Piltover had its extravagance, and Zaun had its survival wisdom.
After trying many different things, most people approved of dried vine gourd shreds and dried blood orange peels. As for the added straw and chili powder, that was purely a personal preference.
Durin replied with a smile, "It's a bit strong!"
After speaking, he coughed a few more times, and everyone nearby burst into laughter.
The atmosphere became much more relaxed.
However, the originally quiet tavern was filled with intense arguments, as if everyone was agitated. Even through the tavern door, one could hear people shouting things like, "Let's fight back against Piltover!", "Zaun is for Zaunites!", and "Let's unite!"
The thugs outside the tavern and Durin immediately stopped talking, their expressions becoming solemn.
Then the arguments inside grew more intense until, after a while, Durin saw the tavern door violently pushed open. A woman, built like a bear, stormed out, followed by three male subordinates.
The woman had dark skin and wore a thick, sleeveless leather armor. Her exposed, brawny arms were covered in scars resembling centipedes.
"It's ridiculous! Vander actually said something like, 'Just bear with it, tough it out'!"
"Yeah! He's too weak! He's old! He can't lead us forward anymore!"
"Right! We need a new leader! Someone to lead us in overthrowing Piltover!"
"If this continues, Zaun will eventually become a subordinate city of Piltover!"
"Exactly! We absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen!"
The three male subordinates passionately expressed their views, almost in a call-and-response manner.
Durin could only silently scoff to himself: How could you possibly be Piltover's opponents? Fighting their hot weapons with your cold weapons, isn't that just pure madness?
Zaun's firearms and metal armor were restricted and regulated by Piltover. More precisely, the most esteemed and powerful individuals in Piltover, the councilors, had semi-coercively demanded that the Chem-Barons and Zaun's spokespersons restrict the circulation of firearms and prohibit the private possession of metal armor.
It was under these circumstances that the people living in Zaun came up with Chem-Tech modifications to the human body, replacing parts with Augments. It was like, if you don't let me privately own metal armor or have firearms, then I'll just transform myself into a metal person.
Facing the emotional attitude of the subordinates, the bear-like woman never spoke, merely leaving the area expressionlessly.
At this moment, Kreslin, dressed in a mage robe, also walked out of the tavern. He coldly remarked, "Don't look. That person is Sevika. She's considered Zaun's second-in-command, and she just had a falling out with Vander."
Sevika?
That woman is named Sevika?
Durin was a bit surprised. In the "Arcane" animated series, she was a true Zaunite, an idealistic fighter. She would follow whoever could make Zaun better. So, from the very beginning, she opposed Vander, and later angrily denounced him as weak.
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