“It’s been too long.”
In the dimly lit laboratory, Corin Reveck looked at the bubbling potion in his hand and muttered.
This was already the thirty-eighth potion he had formulated today.
No, it should be called No. 38 Shimmer.
But the reaction was still terrifyingly intense.
However, this was within his expectations.
At least it had stabilized a bit, hadn’t it?
“Patience is key.”
He reached for his pocket watch and took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
As an old alchemical science expert, how could he not know that progress in biological science would be painfully slow?
Patience—everything would be fine.
Corin Reveck tried his best to ignore the flash of white and the pair of crimson eyes in his mind.
Then he inserted the potion into the device nearby.
The entire potion was injected directly into a rat,
Squeak squeak squeak!
The lab rat instantly evolved into Brother Jerry, tearing apart the cat enemy a size larger than itself in an instant.
It then lunged desperately at the glass, trying to escape and rip Corin Reveck apart.
But unfortunately, despite all its effort, it failed.
In less than half a minute, the energetic Jerry collapsed, unable to get back up, with only faint movements proving it was still alive.
“Not bad, not bad, still alive.”
Corin Reveck saw the effect and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Maybe... I should try it?”
He opened his pocket watch.
Looking at the now lifeless face of the girl inside, that flash of white crossed his mind once again.
...
“These weapons are all brand new.”
Chief Enforcer Grayson skillfully pulled the bolt on a long gun and aimed it,
Then spoke stiffly.
She was a bit surprised; the efficiency was astonishing.
“Yes, this is the last batch—all fine guns freshly produced from the factory.”
A blond man in an ornate red coat nodded with a smile and said seriously.
He was the steward of the Hoskarl family, here to hand over the batch of firearms.
“The higher-ups still want to keep fighting?”
Grayson was not happy.
This Zaun riot had cost the lives of over thirty enforcers.
Even more Zaunites had died.
That terrified her—a conflict between the promising young men under her and the everyday Zaun civilians she saw regularly.
After all, in her childhood, there was no difference between Zaun and Piltover.
But now they had to pick up guns and fight to the death.
This was truly hell.
“Minister Grayson, has the inspection of the firearms been completed?”
The man clearly didn’t want to engage in conversation.
He was just a steward, after all, and from a remote place like Noxus Dragon Gate at that.
He didn’t care one bit about Piltover’s issues—he just wanted to complete the task and keep his job.
“Yes, the inspection is complete.”
Seeing this, Grayson picked up a few more guns for a quick check, and after confirming they were fine, she finally spoke.
The steward bowed and turned to leave with his people, not hesitating in the slightest.
“Sigh~ I wonder how many more will die.”
Grayson, a little drained, casually called over two subordinates to help distribute the guns.
“Scotty, Fellen, hand out these guns!”
She looked down through the window of the Enforcer building.
Beyond the Day Bridge, there lay Zaun, shrouded in smog.
Just the thought of that smoke-filled scene gave her a headache.
And in the square, the enforcers couldn’t hide their delight after receiving the new weapons.
“Friend, I’ll avenge you!”
“Kill!”
...
“So the sooner, the better, right.”
Luo Huan furrowed her brows slightly after listening to Silco’s explanation.
She hadn’t expected the situation in Zaun to be this dire.
The industrial toxins from the sewers were slowly seeping upwards, steadily reducing Zaun’s habitable space.
And the recent failure at the bridge had cost Zaun many capable fighters.
On top of that, food and other essentials were dwindling—Zaun now was like a house with leaks on every side.
The only somewhat positive thing left was the collective desire to storm the bridge, and the supplies left over from the last attempt—items useful for blocking bullets and such—were still abundant.
Everything else was gone.
“No wonder Uncle Vander wanted to give up.”
“But if we can just break through this bridge, the problem is basically solved.”
Seeing her reaction, Silco pointed at the blueprint on the table.
It had been drawn by Renni and the others from memory during their time working as laborers in Piltover.
The buildings and other information from beyond the Day Bridge.
“If we can take down the Enforcer building here, we can hold that position. Plus, the Hoskarl family’s supply warehouse is right there—it's stocked with a shipment of grain and fruit meant for Noxus.”
Silco pointed to the large building by the port next to what looked like a bridgehead fortress—the Enforcer headquarters.
That was the foreign trade warehouse belonging to Councilor Hoskarl.
Renni and the others had recently worked there moving goods, so they knew it well.
“If we can seize that spot, we’ll basically have things under control.”
“Mm, but when was this bill passed?”
Luo Huan pointed to the ordinance proposing that enforcers be deployed to Zaun.
“Just today.”
Silco responded seriously.
“Then they’ll be coming down in the next few days... tsk, it’s going to be hard to win.”
Luo Huan pressed her fingers to her brow in frustration.
Her current magic capacity was still too low—nowhere near enough to bring down divine wrath.
If she had someone like Syndra’s absurd, rune-like mana limits, she would’ve long since absolutely wrecked all of Piltover.
No need to be strategizing like this.
It was just that there hadn’t been enough time.
But time waited for no one.
If they didn’t act now, Zaun would lose its edge, and in a few more years...
Once Piltover developed their Hexgates,
Zaun would be completely out of luck.
With Hexgates in play, the Zaunites would no longer be the indispensable labor force for the Piltovans.
In the future, even trying to get a seat at the table—no, even being on the table as food—they might not be deemed worthy.
By then, their only hope might be Powder managing to pull off a Reaper Missile or something.
Silco opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
After all, as the brains of Zaun, he had also figured out that Luo Huan’s power alone wasn’t enough to secure victory.
In the end, Zaun was still too weak.
His thin hands clenched tightly, a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.
Click.
A sound came from outside the tavern door.
“Miss Stan, I think you might need a little help.”
Corin Reveck stepped through the threshold.
Behind him, an alchemical machine dripping green liquid whirred away, and atop it sat a large glass container glowing with a purple light.
That was No. 38 Shimmer.