"Talking behind someone's back? Kinda cringe."
Just as Jayce was still speaking, Faen's figure walked in unhurriedly from the outside.
Hearing Faen's voice, Jayce tensed up almost instantly. His face was filled with awkwardness at being caught red-handed. Scratching his head, he dodged to Caitlyn's side with a guilty face, indicating to the female Enforcer, who was looking at him helplessly, that he would absolutely keep his mouth shut.
This made Caitlyn a bit speechless, but after all, Jayce was a councilor of the Piltover Council, so Caitlyn still stepped forward to express that she would guard the honor of Piltover.
Faen didn't care too much, just walked over naturally after Jayce moved out of the way.
Having been in this world for some time, to determine whether Piltover in this world was based on Arcane or the previous version of the League of Legends universe, Faen also specifically asked Soona for information and conducted actual investigations.
This stuff had to be checked. After all, neither Zeri nor Seraphine appeared in Arcane. Even Caitlyn's appearance was the original splash art version from the game, not the orbicularis oris muscle queen from the animated series.
Especially in the old version setting, the raw Hextech Crystals used by Piltover were all from the remains of the Brackern deep underground. And Skarner, the Crystal Vanguard, was the last living Brackern. It could be said that the entire civilization of Piltover existed on the blood and tears of the Brackern.
And this timeline...
According to what Faen learned, the raw Hextech Crystals in this world line mostly originated from primitive woodland mining areas on the Shurima continent across the sea. Even as early as a hundred years ago, Piltover had already mastered related technologies of Hextech Crystals. It was just that the usage method was relatively rough before, basically just boiling water with brute force.
The reason why Jayce and Viktor in this world were so successful was that they successfully improved the operation mode and energy supply principle of Hextech Crystals on the original basis. The relationship was similar to Watt and the steam engine. Although the person who invented the steam engine was Newcomen, the reason why the steam engine truly became mainstream was Watt's improvement.
On this basis, Faen didn't have too many opinions about Jayce. After all, people grow. Jayce wasn't at the bottom in Piltover, but he belonged to a last-tier family. Being able to change his life through invention and creation already proved his talent and aptitude.
It was just that the current timeline was still too early. Even the incident where Jinx fired a Super Mega Death Rocket to bombard the Piltover Council and killed Cupcake's mom, Old Cake, hadn't happened yet.
Under these circumstances, Jayce was still an indecisive, nouveau riche councilor who held serious prejudices against Zaun, even having some petty bourgeois mentality—you really couldn't ask an otaku who had been pondering technology in the laboratory for the past ten years or so to produce results while also being clear about worldly wisdom and social operation logic.
Precisely based on this, Faen neither wooed nor rejected Jayce, just letting nature take its course.
But Viktor was different.
"How is life in the Upper City? Viktor."
Hearing Faen's question, the corner of Viktor's eye raised slightly, but he didn't answer Faen's question. Instead, he asked, "Sir, we don't seem to have met before."
"You don't know me, but I know you, that's enough." Faen appeared very calm.
"...What do you mean?"
Viktor looked at Faen in confusion. Faen just simply explained about the fragments of the past and future in his mind.
And just as Faen thought, after hearing Faen's words, whether it was Viktor, Jayce on the side, or Caitlyn, they all showed a look of suspicion. In the end, before Faen could finish, Viktor couldn't help interrupting: "Sorry, sir, this sounds a bit too ethereal."
"Just like those street scammers mixing with peddlers!" Jayce on the side said directly, "I don't think Viktor will be deceived by your rhetoric full of loopholes."
"Time will prove whether all this is true or not." Faen shook his head, having no intention of explaining too much about this matter. Because self-proof is endless; the more you prove, the more things you need to prove. After all, if others don't believe, whatever you say is useless.
Thinking this, Faen said, "You have achieved brilliant achievements, Viktor. You and Jayce transformed the operation principle of Hextech Crystals, allowing them to volatilize the energy within in a more reasonable way. Today's Piltover can become the trade hub of all Runeterra, apart from the geographical factors of this land itself, the application of Hextech also played a crucial role."
While speaking, Faen looked at the Hextech airship port located high in Piltover. The light and shadow of airships shuttling back and forth in space at alarming speeds accompanied by magical flashes were dazzling. Although its birth history wasn't long, it had already become a symbol of civilization and prosperity in the eyes of many Piltovians.
Every time an airship flashed in and out, it brought a lot of wealth and tourists to their city. This allowed you to see almost anyone and anything from any country in Piltover.
"But while this city continues to flourish, Zaun, separated only by a strip of water, is increasingly in deep water."
Saying this, pausing, Faen asked, "Do you understand the worker philosophy I propagate?"
Hearing this, Viktor on the side nodded after a moment of silence and said, "I've learned about it... have to say, it's a highly feasible methodology. But even if it succeeds, Zaun still has many problems to solve, which cannot be solved simply by making workers' treatment better."
Born in the Sump, Viktor had strong sympathy for the bottom-feeders of Zaun—because he was one of them. It was just that he changed his destiny relying on his intelligence, and this didn't make Viktor forget his roots.
And similarly, precisely because of his own knowledge, Viktor knew very well that everything in Zaun wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Thinking this, somewhat realizing Faen's purpose in finding him, Viktor asked after a moment of silence: "Does Your Excellency want me to return to Zaun and join your camp?"
"Yes, but no rush yet." Faen nodded admitting his purpose in finding Viktor, and said unhurriedly: "Although Silco often attributes some problems and crises encountered by Zaun to the result of Piltover's oppression. But in fact, this is also due to the long-term neglect of Zaun's own problems leading to imminent collapse."
"While the spirit influences matter, matter also influences the spirit. Attributing all Zaun's problems to Piltover is an unobjective escape, but similarly, the reason Zaun became like this is inseparable from Piltover."
While speaking, Faen opened his palm. Under the nervous and slightly fearful gaze of Jayce and Caitlyn on the side, he summoned a water curtain and turned it into numbers and symbols conforming to this world, as well as corresponding images and scenes.
As scholars, Viktor and Jayce were always exceptionally sensitive to numbers. But Faen suddenly created these things, and they couldn't figure out what Faen's purpose was for a moment.
To this, Faen said, "This is the Twin Cities Model. You can understand it as a social structure theory describing the unequal distribution of power, resources, and ideology."
The so-called Twin Cities Model was actually the Core-Periphery Model. This wasn't created by Faen, but a viewpoint proposed by economist Paul Krugman in his famous article Increasing Returns and Economic Geography published in 1991 in Faen's previous life. This viewpoint laid a new theoretical foundation for New Economic Geography and was continuously supplemented, improved, and innovated by other scholars including Krugman himself in subsequent times, becoming the theoretical basis for many models of New Economic Geography.
Targeting the difference in worlds, Faen also made corresponding adjustments based on the actual situation between Zaun and Piltover. Among them, the most adjusted was the influence of individuals on the collective—especially in this worldview with supernatural powers, powerful individuals must be considered.
Apart from this point, just as Faen did in Zaun, Faen also deleted some marginal details and added some new variables.
The lack of these details wouldn't affect Faen's overall expression. And these added new variables were the unpredictability of supernatural powerhouses.
Whether it was the specificity of deletion or the introduction of new, slightly abrupt variables, it was hard to discover at a glance. One needed to understand this model enough to realize the validity and abruptness within.
After all, Zaun's affairs were still fermenting.
And when Zaun's problems were mostly solved, with the intelligence of Viktor and others, presumably they would have figured out the meaning Faen wanted to express in this.
No need to worry about it spreading and causing any bad influence. Because this theory placed in other regions or city-states of Runeterra could be said to be useless. Like Freljord, people there still maintained the primitive social operation mode of bartering to this day. And Noxus developed the theory of survival of the fittest into a thorough classical militarism.
Coupled with the existence of magic power causing other regions or city-states to hide many strong people beyond ordinary imagination, if it were in other regions, Faen wouldn't try to demonstrate the cause of the problem through this model.
But this was the Twin Cities, a region dominated by mortals, and also the most advanced city-state in terms of system compared to primitive tribes, feudal empires, and classical militarism. A city-state that started and rose by trade. Whether those merchant families were good or bad aside, under their management, Piltover indeed factually became the cultural center of the Valoran continent.
Here, art, craftsmanship, trade, and innovation went hand in hand. And what shaped all this wasn't how powerful its military strength was, but extensive trade cooperation and business philosophy and scientific thinking ahead of the times.
Hearing Faen's words, both Viktor and Jayce showed great interest.
This instead made Caitlyn on the side somewhat overwhelmed—because she was still thinking about reporting things here, such as the communication between Faen and Viktor, to her family. But who would have thought Faen didn't take the usual path, didn't try to persuade by preaching big principles, but let Viktor understand the meaning through this mathematical or whatever model with extremely high professional requirements?
Reason told Caitlyn that as an Enforcer, she should interrupt Faen now to prevent important talents like Viktor from leaving Piltover.
But the problem was, Faen was too powerful, so powerful that Caitlyn had no thought of confronting him at all. Especially since both Viktor and Jayce showed great interest now. As an Enforcer, without the permission of the parties concerned, rashly intervening would instead cause dissatisfaction from the parties.
Thinking this, Caitlyn glanced at Jayce somewhat speechlessly—Jayce was still the same Jayce, maintaining the scholar-like naivety. Now that Faen took out this theory, he actually started researching it excitedly there, instead of considering what impact this would have on Viktor, and whether this would affect the overall interests of Piltover.
Although thinking this, Caitlyn ultimately felt somewhat fortunate. Because she didn't want her friends to eventually become like the councilors in her memory...
"Zaun and Piltover seem to have become two independent cities, but from beginning to end, the two cities are inseparable."
Without interrupting the two's thoughts on observing the model, Faen just said peacefully: "After the Sun Gates engineering accident, Piltover enjoyed the channel revenue exclusively, while Zaun was reduced to an 'undercity' due to geological collapse. This led to Zaun's resources being systematically plundered, forced to rely on informal economy and dangerous technologies to survive."
"Superior conditions gave Piltover the right to make rules, but Piltover actively excluded Zaun from the decision-making system. So-called laws and ethical standards are all used to serve Piltover's interests. For example, prohibiting Hextech from flowing into Zaun, but tacitly allowing merchant families to use Zaun's environment for illegal experiments and destructive production."
While saying these, Faen glanced at Jayce. Feeling Faen's gaze, Jayce, who just looked up, froze slightly.
Perhaps because Faen didn't use force to threaten or coerce them crudely right from the start? So although Jayce feared Faen, he wasn't terrified of Faen. Because in Jayce's view, although Faen was violent, he was also a reasonable guy.
But precisely because of this, Jayce instinctively turned his head away to avoid Faen's gaze, seemingly not wanting to communicate too much on this matter.
Scholars are always pure, especially the relationship between Zaun and Piltover; with a little thought, this wasn't something difficult to understand.