Stillwater Hold, Levi's cell block.
The atmosphere here had changed significantly compared to a week ago.
Before Levi moved in, the only way these inmates passed the time was by chatting, and the topics were nothing more than bragging about how badass they used to be, how many people they had killed, and how many crimes they had committed.
But a week later, their discussions had shifted to:
"What nonviolent noncooperation? I think it's absolute bullshit! Without violence, who the f*ck is going to cooperate with you?"
"Heh, Zaunites are just barbarians," a Piltovan criminal remarked. "Our Piltover has community autonomy and local councils. If there's a problem, it can absolutely be resolved through council discussions!"
"Resolve my ass!" a Zaunite gang member fiercely retorted based on his own experience. "If you could collect debts just by flapping your lips..."
"...then it's mostly because your brothers already have a gun pressed against that bastard's head, scaring him shitless so he coughs up the money."
"Bah! What debt collection?" The Piltovan criminal scoffed. "Do you think the Piltover Council is some underworld gang you used to run with?"
"Are they not?"
The inmates debated passionately.
Because Levi's education of Vi on Janna Thought was broadcasted openly to the entire cell block.
So, after a week of actively or passively eavesdropping on these lessons, the criminals had also picked up some of the ideological theories.
However, most of them were too set in their bad habits, too selfish, and too hardened by their experiences. Reality had taught them to be overly cynical and cruel. Even if these people understood the theories, it was difficult for them to develop any pure, idealistic pursuits.
Compared to these criminals, Vi was much more pure-hearted.
After a continuous week of Levi's ideological teachings, she had transformed from an uneducated Zaunite muscle-head into a female warrior with a basic grasp of history, a deep understanding of theory, and unwavering faith.
And her unwavering resolve was particularly evident right now: "Levi, f*ck you! Explain it to me, what the hell is 'nonviolence'?! What the f*ck is non-vio-lence?!"
Levi had promised to show her a clear path, then spent an entire week preaching grand principles to her.
Vi had believed him.
But at the end of all his theories, the "clear path" he pointed out was to kneel firmly and beg the Piltovan lords for charity.
"Nonviolent my ass!"
"Are your brains made of intestines? You gorge yourself on a feast of fancy words, and all you can push out is a giant turd!"
Vi gripped the iron bars of her cell, cursing viciously at Levi.
Levi wasn't angry. The more Vi cursed at him, the more he appreciated her clarity and resolve.
As for the explanation she demanded, Levi certainly wasn't going to give it right now.
The prison block was still a public place, and he wasn't stupid enough to publicly declare rebellion here.
"Levi, say something! You have the guts to spout bullshit, so have the guts to answer me!"
The energetic Vi was still cursing a blue streak.
Levi simply manipulated the air currents to create a vacuum, forming a soundproof headset around his ears, physically achieving a one-click mute.
Then he got back to business. "Janna, continue."
"Mhm," Janna's ethereal, wind-like voice echoed directly in his mind through her telepathic link with her Summoner.
Over the past week in prison, she had been Levi's medium for communicating with the outside world, staying updated on current events, and allowing him, the president, to issue orders and remotely micromanage the Windguides.
"As I was saying, as of this morning, through multi-point propaganda efforts in schools, communities, and factories, the Windguide Association has developed:"
"1,632 potential recruits who are explicitly willing to maintain contact."
"1,014 outer members who have volunteered to join the Windguides but do not yet possess faith."
"521 official members who possess the Power of Faith."
"Among them, 218 are Zaunite professors and students from the University of Piltover, 300 are Zaunite apprentices and their families, and 3 are local Piltovan residents."
Those three "misfit" Piltovan locals were actually Ivern, Caitlyn, and Seraphine.
Viktor considered himself a Zaunite, so he wasn't counted among them.
As for Seraphine...
"She officially became a Windguide too?" Levi asked in surprise.
He had thought this naive girl would need to read many more books to understand the theories and develop faith.
"You underestimate her, Mr. Summoner," Janna sighed with admiration. "This child's mind and willpower are actually quite remarkable."
"As you know, she has been persisting on the front lines of our propaganda efforts these past few days without resting at all."
Going deep into the masses every day, taking root at the grassroots level, listening to the voices of the poor, singing for them, airing grievances, and shedding tears... Tempered by such an environment, even the most naive and fragile young lady could be forged into steel.
Seraphine was merely sheltered, not truly stupid.
After witnessing the experiences of so many Zaunites, she was bound to awaken.
"Furthermore," Janna teased, "Mr. Summoner—you haven't exactly held back on chatting with Miss Seraphine through me, giving the child private 'tutoring' sessions."
Levi felt a bit embarrassed.
He had indeed been having long telepathic chats with Seraphine through Janna over the past few days.
Sometimes they discussed theory, sometimes music, and sometimes other things...
"Ahem, let's put personal matters aside for now," Levi quickly steered the conversation back on track. "No wonder I felt my power suddenly surge today. It turns out Seraphine has also awakened the Power of Faith."
Seraphine's individual mental strength surpassed that of thousands of ordinary people. What was even more terrifying was that, as a gifted genius mage, her mental strength was rapidly growing at a visible rate under Janna's magical training.
And aside from Seraphine, the 218 university professors and Zaunite exchange students they had recruited provided Janna with an extraordinary amount of Power of Faith.
These people were all relentless overachievers who had fought their way out of Zaun's brutal competition; their mental strength was far superior to that of ordinary workers.
"Moreover, as their devotion deepens, the Power of Faith they provide will only increase," Janna said. "What's even more pleasantly surprising is this:"
"The faith of the Windguides is one that elevates people above base desires, making them resolute and pure, tempering human willpower."
"In just the past week, many Windguide members who have developed a profound understanding of the faith and been tempered through their work have seen their willpower solidify, and their mental strength has increased accordingly."
In Runeterra, willpower was, to some extent, a physical force.
The stronger the will, the stronger the mental strength. And strong mental strength meant that a person was one step closer to transcendent power.
"In short, after this brief week of development..."
"...the Power of Faith we've collected is several times stronger than before."
The Power of Faith was influenced by personal conditions such as a believer's devotion and mental strength, making it difficult to measure precisely.
Janna could only offer a rough assessment: "You are now a qualified mage. Even if Piltover's 'Gray Lady' were to personally make a move against you..."
"I could go toe-to-toe with Camille?" Levi asked, feeling a bit smug.
"You're still quite a ways off, but escaping wouldn't be a problem."
Wind elemental mages were, after all, best at running away.
Because they could fly. And they flew incredibly fast.
With this ability at his disposal, Levi wouldn't have to worry too much about his personal safety in the future.
"Alright, enough with the good news." Levi didn't bask in the joyous tidings for too long.
After being a leader for a week, he had gradually realized something: the bad news waiting for a leader to solve would always outnumber the good news.
This was normal. If the subordinates could solve everything, there would be no point in having a leader.
Thus, Levi quickly spotted a problem in the data Janna had reported:
"Out of over five hundred believers, 218 are university teachers and Zaunite exchange students."
This was a good result, indicating that the Windguides' propaganda had achieved clear success on the university campus.
Students were naturally progressive. For the Windguides to achieve such results on campus wasn't entirely beyond Levi's expectations.
"But only 300 are Zaunite apprentices and their families?"
In the Windguides' home base alone—Ivern's factory—there were already 148 Zaunite apprentices.
This meant that the propaganda's effectiveness in Zaunite communities and other factories, while present, was extremely limited.
And this was even with Seraphine helping to host the grievance-airing events, utilizing magical music videos—an artistic propaganda method far ahead of its time.
"Looks like they've run into a problem," Levi sighed.
"Yes," Janna replied. "Not only is there a problem, but it's a very serious one."