At The Forge Tavern, Leo sat across from Silco, savoring a fine liquor Silco had smuggled in from Bilgewater, downing it in one gulp. Finn was dead, his body discovered by his subordinates the next morning, head separated from his body, rolling next to the wall—a gruesome end.
Leo looked at the man before him, whose gaze wasn't on him, and said with a smile: "Uncle, you knew Finn would try to escape from the very beginning?"
Silco withdrew his lingering gaze, looking at Leo, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I know him better than you do, Leo. After all, I worked with him for so many years."
"He was always like that back in the mines: arrogant, conceited, always thinking he was the smartest person. But in reality, he only had a bit of petty cleverness, and what's more, he didn't even use it in the right place."
Sevika stood silently behind Silco, completely unmoved by having personally killed Finn. Although, back in that mine Silco spoke of, her relationship with Finn hadn't been bad. But Finn had crossed the line. Silco had given him chances, not just one, yet he still made a mistake. Replace Silco? What was he thinking? If it hadn't been for Silco and Vander back then, they'd still be digging coal in the mines. How could they have their current situation and status?
While Sevika had "betrayed" Vander, her reason for doing so wasn't about power or status. It was because Vander made her feel hopeless; when a hound puts away its claws and teeth, it becomes a house dog. That wasn't the leader Sevika wanted. Furthermore, she hadn't betrayed him; she had directly parted ways with Vander before joining Silco.
"So he's dead, and you truly feel nothing?"
"Hmm, how should I put this?" Silco elegantly placed his hands on the table, looking calmly at Leo. His eyes gazed steadily into Leo's as he quietly said, "He made a mistake, Leo."
"Actually, everyone makes mistakes; that's not a big deal. No matter how big the mistake, as long as there's remorse, it can be forgiven. No one is perfect, but we mustn't make the same mistake twice, right?"
"Uncle, are you subtly hinting at me now?" Leo asked, narrowing his eyes.
Silco's gaze drifted to the girl sleeping soundly on the sofa. A smirk touched his lips, and his eyes softened as he said, "What do you think?"
"Then you really are hinting at me."
"Since she's unwilling to come back to me, I won't force her. She does seem happier with you; she's gained a little weight, and her complexion looks better," Silco suddenly said.
He continued: "And just as you said, Leo, whether I succeed or you succeed, the ultimate beneficiary is Zaun. There's no need for us to truly fight to the death. Our goals are aligned; it's just our methods that differ. And you're absolutely right about one thing: during Piltover's period of pressure, Zaun did indeed become too chaotic."
Silco's index finger tapped the table, making a rhythmic sound. Then he added, "But that won't happen next."
Leo followed Silco's gaze and saw Jinx lying on the sofa. Asleep, her mouth was slightly open, drool trickling from the corner of her lips. One foot was propped on the back of the sofa, one hand dangled off the side, and the other rested on her stomach. She was sleeping soundly.
Suddenly, Jinx moved her head. Both men watched her. She tilted her head, letting it fall completely off the edge of the sofa. Sleeping in that position, Jinx would definitely wake up with a stiff neck. Seeing this, Silco intended to get up and adjust Jinx's posture.
But Leo was a step faster, standing up. He was seated closer to the sofa. Silco paused when he saw Leo rise, then narrowed his eyes. Next, he also stood up, then took off his perfectly clean, wrinkle-free, pressed suit jacket. Folding it by hand, he handed it to Leo.
"Use this," he told Leo.
Behind Silco, Sevika couldn't help but roll her eyes. Damn it...
Before, only Silco doted on this crazy girl. Now, it was Silco, Leo, and that crazy girl's sister. It seemed like more and more people were doting on her and protecting her. Sevika couldn't help but wonder what charm this girl possessed that made these people devote so much to her. She wouldn't even talk about Silco and Leo; the former was Zaun's godfather, the latter the man Sevika considered the strongest individual in Zaun. As for Vi, she was a woman Sevika truly respected. Even when Vi was little, Sevika felt she was extraordinary. Now that she was grown, that fight had further proven Sevika's intuition right. Vi was a combat genius, a natural fighter. Without Shimmer and chem-tech limbs, Sevika didn't believe she could beat Vi.
Leo looked at the jacket Silco offered and nodded, taking it. He pressed down on the jacket, then walked to Jinx's side. Crouching down, Leo carefully lifted her head, slowly and gently. He placed Silco's jacket beneath Jinx's head. He looked at her again, seeing her sleeping so carefree, and couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her small nose.
"Mm..." Jinx frowned, reaching out to swat at the air in front of her, and mumbled softly. "You rotten slug, daring to plug my nose! You wanna fight?!"
"Careful or I'll tell my... father."
"Silco, hurry and teach him a lesson for me!"
Leo felt a pang of jealousy listening to Jinx's sleep-talking. Damn it... how nice would it be if she called my name here? I could brag to Silco!
But he shouldn't be greedy. When he first met Jinx, the name she mumbled most in her dreams was naturally Vi's, followed by Silco, then Vander, and finally... Leo. But in recent days, the number of times Jinx called his name in her sleep had steadily increased. That was already enough to make Leo happy. It showed that Leo's standing in Jinx's heart was constantly growing.
Standing up, Leo returned to his seat across from Silco. Jinx's actions were just a brief interlude, but because of her, two men with different paths, who should have been enemies, could sit and talk properly.
As Leo settled back down, he looked at Silco, the Godfather of Zaun, notorious for his cruelty and inhumanity. Yet, at this moment, he was gazing at Jinx with such tender, sickening affection. Truly, you could almost wring water from Silco's eyes when he looked at Jinx. This was definitely a side of Silco no one else had ever seen.
"You were right, she really does call my name in her dreams," Silco said, looking at Leo. "Did you hear what she called me just now?"
"..."
"Silco, if you want to laugh, just laugh, damn it. I won't mock you," Leo sighed.
Silco smiled, perhaps the first genuine smile he had shown Leo. He looked at Leo, and in front of Sevika, said to him, "You guessed correctly. She is my Achilles' heel."
Damn it, that old geezer got to show off!
Leo looked at Silco, recalling his words. "What you just told me, about our methods being different but our goals being the same... Uncle, if only Old Man Vander had understood that when he was alive... how much better things would have been?"
Leo spoke with sincerity. After taking charge of the Lotus Flower Gang, he truly understood what Vander had done, and how hard and great Vander had been. If Vander and Silco could have united against Piltover, could have cooperated, then Zaun would certainly not be in its current state. Zaun needed Silco, but it also needed Vander.
Silco fell silent. After a moment, he said, "I have indeed come to understand him more, but I still don't believe his path was the right one. Your path and his are similar, but different."
"You are more capable than him, more resolute. You both are gentle with the ordinary people of Zaun, but he fawned over Piltover, becoming a house dog. Leo, you are different. I can tell you have no intention of being Piltover's dog."
"If he were still alive, I would sincerely apologize to him and tell him that having a daughter is indeed quite a handful. I can understand his thoughts back then now. However, if Zaun cannot be independent, then all of it is empty talk. His weakness would only bring greater trouble to his daughter. His compromises could not let Jinx and Vi stand in the sunlight," Silco said calmly.
"I will not be bound by the past, because all I want is the present."
"The dead live in memories; the living must look forward."
"What I want is for Jinx to be able to stand in the sunlight, to live the life a normal person should."
The atmosphere grew a little cold. But just as Leo and Silco silently met each other's gaze, a groggy voice rang out.
"That's not food, Leo, you got it wrong, that's my foot."
"It doesn't stink! If you say my feet stink again, I'll beat you to death!"
"I washed my feet."
"My shoes are very breathable!"
"Don't touch my feet... it tickles!"
"Mmm, Gromp is so delicious, zzzzt~"
The atmosphere shifted from cold to warm, and Silco's gaze towards Leo became increasingly dangerous. Leo, meanwhile, was utterly embarrassed. He even noticed that Big Sister Sevika was giving him a strange look.
"Uncle, I, I just... I just washed Jinx's feet. I didn't do anything else, do you believe me?"
"You tell me, do I believe you?" Silco retorted with a cold laugh.