69novels Page 44
Page 44
Rather than staying here, Vi would prefer to go directly to the mid-level plaza to take up a post, so that she can also take the opportunity to learn about the situation in Zaun.
However, it's clear that Piltover doesn't intend to let Vi leave their control easily. After all, her status as Vander's daughter is definitely a strong asset.
98. Stevan and Camille
Blue Smoked Estate, the Firos family, Crystal Courtyard.
Sitting in the courtyard with a cold expression, Camille's pair of sharp feet, a nightmare for foot fetishists, landed on the ground. She held a newspaper in her hand, examined it for a moment, then calmly looked away. Instead, she reached out and put a sugar cube into her coffee, stirred it well, and then put it in her mouth, sipping it softly.
As the chief spy of the Philos family, Camille was often confused, even by her own family members, whether she was a person or a sophisticated humanoid weapon.
She walks on the edge of legality, and even her family and friends haven't seen her show any expression on her face for decades.
It seems that for Camille, once she replaced her heart with a Hextech Heart, joy and despair became irrelevant. Anyone who threatened the interests of the Feralas family, even blood relatives, was ruthlessly eliminated by Camille. She could make them vanish silently amidst the dazzling skyscrapers of Piltover.
Carefully maintaining Piltover, the machine, and the Zaun beneath it, ensuring everything runs smoothly, is incredibly stressful even for Camille. Fortunately, the timely intake of caffeine and sugar quickly boosts Camille's spirits, and the human love for sweets, ingrained in our genes, also eases his tense nerves.
Unfortunately, that's about it. To go further, one would need to consume special biochemical solutions. However, for Camille, who has a Hextech heart implanted, those low-tech products are immediately identified as harmful substances and eliminated by the Hextech heart upon entering her body. In contrast, things like coffee and candy, which are coarser, simpler, and less effective than alchemical preparations and Hextech solutions, are actually more useful to Camille.
Just as Camille was resting, a voice suddenly came from the side.
With eyes filled with indifference and resentment, the Hextech minion robot pushed Camille's younger brother, Stevan, through the door. Although they were cyborgs, most of the cyborgs in the Twin Cities were indeed purely mechanical creations. Those with flesh and blood would be called slaves in Zaun, and tech fanatics in Piltover. Not the cyborgs from some space opera.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Stevan's legs were covered with a thick blanket. Although he was younger than Camille, Stevan looked much older, while Camille's age was permanently frozen at twenty-five, the age at the time of the Hextech heart surgery.
As for Stevan's legs... there's not much to say, he was born with a disability. Camille didn't care about the resentment in Stevan's eyes, because she was already used to it.
Decades ago, Stevan harbored resentment towards Camille for undergoing Hextech Heart surgery—Hextech crystals are extremely precious, especially the 'Primordial Crystal' within Camille's heart, which is the purest of all natural Hextech crystals. If Stevan had received the implant, even with his congenital disability, he should be able to stand up by now, right? It is precisely because of this that Stevan has always been resentful of Camille possessing a crystal heart.
To be honest, Camille didn't care. She knew very well that her younger brother wasn't stupid; he was capable and had a good eye for people.
Take, for example, the flesh-toothed beast that Farn so easily defeated on the spot. Others might think it was nothing special, but Camille could tell that the flesh-toothed beast was among the top-tier mercenaries in the various families. It was simply that this enemy was too powerful; it didn't matter who came. Plus, the flesh-toothed beast was the first to die, which made Stevan look somewhat like a clown…
He's not mediocre; he's capable, and his judgment in people is commendable. However, that's about it. He's excellent, but far from outstanding. Thinking this, Camille looked at Stevan calmly and said, "What's wrong? What happened while I was away?"
The calmness in Camille's eyes pierced Stevan's heart.
"You still have the leisure to drink coffee here?" Stevan suppressed his anger, but his voice was still full of resentment as he said, "You're asking me what's wrong? What happened while you were gone? Do you know how bad the impact of your private conversation with that guy named Farn in front of everyone has been? Now the other families are questioning us, asking if we have already betrayed Piltover, sided with Zaun, and sold out information!"
Upon hearing Stevan's words, Camille showed no surprise or resentment, but instead spoke with cold indifference and calm:
"What's so surprising about this? If we're really talking about betraying Piltover, the situation was far more serious when they deliberately concealed relevant data, causing a district to be flooded by seawater when the Sun Gate Canal opened. Tell them to stop talking nonsense. In the Blue Smoked Manor, how many families are truly clean? Do I need to elaborate on whether they are clean or not?"
Upon hearing this, Stevan's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't stop. Instead, he stared intently at his sister, and after a brief silence, he asked bluntly, "So what did you say to Fain? And why did you go and contact him directly? Do you know that your sudden contact with him has put the family in a completely passive position?"
"That was just them trying to get information from me about Fain, to see if he was willing to become the next King of Zaun and cooperate with them... as the true King of Zaun, not some half-baked figure like Hilko."
Shaking his head, Camille calmly said, "They just want to know what I know. Everything else is just an excuse. And you, my brother, Stevan, I know what you're thinking. You just feel that my unauthorized contact has affected your authority, making you the nominal patriarch in the eyes of other families, but actually the second-in-command. Making you seem less influential than me in the eyes of the rest of the family, that's all."
"I am the clan leader!!"
Stevan was furious when his innermost thoughts were exposed. But this emotion was less anger and more fear—the fear of having the truth revealed and his innermost thoughts directly exposed.
“Calm down, my brother.” Camille frowned slightly as she noticed Stevan’s condition.
"It's just us here, no one else. Our conversations will remain unknown to anyone."
99. Surrender
Hearing Camille's words, Stevan calmed down slightly. But he was soon engulfed in a new wave of anger and resentment—it seemed that all his reactions were exactly what Camille had anticipated. This feeling of having no secrets left to hide wasn't exactly despair for Stevan, but it certainly made him furious.
"I am the head of the Philos family!" Stevan glared at his sister fiercely, his eyes devoid of any affection.
“You shouldn’t have challenged my authority and acted on your own! Your actions have brought a huge crisis to the family! I even have to personally explain to those guys who have been eyeing Hextech’s interests for a long time!”
Hearing this, Camille stared at Stevan for a while, then sighed silently in her heart. She put down her water glass and said calmly, "Your authority will not be affected by my actions, because all my actions are carried out as the chief agent, an extension of your will. If you think that I am challenging your authority by fulfilling my duties, then Stevan, you have a lot to learn."
Hearing Camille's words and seeing the disappointment hidden beneath her calm expression, Stevan felt a surge of anger. He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and said coldly, "Say what you will, I am the head of the Firos family! I will not allow you to continue to carry out missions without my orders!"
Upon hearing this, Camille frowned slightly, but sensing the anger in Stevan's eyes, after a long while, Camille simply nodded silently and said in a calm voice, "As you wish, patriarch."
Hearing Camille's reply, Stevan's mood improved somewhat. However, through the calmness in Camille's words, Stevan could more or less guess that Camille didn't truly agree with his statement. But Stevan didn't care whether Camille agreed or not; all he wanted to do was prove his authority.
Thinking this, Stevan coughed lightly and then said coldly, "I have reached an agreement with Jaggu Middarda, the head of the Middarda family, and we will do our best to help you in the fight against Zaun."
Upon hearing Stevan's words, Camille's eyes widened slightly. She made no attempt to hide her change in expression. Stevan, sensing Camille's reaction, felt a surge of pride—he enjoyed seeing his usually aloof and seemingly all-knowing sister surprised by his plan.
Camille remained silent for a moment before saying, "So, Piltover is ready to completely break with Zaun?"
"It's only a portion, but it's also the vast majority."
Hearing Camille's question, Stevan chuckled, "The Middarda family has already begun contacting the Noxian main branch. As the chief spy, my sister, you should know the relationship between the Noxian Middarda family and the Piltover Middarda family. Piltover's long-term existence is also inextricably linked to Noxus's needs. If we can align ourselves with Noxus in this process, it's far more tempting than the struggle for profits in Piltover itself."
Listening to Stevan's words, and sensing the smugness and confidence in them, Camille nodded after a moment of silence. "It is indeed a good plan. If we can join the Noxian horde, the Feros family's status will rise significantly. Even in Noxus, with the Hextech technology the family possesses, their standing in that land where strength reigns supreme will rapidly increase. I take back what I said earlier; you are more capable than I imagined, no wonder Father chose you to be the family patriarch..."
Camille spoke slowly and deliberately, and as she sensed the excitement in Stefan's eyes, Camille's heart sank to the bottom.
“So, what do you need me to do?” Camille asked.
Seeing this, Stevan said, "It's nothing. You just need to help me continue monitoring Zaun. Of course, don't let Zaun find out. Once the Noxian warships arrive in Piltover, Zaun's so-called independence will become a joke."
As he said this, a cold glint appeared on Stevan's lips, and he clenched his fist, saying, "That guy named Farn has been publicly executed at Blue Smoky Manor? Perfect, the next public execution will be held in the central plaza. And the target will be him!!!"
……
"That's what Stevan said."
Inside the Tower Manor, Camille looked at Farn, who sat in the main seat, with the same calm gaze she had when facing Stevan. However, there were subtle differences between these calm gazes.
When facing Stevan, Camille understood Stevan's personality well, knew his thoughts and underlying reasons, so Camille did not waver easily and appeared naturally calm.
But Fane is different—Camille doesn't know Fane. She can only determine from his words, actions, habits, and fighting style that he comes from the Presidium region of Ionia. And Fane has never hidden anything related to him, and although he seems casual and carefree, every action he takes has a huge impact. So Camille's current calm is more due to her lack of understanding, so she simply chooses to face it calmly.
As Camille, appointed by Stevan to conduct investigations in Zaun in preparation for the upcoming Noxian-Piltwolf alliance, sat before him, laying bare all her plans and intelligence, Fain tapped the table with interest, then looked at Camille and said:
"So... how could you so easily betray your own brother's trust? Don't you feel any guilt at all? And from another perspective, Noxus is actually one of the strongest nations in Runeterra... Do you really have that little faith in them?"
Farn tilted his head and looked at Camille.
Camille bluntly stated, "Noxus is indeed powerful enough, but cooperating with them is like asking a tiger for its skin. Zaun and Piltover are originally one entity, and destroying Zaun is Piltover digging its own grave."
After a pause, Camille calmly said, "As the chief agent, my duty is to maintain the continuation of the family, nothing more."
100 Noxus's movements
Upon hearing Camille's words, Fane nodded and then said, "You chose to join Zaun's side as soon as you heard the news... As an old resident of Blue Smoked Manor, an upper-class family in Piltover, it seems you don't have much confidence in the future of Piltover?"
Upon hearing this, Camille remained silent for a moment before lowering her head and saying, "Zaun may not win, but it certainly won't lose."
Upon hearing Camille's answer, a hint of amusement appeared in Fain's eyes. He then glanced at Jinx, Zelly, and Caitlin, who were sitting at the table.
Or especially Caitlin.
After a brief silence, Farn calmly said, "Tell me why."
Intelligent people always speak easily, without needing to make things complicated. Just like now, after hearing Fane's question, Camille, noticing Fane's gaze, also glanced at Caitlin beside her.
Looking at this subordinate, who held a higher rank—the Feros family being a major benefactor of the Giramane family and the Piltover Guard—Camille didn't stare for long. She quickly looked away, pondering as she spoke:
“My brother Stevan Firos has some ability, but it is not enough to support the whole Piltover. On this basis, the most unacceptable thing about Stevan is that he has the common flaw of many talented but incompetent people - he is eager to prove himself.”
Camille glanced at Fain and said quietly, "Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be a big deal. It would just mean I have to clean up his mess. As the family's chief secret agent, this is my responsibility. But this time, he was wrong. He shouldn't have tied the family so tightly to one cause, binding their interests so deeply."
"Why not?" Caitlin couldn't help but ask, or rather, question.
Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Camille, as if she had many things to say. Camille glanced at Fane, who simply shrugged indifferently, indicating that it wasn't his request, but he didn't intend to stop it either.
Seeing this, Camille glanced at the youthful and beautiful Zephyr, Seraphine, Jinx… then at Caitlyn, a flash of understanding crossing her eyes as if she had realized something. She then explained simply, “If it were any other time, and Stevan made such a choice, I might question it, but I still wouldn’t rashly choose to join Zaun’s side. Because in the past, even if Zaun could achieve a temporary victory, all channels would be firmly controlled by Piltover, and defeat would only be a matter of time.”
"But things are different now. Zaun now has the power to destroy Piltover along with it. And..."
After a pause, Camille added, "And, Stevan never actually came to Zaun."
Upon hearing this, a hint of amusement flickered in Fain's eyes.
Farn didn't know much about Stevan Firos. Even in Camille's backstory, it was only briefly stated that Stevan was killed by Camille because of his foolishness and his opposition to Camille's ideals, and the new head of the family was a younger female figure whom Camille favored.
However, the short story "The Most Distant Thing is the Human Heart" provides a relatively detailed depiction of the conflict between Camille and Stevan. Camille herself wasn't the main issue; the primary concern was Stevan's desire for Camille's heart, as he wanted to stand up again. But in the end, it was revealed that Camille was chosen for the surgery not because she was the older sister, but because she was more deserving of the opportunity.
Feeling the gazes of Farn and Caitlin beside her, Camille said, "Zaun and Piltover are one. No matter how much the gentlemen and ladies of Blue Smoked Estate try to divide these two cities, they are one. It's not just about culture and history, but also about the ties of shared interests. Stevan doesn't understand Zaun. He doesn't know how harsh the environment is there, and he can't comprehend the price the people of Zaun have paid to survive."
Camille said in a deep voice, "Moreover, Zaun is no longer what it used to be. With the collapse of the Alchemist Baron's regime, the entire power of Zaun has been consolidated into one force by the winds of change. And Piltover is also full of all sorts of Zaun scholars and Zaun sympathizers. Joining Noxus would be the worst mistake of all, the stupidest of all."
As Camille spoke, a cold expression appeared on her face.
"Although the Philos family made its fortune through Hextech crystal mines, the core reason that truly enabled them to hold permanent seats in the Grand Council is the purification and reprocessing of related crystal resources. The creation of synthetic crystals through alchemy and other means is also an important industry for the Philos family."
By remaining neutral, the Feralas family could simply stand by and watch. For both the Zaunites and Noxians, the Hextech crystal industry is the most valuable asset. Giving it over would merely be a concession of some profits for the Feralas family. While this might seem to harm the family's interests, it also forges a deeper bond of shared interests with other powers.
There are always enough options. Instead of, like now, gamblers betting everything on the Noxian warship, especially when it's in its most chaotic state.
Upon hearing Camille's words, Farn remained silent, but Caitlin, standing to the side, fell into a brief silence with a complex expression.
While Caitlyn was agonizing over the decisions of the Piltover councilors, Fain was more interested in Camille's comments about the situation in Noxus. He simply asked, "The most chaotic time? What happened? What's going on in Noxus now?"
"War." Upon hearing Farn's question, Camille didn't mince words but answered directly:
"Piltwolf is situated at the crossroads of Valoran and Shurima, and the Sungate Canal and Sea Locks handle nearly 80% of the shipping traffic between the two continents. According to our spies' investigations, Noxus has prepared a large amount of military supplies to send to its northwestern border and northeastern coast. Combined with its internal legion movements, it's clear they are about to launch a new all-out war to relieve internal pressure. Joining Noxus under these circumstances would only make the Ferocious family a pawn in the power struggles of those butchers."
101. Changes in LeBlanc
Upon hearing Camille's words, a few thoughts crossed Fane's face.
Although Fain is now rooted in Zaun, the main reason is that Zaun is chaotic enough and people's lives are miserable enough that Fain only needs to do a little bit of useful work to complete the region's initial accumulation and obtain enough happiness.
As for whether this is profiting from tragedy... Farn doesn't think so. Because whatever Farn gains, he is indeed improving the living conditions of the people of Zaun. Even corrupt officials who can do real work are entrusted with important responsibilities, let alone people like Farn who pursue knowledge and can make them feel happy and fulfilled?
In contrast, given Piltover's already affluent living environment, it is extremely difficult to bring sufficient joy and happiness to its people—or rather, the effort and reward are disproportionate.
In Zaun, giving them a full meal, even if it's just cold water and sawdust bread as hard as a rock, will make them happy and grateful. But the same resources in Piltover will only be seen as humiliation and torture.
However, there is no denying that Piltover still possesses immense value.
For example, right now, through Camille's channels, Fain can easily ascertain Noxus's military movements.
The northwestern border? That should be the part bordering Freljord. Fain recalled the chronicles related to Noxus. Darkwill, the then emperor of Noxus, was quite intelligent and shrewd in his youth. Although he was the youngest son of the royal family, he still ascended the throne through cooperation with the Black Rose organization.
He then betrayed and secretly executed LeBlanc, the leader of the Black Rose at the time. However, times have changed, and Darkwill is now old and fearful of death. LeBlanc reappears before him in her youthful form, telling him about the existence of a way to achieve immortality. From then on, Noxus officially entered the period of indirect rule by the Black Rose.
LeBlanc's ultimate goal is to remotely control Noxus to gather more magical power in order to fight Mordekaiser, who could break free from one of the spiritual realms of the underworld at any time.
In her memory, the war between Noxus and Freljord was essentially a war initiated by LeBlanc to search for the power of True Ice magic. However, on the surface, it was disguised as Darkwill's invasion of Freljord in pursuit of immortality. Now, Noxus is amassing troops towards its northwestern border, which suggests that LeBlanc herself has already put her plans into action?
And the mobilization of supplies along the northeastern coast of Noxus... was it really for Ionia?
Originating from Presidium in Ionia, Noxians were already present on Ionia's soil when Fain was shipwrecked and ended up in Zaun.
However, the Noxians at that time were relatively mild-mannered, traveling to Presidium under the guise of academic exchange. Ionia's long-standing tradition also led them to accept guests from across the sea with almost no reservations… Now, a large army is gathering; if I remember correctly, it should be Swain's legion?
Thinking this, Faen also fell into a brief silence.
As the driving force behind the lore of League of Legends, many events in Noxus directly influenced many major events in Runeterra.
The Black Rose organization, led by LeBlanc, was the main driving force behind this.
As he pondered, Fane tapped the table. To Camille's puzzled gaze, a graceful and alluring figure emerged from the shadows of Fane.
Holding a staff, his entire body swirled with illusory magic, and he wore a magnificent robe. However, upon closer inspection, although the robe was made of extraordinary materials and exuded a large amount of dissipated magical essence, its design was strangely alluring.
In fact, she was wearing only simple underwear under a loose, trench coat-like cape. The thin fabric barely covered the two soft mounds of flesh on her chest, and the high-cut panties below her groin accentuated her full buttocks, while the stitching of the design drew the eye to her long, shapely legs.
Following the lines of the fabric, the gaze focuses, just as it's about to fall upon the hidden area between the legs, the indigo skirt cleverly conceals the most subtle spot. Light and shadow fall, seemingly covering that most secret corner. But with each step, the skirt sways, revealing glimpses of shadow, as if the protection might be lost at any moment. Like a fishing line, it firmly hooks the gaze, tugging back and forth with the movement of the legs, creating a sense of unease yet an irresistible allure, like a fish on a hook, greedily clinging to its prey.
Camille had a good memory and quickly remembered that this was the illusion mage who fought Fain on Piltover Avenue. If she remembered correctly, he was hired by the Middarda family.
No, it wasn't an employment... it was a trump card arranged by the Middarda family in Noxus.
Camille thought to herself—although she had some confidence in her own abilities, Camille knew very well that a mage who could create hundreds or even thousands of illusions with a wave of his hand, and who could make these illusions appear and disappear, switch places, and control the illusions to launch magical attacks, and who could rival an army of hundreds of people, would be a guest of honor in any city-state.
Reality is not a game. If Camille were to actually face off against someone, even if she achieved a so-called victory, she probably wouldn't be able to determine whether she had killed the real person or an illusion. She would then be left to live in constant fear and anxiety.
But... possessing enough violence, this woman doesn't need to gain trust through flattery.
Just like when LeBlanc first appeared, Camille clearly remembered that this person was completely hidden in the shadows. Apart from the outline of her figure, which made it clear that she was a woman, there was almost no other information about her.
The fact that she is deliberately showing off her charm and allure only shows that she needs to use similar means to strengthen herself in order to gain more trust and resources.
In this conference room, aside from the fact that Farn is male, who else can she show her fawning and seductive demeanor to?
LeBlanc, with her full, soft breasts nestled on Fain's shoulders, said in a sweet, alluring voice, "Master, perhaps you need some humble advice?"