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While the Council in the clouds stewed in their own greed, Professor Heirdinger descended. He had spent centuries looking down at the Undercity from his balcony, but walking its streets alone was a different experience. He expected to see the usual chaos—emaciated addicts and desperate brawls—but what he found was a city in the middle of a tamorphosis.
The streets were orderly. In place of Enforcers, patrols wearing the Wildfire Gang insignia moved with purpose, maintaining a peace built on respect rather than fear.
Heirdinger followed the address Chen had given him, eventually standing before the massive, bioluminescent tree at the heart of The Last Drop. He looked up and saw a familiar silhouette perched among the glowing leaves.
"Janna!" Heirdinger called out.
The blue bird descended, landing on a railing with a sharp, intelligent look in her eyes. "Heirdinger? It has been a long ti since the city was whole."
"Janna, why here?" the Professor asked, his ears twitching. "Why choose the Wildfire Gang over the City of Progress?"
The bird's eyes flashed with a hint of the Storm's Wrath. "Progress? You all abandoned the na of Zaun. You blasted the earth in two for your shipping lanes and left the people below to choke on the fus. I am the guardian of Zaun, Heirdinger. I stayed where the hope was buried, waiting for soone like Chen and Ekko to dig it up."
Heirdinger's ears drooped. The guilt he had carried for decades felt heavier in the presence of a spirit. "I... I was a councilor. I tried to maintain order, but perhaps I only maintained a repeat of the sa mistakes."
"Order is not justice, Professor," Janna chirped before flying back to her post. "Chen is in the treehouse. Go. See what real progress looks like."
Heirdinger entered the treehouse to find Ekko and Chen deep in conversation. Ekko nearly fell over when he saw the Professor. "You're really here! Chen said you'd co, but I didn't think the efficiency would be this high!"
Chen pushed open the door, looking at the Professor with a weary but welcoming smile. Heirdinger looked around the room, his eyes lingering on a heavy wrench.
"I know the future belongs to you young people," Heirdinger began, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "I have spent my life afraid of the Arcane, afraid of the mistakes of the past. But seeing this... seeing what you've built without a single Hex-Crystal... I realize that Jayce and Viktor were right. Science is about the brave exploration of the unknown."
"So, you've decided to embrace Hextech?" Chen asked.
Heirdinger nodded. "I will return to the Academy to begin research. On Evolution Day, I will hand the podium to Jayce. The future guardian needs his chance."
"I'll see you off," Chen offered.
"Who said I was leaving?" Heirdinger huffed, his scientific curiosity finally overriding his dignity. "I heard you're building a city-wide ventilation system. You're going to need a ntor who understands fluid dynamics better than a couple of amateurs."
Chen grinned. With Heirdinger's genius, the plan to scrub the toxic "Grey" from Zaun's lungs was no longer a dream—it was an engineering certainty.
But while Heirdinger found peace in the Sump, the Council Chamber in Piltover was cold.
"Heirdinger is gone," one councilor noted. "He's playing in the dirt with the trenchers."
"Good," l darda replied. She was already focused on the future. "Jayce and his Hextech Weapons proved their worth during the siege. Heirdinger's 'safety first' approach is an obstacle to our security—and our profits."
The air in the room shifted. The rchant lords weren't interested in reconciliation; they were interested in revenge.
"If we let Zaun remain as it is," l continued, "a second Silco will appear. Or worse, this 'Urgot.' We need to Rake the Undercity. We need to prevent future troubles by force."
"You an war?" Lady Kiramman asked, her heart sinking. She thought of Caitlyn. If war broke out, her daughter, the Sheriff, would be the first person on the bridge.
"Reclaiming full control," a councilor proposed, slamming his fist down. "Suppress the rioters. Rebuild the mines under Piltover's banners. No more 'Self-Governance.' No more 'Wildfire Gang.' We use Jayce's Hextech to crush the resistance once and for all."
The Council fell silent, the logic of empire taking hold. One by one, the lights on the desks began to glow as the councilors raised their hands.
"Councilor l?" soone prompted.
l looked at the map of the Twin Cities. She wanted safety for Piltover, and in her mind, a pacified Zaun was a safe Zaun. She raised her hand.
Only Lady Kiramman remained.
"Wait," a councilor whispered, sensing her hesitation. "Before the vote, I propose we suspend Sheriff Caitlyn for one month. She failed to prevent the Hexgate breach; she needs ti for 'internal review.'"
It was a blatant bribe. By suspending Caitlyn, they were removing her from the front lines of the coming conflict. Lady Kiramman's eyes closed. To save her daughter, she would sacrifice the city below.
She raised her hand.
"Unanimous vote," the clerk announced. "The war for the reclamation of Zaun begins after Evolution Day."
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