On the final eve of the war, Piltover understood the reason for the Zaun rebellion.
It's not just because of the acid rain, but because Victor has developed a new cutting-edge technology, Yuan plans to transform technology!
The heroes of Zaun who died in the war have been resurrected in another way and become stronger!
In short, Zaun comes with new technological power.
"Total nonsense! What does this have to do with me?!"
Jace's face turned pale and he said:
"Congressman Ghosn, what you have to do is resist the war, not punish me!"
"But you are the culprit, Jace. You released the criminals and caused all this."
The congressman said coldly:
"Members of Congress and the court have issued a trial, including your mother's, and your own crimes. You must accept the sanctions together!"
Jace stood up suddenly, terrifying electric energy surged:
"What did you do? What did you do to my mother?"
"It's nothing. She is living a good life now. But in order to ensure that she will always live a good life, your position is very important, so please remember what I say next."
At this time, the congressman suddenly approached Jess and said to him like a bolt from the blue:
"You always have to remember one thing, Jace! You are a people living in Piltover, you are a native of Piltover,"
He said in a cold tone:
"This city-state has raised you and educated you. This is your hometown and home. Now someone is going to crawl out of that hell and kill us. Can you really stand by and watch? You want to betray your hometown and rebel.
Will your education allow those Zaun rats to occupy this land, drive us away, or even kill us all?"
Jace's face turned dark, and he gritted his teeth and said:
"I am from Piltover...but you are wrong first! Congressman Ghosn, Hex Technology was clearly developed by Victor and I, and it was taken for your own use! Why did you do this? I researched it
Better technology is used to change the lives of poor people, not for you to use it to suppress the Zaun people more firmly! You caused me to lose technology and friends, you should have woken up long ago!!"
The current Congressman Ghosn is the person who most vehemently proposed using Hex Technology to create flying doors.
He is the most emotional of all the members, and he is also the guy that Jess has hated the most over the years.
He was partly responsible for the success of the original Hex Flying Gate.
If it hadn't been for him, Hex's flying door might not have been possible.
But the congressman said in a cold tone:
"Jace, you are totally wrong. Your position should be with us, not Zaun. You were born in Piltover. You were born noble. Piltover can give you everything you want."
, but you were instigated by that guy Victor, you should repent."
Jess smiled instead of getting angry:
"Wishful thinking! I won't agree!!"
The congressman said in a gloomy tone:
"Even if it's your mother's condition? Do you have to say this, Jace?"
Jace took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and said:
"Your council has threatened me twice in this way... If I promise you this time... From now on, there will be countless times..."
He roared angrily:
"The situation in the Twin Cities cannot continue like this! I can't make the same mistake again and again. I must resolve this contradiction, otherwise Zuan's resistance will be like a nightmare that will never fade away. I will not agree this time!"
He took out the huge Mercury Hammer:
"You can do whatever you want! Pi City raised me, and you can take my life. You can do whatever you want!"
The congressman stood there quietly. He finally asked:
"Jace, if Piltover is occupied and your hometown is ravaged, are you willing to accept it?"
Jace asked rhetorically:
"So Zu An must be suppressed by you all the time? Is this a reason?"
The congressman's tone also became irritable, and he said angrily:
"You don't know anything! You keep saying that you want to resolve the conflict between the two cities, but you don't know what the real conflict between the two cities is. How do you solve it? You, a scientist, don't know how to govern a city-state! You really use your brain and be careful.
Have you thought about it?"
These words made Jess dumbfounded, and he didn't know how to reply.
"In this way, you and I don't have to argue with each other. We let Dr. Heimerdinger judge everything."
Councilor Ghosn took a deep breath, looked at Heimerdinger aside and said:
"Doctor, Jace is your student. He should be able to listen to your words. Come and tell him where the real contradiction between the two cities lies."
Jace looked at Heimerdinger, his former teacher.
"Jace, he is right, war alone cannot resolve the conflict between the two cities."
Jess said in disbelief:
"Teacher...why do you say that?"
Heimerdinger raised his hand to signal him to calm down, and he sighed:
"Now let me tell you what the real contradiction is in the Twin Cities."
Heimerdinger asked:
"You are a scientist, so you must understand the simplest truth. Science has a price. Do you agree with this view?"
Jace opened his mouth, not knowing why.
Heimerdinger continued:
"Let's start with history. There was a Rune War in Rune Land. It meant the end of the age of the old gods and the arrival of the age of peace. At that time, Zaun was still a large collective and had not been split into upper and lower groups.
Cheng, do you know this history?"
Jace nodded.
Once upon a time, there was no Piltover in Runeterra, only Zaun, a progressive city that later split from Zaun.
Heimerdinger said:
"When the Rune War ended, the age of the old gods disappeared, and the age of peace came, the world fell into stability and peace. Human life around the world gradually became richer, and culture became more prosperous, so there were more and more trade exchanges...
…”
"Zu'an is the only trade channel in Rune Land, so it naturally has many geographical advantages. The people of Za'an have gained more money, culture, various new ideas, and various brand-new minerals and materials..."
"This also means that the people in Zaun are the people with the most knowledge, the most ideas, the richest resources, and the wealthiest people in Rune Land..."
"The best among these people, they have seen all kinds of strange materials and minerals, they have outstanding imagination and creativity, and they dare to use these materials to create all kinds of things that no one has thought of... So a few years later
, a group that has never appeared in Runeterra was born..."
Heimerdinger stared at Jace and said word by word:
"the scientist."
Jess was a little confused:
"Doctor, I have read the history of Piltover's scientific development, and I know all about it."
Heimerdinger continued:
"Then you should know better. After those scientists appeared, Zaun began to vigorously develop industry due to the need for a large amount of new materials and technologies, so something that accompanied the emergence of science also appeared, that is, industrial pollution."
Heimerdinger glanced at Jace:
"This is what I just said, the price of science."
Heimerdinger said in a serious tone:
"Humans use technology to make their lives better, but the price will be borne by the place where we live. So a hundred years ago, when the technology of the Zaan people reached its peak, the place of Zaan could no longer bear the technology.
The cost... it collapsed."
Jace took a deep breath.
He thought of the Zaun explosion that shocked the world.
At that time, Zaun had developed terrible technology, and their desires were endless. The waterway trade brought them wealth, but they were not satisfied with this, so they used terrifying heavy explosives unprecedented in the history of Zaun.
Decided to open a canal!
That's right, that huge canal was opened between the two continents!
In order to make waterways and trade smoother and more convenient, allow more transactions, and make people more profitable, they actually wanted to open a Grand Canal!
Unfortunately, technology comes at a price.
This price will first be borne by nature, and then fed back to people living in nature.
No surprise.
This unprecedented explosion to open the canal failed.
For the first time, Zaun suffered the price of uncontrolled development of science and technology. The explosion not only failed to open up a waterway, but instead changed the nearby earth's crust. In that explosion, the city-state of Zaun was torn apart!
That’s right, it’s torn!
Zaun is like a piece of bread, torn into two pieces from top to bottom.
To this day.
The upper part has become completely independent, and they call themselves the upper town, which is now Piltover.
The lower part is still called Zu'an, which is also the so-called lower city.
But no one knows.
That explosion was actually just the beginning of the tragedy.
From that day on, the price of technology began to make people suffer, in the form of humans themselves.
"You know what? Humans can be stupid, proud, and arrogant sometimes."
Heimerdinger said in a serious tone:
"The heavy price brought by technology that time, not only did people not feel that it was their own problem, but they blamed poor geographical conditions! And they stubbornly believed that their technology was not developed enough. If they planned to open a waterway,
If it were more complete and comprehensive, it would certainly not have caused such a tragedy!"
"So, a terrible scene happened."
Heimerdinger suddenly raised his head!
That kind of gaze simply made Jace feel creepy!
"These people stubbornly believe that science has no price, and the problem is that their technology is not advanced enough, so they start to develop technology even more unscrupulously, hysterically, and frantically..."
"But you know."
Heimerdinger took a deep breath and said:
"Progress in science and technology requires vigorous development of industry and manufacturing. Uncontrolled development of this behavior will inevitably discharge wastewater, poisonous gas, waste materials, and various toxic chemicals... This is a bottleneck that current technology cannot break through!"
"And because Piltover is located in a highland, those toxic fertilizers, wastewater, and various harmful locations can only be forced to fall. After all, these things cannot grow wings and fly out of the universe on their own... So, the unprecedented Zaun
Destructive level pollution has begun."
Heimerdinger said solemnly:
"Actually, no one cared about this thing before, but you know, time is a terrible thing. Once this kind of uncontrolled behavior develops unscrupulously after decades or even centuries, Zaun will suffer an unprecedented terrible price!
"
Heimerdinger reiterates his starting point:
"This is also the price of science that I mentioned before. Zaun was polluted, and it was irreparably destructive. This place was no longer able to survive! At that time, the Zaun people finally realized that they could no longer
If this continues, humans have finally endured nature's counterattack, and they must control the pollution to Zaun."
Heimerdinger sighed:
"But it was too late when the people of Zaun realized the danger. The terrible industrial poisonous gases over the years have completely changed the ecology of Zaun. The fertility of the people of Zaun has begun to decline. A congenital genetic respiratory disease has spread in Zaun. The average life span of the people has dropped.
It begins to decline, and by the age of seventy, sixty, fifty, forty... the survival rate of the entire city-state of Zaun begins to drop significantly."
"From then on, the people of Zaun below began to protest to the top, asking them to stop industrial pollution. Zaun could no longer bear this high-intensity pollution."
"But you know..."
Heimerdinger suddenly sighed and said:
"There is no complete empathy in this world. Mrs. Piltover is very sympathetic on the surface... but in reality? Should they make money or make money? They must continue to open up waterways and open up trade, and they must also increase their efforts to develop industry!"
"All they do is make money and make their own lives comfortable. What does the life and death of other people have to do with them? You know, after all, wastewater will only flow to Zaun below, but the life and death of the people below them does not matter if they build castles or buy airships.
What does it matter?"
"And due to the high-altitude geographical advantage, Piltover vigorously developed science and technology. Not only did it not suffer environmental damage, it also made more and more money... In fact, at this time, Zaun and Piltover were still one.
They were not separated until the 'Three Major Lifting Plans' were proposed..."
At this time, Heimerdinger finally hit the point.
"So, the conflict between Zaun and Piltover started from that day!"
Three major lifting plans.
It was Piltover's plan to prevent the Dorzauns from coming to Piltover.
To prevent more and more Zaans from coming to Piltover due to pollution, the pressure on Piltover's population will increase dramatically.
After all, this city of progress stands on a cliff.
If the population is too dense, it will lead to a crisis for the entire city-state, and it may even collapse off the cliff.
So they issued the "Three Major Lifting Plans".
Piltover began to strictly control the number of people flowing into Piltover.
Having said that, this is also the reason why smuggling is considered the biggest crime in Piltover.
They do not allow ordinary people to come to Piltover, and only allow those who are famous or powerful and wealthy in Runeterra to enter.
Heimerdinger said:
"The three major lift plans are Piltover's plan for Zaun. They have set up three huge lifting devices between the twin cities. Only scholars, scientists, and big businessmen can enter Piltover through the lifts.
.”
He suddenly asked:
"But do you know who came up with this plan?"
Jace shook his head, not even he knew this kind of secret.
Heimerdinger sighed and said:
"It was the first group of Zaunians from the lower city who came up with it. After they moved from Zaun to Piltover, their butts changed. They were afraid that other Zaunians would come to Piltover, so they came up with the idea.
This plan... The great-grandfather of the current Councilor Ghosn was the first batch of Zaun natives to come up from Zaun... So what oppresses the Zaun people is actually their position, or it can be said to be human nature."
Heimerdinger said:
"Jace, you have to know that human nature is selfish."
"As time passed, and the selfish Piltover people ignored them, Zaun began to become angry. They even launched a war, which aroused Piltover's anger, so they began to suppress it. Later, you and Victor
Developed Hex Technology and the two subsequent Battles of Two Cities."
Heimerdinger said:
"So the real source of the conflict lies in the environmental pollution in Zaun. Human nature cannot be changed for hundreds or thousands of years, but the environment can. War will only worsen the situation or let the people of Zaun vent their anger. This is simply
We can’t save Zu’an.”
Jess took a breath of air and looked at Representative Ghosn.
The latter said in a deep voice:
"Jace, you have to know that a long time ago, my ancestors were also Zaun people down here! Why did I use your technology to open the Hex Flying Gate?"
"Think about it carefully... Hex Technology is a brand-new magic technology. It is pollution-free, so we don't have to work hard to open up waterways, let alone research industrial technology, so there will be no pollution!
!”
Senator Ghosn suddenly grabbed Jess's shoulders and said:
"I used your Hex technology to create flying doors and realize trade routes in the air. Over the years, our industrial pollution has indeed been reduced, which is visible to the naked eye! I am trying to find a way to resolve this contradiction. Not all congressmen are
Selfish capitalists, there are still people who care about the future of Piltover!"
There was a loud bang in Jace's head, and he felt numb.
He had always thought that the superiors of Piltover were devils who ate people without spitting out their bones, and they exploited everything.
They forcibly expropriate their own technology without their consent.
But I didn't expect that Representative Ghosn was indeed controlling industrial pollution, because the Hex Flygate is the biggest evidence. It is magic technology and does not require the development of industry to emit poisonous gas.
It turns out that not all Piltover MPs are shady politicians.
At least after Mr. Ghosn came to the end this time, Jess understood that no matter what he thought in his heart, he did do a good thing.
The emergence of the Hex Flygate is right. It reduces industrial pollution emissions in Piltover, which means reducing pollution to Zaun.
Jess's mind was really numb and he didn't know what to say.
"But...why didn't you tell me earlier..."
Representative Ghosn's eyes widened and he showed a ridiculous expression:
"Didn't I say it? If you think about it carefully, have I explained it countless times? But Victor was too extreme back then! You know his character. He was originally withdrawn and stubborn. He believed that Hex Technology must
When it is introduced into Zuan, no one can organize it! My explanation is useless!"
Jace carefully recalled the scene back then, and he suddenly realized that this was really the case.
It's just that at the time, he and Victor agreed that it was a lie by the congressmen and they were just perfunctory.
But I didn’t expect that what he said was true!
Representative Ghosn took a deep breath and said:
"Jace, you are a scientist. No one knows better than you. Solving Zaun's pollution cannot be achieved in the short term. It must be done step by step! And our Hex Flying Gate is the first step. Why do you always think that we
Is it wrong?"
It turns out that when Piltover forcibly built the Hex Flygate, it was partly to prevent industrial pollution.
Granted, of course they want to use it to make money, but they are really reducing pollution.
It’s just that Victor at that time was unwilling to trust these capitalists, so he turned against them directly!
Jess figured something out.
Although these Piltover capitalists are bad, they are definitely not stupid.
They also don't want the pollution to continue, otherwise Piltover will become the next Zaun.
Jace asked again:
"But why do you oppress Zu An so much?"
Ghosn suddenly showed a helpless expression:
"I've said it before, this is human nature. Wherever there are people there will be oppression. You can restrain yourself, but can you restrain hundreds of thousands of Piltover people? Is there no oppression in Demacia? No in Noxus? And you
To be clear, the real suffering of the Zaan people is actually the oppression of the environment. After all, it is not us Piltover people who make them only live to be thirty years old, but the nature of Zaun, which can only let them live to thirty years old.
age!"
Jess said loudly:
"But you have polluted Zaun without restraint!"
Ghosn raised his eyebrows and said:
"Is this really the case? Didn't the Zaans themselves pollute Zaun? The Alchemy Baron, biochemical research, and the alchemical beasts, weren't all inventions made by the Zaans themselves? Let me tell you, this is the uncontrolled development of technology.
The price is your own fault!"
Jace took a deep breath, finding he couldn't argue.
Ghosn said solemnly:
"Compared to those old sesame seeds and rotten millet, what is happening now is really ridiculous! We in Piltover have realized that we need to improve the environment and created the pollution-free Hex Flygate. But what about the Zuan people? They are here
do what?"
He pointed to his feet and said in a cold tone:
"Now, they have brought an army and gathered hundreds of thousands of adventurers to rush to Piltover to kill people and set fire to it! Do you know what it means to rush to Piltover and launch a destructive war with hundreds of thousands of people? Can you guarantee this?
Will this miserable city in the sky continue to exist?”
"Once Piltover is destroyed, the Hex Flying Gate will completely collapse, the environment we have worked so hard to improve will be in vain, and the pollution in the Twin Cities will continue! The root of the contradiction will not be solved, it will only get deeper!"
He said word for word:
"If you really want the future of Zaun and Piltover, you must stop this war! Do you understand what I mean!!"
Jess was silent.
He now finally understood that the reason why Zuan launched the war was to escape from the terrifying environment in Zuan.
To put it bluntly, we want to live a good life.
But in this way, Jace's hometown and relatives will be destroyed.
And the real contradiction between the two cities, that is, the environmental pollution will not only not change, but will become more terrifying as the Hex Flying Gate is destroyed.
At this time, Jess finally realized the seriousness of the matter, and he subconsciously said:
"What should we do?"
He thought about it carefully and found that this was a terrifying fact.
Piltover, after all, is just a city, and a dangerous city standing on a cliff!
Suddenly hundreds of thousands of adventurers poured into the city, and their destructive power was terrifying and astonishing. It was very likely that the entire city would be destroyed. Then the Hex Flying Gate was destined to be hit, and the pollution from technology would even become stronger.
"So! You must stop this war!"
Ghosn patted Jess on the shoulder:
"Believe me, war can't solve everything. The real contradiction between the two cities lies in the poisonous cloud that persists. It is the terrible pollution accumulated over the past hundred years! This kind of contradiction cannot be solved by relying on war!"
He sighed, suddenly shook his head and said:
"If you think about it carefully, if we are defeated, we will either die or be expelled to Zaun, and they will replace us and become the new 'Uptowners'. Can you guarantee that after they occupy Pi City, they will not do the opposite?
Are you cruelly oppressing us? People's hearts will change when they are in different positions!"
Ghosn said word for word:
"Jace, you are an excellent scientist. You can master science, but can you also master human nature? Can you guarantee that those Zaun people will not become 'Mrs. Piltover' in the future?"
Jess was shocked in his heart. He suddenly felt that these people who could become congressmen were really awesome. They could convince him with their sharp tongue!
Although he told him in his heart that the other party was deliberately trying to clear Piltover's name, what was the scariest thing?
Every word of the other party makes sense, it’s not like confusing right and wrong at all!
Jess gritted his teeth and said:
"Ghosn, you are indeed the strongest politician in Piltover. I finally understand why you became a member of the House of Representatives. I can't even refute you at all."
Ghosn said in a very serious tone:
"What I just said is true. War can only let the people of Zaun vent their anger, but it cannot really solve the conflict. The real conflict is the poisonous cloud, and that is what you should solve."
Jess frowned and said:
"But that is a poisonous cloud that has been accumulated for hundreds of years. How can it be solved by human power... This is simply impossible..."
That terrifying poisonous cloud obscured everything in Zaun, making the ecological environment there feel like a hell on earth.
But how does this change?
That’s not one or two days, nor one month or two months, nor one or two years!
That’s industrial pollution accumulated over the past century!
Jace originally thought that the conflict between Zaun and Piltover was a class conflict.
But if you think about it carefully, it’s not just class conflict.
The essence of this war is just the resistance of the Zaans, but after the resistance, Piltover is destined to be unable to accommodate all the Zaans. The city's capacity and geographical environment are destined to be like this.
So no matter what the outcome of the battle is, the pattern of the Twin Cities cannot be changed.
It is destined that only a small number of people can live in Piltover. Even if the Zaun war is victorious and they slaughter everyone in Piltover, there are too many Zaun people and they still cannot move them all.
, because this city cannot bear it!
So it will still result in only a few people living in Piltover.
In other words, there are still most people in Zaun who can only live in Zaun and cannot change their destiny!
So back to the core of things.
There is only one possibility to resolve the fundamental contradiction!
That is, get rid of the poisonous cloud over Zaun, improve Zaun's environment, and then liquidate those hateful capitalists. Only in this way can the root cause of the conflict be truly solved.
"Why did you come to me to tell me this? Aren't you afraid that Zaun will liquidate you after the war is over?"
Jess asked Ghosn.
The latter shook his head:
"I've said it before, not all council members are devils who can eat people without spitting out their bones. I was the one who proposed the creation of the Hex Flying Gate. You should know that I also want to improve the environment of Zaun. After all, my ancestors also came from below.
One of the Zaun people who came up."
Jace was silent, he finally understood now.
Now before him, he had two choices.
The first is to give up resistance.
But after the acid rain ends, Zaun's army and the group of adventurers will rush to Piltover. Even if the city-state is not crushed, the people of Piltover will be ravaged by the Zaun people, and there is a high probability of being massacred on a large scale.
Even after killing him, Victor destroyed the Hex Flying Gate and completely occupied Piltover...
But in this case, the contradiction between the two cities will not be changed in the end. The winners of the war will not be able to dispel the poisonous cloud. They will live in Piltover, and perhaps they will become the new Piltover capitalists in a few decades. As for the rest,
People living in Zaun may have new resistance...forming a historical cycle.
The second option is to join this war.
His purpose in joining the war is not to win, but he must protect the Hex Flying Gate from being destroyed and protect the innocent people in Piltover. Then he must find a way to join forces with Victor to solve the poisonous cloud over Zaun.
Change Piltover's system and liquidate the corrupt superiors.
This result obviously does not need to be considered.
In any case, Jess can only choose the second option.
Jess finally stopped talking and sighed with great complexity.
He never expected that this time, he would still be standing opposite Zu An.
Is this fate, a fate that cannot be changed?
"Jace, don't forget, you are the guardian of Pi City."
At this moment, Ghosn's voice suddenly sounded:
"If you really want to change the future of Zaun and Piltover, then you will have to endure more than anyone else!"
He handed the Mercury Hammer to Jace:
"I think you have already made a choice."
Jace was silent for a long time, and finally took the war hammer.
"Gorn, I am fighting for my homeland, for the innocent people of Piltover, and for the future of the Twin Cities! In addition to you, there are many members of the parliament. After the war, I will personally find them to settle accounts. They
The cruel oppression of Zu An must not be washed away!"
Ghosn shrugged, looking unconcerned.
But he seemed to remember something and suddenly glanced at Jace:
"By the way, I heard that you obtained a Hex gem from Zaun, and you used it to secretly develop a new technology?"
Jace's pupils shrank, and he clenched his fists unconsciously.
Yes, he did secretly develop brand-new technology recently relying on that gem.
But he can guarantee absolute confidentiality. How does the parliament know?
"Haha, Piltover, my eyes are everywhere."
Ghosn showed a meaningful smile:
"But don't be nervous. We are not poor Zaun. The wealth in Piltover is terrifying, so I am not here to ask you for punishment."
He took out a large and exquisite package from his pocket.
"Now that you have developed it, it is a good thing. This is the help given to you by the parliament."
Ghosn threw the tip to Jess and walked away.
After watching Ghosn leave, Jess quickly opened his bag of tips.
Purple lights flashed, and among them were brand new Hex gems!
Jace's face was reflected on the dreamy Hex gem, and his expression gradually became serious.
There are still two days until the battle begins!
This time is enough for him to realize the plan he has in mind!!
…
…………
This chapter has been completed!