61 -61- How are they?

Vander snatched the phone from Blackice's hand and looked at the number. 

He was incredibly excited. He had been waiting this number for several years!

He immediately pressed the blue answer button and placed the phone against his ear, loudly exclaiming, "Linwin? Linwin? Is that you, Linwin?"

Blackice, who stood nearby, was startled: "!"

No wonder Vander was so excited! If she had known that this was Linwin on the other end, she would have been equally thrilled. She now knew that Linwin was both the Enforcer of the Undercity and the true future leader of Zaun.

Zaun's current situation owed a great deal to Linwin's efforts.

So, she discreetly listened in on the conversation.

"Good afternoon, Vander, it's so great to hear your voice again. You sound quite energetic. It seems you've been doing well lately," a clean and hearty voice replied.

Blackice found the voice somewhat unfamiliar, but then she chuckled to herself. After all, it was impossible for things to remain the same. Linwin had gone through significant changes. Their last conversation was many years ago. Linwin had grown from a seventeen-year-old boy into a mature man during his time away.

Vander couldn't help but burst into laughter. He leaned on his desk, holding the phone, and angrily shouted into it, "What's going on? How could you just disappear for so long? Four years, Linwin, it's been four years since you left!"

"You promised to come back after one or two years and said you'd keep calling to reassure us. But in reality, what did you do?" Vander questioned.

"Sorry, Vander, it's not entirely by choice. I wanted to make those calls, but many things didn't go as planned," Linwin replied with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

He had experienced things in Shurima these years that no one would believe if he shared them.

Really, no one would belive him..

"Anyway, where are you now?" Vander asked.

"I'm in Bel'zhun," Linwin responded.

"You rascal, when are you going to return?"

"I have one more thing to do, Vander. After I finish that, I'll be back. Sorry for the inconvenience," he said apologetically, but his tone was filled with amusement.

Listening to Linwin's voice, 'Why does he sound so amused?', Vander thought to himself.

"It seems like you've got to work a bit harder for a while. But at the latest, next year, I'll return, don't worry."

"You better be back next year. It's already August now, and there are only four months left. I hope to see you on this year's Progress Day," Vander continued. "And Linwin, during these years when you didn't send any messages, we've successfully cut all ties with Piltover. Now, Zaun no longer needs to depend on Piltover."

"Doesn't doing this create trouble with Piltover?" Linwin asked.

"Of course, it causes some trouble. They've banned the use of Hex gates by Zaunites, refused to sell us food and materials, and they've been trying to keep outside scientists who want to join Zaun out of Piltover," Vander shrugged, a hint of amusement in his voice. "But these are all minor issues. As long as you have money, you can have anything. Piltover won't sell us food and resources, but Noxus will."

Vander chuckled. "Those Pilties wouldn't dare to mess with Noxians."

"Last time we were invited to build a station in the Immortal Bastion by Noxus, Linwin, just setting up a station there provided us with plenty of iron and food," Vander explained.

"It seems like Silco's doing a great job," Linwin commented.

Hearing Silco's name, Blackice nodded to herself.

Currently, external matters for Zaun were handled by Silco, while Vander focused on Zaun's internal affairs. Together, they had led Zaun's development to great success.

"By the way, Vander, did you find the person I asked you to look for?" Linwin inquired.

"Uh, I'm sorry about this, Linwin. The person you're looking for should have already gone to Piltover," Vander replied.

Linwin immediately replied with a smile, "It's okay, Vander. This was expected, and I was only trying." 

Seraphine parents are both Zaunites, yet she moved to Piltover with them at a young age to become part of a craftsman family in Piltover. 

Her parents make a living with their skills. Although they aren't wealthy, they have a decent life.

Linwin had intended to find her as she could be a valuable help in communicating with the Brackern. But now, it looks like I can let it go.

People have their own destinies.

Linwin asked more questions, including how his friends in Piltover were doing. Vander shared all the information he knew with Linwin.

Shortly after Linwin's disappearance, Jayce Talis became a new councilor in Piltover. He proposed a trade with Zaun, and other councilors agreed to his request to earn money with the Zaunites. They agreed to let Zaunites use Hextech but under the condition that Zaun would comply with Piltover's regulations and that Linwin would surrender a portion of the Hextech phone shares.

However, Silco vehemently rejected this offer. He was not a weak-willed person and, even with the improved quality of life in Zaun, he remained true to his principles. Compromise was not a word in his dictionary, at least not at this moment.

"They're still acting all high and mighty, aren't they? They clearly have their eyes on the benefits of Hextech phones and a global trading network," Linwin shook his head, feeling both amused and exasperated.

The benefits of Hextech phones were indeed substantial, but even more significant was that every country, whether a large empire or a small nation, wanted such a valuable technology. 

To use Hextech phones, they all needed Hextech stations. Currently, Zaun was the only one that had Hextech stations to store all the data from Hextech phones. As a result, under Silco's leadership, Zaun had established friendly relationships with many cities.

However, Piltover remained proud and arrogant. They still thought of Zaun as the old Zaun. Did they think they could just knead and mold it as they pleased, showing off their condescending charity?

"But Linwin, your friend, the councilor, genuinely wants to maintain the relationship between the two cities. He has been working to change Piltover's perception of Zaunites during his time in office. However, so far, it hasn't yielded much result," Vander paused, then continued, "And Silco never agrees to any form of 'aid' from Piltover."

Vander explained.

Linwin is an emotional person, and Vander had his concerns about Linwin being dissatisfied with the situation. However, Linwin remained steadfast, saying, "Silco has done an excellent job."

"Over these years in Shurima, I've witnessed so much, Vander. I've come to trust everything Silco does," Linwin added.

Vander agreed, then Linwin whispered, "By the way, Vander, how about Powder and Vi? How are they? I initially tried calling them, but no one answered."

Vander couldn't help but laugh and said, "I thought you could hold back from asking about them! You brat, so you still remember Powder and Vi huh?"

"They're doing well now; you don't need to worry too much about them. They've both found things they enjoy."

Linwin muttered, "How could I not worry?"

"Well, if you're worried, you better come back soon!"

"Alright, alright."

"Since I can't reach them now, I'll just contact them later tonight," Linwin cheerfully suggested. "I have some minor matters to attend to, so please help me tell Powder and Vi to keep their phones ready. I'll call them later."

Vander rubbed his long, unruly hair and nodded, saying, "I understand. Take care, Linwin."

"Don't worry."