"Doesn't the construction site over there have a sign that says work is only allowed during the day? Why are they still working now?" Swain continued chatting casually with the apprentice.
"Hey, if that construction is for a factory, it's not too bad. The workers usually get off by 10 PM. But if it's a collective housing project, then the sheriff has to come chase people away. Otherwise, the workers won't willingly stop working."
The apprentice burst out laughing.
Workers who have to be forced to stop working?
"Really? That kind of thing happens?" Swain was surprised.
"Everyone knows this is a welfare project from the Zaun City Council. People want to finish it as fast as possible. Cipher promised that once the factories are fully operational, every Zaunite would have milk, bread, and eggs to eat, even those cool motorcycles would be affordable for everyone."
The apprentice grinned from ear to ear, clearly believing in Cipher's promises with the absolute faith of someone whose life had already been transformed once by those same promises. Then he pointed to the lights at the distant construction site.
"See those giant floodlights on the site? Those aren't cheap, but the city didn't pay a cent. The workers all pooled money together to buy them themselves. And you probably won't believe this, but originally the City Council didn't approve overtime. The workers themselves organized, went to the City Council, and demanded the right to work overtime."
The apprentice spoke with the satisfaction of someone recounting a successful rebellion, except this rebellion was for the right to work more, not less...
"..." Swain had really seen it all today, people working this enthusiastically, volunteering for unpaid overtime, and not even the governor could stop them.
Why did this sound so surreal? In Noxus, getting people to work efficiently required either fear or exceptional compensation. Here, they seemed to be restraining enthusiasm rather than creating it.
"What about the collective housing area? Why are the people there even more driven?" he continued asking.
"They're building houses that they'll live in after it's done, how could they not be motivated? If it weren't for the City Council holding them back, they'd work 20 hours a day. A lot of Zaunites used to be locked up in mines by the Pilties or the Chem-Barons, digging for at least 16 hours a day without even getting enough food. Now the city feeds us well, gives us homes, gives us our own place to call home. Of course we give it our all!"
The apprentice's emotions grew more intense as he spoke. His face flushed red and his mouth went dry from the passion. Swain poured him a glass of water and asked one last question, probing the limits of this loyalty.
"What if someone doesn't want you all to live well? I've heard from the outside, Piltover even sent assassins to kill your mayor."
BANG!
The apprentice slammed his cup on the table, gritting his teeth and snarling, "What do we do? We fucking fight! If the City Council didn't forbid us from storming the bridge, we would've already blown those Pilties to hell!"
The apprentice pulled out a Flatline from who-knows-where. It didn't look like great quality, probably homemade. The casual way he produced it suggested weapon ownership was common, expected.
"Waaah~" The chef let out a strange cry. He didn't seem to speak, just pounded his chest in anger.
With a butcher knife in one hand, he pulled out an equally janky Flatline with the other.
How are these people's fighting spirit more intense than Noxians?
---
Swain finished his undercover inspection and finally arrived at The Last Drop, run by the Zaun City Council.
Everyone sat at the table. Cipher brought out wine, cups, and chilled beads.
"Not bad at all. You didn't let me down. I'm very pleased." Swain took a sip of the wine Cipher poured for him.
Zaun's transformation was truly stunning, the unity of the entire city was terrifying. Its rise was only a matter of time. His investment had not been wasted, and the returns were exceeding his most optimistic projections.
"I've read your Book of Revolution. It thoroughly analyzes the main conflicts between the two cities, and concludes that war is inevitable. Clear structure, solid logic, evidence-based, very convincing. So, can you analyze the core contradictions within Noxus for me? What should I do to make Noxus even stronger?"
He gestured for Cipher to sit beside him, hoping Cipher could give him an answer.
From the intelligence he had gathered over this period, he was sure that aside from scientific capabilities, Cipher's other talents were only average. The policies he implemented and his overall strategic direction were rigid and lacked adaptability. Some of his ideas were even rather unrealistic when examined closely.
The entire governing system didn't seem like something Cipher had come up with himself, it felt more like he'd copied answers out of multiple books of various systems, and not even well. But perhaps that didn't matter if the results spoke for themselves.
But that didn't stop him from appreciating Cipher. In his view, the courage to plagiarize revolution theory under threat of execution was already commendable.
Although the Book of Revolution never explicitly said it, he had understood the subtext through careful analysis.
What Cipher truly wanted to build was a world without privileged classes, where status could only be earned through one's own hard work and effort.
This vision aligned closely with Swain's ideal Noxus, where the capable rose through merit rather than birthright.
No matter who you were, if you had enough strength, even the imperial throne of Noxus was within reach. Power should flow to those who could wield it effectively! Not through family name, bloodline, or backdoor deals! Those were the corruptions that weakened empires from within.
Faced with Swain's intense gaze, Cipher hesitated. He did know the general direction for resolving Noxus's internal contradictions.
The question was, could he say it out loud? The wrong words could be seen as treason, even from an ally.
"Don't hold back. I'll take care of everything. Speak freely." Sensing Cipher's hesitation, Swain displayed overwhelming authority.
"In my opinion, the core contradiction within Noxus lies in the merit-based military nobility system. This conflict is most apparent between the old and new aristocracy."
Since Swain was taking responsibility for everything, Cipher had nothing to fear.
Swain gave a slight nod, motioning for him to continue.
"From the very founding of Noxus, because the land was barren and production insufficient, the empire had to wage war to seize resources to survive. In times like that, when winning battles meant life or death, the idea that 'the capable rise' naturally became a core belief. After all, only the strong can lead armies to victory. This meritocratic, land-bound military nobility system helped the empire rise rapidly and conquer vast territories in its early days. But when the empire reaches a certain limit, this system becomes the very cause of its downfall."
"Slaves aren't content being slaves. Soldiers aren't content being soldiers. Everyone, except the old aristocratic families who already control large swathes of land and political resources, wants to earn military merit and rise. The empire is thus forcibly driven to wage constant wars, but expansion has its limits. Eventually, the day will come when the empire has no more land to grant to new nobles. No more merit can be rewarded. But the pie remains the same size, so what then?"
"There are only three non-solutions. First, raise the bar for becoming a noble. Second, carve up the land and power of the old aristocracy. Third, start more wars, even suicidal ones. Only if enough people die can tensions be temporarily relieved, and the empire have the resources to reward those with merit."
Each option was worse than the last. It was a progression toward inevitable destruction.
"But none of these truly solve the problem. The contradiction will only intensify. The old noble families will do everything to suppress the new, sabotaging talented new warriors, even forcing them into suicidal missions, just to protect their own interests. They might even deliberately lose battles or turn victories into pyrrhic ones to block the rise of new nobles, or directly eliminate them through dirty tactics. The new nobles won't just sit and wait to die. They will inevitably unite and resist the old aristocracy. The empire will fall into endless internal strife, and its national strength will collapse."
"Just as Piltover and Zaun are doomed to clash due to their irreconcilable contradictions, the Noxian Empire will one day face a brutal reshuffling brought on by the life-or-death conflict between its old and new aristocracy."