"So, they launched a full-scale attack on your products?"
After Caleb listened to the whole story, his expression darkened even further.
How long had he been gone? Some people in Piltover were already thinking about starting a trade war?
They had to understand that Caleb had already crossed the T3 threshold. Even if Piltover brought Vi in, it would be hard for them to withstand his fury.
He could summon primordial lightning and drive a World Rune. If Caleb truly lost his temper, an Arcane Comet would already be crashing down on Piltover right now.
But even as angry as he was, he still had to go up there and ask exactly what was going on.
"Keep talking."
Caleb had to hear both sides before he gave his answer.
He had risen from Zaun. Zaun did not have power as strong as Piltover's, but once united, and with Jinx added to the equation, it was no longer something cowardly Piltover could compare to.
Piltover could hesitate. Piltover could fear losing what it had.
Zaun had never had anything to lose in the first place. Once every ordinary person there snapped, the fury Piltover would have to endure would be unbearable.
The only reason the people of Zaun had not acted yet was because they were waiting for Caleb's judgment.
Zaun's people lacked a leader, not courage.
"After slandering our products in the market over and over, they started tripping us up everywhere else too."
Renata had a terrible headache, because the raw materials for those products had been gathered from all kinds of places.
They all understood what Piltover was doing behind the scenes.
But Zaun had only just begun to rise, and its economic system was still extremely fragile.
Compared to Piltover, which had prospered for so many years, the gap between them was enormous.
So if Piltover wanted to crush the industries of the undercity, it really was as simple as lifting a finger.
It was fair to say that the wealth owned by any single noble family might be greater than all of Zaun put together.
Caleb's anger had already surged into his chest, but his face remained very calm.
"I'll go ask them myself. You keep the people settled."
Caleb's thoughts did not stop. He had not even collected those rewards yet, and now another huge mess had been thrown at him.
"Keep their weapons down. If there's going to be a fight, I'll do it myself."
Caleb's tone was flat, but the meaning behind his words made people shiver.
After all, those who had lived through the bridge uprising and had not died yet still remembered.
If Zaun caught its breath again, then with Warwick, Blitzcrank, Ekko, and Viktor in the undercity, it would tear Piltover apart.
The prosperity Piltover had built upon its port would collapse after a single war.
Caleb moved like a dragon. With Arcane Shift and the speed granted by the World Rune, Zaun's new factories became the footholds he used to leap upward.
Up there, Caleb was going to meet the Gray Lady. He was going to meet Jayce and Mel, and ask exactly what this was all about.
Why had the alliance he had built collapsed so quickly?
Among the seven councilors, at least four should have been standing with the undercity.
Or had Mel's attitude changed after Jayce moved behind the scenes?
Caleb also knew that although the nobles of Piltover were pained by the money being given to Zaun, they also understood that the profits brought in by the port would earn it back.
So why were they blockading Zaun's products?
Caleb only needed a moment of thought to reach the answer.
It came down to better value for the money.
Zaunites had no brand power. If they wanted to open the market, they could only sell cheaply and rely on small profits with high volume.
First, they would build their reputation. Later, they could slowly raise prices and consider earning real profit on a larger scale.
But the people of Piltover knew their business too. They understood that if this batch of products entered the market, then sooner or later, they would be forced to lower their own prices.
Once merchants realized that Zaunite goods were only twenty or thirty percent worse than Piltover goods, yet much cheaper, Piltover's economy would likely suffer a severe blow.
"So they waited until I wasn't here, then took action directly?"
Business was a battlefield. In order to survive, doing anything and everything was normal.
As for etiquette, noble spirit, and all that, it was pure bullshit.
Put money in front of them, and they would choose money without hesitation.
They only chose so-called etiquette and spirit when it helped them maintain appearances and earn more money.
With a Shadow Step, Caleb traveled up through the walls of the undercity all the way to Piltover's orderly streets.
Even the merchants nearby who had no sense of the situation and were still haggling were stunned by the murderous pressure coming off Caleb.
"What's going on?"
The Enforcers topside saw Caleb, who stood out far too much, and felt fear rise in them. None of them wanted to step forward.
"Come here."
Caleb beckoned, and his gloomy face returned to calm in an instant.
"Call your councilors. Tell them Caleb is looking for them. In half an hour, I'll see them in the council chamber."
"Otherwise, my patience is limited, and I won't guarantee what happens next."
Caleb's voice was terrifyingly calm, as if he were only making casual conversation.
In truth, he had still wanted to visit Marcus and Ren, but he had run into this matter the moment he returned.
He did not want to frighten little Ren, so that visit would have to wait.
Caleb walked all the way toward the council, and not a single Enforcer dared stop him.
For one thing, the murderous pressure around him was enough that even newly appointed Enforcers did not dare get in his way.
As for the older Enforcers, they had followed Marcus before and seen Caleb's performance on the bridge.
Back then, Caleb's calm handling of the situation had left them lying in the hospital for a month at most, instead of dead on the spot.
If they had received someone's mercy, then they had to repay it.
At the very least, running errands for him and taking a scolding from the councilors was worth it.
Caleb scanned Piltover, which had barely changed. If anything, it seemed even more prosperous than before.
Zaun, meanwhile, had only just reached the point where everyone could barely eat their fill.
Although the caravan that had taken him to Shurima before had already begun to rise, it was still nowhere near enough compared to Piltover.
And yet the moment Caleb left, before even that Zaunite merchant ship had returned, they had already started economic sanctions?
Absolutely unacceptable.
Caleb casually pulled out a chair and sat down with broad, unrestrained confidence, waiting for the other councilors to arrive.
A flurry of soft leather shoes striking the floor came first, and Lucide was the first to enter the room.
She gave him an apologetic smile, then found the Ferros family's seat and sat down.
Then came Mel, the noble young lord Salo, and the robot Morey.
The last to arrive was Cassandra, and she also looked somewhat guilty.
"Where's Heimerdinger?"
As he watched the dome slowly close, Caleb asked the question.
"He's been busy. He hasn't attended council meetings lately," Mel said lightly.
The hand that had once worn a ring engraved with the Medarda family crest now wore a wedding ring that was noble, striking, and exquisitely crafted.
"So?"
Caleb smiled as he looked around. Countless laser sights had already locked onto him.
The council chamber was their home ground. Setting up Enforcers with rifles here, or private guards, was far too easy for them.
"Do Vi and Jayce know what's about to happen here?"
Caught in a killing trap, Caleb did not panic in the slightest.
It seemed Piltover had made up its mind to earn this dirty money.
"They won't know you came back," Morey said, his voice carrying a chilling killing intent just like Caleb's. "And you won't be going back."
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