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Arcane: TTB: Ch. 46
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 19:33:40 +0000 UTCViktor gazed deeply at Jayce, his research partner, his only friend in the Upper City. If only he could see beyond the walls they've built around his mind.
He knew that although Jayce was arrogant, self-absorbed, and full of pride, he was, at his core, a good person.
Jayce didn't truly care about wealth or fame. He pursued science with passion, even at the risk of exile, all for the advancement of Hextech. Each sleepless night, each failed experiment proved that much.
His intentions were not driven by personal gain but by a desire, much like Viktor's, to benefit humanity.
But Jayce had been deceived and blinded by capital, leading him to blindly pursue what he believed was right, when in fact, it was utterly wrong. A good man blinded by his own light. That was the cruelest trick capital ever played.
Just like now. That monster had set its sights on Hextech.
Even without looking at the documents in Jayce's hands, he could already guess their contents.
For a high-ranking councilor to personally pay a visit, there could be no other reason than Hextech.
And judging by Jayce's hesitation, the conflict in his eyes, Viktor deduced that capital was manipulating him into researching Hextech weapons.
There was only one person that capital would be so desperate to eliminate, Cipher, the writer of The Book of Revolution.
Certainly not General Lester, Noxus wielded the kind of raw power that could easily crush capital, and for now, capital dared not provoke them. No, they needed a more vulnerable target.
So, capital wanted to harness the power of Hextech to completely destroy the resistance forces in the Undercity and forcibly halt the winds of revolution. The pieces of their plan were clear as day to Viktor now.
"We cannot allow capital to corrupt Hextech. That is the vision Jayce, Cipher, and I share."
"Viktor, you're not yourself..."
"Or perhaps I'm finally myself."
"This isn't the Viktor I know."
Viktor tightened his grip on The Book of Revolution, contemplating how to make Jayce realize that he was nothing more than capital's puppet.
He wanted Jayce to join the rising revolution, to move forward together with him!
Jayce, however, looked at Viktor, especially into those bloodshot yet piercing eyes, eyes that seemed to burn with an inner fire. The familiar warmth he usually saw there had been replaced by something else, something mechanical.
A sudden, inexplicable unease gripped him. His heart pounded with an unfamiliar fear.
The feeling hit him out of nowhere, and he couldn't understand why. By Piltover's moral standards, he was undeniably a good man, a great man. Every achievement, every advancement proved that.
Yes, Viktor had raised ethical concerns before, and he had to admit, he wasn't blameless.
He realized now that his past perspective had been too narrow, that he had unconsciously ignored the suffering of the Undercity, never truly considering their struggles.
But Viktor had opened his eyes. Jayce believed he could do better, he could use his intellect to improve the lives of those below.
Hope still burned bright in his heart.
"Viktor, I admit I've had my faults, but I will change. I will pay attention to the Undercity. I will improve their lives, give them a better future."
Jayce spread his arms, solemnly making his promise to Viktor.
He knew his friend had come from the Undercity, that he held a special bond with it, that he had always wanted to do something for it.
That bond between them had always been sacred.
For Viktor's sake, he was willing to change, to be kinder to the Undercity.
"But… aren't you falling into some kind of obsessive paranoia?"
"I've never even heard of capital. I don't even know what it is, so how could I possibly be its puppet?"
"Could it be that he… did something to you through that book?Viktor, don't let yourself be brainwashed by nonsense. We are scientists, not fanatics, we must believe in science."
He was deeply worried for Viktor. He feared that Viktor had been indoctrinated by Cipher's radical theories.
"Wake up, Viktor! You don't seriously believe that the entire Upper City is enslaved by some capital, do you? That's ridiculous, completely irrational! Capital? It's just a word!"
"Just like 'chains' are just metal, Jayce? And this is not some absurd conspiracy. This is the truth, the truth that will lead us to real progress."
Viktor shook his head. Even Jayce was like this… capital's grip on Piltover was stronger than he had imagined.
He raised a hand, stopping his friend from speaking further.
Viktor now understood, mere words would never make him realize that he was nothing more than a pitiful puppet. He needed something more concrete, more personal.
"Let me show you something about your own life, Jayce."
"My life? What does that have to do with any of this?"
"I'm going to ask you a few questions now, to help you understand, in the simplest way, exactly how capital controls you."
His expression was serious, exuding a kind of absolute, mechanical rationality, almost chilling.
"Viktor… you… fine, go ahead and ask."
Something about Viktor's demeanor unsettled him, it was unfamiliar, even frightening.
Deep down, he had an instinctive feeling that if Viktor continued down this path of cold, mechanical rationality… something terrible would happen.
"If I remember correctly, your family only officially became part of Piltover's nobility after you invented the collapsible pocket wrench."
"History shapes our present, Jayce."
"During these two phases, did the wages your family's business paid to workers change?"
Viktor decided to approach the topic from the perspective of workers' wages to help Jayce understand capital's influence.
"Of course, they changed," Jayce replied without hesitation.
He didn't know what Viktor was getting at, but their deep friendship made him willing to answer patiently. The least he could do was listen.
"How much of a difference was there in the wages between these two phases? Do you remember?" Viktor pressed on.
Through The Book of Revolution, he knew that Jayce's social standing had undergone at least two major shifts.
At first, he had been part of a small business, something like a workshop, producing hammers on a small scale.
Such small enterprises were themselves exploited by the larger businesses above them. It was a chain of oppression, each link crushing the one below.
But after inventing the collapsible pocket wrench, Jayce had moved up into a higher class of business.
These two contrasting experiences could help him understand capital. The truth was hidden in plain sight.
"In the beginning, it was around a few silver krins. Later, after I increased wages, it was about 20 or so."
Jayce scratched his head, somewhat uncertain.
As a scientist devoted to research, he didn't handle the business side much, and his knowledge of expenses was vague at best. This kind of numbers had never been his strong suit.
"Why was there such a big difference between the wages in these two stages, several times over?"
Viktor continued guiding the conversation, convinced that Jayce would soon realize the terrifying reality of capital.
Though he disliked empty flattery, Jayce was a genius scientist, just like him. His mind was far sharper than the average person's.
"Obviously because of costs! At first, my family was making hammers, and there's no real technical advantage to that, anyone can make them."
"Sure, our quality was better, and customers were willing to pay a little more, but there's a limit."
"If I paid workers too much, production costs would rise, and to stay afloat, I'd have to sell at a higher price, but no one's going to spend that much money on a hammer."
"We couldn't afford to pay more!"
"This is just basic business logic, something everyone understands."
Jayce ruffled his hair even more, feeling frustrated. He truly couldn't grasp what Viktor was trying to get at, and his patience was wearing thin. The conversation felt like it was going in circles.
"Oh? Then why, after inventing the foldable wrench, were you able to pay several times more in wages? Was it because your conscience suddenly awakened, Jayce?"
Viktor calmly started boiling water for tea. He realized persuading Jayce wouldn't be so easy, so he prepared some tea to keep himself alert. The familiar ritual helped him maintain his focus.
"Uh… well, of course, it wasn't just because of conscience."
"I know you think I was underpaying my workers, but I had no choice! I was already paying them as much as I could."
"My competitors paid even less than I did, I was already being very generous. I really tried, Viktor!"
Viktor's cold indifference was driving him crazy. He groaned, grabbing his hair in frustration as he vented. The words tumbled out faster and faster.
Running a hammer workshop had been anything but easy.
"I know you have a conscience, Jayce. Now, keep answering my question, why were you able to pay wages several times higher after inventing the collapsible pocket wrench?"
Viktor sat down, looking at Jayce with an unnervingly calm expression. Steam rose from the freshly poured tea, curling in the air between them.
There was no emotion on his face, only a chilling, mechanical rationality.
