When Finn pushed open his office door, intending to show Lux around, he had prepared many words to improve their relationship.
Finn was quite skilled at complimenting Piltoverians.
However, after opening the door, the scene before him made all the words he had prepared stick in his throat.
In the corridor, all his thugs were frozen in place.
Spreading ice crystals covered their entire bodies, freezing their skin a deep red—these unfortunate souls seemed to want to struggle, but unfortunately, they had no other movable parts besides their eyeballs.
"They tried to inquire about your identity," Ino explained to Lux expressionlessly, her tone so calm it sent shivers down one's spine. "They were too noisy, so I asked them to calm down."
Seeing the thugs, each like an ice sculpture, and hearing Ino's emotionless, straightforward narration, Finn felt as if he had been doused with ice water, instantly calming down—he didn't dwell on this issue but looked at Lux with a pleading gaze.
As Lux nodded, Ino finally lifted her spell, and the group of thugs, as if granted a great pardon, leaned against the walls, all trembling like sieves—it was unclear whether from the cold or from fear.
Finn also swallowed all pleasantries and attempts at probing, simply taking Lux on a tour of his alchemical factory and introducing their production line.
Lux expressionlessly watched the roaring machines and numb workers, listening to Finn's endless boasting about how cheap his prices were, but in her heart, she thought of the ten days she had spent investigating in Piltover and the proud Piltoverians she had seen there.
After the tour concluded and he emphasized his lowest prices one last time, Finn respectfully and courteously escorted Lux out of the factory.
When she arrived, his subordinates greeted her; when she left, the boss saw her off.
Even at the end, Finn didn't dare ask for a single promise.
After returning to the factory, Finn sat back in his chair. His hands trembled as he tried to light his beloved lighter, but it failed to ignite several times. Finally, with a forceful grip, he managed to light it with great difficulty.
"Boss, should we send someone to follow her?"
"Send, why not?" Lighting a cigarette, Finn took a deep drag, as if his soul had returned to him. "Don't use our own people; find Mr. Shadow—damn it, when did Piltoverians have such powerful mages?"
"This, I haven't heard any rumors."
"Then pay more attention to it." Finn took another drag, then angrily stubbed out the remaining half in the ashtray. "A mere little girl, coming here to show off? Just wait until I get my council seat; I'll show you!"
Lux naturally knew nothing of Finn's words.
At this moment, she was walking towards the elevator platform.
"Klein, how did you know that guy was an Ionian?"
"Because of his tattoo," Klein explained. "Did you see his neck? That large area of patterns, the magatama, the cloud patterns, all are typical Ionian features—and they are very orderly, not randomly tattooed."
"That's strange." Lux frowned in confusion upon hearing this. "I clearly felt he was unwilling to mention his Ionian identity, so why did he have so many Ionian tattoos?"
"Probably not tattooed here in Zaun," Klein pondered for a moment before replying. "Ionians also love tattoos, especially those who desire to express their individuality and have left their native environment. For an Ionian who ran to Zaun, having tattoos is actually more normal."
"I see..." Lux nodded upon hearing this. "He's completely different from Sona!"
"Of course he's different," Klein sighed. "Honestly, I really want you to hang him on a lamppost right now... To say with pride that workers in his own factory for three years are more experienced than those in Piltover for ten years—such a person deserves to die ten thousand times over."
"He's not even human!" Hearing Klein say this, Ino, who usually didn't speak much, uncharacteristically chimed in, "In my hometown, even during busy farming seasons, even large livestock get to rest, but look at the workers in his factory!"
"This is one of the reasons I chose to come to Zaun," Klein snorted. "This city is about to break through the bottom line of human civilization. Here, there are no restraints; every change is progress!"
"Yes..." Speaking of this topic, Lux also felt a bit sad. "Those workers aren't slaves, but in my opinion, they're not much different from slaves. Perhaps the gladiators in Noxus's arenas live much better lives than them..."
After taking the last elevator back to Piltover and walking back to the hotel where she was staying, Lux unexpectedly received a message at the front desk.
"What? Jayce is looking for me?" After confirming the message with the front desk attendant, Lux blinked in surprise. "Are you sure it's Jayce?"
"Yes, Luxanna," the front desk attendant confirmed with a smile. "It was a message delivered by an Enforcer named Marcus. You weren't here at the time, so he left this note."
"This is truly unbelievable." Lux held the note, reconfirming its content. "Inviting me to visit someone in prison... I don't even know him!"
"Then please keep the note and confirm it with me here," the front desk attendant took out a notebook. "It doesn't matter whether you go or not, but we need to confirm that you have received the message."
"No problem." Lux nodded. "I understand."
Thus, Lux signed her name and returned to her room with Ino—without even bothering to shower, she immediately looked at Klein.
"What exactly is going on? Wasn't the previous collusion between officials and bandits a misunderstanding? Why does Jayce still want me to visit someone in prison?"
"This... I don't know either." Klein was clearly also confused. "Does he hope you can change your testimony to make things seem less serious?"
"No, it's not that." Lux repeatedly looked at the note in her hand, finally shaking her head. "Here, the note says that Ino should come along. I think this matter is probably related to magic."
"Related to magic—if possible, I think you should go." Klein pondered for a moment. "Although according to Vander, those Zaun children stole a lot of Hextech Crystals, Jayce might not be out of stock. If possible, you should go see him and see if you can get some Hextech Crystals from him."
Klein's Small Class · Zaun's Population:
There are many Zaunites, but few people know that the number of foreign residents in Zaun is quite astonishing.
Countless people full of aspirations come to Piltover, but they cannot gain a foothold in this City of Progress and eventually have to drift into Zaun; others are sent to Zaun from the beginning, just like Finn back then, becoming indentured laborers who are not slaves but not much different from them.