Cyberzaun, Machinarium

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The man sat on the chair opposite with a slightly serious look. His slim and decent clothes made him look unlike those of the people of Bilgewater. Compared to the sailors who chose short sleeves or vests due to years of contact with sea water, the man's clothes looked more like he was attending a meeting with strict requirements, with no extra skin exposed on his body.

Enoch turned the Illuminati symbol in his hand and handed it to the curious girl standing behind him. He pondered for a moment and said softly, "I didn't expect to meet friends from the Illuminati in this place. Who are you here for? Are you a Crown Guardian?"

The dark-skinned man shook his head slowly. "I came for myself. I am a Sentinel of Light who cooperates with the Illuminati. My name is Lucian. I heard that you were in trouble on the road, so I wanted to see if I could provide any help."

"Hmph, trouble, this thing always lingers nearby, if you press one, another will pop up." Enoch raised his eyebrows, it sounded like they were asking the Illuminati to do something. "No matter what the trouble is, I have my own arrangements. Tell me your purpose before I get bored."

"My question is about the Haunting Night. I heard from the grapevine that your fleet encountered an attack from the undead at sea, is that correct?"

Enoch took a sip of whiskey out of boredom. He hated beating around the bush, especially when he was in the driver's seat. "You know, I was just thinking of putting an hourglass on the table. If someone wastes my time, I can use that thing to remind him. Rumors are everywhere. There's no need to spend time confirming them. I don't have much time. Just tell me what you're here for."

"Forgive my hesitation." Lucian bowed his head. "I want to know... Did you kill Thresh? He is the undead with the hook and bronze lantern described by the sailors. I want to know what his condition is now and whether he has any special reaction. This is very important to me."

Chapter 165: The Pioneer Who Volunteered to Come

As an institution of Demacia, the Illuminati is responsible for the preservation and research of magic and other things that may cause harm to the kingdom. It is a place with strict defenses and clear class distinctions. Even noble titles cannot necessarily be normal here.

The Sentinels of the Light are a worldwide defense organization with a long history and a large number of members. They specialize in dealing with incidents that ordinary people are helpless to deal with, such as magical accidents, lost magic, and undead intrusion. This organization with highly overlapping functions has produced a wonderful fusion in conservative Demacia. Many Sentinels of the Light are allowed to access the Illuminati's information and even accept commissions from the Illuminati.

So when Lucian came up with the Illuminati symbol, Jinx was very happy. She thought that Little Spark had brought him something good.

When the girl heard that Lucian was not sent by the Crown Guard, she lost interest and went to the back room to pack up her stuff. Enoch, on the other hand, became interested. This man obviously knew a lot about the Shadow Isles and might be a good helper who could bring his own food.

So when Lucian asked about Thresh, Enoch didn't beat around the bush and said, "I don't know."

“What? But…” Lucian was a little anxious, but his face was still serious.

"Calm down and listen to me." Enoch pushed the man back into the chair. "I really don't know what happened to that guy. Because the energy index increased sharply after the bombardment of the artillery, we lost the accurate data of that period. Then the sea was full of green smoke from the group of undead, so I don't know whether the one holding the lantern died, ran away, or hid in that corner to recover from his injuries."

This answer was beyond Lucian's expectations. "How is that possible? Didn't you use the weapons left by the Sentinels to repel them?"

"No, we use high-density energy, which can barely be considered a kind of arcane magic. But anyway, that thing has high enough energy. No matter whether it is steel, sand or gravel, or some kind of magic shield, alchemical metal... ordinary things are no different in front of it." Enoch was not talking nonsense about this. In the case of not understanding the specific countermeasures, increasing the output can solve 80% of the problems.

"I'm not sure what kind of situation you're looking for with Thresh, but I'm sure no one would feel comfortable under that kind of energy," Enoch said, pouring a glass of whiskey for the serious man. "Now that I've answered your question, I'd like to ask you a question as a courtesy."

"I want to know what's going on on the Shadow Isles"

Lucian didn't refuse. He thought for a moment and said, "The island is full of undeads. Some of them are very intelligent, including Hecarim, Thresh, Karthus..."

"That's not what I want to know," Enoch interrupted the man's introduction. "I'm not interested in the cavalry, the mourners, or the chanters. I want to know what the buildings on Shadow Island are like, whether drinking water is easily available, and whether there are any recyclable resources or local minerals..."

"I am more interested in these things. With rewards, I am more motivated."

Lucian had never seen such a person before. To him, those troublesome undead seemed to be non-existent. Even if there were a lot of minerals in that broken place, what would it matter? Could it be that he was going to send troops to occupy the Shadow Isles?

“I don’t know. I’ve never thought about this,” Lucian said honestly, but it was still a little hard to believe. “How are you going to deal with so many undead?”

"There is always a way," Enoch didn't care. Anyway, the Twin Cities lacked new research topics. "My turrets have proven that high energy can cause damage to ordinary undead, so as long as the income is much greater than the expenditure, why not give it a try? If it fails, the worst that can happen is that we can just leave. Anyway, it's an enclave with no living people."

"I can't understand your thinking, so I won't question your decision, but I still want to remind you that this is a terrible idea, and I can't help you with your worries."

"Maybe. But since you have ideas about that island and will take action, will you accept my employment?" Enoch returned the Illuminati emblem to the man, stood up and motioned for Lucian to follow him to the basement. "The Shadow Island may have what I need. Those undead have lost their minds but their instincts are still there. They can't become ordinary workers, but they are quite good at attacking living people."

"I've heard your story, Sentinel. You want to kill Thresh and free your wife, so you will definitely land on that island. In this case, we have the same goal. I will provide you with financial support, and you will be the vanguard to gather information."

Enoch stood in front of the explosion-proof door and turned to look at the tall man. "You can think of me as buying your life."

"I don't see any reason to refuse." Lucian was silent. This was different from the simple hunting of undead before, but it was just collecting some information. It was rare that he didn't object at the first time.

This was good news for Enoch, indicating that he was considering the matter seriously, and Enoch would not have to go to great lengths to fill that broken place with lives, and first of all, he would be able to save a lot of compensation.

"Since we have reached a preliminary cooperation intention, I am happy to show you the current progress... After all, there may be few people other than you who can understand the status of these things. As an expert, it would be even better if you can give some advice."

The explosion-proof door made a loud noise, and it was blocking several huge glass jars, which contained black smoke-like things that looked like rags floating in the water, and emitted green light when moving.

"Could this be..." Lucian looked at the thing in front of him in shock.

"Yes, these are the remains of the undead that I collected when I was cleaning the battlefield. However, compared to the night of the Haunting, these things are too quiet, and they don't look like souls... So do you have any clues? Exorcist expert?"

Lucian didn't even think twice. "You should have killed it, not kept it in a jar like a goldfish."

"The researchers have tried," Enoch handed a thick stack of documents to Lucian. "This thing has not reacted at all. Even when we used the energy of the simulated holy stone, it still did not react. In other words, this thing cannot be killed by normal methods."

"Have you ever tried magic?" God knows what this Demacia man has been through. Anyway, Enoch didn't see any special reaction from this man when he talked about magic.

"No," Enoch shook his head. "You see, that one of my men looks like a magician? So is there any way, Mr. Expert? This thing is not a hot chick in a glass cage, and I am not interested in raising it. If you can make it change, I will be very happy."

"Maybe you should try the Hallows." Lucian drew out his two large guns and pointed them at the rolling shadows.

Just as he was about to fire, the pair of shadows seemed to be stimulated by something and violently surged. Enoch activated his shield immediately, and then opened the energy shield of the laboratory before he had the mood to check the changes in the container.

"Wow...Bluebird Bless You"

Chapter 166 Resurrection

The fog in the jar, which had not changed, suddenly reacted. The black color gradually faded away, and the green light became brighter. Then it contracted, and a cloaked woman emerged. Her green eyes stared silently at the shocked Lucian, as if she had thousands of words to say.

"This is really beyond my expectation," Enoch couldn't help but sigh. He never thought that this ball of mist at this time was actually a person. What kind of existence was she?

"Now there is indeed a hot girl in the glass jar. Is this the power of the holy artifact? To turn this inexplicable thing into a female?" Enoch teased awkwardly. He didn't want to appear to be too knowledgeable. If he accidentally stepped into this matter, it would be difficult to get out.

“No... I didn't do anything, but why... Senna, my love.” The two huge holy stone pistols slipped from Lucian's hands. The Demacia Sentinel of Light looked at the woman inside through the barrier, with their hands put together, longing for a more intimate contact.

"She is my love. I don't know how she escaped from Thresh, but... I want to go in and see her. I beg you." Lucian pressed tightly against the glass and whispered to Enoch who was about to move.

"Of course, I don't mean to delay your time together, but please wait a moment." Enoch quickened his pace and left the laboratory, and the explosion-proof door was tightly closed. After confirming that it was completely closed and safe, Enoch unlocked the internal shields and partitions, and watched through the monitor as the two hugged each other and talked to each other.

"Oh, this is so touching." Jinx stood beside Enoch, clasped her hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and listened quietly to the story of this team of poor people.

"Don't worry, our story will definitely be more exciting." Enoch played with the girl's long braids and whispered in her ear.

"I believe you, dear." Jinx lay in Littlefinger's arms. "I was just thinking, what if we..."

Enoch quickly interrupted the girl's thoughts and said, "There is no if. I will keep a close eye on you. Don't even think about going anywhere."

"Don't worry, Littlefinger, I'm just thinking about it." Jinx kissed Inuk on the face, thought for a while, and suddenly had some good ideas.

"How much fun would it be if I captured that Piltover cop and let that idiot Vi find him?"

"No, it's definitely not interesting." Enoch quickly interrupted the girl's thoughts. "The Caitlin you mentioned is now a senator. It's not as easy to kidnap as before. Besides, just think of it as considering your sister. Think about how anxious you would be if I was caught, right?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Jinx was a little confused. "Didn't I catch you and bring you to my side? What's there to be anxious about?"

"Why do you bring in the villain's perspective? Aren't we supposed to be a couple in love?"

"We are here as a couple in love." Jinx nodded seriously, "But we are also bad guys."

"Indeed, you are a genius"

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It was already evening when Lucian and Senna finished the examination. The two sat together excitedly, sharing the snacks and drinks on the table.

"I'm sorry, I have to make you pass these tests before I can let you out. Please understand. After all, it is a very rare task to suddenly change into a human form from an uncertain state like a fog ball. I want to avoid trouble." Enoch raised his glass gently to the two of them, and Jinx was laughing and joking with interest beside him.

“I understand. In fact, it’s hard to expect to be free again. I’m very grateful for your response during the Harrowing, especially for teaching the pony a lesson. It always ran around in the Shadow Isles, disturbing people…” Senna chuckled as if she was talking about something interesting, and Lucian beside her also hurried to support her.

Enoch nodded, using his great reason to restrain his curiosity. He didn't want to know why there was such a title as a pony, and why she felt so noisy in the jar.

"Anyway, there's no need to be polite. It would be a great help if you could provide information about Shadow Island."

“At your service,” Senna nodded. “In fact, Lucian and I will enter the Shadow Isles soon. Thresh may take a break, but his lantern… contains something I need.” Senna pushed the emblems of the Illuminati and the Light Sentinels onto the table. “I heard you have business in Demacia as well. I hope they can help you.”

"Thank you very much, and I wish you both all the best."

………………

Things can easily come together at once, causing endless troubles, but they can also be suddenly resolved one day. After seeing off Lucian and Senna, things in Bilgewater went smoothly. Except for trivial matters such as the casino riot, the whole city was progressing smoothly.

Miss Fortune thrived in this chaotic city with her clever tactics, and Losrian's foreign department also established a good relationship with the Baju priest.

Thanks to arranging some pirates who were worthy of her time to "voluntarily" participate in the trial, Enoch collected a lot of useful information. The sea beast priest was also very satisfied. Even though some pirates were not qualified in her opinion, she could pick out some troublemakers who met the requirements. The Baju Church naturally supported her quietly, which brought Miss Fortune more prestige. During this period, there was a call for the Queen in Bilgewater.

Taking advantage of the rare peaceful time in Bilgewater, Enoch left the port with Jinx at ease. The Siren ordered for Miss Sarah was expected to be delivered in half a year. During this period, it was difficult for other pirates who were torn to pieces to stir up trouble.

Not to mention that Sarah sent people to find the Leviathan stolen by Gangplank based on the treasure map. This ship may not be able to withstand several rounds of main gun salvos from Behemoth, but it is more than enough to deal with the pirates in Shipwreck Bay.

After preliminary naval battle tests, a lot of useful data was collected. Relying on these materials, bionic robots were arranged in many places on the ship for replacement operations. Considering that this place is about to become Littlefinger and Jinx's second home, Enoch once hoped to operate the entire ship through a panel.

However, after being laughed at by the girl for a while, Enoch wisely gave up the research and development in this area and instead stayed on the deck with the girl to fish.

Enoch could only set sail again and kill time on the sea. This meeting was too secretive. The invitation letter from Noxus did not mark the exact time, and there was not even the badge of the inviter. He could only hope that the secret meeting in Midalda would be valuable enough, or at least he would not run into someone like Cassiopeia again.

Chapter 167 Visitors from Noxus

When the sun rose again, a steel battleship leaped out from the horizon, cutting through the thick smoke.

Noxus is an old empire after all. After losing a battleship, it was not in a hurry to get it back. Instead, it placed an order for another one from the Piltover district.

The original huge steel battleship was still slightly inferior to the Behemoth. The weapons on the ship were also obviously inferior to the industrial crystallization of Lothrian technology. The caliber of the Behemoth's better ship guns was larger, and the design of Noxus was fully instilled with their habits - a large number of soldiers were transferred and then deployed to the scene as soon as possible, while Littlefinger's ship obviously implemented the idea of ​​big guns and big ships to plow the border first.

The two boats were constantly slowing down, maintaining a relative distance, and tacitly chose to stop at a distance that was just enough for them to see the flag signals clearly.

Of course they would not board each other's warships when they met for the first time. Both sides sent out their own small boats. The secondary guns on Little Finger's side quietly turned the turrets and locked onto the opponent's upper deck, ready to open fire at any time if there was any problem.

Enoch was still the same, wearing a virtual mask and lying comfortably on Jinx's legs, ready to remotely control the bionic robot.

He is not stupid. As an old empire, who knows if they will come up with something beyond imagination. When the enemy and us are not clear, it is better to avoid excitement.

"When can you take me with you?" Jinx wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction, and gently brushed the corner of the boy's mouth. "It's boring for me to just stare at the screen like this."

"I made a lot of fake bodies for you, but you threw them all in Zaun..." Enoch had been deceived so many times that he could tell that the girl was just joking, but he was in a tense mood and it was not suitable for a fight.

But thanks to the girl's interruption, Little Finger felt much better. He let out a breath and activated the link device. On the boat in the distance, 'Enoch', who seemed to be resting, opened his eyes.

The boat on the opposite side was much smaller than Enoch's, but more stable. He could vaguely see two people standing on the bow, pushing the electronic eyes. Enoch finally realized that the organizer of this party was actually an old friend with whom he had known each other for a long time.

Tactician Lord Swain is the most representative figure of the reformists in Noxus. His appearance has long been no secret. Since he began to build the Trilifar Legion, this gloomy man can often be seen.

But Enoch was very confused at this time. Had he done anything to make this great god take the time to meet him privately?

They are very clear about their own business. They want to sell their artillery and tanks all over the world, but the Havoc helicopter, which is the low-altitude death god, has always been a non-sale item. When Enoch develops attack aircraft and bombers, the castrated versions of these armed helicopters may appear in the product catalog.

It's impossible that he's here just to make friends.

The two speedboats soon stopped on the unnamed island chain of the Blue Flame Islands. Enoch was not in a hurry and slowly moved towards the small house on the shore. This was a remote-controlled bionic machine. If it really entered the sea water, the subsequent maintenance would drive him crazy.

Not long after, Swain, with a mustache and a spinning flying axe, entered the newly built wooden house. Draven, the Noxian executioner, occupied the spacious sofa by himself, and stared at Enoch's neck with unkind eyes.

Judging from the situation, this person is not a good person.

After both parties sat down, Enoch, as a businessman, spoke up, "I am Enoch from Losrian Technology Company. I am very happy to meet you two. Adhering to the concept of continuous improvement, we provide the best industrial facilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, Enoch hesitated and turned off the beeping and flashing alarm device on his wrist.

This thing that Swain had been thinking about since he sat down was a test product, specially used to detect energy similar to that of demons.

It was really because Enoch was a little nervous because of the demons he ran into everywhere he went, so he had nothing to do anyway, so he integrated it on his wrist. But he didn't expect that the effect of this thing was a little too good. It reacted immediately when it touched Swain, and the buzzing sound was so loud that the two people on the opposite side couldn't ignore it.

Staring at the two people's eyes, Enoch forced a stiff and strange smile on the bionic man's face. "I am very busy with business. What can I do for you two?"

"Some people are secretly supporting some families with unclear prospects. I seriously suggest that you consider it carefully and act with caution." Swain didn't say anything, but the man with a mustache next to him spoke first, his tone was frivolous and annoying. The guy's appearance reminded Enoch of Finn. If that guy who liked to play with lighters was still around, it would be so interesting to watch them fight each other.

"The relationship between Midalda and I is limited to business cooperation. Especially after the attack planned by the Noxian war stonemasons, all cooperation with Noxus has been suspended." Enoch replied boringly on the table, "I am a native of Zaun and I don't care about the politics of other countries."

Enoch could guess why a reformist could contact him. It seemed that the Midalda family had been infiltrated by spies. Fortunately, the foreign trade products did not have any labels. Enoch was ready to insist that they were smuggled goods. Anyway, it had nothing to do with him.

"Really? Maybe I should split your little head open and take a good look to see what secrets it has." Draven carried his throwing axe on his shoulder. For some personal reasons, he really disliked this man, so it was hard to tell from his current opinion whether he was playing the villain or really wanted to do so.

"That's very Noxian-style. In fact, I'm also curious about what little secrets I have. Why don't you give it a try?"

There was no need to worry about this kind of show of force, the real trouble was tasting the red wine. Ever since Enoch 'lost' a lot of equipment in Shurima, Lady Midarda had always acted confident. Now it seemed that she was being calculated by this strategist, and she was unaware that someone had used private channels to send out invitations.

"Tell me, Mr. Enoch, are you a patriot?" Swain asked Enoch slowly, as if he didn't see the conflict.

"Of course," Enoch sat back down, "That's my hometown."

"You are determined, but your actions are unwise. Instead of serving your country, you dragged it into the abyss."

Swain looked at Enoch, expressionless, as if he was looking at him through his bionic eyes. "You like to do business, that's not a problem. Noxus welcomes people who can bring progress to it, and the same goes for foreign merchants, but you should choose high-quality partners."

"I have no intention of interfering with your business activities or ambitions. If you like to sell arms, then I will give you an order and you must meet my requirements."

"I guess there must be something sensitive on that order." Enoch supported his forehead, and sure enough, trouble came.