Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route

Piltover, Bluewind Court.

A luxurious wool carpet covered the bedroom floor. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the man was barefoot, one hand buried in his hair as he ruffled it into a mess, letting out sigh after sigh.

He was wearing a white uniform, with a beautiful white rose pinned to the chest, elegant and refined at first glance, but his face and the words spilling from his mouth ruined the whole picture.

He was scruffy, his eyes bloodshot, and an angry, swollen pimple sat at the corner of his mouth. It was obvious he was worked up. Muttering under his breath, he grumbled, "There’s more and more trouble every day. Ever since we started bordering Noxus and Demacia, the Ionians have started complaining too. For the sake of profit, those bastards won’t do anything we’ve clearly labeled a crime, but anything else they can get away with, they do."

"Fuck, and who said Demacians are all nobles? When those assholes get low, they’re even more shameless than the Noxians!"

"So this is the great western lion Logan told me about? This is the civilized nation Logan told me about? Civilized? My ass. They’re downright filthy. When these people start playing dirty, I can see Silco and Renata in them."

Councilor Talis of Piltover dragged both hands through his hair and kept cursing.

These issues had been driving Jayce crazy lately. The Twin Cities now saw a daily flood of people so massive that arrivals from all over the world had surpassed a million. That was several times more than the total population of both cities combined.

And that was the Twin Cities after development, after bringing in outside residents.

Back before all that, Piltover and Zaun together had barely totaled a little over a hundred thousand people.

Even though both Zaun and Piltover had expanded their territory, Piltover’s back mountain included, along with lands that had once belonged to Noxus and were now being used to enlarge the Twin Cities, it still was not enough to keep up with the endless influx.

And once there were enough people, disputes were inevitable.

Demacians hated the Noxians. Noxians hated the Ionians. As for the Ionians, well, they had started out simple and honest enough, but after spending enough time in the Twin Cities, they had gradually begun to follow Demacian and Noxian habits. Now the Ionians were banding together for warmth, and they were annoyed with both sides.

They had been the very first group brought into the Twin Cities, yet now their treatment was worse than what Demacia and Noxus were getting. Of course they were dissatisfied. Of course they complained.

But in the end, their position now was also the result of Ionia’s fragmentation.

Without a nation standing behind them, Ionians could only huddle together and look out for themselves.

Listening to Jayce vent, the dark-skinned woman, her complexion like black pearl, spoke helplessly. "I know you’ve been in a terrible mood lately. All you want is to focus on science. There’s just too much going on right now, and as a councilor, and the most important councilor among us, it’s only natural that you help shoulder some of it. Jayce, once this period passes, things will get better."

"Once this period passes?" Jayce looked up at Mel and said bitterly, "I’m afraid it won’t get better even in a few years. Just look at what they’re doing now. They’re blocking the bridge, intercepting merchants, threatening them into handing over goods. Hiding behind the fact that they’re major powers and bullying merchants from smaller countries!"

The more Jayce spoke, the angrier he got. He was already thirty, but his temper was still as fierce as ever. His face was rough with stubble, but his eyes were still clear and bright. Jayce was still that same young man with justice in his heart, the one who wanted to build a better future for the world and let humanity live better lives.

That was exactly why what Noxus and Demacia were doing now filled him with rage.

To Jayce, bullying the weak was one of the most fucked up things in the world, so he kept going. "We spent years turning the Twin Cities into the trade center of the world, and now we’re just standing here watching these great powers slowly gnaw away at it!"

"Fuck it, I say let the Enforcers open fire on them. Kill a few of those bastards and the rest will fall in line. To hell with international diplomacy. Demacia and Noxus are strong, sure, but it’s not like we’re made of paper either."

"And those people getting bullied, sometimes I even, I even think they’ve got it coming! I told them already, if they just come forward and identify the people threatening them, the Enforcers will arrest them and send them to court. But what do they do? Every single one says no, says they handed it over willingly."

"Who the fuck willingly gives their goods to someone else? If it was really voluntary, then why even come to the Twin Cities to trade in the first place?"

Hearing Jayce’s angry, unwilling cursing, Mel honestly did not know whether to laugh or sigh.

She walked over, wrapped her arms around his head, and gently pressed it against her stomach, soothing him in a low voice. "All right. I know you hate this, but we are already trying to find a solution. Noxus and Demacia are the strongest nations on this continent. What they’re doing is disgusting, but... we really don’t have much we can do."

"The way they phrase their threats gives us nothing we can pin on them. And even if we want to intervene, those small-country traveling merchants don’t dare let us stand up for them."

"Jayce, they’re in a terrible position too. We can help them inside the Twin Cities, but what about once they leave? Those small nations bordering Noxus and Demacia only have populations in the tens of thousands, and the number of people you could truly call warriors is only a few hundred. Against the iron cavalry of Demacia and Noxus, they really don’t dare resist."

Jayce sighed and closed his eyes, taking in Mel’s warmth. But after a moment, he pulled himself together.

He stood up, put on his shoes, looked at Mel, and said, "Don’t wait up for dinner. I’m going to ask Silco how much longer he plans to keep putting up with this."

Mel hesitated.

But in the end, she still nodded and did not stop him. "All right. Just come back early."

At some point, it had become a habit. Whenever Jayce was in a bad mood, he liked running off to Zaun. It seemed like Zaun relaxed him more, made him feel more at ease. Lately, the number of curse words in Jayce’s vocabulary had also skyrocketed.

Still, Mel did not find that strange. Anyone who spent enough time in Zaun would end up swearing like a pro.

That place was a factory for foul language. Even now, Zaun’s councilors still cursed up storms from time to time, especially Sevika. She had even served as a councilor in Piltover for a while, but Piltover’s atmosphere had not changed her. Not only did she curse people out, if you pushed her too far, she would hit them too.

It just went to show, trying to make one culture absorb another was harder than it sounded.

A little while later, Jayce stepped out of a hextech hovercar and entered Zaun’s council hall.

The Sump Enforcer standing guard at the entrance greeted him warmly.

Jayce nodded back, then headed for the stairs.

He went upstairs, pushed open the door to an office, and saw Silco seated behind his desk, writing something.

Jayce dropped onto the sofa, naturally reached for the water pitcher on the small table in front of him, poured himself a glass, drained it, then said loudly, "Have you figured out a solution yet?"

Silco set down his pen, rubbed his brow, and looked up at Jayce. With a light push of his legs against the floor, he leaned back in his chair and said, "This matter is already being handled. Once again, Mr. Talis, the thing you’re worried about is not going to happen. I believe I’ve assured you of that many times already."

Jayce snapped back, "Your assurance is letting them get more and more outrageous right in front of us? Before, they still kept away from the Enforcers and only dared threaten merchants from smaller countries in private. But now? Now they dare say it right in front of the Enforcers. If this keeps up, the shining jewel of trade that you and Mel built with your own hands is going to be ruined by those bastards."

"If traveling merchants aren’t protected and lose profits every single time they come here, how long do you think they’ll keep coming?"

Silco was irritated too, but he still kept his patience. "You don’t understand, Jayce. What Logan wants isn’t just to turn the Twin Cities into a trade center. He wants to bind every city-state and nation together through the Twin Cities. Right now, Noxus, Demacia, and Ionia are all in diplomatic contact with us. Logan is still in the Freljord, and aside from Shurima, the foundation for everything he wants is already there."

"If something goes wrong now and affects diplomacy, it will only damage Logan’s plan. Since the day Zaun started changing, Logan has been waiting for this moment. What we’re facing now is only the final darkness before dawn. Jayce, this is nothing more than a temporary loss of profit. We have to think of the bigger picture."

"Temporary loss of profit, my ass," Jayce cursed. "Easy for you to say, but at the end of the day, it’s only easy because it isn’t our profits taking the hit."

Jayce had never truly thrown himself into politics. He had kept his heart set on science, and unlike the other Councilor Talis in the Twin Cities, his original ideals had not changed at all. So when he saw injustice, of course he got angry.

Silco straightened up and looked at Jayce in silence. After a long while, he finally said, "You really should just stick to being a scientist."

Silco did not dislike this side of Jayce. The Twin Cities needed people like him, and people like Renata, people willing to sacrifice anything to achieve their ends. But at the same time, it also needed people like Vander and Jayce.

Jayce gave a few annoyed snorts and said gloomily, "Got any alcohol?"

"In the fridge. Help yourself," Silco said.

Then he moved his chair back to the desk, lowered his head again, and resumed writing.

Jayce started drinking by himself.

The truth was, Jayce understood everything Mel and Silco had said.

He just could not accept it.

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became, the Twin Cities just were not strong enough. If they were strong enough to suppress Noxus and Demacia, would they still have to care about diplomacy? Would they still have to suck up to them and work so hard to maintain good relations?

Jayce drank in silence, fuming.

"No idea how much longer Logan plans to stay out there. His trip to the Freljord has gone on way too long..."

Hearing Jayce mutter that, Silco’s hand paused for a moment over the paper.

Then he lowered his head and kept writing.

At that same time, Zaun’s docks were overflowing with ships coming and going, and the wharf was packed with people in all kinds of clothing.

A girl wearing a bunny-ear hat was holding a fragrant skewer in one hand and stuffing meat into her mouth while the other arm clung to a black-haired young man. Her eyes were shining as she looked around.

"I’m gonna eat everything in sight! Logan, let’s go eat over there!"

"Take it easy, Jinx. Don’t give yourself a stomachache tonight," Logan said with a laugh as Jinx dragged him along. Behind him followed a tall woman with a stern expression.

She wore a white fitted outfit underneath and a black-gray outer coat over it, with a pair of fine boots below. Just from the way she was dressed, it was hard to imagine that only a few days ago this woman had still been a Warmother of the Winter’s Claw dressed in furs.

Sejuani silently followed behind them. From the moment the ship had entered port, the expression on her face had not changed. She had kept that same severe look the whole time.

The city before her had been born beneath the depths and built over a sea abyss, yet it did not look run-down at all. Instead, it gave off a feeling Sejuani could not quite put into words.

Its scale was not all that great, but the flow of people far exceeded anything she had imagined, and the rising layers of buildings climbing upward left her unable to understand what she was seeing.

Houses... could be built like this?

How was that even possible?

Quietly stunned by the sight of Zaun, Sejuani looked back over her shoulder. The moment she did, she frowned.

The Freljordians traveling with them had been stopped.

What those people were carrying in their bulging packs was True Ice. Only Iceborn could carry True Ice. Even with containers made by Jinx and Ekko, ordinary people still could not transport it.

And because True Ice never melted, there was no need to worry about it thawing once it left the Freljord.

Sejuani felt puzzled, then walked forward and tapped Logan on the shoulder.

"What is it?" Logan turned and looked at Sejuani.

Back in Zaun, the only thing Logan felt was relief. The outside world was definitely interesting, but home was home. There was no better place than that.

That was why he had been smiling the whole time.

But when Sejuani pointed behind him, the smile on his face froze, then disappeared.

Logan shut out the noise of the crowd around him and focused on the Freljordians who had been stopped.

Then he heard the following conversation.

"Freljordian traveling merchants?"

"First time in the Twin Cities?"

"No wonder you don’t know the rules. If you want to trade in Zaun, you have to pay..."

"You won’t pay? Heh, fine. But watch yourselves on the road home..."

"Jinx."

"Hm?"

"Go sit at that stall and order some food. Wait for me there. I need to handle something," Logan said, patting the back of Jinx’s hand.

Jinx wrinkled her nose, then noticed what was happening over there too. She could not hear the conversation the way Logan could, but as the former princess of Zaun’s underworld, she understood at a glance.

Same old crap, that was all.

So she grumbled and kicked lightly at the ground as she walked off toward a nearby food stall.

Logan, meanwhile, headed straight over.

Because after opening up all five of his senses, Logan realized it was not just happening in one place.

It was happening all over the dock.

And his face darkened.

If those people had not so obviously looked like outsiders, Logan would have been doing more than just frowning. The Twin Cities did collect tariffs, but they were low. What was happening here, forcibly taking merchants’ goods, was no different from outright robbery.

Jayce came out of Zaun’s council building after drinking quite a bit by himself. Riding the buzz, he made his way toward the docks, planning to get some sea air and check on things while he was there.

But before he even reached the docks, a voice suddenly made him stop in his tracks.

"What d’ya mean I’m back? Why wouldn’t I be back?"

"Quit talkin’ nonsense and get my food out here already! Extra spicy, medium oil!"

The words were slurred, like the speaker had a mouth full of food.

But even so, Jayce knew that voice.

Far too well.

He turned and saw a skinny girl sitting at a market stall with her back to him. She wore a black tank top, and draped beneath her on the stool was a white jacket with a bunny-ear hat.

She was not very tall, but her arms and legs were long, especially her legs, straight and beautiful. The stool at the stall was set pretty high, yet those long legs in skin-tight black pants still touched the ground, and even had to bend slightly.

And that smooth, beautiful blue hair made Jayce’s pupils contract.

"Holy shit!"

He rushed over in a few quick strides, stopped behind the girl, lowered his head, and shouted, "Jinx?"

The blue-haired girl tilted her head back and met Jayce’s eyes. Her pretty eyes blinked once, twice. Her cheeks were puffed up, still chewing on something.

"Oh, hey, why’re you here?"

Looking at the cheerful Jinx asking him that, Jayce’s mouth twitched.

"That’s what I should be asking you!"

"Where’s Logan? Where is he?"

Jinx lifted her hand, a skewer stick still in it, and pointed toward the docks with a grin. "Over there. Jayce, you need Logan for something?"

After being away so long, Jinx had not seen any familiar faces in ages. Jayce was not exactly someone terribly important to her, but seeing someone she knew still made her happy. And coming back to Zaun already made her happy, so that meant double happy.

Jayce turned his head toward the docks.

The alcohol haze cleared from him almost instantly.

And just like that, the weight on his shoulders, all that resentment and pressure, suddenly eased.

Because the backbone of the Twin Cities was back.

With Logan back, no matter how big the trouble was, it no longer felt like trouble at all.

Thinking that, Jayce ran excitedly toward the docks.

Behind him came Jinx’s shouting voice.

"Hey! You’re not even gonna sit down and eat with me?"

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