The Aftermath of the Outburst

Chapter 80 The Aftermath of the Outburst

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, Mel's expression twitched uncontrollably a few times, and the seriousness in his eyes deepened.

Although Mel snapped out of his fear in time, unfortunately, this realization also made him more acutely aware of what the strait blockade meant.

Instinctively, Mel wanted to stop her, but as soon as he raised his head, he felt Qiyana's undisguised sarcasm and ridicule.

This reminded Mel of the first time he met Qiyana yesterday.

Although Mel was just observing silently in the crowd without saying a word, he could still sense the arrogance and indifference in Qiyana's expression and demeanor, even though Qiyana hadn't said a single word from beginning to end except for the initial introduction.

Qiyana's behavior was interpreted by many Piltover daily newspapers as reserved and silent. This made Mel wonder if he was mistaken.

But now it seems that there is clearly no problem with what I feel.

This Princess Kiana of Ixtal is pure pride and pure contempt for Piltover.

Is this contempt due to ignorance?

Mel didn't know, but she knew now wasn't the time to speculate, because if the strait really was...

If it is closed, then the entire Piltover may face the most severe crisis since the opening of the Sungate Strait.

Thinking it over, Mel immediately spoke up, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness Qiyana!"

As he said this, Mel strode forward, pressed down on the muzzles of the Hextech-powered rifles the law enforcement officers were raising, and then looked around and shouted, "Calm down, everyone!"

"There's nothing to be calm about." Qiyana looked at Mel and the others with disgust and said coldly, "The reason Ixtal was willing to have peaceful exchanges with you this time was because Tarin acted as a go-between. I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. But it doesn't matter. Once this sea is blocked for a while, you will naturally understand your own foolishness and ignorance!"

Upon hearing Qiyana's words, Mel was slightly taken aback, and then the still rational people in the hall subconsciously turned their gazes toward Tarin on the side.

In response, Tallinn shook his arm, then shrugged and said, "I'm from Ionia."

Tallinn's words caused a look of confusion to appear on Mel's face.

The reason is simple: according to the information provided by Ixtal, Tallinn was the person in charge of this diplomatic mission.

For an ancient kingdom that had been hidden from the world for thousands of years to entrust such an important first diplomatic mission to an outsider—it sounds a bit like a fantasy.

Doesn't Ixtal have anyone he can trust? Why does he have to find an outsider?

While Mel was still confused, Tarlin shook his head indifferently and then said slowly, "Although there were some unexpected events, at least the result is good."

"Huh?" Having expected Tarin to offer some explanation for his sudden outburst, but instead hearing him describe the situation as "good," Mel hesitated briefly before frowning and asking, "Did the people of Ixtal come here with the intention of starting a war?"

"That's not the case." Tarin shook his head, then looked at Mel and said, "But it's clear that a significant number of people in Piltover don't understand the true significance of Ixtal's arrival."

This misjudgment of one's own strength and the status of others can affect the course of many things. Therefore, let's take this opportunity to fully demonstrate our respective attitudes.

As he said this, he paused, a smile appearing on Tarin's lips. Looking at Mel, he said calmly, "Of course, as the head of the Middarda family, you have every right to call your mother."

Upon hearing Tarlin's words, Mel's eyes narrowed slightly.

From God's perspective, there's nothing about Mel's background that would surprise Tallinn.

However, in Runeterra today, at least in Piltover, it remains a secret known only to a very few.

Or rather, it was precisely because of her mother's influence that Mel was able to quickly rise to the position of head of the Middarda family after arriving in Piltover, replacing the original head of the family, Jaggu Middarda, at numerous meetings.

But for Mel, the so-called mother is just a painful memory.

As Mel's eyes narrowed, Tarin simply said, "I think—your mother would also be willing to get involved in this conflict."

After saying this, Tallinn didn't continue the conversation with Mel, but simply nodded and said, "If there are no further problems, we'll head back to the hotel to rest now."

Although he was asking a question, Tallinn showed no intention of waiting for Mel's reply and strode toward the door after speaking.

Upon seeing this, the law enforcement officers on the side instinctively tensed up, unsure whether to stop them or step aside.

Just as they were still at a loss, a clear, cold voice came from the side.

"Escort Ishtar's diplomatic mission to the hotel."

Looking in the direction of the sound, what came into view was none other than Caitlin, dressed in a law enforcement officer's uniform.

Although the current situation has developed somewhat unexpectedly, Caitlin has not forgotten her identity and her choices.

Rather, Caitlin felt a slight sense of exhilaration after witnessing Tallinn's decisive and ruthless action.

Because during her time with Tallinn, Caitlin was certain that Tallinn was not the impulsive, hot-tempered type of person.

On the contrary, Tallinn knew Piltover better than even a local like herself. And yet, she still chose to violently attack—

To others in Piltover, this might have seemed like nothing more than Tallinn's violence and recklessness; but Caitlin was instead inspired by her long conversations with Tallinn.

Of course, for now, Caitlin can only think about it in her heart and cannot express it directly.

Even so, as Caitlin made her way through the crowd to clear a path for Tarlin and the others to their hotel, she still noticed the approval in her mother's eyes through a brief eye contact.

To defuse the current deadlock and demonstrate loyalty without leaving a trace.

Even though Cassandra doesn't know much about Tarlin yet, Caitlin's on-the-spot reactions still greatly satisfy her.

However, along with the satisfaction in their eyes also emerged a sense of heaviness and confusion, as they could not see the future or even the present situation.

Back at the hotel, Caitlin gradually relaxed and then simply turned to Tallinn beside her, asking, "So, what's the next step?"

Caitlin glanced out the window, then frowned slightly and drew the curtains. As word spread, some residents had already gathered around the hotel.

If this were anywhere else, they would probably be shouting things like "Hand over the prisoner!"

Unfortunately, while Piltover lacks a secular monarchy, the control over judicial power by families like the Giramans has reached a level of near-monopoly that ordinary secular monarchies cannot compare to.

In Piltover, those who become "million-dollar port workers" are not just the laborers making a living at the port docks.

For the Giraman family, weren't those law enforcement officers outside the family also working for them?

In this situation, they received orders from Caitlin. Although the law enforcement officers were also confused by such orders, it did not stop them from waving their Hextech stun batons and glaring at these troublemakers who seemed like they could storm the hotel at any moment.

"They are strangely loyal."

Tallinn stroked his chin with interest, then glanced at Caitlin and said, "The next thing to do is—do nothing."

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Caitlin was taken aback at first, but as the chief of the family raised by a large family, like mother, like daughter, having grown up amidst intrigue and power struggles, Caitlin immediately realized what Tarin meant.

Looking out the window at the brightly lit Blue Smoked Manor atop the tower, Caitlin keenly realized that, compared to Tallinn, who was fully prepared to erupt, the trading nobles, who hadn't expected Tallinn to dare to publicly provoke them, were actually in a more passive position.

"This absolutely cannot end here!!"

Inside the luxurious banquet hall of Blue Smoked Manor, Stevan's face was filled with anger and a hidden fear.

Because when Kaden suddenly stood up, Stevan was sitting right next to him. If it were just Kaden, it wouldn't have been a problem, but with Tarin's sudden outburst, the surge of energy instantly and completely stunned Stevan into place.

Despite Mel's ability to break free from the terrifying influence of the Great Jaggi Dragon, in reality, only a few people can do what Mel has.

In particular, this time the level of fear in Tallinn was entirely due to the accumulation of pheromones, rather than being directly catalyzed by killing.

The hormonal influence exerted through mere aura and pheromones is ultimately limited. Or perhaps, this method of influence is ultimately less powerful than the psychological pressure of witnessing one's own kind being beaten and tortured to death.

That's why, after Mel broke free in time, he was able to wake up so many people with a cold shout, allowing the law enforcement officers to even rush into the inner perimeter of the venue.

But this only applies to those who can maintain a portion of their mental clarity even when their minds are suppressed.

Stevan, for example, only woke up from his daze after Tallinn left, and then discovered that his legs, which had betrayed him, were soaking wet under the blanket.

The shock and anger combined with the humiliation of being humiliated made Stevan's face contort with rage.

"Calm down." Because her own daughter had already sided with Tallinn and could not turn back, Cassandra did not experience any major emotional fluctuations due to what happened today.

After all, according to his daughter, Tallinn was by no means a reckless or easily angered person, and had a considerable understanding and unique insights into Piltover's political system.

In this situation, Cassandra was less annoyed by Tarin's outburst and more curious about Tarin's motives.

"After all, it was Kaden who first called them Ixtal monkeys," and he said this to the princess and sister of Ixtal. Cassandra raised her chin and said, "If it were Noxus, would Kaden dare to say that? I'm afraid that the moment he uttered those words, His Majesty Darkwill of Noxus would send a large army to demand an explanation."

Cassandra's meaning was clear—ultimately, it's all because you look down on them.

Cassandra is quite qualified to say that.

When discussing the methods and purposes of contacting Ixtal, Cassandra conservatively chose to prioritize harmony and gradually build mutual understanding, believing that it wouldn't be too late to take action once they had a good understanding of each other.

And the result? Not a single person listened.

Today, when Kaden pointed at Queen Ixtal's sister and called the people of Ixtal monkeys, wasn't that the same thought that other members of parliament had?

If Kaden is really that powerful, then why did he swallow his anger when Noxus forcibly imposed a sea tax on him before?

Why don't you go and curse Noxus? Are you afraid the Middarda family will suddenly pledge their loyalty remotely and then chop you up on the spot?

Now that things have really turned out this way, Cassandra naturally stands aside making sarcastic remarks, acting as if it's none of her business. No one realizes that her daughter has completely fallen into Ixtal's arms.

"Kedon Tarrios, no matter what, is a member of parliament who has obtained a permanent seat in Piltover!"

Upon hearing Cassandra's words, Stevan scoffed, "Is your daughter addicted to being that guy's bodyguard?! Now she's actually siding with these outsiders!"

"That's enough," Mel said coldly from the side.

Although unwilling, Stevan suppressed his dissatisfaction upon hearing Mel's voice and recalling Mel's mother's status in Noxus, though his face still showed deep resentment.

Thinking it over, Stevan said in a deep voice, "Currently, over 70% of Piltover's maritime trade is controlled by the Tarrios family! If we truly ignore Kaden, that would be the real destruction of Piltover!!"

"More important than that, what we need to determine first is why they dared to do this." After a moment of silence, Mel looked at Stevan beside him and said, "I think it's time for that lady to make her move."

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