Cyberzaun, Machinarium

"This is even more interesting. Embezzling scientific research patents, smuggling hex gems, assassinating merchants, Mr. Hoskal, I have to say that your ambitions are much greater than they appear."

"This is slander," Councilman Hoskar retorted loudly. Unlike Hilko, he was not the leader. If his past deeds were brought up again, he would suffer the consequences, as other councilors would take advantage of the situation.

In fact, Jayce and Heimerdinger were already staring at him with distrust. The explosion at the Hextech Gate and the earlier burglary in the laboratory had always been issues that the councilors had tacitly avoided talking about. Strictly speaking, Hextech gems were a banned resource in the beginning, so what Councilor Surrey did was almost tantamount to treason.

Cassiopeia covered her mouth and chuckled like a lady. She didn't care about the commotion in front of her and continued reading. For her, a stable parliament was not what she wanted. "The Sun Gate's monopoly on smuggling, funding of dangerous experiments, illegal acquisition of patents, and unauthorized control of the executive power of law enforcement officers. To be honest, Lady Gillaman, although you are not as treasonous as your colleagues, you have done everything you should and shouldn't have done."

"What?" Caitlin, who was blocked outside the door, looked at her mother in disbelief. She never knew her family would do this. You know, there are not many people in the Gilaman family, and the normal income from the Sun Gate alone is enough to maintain a decent life.

Flipping through the pile of documents one by one, Cassiopeia casually read the charges inside. "Smuggling, assassination, human experimentation. The chem-barons of Zaun seem to have a strange tacit understanding when it comes to committing crimes. But this one gentleman really opened my eyes."

Turning over the thickest record book, the Noxian woman was looking at Enoch who was sitting quietly beside her dangerously. "Let me see, weapons smuggling, illegal human enhancement, development of inhumane weapons, assassination, illegal imprisonment, torture, instigation, incitement to war, terrorist attacks, chemical massacres... You are really a dangerous person."

Pulling out a page of documents and throwing it on the table, Cassiopeia casually asked, "Can you tell me what the 'V Plan' is? Let me see what kind of ingenious ideas a genius like you can come up with."

Chapter 132 Noxian Interference

Enoch looked at the thing on the table. It was a photo, a blueprint for Project V. However, apart from Jinx who had actually seen the blueprint, the only other person who had heard the Alchemist Baron mention it once was Jinx.

That was because a few years ago, when Hilco introduced Enoch to the meeting, he mentioned such a plan in order to show his muscle.

But he never gave any explanation, let alone any blueprints. How powerful could these Noxians be to be able to get something like this?

"This is an unfounded slander. Losrian is just a prosthetics production company that cares about the lives of disabled people." Enoch changed the subject. Anyway, before this woman's first private visit, Enoch had already asked Jinx to deal with it. For now, he himself didn't know where these things were hidden.

"Are you kidding? Were those things that attacked Piltover toys that fell from the sky?" As expected, the parliament broke out in internal strife first. On the one hand, these people were beaten too badly by Enoch's weapons, and on the other hand, this Noxian woman was obviously ready to let the others go and specifically pointed at Enoch for questioning. If they didn't pass on the blame now, what would happen if the fire turned on themselves later?

"Atlas' weapons are designed to better maintain the stability of the surrounding areas. I think the pirates we captured and executed are the best explanation. These are defensive weapons to deal with external attacks."

When Enoch talked about dealing with external attacks, his tone was severely emphasized. To be honest, he no longer had any illusions about these congressmen. What were they still doing at this time? Why didn't they kick this Noxian woman out quickly, but instead bullied her in the house?

Obviously, Enoch's hint was ignored. The few people who had a tacit understanding with him were carefully looking at the blueprint photos on the table, and the remaining outstanding businessmen were doing the accusation work that they were best at.

"Is this a humanoid machine? It's simply impossible to design something this complex into the same size as a human. Even if it can move, the maintenance cost will drive people crazy." Heimerdinger stared at the blurry blueprint. The numbers on it were pitifully small, not to mention that due to the shooting conditions, the thing was terribly blurry and only a rough idea could be made out.

"So this is an obvious slander. An outsider wants to accuse me with something that seems to be true?" Enoch breathed a sigh of relief. The few people who could understand the situation took the lead in vetoing it. This was a good thing.

"Really? I'll continue investigating." Cassiopeia smiled. With Noxus's ability, once her plan successfully took over the two cities, whether you really have a plan in this regard or not, it would be best if you could really come up with the so-called V plan.

Throwing the photo numbered G aside, Cassiopeia looked at the congressmen who were blaming and doubting each other and said, "Now, let's make it short. In order to ensure that the trade between these two great cities can proceed normally, Noxus will consider assisting you in maintaining order here. You don't have to worry about trivial pirate harassment or commercial fraud. Noxus will take care of these."

Mel slammed the table and looked at the woman angrily. "You want to make Piltover a colony of Noxus? Don't even think about it. I will never agree to your request. You are just a bandit."

"Indeed, we can't let Noxus do whatever it wants to us, but I remember that Lady Midalda is also a Noxian, right?" Iscariot suddenly spoke timidly, but this time, his words were like a sharp razor, cutting the already shaky trust into pieces.

"That's right. Who knows if you and that woman are in cahoots? Zaun will never surrender." Renee also joined in. The venue was now in chaos, with people saying all kinds of things. Even the bargaining among the vendors was more civilized and orderly than that of the people in front of them.

"Quiet" Hilco still had some prestige. Under his control, the Alchemist Barons of Zaun calmed down a little and waited eagerly for his decision.

"Maybe this is also a method? What I mean is, our main customers are Noxus anyway, right? In that case, it doesn't make any difference if they maintain law and order here. At least the transaction can go smoothly... Anyway, the law and order of Piltover is also managed by Atlas, so it will be the same if someone else takes over, right?" Councilman Sari suddenly spoke, making the entire office eerily quiet. Almost everyone looked at him, wondering if the bald man in front of them had a brain burnt out to say such a thing.

"Because Atlas is a fucking Zaun company. Think carefully about what you are saying before you fart." For the first time, Enoch felt that his vision was not very reliable. He thought this was someone he could cooperate with in the long run, but he ended up being the first to lead the way.

"Oh, don't be so mean to him, dear Mr. Enoch, why is this not a good choice? Let me tell you what you will get... Noxus doesn't mind protecting your life and enjoyment. Your quality of life will not decrease at all. On the contrary, your rights can be further expanded through Noxus."

Cassiopeia had not lied. Noxus would protect the rights of these people - as long as they could prove that they were worthy of these rights.

"I want to assure you that Noxus does not have so many restrictions and rules. Want to conduct human experiments? Noxus has plenty of prisoners. Want to develop technology? Noxus never worries about the consequences."

The spy was like a poisonous snake, spewing venom called greed and fear. "When the time comes, we will all be Noxians, so the two diplomats who unfortunately passed away will be compensated according to the normal law. Noxus will not think that you are deliberately provoking."

"What if we say no? You see us as a soft persimmon that can be taken at will?" Jace objected sternly. He couldn't believe that a councillor like himself would turn against us so quickly.

"Then treat it as if a Noxian diplomat was assassinated abroad." Cassiopeia chuckled and touched Jace's chest. "When the time comes, it won't be a problem that can be solved by paying a little money. I suggest that you, who are kind and upright, should think about it more, so as not to make a mistake that you can't forgive yourself."

"I'll take my leave now. Please give me a satisfactory answer in two days." The Noxian woman turned and walked out of the conference room, leaving the people inside to make a fuss. The security guards who were blocked at the door looked at each other and rushed into the conference room, wanting to escort their employer away from this troublesome place.

"Do you need me to follow and kill her?" Jinx also appeared quietly and asked Enoch about his plan in a low voice.

"No, don't go. There's no need to get yourself involved. There might be a trap somewhere." Looking around the busy conference table, Enoch sighed to Jinx, "The biggest problem now is not outside but inside. Our Miss Philos is right. How can we do politics well with these insects?"

Chapter 133: The Surrender of Members

After Cassiopeia left, the remaining senators were like peacocks spreading their tails, loudly accusing each other and spreading their fear around.

After a while, the Alchemist Baron was also involved for some reason, and several people began to shirk responsibility by talking about smuggling, arms trafficking, and illegal human experiments.

To be honest, what these people said themselves was much more explosive than what the Noxian woman provided. After all, at most one number was recorded on the file, and these people kindly helped the other party recall how many men, women, and children there were.

"These guys have a much lower bottom line than I thought. I actually feel a little sorry for the attack on these bastards." Enoch took the wine glass handed to him by Jinx. "I have to say that I completely misunderstood you. In a way, you were very gentle."

Jinx tilted her head and pushed away a thug who was in the way. "Are you apologizing to me?"

"Yes, I once naively thought that you were the worst villain in Zaun, but now it seems that you are simply an angel, the kind that can flap your little wings at any time."

It was obvious that Jinx was disgusted by Littlefinger's adjective, and her face wrinkled. "Please don't use such disgusting words to describe me. It sounds like garbage that appeared on the first day of the new year and was flushed into the sewer."

Enoch laughed helplessly twice, turned around and poured another glass for himself and Jinx. He had to wait until these people calmed down.

After turning the cup around out of boredom for a while, Enoch looked at Hilco, who seemed to be normal for the time being, and asked, "Would you like a cup?"

Hilco said nothing, unwilling to take his precious cigar away from his lips, and simply slid the cup in front of Enoch.

"Here's your Bloody Mary with a mojito, some shimmer and two slices of lemon, and a little love." Enoch filled the cup and pushed it back with a mouthful of nonsense, "What's wrong? You have to let me have some fun, I'm almost dying of noise here."

The girl next to him suddenly leaned over and put a small umbrella she got from somewhere into Enoch's glass, and whispered with an unconcealed smile: "You will not be bored soon... Trouble is coming"

Councilman Polpok in front of him angrily pushed away the people who were blocking his way. The mechanical structures all over his body were spinning rapidly, as if steam would come out of his head in the next second.

"Good day, Congressman Porpok, would you like a drink?" Enoch leaned back in his chair and gently raised his glass to him. Enoch assured that he really wanted to treat the congressman to a drink. After all, even he had never seen how a machine with its mouth sealed could eat, and he was really curious about it.

Unfortunately, the person on the other side didn't seem to appreciate it and swept the wine glass aside with a wave of his hand. The crystal glass with a small umbrella fell on the thick carpet, staining a large area.

"I think you should tip the cleaning staff more. This kind of carpet is difficult to clean... So, what do you want to say?"

"I want honesty. What role did you play in this? What exactly is Project V?"

Enoch raised his hands and waved them firmly in front of his chest. "That's fake news."

"No one knows mechanical design better than me. I guess that photo is the product of those Noxian laymen who were defrauded of funds by the researchers in Piltover. There are no useful parameters at all, and he didn't even think about the maintenance cost of the so-called G-type robot... You actually doubt that this is true? It seems that you are really an amateur in design."

Relying on the fact that no one could refute him, Enoch refused to admit it. He considered himself unlucky that Noxus dared to suspect him with a few pieces of paper. But how could you, a Piltover councilor, get the confidence to come up to him and question him?

Enoch's indifferent attitude angered the surrounding councilors, who accused him of indifference, questioned his loyalty, and even suspected that Enoch had reached a deal with Noxus to betray him.

Under the current circumstances, some members of parliament do not care whether there are traitors or not. What they care about is who they should team up with to avoid losses.

Even Heimerdinger was not confident that he could refuse such requests so close to the Noxian border.

As is tradition, Noxus doesn't like to be rejected.

"Is it impossible to fight Noxus with our current technology?" Someone asked, and the noise in the conference room paused for a moment. Everyone looked at each other, trying to find the person who was talking, but found that everyone looked confused.

"It's difficult. It's true that our weapons are more advanced, but the combined manpower of the two cities is not even half of Noxus's legion. Maybe we may always have the upper hand, but Noxus will probably be the winner in the end." Mel knew the situation in Noxus very well. Unless a weapon of mass destruction was developed now, if a war really broke out, Piltover, without a natural barrier, would not be able to defend against Noxus' continuous bleeding.

Senator Kevold spoke wearily: "So our choice is obvious, isn't it? We may have to surrender to Noxus, and then build Noxian outposts like other surrendered areas. In this way, there will be a large number of Noxian soldiers stationed at the docks of Zaun and the Sun Gate in Piltover. Maybe we will get used to it, right?"

"Maybe, but we have to wait until they can adapt to Zaun's poisonous fog." Hilco slammed the cup heavily on the table. "Zaan will not surrender."

"Maybe, but we can't gamble with the lives of our own people... Maybe there's nothing we can do about it." Mel pondered. Her mother had also been missing for the past two days. She had no idea what Noxus was trying to do.

Hilco glanced at the now silent Alchemist Baron, then turned to look at Enoch, "Do you have any ideas?"

"I know what you mean..." Enoch flipped through the documents in his hand. "I have to tell you that it takes enough time and raw materials to produce weapons. More importantly, we need enough people who can use them... I am just curious now. According to the style of Noxus, why haven't I seen where their army is?"

"In that case, let's vote," Jiraman suggested. Perhaps this vote would be the beginning of his family's decline? Without the Sun Gate, who knows what the future will be like?

Everyone was silent for a long time, until someone started to take the opportunity to propose a temporary adjournment, and then a hand was raised hesitantly. Councillor Hoskal closed his eyes painfully and pondered for a long time before expressing his opinion, "I agree with Noxus' proposal."

With the first person taking the lead, the atmosphere of the rest of the people following became more lively. Baron Iscariot also raised his hand with a twinkle in his eyes, "I agree too."

This performance was really interesting, especially since his immediate superior, Hilco, had just expressed his dissenting opinion.

However, at this time no one asked him the reason for his choice. Everyone just expressed their wishes one by one. However, Heimerdinger and Meier both chose to abstain. For them, it was not easy to get too deeply involved in this matter.

There were even fewer people who insisted on opposing it. Apart from Jace and Hilco who basically did not express their opinions, only Gilaman and Finn expressed their opposition. Their reasons were very straightforward, and most of them were related to industrial issues.

When it was Enoch's turn to make the final statement, the number of people in favor of letting Noxus in had already reached an overwhelming advantage. Enoch smiled as he looked at the list of people in favor.

As expected, the Piltover councillors were good businessmen. His good friends Councillors Hoskal, Surrey and Kevold all agreed. Maybe they had already benefited from it? Who knows. As for why Renee also agreed? Maybe she had her own reasons.

"There's no need to show your harshness, Enoch. Tell me, what do you think?" Kewald frowned when he heard Enoch's sneer.

"It's over, right? Then let me be cunning and give up." Enoch waved his hand and swept away the documents on the table. "Then the matter is clear. When are you going to lick the soles of Noxus' shoes?"

"This is a sacrifice that has to be made for peace," said Councillor Bolpok, as if he had been greatly insulted. "This is the best option at the moment. The peace ceremony will be held tomorrow. We are doing this for the people of the two cities."

Enoch nodded. "Yes, this is a necessary sacrifice. I understand."

Chapter 134: Bottom of the Ninth Inning (5K)

After the meeting, everyone was no longer in the mood to hold a banquet together, and hurried back to their own residences to prepare for tomorrow's changes.

It was getting dark, but the square of Star Avenue was still brightly lit. Some of Seraphine's fans were reluctant to leave. They sang Seraphine's new songs carefree and celebrated regardless of whether they were in the upper or lower city.

They only heard good news. They only knew that tomorrow the parliament and Zaun would formally sign a peace agreement and a new trade agreement. No one knew how much Noxus had behind this matter. They just knew that they would no longer have to worry about attacks and would no longer have to march. In their opinion, this was the effect of Seraphine's singing - the two cities had finally merged together again after nearly 200 years of independence.

Apart from those attending the meeting and their few bodyguards, no one knew that tomorrow night they might become honorary Noxians.

The crisp sound interrupted Enoch's divergent thoughts. He turned around and saw Jinx putting the plate in her hand on the table. "Dinner is here."

Seeing Enoch nod, Jinx thought for a moment, pulled over two cups, stood beside Enoch with the bottle of wine, and looked down with him at the lively crowd below.

"Cheers, Littlefinger, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Enoch took the glass and drank it all. "What's all the noise outside?"

"Those few capitulationists are trying to persuade those who oppose to think carefully about the consequences of opposing. Maybe it has nothing to do with us? Anyway, I don't see anyone trying to block the door here." Jinx tacitly refilled Littlefinger's glass and stayed quietly beside him.

"I wonder if this is a decision made by Noxus or a mission by that woman." Enoch sighed and slowly expressed his concerns to Jinx. "Normally speaking, Noxus is now fighting among itself. Even the garrisons in Shurima and Ionia have stopped their activities for a while. I'm worried that we're being used as bargaining chips to get involved in the mess between the nobles and the reformists."

"What does it matter? In the end, there are only two differences. Either we follow our northern neighbors or we turn against them. It's not a big deal." Jinx didn't care much. For her, she could go anywhere. If Enoch hadn't asked her, Jinx might not have spent a second thinking about it.

"You're right. I'm just afraid of losing everything I have now. If we end up leaving here and wandering somewhere else, will you follow me?" Enoch asked uncertainly. Even though he already had the answer in his mind, he still wanted to hear the girl's answer.

"Ha, I won't follow you. I'm the one who raised you, so you should follow me." Jinx wrinkled her nose and laughed happily. "I will be Master Jinx by then, and you have to behave well, my dear little finger servant."

Seeing the girl's smiling face, Enoch felt much better. He gently tapped the girl's forehead and said, "I didn't expect this. You have to protect me when the time comes."

Having made up his mind, Enoch pulled the girl over and whispered in her ear, "Go to your sister now and tell them to pay attention to the movements of the Ionian guests... and also pay attention to whether the Demacia caravan has any reaction. Then go to Zaun and have them put all the coastal defense artillery on alert and lock all the tanks and helicopters. I want to make sure there is nothing in the sky tomorrow."

"Clear all." Jinx raised her eyebrows. This was no simple fellow. The number of airships transporting cargo every day was not small.

"Clear the air, just say it's to ensure the normal opening of the peace conference, I believe the members of parliament will not object."

Jinx nodded, "Leave it to me. Anything else?"

"There is one more thing... You can't accompany me to the meeting tomorrow. I have something very important to entrust to you." Enoch said as he handed a bank deposit certificate to Jinx.

"Really? I'm afraid you'll get hurt...Okay, don't look at me like that. I'm just worried about you. Tell me what you want to do?"

"It's simple, just use your talent"

........................

The night passed quickly, and the endless quarrels came to an end. The place where the congressmen lived was surrounded by a group of fully armed Noxian soldiers early in the morning. According to the leading soldier, this was to ensure the smooth progress of the meeting. It is not difficult to guess what they were thinking.

After all, there is no one standing guard at the door of the congressman's rest room. Even in prison, there is not such intensive surveillance.

Early in the morning, Enoch received an unexpected visitor. Cassiopeia came to the temporary room with a bottle of champagne.

"You're so lonely here. Where's your little girl? Isn't she here to take care of you?" Cassiopeia sat elegantly on the sofa, glanced at the empty wine bottle on the table, and gracefully greeted the boy standing in front of the window, "Good morning, Little Finger."

"Good day, Ms. Cassiopeia, it seems that you have gained a lot. I congratulate you in advance. I don't think that showing your embarrassing side is always worthy of praise." Enoch turned and looked at the half-lying woman. Even now, Enoch couldn't figure out what she had done, but judging by the results, she was very successful.

"You're too polite. Didn't I tell you? Just call me Cassie." The woman chuckled and opened the cork of the champagne. "Maybe this is your most successful investment. Noxus has a bigger stage for you to show your talents. To be honest, I was sad for a while when you chose to give up."

With a sigh, Enoch took the champagne handed to him. Looking at the lady in front of him, Enoch was very curious, "What else don't you know?"

"A lot, such as what amazing works you have, such as the rumored V plan, and when are you going to kiss my ring..." The woman was unmoved. This conspiracy had normally taken over the port of Piltover. Both the Hextech of Piltover and the chemical alchemy of Zaun would take some time to digest for the Black Rose they represented. So of course, it was better to enjoy her own dessert as soon as possible.

She really wanted to see the boy kneel before her and offer his loyalty to her, just like the others who had fallen under her skirt before. But Enoch might become her most precious collection.

"I declare again that what you have seen is carefully fabricated fake news." Enoch didn't care. Since he had made up his mind, there was no need to worry about the way out.

Cassiopeia concealed her embarrassment without leaving a trace, and reminded Enoch with a smile as always: "It's okay, you can think about it more before you speak, but I have to remind you that the rewards for the same loyalty before the meeting and after the signing of the agreement are quite different."

"Don't worry about that. I have my own plans."

"That's good," Cassiopeia stood up and walked out. Just before she left, she seemed to remember something and turned to Enoch and asked, "I suddenly remembered that I still need a girl to help me with the documents... How about you ask that little girl named Jinx to come over to help me tonight?"

Cassiopeia looked at Enoch who suddenly turned around with satisfaction, and smiled elegantly: "This is not a request, this is an invitation, please think about it carefully."