Twin Cities: I am the man of many myths

Chapter 233 Jarvan III's Decisions

Located in western Valoran, bordering the Sea of ​​Conquerors, and bordered to the north by the snow-capped mountains of Freljord, Demacia possesses a unique geographical advantage.

The valley plains are surrounded by mountains. Even if the Demacians do not farm, the surrounding area brings countless resources: trees, fruits, and wild animals; not to mention the Forbidden Forest, a resource that cannot be explained and can only be described as a miracle.

With such favorable geographical conditions, Demacia built its powerful Lion Empire in just a few centuries.

From its founding monarch Oren to the current Radiant Shield family, Demacia has risen step by step, and under Jarvan III, Demacia's national power has reached its zenith.

The Lightshield family has served Demacia for generations. The founding emperor led the charge and fought bravely. Jarvan I died at the hands of the previous Noxian Sion, but in reality, he perished together with Sion.

Therefore, with the will of the people in mind, the Light Shield family made the throne hereditary, with the second, third, and now the fourth prince.
Marseille, an agricultural village located around Jandale, does not grow wheat but specializes in growing grapes. In the afternoon, a tall old man with a stern face and gentle eyes, dressed in linen clothes and followed by a black-haired servant, is talking with a fruit farmer from Marseille.

"Brother, so your profits have been pretty good lately?"

The old farmer grinned, showing off his bright white teeth, and said, "That's right. In the past, we had too much fruit and couldn't sell it. It would just rot in the orchard, and it broke my heart to see that. But things are different now."

They say there's a city-state called Pietro or something like that that specializes in buying fruit. Not only does it fetch a higher price than selling to a male, but it's also much more convenient! There are always people coming to buy it!

Hearing the old farmer's words, the old man's smile widened, and he continued cheerfully, "Then, brother, will you sell your fruit to Xiongdu first, or to that Pietro? Also, when you sell your fruit to Xiongdu, don't you consider raising the price? After all, as you said, selling to Pietro not only gets you a good price, but it's also very convenient."

"What are you talking about, young man?" The old farmer's smile faded, and he rolled his eyes at the old man with annoyance, then continued:

"Are you from one of the surrounding villages or from the town? The fruit sold to Pirot is expensive, but if there's good stuff, of course we should sell it to our own people first. The fruit I sell to Pirot is all rotten; the good fruit is all reserved for our own people."

"As for price increases? Is that even possible? In these war-torn times, we are able to live the life we ​​have today all thanks to His Majesty the King's wisdom and might. He treats us well, so naturally we treat him well in return. You can't have such thoughts, kid. You look like you have a square face and are handsome and mighty, but how come you're full of bad ideas?"

The old man was both amused and exasperated by the criticism from the farmer, but he nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Behind him, the black-haired young attendant remained silent. He looked young, with a handsome face and youthful appearance, but his eyes revealed an indescribable sense of vicissitude.

Suddenly, the man who had been quietly following the old man moved, focused his gaze on a certain spot, and whispered a few words in the old man's ear.

"Brother, I have some things to attend to. I'll visit you again next time."

"Don't come here, you're full of bad ideas, I don't want to associate with people like you." The old farmer waved his hand, unwilling to talk to the old man.

The old man smiled apologetically, then turned and left.

The black-haired attendant followed closely behind, and the two arrived at a spot in the forest, where they saw a woman wearing silver armor, with long arms and legs, and a slender sword at her waist.

Several knights followed behind her, each wearing beautiful armor and carrying a huge weapon.

A heavy sword serves as a shield at his back, while a short dagger and white crossbow hang at his waist.

If this combination were in the capital, ordinary soldiers and knights would show them the utmost respect, because this armor and weaponry are only carried by the most elite troops of Demacia, the Fearless Vanguard.

Upon seeing the old man, they all knelt on one knee with utmost respect.

The beautiful blonde woman also bowed slightly, giving the old man a knightly salute, and said softly, "Tiana Crown Guard greets Your Majesty."

"Alright, Tiana, how many times have I told you? Given our relationship, you don't need to act like this when we're out in public." Jarvan III waved his hand, gently gesturing for everyone to stand up.

He looked at Tiana, the woman who held the position of marshal of a nation despite being a woman, and said, "Tell me, what happened that led you to come see me?"

Tiana remained calm and said, "The ambassador who was sent to Twin Cities has been arrested, and Twin Cities has sent us a letter of inquiry demanding an explanation."

Jarvan III's smile faded, and he said with a slight headache, "So... those people in the council are all waiting for me to come back, right?"

The Council is the power institution of Demacia. Before the Lightshield family, the Demacian emperor was elected by the council members. After the Lightshield family, the power of the Council was curbed, but even so, the Council still wields considerable power.

Given Tiana's status, she is actually qualified to participate in this kind of topic. Putting aside her status as a marshal of a nation who commands troops, as the current head of the Crown Guard family, the most famous and powerful family leader in Demacia besides the Royal Guard, she has the qualifications.

To some extent, Tiana was incredibly powerful, even a political enemy of the Crown Guard. One of the "traitors" who was executed by Tiana said on his deathbed that if the Crown Guard family was not restrained, Demacia would be overthrown.

The voices from the outside world were not small, but Jarvan III and Tiana both knew one thing: the Lightshield and the Crown Guard were bound together by fate, and Jarvan III knew better than anyone whether Tiana had any rebellious intentions.

Despite Tiana's beautiful face that makes her look like she's in her early twenties, this aloof woman is actually not much younger than Jarvan III.

From the time Jarvan III was a young man who had just ascended the throne, Tiana had protected his safety. She had saved Jarvan III's life on several occasions, and Jarvan III knew best of her loyalty.

He didn't care how powerful the Crown Guard family was. After all, Garen had a very good relationship with his son and had even risked his life to protect him. If anyone was most afraid of the Light Shield falling, it was the Crown Guard.

Even so, to avoid gossip, Tiana chose to consolidate her power and become "weak".

"Let's go back and take a look."

Jarvan III opened his arms, and behind him, the black-haired youth shook out the trench coat in his hand and draped it over him.

At dusk, the Xiongdu Constitutional Court.

At this moment, in the highest authority of Demacia, a group of people were spitting at each other. They were dressed in white, with silk skirts draped over their bodies. Both men and women were dressed in white, and they looked more like priests than officials.

As a black-haired youth with a ponytail and a long spear pushed open the door and walked in with a cold expression, the arguing subsided and then disappeared.

They all recognized the young man—the royal steward, the king's guard, the prince's tutor, and one of the king's closest confidants.

Then, the king appeared.

Clad in golden armor, with a crown as fiery as flames atop his head, his white hair disheveled and his beard meticulously combed, he strode into the hall like a majestic lion, and upon reaching the seat at the very top, he plopped down on it.

"Tell me, what happened? Why would Piltover and Zaun arrest diplomatic ambassadors out of the blue?"

Jarvan III leaned forward, one hand on the backrest and the other on his thigh, looking down at the group of people with an imposing aura.

Then came a cacophony of voices—

"Your Majesty, Piltover and Zaun must give us an explanation for this matter. They were the ones who asked us to engage in diplomacy, and now they are the ones who unilaterally tore up the agreement!"

"Your Majesty, they must make compensation. The Twin Cities are adjacent to Noxus, and their establishment of diplomatic relations with us is clearly because after the coup in Noxus, Swain came to power, and the Twin Cities are afraid that Noxus will attack them, so they came to us!"

“I don’t think so. The Twin Cities are known as the jewels of Valoran, benefiting Valoran and even Runeterra. Swain’s mind is far superior to Darkwill’s. I don’t think he could do something that would cause such a worldwide protest!”

"Absurd! Why are you praising someone from an enemy country? Swain is nothing but a usurper and traitor."

"Duke Fore, it is precisely because he is from an enemy country that we should take him seriously, discover his strengths, and deal with him accordingly, rather than arrogantly belittling our opponent."

The argument continued, but Jarvan III listened quietly.

He silently observed the group, his face expressionless, but inwardly he sighed.

Demacia lives a self-sufficient life. The members of the parliament, holding high positions, are arrogant and complacent. Furthermore, as Demacia grows stronger and more closed off, they always look down on other countries.

But Jarvan III was different; his vision far surpassed that of these guys, and in fact, he was secretly working on something big.

Jarvan III was delighted to receive the invitation from both cities. What he was about to do would overturn Demacia, and to do so, establishing contact with the outside world in order to gain acceptance from the people and nobles was a good thing.

But now it seems that contacting the outside world would also cause big trouble.

"Your Majesty, please order Marshal Tiana to muster her troops, point their swords at Zaun, and demand that Zaun release the prisoners!"

In the end, the discussion ended up like this. Well, many people have said that Zaun, which has always been on good terms with us, would suddenly do this, there must be a reason. The ambassador abroad must have done something to provoke Zaun's anger. We should first understand why Zaun did this.

However, these voices were quickly suppressed because Demacia is a great power, and the dignity of a great power cannot be violated. Even if an ambassador abroad did something wrong, he would return to Demacia and be judged by Demacia, not Zaun.

As a result, the faction that was inclined to appease Zaun also changed its tune.

Yes, Demacia is a great power!
Just as Jarvan III was about to speak, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

Then came a sharp sound:
"Urgent report from the front!"

Tiana, standing beside Jarvan III, narrowed her eyes instantly, and then she said, "Open the door!"

The gate opened, and a fearless vanguard scout rushed in. His armor was covered in mud and snow. Although it was winter, Demacia hadn't seen any snow recently. The Freljord's continuous mountain range blocked the wind and snow, but this man was indeed covered in unmelted mud and snow.

The scout's lips were pale and his eyes were bloodshot. After entering the hall, he knelt on one knee, slammed his right fist into his left chest, and said loudly, "Rogerman, scout of the 7th Shield Formation, 13th Company of the Fearless Vanguard, pays his respects to His Majesty the King!"

"Get up and tell me what happened," Jarvan III said calmly.

"Yes!"

Rogerman stood up and said loudly:

"Report from the north: the strange phenomena that occurred in Freljord some time ago have been investigated. According to our findings, the phenomena in Freljord were caused by the gods—a war of the gods! After the war, Avarosan and the Winter's Claw formed an alliance, establishing the largest clan in the north, and Freljord was unified! And the cause of this outcome was Zaun!"

"Freljord has announced that it will form an alliance with Zaun. Sejuani, the Winter's Claw Warmother, has left her tribe and is suspected to have gone to Zaun."

"Is the information reliable?" Tiana's expression was cold, but she was shocked.

The Winter's Claws are located in northern Freljord, but they are the northern clan that Demacia has the most contact with and the most understanding of, because Noxus was defeated by the Winter's Claws!
It is said that the general who was to inherit the title of Hand of Noxus was captured and taken prisoner, so it is natural for Tiana to pay attention to Winter's Claw.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the information is reliable; it was all said by War Mother Aishe herself," Rogerman said loudly.

The crowd erupted in uproar. If the North were to be unified and an alliance established with Zaun, then the things they had just said would no longer be possible.

Demacia knows best the strength of Freljord, because even the soldiers of the Fearless Vanguard find it difficult to endure the northern snowstorms, which shows how strong the physical strength of those warriors is.

But just as they were all shocked and wondering if they should change their approach, footsteps sounded again.

Another scout rushed in. She was a tall woman dressed in a ranger outfit, with armor on the outside and a tight-fitting suit underneath. She strode forward with her long legs, and her handsome and beautiful face was full of composure.

She entered, knelt on one knee, and said, "Ranger Quinn has urgent intelligence to report to His Majesty!"

Tiana's eyes fell on Quinn, and she looked at her a few more times.

Ranger Quinn is extremely famous in Irwindale, a renowned hunter in the area. What makes her famous is not only her agility and exceptional eyesight, but also her falcon, which is believed to be extinct.

Tiana once sent someone to find Quinn, wanting her to join the Dauntless Vanguard, but she refused. Compared to the strict military system, Quinn seemed to prefer guarding Demacia as a lone wolf, and spent most of her time wandering the borders of Demacia.

Therefore, when she said she had intelligence, Tiana guessed that it was probably related to Noxus.

And sure enough——

"The Noxian Legion in the Silver Mountains suddenly rioted. Noble Vince was ordered to be executed and was hanged in the marketplace yesterday afternoon. The original army was suppressed, and Trevory's Seventh Army became the new Frontier Legion."

Quinn made his purpose clear in just a few words.

This news caused Jarvan III to immediately stand up. "Is Noxus going to war?!"

Trifary Noxus's elite forces, comparable to Demacia's fearless vanguard, have now emerged from the Empire and arrived at the Silver Mountain Range. Damn it, does Swain intend to start a war?!

Quinn quickly said, "Noxus doesn't want war. Vince was executed for treason. On the day of his execution, the town was informed that Vince had disrupted the establishment of diplomatic relations between Noxus and the Twin Cities without the orders of Grand Chancellor Swain, and had secretly profited from the Twin Cities. After the incident, he refused to confess and surrender, so he was sentenced to death."

"Another twin-city city?"

"The Noxian Legion, which was originally stationed in the Silver Refinement Mountains, I remember had about seven thousand men. They were opposed to our forces at the Gate of Sorrow. Vince was a marquis. Wait, he was a marquis, and he died for this reason?"

"What is Swain thinking? Why would he cut off his own arm for the sake of the Twin Cities? What will the Noxian nobility think if he does this?"

Discussions started.

A moment later, the Duke, who had originally advocated for the Twin Cities to apologize and for the ambassadors to return to Demacia, stepped forward with a serious expression and said loudly, "Your Majesty, it seems that the Twin Cities have developed beyond our expectations. We have been too slow in obtaining information from the outside world."

"We don't even know when Noxus established diplomatic relations with the Twin Cities, let alone the fact that Zaun is involved in the unification of the North. I think we should..."

That's roughly it; we need to seriously consider our relationship with Shuangcheng.

If that were all there was to it, Demacia could simply ignore the Twin Cities. Let the Twin Cities be powerful; we Demacia are so far away, and all the wars Demacia has fought have been defensive wars, never wars of aggression. We have absolutely no interest in conquering the world.

But that won't work now. The technology of the Twin Cities, and the rapid economic growth of Demacia after contacting the Twin Cities, make it impossible for Demacia to give up this benefit.

But in hindsight, using power to intimidate others was a foolish decision.

With the north unified, Sejuani, the Mother of War, travels to Zaun. Swain, the Grand Commander of Noxus, kills a Marquis in order to maintain the alliance between the two cities.

The Twin Cities have absolutely no reason to be afraid of Demacia!

When Jarvan III heard this, he suddenly laughed.

He stood up with a smile, looked meaningfully at the Duke, and spoke loudly:

"Only half an hour has passed since then, and your attitude has changed again and again. At first, you were thinking of suppressing Shuangcheng and forcing them to release the prisoners. Now that you've heard the battle report, you realize that Shuangcheng is not easy to handle, so you want to ease tensions."

"But I'm curious, doesn't any of you want to know what the envoys abroad have done? Four hours have passed since the letter from Zu'an demanding an explanation, but none of you have told me what mistakes the envoys abroad have made."

"I'd like to know, is any of you interested in finding out?"

Jarvan III's voice lowered, "Humility, integrity, compassion, courage, justice."

"Have you forgotten the rules of Demacia?"

Jarvan III's face gradually showed anger. Beneath his golden armor, he appeared old, but his aura became increasingly formidable.

Like a lion, it roared in a low, menacing voice:

"Rather than figuring out how to ease tensions with the Twin Cities, understanding the situation in the north, and why Noxus did what it did, I'm more interested in what Noelle did to cause Zaun to change its friendly attitude!"

“I refuse to believe that none of you know what Noelle did! Or do you really think I’m so old that I know nothing?”

"Tiana!"

"Chen is here!"

Jarvan III ordered, "Send out all the fearless vanguard from the capital to search the nobles, big and small. Compared to Demacia's current foreign relations, I think we should clean up our own house first!"

“You have forgotten the code of chivalry, but I have not.”

The main hall was completely silent.

(End of this chapter)