Arcane: Winds of Change

Sorry for the small break, got dragged for family holidays. As an apology, here's some bonus chapters!

For more chapters (10+) or if you want to support me, visit https://www.patreon.com/FFAddict. Thank you!

Chapter Twelve: A Bright Future

"Of course, you can call me Phil." Phil sat at the table, picked up a neatly cut cigar, and took a deep puff.

"So, this is what that bastard Silco wants?" Finn, sporting a wild hairstyle, said angrily.

Bang! A gunshot rang out, and a bullet grazed past his head. "I think you should be grateful that Silco saved you, and you should be aware of your current situation," Phil said, tilting his head as he looked at him.

"Alright, alright, let's continue our earlier discussion. The control from the upper city is becoming stricter. We should take corresponding measures." Phil thought for a moment and then spoke, "Here's the deal, each of you pay a thousand gold coins, and we'll help you reorganize the undercity and take care of Piltover."

"What?! A thousand gold coins? You must be dreaming!" The dwarf baron beside Finn shouted sharply.

"Your voice reminds me of the greedy goblin I remember," Phil said coldly as he looked at him.

Jinx, who had been restless on the side, saw Phil give her a signal, and the barrel of her gun started to spin.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you so impulsive?" Phil patted Jinx's shoulder, admonishing her on the surface. "So, is anyone else rejecting my proposal?" he asked.

The council members fell silent. No one wanted to be the first to protest.

Phil clapped his hands, "Excellent. Since there are no objections, I take it you all agree. In that case, you can have your men bring the money. I'll give you thirty minutes." As he spoke, Phil pulled a massive time bomb from his bag, which displayed a countdown: 29:59.

The ticking of the bomb echoed, "By the way, don't think of bringing too many people; this council hall is small. Otherwise, who knows how accurate this timer is?" Phil said as he and Jinx tied everyone up.

Faced with Jinx and Phil, the high-ranking council members had no means to resist. As time went by, Baron Enni was the first to crack under the pressure and ordered his men to hand over the money for his release. Seeing someone paying up triggered a chain reaction, and everyone hurried their men to come up with the ransom. A thousand gold coins was a huge amount, causing a significant strain on them, as it would take half a year to squeeze it out of the undercity people, but nothing was more important than their lives.

Finally, when the timer read [13:53], Enni's men delivered the money. Phil took the money and told his men to get lost, but he didn't release Enni straight away. As more and more people delivered the money, Phil contentedly counted the bags of coins. Over a thousand gold coins filled Phil's backpack completely.

"Hey, we've given you all the gold coins. You should let us go now." "Of course, we'll resolve the problems in the undercity," Phil said, standing up and walking to the door. He took off his hat and bowed elegantly. "I look forward to our next meeting." Then he left the meeting room with Jinx.

Behind them were the barons' curses. Ahead of them was the bright future of Zaun.

[Boom!]

"Bang! Is it okay to kill them all like that? Silco said not to kill everyone," Jinx mimicked the sound of the explosion as she asked. It was clear that this bomb was Jinx's creation.

"Only with strong methods can one act with a compassionate heart," Phil said, looking ahead. "Silco has more considerations than we do, but sometimes there's no need for so many worries."

"So where are we going now? To find Silco?"

"No, he's upset right now. I don't want to get scolded. Let's go see your old friend," Phil said, giving Jinx a meaningful look. Jinx remained silent, lowering her head.

Phil took her hand and said, "It's okay, if you don't want to see him, I can go alone."

Jinx looked at Phil and said with a firm and serious tone, "Powder is dead!"

Phil knocked on the door of Benzo's shop. "Hey, Benzo, are you there?" he said as he pushed the door open. Recently, Benzo had been overwhelmed by the chaos in the undercity. He didn't have Vander's leadership skills or enough charisma. For the undercity, he wasn't fit to be a leader. When he saw Phil enter, he quickly strode forward and grabbed Phil by the collar. "Did you kill Vander?"

Before Phil could reply, Jinx aimed her gun at Benzo's chin. "Put your filthy hands down, Benzo."

Benzo, slightly dazed, looked at the girl with longer hair and asked, "Powder, how did you get mixed up with these people?"

"Powder is dead! I'm Jinx! Jinx!" Jinx snapped, Benzo's words stirring unpleasant memories within her, making her agitated. Phil patted Jinx's head, and she gradually calmed down, her trembling subsiding.

Unnoticed by anyone, in a partition of the shop, Ekko was peering through a telescope, shocked to see Powder with Phil. "Vander is dead. What we need to do now is bring order back to the undercity. You wouldn't want me to save you only to kill you afterward, right?" Phil spoke slowly to Benzo.

"We can help you; the undercity needs peace. We can assist you, Benzo. Vander had agreed to work together against the upper city, but there was a slight mishap."

"And what about the others?" Benzo asked.

"Unfortunately, that explosion was quite severe," Phil said, spreading his hands helplessly.

"But that's just your side of the story. With Vander dead, the truth is whatever you say it is," Benzo's voice was filled with hostility.

"I've given you a chance. Don't push us to reshuffle the deck in Zaun. The alchemy barons of Zaun are all dead. Do you think you're next?" Phil said, losing his patience. Seeing Benzo stay silent, Phil continued, "I'll have Sevika help you. You have one week to bring peace to the undercity. I'll ensure the lawmen from the upper city leave Zaun."

With those words, Phil left Benzo's shop with Jinx, heading back to their place. It was a pity they never noticed Ekko hiding. Ekko had a childhood crush on Powder. Perhaps Jinx was aware that Ekko might be watching her from some corner with a telescope.