Vi extended her fist and bumped it against Lux's—she didn't say much, but it was clear she accepted Lux.
This acceptance made Powder, who had been listening to the story in a daze, a little displeased; she glared at Lux indignantly, then made a face in annoyance.
Facing Powder, who looked as if Lux had stolen her sister, Lux couldn't help but reveal a brilliant smile; she took off her hairband, adjusted it slightly, and then placed it on Powder's head.
"You should also change your hairstyle." Lux casually removed Powder's mismatched hair clips and nodded in satisfaction, "This looks much better, blue hair with a blue hairband, fantastic!"
The hairband made Powder a little uncomfortable; she instinctively wanted to take it off, and noticing this, Lux decisively turned to Vi: "You agree, right?"
"Exactly." Vi was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "It really suits you."
"Really?" Powder's eyes widened in surprise, "I mean, I can really wear it?"
"Of course." Vi glanced at Lux, who was winking at her, and finally nodded, "It really suits you better than those hair clips…"
Her sister's approval greatly improved Powder's mood; she seemed to gain a lot of strength, actively picked up her small bucket, and walked towards the mine shaft.
Lux and Vi also exchanged glances, each picking up their own buckets—then, just as they took their first steps, a clear bird's cry suddenly echoed in the air.
"Vi, Powder, don't bother with this bucket of water!" Lux immediately shouted, "Hurry to the mine, the Piltoverians are here!"
Lux had already prepared for potential explorers—there were many surrounding mine shafts, and she had made a small disguise at a not-so-long-abandoned one beforehand; those tomb raiders from Piltover would be led into this particular mine shaft.
That was a mine shaft Janna had chosen in advance; its passages were complex, and its levels confusing, completely enough to keep those Piltoverians occupied for a good while. By the time they figured out the situation inside and realized it was a diversion, Lux would have already dug into the real laboratory.
However, what she hadn't expected was that the Piltoverians who came this time weren't tomb raiders, but a large group led by locals… Piltover Enforcers!
The one leading the team was none other than Marcus, with whom Lux had interacted many times and once had a decent relationship!
This situation undoubtedly greatly exceeded Lux's expectations. Upon receiving Janna's warning, she immediately realized that the target of these people was probably not herself, but Vi and the other three!
So, she immediately warned Vi to be careful, dropped the bucket, and ran—the situation had changed and she needed to inform Klein first.
… … … … … … … …
Lux received Janna's warning, and at The Last Drop, Vander also received Viktor's warning.
"Mr. Vander." Viktor, who had rushed to the tavern, hadn't even changed out of his work clothes, "Is Miss Lux still here?"
"You've finally finished your business in Piltover?" Vander seemed to be in a good mood, "She went out for something… Hey, how come I don't see that guy named Jayce?"
"Something happened!" Viktor's expression was serious, "Mr. Vander, please immediately inform Miss Lux, the Explorers Association of Piltover has set their sights on her—"
"The Explorers Association? Those tomb raiders?" Viktor's words made Vander pause, "They're targeting Lux? What's going on?"
"I can't say the specifics, but I heard rumors in Piltover that those explorers seem to believe Lux has something… They are not easy to deal with, often more difficult than the Enforcers—"
Recalling Lux's casual mention of wanting to "dig something up" earlier, Vander finally widened his eyes—he rarely dealt with those explorers, but that didn't mean he didn't know what kind of people they were.
Things seemed to be getting worse.
Just as Vander was stunned, someone else hurriedly pushed open the door of The Last Drop—it was Ekko.
"Vander!" Ekko was panting heavily, "Someone saw Marcus, and many Enforcers, and they're heading towards Lower Zaun!"
The Enforcers are here too?!
If the explorers wouldn't act without profit, and Vander could rely on local connections to maneuver a bit, then these Enforcers must surely be after the children!
And, from their direct route to Lower Zaun, it seems these Cops have already discovered something…
Damn it, I clearly sealed off the information completely, so how did Marcus still find them?
Vander was very sure that Benso and the others wouldn't leak information—and Lux couldn't possibly blab around.
In this situation, who else could have found Lux and their whereabouts without a sound?
At this moment, Vander finally widened his eyes.
"Mr. Vander, are you going to find Miss Lux?" Seeing Vander stand up, Viktor quickly spoke, "If so, I hope you can help inform Miss Lux that our experiment has a new sponsor, and it may be difficult to continue working with her, but I promise our results will definitely—"
"Get out of the way!" Vander roughly pulled Viktor to the side, "I don't have time for your nonsense. Since you brought me the news, I'll tell her you stood her up. Now, get back to Piltover!"
With that, Vander, with a nimbleness completely unsuited to his build, easily jumped onto the bar and tore down the gauntlets he once used for mining and fighting from the ceiling.
"Mr. Vander!" Viktor's eyes widened, "I just came to warn you; in fact, you don't need to take such drastic measures. Jayce and I have already made some progress in our research, and believe me, as long as they temporarily lay low, we will soon be able to persuade the Council to end this meaningless confrontation—"
"Ekko, close the door and send Mr. Viktor back to Piltover!" Vander ignored Viktor's words, merely nimbly putting on the cast-iron gauntlets on his thick arms, then bent down to find an oversized hard hat from under the counter and directly put it on his head, "Now, immediately!"
"I'm not lying!" Viktor couldn't help but raise his voice, "I'm sorry we disappointed Miss Lux's good intentions, but Jayce and I are also willing to contribute in this way—"
"Shut up, Viktor." Vander, now armed, pushed open the tavern door, "This is Zaun's family business, and it has nothing to do with you or Piltover!"
Klein's Small Class · Janna's Warning:
Although having a deity do surveillance work might seem a bit demeaning, unexpectedly, Janna herself quite enjoys such tasks—freely flying through the streets and alleys of Zaun, bringing back useful information; perhaps this is her most primal joy as a wind spirit.