"You mean that? Of course, the City Council centrally regulates food prices now. As long as you're willing to work, you'll definitely have enough to eat in Zaun."
When this topic came up, the apprentice became animated, eyes shining with excitement that went beyond mere politeness. There was genuine conviction in his voice.
As a native-born Zaun local, before the City Council took over, life in Zaun was extremely hard.
He, being one of Zaun's typical orphans, used to survive by scavenging discarded items from Piltover's trash heaps to eat. Moldy bread, rotting vegetables, anything that wouldn't immediately kill you became a feast.
"But I remember Zaun doesn't produce any grain, right? If it's sold that cheaply, would any merchant still want to be in the food business?"
Swain asked curiously. The numbers didn't add up in any traditional sense. Zaun relied entirely on imported grain, and if he remembered correctly, most of it came from Noxus itself.
"Oh, that. Basic foodstuffs like flour and grain are no longer sold by private merchants. It's all handled by government-run charity stores now. The government clearly labels the import prices. They sell it just a little above cost to keep those stores running."
The apprentice spoke with the expertise of someone who'd lived through both systems, understanding the difference intimately.
"If you're too lazy to make your own bread, you can also buy it from a bakery, also government-run, and it's only slightly more expensive than buying flour. We all just buy bread directly. Making it yourself is too much trouble, and it doesn't taste as good anyway. The bakers there studied at Zaun University, and their skills are top-notch."
The apprentice gave a thumbs-up, his enthusiasm infectious. As someone from the bottom of society in Zaun, he was intimately familiar with these livelihood policies, they'd saved his life.
"Ah, with prices that low, wouldn't people just buy in bulk and resell elsewhere for profit?" Swain asked with a look of feigned surprise, though his interest was genuine. Any system this generous had to have safeguards, or fatal flaws.
"How could they? You need credentials to shop at charity stores, and individuals can only buy a daily quota."
The apprentice pulled out his ID and handed it to Swain with the confidence of someone who had nothing to hide.
"This is our ID card, it only works with a government seal, and everyone's number is unique."
The card was well-made, with intricate designs that would be difficult to forge. The attention to detail suggested serious investment in the identification system.
"Also, charity stores have regional supply limits. Who buys there and how much they buy daily is all recorded. If there's any irregularity, the tax bureau and peace officers come to investigate right away. Plus, all import-export trade now goes through customs inspections. Who'd be stupid enough to take such huge risks just to make a little money from reselling grain?"
The apprentice was talkative and very informed about Zaun's policies, his knowledge impressive for someone of his apparent station. With so many layers of regulation, it really wasn't easy to abuse these welfare policies for personal gain.
What was interesting was that Swain noticed the chef wasn't rushing him to get back to work, instead, he was quietly chopping vegetables by himself, occasionally nodding along with the conversation.
"Is it true that Zaun University teaches vocational skills for free, and even covers food and housing? When we first arrived in Zaun, the peace officer kept recommending we go to Zaun University. But we didn't think they'd really be that nice, so we didn't go." He pondered for a while, then leaned in close to the apprentice, looking around to make sure no one else was watching. He hunched his shoulders and whispered nervously, as if scared of being overheard saying something bad about the peace officers, perfectly playing the role of a cautious outsider who'd learned not to trust authority.
"Sit down, no need to act like that. You're new to Zaun, so maybe you're not used to it yet. But Zaun's peace officers aren't like those arrogant Piltover enforcers. They're here to protect us, not to bully us. Zaun University is totally real too. It's also run by the City Council. If you folks don't have a place to stay for now, I'd recommend signing up for a technical training course there. After just a few months, you'll be able to live a good life on your own two hands."
The apprentice helped Swain sit back down and even poured him a cup of hot water, speaking with heartfelt pride that couldn't be faked.
The social trust here is remarkable. Either they're all excellent actors, or something fundamental has changed about how authority operates.
"Such good things really exist? I've lived most of my life and never seen anything like this," Swain spoke with emotion as he sat down, trembling slightly. Then, with a glint in his eye, he asked from another angle, wanting to see how the people of Zaun's lower districts viewed their governing system. "If the City Council does things this way, how are the officials supposed to get rich? Would they even allow it?"
This was the crucial question.
"Officials getting rich? There's no such thing in Zaun!" The apprentice shook his head with the confidence.
"Cipher once said that Zaun belongs to all Zaun people, not to any one person. In Zaun, there are only civil servants who serve the people, and all of them are under public supervision. If someone finds that a civil servant is behaving improperly, they can report it directly to the City Council. There are staff there to handle it, and once verified, the government will publicly try the corrupt or fallen civil servant. The whistleblower even gets a reward."
"But who ensures the City Council itself remains honest?" Swain pressed, genuinely curious about the system's safeguards.
The apprentice's eyes brightened. "Every major decision goes through public assemblies first. Citizens from each district can attend, ask questions, even voice opposition. We elect representatives from our neighborhoods to speak for us on the Council. And here's the thing, Cipher doesn't just dictate policy. When he proposes something, it has to be debated openly. You see, we trust him because he's proven himself. He still makes sure every policy serves Zaun, not just sounds good. Although I've never been outside Piltover and Zaun, I would say our Zaun system is the most advanced. Compared to arrogant Piltover, we are the truly progressive city."
The apprentice, now fully immersed in the discussion, pulled up a stool to sit across from Swain, clearly intending to persuade him, to break his preconceptions and proudly welcome him into Zaun's big family.
"Why are you so sure?" Swain was indeed intrigued.
"Ha, the chef and I have been running this stall for a while now. I've chatted with people from Shurima, Demacia, Noxus, Bilgewater, and even Ionia."
The list was impressive, Zaun's location made it a crossroads, but the diversity suggested active trade relationships rather than mere geography.
"None of their homelands can guarantee that everyone can get enough to eat. But in Zaun, even orphans and the disabled can eat their fill."
The apprentice lifted his chin, his face radiating with pride for his homeland.
This time, Swain didn't respond right away. He saw that Zaun's success likely stemmed from multiple factors, each building on the others in ways that would be difficult to replicate.
First, it was a small territory, just one city. With a compact population, public assemblies and district representation could actually function. Citizens could meaningfully participate without the logistics becoming impossible. Cipher could maintain personal oversight while still allowing popular input, ensuring a clean administrative system.
But still, scale mattered, what worked for thousands might not work for millions.
Without corruption or embezzlement, all the money went into development, and naturally, people lived well. But preventing corruption required systems that themselves could be corrupted. But that was impossible to replicate in Noxus, at least not without massive structural changes that would trigger civil war.
Second, and more importantly, Zaun had advanced technology that allowed the entire city to be fed. Through high-tech means, it had amassed great wealth, and the City Council had indeed used it to benefit the people rather than hoarding it.
Piltover also did this to some extent, so that technological prosperity wasn't too surprising. But the difference was in distribution philosophy.
The third point was what really intrigued him: Zaun's state-owned enterprises.
From the apprentice's brief comments, he understood that Cipher had used state-owned businesses to firmly control the essentials of life like food, housing, education, healthcare.
No private parties were allowed to profit from basic necessities, not even the government itself was allowed to profit excessively, all in order to ensure people's basic needs were met. It was wealth redistribution without calling it that.
But the underlying principle was sound: Remove the profit motive from survival, and you remove the primary source of popular unrest.
As long as the people could eat, they wouldn't be stirred up by agitators with promises of revolution. Full stomachs made for stable societies.
Swain, having personally suppressed many rebellions, deeply understood this principle. Most uprisings began with hunger and ended with food. In his eyes, this policy was relatively feasible, but implementing it in Noxus would require major reform, the kind that left bodies in the streets.
At the very least, slaves and cannon fodder wouldn't be qualified to benefit, only full citizens might, and even then, it wouldn't be easy. The social stratification was too entrenched.
Noxus had far too many parasitic noble clans feeding off industries like food, salt, metals, and medicine, sectors vital to everyday life. They'd built their power on controlling necessities.
Implementing such a system would mean ripping out their roots, to do so, they'd have to be completely wiped out first. The resistance would be enormous, and the violence necessary to overcome it might destroy what they were trying to build.
But perhaps some roots deserved to be torn out.
Swain's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with cold killing intent, all for Noxus!