"Logan, we need a lot of talent right now. Zaun has to be rebuilt from the ground up. Industrially, we have to develop. In the past, Piltover kept a hand around our throats and forced us into backwardness because our productivity couldn't keep up."
Silco had let his hair down. He sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Logan and Vander at the bar, leaning slightly as he looked at Logan in the middle, his voice low as he continued:
"We can't keep living like before—relying on Piltover for everything. Even snacks and candy have to be 'imported' from Piltover." Silco extended a hand. "That's why industrial development is non-negotiable."
"I get that," Logan nodded. "But Silco… that's on you to actually run. And I'm not embarrassed to say it—science, industry, development… I don't know a damn thing about any of it."
Logan wasn't going to puff himself up. If he didn't understand, then he didn't understand. His job was setting the direction. Everything else? Hand it to people who actually had the skill.
"I know. I'll handle it." Silco nodded, then—rarely—looked genuinely bothered. He rubbed at his black hair, sighing. "Never thought I'd live to regret what I did as much as I do now."
"What, it's gotten tricky enough to give you a headache?" Vander said with a crooked laugh from Logan's other side. He lifted his drink and downed it again.
Even without taste, after enough alcohol Vander still got that hazy, drifting feeling. He liked it. Like… he was still alive. Still human.
Not a monster.
With narrowed eyes, he said, "Different eras need different plans. You told me that, Silco. If the Lanes had been under my lead, we'd probably have a lot more talented people right now—people you wouldn't have chased off to settle in Piltover."
"But if Zaun had been under my lead? We wouldn't be able to scrape together a single coin."
He grumbled, "Poor, united, and noble is worth admiring… but it's not worth worshipping."
Logan sat between them, thought for a moment, then said, "Break up the Chem-Barons. Starting tomorrow, Zaun won't have Chem-Barons anymore."
"They can keep their people. But the work changes—real industry. They put people to work producing, building, and giving back to Zaun." Logan's voice stayed light, but the edge underneath was sharp. "And if they refuse, we hang them from the streetlights one by one."
"Before, we were worried they'd kick up trouble and make a mess. But under the Spirit Blossom Gang's lead, Zaun is united enough now. People aren't afraid of them anymore," Logan added. "And if they still won't cooperate… let Vander go 'talk' to them."
Logan patted Vander's shoulder with a grin. "They'll cooperate then."
"So I've found a job already?" Vander teased.
Silco nodded once. "That works. I'll push it through. We'll start with Renni—she won't refuse."
"Someone with a kid, someone with a weak spot… is the easiest to convince," Silco said bluntly.
"Old you wouldn't call it 'convince,'" Vander raised an eyebrow. "You'd call it control. Leverage. Threats."
Silco really had changed.
His methods and his temperament—both.
"Trade needs reforms. The liquor smuggling needs a new direction…"
"What about selling it to Demacia?" Logan suggested.
"We can try. That place isn't as bright as it pretends—there's plenty of rot under the paint."
"Minerals and weapons are easy. Without the Pilties bleeding us dry, we can supply ourselves."
"Power is the problem. We've still got regions relying on Piltover for water and electricity. Changing that will cost a fortune. Damn…"
"And schools." Silco exhaled. "Once gang activity drops, the streets will be full of orphans. We gather them, start a school… that's another fortune."
Silco lowered his head, one hand tangling in his hair while the other wrote. The page quickly filled with dense notes.
Logan stayed beside him, offering ideas, going back and forth with him.
Vander watched, his eyes full of memories.
Back then, the three of them had been like this too—he handled the fighting, Silco handled planning and development, and she handled logistics… making weapons.
Vander shook his head, dragging himself back to the present.
And what was written on that paper… were the problems Zaun would face in the future—
Autonomy itself wouldn't be hard for Zaun now. With Logan and Vander around, Zaun's force already outweighed Piltover's completely. The hard part was what came after autonomy—how Zaun would actually grow.
For a city-state, the biggest problem isn't how it's born.
It's how it walks after it's born.
"Once we win," Logan said, "we add a few more clauses to the agreement with Piltover. We make them pay. We're broke."
"How about we just go up to Topside and get money the old-fashioned way?" Vander suggested after thinking.
The thing Zaunites were best at was going up to Topside and getting paid.
Vi had done it.
And as the proud old father… Vander had definitely done it too.
Come on. Let's go up to Topside and get money.
That used to be one of Vander's favorite lines.
Silco glanced at him and shook his head.
"After autonomy, Zaun becomes a real city-state," Silco said carefully, forcing himself not to say steal or rob. "If the leaders set the example by going up to Topside to… 'get money'—what do you think the rest of the world will think of us?"
"You have to learn to recognize what you are in different stages of life, Vander."
Vander nodded. "I was just talking."
"And lastly," Silco said, setting his pen down, "we need an academy-trained scientist."
"One who understands Zaun, has lived here, and has Piltover's knowledge and scientific framework."
Silco looked like the idea alone was enough to crush his spirit.
Zaun didn't lack brilliant minds—Jinx, Ekko, even Marsen could pick up a wrench and make things. But city-building couldn't be done purely on improvised genius.
Zaun had always lived that way, sure—but if a city-state kept living that way, you'd be repairing critical infrastructure every other day. What kind of future was that?
Back-alley ingenuity hit hard and could make miracles… but it wasn't precise.
Academic training was precise… but rigid, resource-hungry, and slow.
Still—those systems mattered.
Heimerdinger was outstanding: broad knowledge, deep experience. But he'd been in Zaun for too short a time. His suggestions often came from a Piltover perspective—and that wouldn't work. The gap between Zaun and Piltover's economy was as wide as heaven and earth.
And Jinx and Ekko were still young. They couldn't contribute much to "industrial construction." Weapons? Specialized tech? No problem. But asking them to rebuild Zaun with planning and infrastructure?
Hell—Silco remembered that the "air purification system" idea had been proposed by Logan, the one who didn't even understand science.
It would take time. Jinx and Ekko would have to reshape how they thought—basically relearn everything from scratch. That kind of change took years. And Silco didn't want Jinx to change, because her wild, impossible ideas were exactly what could create miracles for Zaun.
Zaun needed to evolve—but its core still depended on people like Jinx.
So… was there someone who had Zaun's rough strength and Piltover's careful precision?
And even if someone like that existed… why would they ever come back to Zaun?
Even scientists like Heimerdinger and Singed only came here because of very specific reasons. Otherwise… what scientist would choose Zaun?
Poor. Chaotic. Brutal.
Lost in the headache of it all, Silco didn't notice Logan's expression slowly turning strange.
Seriously?
He's basically describing one person so hard he might as well say the name.
Logan cleared his throat. "Ahem."
Silco looked up.
"The kind of person you're describing… I actually know one."
Silco's eyes lit up. "Oh?"
"His name is Viktor." Logan's tone turned amused. "Funny thing—he's Zaunite too. And he's… kind of Singed's apprentice?"
"I've never heard Singed mention that," Silco said.
"And you're the kind of person he sits down and shares his feelings with?" Logan shot back, deadpan.
Silco paused, then realized Logan was right.
Logan continued, "Viktor checks every box you listed—and more. He's a genius. A super-genius on Jayce's level. Hextech was created by him and Jayce together."
"I didn't know that," Silco said, certain he understood Piltover better than most.
Logan shrugged. "Do you think Piltover would ever hand that kind of credit to a Zaunite?"
"…Fair." Silco nodded, then said, "Then we go find him. We invite him back."
Vander chimed in, "Sounds nice. You wouldn't let me 'go get money,' but now you want to go steal a person?"
"Invite," Silco corrected, exasperated. "I'm inviting him to Zaun as a guest. He's Zaunite too—how is it stealing to have him come back and take a look?"
Logan couldn't help laughing.
Invite.
Nice word.
In practice? That's kidnapping.
"Then, Logan," Silco said, looking at him, "I'll have to trouble you to personally 'invite' this Mr. Viktor."
Logan lifted his glass and nodded. "I've never been to Topside."
"Alright." Logan looked between them. "You two—finish this drink, and we move."
Silco nodded, voice soft. "For Zaun."
Vander pinched his cup between his claws, and a phrase jumped into his head without him even thinking about it.
"Also… the riverbed and the bubbles."
It was pure instinct—memories, a place, a moment.
Silco froze for a beat, then looked past Logan at Vander. He smiled slightly, lifted his cup, and answered, "The riverbed and the bubbles."
"?" Logan blinked. "What are you two talking about? I don't get it."
"If you don't get it, that's perfect," Vander said, draining his drink and bursting into laughter.
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