"Since everyone has happily reached a consensus, we'll leave it at that."
Seeing that these councilors did not seem to plan on saying anything more, Caleb walked straight out the door.
At the end of the day, Piltover's people were fierce on the outside and weak underneath. After Zeri and Warwick arrived, Caleb deliberately left the door wide open.
The sharp-eyed councilors had long since noticed that Zeri's coat was filled with lightning.
And the chemtech device on Warwick's back was venting hot steam.
That meant if anything went wrong, those two would not hesitate for even a second before making a move.
Zeri's attacks would cover everything, while Warwick specialized in picking off targets one by one.
But the result would be the same. Of the twelve people in the council chamber, the only ones left in the end would probably be the few Caleb did not want to kill.
Why had no Enforcers stopped those two on the way here?
Nonsense. Everyone knew how close Piltover's sheriff was with the head of Zaun's Enforcers.
If they tried to stop them and lost their lives, who would reimburse them for that?
Everyone simply pretended not to see. Even if punishment came afterward, it would not be too severe.
That was Piltover's most fundamental problem. Once its weapons technology had been caught up to, its martial spirit was nowhere near as abundant as Zaun's.
Piltover sat upon a throne surrounded by gold and wealth, and it was precisely that throne which had given them everything they now enjoyed.
If they wanted to fight Zaun to the death, then the first thing damaged would only be that throne.
For Piltover's people, who would avoid war at all costs as long as they could have one more day of peace, war was the hardest thing to accept.
It was also because of this that the principle of Twin Cities independence Caleb had proposed from the beginning had not received much recognition.
After Caleb left the city, the powerful figures of Piltover had never stopped gossiping and complaining.
But once Caleb returned and stepped into Piltover's council, the first thing he did was shatter a councilor's body.
Salo finally could no longer suppress the trembling of his body. Following his instincts, he screamed.
His scream echoed through the hall. Of everyone present, the one most terrified afterward was Salo himself.
Even petricite spears and precise preparations had not stopped death from reaching them.
After this, if Caleb wanted to take his life, all he had to do was choose some late night.
Especially that faintly mocking curve of Caleb's mouth, and that attitude as though he was completely indifferent to his own life and death.
If the real body had been the one charging at him just now…
Salo could not even imagine it.
His wonderful life had not even reached its halfway point yet.
He absolutely, absolutely could not follow in Morey's footsteps.
Morey's technology had still been chasing the cutting edge, but he would never be able to see that day anymore.
Salo's cold sweat would not stop flowing. Though winter had not completely passed yet, his whole body was already soaked.
This Caleb was even harder to deal with than Vander and Silco had been.
Cassandra watched Caleb's departing back, and regret would not stop surging through her heart.
From the beginning, she had felt that this matter was a gamble. After all, the share Zaun had taken was indeed too large, and with her daughter serving as sheriff, investigating Caleb was convenient for her.
Naturally, the councilors had promised her many benefits. Added to Mel making the final decision, they had thought that even if relations completely broke down, Piltover would not experience any major upheaval.
Looking at it now, they had completely underestimated Caleb's resolve.
Charging the bridge?
Caleb would never play that game.
Caleb would attack Piltover's transportation arteries, including the port and the Hexgates.
Once Piltover was completely paralyzed, how many days would its stored food last?
And how many days of patience would travelers from all over the world give them?
The Firelights and Silco had already proven long ago that infiltrating topside was easier than finding a bathroom in the depths of Zaun.
Topside wanted to gamble? They wanted to believe Caleb was kindhearted and would choose to retreat like Vander?
Bullshit.
Caleb alone was enough to make those people in Piltover suffer badly. If he truly wanted to ruin Piltover, he had nine different ways to do it.
It was only because a few friends were here that Caleb could not quite bring himself to paralyze the city where they had grown up.
But not quite being able to bring himself to do it did not mean Caleb would not do it.
Killing one councilor was enough to leave Piltover terrified.
Unification by force would ultimately cause too great a loss, and not long from now, there would be plenty of things keeping Caleb busy.
So Caleb chose the method with the smallest loss, for Piltover, of course.
It was nothing more than the fact that during negotiations, they had seen Zaun as leaderless, and Renata, who had stepped forward, was just a young girl.
Although she had grown a little taller, that girl's methods were still too inexperienced.
But under that girl's control, Zaun had actually begun showing signs of thriving.
They had to understand that the number of merchants who came to the Twin Cities each day was limited. If Zaun's cheap goods were allowed to sell freely, wouldn't Piltover's goods be left sitting in their hands?
It was precisely these impossible-to-ignore interests that made Mel and the others take the risk of sanctioning Zaun's goods.
"Governor!"
Zeri and Warwick had not gone far at all. They were waiting beneath the council building for Caleb to come out safely.
"Nothing happened. What are you two waiting around for?"
Caleb found it a little strange that the two of them had not left yet.
During the conversation that followed, he learned that Zaun had been shouting about charging the bridge these past few days. It was Renata who had calmed everyone down, and she had also opened several sea routes and channels to sell off the piled-up goods.
If anything had happened to Caleb, Zeri and Warwick would have climbed straight up, smashed through that beautiful glass dome, and helped him.
"It's fine now. From here on, sell however you were going to sell."
Caleb believed in Zaun's people, especially with Renata in charge. Their pricing definitely had a basis.
Zaun was already poor to begin with, so there was no way they would set prices that low without reason.
At the end of the day, Zaun's labor was cheap. Caleb had known that for a long time.
But if Piltover would not even let Zaun make use of this advantage, then Caleb was more than happy to test his strength against Piltover.
"You two head back first. Nothing will happen to me."
Caleb waved his hand. Under the reluctant gazes of the two as they looked back every few steps, he stood at the entrance of the council chamber.
A graceful figure made of alloy quietly landed beside Caleb.
"I thought you wouldn't come out and tell me the truth."
"If that had happened, I would've had no choice but to have a very heartfelt talk with you."
That Hextech heart truly was an unparalleled masterpiece.
"Those councilors have already been taught a lesson by you, haven't they? I also wanted to train my own junior a little and see how far she could go."
"And the result? Did she disappoint you, or did she exceed your expectations?"
Caleb suddenly understood why the previous two bosses of Zaun had both liked smoking.
Whether it was a pipe or a cigar, sometimes, things really were exhausting.
"Passable. If she had been any more useless, the Ferros family would have had to send out one more councilor."
Yellow light flickered in Camille's eyes, proving that she had seen Caleb's strike just now.
"I hope our two cities won't go to war."
"That would indeed be bad for everyone."
Caleb did know that war meant losses. That was also part of the other side's confidence.
But if he did not prepare for the worst-case scenario, then there was no need for Caleb to be Zaun's Governor.
"I wonder how far those four have gotten in their research?"
Caleb looked toward Zaun, where the factories had been rebuilt, and felt somewhat puzzled.
During these days since he had returned, he had not seen the four people he had entrusted with such important work.
Could it be that the research was not going smoothly?
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