Twin Cities: I am the man of many myths

Chapter 231 The Backbone of Twin Cities Has Returned

Piltover, Blue Smoked Estate.

A luxurious wool blanket covered the bedroom floor. The man sitting on the edge of the bed was barefoot, running his fingers through his hair and sighing repeatedly.

He was wearing a white uniform with a beautiful white rose pinned to his shirt, looking elegant and refined, but the man's appearance and the words he was muttering ruined the mood.

With a stubble beard, bloodshot eyes, and a pimple blooming at the corner of his mouth, he was clearly in a bad mood, muttering to himself:
"The troubles have been piling up lately. Ever since we bordered Noxus and Demacia, the Ionians have started complaining. For profit, these guys will do anything they can, except the crimes we've specified."

"Fuck you! Who said all Demacians are nobles? Those bastards are even more shameless than Noxians when they get dirty!"

"This is the Western Lion that Li Ke was talking about? This is the upper-class country that Li Ke was talking about? Upper-class? I think it's more like the lower class! When these guys get shameless, they really remind me of Hilco and Lenata."

Piltover's Congressman Talis ran his fingers through his hair, muttering curses under his breath.

He's been really worried about these things lately. The daily flow of people in the two cities is astonishing. More than a million people come from all over the world, which is several times the population of the two cities!

These are the two cities after they developed and attracted people from other places!

If we consider the two cities from before, the total population combined would only be a little over 100,000.

Even Zaun and Piltover have expanded their territory, such as the back mountains of Piltover, which were originally Noxian lands but are now being used by the two cities for expansion. However, even so, they still cannot stop the daily influx of people from outside.

When there are many people, disputes are inevitable.

The Demacians dislike the Noxians, and the Noxians dislike the Ionians. The Ionians... well, they are honest and simple, but after spending a long time in the Twin Cities, these guys have gradually become like the Noxians and Demacians. Now, the Ionians are banding together for mutual support, and they dislike both sides!

You have to understand that they were among the first to be brought into the Twin Cities, yet their current treatment is not as good as that of Demacia and Noxus. Of course, they will have complaints and grievances.

Ultimately, their current predicament stems from the division within Ionia.

Without a nation to back them up, the Ionians can only band together for warmth.

Listening to Jess's complaints, the woman with skin as black as a pearl said helplessly, "I know you've been in a bad mood lately. You just want to focus on your scientific research. There's been too much going on lately. As a member of parliament, and one of the most important members among us, you should naturally help share some of the burden. Jess, things will get better after this period."

"Will things get better after this period?"

Jess looked up at Mel, his voice full of resentment, and said, "I'm afraid it won't get better for years! Look at what they're doing! They've started blocking the bridge, intercepting merchants, intimidating them, and demanding goods! They're just bullying merchants from small countries because they're a big country!"

Jess grew angrier as he spoke. Although he was thirty years old, he still had a fiery temper and a scruffy beard, but his eyes were clear and bright. Jess had always been that young man with a heart full of justice, who wanted to create a better future for the world and make life better for mankind.

Therefore, Jayce was angered by Noxus and Demacia's current actions.

In Jess's view, bullying the weak was the most fucking disgusting thing in the world, so he went on to say to Mel:
"We spent years painstakingly building Shuangcheng into a world trade center, but now we can only watch helplessly as these major powers slowly erode this edifice!"

"Damn it, if you ask me, we should have the law enforcement officers shoot them, kill those bastards, and the rest will all behave. To hell with international diplomacy, Demacia and Noxus may be strong, but we're not pushovers either, are we?"

"And those who were bullied, sometimes I even think they deserved it! I told them that as long as they come forward to point out the wrongdoing, the law enforcement officers will arrest those who threatened them and send them to court for trial, but what did they do? One by one they all said no, that they did it voluntarily."

"Damn it, are people really willing to give their goods to others voluntarily? If it's voluntary, then why bother trading in Shuangcheng?"

Hearing Jess's resentful curses, Mel was both amused and exasperated.

She walked up to Jayce, reached out and hugged his head, gently burying it in her lower abdomen, and whispered soothingly, "It's alright, I know you're unwilling, but we're already trying to find a solution. Noxus and Demacia are the strongest countries on this continent, and what they did was indeed despicable, but... there's really nothing we can do."

"Because of the rhetoric they use when threatening us, we really can't find any evidence against them. Not to mention, even if we wanted to intervene, those itinerant merchants from small countries wouldn't dare let us stand up for them."

“Jayce, they are also helpless. We can help them in the Twin Cities, but what about outside the Twin Cities? Those small countries that border Noxus and Demacia only have tens of thousands of people, and the number of people who can truly be called warriors is only a few hundred. Under the iron cavalry of Demacia and Noxus, they really dare not fight against them.”

Jess sighed, closed his eyes to feel Mel's warmth, but after a moment, he cheered up.

He got up, put on his shoes, looked at Mel, and said, "Don't wait for me for dinner. I'll go ask Hilco how long he's going to hold out."

Mel hesitated.

But in the end, she nodded and didn't try to dissuade Jess: "Okay, remember to come back soon."

I don't know when it started, but whenever Jayce is unhappy, he likes to go to Zaun. It seems that Zaun makes him feel more relaxed and comfortable. Moreover, Jayce's vocabulary of swear words has been increasing lately.

But Mel wasn't surprised; anyone who spends time in Zaun will become fluent in swearing.

Zaun is a swearing machine. Even now, Zaun's council members still swear from time to time, especially Sevika, who served as a council member in Piltover for a period of time. But Piltover's atmosphere didn't change her. She not only swears, but she also beats people up when she gets pushed to the limit.

It's fair to say that backward compatibility is indeed a very difficult thing.

A moment later, Jayce stepped off the Hextech hovercar and walked into the Zaun meeting hall.

The law enforcement officer standing guard at the entrance greeted Jess warmly.

Jess nodded to the other person and then walked towards the stairwell.

Upon reaching the top floor and opening the door to an office, Jess saw Hilko sitting at his desk, writing something.

He plopped down on the sofa, casually reached for the kettle on the small table in front of him, poured himself a glass of water, drank it, and then said loudly:
"Have you come up with a solution yet?"

Hilko put down his pen, rubbed his temples, looked up at Jess, and leaned back in his chair with a light push off the ground. He said, "This matter is already being handled. To reiterate, Mr. Talis, what you're worried about won't happen. I think I've assured you that many times already."

Jess said irritably, "Your guarantee is to watch them get even more outrageous? Before, they hid from the law enforcement officers and only dared to threaten merchants from small countries in private. But now? They dare to say those things to the faces of the law enforcement officers. If this continues, the trading jewel that you and Mel built will be destroyed by these bastards."

"Without protection, itinerant merchants suffer losses every time they come. Will they continue to come in the long run?"

Hilko was somewhat annoyed after hearing this, but he still patiently said:

“You don’t understand, Jayce. What Li Ke wants is not just to turn Twin Cities into a trading center, but to bind all the city-states together. And now, Noxus, Demacia, and Ionia are all engaging in diplomacy with us. Li Ke is still in Freljord. Apart from Shurima, the foundation for what Li Ke wants to do is already in place.”

An unexpected event at this juncture would disrupt diplomacy and ruin Li Ke's plans. From the day he began to change Zaun, Li Ke has been anticipating this day. Now, it's merely the final darkness before dawn, Jess. This is only a temporary loss of profit; we must consider the bigger picture.”

"Fuck your temporary loss of profit. It sounds simple, but in the end, isn't it because it's not our profit that's being lost?" Jess cursed.

Unlike the Talisman in the Twin Cities, Jess, who has no involvement in politics and focuses solely on scientific research, has not changed his original aspirations in the slightest. Therefore, he will naturally be angry when he sees injustice.

Upon hearing this, Hilko straightened up, looked at Jess with a deep gaze, and after a long while said, "You should just stick to being a scientist."

Hilcone doesn't dislike Jess because the Twin Cities need him, like Lenata, who is willing to sacrifice anything to achieve their goals. But at the same time, they also need people like Vander and Jess.

Jess snorted a few times and said dejectedly, "Do you have any wine?"

“It’s in the freezer, help yourself,” Hilko said.

After saying that, he moved his chair back to his desk and began to write.

Seeing this, Jess started drinking alone in silence.

Jess actually understood what Mel and Hilko were saying, but he just couldn't accept it.

After much thought, I realized that the two cities weren't strong enough. If they were strong enough to suppress Noxus and Demacia, would they still need to care about diplomacy? Would they still need to shamelessly try to maintain good relations with Noxus and Demacia?
Jess was drinking alone, feeling very angry.

"I wonder how long that guy Rick will stay out there. He's been gone from Freljord for way too long." Hearing Jess's mutterings, Hilk paused for a moment, then continued writing.

At the same time, at the docks of Zaun, ships came and went constantly, and the docks were crowded with people dressed in all sorts of different clothes.

The girl wearing a bunny ear hat was stuffing a fragrant meat skewer into her mouth with one hand, while holding the arm of a dark-haired young man with the other, her eyes shining as she looked around.

"I'm going to eat a lot! Li Ke, let's go eat that!"

"Take it easy, Jinx, be careful you don't get diarrhea tonight." Li Ke chuckled as Jinx carried him along, with a tall, serious-looking woman following behind him.

She was dressed in a white, fitted outfit underneath a black and gray coat, and wore a pair of beautiful boots. Just by looking at her clothes, it would be hard to imagine that just a few days ago, this woman was the Winter Claw War Mother, dressed in animal skins.

Sejuani followed silently behind. From the moment the ship entered the harbor, Sejuani's expression remained unchanged, always serious.

The city before her, born from the abyss and standing on the sea, did not appear dilapidated; instead, it exuded a feeling that Sejuani could not describe.

Although the scale was not large, the flow of people far exceeded Sejuani's expectations, and the buildings that climbed upwards little by little were even more incomprehensible to Sejuani. Could houses really be built like this?
How exactly did they manage to do that?
Silently awestruck by the scenery of Zaun, Sejuani looked behind her, and what she saw made her frown. She saw that the Freljord people accompanying her were being embraced.

The bags and pouches these people were carrying contained True Ice. Only Iceborn can carry True Ice; even with containers made by Jinx and Ekko, ordinary people still cannot carry True Ice.

And since True Ice never melts, there's no need to worry about it dissolving after leaving Freljord.

Sejuani was puzzled, then she stepped forward and patted Rick on the shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Rick turned around and looked at Sejuani.

Back in Zaun, Li Ke felt only relief. This was his home. The outside world was indeed very interesting, but the best place was, of course, his own home.

Therefore, Li Ke always had a smile on his face.

But when Sejuani pointed behind her, Rick's smile froze, and he withdrew it.

Ignoring the noise of the surrounding crowd, Li Ke focused on the Freljord people who were being stopped.

Then, Li Ke overheard the following conversation—

"Traveling merchants from Freljord?"

Is this your first time in Shuangcheng?

"No wonder they don't know the rules. Coming to Zu'an to trade requires paying..."

"Not going to pay? Heh, that's fine too, but remember to be careful on your way back."

Jinx.

"Ok?"

"Go sit down at the stall, order some food and wait for me. I have something to take care of," Rick said, patting Jinx's hand.

Jinx wrinkled her nose and then saw what was happening over there. Although she couldn't hear the conversation like Lee, she, as the former heiress of the Zaun underworld, could tell at a glance what had happened.

It's nothing more than that little thing~
Seeing this, she grumbled and kicked her shoes as she walked toward the stall in the distance.

Li Ke, on the other hand, walked in that direction.

After Li Ke opened his five senses, he discovered that this kind of thing was happening everywhere on this dock, not just in this one place.

Therefore, Li Ke's face darkened.

If those guys hadn't looked like outsiders, Li Ke's reaction wouldn't have been just a matter of his dark complexion. Shuangcheng does collect customs duties, but they're not high. What's the difference between this kind of forced collection of goods and robbery?

After leaving the conference building in Zaun, Jayce drank quite a bit of alcohol to drown his sorrows. Fueled by the alcohol, he headed towards the Zaun docks, intending to enjoy the sea breeze and, incidentally, check on the day's events.

But before Jess could reach the dock, a voice suddenly made him stop in his tracks.

"What the gods and demons are calling me 'back'? What am I supposed to do if I don't come back?"

"Stop talking nonsense and get the food ready! Extra spicy, medium oil!"

The sound was somewhat muffled, as if there was something in the mouth.

Even so, the voice was familiar; Jess knew it all too well!

Jess turned his head and saw a thin girl sitting in front of a market stall. She had her back to him, was wearing a black vest, and was sitting on a white coat with a bunny ear hat.

She wasn't tall, but she had long arms and legs, especially her legs, which were shapely, beautiful, and so long that even though the stools at her stall were placed very high, her long legs, clad in black skinny jeans, could not touch the ground and even had to be slightly bent to put down.

And that beautiful, smooth blue hair made Jess's pupils shrink.

"Grass!"

He took a few quick steps and stood behind the girl, calling out to her.

"Jinx?"

The blue-haired girl looked up and met Jess's face. Her beautiful big eyes blinked, and her cheeks were chubby as she chewed something.

"Oh, what are you doing here?"

Jayce's lips twitched as he watched Jinx ask him questions with a cheerful smile.

"That's a question I should be asking you!"

"Where is Li Ke? Where is he?"

Jinx raised her hand, holding a skewer of meat, pointed towards the dock, and said with a smile, "It's over there, Jess. You need to see Rick?"

Having been away for so long, Jinx hadn't seen any familiar faces in ages. Although Jayce wasn't that important to her, seeing someone she knew would certainly make Jinx happy, and being back in Zaun would make her even happier.

"."

Turning his head to look at the dock, Jess suddenly sobered up quite a bit.

Then, the resentment and burden suddenly felt much lighter.

Because the backbone of the two cities has returned.

No matter how big the trouble is, it seems like it won't be a problem anymore now that Li Ke is back.

Thinking of this, Jess excitedly ran towards the dock.

Behind me was Jinx's whimpering voice:
"Hey! Aren't you going to sit down and eat something with us?"

(End of this chapter)