Chapter 179: Noxus is coming, and Piltover will be at peace!
Crete and the young and strong men in the village later followed Riven back to the military camp.
After entering the Noxian Empire's military camp, they realized that they could only eat meat and wine a few times a year, but here they could have it every day. The food that they had to sweat to harvest, here they could eat it as long as they opened their mouths.
When the oil melted between the lips and teeth, and the large piece of fat slid down the throat and into the stomach, filling everyone's stomach with warmth, everyone was so moved that they cried.
Crete ate like this for two days in the barracks, and then ate for nearly a month on the troop transport to Piltover.
After a month-long voyage across thousands of kilometers, these new recruits from the empire, who were born as humble peasants, finally saw the land they were going to conquer at sea.
The city of civilization and progress, Piltover!
A harbor with thousands of ships, a majestic breakwater, and the magnificent Gate of the Sun!
All these glorious, majestic, luxurious and incredible things now belong to Noxus, to them!
"For Noxus!"
"For Noxus!"
As the sailboat was about to enter the port, Crete and his fellow countrymen stood at the bow and shouted excitedly.
"Haha." On another boat, Marit said to Riven with a smile, "Riven, look at your fellow countrymen."
"I'm afraid no one can imagine that these people were just country farmers who would have run away when they saw this armor a month ago."
But now, they were wearing the red and black uniforms of Noxus, standing under the fluttering imperial flag, singing praises for Noxus' great conquest.
"This is the greatness of the empire." Marit said, "We can make the strong no longer buried, and we can make cowards become brave."
"Yeah..." Riven also nodded.
But she always felt something was strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Never mind.
The ship was about to arrive at the port, and Riven cheered up, tidied her appearance, and prepared to go ashore to receive the inspection of General Amistan.
Finally, the fleet docked.
As the leader of the elite force of the regiment, the Rune Swordsman Legion, Riven was the first to lead her team onto the dock.
But after she got off the boat, she found that this was not only a review ceremony by General Amistan, but also a grand and unprecedented welcome ceremony - a welcome ceremony for Noxus by the people of Piltover.
The dock was crowded with people and flags waving. The people of Piltover had lined up early, holding up banners that read "Pitt-Noxian Friendship" and shouting slogans such as "Welcome Noxian Heavenly Soldiers".
It was so warm that it seemed like welcoming family members, or to be more precise, like welcoming father coming home from get off work.
"This..." This made Riven very uncomfortable.
She had been to many places with the Imperial Army, and had never seen such a scene, let alone in foreign garrisons, even in Noxus itself.
Are the people of Piltover mentally ill?
You actually enjoy it so much even when the door is kicked in by foreign troops?
Riven was in a daze, carrying her broad and eye-catching blackstone rune sword on her back, and walked onto the red carpet laid out for her by the people of Piltover.
Both sides of the red carpet were filled with reporters and photographers. As soon as Riven appeared, the flash cameras kept flashing at her.
At the end of the red carpet stood Amystan and the members of the Piltover Parliament.
"You are the warrior personally commended by His Majesty the Emperor, the master of the Blackstone Rune Greatsword, and Commander Riven, right?"
"I am Camille, the councillor of Piltover."
Camille came forward with a calm expression but a friendly tone.
Ever since the news that the Noxian Empire confirmed its garrison in Piltover spread, the wind direction in Piltover quickly changed again.
Camille was brought into parliament by representatives of the big families with almost no effort and became an official permanent member.
"Welcome, General Riven."
"No, no... I'm not even a general." Riven was a little flattered.
She looked at the grand welcoming ceremony and said, "I'm just an officer. This, this is too exaggerated..."
"No, you deserve such a welcome," Camille said.
From the moment Riven set foot on the land of Piltover, the capital market, which had been sluggish for more than a month, began to soar wildly as if it had been injected with chicken blood.
All the Ziben families in Pittsburgh were waving their money and cheering:
Now that Noxus is here, Piltover will be at peace!
"It is your arrival that has helped Piltover stand up again."
As she spoke, Camille shook hands with Riven in front of the camera, allowing the photographer to capture the full shot of Riven's famous black stone rune sword;
At the same time, she told reporters on the scene:
"I would like to take this opportunity today to announce an important matter to you on behalf of the Piltover Council:"
"Considering the Wind Leader Association's shameless trampling on Zaun's human rights, its wanton destruction of the Twin Cities' democratic system, and its serious threat to the free world—"
"The Piltover Council has identified the Wind Leader Association as an illegal terrorist organization. It has decided that starting today, all of the Wind Leader Association's propaganda materials and related books will be confiscated and destroyed in Piltover, and the Wind Leader Association and Wind Chaser Association's Piltover staff will be completely expelled..."
"The people of Piltover should unite and join forces to resist the evil infiltration of the Wind Leader Association. So from today on, citizens of Piltover who privately possess or collect books on Janna's thoughts and theories, and assist members of the Wind Leader Association, will be punished..."
"What did you say?!" a voice interrupted her.
It's Miss Meyer.
She also attended the welcome ceremony along with other members of parliament.
Hearing that Camille had publicly expressed her anti-Leader views in front of the media and even announced specific anti-Leader regulations, Mel couldn't help but stand up and said, " Congressman !"
"The things you mentioned have never been discussed in the parliament!"
"No, we discussed it." Camille said indifferently: "It's Senator Mel, you have a bad memory and forgot."
"You?!" Mel wanted to say something else, but held back.
Because she knew that Camille was relying on the support of the Noxian legion to take countermeasures against the Wind Leader.
It's no use talking to refute Camille, unless the Wind Leader's army dares to cross the canal now.
But of course they dare not, and cannot.
So Camille laid her cards on the table and stopped pretending: "Next, we must not only ban the Wind Leader's propaganda and infiltration and expel the Wind Leader's staff, but we must also seal off the Wind Leader Association's factories, shops, hotels, and apartments in Piltover and freeze the Wind Leader's assets in Piltover..."
" ..." Mel frowned but remained silent.
Although Piltover has always had the theory that private property is sanctified and inviolable, it emphasizes the free market and is committed to protecting anyone's legal assets.
But at this point, no free market theory works.
Absolute camp confrontation is the real situation.
Even Mel and the prestige of their Midalda family could not stop Camille's crazy counterattack.
"Fortunately, Levi had anticipated this..."
Mel knew that since Levi took over Takeda Saito's territory, he had been working on moving the Windleader's factories, organizations, and personnel in Piltover to Zaun.
He moved everything that could be moved, and he also found ways to sell off the fixed assets that could not be moved at a discount.
Therefore, facing Camille's counterattack this time, the Leader's losses were not great.
But... no matter how small the loss is for the beaten party, he was still beaten.
"Mer," Camille said, finally feeling proud. "Because your last name is Midalda, you will continue to be our councillor. But I hope you can be a good councillor and stop making any inappropriate and dangerous remarks."
"I understand." Mel replied coldly.
She took one last glance at Camille, the bewildered Riven, the leisurely watching Amystan, and the endless Noxian troop transport fleet in the distance, then turned and left silently.
The real battle is about to begin.
This time, temporarily, Camille won.
Piltover wins!
For a moment, the parliamentarians and businessmen gathered behind Camille were all excited.
With the support of Noxus, Piltover finally stood up!
"Alright." At this time, Amystan, who was watching the show silently, finally yawned lazily: "We have finished showing off our power, and it's time to treat our young man well."
"Of course! Of course!" A bald Mediterranean parliamentarian came over flatteringly .
"We have cleared out a middle-class community for Noxian officers. The apartments and furniture are ready. You can move in with just your luggage."
"If they are mid-level or senior military officers, they will also be provided with a garden villa..."
"Not bad." Amystan nodded with satisfaction.
"What about the labor camp? I heard that since the leader came up with a one-stop policy to liberate prostitutes, provide vocational training, and promote re-employment, there are not enough prostitutes in Piltover recently."
Although the Windleader has not yet captured Piltover.
But because the Leader publicly promised to provide them with protection, the number of prostitutes who escaped from the brothels in Piltover and joined the Leader in the past month can be said to be incredible.
"Are there still prostitutes in the city now?" Amystan asked, "Our Noxian boys can't live without girls to take care of them..."
"Don't worry, Master Amystan, we have arranged this."
"I heard that the Noxian sky army has arrived, and the girls in Piltover have volunteered to come and entertain them."
"Voluntary?" Amystan could hardly hold back her laughter.
She didn't believe that a girl from Piltover would do this. Maybe they were war slaves bought from Shurima or Ionia?
"Of course!" The congressman pretended to be confused and said proudly: "It is our honor to be the woman of a Noxian soldier!"
