lol: After being blessed by the Happy Demon, I became the harem king

Page 37

One after another, alchemical airships emerged from the depths of Zaun, each carrying a massive screen in the bewildered gaze of the onlookers. And what was on the screens... a live broadcast?

74. The celebration begins

"How is the equipment signal debugging going?"

As he walked toward the center of the field, Farn asked Hilko questions.

Although it only took three days, for Zaun it was just laying some lines, not a difficult task—Zaun and Piltover had already mastered the relevant technology. The main reason it hadn't been widely adopted was the high cost.

Back in Ionia, Fahn had wondered more than once why Runeterra couldn't implement technologies like radio. After arriving in Zaun, he gradually understood why Runeterra lacked such technology—it actually existed, but required mana crystals as an energy source, such as Hextech Crystals, Mana Essence, and Glimmer, all high-value items. Furthermore, it required specialized mages for maintenance. Ordinary people simply couldn't afford it.

The magic-free science and technology of Fane's previous life wouldn't work in Runeterra—likely because magic does exist there, and the rules and laws of the material realm are completely different from the magic-free world of Fane's past. After all, here, sometimes even "e" isn't equivalent to "mage's mechanics." Even the material and spiritual realms themselves are out of balance.

To this end, Hilko specifically hired a group of underground mages to be responsible for maintaining the live broadcast signal.

Also thanks to the unique nature of this world, unless Piltover goes deep into Zaun to directly destroy the mages' rituals, cutting off the live stream is extremely difficult.

Especially given the lack of preparation, according to Hillco and others' estimates, it would take at least an hour and a half for the Piltover Council to hire relevant mages and launch a magical counterattack.

And an hour and a half...

Upon reaching the stage, Farn clapped his hands. Through the microphone, his loud voice connected with the loudspeakers on the airship, quickly spreading throughout the nearby seas and the entire land area of ​​Piltover.

Through the glass dome of the weapons workshop, Jess and the others quickly noticed the unusual activity in the sky. Viktor, who had been waiting for a long time, also gazed expectantly at the sky, awaiting Fane's preparations for the day.

"Good afternoon, Piltover! I'm Fane from Ionia!" His voice filled with cheerful laughter, Fane waved his hand and said, "The time is now 11:52:32 AM. There are only 10, 9, 8 seconds left until the deadline I set for handing over all the Alchemist Barons."

The peaceful countdown continued, and under everyone's watchful eyes, until Fann counted to the last number, the Piltover lines remained completely silent. Fann wasn't surprised; he simply smiled and prepared to say something. But just as Fann opened his mouth, a passage suddenly parted in the Piltover defensive line not far away, and a woman slowly emerged from it.

This silenced Faen, who was about to say something, and he turned his gaze to the middle-aged woman who had come to Zaun territory.

"Mom?" In the distance, Caitlin stared wide-eyed in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that her mother would appear in such a setting.

Unaware that Caitlin had already seen her, Lady Cassandra Giraman simply looked at Farn and said, "Stop, Farn. I've heard Vi talk about you, but what Piltover represents is far more terrible than you imagine. Your obstinacy will only plunge this into irreparable disaster and sorrow."

Hearing this, and seeing the admonition in Cassandra's eyes, Fane remained silent for a moment before shaking his head somewhat boredly and saying, "Boring—alright! Let's get back to the point!"

Upon hearing this, Cassandra seemed about to say something more. However, Farn had no interest in this old cake, and more importantly, Farn knew very well that the old cake, Little Cake's mother, was the ultimate, enhanced version of Little Cake in terms of intrigue and scheming. As one of the three auditors of the Giramanen family, she was a political creature whose mind was full of conspiracies and schemes.

There's nothing more to say to a guy like Fane who treats rules as laws and always tries to subdue enemies by 'reasoning' them, no matter what kind of enemy they are.

The main problem is that Farn is better at explaining physics than reasoning. Instead of listening to Old Cake's rambling, it's better to help her understand why Caitlin is so well-behaved now.

With a wave of her hand, Cassandra seemed to want to say something more, but the guards quickly ushered her away. Then, Fane calmly and loudly stated:

"As you all have seen, it's heartbreaking, but the Piltover councilors have indeed rejected my proposal! Although I'm filled with resentment and unwillingness, there's nothing I can do but announce that the reconciliation event between Zaun and Piltover is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances! And what follows is—"

Holding up a finger, Farn's face lit up with excitement as he said, "Public execution!!"

A cheerful smile spread across his face as Farn held up three fingers and said, “During the Zaun Spring—oh, what you call the Zaun Riots—three Alchemist Barons escaped Zaun thanks to advance warning! And now, they’re hiding in Blue Smoked Manor in the upper echelons of Piltover! Come on, let’s see how long it takes me to catch them one by one and take them down!”

By the end, Fain's face was filled with an undisguised smile.

Upon hearing Fan's words, not only ordinary people, but even Viktor, who was waiting to turn the tide, were stunned and lost in thought.

Jess... Jess didn't even mock him immediately. Instead, he stared at the live stream on the airship with a suspicious look on his face, picking his ear and saying, "Did I... hear wrong?"

No one answered, because the next moment, after a brief warm-up, Fain raised his head and looked at the group of people heading forward.

As a performance, Farn felt it necessary to make the lords of Piltover realize, in the simplest way, what the true nature of power really is. And why Piltover can so ruthlessly exploit and leech off others—ultimately, it's never because of civilization, advancement, or progress. It's simply because they've gained more allies and more powerful violence by acquiring more resources.

"So, let's get ready."

As Fane spoke softly, the smile on his face gradually faded, but no one felt relaxed in that instant. On the contrary, almost everyone present clearly felt immense pressure. A cold and twisted laughter filled the air, this incongruous joy penetrating through Fane and Janna's mental realms and invading the minds of every Mrs. Piltover—but they didn't know why, they only felt that with Fane's words, "Get ready, get ready," the entire atmosphere changed.

The change in atmosphere was abrupt, and although people didn't know why, they all felt the change. But just as people were still puzzled, a strong turbulence suddenly swept through the previously quiet, windless plaza in the middle level.

It was at this moment that people realized something was amiss in the twin cities today—as port cities, there was almost no wind. The still air was so thick that even the fluttering flags seemed powerless to display their full form, drooping listlessly on the flagpoles, listening to the sailors' complaints as they waited for better weather to set sail.

Now, almost without any warning, surging winds formed a clear trajectory around Farn, visible even to a child.

"The celebration begins!"

As the last sound faded, a smile tore through Fane's lips. Immediately afterward, the Storm Seal and the Joy Seal on Fane's right arm simultaneously emitted a faint glow. Moisture in the air was instantly drawn away, gathering along the wind's path to form a translucent, azure water sphere that enveloped Fane entirely. A storm arose, howling and swirling around the water sphere, propelling it to spin at an astonishing speed while simultaneously breaking through the atmospheric resistance in front of Fane.

This is also the biggest difference between Fan and Zeli—Zeli gained the ability to levitate, glide, and reduce atmospheric friction through the power of the chosen one. For Fan, ignoring wind resistance is just one of his most basic abilities.

Then, accompanied by an airburst, Fane burst out as a blur, the shockwave shattering the entire stage. In the very center of the middle plaza, almost everyone could clearly see the airburst remnants where Fane had stood and floated!

The law enforcement troops that had been reinforced with various fortifications and were blocking Farn's way were pierced through in the blink of an eye before they could even react.

The formidable barrier that could have stopped the entire Zaun riots from crashing into Piltover was violently smashed through and shattered. First, a crack appeared, then, as Farn's figure disappeared into the distance, the surging force left the temporary fortifications covered in a dense, spiderweb-like network of cracks. Before the enforcers could even react, the shockwave from his high-speed flight followed.

The fortifications, already severely damaged and riddled with cracks from the impact of Farn, could hardly withstand such a devastating shock. Almost visibly, the sturdy walls expanded violently under the storm's force, the damage spreading along the already cracked surfaces like shrapnel from a grenade!

75. Straight to the heart

Even though they had expected it, Jess and the others couldn't help but widen their eyes as they stared at the screen.

Along the trajectory of the impact, Fane's face was filled with an undisguised smile. This twisted grin, accompanying Fane's impact trajectory, imprinted itself on everyone's minds—the screens on those airships were actually just a decoy. Fane was merely amplifying the power of the mental realm through its unique characteristics, namely the collective perception that 'I saw it through the live airships.'

This maximizes the connection between Janna and the Twin Cities, allowing the battle from Fane's perspective—or rather, from Janna's perspective as she floats behind Fane in the form of an invisible Storm Spirit—to be directly projected into the minds of all members and residents of the Twin Cities.

Although it sounds a bit convoluted, these airships are actually the signal generators of Farn's mental domain, but their operation is achieved through the rules of the mental domain.

There's really nothing we can do about it—because the observation magic used for broadcasting can't detect Fane, whose speed has already reached supersonic speeds in the Twin Cities region!

From Lingjana's perspective, Fain's hormones were even more clearly visible. Within their line of sight, although the people of Piltover couldn't understand how Zaun had projected the images directly into their minds, each of them clearly realized that, for Fain at this moment, Piltover was practically frozen in time.

There was no widespread destruction; Farn, flying at high speed, merely circled the lower levels of Piltover, or rather, the defensive fortifications constructed by Piltover's law enforcement officers. Yet, this simple act produced astonishing destructive power.

Whether it's an airplane or a fighter jet, both need to be aware of the presence of birds in their vicinity during flight. Even though birds may be physically fragile, force is reciprocal. If an airplane collides with a bird at incredible speed, the bird will retaliate with the same force.

Even though a fragile bird cannot compare to a steel airplane, the reaction force before its flesh bursts open is enough to dent the airplane's metal sheet.

Now, propelled by the storm and flying at high speed, Fane was even surrounded by a layer of high-pressure water under the influence of Osiris's power. Subsequently, in sight of everyone, the defensive fortifications that Piltover had painstakingly built up over a limited time by expending countless manpower and resources were swept away by Fane.

It wasn't simply a matter of ramming and creating a hole from both sides; rather, the moment it created the first breach, it sped along the fortification's tracks. The surging storm propelled the high-pressure water flow. Looking down from the middle levels of Piltover, through the live-streaming airships in the sky, one could clearly see the Great Wall-like fortress surrounding Piltover, isolating the entirety of Zaun, cracking and shattering under Farn's impact.

The fortifications felt like fragile glass, and as the entire defense was swept away, Farn, amidst the uneasy gazes of the people, turned his attention to the main city of Piltover.

Then—buzz! !!

With a deafening roar, Fane transformed into a storm and sped forward. This wasn't an exaggeration; the sheer speed of the storm created astonishing wind pressure around Fane. The white cloud of air behind him expanded as Fane's speed increased, transforming into a terrifying hurricane in mere moments, as Fane flew towards Piltover's main city.

Thanks to the Piltover councilors' belief that Zaun would resort to desperate measures and launch a riot today, most of the city's residents had already been evacuated and martial law had been declared. Even so, the law enforcement forces roaming the streets were swept into the air by the ensuing storm the moment they spotted Farn. In an instant, the entire middle echelon of Piltover was completely out of control.

High-pressure wind blades danced wildly as Farn hurtled through the streets and alleys of Piltover, their violent air currents churning through the city. Even though Piltover had built its buildings incredibly sturdy to withstand the hurricanes from the sea due to its geographical location, they proved utterly vulnerable to this supernatural disaster caused by an individual.

Let alone a direct confrontation with Farn. The sheer force of the air currents alone tore through countless walls, shredded countless law enforcement officers and chariots, and hurled them into the clouds high above, disappearing without a trace!

Surrounded by the storm, Farn suddenly stopped flying at high speed and instead floated quietly in the central square of Piltover amidst the chaos.

Amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd, Fane stretched out his hand and casually snapped his fingers. A crisp sound, yet forcefully piercing through the endless storm and reaching everyone's ears—a sharp snap—ensued. Almost instantly, all the storm dissipated completely. And as the crowd watched, Fane released the water that had enveloped him, looking relaxed at the deserted city around him, and said loudly:

"No rush, everyone in Piltover. After all, as a peace-loving person, I'm here only to carry out the public execution of the alchemist barons. Of course, to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the process, I will do my best to let everyone see the whole thing in its original form—so, let's go!"

A smug smile crept across Farn's lips: "Come and stop me! Especially those noble councilors! If I can kill those so-called alchemist barons like this, it means I can kill you all in the same way! Take advantage of this opportunity when I don't hold grudges and try as much as you can! Use any means necessary! Feel the despair."

As he spoke, Farn also came to the ground and walked slowly towards the Blue Smoked Manor on the upper level of Piltover.

As the most prosperous and prestigious place in Piltover, Blue Smoked Manor has been the residence of all the nobles in Piltover—or rather, in ancient Zaun—since the birth of Piltover. Wealth is merely the simplest requirement for residing there; more importantly, it requires contribution to Piltover, or rather, control. Like Jayce, although he holds a position as a Piltover councilor, this title alone is insufficient to settle in Blue Smoked Manor; one must possess resources and make contributions crucial to Piltover.

Before completing the development of Hextech technology and gaining the attention and recognition of other trading families, Jayce was just a small family of three making a living in Piltover by making hammers. He could only share a cheap apartment with other young people in Piltover who were struggling to make a living and aspiring to realize their Piltover dream through their intelligence.

This is enough to prove what Blue Smoked Estate meant to Mrs. Piltover—almost on par with Sealake Estate.

As Farn walked steadily and firmly toward Blue Smoked Manor, not only the Zaunites, but even Mrs. Piltover herself felt a strange emotion stirring within her.

The feeling was as if, with each step Fane took, he wasn't stepping on the paving stones of Piltover, but rather on the pride of the trading nobles of Blue Smoked Manor—it was true that the Piltover ladies were genuinely proud of their city, but that didn't mean they would agree with those trading nobles.

On the contrary, many people deeply resent the trading aristocracy, especially scholars from Piltover University—these aristocrats are indeed their biggest patrons, but they only invest in research that generates substantial profits. They almost never pay real attention to theoretical matters that are more important for the future.

This is also the key reason why Fine looked down on Piltover from the very beginning—

"Actually, many people have already realized this, haven't they? Piltover and Zaun have reached their most dangerous point. It's just that most of the time, everyone is only focused on the other side and ignores themselves."

After walking for a while, and finding that no one came to stop him, or rather, they were still observing, Fain did not remain idle. Instead, he made full use of his spiritual power to begin preaching.

"Zaun may seem chaotic, but at least those with ability still have a chance to rise! Whether it's Hilko, Zeli, or even the gangsters in the gutter, and before that, most of the alchemist barons under Hilko, they were all street thugs and gang leaders. In the seemingly cruel environment, Zaun has only become more survival-of-the-fittest. But those at the bottom, as long as they have ability, still have a chance to rise."

“But Piltover is different—beneath its seemingly prosperous exterior, Piltover has been completely taken for granted by the trading nobles! All your talents are essentially just adding to their wealth.”

Farn said loudly:

Even the best graduates from Piltover University only hope to pass an interview and sign a labor contract with a prestigious family. Piltover is essentially no different from Zaun, just disguised with more high-sounding lies. In my opinion, this is more disgusting than the Alchemist Baron. At least the Alchemist Baron knows he is a genuine person, unlike some guys who do disgusting things but proudly call themselves saviors.

Upon hearing Fain's words, Heimerdinger at Piltover University couldn't help but shout excitedly.

"This guy, why does he just blurt out the truth?! Those humans are going to go ballistic!"

76. The Counterattack of Blue Smoked Manor

As one of the founders of Piltover, Heimerdinger is deeply saddened by the current state of Piltover. Admittedly, Piltover is incredibly prosperous, and almost everyone living in the city feels genuine pride and joy. However, having witnessed Piltover's establishment from the very beginning during the Rune Wars era, Heimerdinger knows better than anyone that today's Piltover is vastly different from what it once was.

Among these changes, the most significant are those of the trading aristocracy. While members of these trading families were equally wealthy in the past, they were certainly not as easily swayed as they are now by a mere contract, which could make the elite students of Piltover University excitedly become their willing but powerless laborers, eager to earn money for them.

Before this, Heimerdinger had vaguely sensed that something was about to happen between Piltover and the Twin Cities. But now it seemed that it had indeed happened, but the events were far more intense than he had imagined.

"Still watching?" A remote conference was being held in several secluded rooms within the Blue Smoked Manor, conducted via Hextech Crystal communicators. Having heard Farn's words through his interference in the mental realm, the various trading nobles reacted in different ways.

An image representing the Philos family lit up, and the voice of an old man, slightly tired and powerless, yet filled with cold malice, appeared in everyone's ears.

“These guys from Zaun have seriously affected our existence… especially what this guy said. Do you really intend to let him finish saying that? If he does, just wait and see what chaos Piltover will become.”

Upon hearing the words of the head of the Philos family, Jagu Middarda, the then patriarch of the Middarda family, snorted coldly and said, "Who are you threatening here, Stevan Philos? Outside, people respect you as Patriarch Philos, but here your status is no higher than anyone else's."

Stevan: "You!!"

"Enough." A cold female voice came from behind Stevan, and also reached the ears of the other family leaders through the communicator.

Upon hearing this voice, Jaggu Middalda, who had previously been full of disdain, sat up slightly.

Although Stevan, the head of the Philos family, is an incompetent and paranoid good-for-nothing, his sister's abilities are evident to everyone in the Blue Smoked Manor.

Her name was Camille Feros. She was also the Feros family's chief secret agent—

Piltover's ambition to control Zaun cannot be achieved solely through trade. In fact, at least two-thirds of the current Piltover council members have ancestors involved in smuggling—no one gets rich without ill-gotten gains, and no horse gets fat without night grazing. It is precisely because of this that Piltover's council members are well aware of the rules of this world.

Civilization is just a facade; violence is the foundation of everything.

The spies are Piltover's invisible violence—while the Feros family didn't directly invest in Jess, they did invest in the Giramanen family. The Giramanen family's successful investment in Jess allowed the Feros family to reap substantial profits from the Hextech revolution.

However, precisely because of the exorbitant profits of Hextech Crystals, there have always been many who have their eyes on the Feralas family. Although after the factory moved to Zaun and the profits were divided, Lady Piltover and others tacitly ceased fighting in order to achieve long-term development, the people of Zaun did not receive a share of the Hextech Crystal profits. Therefore, there were quite a few thugs, and even the Alchemist Baron, who wanted to sabotage the Hextech Crystal factory for its potential contamination.

Whenever any clues appeared, Camille would quickly detect them with an amazing sense of smell and take preventative measures.

Of course, the Firos family wasn't the only one with such spy organizations. However, compared to the Grey Lady of the Firos family, the spies from other families were like green leaves setting off a red flower. Although they weren't well-known among the residents of Piltover, they were definitely more sought-after figures among Piltover's trading nobles than representatives of the Piltover dream like Jess and Viktor.

Camille glanced at her brother, whose face showed displeasure at her interruption, but her expression remained largely unchanged. She simply said in a cold tone, "For Piltover, Zaun is not just a source of continuous bloodshed and a blood-making machine. It is also a significant source of conflict. If we let this guy continue talking and let people know what you, or rather what we are doing, will be the beginning of real chaos."

"That sounds nice, but aren't you just sending our past to their deaths?" A leader of a trading family sneered. "Didn't you see what happened just now? If this guy hadn't slowed down, he'd probably be at Blue Mist Manor by now. It's a wonder you can still stand here and talk so arrogantly."

"If he possesses such power, then no matter how much we struggle, it will be of no use."

Hearing the other party's words, Camille's face did not show the slightest anger, and even her voice was filled with indifference and calm: "The fact that he has stopped now means either he wants to bring us greater despair, or that he is just putting on a brave front but is actually weak. But in any case, this is our last chance. Otherwise, watching him step into Blue Smoky Manor, even if we execute him afterward, will not help at all."

After a pause, Camille continued, "I know that you have all hired talented individuals from all corners of Runeterra, and now it's time for them to show their value."

After Camille's words, a brief silence fell over the channel. A moment later, Jaggu Mildal, who had spoken earlier, chuckled and said, "Since Lady Grey has said so, we can't just sit here and wait to be killed. Otherwise, others will really think we're easy to bully."

"But this matter has blown up so big, whoever put in the most effort will get the biggest slice of the pie in the future, right? Everyone agrees, right?"

"no problem."

"I agree."

"Then let's try it."

"Haha, I just found a pretty good guy, let's test his quality."

"Ha." Upon hearing this, Stevan couldn't help but laugh: "Hunting a mere showpiece? I'm guaranteed to win!"

As the conversations emanating from Blue Smoked Manor continued, Farn, who was walking towards the manor, soon noticed a peculiar echo in the spiritual realm.

Normally, Faen only experiences happiness. However, with his fusion with Janna, Faen is able to experience a wider range of emotions.

And now...

Contempt? Greed? Sensing the emotions from afar, Fain stroked his chin—was it because the Zaun broadcast zeppelin's resolution was too low? Or was it because subjective bias had caused them to lose connection with Janna's twin-city resonance?

However, without giving Farn more time to think, soon, as the lords of Blue Smoked Manor gave the order, afterimages darted out from the upper levels of Piltover.