"So, the first thing I do after getting out is being a damned concert security guard?!"
Wearing the uniform of an Enforcer deputy, Vi, who had just been fished out of prison, looked impatiently at Caitlyn beside her.
Hearing Vi's words, Caitlyn shrugged and said:
"It's not like you don't know how sensitive your identity is. Your paperwork is still being approved; theoretically, you wouldn't be able to get out for at least another two months. Standing here now is all thanks to my mother pulling strings up and down. Accumulate some achievements first, show your attitude, make your resume look brighter, this can also change the badge on your chest from deputy to Enforcer~"
Saying this, Caitlyn leisurely tapped the 'Deputy' badge on Vi's chest with her finger.
Hearing Caitlyn's words, Vi scratched her head in confusion and bewilderment.
Back then, not long after Silco seized Vander's power, Vi was arrested by Piltover on charges of stealing Hextech Crystals.
Originally, it seemed to be an immediate death sentence, but later it was changed to life imprisonment after someone found out Vi was the daughter of the former King of Zaun, or rather Zaun's leader Vander.
Suddenly fished out by Caitlyn now, Vi was completely ignorant of the current Zaun and Piltover.
Especially with her current identity as a deputy, facing the leisurely-looking, obviously experienced rich young lady—although Vi had bigger muscles, she inexplicably fell into a psychological disadvantage.
But after realizing this, Vi hummed unhappily twice, then muttered softly, "Who cares about being a Piltie cop... just giving you face."
"Alright alright alright, just take it as giving me face~ My dear delinquent partner~"
Caitlyn glanced at Vi teasingly, which made Vi inexplicably annoyed. But considering she really got out thanks to Caitlyn's help, Vi didn't say anything, just crossed her arms with an unhappy face.
Looking at Vi angry and unhappy, yet holding back because she was a 'good person' and 'benefactor' to her, Caitlyn felt inexplicably amused.
No, shouldn't say amused, should say interesting.
Because this world wasn't purely the Arcane worldview, and even Caitlyn's mother wasn't the matriarch of House Kiramman but one of the three major auditors, Caitlyn grew up in the intriguing environment of merchant families.
Under these circumstances, it was really the first time she met a girl as frank, straightforward, and unpretentious as Vi.
Especially after picking Vi up from Stillwater Hold to the Kiramman residence and giving her some catch-up lessons on recent events, Caitlyn easily discovered Vi's essentially soft heart under her seemingly tough and resilient appearance.
It didn't count as bullying; Caitlyn just felt relaxed communicating with such a straightforward and frank person. Especially since their interests were aligned now.
Thinking this, Caitlyn said on the side, "Although this concert looks ordinary, quite a few people are attending; maybe there will be traces of your sister..."
"She's not my sister!" Vi said somewhat dissatisfiedly. Although saying this, coming from a famous merchant family and familiar with the intrigues among the upper city dignitaries, Caitlyn saw the duplicity in Vi's eyes with just a glance.
Without dwelling on it, Caitlyn just said:
"Okay, okay, Jinx. Maybe Jinx will also appear. That guy used her familiarity with various hidden pipes in Zaun to smuggle a lot of Shimmer to the Upper City for Silco, becoming a thorn in the side of many merchant families related to the Hextech Crystal industry. They all want to use Jinx as an example to warn others, and cut off one of Silco's arms by the way."
"Whether for the future of the two cities or for Jinx herself, catching her first can at least ensure she is imprisoned alive in Stillwater Hold, instead of just dying."
"...Oh." Although saying she didn't care at all, hearing others wanted to use Jinx's death as an example, a trace of throbbing still flashed in Vi's eyes.
But then, Vi said with a face full of disgust: "Powder... Jinx actually acts as a dog for Silco. When I catch her, I must ask her properly. Damn it, why did she..."
Seeming to realize she said a bit too much, Vi fell into silence before finishing. Then exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, she stood in place crossing her arms impatiently, scanning the crowd below.
Just then, Vi suddenly found someone staring at her with interest. Although separated by a long distance, she still felt inexplicably annoyed. So she said to Caitlyn beside her, "Who is that guy? Why keep staring at us?"
Hearing this, Caitlyn looked at the muscular tall figure and the girl with neon-green braids below with binoculars. After recalling briefly to confirm there was no related wanted order in her mind, she said:
"Don't know, looks like a couple? But the man is wearing Ionian-style clothes, and his physical fitness looks good too, maybe a tourist from another place? What? Anything wrong?"
"Wrong... not really." Shaking her head, Vi said, "Just feel that guy's gaze is a bit strange..."
"As long as there's no problem. Cheer up, Vi." Hearing Vi's words, Caitlyn nodded and said, "Many Upper City celebrities from Zaun will also attend the banquet after the concert today. Try to leave a good impression; this can save a lot of trouble for your identity issue."
"Oh oh." Hearing this, Vi stopped getting distracted and continued to patrol from the high place.
In the crowd, finding Faen staring into the distance, Zeri also looked over curiously. Only after Faen withdrew his gaze did she ask curiously, "What's wrong? Why keep staring at those two Piltie cops? Are they dangerous?"
Hearing Zeri's question, Faen shrugged and said, "That pink short-haired Enforcer is Vi."
"Vi?" Zeri blinked, feeling she had heard this name somewhere. To this, Faen said, "Violar. The daughter of the previous Zaun leader Vander, and also Jinx's sister. After Vander died, she should have been locked in Stillwater Hold. Looks like she's been fished out now."
Hearing this, Zeri nodded thoughtfully, then said with a bitter face, "Looks like something related to Zaun again? Should we go investigate first? This doesn't sound like a small matter."
"What about the concert then?" Faen asked back with interest.
"Concerts are always there, but this is obviously serious business." Zeri put her hands on her hips somewhat helplessly: "Are you testing me? I'm not an ignorant child!"
"Haha~ No no, just asking since you've been looking forward to the concert for so long."
Saying this, Faen put his arm around Zeri's little butt and said, "No rush yet, there are quite a few interesting people here."
While speaking, Faen looked around.
If at first, Faen treated this concert as just an ordinary concert, then after arriving at the scene, as the concert was about to start, Faen found that this concert was absolutely not that simple.
The Middle Level Plaza, the junction of the two cities.
Even though this was the top of Zaun, the faint gray haze surrounding the air could still be clearly seen. This gray haze combined with the rock spires constituted the main color tone of Zaun.
Looking down from above, only long chemical bridges crisscrossing the Zaun fissures could be seen. Some of these long bridges were made of rock and wood, while others were powered by Chem-tech or Hextech Crystals; the difference in materials also proved the difference in users from the side.
And looking up, it was the brass coating of Piltover. The chemical streetlamps from Zaun radiated light upward, reflecting layers of colors on Piltover's stained glass covers. Vaguely, many Piltovians could be seen in the buildings above looking at the open-air theater below, clicking their tongues in wonder.
Their voices were different from Zaunites, often full of optimism and pride, but vaguely filled with disgusted mockery.
And Zaun's clamor was no less, filled with vulgar curses and roars in the chaos. In the end, it was clearly divided into two halves.
Just as the dispute in the air gradually intensified, a gentle prelude suddenly came from the stage. Although just a prelude, accompanied by the girl's humming, an inexplicable harmony blended into everyone's heart silently.
This attracted Faen's attention, and a trace of surprise appeared in Faen's eyes.
"Sounds so good..." Zeri couldn't help saying, "I feel my heart has calmed down!"
"Yeah, although just simple humming, her melody cleverly blended into people's emotions." In the crowd, Faen said with flashing surprise in his eyes.
"Ionia advocates harmony, and the essence of this harmony is the expression of taming intense emotions in the spirit. While the contradiction and conflict between Piltover and Zaun are already very sharp and intense, Seraphine's voice has blended into the spirit realm..."
Saying this, Faen suddenly shut up and stopped talking, just quietly looking at the high platform—Seraphine appeared.
Like a depth charge exploding, accompanied by gentle and lively singing, an invisible force spread in the spirit realm, tearing apart the invisible barrier between Zaun and Piltover almost instantly.
The stage floated in the center of the huge plaza at the junction of the two cities. The lift platform inlaid with Hextech Crystals refracted a rainbow-like halo. The girl rose from under the stage, stage equipment illuminating her face, her pink hair like a flowing nebula.
Her azure eyes were filled with gentleness and joy. When those cherry-like lips sang the first note, the twilight shrouded in Zaun's gray haze seemed to be cleansed by sound waves, and even Piltover's solemn brass was dyed with a layer of dreaminess.
The crowd was clearly divided at first, but as the singing overflowed, people almost couldn't help forgetting the anger and hatred in their hearts, instinctively catering to the joy in their hearts to cheer and dance wildly.
Her singing on the Hextech hoverboard radiated colorful dazzling light along with the song—not just simply good-looking, but tangibly turning the girl's singing into visible ripples.
The chorus arrived, translucent note entities swept across the audience like a swarm of fireflies, and the entire plaza ground rippled with Hextech phantom blue resonance light patterns. Let alone others, even Vi and Caitlyn patrolling on the Piltover arch bridge couldn't help tapping their feet lightly to the beat.
And as an Ionian, also as a half-spirit-realm life form, Faen could clearly feel that this singing contained true magic—but this magic wasn't materialized like Hextech Crystals.
Instead, like soft hands brushing over people's brains and spirits in the spirit realm, a quiet large-scale spiritual massage was happening under the cover of singing.
This singing calmed down the people of the two cities; this singing made the people of the two cities resonate. Although this resonance couldn't make both sides understand each other's pain, they could feel the indignation in their hearts...
The dreamy singing didn't last long. The next moment, before people woke up from the dream of the music, the girl raised the microphone in her hand and shouted firmly with a gentle voice:
"My name is Seraphine, my parents are both Zaunites. I hope Zaun can escape suffering and welcome prosperity. I deeply hope that the people of the two cities can understand each other! Unite and stand together!"
"Oh oh oh oh!!!"
People responded to the girl with enthusiasm, which made the girl who had just finished a song, with slight sweat still hanging on her face, show a happy smile.
"Too dreamy! Simply like magic!" After the song ended, Zeri waved the glow stick in her hand excitedly, cheerfully rooting for her.
"It is magic, but her direction is wrong." Faen felt quietly, easily finding the discordant note within.
"People are agitated by her enthusiasm, but once the concert ends, this enthusiasm will soon be worn away in the suffering of reality and the atmosphere of society."
Frowning, Faen said with some emotion: "This girl... grew up in Piltover after all. She doesn't understand the true suffering of Zaun, and the despair and numbness bred by this suffering. Of course, this isn't her fault."
Just being able to realize the contradiction and conflict between the two cities already proved Seraphine was ahead of many Upper City people. And according to Faen's conjecture, Seraphine's ability, if utilized well, or used in the right place, would definitely exert greater value.
But just as Faen was thinking, and Seraphine on stage had just changed into a new outfit ready to continue singing loudly—
"Piltovian bastard! Dare to hold a concert in Zaun? Did the Chem-Barons allow it? But did you ask me, the Azure Demon?!"
A chem-tech giant three meters tall descended from the sky.
Faen: "?"