Warwick!?
Lilin's pupils shrank, now he finally knew who the fifth hero was.
Unexpectedly, Warwick turned out to be Vi and Jinx's guardian, so why was he transformed into a werewolf by Singed?
Jinx seems fairly normal now, so how did she become such a lunatic?
All kinds of thoughts in Lilin's mind, and he felt danger looming closer and closer.
I can't trust my memories to guide me to a happy ever after.
It's a wise choice to get the hextech gemstone as soon as possible to make the mech suit.
In the winding alleys of Zaun, Vander led the way without hesitation.
Caitlyn, who was behind Lilin, kept pulling him several steps away from the man in front of him.
This is to avoid any sudden movements, and to have time to react.
"Come this way." After turning another corner, Vander looked back at the two, and then focused his attention on Lilin, who was in the lead, "You shouldn't be from Piltover, right? ?"
"Well, I'm from Ionia and escaped to Piltover 4 years ago because of the war."
"War... I hear the Noxian invasion was halted the past two years because a resistance leader?"
"Irelia of Placidium's Blade Will." Lilin said a name, "In the battle of Navori's Stand, she led the resistance army to defeat Placidium's enemy and opened the counterattack."
Beside him, Caitlyn raised her eyebrows slightly, and sighed in her heart.
None of these things have been reported in Piltover's newspapers, it seems that he is still very concerned about his hometown.
"Ah, yes, I remembered." Vander exhaled, "You are quite lucky to be able to escape at the beginning of the war."
Lilin shook his head, worrying not about the past.
I don't know how long it will be before Vander will be dragged away by Singed to undergo his transformation, turning into the uncaged Wrath of Zaun.
By then, Vi and Jinx, who he had been caring for, would have split up for some reason and parted ways, one becoming a lunatic in the undercity, and the other going to the upper city to become Caitlyn's future partner.
"Are you alright?" Caitlyn asked softly, in a voice only the two could hear, noticing the unusual expression on his face.
"Fortunately, I thought of something." Lilin waved his hand to tell her not to worry.
Whether it's Warwick or Jinx, it's going to be a problem in the future if I don't deal with it now.
There's still time, hopefully it's too late for me to do something to change their fates.
Making up his mind, Lilin let out a deep breath and began to think about what to do.
First of all, it's foolish to get straight to the point.
He can't always walk up to Vander and say: You'll be transformed into a wolf monster in the future, and Jinx and Vi will become enemies, right?
Not considering whether Vander will believe it, Vander's fist will definitely hit Lilin in the face before he entertains the thought.
Second, change must be gradual, and he can only guide them gently from behind the scenes.
I don't know if there is a destiny in the world of Runeterra.
If the world has a corrective power as described in many novels, fixing things to stray away established path will end up in more tragedies.
But since there are so many parallel worlds in the main universe, this shouldn't happen...probably.
Lilin thought about it again and again, and decided to first inquire about the current relationship between Vander and Singed, then gather intelligence on Zaun after returning. It's best to wait until the suit is finished.
"Have you heard of a man named Singed?" he asked the man leading the way softly.
"Singed?" Hearing the name, Vander puzzled, "I don't think so... You're looking for this man also?"
"It's nothing, I heard that he invented an extremely unstable alchemy bomb for Noxus. It would exterminate all in its way, everywhere it affected became a forbidden area for life, killing countless people."
"Used in the war?" Caitlyn looked shocked and exasperated. "These Noxians are mad! Not only did they initiate wars everywhere; but using such inhumane chemical weapons!?"
Vander went silent for a while, and hesitantly said: "I know someone who studies Chemtech weapons, but for your sake, I'd rather you not meet him."
"Why? Shouldn't the wardens arrest him for such a heinous person who participated in the war!?"
At this stage, Caitlyn has not experienced enough hardships; her thoughts still naive, and unable to understand Vander.
Lilin suppressed her anger: "Calm down Caitlyn. Vander said that it was for our own good."
"The undercity is not as simple as you think, young lady."
Vander stopped and points to a sign above his head, which reads Benzo's Pawn Shop.
"Wait here." He pushed open the door and walked in without Lilin and Caitlyn.
"Why are you speaking for him?" Caitlyn's eyes were filled resentment. "The man you mentioned clearly committed an outrageous crime, and he deserves judgement!"
Lilin was dumbstruck. Originally, he just wanted to see what Vander knew about Singed, but it ignited Caitlyn's sense of justice.
AHHHHH...
"Caitlyn, this world is not black and white, but a delicate gray. There are many times when we do things we don't like or agree with."
Lilin paused, "As you can see, although Piltover and Zaun are intertwined, Zaun has actually been falling out of Piltover's control.
"And the conflict between the two cities is intensifying. Since Singed is an alchemy genius, he will most definitely be valued by the Chem-barons, and they will not allow Piltover to interfere in their affairs."
He accentuated the words "Chem-Baron".
The laws of Piltover does not bind Zaun. The law and order here is at a fine balance. The loose alliances formed by the barons of each region maintain the fragile stability of Zaun.
Although Caitlyn is a little naive, she is not unreasonable.
She had heard her parents talk about the Chem-Baron's influence in Zaun, some even have partnerships with families in Piltover.
The most obvious example of this is the Hextech Crystal Forge of the Ferros family located in the Zaun Trench.
The uppercity and the undercity... When did it become like this?
Caitlyn clenched her fists, and said nothing.
Lilin saw what she was thinking, sighed silently, and patted her on the shoulder.
"It's no use to think so much now, if you want to make change, it's better to put your thoughts into action...
"There's not much time today, let's finish the business and return to Piltover, so that Madam Cassandra won't worry about your safety."
He took a step to go into the shop when Caitlyn grabbed the hem of his clothes, and called out to him, "Lilin..."
"What is it?" Lilin turned around and looked at her.
Caitlyn's sapphire eyes flickered.
"If... someone wanted to change the status quo in the Twin Cities, you would help her... er, I mean, this person?"
"Of course." Lilin smiled slightly, "That is also my goal."
Inside Benzo's pawn shop.
A bulky man with sideburns and beards put down the magnifying glass in his hand and shouted into the inner room:
"Ekko, Did you repair the… Ekko. Ekko! The hell he go..."
The man squeezed out of the counter mumbling and was about to walk into the back.
The door rings, a familiar voice entered his ears: "Benzo, awfully cheerful today. You ripped someone off recently?"
"Vander? Why are you here again old man?" Benzo scratched his hairline, and snorted, "Gotta stay in business somehow, you're here for some junk?"
"I'm here for you this time."
"For me? What'd I do?"
"The two outside?" Vander pointed to the young man and woman talking outside the door.
Benzo squinted and peaked through the window, "who's that?"
"He came from upstairs, for you specifically, saying you have what he wants."
Vander pulled out the chair in front of the counter and sat down. He picked up the bottle on the table and poured himself a drink. "You offend someone Uptown?"
"Well, you know me. I don't even go out often. How do I do that?"
Benzo scratched the beard on his face and smiled, "Maybe the junk I sell are catching on."
"Yeah right." Vander took a sip and looked around the store. "I hardly ever see people come by anyways."
"Hey! Shut it, I sold something for a lot of money a short while ago." Benzo laughed, "Just a piece of glass shard, Ekko picked it up in the garbage, I sold it for 50 cogs! Can you believe it?"
He stretched out five fingers and shook it in front of Vander's face, "The kid also said, if I can find a complete one, he'd buy it for all the more and no less. I should be able to sell it for a few hexes."
"You're in trouble." Vander couldn't help sighing, "I don't think the shard was glass, and the two outside should be coming for this... "
The bell at the door rang again, Lilin and Caitlyn walked in.
"Welcome, how can I help ya?" A "bright" smile appeared on Benzo's face. "Our store has all kinds of goods and products, which are all first-class..."
"A crystal." Lilin interrupting Benzo's introduction, "I'm looking for a complete blue crystal that glows. A friend of mine came here before, and he bought a fragment."
"Oh, that one turned out to be your friend, I remember it very clearly, but that kind of crystal don't come by often..."
Benzo rubbed his fingers together and smiled, a normal person can see what he wants to express.
Need to pay up.
"Tell me, how much does it cost?" Lilin said in a neutral tone.
Not my money anyways, the Kiramman family will reimburse it.
He glanced at Caitlyn beside him, and suddenly understood why Jayce had spent so much money on a mere fragment before without bargaining.
Benzo rubbed his chin and hesitated for a moment, then raised a finger:
"Then, a piece of crystal for a hex?"
"Deal. If there are scraps, try to collect them as much as possible. I will pay for it... Provided that you don't try to fool me with junk."
Damn it! I set the price too low...
Seeing Lilin's accepting the deal so casually, Benzo felt an ache, he could have gotten more.
He opened his mouth to raise the price, but Vander's eyes signaled him to give up the idea.
For this kind of deals from the upstairs, it is best not to go too far. As a businessman, Benzo also knows this very well.
It's a better choice to get a regular by taking a little bit of a loss up front.
The deal went well, but it wasn't the best outcome Lilin wanted.
"I heard from my friend that you can only get them after Progress Day?"
"This..." Benzo glanced at Vander hesitantly and explained: "During Progress Day, the enforcer topside is very strict. It is not impossible, but the risk is too high."
"You're … going to steal?" Caitlyn surprised.
She knew that some items that were not allowed to circulate on the market or that some stolen items from the houses would be sold on the black market in Zaun.
But what she didn't expect was that these merchants was not only recycling the waste, but also sending people out to steal it directly.
"Well." Benzo amused. "We can't make one for you out of thin air, can we?"
"Expedited if possible. I want to get the goods before the evolution day." Lilin asked again.
"Easy for you to say." Benso sighed animatedly, "The streets and alleys of the uppercity are full of law enforcement officers. My people can't risk going to prison..."
Not enough money.
Lilin raised two fingers and interrupted Benzo, who was still whining, "Two gold hex for one complete crystal."
"Five."
"Two."
Benzo gritted his teeth, "4 pieces, I'm taking a huge loss..."
"Two."
This punk, acting so rich before, and so stingy now!
Benzo with an apologetic expression on his face, "Three, it really can't be any lower."
Both Vander and Caitlyn couldn't help covering their faces.
Lilin thought about it for a while, "Alright, 3 pieces it is, but this is the price before Progress Day. Finding it after will be old price of 1 gold hex per crystal."
"...Fine." Another word almost came out of Benzo's mouth. "Come back in a week."
"Don't let me down."
After negotiating the deal, Lilin nodded to Vander and walked out of the store with Caitlyn.
"Not a bad deal Benzo, it's a lot of money for this order." Vander patted Benzo's shoulder with a smile on his face, "Maybe you should pay more for next month's collection."
"Shut up Vander, go collect the Gray!" Benzo grabbed his bottle from Vander, "This punk, the last uptown boy was so much nicer. I could have earned double, no triple!"
"It's good to make money. Look at my tavern, you don't see gold coins there."
Vander emptied the cup, then got up and walked to the door of the store, stopping.
Benzo noticed the man who becoming quiet, his smile receding, "What?"
"On the way here, and we had a tail." Vander's tone was dull, and he turned to meet Benzo's eyes.
"They didn't come for me, but this is the lanes..."
Vander's words trailed off, but as his old pal, Benzo heard the message.
"I get it."