Chapter 220 The Wind of Change Has Arrived
A few hours ago, on an isolated island outside the southern city of Piltover, where the Stillwater Prison was located.
This place was once filled with the most vicious Zaun criminals.
Now it is filled with Piltover intellectuals who are said to be pro-Janna.
Professor Heimerdinger's friend, professor of history at the University of Piltover, curator of the Piltover History Museum, uncle of explorer Ezreal... the highly respected Mr. Lemire is one of them.
Because he was unwilling to cooperate with the official propaganda of Piltover to "invent" the "true history" of Piltover, he was arrested and imprisoned by the law enforcement officer as a pro-Janna element. He has not been released yet.
Fortunately, Heimerdinger did not forget him.
"Professor Lemire, I've said hello to Camille..."
Although the Piltover Parliament Heimerdinger, as a great inventor and a Yordle, still has some face.
Now he had finally managed to get through to the Philos family and applied for amnesty for Professor Lemire.
only……
"You will be released from prison only if you promise not to publicly express your 'wrong opinions' about the official history of Piltover."
In front of the dark prison cell, Heimerdinger said this with some hesitation.
"Wrong opinion?" Upon hearing this, Professor Lemire in the cell stood up angrily: "What do you mean by 'wrong opinion'?"
"Principal Heimerdinger, please translate for me what you mean by 'wrong opinion'!"
"Sorry..." Heimerdinger lowered his head guiltily.
"No..." Professor Lemire finally calmed down a little.
He apologized to Heimerdinger in a hoarse voice: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. This matter has nothing to do with you."
"But." His tone quietly became firm again: "I will never agree to this condition."
"But this is the best I can get." Heimerdinger sighed.
Lemire has too high a status and influence in the history community of Piltover. Camille will definitely not let him go out and "talk nonsense".
There was really nothing Heimerdinger could do about this.
“Camille has gone completely insane,” Heimerdinger said. “She’s betting on a losing bet.”
"She doesn't care about anything now except the upcoming war."
Including him, the soul of Piltover. Camille only respects him on the surface and will not make many compromises for him.
"So..." Heimerdinger hesitated for a long time before saying to Lemire, "I still suggest that you agree to Camille's terms first."
"It could be very dangerous to continue staying in Jingshui Prison."
The cause of this war was Camille's persecution of the so-called "pro-Janna elements", and the main goal of the Leader was to rescue these captured innocent citizens.
Therefore, Jingshui Prison is likely to become a battlefield for the two sides to fight.
For the sake of his friend's safety, Heimerdinger still hopes that Professor Lemire will admit his mistake first, and at least get out of prison first.
But Lemire shook his head firmly: "No, Principal Heimerdinger."
"History is my life. I will never compromise in the face of truth!"
As he spoke, he angrily slapped out a newspaper and said, "Principal, take a look at what these so-called 'historians' are instilling in the public in the newspapers now?"
Because the first article of "Janna Thought", "Where Zaun Came From", starts with the history of Runeterra, especially the colonial history of Piltover.
Therefore, in order to completely suppress the leader in public opinion, Camille and her faction also began to "reinterpret" history.
"It's fine if they use the Spring and Autumn style of writing to whitewash the unknown colonial history. These bastards even dare to blatantly fabricate and modify some historical stories and folk legends that are well-known to everyone."
For example, Janna.
Almost everyone in Runeland who has heard the story of Janna knows that Janna is a benevolent god born to protect. Every time she appeared in those long thousands of years, it was almost always to save humans who were in desperate situations.
Not to mention the Bodhisattva Guanyin who saves people from suffering, she is at least a low-profile version of the Goddess Mazu.
It is precisely because Goddess Gana already has such a good image in people's minds that the publicity work of Leader can proceed relatively smoothly.
Camille and others obviously noticed this as well.
So they began a large-scale "polishing" of the Janna story, and began the largest "reversal of the truth" in the historical community:
"Principal, look, they actually said 'there is historical evidence'. Those stories about Janna saving people were all made up by Janna believers themselves."
"And in the 'real history', those sea storms that threatened the lives of sailors were originally summoned by Janna..."
"They say she is not a kind goddess who protects mankind at all, but an evil empress who enjoys teasing and torturing mortals."
"They also said that the reason why the Shurima Empire banned the worship of Janna more than 3,000 years ago was not because the ancient Shurima believed in giant gods and rejected foreign gods. It was because Janna stirred up trouble and committed many evil things, which attracted the righteous crusade of the Ascended Ones..."
"They even said that during the canal explosion accident more than 200 years ago, Goddess Janna actually showed up in Piltover to enjoy the tsunami storm and did not help anyone at all..."
"They said Janna turned a blind eye to the victims, but the merchants of Piltover were the absolute main force in the disaster relief effort..."
“…”
Lemuel listed a long series of Camille’s “latest historical research results”.
“These people are simply crazy!”
"They even dare to defame the true God. Aren't they afraid of being punished by God?!"
They are really not afraid.
Because as Heimerdinger just said, Camille and the Piltover bastards who followed her had already gambled their lives on it.
Anyway, the leader is determined to fight them to the death, so naturally they will act without any bottom line.
"Alas..." Heimerdinger sighed helplessly.
He could understand Lemuel's anger, but...
"Principal Heimerdinger, please go back." Lemire sighed deeply.
"I am a historian," he added.
"Some say that history is not a science, but an 'artistic literature' that serves the rulers."
“But I don’t think so.”
“I believe that even if the narrative methods and angles are different, and even if the historical perspectives are diverse and subjective, the historical materials that state historical facts are unique and objective.”
“I believe history is a science, and I am a scientist.”
As he spoke, Lemire looked firmly at Heimerdinger:
"Principal Heimerdinger, if someone forces you to accept that '1 plus 1 equals 3' in order to give you your freedom, are you willing to compromise?"
Heimerdinger replied subconsciously: "No."
Lemire added: "In the struggle for ideology, Piltover has completely lost its most precious thing - respect for the truth."
"I cannot accept this Piltover, Principal Heimerdinger."
Having said that, he turned around and went back to his cell.
"You... are right." Heimerdinger stopped trying to persuade him.
He said goodbye to Professor Lemire, left the prison area alone, walked out of Stillwater Prison, and boarded a boat back to Piltover.
On the boat back to the city, Heimerdinger was still thinking about what Lemire had said.
Yes, Piltover is no longer a scientific temple for the pursuit of truth , but a frontline battlefield for ideological struggle.
No… not “no longer”.
As an immortal species with infinite lifespan, Heimerdinger knew that humans had always been like this and had never changed.
It's just that abundant material resources have created a relatively civilized environment, and the rise and threat of the Leader have exposed Piltover's true colors in the crisis.
"Maybe I should change places?" Heimerdinger was disappointed with Piltover.
He just wanted to do science. Human affairs were too complicated and too childish, and he didn't want to get involved anymore.
Scientific research requires a stable social environment and investment.
Therefore, he always appears in the most peaceful and prosperous city-state in Runeterra, becoming the "king of team-taking" whoever he stands with will prosper, and whoever he leaves will fall.
But this time...
“It took nearly 10,000 years for humans to develop and finally create such a fertile soil for science.”
"After leaving Piltover, where should I go?"
Compared to Piltover, Noxus is a scientific desert. Shurima, Demacia, Ionia, and Freljord are even more uncivilized "prehistoric civilizations".
"Going to Zaun?" Zaun is the place with the closest scientific research environment to Piltover.
But now the Battle of the Two Cities is about to break out, how can Zaun be peaceful?
And who knows who will win after this battle, Zaun or Piltover?
"Let's wait and see... at least find a way to rescue Professor Lemire and arrange everything else first." Heimerdinger dispelled the idea of running away that suddenly popped up in his mind.
And just at this moment, a breeze blew from the sea.
Countless seabirds landed on the boat and stretched their wings tiredly.
Heimerdinger raised his head and saw the clouds flying high in the sky and the clear blue sky...
…
Time goes back to the present.
"I forgot to tell you - Professor Heimerdinger is no longer in Piltover." Mel said with a faint smile.
"Huh?" Jace was really caught off guard.
His teacher, the president of Piltover University and the chief scientist of the City of Progress, just ran away without a word?
"Yes. Professor Heimerdinger has agreed to cooperate with us." Meier confirmed, "If conditions permit, we will even move the entire Hextech Institute to Zaun in the future."
Jace: “…”
"Do you have any concerns now?" Mel asked with a smile.
Caitlyn, my childhood sweetheart, is gone. Viktor, my lifelong friend, is gone. Mel, my mentor, is gone. Heimerdinger, my teacher, is gone too...
He is the only one who has not made any progress.
He really has nothing to worry about.
But Jace was just... inexplicably conflicted.
"I see." Mel sighed. "You're resisting change."
This is actually easy to understand.
The propertied class has always been instinctively resistant to change.
Just think about it, if a person could be as wealthy and famous as Jess, he would not only have no worries about food and clothing and be respected, but also be able to pursue his dreams with peace of mind through scientific research...
Then he must be "brain-burned" to think about changing something.
Not to mention a successful person like Jayce, even the workers under Jayce and the middle class of Piltover do not want anything to change.
They may understand Janna's theories, may sympathize with the poor, or even call themselves Janna's followers, and speak out in indignation whenever the weak are oppressed.
But when change really comes, they instinctively feel resistance.
Because change is always accompanied by chaos. And they really have two cows, and they just want them to live well and not let anything go wrong in their happy life.
This is not because they are hypocritical. They just have improved their brains but their butts remain the same. This is human nature.
"You said you don't want to care about politics, you just want to study science." Mel pointed out: "But Jace, maybe you don't realize that this sentence actually shows your political stance."
Scientific research requires a stable social environment.
The changes brought about by the Leader will obviously destroy the stable environment that Jace needs for quite a long time.
So he also instinctively rejects the leader.
"I..." Jace was speechless.
Mel's few words made him blush with embarrassment.
"I...I understand." Jace finally looked at himself seriously.
He had no concerns, but he instinctively rejected change.
And change...is it really that scary?
He thought of Janna's theory, the poverty and hardship of the workers in Zaun, and the extremism and fanaticism of the workers in Piltover.
He thought of Viktor, Caitlyn, and Heimerdinger again, and finally looked at Mel's familiar and beautiful face:
"Mel, I'm willing to join the Leader."
"Tell me, what do you need me to do?" Jace mustered up his courage and said to Mel, "Whatever you need me to do in the war in two days, I'm willing to help."
"Hey?" Mel was slightly stunned: "You... help?"
Then she covered her mouth very ladylike and giggled softly.
"What, what?" Jace was embarrassed again. He was always like this in front of Mel, like a confused and slow child.
Mel just laughed and said, "Jace, do you think I came here to find you just to let you take the risk and join the war?"
"Isn't it?" Jace asked stupidly.
"Of course not." Mel said, "I said, I came here to show you the way."
"Just like when we were doing business together before, if we came across a good project and asked you to pay, it was to get you on board early."
"Otherwise, if you wait for us to attack before joining the team, you won't get such good treatment."
"Hmm..." Jace heard the hidden meaning.
He asked with great concern: "Mel, are you... sure of victory?"
"Of course." Meier said confidently: "The wind of change has arrived, and victory will belong to those who lead the way!"
…
A few hours ago, on the boat.
Heimerdinger felt the wind and saw the seabirds, the clouds, the sky.
"The wind is blowing in the wrong direction." Normally, the wind blows from the sea to the land during the day and from the land to the sea at night. But now, the direction of the sea wind is very chaotic.
"There are too many birds." Many seagulls flying from the other side of the sea landed on the boat and could not be driven away.
"The clouds are quite high." They are light white feather-shaped and horsetail-shaped clouds, and they are quite high.
"The sky is also clear..." Visibility is unusually good.
The wind is light, the sky is clear and the weather seems good.
But Heimerdinger's hair suddenly stood on end, and he looked towards the vast sea in the east with a nervous expression.
He knew that all the signs he saw pointed to—
To the east of Piltover, hundreds of kilometers across the ocean, a powerful force that could destroy everything in its path was slowly brewing:
"A hurricane...is coming."
