Silco's office.
Ever since moving into this office, Silco had never changed seats again.
The room sat at the top of the tallest building in Zaun. Not only had it broken free from the dark, sunless haze below, but through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, it offered a view of all Zaun, and even the splendid sight of Piltover beyond it.
Van sat on the sofa with his elbows on his knees, seemingly deep in thought. One hand unconsciously rubbed the bluebird pendant on his chest, while he murmured something under his breath.
"You haven't come to see me in quite a while."
Silco pushed the door open and walked in. He looked at Van, who was staring into space, then walked behind his desk and dropped into the soft swivel chair, rubbing the space between his brows with one hand.
"What is it? Did Jinx cause trouble for you again?"
"Not exactly."
Van let go of the bluebird pendant and accepted the cigar Silco handed him.
Compared to a few years ago, Silco looked much more worn down. Age was part of it, but most of it came from the endless affairs of Zaun. Unlike Vander, who had maintained the status quo, Silco pursued change, and that naturally left him with far more to consider.
Wrinkles had begun to climb across his face, especially around the eye corroded by chemical wastewater, where the skin looked increasingly shriveled.
Silco lit his cigar and slowly breathed out a mouthful of smoke, as if trying to exhale the exhaustion from his body with it.
"Shimmer… I'm planning to stop it."
Van looked up in shock. Those words were exactly what he had been thinking, but he had never expected them to come from Silco's mouth.
"Shimmer brought us profits we never could have imagined before. But because of the Hexgates, that advantage is gradually falling apart… We have to face the harm it has brought us."
Silco set the cigar on the ashtray and took a Shimmer injector from the drawer.
He had been using it more and more often lately.
"Will the chem-barons under you agree to that?"
"No. That's the problem. Shimmer needs to stop, but the people at the bottom still need Shimmer too… Think about it. If Shimmer disappeared, would Zaun go back to scraping a living out of the mines like before? How many people would lose their way of making a living because of it?"
"It's grown too big to cut off cleanly… You said this was only growing pains."
Silco raised the injector over his head, aimed it at his eye, and pressed down. The diluted Shimmer entered his eye, and the severe pain made him groan. It took a long while before the pain gradually faded.
"It is growing pains. They've simply become more painful with time."
Silco tidied his slightly messy hair and picked up the cigar again.
"So why did you come to me?"
"I…"
Van fell silent for a moment, then slowly sank back into the sofa.
"Yesterday, Jayce Talis came to see me."
"Oh? The wonder boy who built the Hexgates?"
Silco looked surprised. He could not quite understand how Van had gotten involved with such a prominent figure from topside.
"Yes… He invited me to take part in Hextech research. Research into more civilian uses for Hextech."
"Hextech… Why would he come to you?"
"Heh, that's a long story… Anyway, I have to admit, I'm tempted. Shimmer isn't Zaun's way forward. Maybe we need to start thinking about something else."
Silco propped his head on one hand, his gaze drifting as he considered it for a moment.
"Can he be trusted?"
"No. I don't trust him at all. That's exactly what I'm hesitating over… And I don't think a mere scientist, famous or not, can decide the direction of Hextech research on his own."
"Hmph. Of course that boy doesn't get the final say. Topside belongs to the Council and the noble houses… The Talis family? Never heard of them."
"That's why I'm still thinking it over. But it is a direction, isn't it?"
Silco was silent for a moment and gave no judgment. Shimmer no longer seemed to be Zaun's future, but would Hextech be? The topside masters would not even spare the Undercity a breath of fresh air.
"Can you bear to leave the Lanes?"
"Of course I can't. But there may be no choice. I need to find them a way forward… Scar is about to become a father. He's quiet, but I can feel how anxious he is."
Van breathed out the cigar smoke, then drew it back in through his nose, savoring the aroma.
"Zaunites are born fighting to survive. I don't want that fate to continue into the next generation."
"Is there anyone who can replace you?"
"No… But if it's only temporary management, Ekko can handle it."
"He's still too young."
"I was around that age when I took over the Lanes."
Silco neither agreed nor disagreed. Ekko was indeed one of the rare talents among Zaun's young people. If not for the fact that he pulled a sour face every time he saw Silco, Silco would actually like him quite a bit.
"Jinx won't want you to leave."
"I know… But right now, none of this is certain. If I do go topside, I'll make every preparation first."
"You're in contact with the Kiramman girl?"
"How do you know that?"
"I'm not spying on you. Plenty of people saw you strolling through the streets with her. A young man like you is bound to attract gossip."
"I was just making sure she didn't get hurt in my territory."
"Mm… Still, if you could get involved with the Kiramman family's only daughter, that might not be a bad thing."
"…"
Van did not respond. He only glanced at Silco with a blank expression. Seeing that look, Silco shrugged helplessly.
"All right, suit yourself… Just remember, being too sentimental isn't always a good thing."
Van did not want to waste words on that subject, so he changed the topic.
"Speaking of which, if I go topside, my identity… My record isn't exactly clean."
"No. It's very clean. As far as any Enforcer verification is concerned, you'll be an ordinary tavern owner who built himself up from nothing. A proper law-abiding citizen."
"You really do have long arms, Commander Silco."
There was no need to ask. Silco must have already put pressure on Sheriff Marcus.
Over the past few years, Silco had been intentionally or unintentionally keeping Van away from certain darker matters, as if he meant to pull Van out of those affairs entirely. Van did not know what Silco's purpose was, but he trusted that Silco had a plan.
"In any case, this is only an idea. I haven't actually decided to act on it yet… I'll wait and see."
Van sighed and pressed the cigar out in the ashtray.
[End of chapter]