In Silco's eyes, Finn was a clown, a clown through and through.
This clown thought he was smart, thought that by clinging to the Piltoverian's leg, he could become superior to others, or even join Piltover, but he obviously didn't know that Piltover needed obedient dogs, not ambitious people.
Finn's every attempt to crawl towards Piltover, grasping at every opportunity, looked like a constantly wriggling maggot in Silco's eyes.
Piltoverians?
They are unreliable and untrustworthy. To make them bow their heads, it's not about cutting flesh from fellow Zaunites, but about Zaun possessing equal strength!
In Silco's view, the previous assault on the Sun Gates was not a mistake; the mistake was that they failed to take the Sun Gates!
There are many Zaunites.
But Zaunites have no weapons or equipment; relying solely on flesh and blood, they cannot withstand the Piltoverians' bullets.
The failure at the Sun Gates had already made Silco realize the crux of the problem. The subsequent peace between the Twin Cities and the Enforcers' apprehension towards Zaun gave him a new understanding of the relationship between the Twin Cities.
Perhaps, Zaun doesn't necessarily need complete victory.
As long as the Piltoverians can't easily win, they will sit down and talk honestly.
With this thought, Silco abandoned the empty title of Chem-Baron leader and spent most of his wealth sponsoring Chem-Tech.
Although most of Zaun's brightest minds chose to go to Piltover, Silco still relied on the remaining people to develop his unique Chem-Tech in Zaun.
However, the instability of Chem-Tech remained a huge problem—and it was at this time that magic entered Silco's field of vision.
Silco was different from Finn.
Even at The Last Drop, he had his own clues, so he wasn't completely ignorant of Lux's identity—plus the explosion in Piltover at the time was impossible to conceal, even causing a panic, so he quickly figured out the general course of events, even inferring Lux's departure point based on her arrival time.
Silco even went to the scene himself and saw the traces left by Ino's magic—although the ice shards had completely melted as the magic faded, the traces left by the spell still captivated Silco.
If I could also master such power!
Then, as Silco quietly pondered whether he could find a way to contact Lux and Ino and see if he could trick the two naive young girls into coming to Zaun, Mr. Shadow, his subordinate, revealed Finn's matter.
Now, as Finn, enraged, blurted out his conversation with Lux, a vague plan became clearer and clearer in Silco's mind.
Although this was somewhat risky, the thought of Ino's astonishing power made his heart race.
Perhaps… letting that young girl named Lux die at the hands of the Piltoverians is a good option?
Lux didn't know that many people in Zaun were already plotting against her.
As Silco perfected his plan, she and Ino were packing their belongings, preparing to check out and leave.
After discussing with Klein, they decided to temporarily stay at The Last Drop—although Blue Haze Manor was comfortable, it was still a bit too far from Zaun.
Their next investigative target was Zaun.
And from Blue Haze Manor to Zaun, the two would have to walk a long way and then take the lift—a trip to Zaun meant spending more than half the time on the road.
So, staying in Zaun was clearly a better idea.
Considering the chaotic state of Zaun, they finally decided to settle down at The Last Drop first.
After all… they had toured Zaun before, and The Last Drop certainly looked like the most habitable place.
The areas in Lower Zaun, even with filters, had an unbearable smell!
And in the Dark Alley district of Upper Zaun, although many places looked more comfortable than The Last Drop, those lively, bustling places were clearly not suitable for two young girls to stay.
Thus, after packing, the two decisively brought their luggage to The Last Drop.
This uninvited behavior made Vander somewhat flustered.
"What do you want?" The bear-like strong man looked at the two young girls with suitcases, a helpless expression on his face. "I've already answered all your questions, why are you coming to my tavern now?"
"Because of this." Lux pulled out a piece of paper. "It's your own advertisement, isn't it? It says accommodation is available here."
At this moment, Vander regretted the rental advertisement he had voluntarily posted two days ago to hide the whereabouts of the four children.
"...Isn't Blue Haze Manor comfortable?" Vander hesitated. "Why come to my tavern?!"
"Because we want to understand Zaun!" Lux said with an open and honest demeanor. "Only by entering Zaun can we understand Zaun."
"And then what? Enrich your travelogue, adorn your life?" Vander sighed helplessly. "You can go to the Dark Alley; there are storytellers there. A glass of wine can make them chatter with you for an entire afternoon…"
"Legendary stories cannot change this city." Lux shook her head. "But truly understanding Zaun can."
"Understand Zaun, change Zaun?" Vander paused, then sighed helplessly. "Little girl, if you don't want to say it, you don't have to; no need to make excuses."
"This is the truth!" Lux emphasized. "What I want to understand is the most authentic Zaun: its birth, its past, its relationship with Piltover, the work and lives of the people here, and then to find a new way out for Zaun—"
"Zaun's future path doesn't need you to find it!" Vander clearly couldn't agree with Lux's idea. "Zaun is the Zaunites' Zaun, and we're doing very well!"
"That's well said, but looking at the current situation, the truth is probably not so—yesterday I went to Finn's factory. Although all Zaunites work there, it's not for Zaun." Lux shrugged, then spread her hands innocently. "Mr. Vander, don't be nervous. I really have no ill intentions… Besides, I'm not not paying."
Lies are not horrible; truth is the sharpest knife that wounds.
Hearing Lux talk about the Chem-Barons and their factories, the self-respecting Vander was momentarily speechless.
After all… he knew very well that the Chem-Barons were Piltover's dogs, yet many Zaunites still needed the jobs provided by the Chem-Barons.
For a moment, Vander even genuinely considered the question, "Is she really here to change Zaun?" But clearly, he couldn't trust this outsider at all right now.
However, he eventually threw a key to Lux.
"There's no hot water here; pay extra for a shower—also, I advise you not to wander around after midnight or eat random things. Zaun is more dangerous than you think!" Vander casually picked up his pipe. "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me… just consider it making a friend."
"Thank you." Lux took the key, revealing a big smile. "I'll be careful!"
Klein's Small Class · Chem-Tech:
As Zaun's "advantageous technology," Chem-Tech aligns very well with Zaun's style. In Zaun, which lacks doctors and has a tragically short average lifespan, taking large doses of anything "potentially effective" when trouble arises is the helpless choice for many Zaunites.