"Ionia sent word already. The first group of Ionians will arrive in Piltover tomorrow afternoon.
Oh, right—Logan, that mother and son you mentioned were also invited to board tomorrow's Hextech airship. But is that kid really as talented as you said?"
Bluewind Court, in Councilor Talis's home—
Logan was dressed neatly, tie fastened, wearing a black suit. He faced Jayce, reached up to tug at his tie, and replied when he heard the question:
"Of course. Once Sett grows up, he'll turn into a walking monster no less terrifying than Vander. Don't let the cute face fool you—give it a few years and you'll understand."
Young animals—especially wild ones—were always absurdly cute when they were small. People said it was some kind of self-protection mechanism? Something to do with evolution and all that. If you asked Logan to explain it, he honestly couldn't do it clearly.
But Sett's childhood and his later years really were two completely different things. Going from a cute little beast-eared kid barely over a meter tall to a red-haired beast of a man—well over six feet, eight-pack abs and all—was probably just a matter of the next few years.
Sett coming to Piltover with his mother was something Logan had agreed on with Sett a long time ago.
So when the first batch of Zaunite and Piltovan craftsmen went to Ionia to help build the Hexgates, Logan specifically had the Enforcers deliver a letter to Sett's mother, asking her to bring Sett to live in Piltover.
Sett's mother accepted gladly. For her, there was nothing left in Ionia worth missing. Her husband had abandoned her and Sett, and her community had expelled them because of Sett. So the only thing she still cared about was Sett.
As long as Sett could grow up healthy and safe, she'd do anything—especially since having Sett study at Piltover University had always been her dream.
"So it's another Vander…" Jayce muttered after hearing that.
Logan's words made Jayce suddenly remember what he'd seen half a month ago in a Zaunite military camp.
The Ionian black-haired girl Logan had brought back—the skinny one who looked young—had faced Vander head-on without giving an inch.
She hadn't completely beaten Vander, but Vander also couldn't do a thing to her. If it weren't for Vander's monstrous recovery, which made it hard for the girl to find a finishing angle, it really would've been impossible to say who would've won.
Jayce lifted the teapot in front of him, poured Logan a cup first, then poured one for himself. He raised his cup and took a big drink before speaking again:
"With how strong Zaun is now… does that mean Piltover can't catch up anymore?"
"In terms of combat strength? Yeah, you definitely can't catch up," Logan thought for a moment, then nodded.
Logan had been back in Zaun for over half a month now. During that time, aside from the first few days—when he and Jinx went out daily to meet people and handle matters—Logan and Jinx had mostly stayed at home afterward.
A message had also come from Mel a few days ago: the day after tomorrow would be the time Logan would take people to Noxus for the banquet.
And after coordinating with Irelia, the first group of Ionians would arrive in the Twin Cities tomorrow.
Not bad. The schedule was tight, but it didn't conflict. Which meant Logan was about to get busy again over the next two days.
"Tch. Fine. Ever since you showed up, none of Piltover's councilors have even dreamed of beating Zaun with brute force anyway," Jayce clicked his tongue, set down his cup, and narrowed his eyes. "Then what about tech?"
"You're asking me?" Logan said. "Aren't you the one who understands that stuff better?"
"Exactly because I understand it too well," Jayce said. "I want to know, from an outsider's perspective, how big the tech gap between Zaun and Piltover really is."
Logan thought for a moment and said, "If you exclude Hextech, I don't think Zaun is worse than Piltover in any meaningful way."
He smiled at Jayce and started counting on his fingers. "Look. Zaun has Viktor, Ekko, Jinx, Singed, Heimerdinger…"
"Alright, I get it," Jayce said, covering his face.
Damn.
Looking at it like that, Piltover really had been surpassed by Zaun in terms of talent.
Piltovans and Zaunites weren't that different in the first place. Hundreds of years ago, they'd been one people—genetics wasn't going to be some huge divider. Put simply: whether it was Zaun or Piltover, most people were smart.
So as long as Zaun had a good environment and enough time, catching Piltover wouldn't actually be that difficult.
Economically, Zaun still wasn't even a strand of hair compared to Piltover—but Zaun was ambitious now. Digging canals, expanding trade routes, developing industries. Zaun wasn't the broken, struggling Zaun of the past anymore.
Jayce smacked his lips. He didn't personally have much of an issue with it, but some of Piltover's wealthy merchants were panicking. They were terrified Zaun would surpass Piltover in those areas too—then sit on top of them.
But seriously… thinking back, if Zaunites hadn't been kind back then, would those people even have the luxury to worry about this now?
Sometimes Jayce found them exhausting. When interests aligned, everyone was friends. But the moment profit distribution shifted even a little, suddenly it was unacceptable.
"Why are you suddenly asking me all this?" Logan looked at Jayce and asked after thinking a moment.
"Because Zaun is improving too fast, and some people can't sit still," Jayce replied casually.
"Who?"
"Too many to count. Even Councilor Kiramman is worried because of it," Jayce waved his hand, irritated, then added, "But don't worry. Mel's already handling it."
"What do I have to worry about…" Logan muttered.
Zaun and Piltover were cooperating well, but over time, it was inevitable some people would start getting ideas. Logan wasn't good at politics, but that didn't stop him from understanding how things worked.
Besides—once Logan returned to Zaun, those thoughts would disappear anyway.
"Compared to that," Jayce said, "Logan, I'm more curious about how we plan to deal with Noxus."
"You went to Ionia, connected with their leadership, and established cooperation between the Twin Cities and Ionia," Jayce's expression changed as he asked seriously. "From that alone, I can tell… Logan, are you trying to unify all of Runeterra?"
"Jayce," Logan said after thinking it through, "our enemy isn't Noxus."
All this time, the people of the Twin Cities—including Logan—had mostly been handling their own affairs. But for Logan, even as he did what he needed to do, he also understood one thing clearly:
Whether it was Noxians or Demacians, in the future, humanity—no, the living beings of all Runeterra—would have only one true enemy.
The Void.
It was Year 988. And according to Noxian records, by Year 989, Runeterra would enter a period where major events erupted across the world.
In that timeline: Swain rose to power in Noxus and established the Trifarix. Darius fled the northern front, returned to Noxus, and became one of the three seats. In Demacia, Garen became captain of the Dauntless Vanguard, and conflicts with mages grew more intense. In Shurima, Azir and Xerath returned. And above all—events involving the Void would begin pushing into the center of the world's upheaval.
And the Darkin would gradually become more active as well.
So if possible, Logan believed Noxus, Demacia, and even a place like the Freljord would all be targets the Twin Cities should try to win over in the future.
Humanity had to stand together—united against the Void and the Darkin.
And Mordekaiser and Viego were massive problems too.
"I support you, Logan," Jayce said, sitting up straighter as he faced Logan. "Me, Piltover—we're willing to follow you. But will the Noxians think the same way?"
"That's why we accepted the invitation to attend their banquet, isn't it?" Logan replied.
"But that banquet isn't hosted by Swain," Jayce said. "And Noxus is under his control right now."
"But we'll definitely meet him," Logan said with a smile. "When we do, we'll talk."
After gaining demonic power, Swain understood Runeterra's future crises better than anyone. Because of that, Logan believed Swain would agree.
Jayce looked at Logan's smile. After a moment, he smiled too, nodded, and muttered, "Alright. If that's what you've decided, we'll do it. We'll all listen to you."
"Good," Logan said, standing up and brushing off his pants. "Then I'm heading out. I need to pick Jinx up and bring her home."
With that, Logan vaulted straight out of the second floor. He flashed out of Jayce's sight and vanished.
Jayce only grabbed a piece of fruit from the side, took a big bite, and chewed thoughtfully—turning over a question in his mind:
To increase Piltover's combat power… maybe it was time to start developing Hextech armored battle suits.
————
Following his mother onto the Hextech airship, cheeks flushed and luggage in hand, Sett stared at the Enforcers busy at work on the deck nearby.
He wanted to go over and see what they were doing, but his mother tightened her grip on his hand and wouldn't let him.
"Don't run around," she whispered. "You'll fall."
An Enforcer passing by froze for a moment, then smiled at Sett's mother and said, "Please don't worry. After takeoff, the airship will activate a magical protective barrier. No one will fall."
"What are they doing?" Sett pointed toward the area he'd wanted to go to earlier, asking curiously.
These past days, Sett had listened to Logan. He'd been learning to read and study. Bondweave Village's library had kids reading there every day, and Sett was one of them.
Through books, Sett had gradually learned more about the world. He'd started to think he understood a lot.
But now, looking at such a massive Hextech airship—and all those strange devices—Sett realized again that he might not understand anything at all.
"Mr. Sett," the Enforcer said with a smile, "that's a Hextech core module. It's used to confirm the airship's direction and locate landing points."
Me… mister?
Sett found the other man's friendliness strange. From a young age, Sett had been good at catching other people's emotions. It wasn't some innate gift of Vastayan blood—it was just what happened when you experienced enough of the world.
He'd been excluded and bullied too many times. Eventually, he learned how to read people.
So Sett looked up at the Enforcer and asked quietly, "Do you know me?"
"Of course," the Enforcer said. "Councilor Logan told us you're his student, and he asked us to take good care of you."
"Teacher?" Sett froze. Hearing Logan's name made his eyes brighten. Then he asked, "Teacher Logan… is he a councilor of Zaun?"
"Yes," the Enforcer replied, voice full of admiration. "Lord Logan is Zaun's leading councilor, and Zaun's ruler."
"…"
Teacher Logan—the man who was strict in class but warm and smiling the moment class ended—
He was the ruler of Zaun?
How was that even possible?!
Sett felt his head spinning.
The Hextech airship was incredibly fast. After only a short nap, Sett was nudged awake by his mother. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the environment around him.
He was now above a high tower. The Hextech airship hovered hundreds of meters in the air. Ahead, people were steadily approaching the platform and disembarking from the airship.
Soon it was the turn of Sett's airship to dock with the platform. When several Enforcers pulled a device, Sett heard a sharp click. The ship shook, and with a heavy rumble, a massive staircase extended out and connected to the platform.
"Ionians, you may disembark now," an Enforcer shouted through a megaphone. "After leaving the ship, do not wander. Please wait here—someone will arrive shortly to guide you to your residences!"
Sett followed his mother, grabbed their belongings, and stepped off the airship.
Among the Ionians on board, only Sett and his mother were villagers from Bondweave Village. The rest were members of the Navori resistance—a group of men and women who looked dangerous at a glance. But after disembarking, they stood obediently in a line, waiting for the Twin Cities personnel who would guide them.
No reason, really.
They were just completely stunned by the magnificent city-state in front of them.
The Hexgates—hundreds of meters tall—and the countless gorgeous Piltover buildings spread beneath it left them so overwhelmed they barely dared to speak above a whisper.
"Over here!"
A uniformed Enforcer walked out. He was tall and broad, with a neatly groomed beard, holding a megaphone as he shouted:
"Ionians, look this way!"
"I'm Piltover Enforcer Loris, badge number 092!"
"Follow me. I'll be responsible for guiding you to your future residences."
Sett's mother held his hand and started forward—
But at that moment, two other Enforcers stepped in.
"Wait. You won't be living in Piltover."
"Right," the tall, skinny young man said with a grin. "I'm Marsen. That's Willa. Logan sent us."
"Where's Teacher Logan?" Sett asked curiously.
Honestly… he really missed Logan.
And he kind of missed the boss lady too. She was scary, but Sett could tell that while she bullied him, she also liked him—maybe because Logan had been kind to him.
"Logan?" Marsen smacked his lips, then lifted a hand and waved with a laugh. "About an hour before you arrived in Zaun, he and the councilors boarded a Hextech airship and left for Noxus."
"If you want to see him, barring any surprises, it should be three days from now."
Sett nodded.
Then, accompanied by the two Zaun enforcers, he and his mother traveled to Zaun.
Once they entered the undercity, Sett was shocked all over again by what he saw.
It wasn't the dirty, chaotic nightmare he'd imagined. Instead, even though the buildings were crowded and packed tight and sunlight was scarce, it didn't feel oppressive.
The streets were clean. The walls were covered in murals. Kids around Sett's age ran everywhere. Even the air smelled surprisingly fresh.
"This will be your home from now on," Willa said as they stopped in front of a small building. "Logan said your tailoring skills are excellent, so we prepared a small shop for you as your livelihood."
"Don't worry. In Zaun, no one dares to cause trouble."
Willa pulled up the iron door, revealing the not-too-large interior—maybe only a few dozen square meters. The first floor would serve as the shop. Upstairs would be the living space for Sett and his mother: two rooms, a small living area, and a bathroom.
"Then we'll be going," Marsen said. "If anyone causes trouble in the future, tell us immediately. This isn't a special privilege made just for you—every person who comes to live in Zaun receives the same protection."
"Our duty is to protect you," Marsen added with a smile. "Ma'am, please rest assured. In Zaun, we accept anyone."
Sett's mother nodded.
————
At the same time, in Noxus.
In front of the Immortal Bastion, a group of people dressed in red stood in a line.
At the front was a slick-haired, overly made-up, pot-bellied man. He looked at the group approaching from ahead and broke into a smile, a golden tooth flashing in the sunlight.
He stepped forward and called out loudly:
"People of the Twin Cities, I am the head of the Srilan family. Welcome to your arrival."
"Welcome to Noxus."
The Srilan family head—unpleasant as he was to look at—bowed slightly.
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