Malphegor
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Arcane: TTB: Ch. 04
🕑 Added 2025-01-21 00:36:35 +0000 UTCThe memory of that first day still burned in his mind, sharp and clear as broken glass.
Some memories never truly faded. They remained as scars, and sometimes the wounds would open again.
On the Day of Ashes, he awakened [Ready Player One], and crossed into the world of Apex.
In that technologically advanced realm, he pursued power, knowledge, and cutting-edge technology to help the Undercity rise completely from the ashes.
In this regard, he shared a common goal with Silco and Vander. The dream of a better Zaun united them all, even if their methods differed.
However, he knew very well that both Silco and Vander were on the wrong paths. Their approaches were like two sides of the same rusted coin.
Vander was too weak, and Silco was too extreme!
And the middle ground between them seemed as impossible to reach as the stars above Piltover.
The end result was destined for failure, leading to nothing but a complete tragedy.
So when faced with Silco's enthusiastic invitation, he was silent for a long time.
Finally, he sighed, turned around, and poured both himself and Silco a glass of clean water.
This world also had tea, but it was exorbitantly expensive, something only the wealthy elites of Piltover could afford.
In Zaun, even a glass of clean water was a luxury.
Another reminder of the divide between the cities.
"I still remember when I was young, you scrimped and saved to buy candy for me and my younger siblings." Cipher's voice softened with the memory. "That candy wasn't just sugar, was it? It was hope. A taste of what could be."
"It was sweet. You deserve to be a family member."
Silco's eyes quivered. He accepted the glass of water and stared at Cipher. "So, have you made up your mind?"
"My ideals are the same as yours and Vander's, to see Zaun rise." Cipher took a sip of water but didn't directly answer Silco's question. It wasn't yet time to start a war with Piltover. The pieces weren't all in place.
"Microbial fermentation power generation, water purification equipment, self-destructing robots, high-energy explosives, demanding better conditions for workers from the Chem-Barons, you've done a lot."
Silco narrowed his eyes and rotated the water glass in his hand. He was well aware of Cipher's contributions to Zaun and his influence among its people.
Each achievement was like a brick in the foundation of a new Zaun.
That was precisely why, after the successful development of the drug, Silco had approached Cipher first. His support could turn the tide.
If Cipher didn't support him, it would be nearly impossible for him to unify Zaun and launch an armed conflict against Piltover. In that case, Cipher would be an obstacle that had to be removed.
Ideological conflicts were ruthless and unforgiving, allowing no room for mercy!
"You want to liberate Zaun, and I support that. But are you truly prepared to be the leader of Zaun?"
Cipher sensed Silco's murderous intent. His thoughts weren't hard to guess.
"Of course, I'm prepared. Vander is old now, weak and incapable of doing more than surviving day to day. He is unfit to lead Zaun."
"Zaun needs a new leader."
"A leader with courage and vision, one who dares to declare war on Piltover and can earn respect for Zaun."
"Cipher, join us!"
Silco's face radiated confidence as he raised his glass, once again inviting Cipher to form an alliance.
He truly believed he could do better than Vander. But belief alone wasn't enough. Not for this.
"Since you aspire to be Zaun's leader and liberate it, making it independent, then you are its supreme ruler." Cipher's tone shifted, becoming more focused.
Cipher chuckled, unleashing a barrage of soul-piercing questions.
"As Zaun's supreme ruler, with the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of citizens resting on your shoulders, what is your governance philosophy?"
"What kind of valuable spiritual legacy do you intend to leave for the people of Zaun? What core ideas and values should Zaun's children embrace?"
"How do you plan to establish a governing system and build Zaun's government? What will your foreign policy be, especially with Piltover and other city-states?"
"Every city needs three things: food, security, and hope. How many of those can you guarantee?"
"With Zaun's increasingly dire living conditions, what measures do you propose for improvement? How will you address the pollution of air, water, and soil?"
"How will you solve the shortages of essential resources such as food, fabric, medicine, and coal?"
"In terms of social security, including education, healthcare, elderly care, law enforcement, and justice, how will you establish a basic system? What are your plans for fundamental infrastructure like schools, hospitals, and prisons?"
"How will you lead Zaun's people to develop technology and rejuvenate the economy? How will you help the people of Zaun escape poverty and suffering, achieve shared prosperity, and ensure that every child of Zaun has access to milk, bread, and spacious homes?"
"If Zaun is to rise, do you have short-term and long-term plans? How many years do you estimate it will take to make Zaun truly great?"
This barrage of questions left Silco completely dumbfounded.
Some of the questions he could vaguely understand and perhaps even knew how to address, but most of them left him utterly clueless.
"We can figure it out as we go—" Silco started.
"Like you figured out Shimmer? Some mistakes you can't undo."
In the end, Silco had only ever managed a gang. He had no experience in governance, and trying to apply gang management strategies to running an entire city was utterly absurd.
"They have universities, we have street smarts. They have labs, we have scrap heaps," Cipher continued, driving his point home.
Seeing Silco remain silent, he shook his head and said, "Being the leader of a city and guiding everyone toward prosperity and strength sounds simple, but how will you actually achieve it?"
"If you use your current management methods to govern Zaun, all you'll achieve is turning Zaun into a giant gang organization."
"That would simply move Zaun from one cesspit into another smaller one. But it would still be a cesspit, still reeking and hopeless, far from achieving Zaun's rise."
Silco remained silent, furrowing his brow as he thought deeply. His furrowed brow formed lines like a character in pain, but he didn't speak.
Cipher placed his glass of water down. He didn't expect Silco to be able to answer these questions, these were thorny problems even for him.
As he packed up the explosive rounds on his workbench and grabbed some chocolate to leave, Silco finally spoke.
"Many of your questions, I've never even considered before, and I still don't know what to do now. But the first step toward Zaun's rise is undoubtedly breaking free from Piltover's control and achieving independence."
"All the other issues can be addressed gradually after Zaun becomes independent. We can refer to the governance models of other city-states and learn from their experiences, Demacia, Noxus, Shurima, and even Piltover!"
"In any case, achieving Zaun's independence will undoubtedly improve the lives of its children compared to now, and that's enough!"
Cipher paused mid-step, surprised by Silco's response. It exceeded his expectations and was, at the very least, a passing answer.
However, there was no room to avoid this confrontation; otherwise, Silco would act, and tragedy would be inevitable.
If the situation escalated into violence, all of Cipher's hard work, years of nonstop toil, would go to waste.
To prevent that outcome, he decided to offer a glimpse of what was at stake.
"You've genuinely exceeded my expectations with that answer. There's nothing wrong with your principle of seeking peace through struggle, and I support it. But the issue is that you're underestimating the enemy. Parasites won't stop sucking blood until they're completely destroyed."
"The Piltover councilors are mere tools, puppets for the interests of larger groups. Killing them won't change the fact that the powers behind them will continue to exploit Zaun."
"The reason I oppose starting a war with Piltover now is that we have no chance of winning. A pointless sacrifice will achieve nothing! No one willingly makes a losing deal. But right now, we have an opportunity for a highly profitable one!"
Cipher loaded an explosive round into his revolver with a serious expression and continued, "Please give me a little more time. I promise you that Zaun will truly be liberated. I promise."
He aimed the revolver at a pile of steel in the far corner of the research lab and fired.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted as blazing flames shot into the air, and the steel melted rapidly into liquid in Silco's wide, shrinking pupils.
"This explosive round is the result of years of hard work. It's ready for mass production. The core raw material? Piltover's industrial emissions, completely unavoidable for them."
"Noxus wants weapons. We need resources. It's simple economics."
"Time is on our side."
"For now, put aside the idea of going to war with Piltover. Your priority should be establishing factories, hiring workers, and negotiating with Noxians to sell these rounds for a good price."
Cipher walked up to the stunned Silco and said, "As for what Vander did to you, he deeply regretted it. He's always wanted to apologize but never found the chance."
"In this life, perhaps the most important thing is learning to let go."
"He wrote you a letter. It's in the old place. When you have time, go see it, Blisters and Bedrock."
Clink!
Silco felt his heart pounding. The glass slipped right out of his hand, shattering at his feet.
Blisters and Bedrock, it was a secret code only he and Vander knew. It was the place where their dreams had first begun.
