Interesting Characters Among Mercenaries

Chapter 68 Interesting Characters Among Mercenaries

(The plot of Chapter 59 has been corrected. Vi left the Piltover Council meeting before it began due to issues of identity and secrecy, and was unaware of its content. This was a mistake made while writing an extra chapter at the time; it has now been corrected, and those interested can reread it.)

Upon hearing Tarlin's words, Caitlin's heart nearly leaped into her throat.

However, her noble birth and good upbringing allowed Caitlin to quickly calm down. She simply looked at Tallinn with a calm expression and said, "The terrain of the Kumangu Mountains is complex, and Piltover does not have detailed topographical data. The reason for gathering so many people is simply to be able to travel to Ixtal more quickly for a diplomatic visit."

To this, Tallinn remained silent, and simply drank the medicine for clairvoyance.

As bioelectric currents activate nerves, physical sensations influence the sense of touch in the mind, and the world perceived by Tallinn changes rapidly.

Compared to Neeko, Tarin can also sense the shoma of others, but unfortunately, due to his racial talent, Tarin can only read the general emotions of others at most.

Such as broad, vague categories as joy, anger, and sadness.

Of course, if the other party is willing and able to open their Shuma for Tarin to read, Tarin will naturally be able to read more information as well.

Unfortunately, not to mention whether Caitlin herself is willing to open the Shuma, it is unknown whether Caitlin can even sense the existence of the Shuma.

But—it doesn't really matter.

Sure enough, just as Tarin took the clairvoyance potion, Neeko, who had noticed this, opened her schoma on her own, accompanied by the cooing of birds, and directly transmitted the part of Caitlyn's memories that she had read to Tarin.

After a moment, Tallinn nodded thoughtfully.

"Forty-eight to nine — what a disappointment."

Tallinn shook his head with some regret.

Upon hearing Tarlin's words, even though she tried to tell herself to stay calm, Caitlin's eyes narrowed slightly involuntarily. She then calmly replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know, and you know exactly what I'm talking about," Tallinn said, shaking his head. "From the very beginning, I had no hope for your Piltover system."

Tallinn said calmly, "Although citizen councilors, technology representatives, and trade nobles form a parliament to democratically legislate and make decisions, the core power is still jointly controlled by large families and technology oligarchs."

"This system may have good creativity in the process of development, but with the interest disputes that arise during development, many internal problems will inevitably arise. It appears open on the surface, but in reality, it is conservative among the elites, trying to maintain the existing interest structure and resisting deep reforms."

"Many oligarchs prioritize their own interests, and in order to protect their interests, it is inevitable that they will unite with external forces to expand their prestige."

Upon hearing Tarlin's words, Caitlin was slightly taken aback. After hesitating for a moment, she frowned and asked, "Then, according to Your Excellency, what should Piltover be like?"

"What Piltover looks like is none of my business, but the current Piltover is not what I need," Tarin said succinctly. "I can quite accept Piltover holding opposing views to me for the benefit of its city-state, or even opposing Ixtal for the better development of its city-state."

"But if Piltover is merely being manipulated and coerced by the technology and public opinion of some trade nobles, and they see it as a bargaining chip to blackmail me, then it is my necessary responsibility to help Piltover better integrate into the Runeterra family."

Through the political structure and deep core of Piltover that Neeko read in Caitlin's mind, Tarlin was basically able to determine that the timeline he was in was not the timeline of the Battle of the Twin Cities, but a hybrid timeline of the old version of the Twin Cities and the Battle of the Twin Cities version of the Twin Cities.

Simply put, characters such as Zephyr, Seraphine, Mundo, and Urgot did not appear in the Twin Cities version.

However, in Caitlyn's memory, although Tarin did not see their appearance directly, she confirmed their existence through Piltover's internal records.

Thinking about this, Tarlin was also somewhat moved—Neeko was really too good to be true.

While pondering, Tallinn looked up at Caitlin again and said, "You're just following orders, so I won't make things difficult for you. I'll give you two choices."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but what kind of choice are you talking about?" Caitlin didn't rashly agree to anything. Putting aside other aspects of her upbringing, her education in defending against textual traps was at its peak.

To this, Tallinn simply shook his head and chuckled, "Don't worry, I never intended to use a word trap to trick you into admitting anything."

Caitlin didn't speak, she just narrowed her eyes.

After that, Tarlin also extended his hand and said unhurriedly, "Piltwolf's ambition stems from an unrealistic overconfidence in its own strength. Once you realize the absolute gap in strength between you, you will naturally make the right choice—no, perhaps you won't even need to feel the absolute gap in strength."

Tarlin chuckled and said, "According to Piltover's system, as long as a few people realize that their interests are being harmed, they will go crazy selling off Piltover's interests, even if it harms the overall interests of Piltover, just to ensure that they have enough say in the Piltover Council."

Upon hearing Tarlin's words, Caitlin's heart sank.

Although she didn't say anything, Caitlin knew very well that Tarlin was right.

The Middarda family is the most obvious example—the main branch of the family is a major noble family in Noxus, and the branch in Piltover is just a branch of the family.

Even this branch, thanks to the continuous military and trade orders from Noxus, has become a pivotal core family in Piltover, enjoying a permanent seat in the Piltover Council.

But the question is, why did Tallinn have to say it?

"Now we acknowledge the Piltover Council's plans to develop and seize all of Ixtal's resources," Tarin said.

Caitlin shook her head: "I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's the second option," Tallinn said. "I'll give you half an hour to prepare, to be ready to admit it, or to accept the consequences of being deceived."

Although they talk about civilization and progress, in reality, when dealing with a clown like Piltover who jumps around because he thinks he has some skills, a good beating is more effective than any words.

Caitlin remained silent, then took a deep breath, raised her hand behind her back, and made a simple gesture.

Negotiations broke down; preparations were made for a decisive attack.

Although Tallinn herself did not understand the specific meaning of the gesture, as Caitlin made the movement, the law enforcement officers raised their rifles, and the Hextech crystals embedded in the gun barrels lit up with a ghostly blue light.

Noticing the actions of their patrons, the mercenaries from Shurima drew their weapons, watching with great interest the enforcers of Tarin and Piltover, waiting for either side to pull the trigger so they could intervene in the battle at the very first moment it began.

Seeing this, Qiyana raised an eyebrow, then sneered and said, "Is this the time to reveal your true colors? You're really not easily frightened; you've exposed yourself all at once."

Qiyana's trust in Tarin is not unconditional, but it's practically the same, though she'd never admit it.

As it stands now, seeing that Mrs. Piltover is ready for battle, Qiyana's main strategy is to first doubt and then question, and to presume guilt.

Sure enough, holding the Oletar Ringblade beside him, as the gathering spell glowed faintly, a terrifying cold wind suddenly swept through the entire area.

The Yuntars standing nearby didn't waste any words. Although they were curious about the civilization before them, when traveling, they were clearly more trustworthy than these strangers who seemed to have ill intentions.

For a moment, all sorts of axiomatic arcs drifted and swirled in the wind, shimmering with magical light, as if they would burst through the air at any moment.

The traces of this magic weighed heavily on the Piltover law enforcement officers—Runeterra is called Runeterra because of the ubiquitous magic.

In a bustling and chaotic place like Piltover, the last thing law enforcement officers want to deal with are thug mages.

Having mastered powerful magic, the enforcers' team inevitably suffers injuries and casualties in every mission involving mages.

Seeing the Yontar of Ixtal, and the elemental masters and apprentices preparing to unleash magic, their severe PTSD immediately put them on edge.

Of course, this tension did not truly overwhelm them.

In fact, with the development of Hextech, the enforcers of Piltover have already mastered power that is in no way inferior to that of ordinary mages.

For this mission, each of them was armed to the teeth. Those who were originally selected to participate in this mission were the elite of the Gilaman family, and after overcoming their initial fear, a fierce glint appeared in their eyes.

The flesh-toothed beasts nearby didn't just stand by and watch; led by Rengar, they immediately drew their hunting knives and axes.

Its tiger-like eyes were filled with cold light, and its massive body, averaging 2.4 meters tall, resembled a high wall, making one's palms sweat just by looking at it.

The Shurima mercenaries, however, were not afraid—after all, the Kiraman family had promised a hefty sum, and everyone was calculating their money!

For these mercenaries who always risk their lives, it's almost impossible to defeat them with mere intimidation.

Just as the atmosphere was getting heated, Vi stepped forward and stood directly in front of Caitlin.

As he clenched his fists, two high-purity Hextech crystals atop the Atlas gauntlets erupted with dazzling arcs of energy, causing the gauntlets to hum loudly: "Want to fight? I'd like to see how many tech cannon shots you leaf-and-stone dabblers can withstand!"

After saying this, Wei paused, then snorted coldly, "I advise you to calm down and think carefully. The power of Piltover may far exceed your imagination!"

As she said this, a hint of sadness flashed in Wei's eyes.

Having just been released from prison, Vi had received many favors and gained Caitlin's trust.

Even so, Vi was still a Zaunite at heart. Now, seeing the fearless and indomitable spirit of the Tarlin and Ixtal people, a sense of sorrow welled up within Vi.

Whether it was Tarlin or Qiyana—in these Ixtals, Vi only felt a deep sorrow.

Although she had only recently been released from prison, even now, Vi still vividly remembers the awe she felt when she returned to Piltover and stepped onto the city floor.

Although she said she didn't care anymore, Wei never truly forgot about Zuan, not even for a single moment.

Now, looking at Tarin and the others before her, Vi felt as if she were seeing Zaun again—

But Piltover today is not the Piltover of the past.

Thinking to himself, Wei swallowed hard, then looked at Tallinn seriously and said, "Let's end this here. Continuing like this will only lead to nothing."

Through Neeko's Sholma perception, Tarlin gained some understanding of Vi's thoughts.

To this, Tallinn simply shook his head calmly and said, "More importantly, you should prepare yourself first."

Without much small talk, Tallinn simply began to stretch his body at a leisurely pace.

While moving around, Tarin glanced at Qiyana and the others behind him and said, "Leave this to me. It'll be a good opportunity for me to see how much I've improved over this period."

Upon hearing Tarin's words, Qiyana raised an eyebrow and then said, "Are you sure? Don't you want us to come and help?"

"Don't worry, it won't be too difficult. They don't have much fighting spirit, and they can't be considered real soldiers at all."

Tallinn shook his head, making no attempt to lower his voice.

Upon hearing Tallinn's words, the law enforcement officers standing nearby also revealed cold glints in their eyes, all exuding hostility.

However, constrained by Caitlin's orders, they merely organized their weapons, preparing to vent their anger once the battle began, and to show these jungle savages what the power of progress truly meant.

Tarin, however, seemed unconcerned. He glanced at Caitlyn, Vi, and the familiar figure among the Shuriman mercenaries wielding a boomerang, and said unhurriedly, "There are a few decent guys. Too many of them, and we don't want to accidentally hurt anyone."