Jayce felt incredibly lucky.
He took a gamble when he met Mel, and it turned out he was right.
"Your equipment's destruction will be postponed," Mel stated calmly, a decision that thrilled Jayce. "Until then, you may use them as you wish—provided you don't take it to Zaun."
"But..." Viktor's eyes widened in disbelief. "We already..."
"That doesn't matter anymore, Viktor!" Jayce excitedly grabbed his hand. "We're about to succeed—remember the step we just deduced?"
"High-frequency oscillation?"
"Exactly! Let's start now!" Jayce puffed out his chest. "Miss councilor, my assistant and I will deliver the results you desire within a week... definitely!"
Mel looked thoughtfully at the excited Jayce and the seemingly hesitant Viktor. A graceful smile appeared on her lips, and then she nodded noncommittally, turning and leaving—and incidentally, she also helped Jayce and Viktor divert the troublesome patrol guards.
After she left, Viktor stared at Jayce in astonishment: "We already agreed to Miss Lux."
"In Piltover, the Council will give us better conditions, which will greatly help our research," Jayce's attitude was the exact opposite. "Science has no upper or lower class!"
This was something Viktor himself had said before.
Hearing this, Viktor frowned, but ultimately closed his mouth.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
The next day, Lux, who had almost completely tidied up the entire room at The Last Drop, did not wait for Jayce and Viktor—just as she began to wonder if these two guys had stood her up, there was a knock at the door.
Unfortunately, it wasn't Jayce, but Vander.
"Good morning, Miss Lux," Vander seemed to be in good spirits. "I heard you're interested in excavating something in Zaun and need some help, is that right?"
"Mr. Vander is indeed very well-informed," Lux nodded, not denying it. "So, do you have a recommendation?"
"If possible, I hope my children can do something proper," Vander calmly picked up his pipe, blinked, and glanced at the filter hanging on the wall, ultimately just putting it in his mouth. "They have a bit too much energy and need some suitable work to keep them active."
"Tunnel is not something ordinary children should be doing," Lux was very pleased with Vander's answer internally, but on the surface, she feigned difficulty. "I don't employ child labor."
"You don't need to pay them; they... they just need to do something legitimate," The straightforward Vander seemed a bit hesitant when talking about this topic. "To make them a little more settled. Recently, the relationship between us and Piltover has been quite tense, and you know why."
"I'm not a babysitter," Lux saw through Vander's thoughts with a single sentence. "Don't think about making me take care of children. Although I've only met Vi among those four children, I can tell you, they are definitely not easy to handle."
"They are all good children," Vander took a deep breath. "I will help you find reliable people. Their mouths are the tightest, each one reliable, and you don't need to pay them..."
"I am not a stingy person," Lux smiled at this. "However, if there are enough reliable people, perhaps I can focus my attention elsewhere... who knows?"
"That would be even better," Hearing this, Vander finally let out a long breath. "By tonight at the latest, everyone in Black Alley who is tight-lipped and good at digging will report here."
"That's also excellent," Lux nodded in satisfaction. "Also, if those two people from yesterday, Jayce and Viktor, come looking for me again, please notify me immediately. They are also very important to me."
"Of course," Vander also seemed much more relaxed. "The Last Drop can also provide guest record services, hahaha, no extra charge!"
Finally, Vander happily left Lux's room.
And Lux, sitting back in her chair, asked Klein about her confusion.
"Why has Vander's attitude changed so much?"
"What attitude change?" Klein retorted. "Are you talking about towards us?"
"Yes," Lux nodded. "And, he clearly knows nothing about our origins..."
"But he knows we're on their side, and that's enough," Klein chuckled. "Don't let this guy's honest appearance fool you; he actually knows many things better than anyone. If you dare to be impolite directly to an Enforcer, then you're half one of his own."
"Then he just handed his children over to me?" Lux still didn't understand. "He clearly cares so much about those children."
"That's because you didn't notice a phenomenon Janna mentioned yesterday," Klein sighed at this. "Many Zaunites gnash their teeth when talking about Piltover, but if they could become Piltover citizens, they often wouldn't refuse—and, for those who entered Piltover by their own abilities, like Viktor whom you met yesterday, their attitude is also very subtle."
..."It seems so!" Lux pondered for a moment, blinking in surprise. "I really didn't notice that."
"Except for a few hotheads, no Zaunite wants to stay in a dilapidated place," Klein continued. "And no parent would want their children to stay in a dilapidated place—those children's parents have a blood feud with Piltover, and their future is not in Piltover. Vander probably worried a lot about them."
"But I'm different?"
"Exactly, you are different," Klein's tone became cheerful again. "You are an outsider, and a very powerful mage. Even if Zaunites don't even know what a mage means, at least they can understand that you are unique. So, for Vander, handing those children over to you is a choice without a choice."
"He doesn't want the children rolling in the gutter, but he also doesn't want them to go to Piltover!" Lux suddenly understood. "And my performance all along has been proving to Vander that I can be a new option!"
"That's right!" Klein said with satisfaction. "Inviting Jayce to The Last Drop for an interview was a stroke of genius, Lux. Although I don't think you intended it, it dispelled Vander's last concerns. If a Piltover scientist is willing to accept your funding, why can't he give it a try?"
Klein's small class · Midarmi Family:
This family seems to have a lot of influence in Noxus, Shurima, and Piltover. They control multiple trade routes and have astonishing power—but unfortunately, it seems they are not truly top-tier figures anywhere.