In the reception hall of Kiramman Manor in Piltover, Li Lin and Caitlyn, having shed their powered armor, sat on the sofa, awaiting the arrival of Lady Cassandra.
After a few minutes, the door to the hall gently creaked open. Lady Cassandra entered, her blue eyes, identical to Caitlyn's, shimmering as they briefly paused on the two sitting on the sofa, engaged in conversation.
Her eyebrows subtly raised, imperceptibly reacting, but swiftly regaining composure.
"Mother!"
"Lady Cassandra."
Hearing the commotion at the door, both Li Lin and Caitlyn rose simultaneously, exchanging greetings with Lady Cassandra.
"Hmm," Lady Cassandra responded softly.
She walked gracefully to the opposite side, gesturing for them to sit together.
Immediately, Lady Cassandra turned her gaze to Li Lin. "You urgently called for me. Is there another new invention?"
"No, Li Lin has other matters," Caitlyn, somewhat excited, spoke up first.
In the end, Li Lin couldn't resist Caitlyn's interrogation, akin to questioning a "culprit."
As he recounted his encounter in the sewers to Caitlyn, from removing his powered armor in the workshop to returning to the main house's reception hall, he explained his thoughts.
As expected by Li Lin, her immediate response was, "I'll go too."
However, Caitlyn believed her mother wouldn't agree to this risky venture, which offered little reward. Eliminating the influence of a Chem-Baron was no simple task, requiring a significant investment of manpower, resources, and funds.
This was one major reason Piltover had allowed the local snakes in Zaun to develop independently over the years.
Another factor was that, after the "Day of Ashes" incident, the rulers of Piltover considered Zaun to pose no threat, paying little attention to the Chem-Barons.
Yet Caitlyn stated she would help Li Lin gain her mother's approval.
As for the method...
Facing Lady Cassandra's puzzled look, Caitlyn stood up, moved to her side, and with both hands wrapped around her arms, embraced her.
"Mom~"
Lady Cassandra's mouth twitched slightly. Then, she furrowed her brows, displaying a headache.
"Alright, Caitlyn, didn't I teach you to maintain decorum in front of others?"
"But Li Lin isn't an outsider~" Caitlyn's voice sweetened with a smile, then she winked at the somewhat bewildered Li Lin.
"Cough..." Li Lin cleared his throat upon realizing the situation. Then, with a serious expression, he addressed Lady Cassandra, "Lady Cassandra, I once shared my aspirations with you. Do you remember?"
"Of course, you aspire for world peace."
Lady Cassandra gave him a stern look, raising her tone, "Are you bringing up those matters again, thinking my recent attitude change means you can be presumptuous?"
"No, I dare not. I just want to say that one must not be overly ambitious and should proceed step by step, no matter the endeavor..."
Li Lin's tactful words, combined with Caitlyn's "coquetry" on the side, made it difficult for Lady Cassandra to refuse.
"Quickly, state what you want to do, and I will try to help you."
Extracting her arm from Caitlyn's embrace, Lady Cassandra spoke impatiently, "And Caitlyn, if you continue like this, I'll be angry. Really, you're already this age, yet you're still acting like a little girl..."
"Humph, I haven't had my coming-of-age ceremony yet."
Caitlyn playfully stuck her tongue out at Lady Cassandra, then shifted her steps back to sit beside Li Lin.
Lady Cassandra helplessly shook her head, meeting the gaze of the young man in front of her, "To the point, what dangerous thing are you planning to do this time?"
Li Lin glanced at Caitlyn, who was wearing a smile, then took a deep breath, calmly beginning, "This afternoon, something happened when I was overseeing the Zaun sewers..."
For the next two or three minutes, Li Lin quickly recounted the incident where Takeda, the Chem-Baron, sent someone to provoke him, leading to a confrontation.
Emphasizing the provocative content, Li Lin, as Caitlyn suggested, added a touch of exaggeration, including Takeda's contempt for the Kiramman family.
Sure enough, once it involved the Kiramman family, Lady Cassandra's temper flared.
"This is outrageous! A mere Chem-Baron daring to covet our family's property?!"
Li Lin, a member of the Kiramman family, utilized the funds of the Kiramman family to construct the Tide Dynamo Power Station, a project considered as an asset of the Kiramman family.
Even if Li Lin didn't embellish the situation as Caitlyn advised, Lady Cassandra would not permit actions that harm the interests of the Kiramman family.
"How do you plan to handle this? Should I dispatch enforcers to seize the property of... Takeda? Yes, have enforcers seize his assets and give him a warning?"
Lady Cassandra took a few deep breaths, suppressing her anger, and asked in a calm tone.
Li Lin was slightly stunned, not expecting the situation to progress so smoothly.
Suddenly, he felt a poke at his waist and quickly continued, "To be precise, I plan to completely eliminate his influence..."
...
...
In the lower levels of the Zaun Plaza in Piltover, within a somewhat secluded dojo with Ionian warrior aesthetics.
A middle-aged, robust man in traditional black Ionian warrior attire sat in meditation at the center of the dojo, surrounded by the fragrance of incense imported from Ionia.
In front of him, on a table, lay a sword sheathed in a scabbard engraved with mysterious symbols, and incense was offered on the table.
The sword exuded an indescribable eerie feeling. At first glance, it seemed as if one could see hundreds of souls in distress struggling in a sea of blood.
Facing the sword, the middle-aged man, in the rhythm of his breathing, seemed to merge with the surroundings.
However, unlike traditional Ionian swordmasters, he didn't give off a transcendent feeling.
On the contrary, the man radiated a fierce and ruthless temperament, his aura exuding aggression.
He was Takeda Saito, one of the Chem-Barons of Zaun, who controlled several mines in the Undercity and secretly invested in various large alchemical workshops.
At this moment, urgent footsteps outside the dojo disrupted Takeda's meditation.
His thick, yellow eyebrows furrowed, and after a few twitches of his eyelids, he slowly opened his eyes, a blood-red gleam flashing deep within his pupils.
Seconds later, a man in gray traditional warrior attire rushed in and knelt down, bowing his head.
He was one of the warriors serving the Takeda family.
"What's the matter?" Takeda asked in Ionian.
"Master, Muneyama-san's memorial tablet... it's broken."
"What?!"
Takeda's round eyes widened, a look of shock on his face, and his entire body visibly trembled.
His subordinate's throat moved, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead and temples as he lowered his head even more.
After a long time, with a hoarse voice, Takeda asked, "What exactly happened?"
"Today, you sent him with others to the Undercity to investigate a group of strangers building a seawall on our territory..."
Before the subordinate could finish speaking, Takeda raised his right hand, gesturing to stop him. "I understand. You may leave."
"Yes." The subordinate breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he retreated to the door, Takeda added:
"Oh, bring Mr. Chifu in... tell him I have an urgent matter and need his divination."
(End of this chapter)
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