I'm still shamelessly asking for a vote.