"We're not leaving now?"
Yuumi flipped through the Book of Thresholds and looked a little disappointed when she realized Caleb had not gone to the portal right away.
"There are still a few old friends I need to visit."
The new council would have seven members, same as the old one.
Strictly speaking, as Governor, Caleb would not occupy one of the seats.
That was because councilors were required to hold meetings whenever there was business, especially when Piltover faced a matter of life and death.
But at this point, Caleb could basically obtain the support of everyone qualified to become a councilor.
Any decision he made could basically just be stated directly in the council.
As long as it was not too outrageous, almost no one would oppose it.
However, everyone quietly kept this unspoken rule in mind. No one deliberately brought it up or discussed it.
Caleb did not need to say anything himself. Jayce and Viktor, who had gone on the expedition with him, would naturally accept interviews from the newspapers.
And as two top scientists, Heimerdinger's students, they naturally would not speak vaguely.
So the deeds of Caleb's expeditions to the Shadow Isles and the Freljord quickly reached the people of the twin cities.
As the World's Throat, Piltover naturally understood how important everything Caleb had done was. It was just that Piltover's councilors had only just been driven from power by Caleb, so they could not exactly say much about it openly.
As for the people of Zaun, they were sincerely happy that Caleb had accomplished something so great.
From the time Caleb formally took over Zaun, even after handing it to Renata to manage, everyone had seen Zaun's wealth continue to grow.
Although it still could not compare to Piltover's cleanliness and order, Zaun could at least be seen as something like a city now, not the barren land from before where one needed a gas mask just to enter.
For most Zaunites, being able to eat their fill at every meal was already an extremely luxurious thing.
Let alone the fact that Caleb had driven away the Black Mist, wiped out the Chem-Barons, and sent Silco, who had once thrown his weight around everywhere, into prison.
For the people of Zaun, as long as their lives did not go back to the way they had been before, even a little hardship did not count for much.
After all, Zaun had originally had nothing. Although they wanted more now, following Caleb's footsteps made them feel more at ease.
From Renata to the members of the Firelights, every single one of them thought the same way.
...
"And then that huge monster stomped one foot on the ground and bounced the big ram right into the air."
Caleb had not seen Ren in a very long time. The last time he had just finished killing Morey, and he had been afraid of frightening Ren and Marcus. This time was much better.
Although he did not know whether those two people still had their hands or not, even if they did not, out of sight, out of mind.
"And then? And then?"
Stars seemed to shine in Ren's eyes. If Piltover's newspaper agencies had been there, they definitely would have worked desperately to type out a draft on their stenotype machines. This was the firsthand oral account of the true leader of the Void War!
Yet it was being used to tell a story to a little girl. It was such a waste.
However, there was a faint smile at the corner of Caleb's mouth.
The fact that the twin cities had not gone to all-out war also had something to do with Ren.
Otherwise, with Caleb's style of exterminating his enemies even more thoroughly than Silco, Zaun's people would have crossed that bridge long ago.
Caleb still did not want to drag innocent people into his war.
Wasn't the whole reason he went to the front lines and risked his life so that children like this could grow up healthy and happy?
But counting the days, in a few more years, Ren would probably be the same age as Jinx.
Ekko, that little guy, could still remind Caleb that he was only a teenager.
But Jinx and Vi could only be classified as young women now. Their ages were no longer obvious at a glance.
Especially Jinx, now that she was wearing armor. When they went to Icathia later, he would be able to bring her and Ekko along.
But there was no need to rush that matter. They could talk about it when the time came.
Caleb's thoughts did not last long. He turned his head back and continued telling the story.
When Ren grew tired from playing, politely said goodbye to Caleb, and returned to her small bedroom, Marcus finally came out from behind.
He had lost quite a bit of weight. Clearly, the mistakes he had once made were still tormenting him even now.
"The new council will be formed soon."
The moment those words came from Caleb's mouth, Marcus's whole body began trembling.
His two former backers, Marcus and the council, had now both been overturned by Caleb at the gambling table.
Not to mention, this man had once saved his life on the bridge.
"We're short one recorder. When the time comes, someone will have to show those who come after us exactly what happened."
Marcus's tears nearly spilled from his eyes. He knew that he had been able to live freely outside until now mostly because of Ren.
But Caleb's words made him feel as though he had been granted a kind of redemption.
Although handling Zaun's documents counted too, in the end, it had not been service to his own city.
"That position belongs to Ren. You'll act in her place for a while first."
Marcus also knew very clearly that after Ren graduated from the University of Piltover, she would almost certainly take that seat.
Anyone who did anything to threaten her life would have to carefully consider what Caleb could unleash in the twin cities if he truly became ruthless.
Marcus's entire body trembled. The ambitions he had once held surged up in his heart again.
"Is that really wise? He is most certainly a guilty man."
After hearing Camille's cold voice, Marcus's legs could not help going weak.
He had not sensed when she had entered his home at all.
That despair brought about by the sheer gap in strength, along with Clan Ferros's conduct this time, was more than enough to make anyone shudder.
As the future recorder, it would be impossible for him to avoid dealing with this family.
"Have the new candidates been decided?"
Caleb did not answer Camille's question. He merely spoke coldly.
"Three from Piltover, three from Zaun, and the remaining seat still goes to Heimerdinger."
Camille's proposal sounded very fair, but Caleb also knew that those three Piltover seats would definitely all belong to Clan Ferros's people.
When arguments broke out later, there was no need to even think about it. They would all just be putting on an act against one another.
Caleb did have a few candidates on his side. First and foremost was Renata, who was fully capable of handling both business and government affairs.
But as for the next two, Caleb still needed to think carefully.
"Hiss..."
Caleb drew in a sharp breath. Zaun really was freaking short on administrative talent.
If he sent Jinx over there... Caleb suspected she would be sent back on the first day, then angrily blow up the newly built council hall.
"My side's candidates will need a little more time before they are chosen."
Compared to Piltover, which was now completely controlled by Clan Ferros, it seemed even more difficult for Zaun to keep narrowing the gap between the two sides.
After all, every time the council began, the other side would already have three votes firmly locked in.
That meant the requirements for the people on Caleb's side were now even higher.
If only Renata alone could count as three votes...
Zaun's candidates also had to be united, or else they would fall into a disadvantage in the confrontations that came later.
Ideally, they also had to be eloquent enough to win over Heimerdinger, that conservative neutral party.
Caleb could not help feeling emotional. In a place like this, it seemed all the talents of that kind had already been thrown into prison by him.
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