Linwin gathered the shimmer and looked at the somewhat shaken Vander. He greeted him, "You just stay here. I'll go check on Powder and Vi."
Vander waved his hand, indicating Linwin was free to go.
To Vander, Linwin was like his child, just as much a part of Black Alley as any other resident. He wondered what would have happened if Zoran hadn't taken Linwin in first. In his mind, Linwin was another one of Black Alley's children and a remarkably gifted one.
Vander sipped his drink and reflected on the events of the past few days. He had returned to the life of a mobster, wearing his brass knuckles, leading fights against various barons. The most surprising thing was that he had thought he would never sit at the same table with Silco again, but just now, they had shared the same drink and talked about the same ideals. It felt like they were standing together once more, just like old times. This made Vander feel a wave of nostalgia.
Meanwhile, Linwin headed down to the basement. He saw the small door ajar, with dim lights shining through and the aroma of food filling the air.
Did Vi and Powder make something to eat at this hour?
Linwin smacked his forehead in realization. He had been so engrossed in the conversation with Silco and Vander that he had forgotten all about the two youngsters in the basement.
They must be starving by now.
Linwin pushed open the door and found Vi and Powder huddled around a small pot under the warm glow of a lamp.
"Linwin!"
Upon seeing Linwin, Powder excitedly opened her arms and called out.
"What are you guys doing?" Linwin leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, and asked Vi and Powder.
"The thing you see right now – cooking!"
Vi pouted and added with a hint of emotion, "You've been chatting with Vander and someone for so long, did you forget that Powder and I were down here?"
"How could I?" Linwin ruffled Powder's hair with his big hand and grinned, saying, "Of course I remember you and Powder are down here. Didn't you come up to eavesdrop on our conversation in the meantime?"
"No, I didn't eavesdrop!" Vi's face turned red, and she hurriedly explained, "I wouldn't eavesdrop on grown-up stuff. I just wanted to ask Vander to cook, but when I saw you talking, I waited, thinking you'd be done soon."
"But that's not what you told me," Powder tilted her head, looking at Vi, throwing her sister under the bus.
"Shut up, Powder!"
Vi shifted to make room for Linwin, pouting, and he sat between Vi and Powder. He peered into the small pot.
"Did you make this?"
"Of course, Powder doesn't cook," Vi proudly replied.
"I'll learn to cook in the future."
The two sisters started a little argument, but Vi would quickly give in. She always spoiled and teased Powder.
And Linwin teased and spoiled her in return.
"Do you know how to clean fish this time?"
"I'm not a dummy."
"Give me a portion too." Linwin playfully reached into his backpack and pulled out two adult-sized pieces of bread when his hand came out.
"Yay!!!" Powder immediately clapped her hands and took the bread from Linwin. She couldn't wait and took a bite.
She was indeed starving, and Vi was too.
And Vi's table manners were even worse than Powder's.
"Take it easy and eat. There's no one here to steal it from you," Linwin said, looking at the two girls in amusement.
Watching Vi and Powder battle with their bread, Linwin shook his head, skillfully went to the area that's used to store stuff, took out three small bowls and wiped them clean. Then, he grabbed a ladle.
He filled three bowls with fish soup, placed them on the ground, and the three of them sat around the pot to enjoy their dinner.
"Linwin, tell me the truth. Are we going to war?" Suddenly, Vi patted Linwin, and bread crumbs stuck to his arm.
He looked at Vi, exasperated. "Where did you hear that? Who told you we're going to war?"
"You've been going to fight every day these past few days!"
"Silly girl, that's just fighting. Do you even know what a war is?" Zaun's gang fights can hardly be called a war, especially when you consider what a war is like in Noxus.
The commotion in the depths of Zaun can't really be called a war. At best, it's gang skirmishes. The most it would do is make the Pilties raise an eyebrow or two.
"What about fighting Piltover? That's a war, isn't it?" Vi held her bowl, her face flushed from the steam, squinting her eyes.
Despite always trying to look tough, the occasional display of cuteness made her even more endearing.
She kept asking Linwin, "Can I go when it happens? I can fight a lot of Pilties, and I'm not afraid of getting hurt."
Hearing Vi say that, Powder quickly set down her bowl, wiped her mouth, and loudly said, "Linwin, I'm not afraid either. Take me with you. I've made lots of nail bombs, I can definitely help you."
"Who told you we're going to fight Piltover?"
Linwin rolled his eyes and lightly pushed Vi away as she approached.
After returning to the Last Drop Tavern, Vi changed her clothes, took a shower, and, in addition to being under Vander and Linwin's forced house arrest these past few days, she was clean. It was a stark contrast to her usual dirty and bloodstained appearance.
Now, if you were to dress her in the dresses that the Piltover girls liked, tidy up her messy hair, she would undoubtedly be the most beautiful girl in all of Zaun.
Unlike Powder, little Powder still has some baby teeth left. Adorable as she is, she's still in the stage of not growing up yet.
Wait a minute, isn't Powder always going to be like that in the future?
Linwin got lost in thought.
"You and Vander both said, and that other person said too, that to make Piltover realize our strength, we need to first develop... develop technology and create weapons?"
"And you said you didn't eavesdrop on our conversation."
"That doesn't matter, you tell me first, are we going to fight Piltover?" Vi rubbed her hands together, extremely excited.
Her dissatisfaction with Piltover had long filled her chest.
"You can't fight them, silly."
Linwin explained, "Vander and I have been subduing chem barons from various places these past few days, and we've been successful. It's clear that all the things I've been doing in the Undercity weren't in vain. They're all scared of me. Whenever I step..."
Linwin slowly lowered his head and saw Powder's small hand on top of his. Linwin's hand wasn't particularly large, but compared to Powder's, it was several times bigger.
Powder looked up at him and said, "They're scared of you? Why? Which part of you is scary?"
"It's only you who would dare say that," Vi, who was often scolded by Linwin, mumbled to herself while looking at Powder.
Is Linwin scary? He's super scary! Mylo and Claggor can testify to that! When Linwin gets angry, he's like a demon, even though it was to protect them.
But for Powder, Linwin is one of her favorite people.
Because Linwin has never scolded Powder, not once.
"For you, it might be like that, but for them, I think I should be a devil."
Linwin felt somewhat comforted. Powder's inadvertent little gesture seemed to be consoling him.
Well, these years of doting on her were not in vain.
"That's only because they did something wrong. You're not a devil, and you're not allowed to call yourself that."
Powder patted Linwin's hand forcefully. "If you're a devil, then I'm a devil too. I'm a little devil."
As she said that, she started to laugh, as if she found the idea amusing.
The big devil Linwin, with the medium devil Vi, and Vi holding the little devil Powder.
Ha! That must be quite amusing!
"You're not a little devil, you're a little silly."
Linwin reached out to gently pat Powder's little nose, feeling relaxed.
"In any case, we won't go to war with Piltover, Vi, because what we want to do isn't to attack Piltover but to make Zaun independent."
"What's the difference? Zaun wants independence, so don't we have to fight Piltover?" Vi didn't understand.
Considering Piltover's long-standing control and deep discrimination against Zaun, it would be a miracle if Piltover agreed to Zaun's independence.
"They won't agree to our independence."
Linwin smiled mysteriously and gazed at the ceiling, stretching his arms back and supporting himself on the ground.
"They will agree."
"They definitely will."
"Let's wait and see."
The night was already deep, and various parts of Zaun should be in chaos. Gangs and criminals would be operating in the dark, smugglers and profiteers would be doing their best to make money.
But all of this might be happening in various corners of the Undercity, certainly not in the Black Alley.
Ever since Linwin gained his reputation three years ago and established this rule in Vander's name, all the gangs in Zaun knew one thing – if you wanted to do business in the Black Alley, that was perfectly fine, as long as you were there for legitimate business.
The Black Alley welcomed you in broad daylight, but you were strictly forbidden from entering at night to avoid causing disturbances.
In Zaun, no one dared to violate this rule, not even prominent merchants from other regions who came to Zaun. They all adhered to this regulation.
Now, in the upper and underground floors of the Last Drop Tavern, apart from the soothing music and the sound of Vander's footsteps, along with the clinking of bottles as he placed them on the table, the other sound came from Linwin in the basement.
At this moment, Linwin was holding a storybook in his hands, sitting on a tattered old sofa.
He was telling stories to Powder, and even though she had heard Linwin's stories many times before, she still loved it when he told her these stories.
After finishing a "fairy tale" story about Shurima legends, Linwin took a sip of water and lowered his head.
Powder's little face was right in front of him, the back of her head resting on Linwin's chest, her little head tilted back, her eyes half-closed, drowsiness washing over the little girl.
Linwin estimated the time; it should be around 11 o'clock at night now?
For a ten-year-old like Powder, this time was already very late.
At this time in the past, both Vi and Powder would already be asleep, but tonight, Powder clung to Linwin and kept dragging it out, and it became late into the night.
Linwin carefully lifted Powder from his embrace and walked towards her bed. He gently placed her on the bed and sighed with relief.
However, his relief was short-lived because Powder on the bed suddenly furrowed her brows, extended her little hand, and tugged on Linwin's shirt, unwilling to let go.
Linwin was in a dilemma. How should he handle this? Should he just pull her hand away? No, it was clear that she hadn't entered deep sleep yet. If he caused a disturbance, she might wake up, and then he would have to put her back to sleep, right? Both Powder and Linwin were tired, and he hadn't slept for several days.
With no other choice, Linwin stood by the bed while Vi approached him, whispering softly in his ear, "Are you going to the Upper City tomorrow?"
Linwin's shirt was being tugged by Powder, and he could only stand there. Looking at Vi, he replied quietly, "I probably won't be gone for too long, but it might be a month or two."
"Is it for work?" Vi sniffed, noticing Linwin's eye movement and the subtle hand-rubbing gesture. Knowing Linwin well, Vi immediately extended her hand, took a step forward, and stood on her tiptoes in front of Linwin.
Then she pointed her finger at the tip of Linwin's nose, her tone somewhat upset as she said, "You're not allowed to deceive me. You rubbed your index finger and thumb, and your eyes were shifting around. Tell me, are you trying to deceive me again?"
Linwin was taken aback. How did she know?
"I've noticed this habit of yours for a long time, Linwin. You always do this when you're about to deceive someone."
Seeing Linwin's surprised expression, Vi became quite pleased with herself. She tilted her little face upward, gazing at Linwin, "You can just tell me directly. I won't pester you, and neither will Powder. I just don't want you to lie to me again."
Linwin had only been in Piltover for a week this time and back in Zaun for just three days, but he would be leaving again tomorrow.
"I... shh!"
Linwin immediately made a hushing gesture as he began to speak. Powder's little hand, which was clutching his shirt, loosened, and she turned over in bed, sprawling out with a big yawn.
Powder's mouth opened wide, and she had already fallen into a peaceful slumber. Children have the enviable ability to sleep soundly. When they feel tired, they can simply lie down and fall asleep.
Seeing this, both Linwin and Vi couldn't help but smile wryly at the scene.
Once they were sure that Powder was fast asleep, Linwin turned to Vi with a sense of reflection.
Unconsciously, he had grown taller over the years, now towering over the older Zoran.
And both Vi and Powder had also grown.
Linwin looked at Vi, his gaze softening, and he began to speak, "Me, Vander, and Silco, the man you saw this afternoon, have made a pact. Zaun wants independence, but to achieve that, we need weapons. Considering Zaun's current condition, it's difficult to produce weapons that would make Piltover take us seriously. Silco is working on developing his concoctions. We want Vander to become the true leader of Zaun. As for me, Vi, my task is to find weapons that can make Piltover wary."
"But do you have to find these weapons in Piltover?"
"Of course. It's the City of Progress, a city that geniuses from all over the world admire. No matter how much we dislike Piltover, we can't deny its value and status."
Linwin looked at Vi and continued earnestly, "And, listen to me, Vi, there might come a time when we have to fight Piltover, but that's just fighting, not a war."
"But people will still die. If there are casualties, doesn't that count as a war?"
"That's why we need powerful weapons. To prevent the deaths of innocent people and make sure we have something substantial to negotiate with Piltover."
In reality, there were certain things Linwin couldn't reveal to Vi.
During the morning conversation with Silco and Vander, Silco expressed his dissatisfaction multiple times because Linwin and Vander were both against launching a full-scale assault on Piltover.
The strength of Piltover was undeniable. Even if every Zaunite used Shimmer to fight Piltover, the result would likely be mutually devastating, and Zaun would suffer more.
Fortunately, despite being a hardliner, Silco was aware that launching a full-scale attack on Piltover would be a fool's errand. If Piltover was truly pushed to the edge, they could send a squad of enforcers on airships to drop explosives into the Undercity's chasms. In such a situation, Zaun would be helpless.
Furthermore, suppose Linwin indeed possessed the power to destroy Piltover. In that case, he still couldn't do it, because someone would intervene—Janna.
She would never consent to Piltover's destruction, as both Zaun and Piltover were like her children. She now favored Zaun a bit more because it was like the older sister who had been mistreated, while the younger sister continued to bully the elder one. Naturally, Janna had to support the older sister, Zaun.
Anyway, Vi sighed, shaking her head, and reached out with a single finger. She looked at Linwin with utmost seriousness and said, "I don't understand all that stuff you're talking about. But you have to promise me you'll come back to Zaun on Progress Day."
"We haven't had a proper Progress Day celebration for two years," Linwin said, pausing for a moment. Then he reached out and hooked his finger with Vi's.
"I promise," he declared.
"On Progress Day, I'll bring back a bunch of presents."
"You said it yourself, don't forget!"
"Of course, my little sister."
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