Time had flown by swiftly.
Over the past few years, thanks to the efforts of numerous genius scientists and countless Zaunites, whether in urban development, economy, or technology, Zaun had completely surpassed Piltover, which was solely supported by a few individuals. Zaun had become the true city of progress, a title Piltover could no longer claim with any credibility.
The former "City of Progress" had been outpaced by what they'd once dismissed as mere sewer dwellers.
Piltover, no longer able to extract profit from Zaun, and lacking the cheap labor that had once been their economic foundation, had to find a new target to exploit.
Desperation bred innovation, but not the kind they would celebrate publicly.
They began to aggressively purchase slaves captured by Noxus, becoming the largest buyer of Noxian slaves in the known world.
Due to Noxus's relentless invasions and widespread slave raids across multiple continents, the number of slaves skyrocketed, driving prices extremely low for a time. Supply and demand created a buyer's market in human misery.
Piltover, once proud of its claim to respect life, so much so that the entire city would shut off its power grid to save a single bird, now revealed its ugly nature, taking advantage of cheap slaves.
How quickly noble principles crumbled when profit margins were threatened... This was truly sad.
Facing strong competition from Zaun, and in order to maintain the competitiveness of their goods and continue profiting, Piltover began using these cheap slaves as expendable labor.
To keep its reputation clean and avoid being labeled as slaveowners, Piltover devised a peculiar system of contract labor, using strange terms like "labor contractor" and "indentured worker." The semantic gymnastics were impressive in their audacity.
All the slaves were purchased by these small-time contractors, who then signed labor contracts with factory owners. These bought slaves would enter the factories as indentured workers under this system. But in reality, indentured workers were just slaves under a different name, without personal freedom, dignity, hope, or future. The terminology just changed; the chains remained.
Everything about them, including their lives, belonged to the labor contractor. They had to obey every order, no matter how degrading or dangerous.
If they disobeyed, the men were often beaten to death on the spot and dismembered for parts to be sold to Piltover's medical schools, while the women were sold into brothels that operated under the fiction of being "entertainment establishments."
Working conditions for indentured workers were often terrible, with extreme labor intensity that made Zaun's old mining operations look humane by comparison. All their wages went to the labor contractor, who only provided the bare minimum of poor food and shelter, just enough to keep them functional.
To better suppress and exploit the indentured workers, these contractors even built their own criminal organizations and armed forces to enforce control. In short, private armies in all but name, operating with tacit government approval.
Piltover even designated a sizable area specifically for these small-time contractors. As long as they didn't harm a native Piltovian, even law enforcement wouldn't enter that wretched area, it was completely self-governed by the contractors. Just a city within a city, ruled by brutality and greed.
These contractors were essentially the same as the old Zaunite Chem-Barons in nature, but even more despicable in their lack of vision or innovation. At least the Chem-Barons had some twisted technologies, such as shimmer and chem-tech limb replacement, all pioneered by them. Well, they were monsters, but creative monsters.
But these contractors relied purely on squeezing every last drop out of the slaves to make money. They were parasites without even the excuse of advancing science.
Interestingly, not a single contractor was a Piltovian. Piltover only allowed outsiders to fill that role, maintaining their own citizens' moral purity through careful segregation of responsibility. As if by doing this, they could still claim to be the progressive city that respected life, and maintained the illusion of Piltovian moral superiority.
The self-deception was breathtaking in its scope, really!
Utter hypocrisy!
But hypocrisy with a system, carefully engineered to preserve appearances while enabling atrocities. This entire system treated people like fools, yet unfortunately, some fools really believed it. How sad, the power of institutional narrative was stronger than individual conscience.
"This month, the number of indentured workers who escaped from Piltover is double what it was last month. Can't you do something about those contractors?"
Quiletta rubbed her temples and pushed a data report over to Cipher.
Where there was oppression, there was resistance. The brutal indentured labor system drove many workers to risk their lives escaping, desperation overcoming the fear of death.
Since the Bridge of Progress was heavily guarded by law enforcement officers day and night, they couldn't cross it, so they chose to jump into the river and swim across. calculated risks.
The height alone could shatter their legs if they made a mistake, or even kill them outright. And that river had Zaun's unique touch, it was filled with chemical toxins that had accumulated over decades of industrial abuse.
While not as deadly as in the past thanks to Zaun's cleanup efforts, if ingested by accident or if it entered the eyes or an open wound, it would cause infection, often leading to the need for amputation.
Quiletta had been stationed in Zaun for years. During one of Darius's visits, she unexpectedly became pregnant. Her stance softened as motherhood changed her perspective on human suffering. She really deeply sympathized with the plight of indentured workers, especially mothers with children who faced impossible choices between survival and family. But these workers were all slaves sold by Noxus, and her political stance as the commander stationed in Piltover left her powerless.
Publicly, she even had to defend Piltover's indentured labor system... So, she placed her hopes in Cipher, the one person who might have both the will and the means to act.
In the past, the Zaunites weren't treated much better than today's indentured workers, so they deeply empathized with their suffering. Shared trauma created unbreakable bonds of sympathy. Any indentured worker who managed to escape to Zaun was typically given proper shelter and care.
"You're the Noxian commander stationed in Piltover, and I'm the leading voice in Zaun. Both of our positions are sensitive, so neither of us can get involved too directly in this. If Camille catches wind of anything, she'll definitely report it to Noxus. By then, we'd be cornered like rats in a trap."
Cipher spread his hands, signaling that he was also powerless, at least through direct action.
We've all grown older, but have we grown wiser? Or just more cynical?
"Why are you looking at me like that? Those labor contractors aren't even human. To punish a mother, they actually smashed her child to death in front of her."
Quiletta slammed the table and stood up angrily, her composure finally breaking. As a mother, she could not accept such cruelty. She couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to watch her child die right in front of her, helpless to prevent it. Just thinking about it brought a wave of overwhelming sorrow that made it hard to breathe, her own child's face flashing before her eyes.
"It's not like we have no options at all. Do you know about Councilor Kiramman's daughter?"
Seeing that Quiletta was too emotional, Cipher quietly boiled some water and made tea. Sometimes the most important conversations required some refreshments. Zaun's economic boom, combined with Swain stepping back from the southern front to become commander of the eastern front, had opened up trade with Ionia through diplomatic means.
The price of tea had dropped significantly, and now even they could afford the kind that used to be reserved for the elite.
"You mean Caitlyn? She's just a kid. What could she possibly do? She hasn't even succeeded her mother's council seat yet."
Quiletta took the tea Cipher handed her, not understanding why he suddenly brought up Caitlyn.
"We can't directly intervene in Piltover's mess, but she can. Don't forget, she's now a law enforcement officer in Piltover's security force. She's the perfect blade to cut out the rot within Piltover's body," Cipher explained as he sipped his tea.
"But she's still just a kid..." Quiletta instinctively didn't want to use Caitlyn. After spending several years in Piltover and Zaun, she'd come to know most of the notable figures personally. She actually liked Caitlyn, the girl had a light in her eyes that reminded her of her younger self, before the world had taught her its harsh lessons.
"She's not that young anymore. She's grown up. It's time for her to face the dirty reality. Piltover is her hometown. I'd wager she doesn't want to live in a fake world where all she hears are praises for Piltover. Only by seeing the real world with her own eyes will she truly understand what's right and what's wrong. Besides, with the protection of the House Kiramman, even if she stirs up a big mess, Camille won't kill her. And worst case, if she really can't stay in Piltover, she can come to Zaun. After all, her family still holds original shares in Zaun's telecom industry."
Cipher poured himself another cup of tea. Caitlyn was the perfect weapon to dismantle the indentured labor system, and through her, they could identify their true allies and enemies in both cities.
Once the list was clear, the coming purge would be much easier, every collaborator destined for the reckoning they deserve.
"When do we act?"
Quiletta thought it over carefully and realized Cipher had a point. Children always had to grow up someday, and perhaps it was better to control the manner of that growth than let circumstances dictate it.
"Tomorrow. Piltover's Progress Day is the perfect occasion for a little disruption. Let's give them a surprise they won't soon forget."
Cipher's eyes sharpened. Swain, still on the Ionia front, had already sent him word through encrypted channels.
The Battle of Placidium was about to break out. The conflict that would reshape the balance of power across multiple continents was finally at hand.
The War of Piltover and Zaun was about to begin.
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60 Advance Chapters!