Chapter 29 Victor's Open Class
After a long time, at Hextech Institute.
A classroom that was supposed to be closed was unusually busy at this moment.
The classroom was filled with students , and the one teaching them was the great Professor Victor, who had previously stood up for Zaun students and won a lot of favor.
But the content of this class is not about Hextech.
It is a historical essay:
"Zuan, where did it come from?"
Those who can sit here are all college students and smart people.
With Victor's explanation, they quickly realized the value of this article and the theories and ideas it wanted to express.
In short, this article explains:
How is this world and why is it like this?
It also leaves readers with a question to think about - after knowing the what and why, what should we do next (how)?
So the discussion began.
"I think the wording of this article is a bit biased..."
The starting point of the discussion actually started with questioning what.
Although the students present were all from Zaun and were all poor, their thoughts were completely different.
After all, Victor is just a scholar who has stayed in the ivory tower for too long.
He imagined that he could raise his arm and his followers would gather... This beautiful scene never happened in reality.
I only heard the student question:
"This article describes the merchants of Piltover 300 years ago as butchers, executioners, and genocidal maniacs."
"But Piltover's history textbooks record that their war actions in Shurima were entirely out of self-defense."
"Everyone should know that the natives of Shurima are not innocent people. They can scalp people."
"It takes two to tango... If the Shuriman natives can kill the merchants of Piltover, why can't the merchants of Piltover fight back against those barbarians?"
A student expressed this view, which caused an uproar at the scene.
"This is sheer nonsense!" Lina looked at the speaker indignantly:
She knew this person.
This guy usually likes to make weird remarks like "the air in Piltover is sweet and luxurious" and shamelessly tries to squeeze into the circle of Piltover locals.
If it weren't for the strong discrimination atmosphere in Piltover, he would not have been able to squeeze in.
I'm afraid he wouldn't even be here with his fellow Zaun folks now.
"Asshole, don't you feel embarrassed to say such unreasonable words?"
"What do you mean it takes two to tango? Could it be that those Shurima natives slapped Piltover thousands of miles away across the sea?"
"I'm telling you, did you turn into a toilet? Normally you lick the asses of Piltover guys, but now you even say their shit smells good! Fuck you!"
Everyone present was from Zaun, so Lina simply stopped pretending.
The student was so angry that he was mad at her for scolding him. Seeing that no one around supported his idea, he had no choice but to shut up in shame.
But then someone expressed a new opinion:
"Everyone, I think this article has a good analysis of the process and means by which Piltover's business owners achieved primitive accumulation. But the colonization and oppression mentioned in the article almost all happened 300 years ago."
"Now in the entire Runeterra, only the Noxian Empire is still engaged in this bloody colonial business."
"The merchants of Piltover today are no longer the same as they were 300 years ago. What do the mistakes made by the past have to do with the people of Piltover today?"
"They are now civilized, progressive, and business-oriented. They are engaged in Hextech, machinery manufacturing, maritime logistics, luxury goods trade, and other legitimate businesses."
Then, the student expressed his opinion on "how":
"I think we shouldn't look at them with an outdated perspective."
"Besides, we are all students of Piltover - we don't need to change anything, we just need to work hard to fit in with them."
Unlike the previous weirdo who whitewashed the colonizers, this student's speech won the approval of many students present.
Yes, they have seen what Piltover looks like now!
The world's best quality of life, the world's best welfare benefits, the world's best cultural environment, the world's best scientific and technological level... It is no exaggeration to say that it is the beacon of human civilization!
What does this have to do with the bloody and brutal colonial empire of 300 years ago?
Never mind how they made their money in the past. The fact is that they are rich and civilized now, aren’t they?
"Does everyone think so?"
Seeing that the audience was agitated, Professor Victor finally stood up:
"Does everyone think that there is no exploitation and oppression of people in Piltover now?"
"This..." If you ask Piltover students to answer this question, they will 100% answer no.
After all, even the lowest-level civilians in Piltover can afford to live in an apartment, buy a car, and watch the people of Zaun make fun of them every day.
Oppression? Where does oppression come from? Why don't we Piltover people feel it at all?
But everyone here is a student from Zaan.
Don't they know in their hearts whether the people of Piltover are oppressing them?
"It's not that the rich in Piltover don't oppress or suck blood anymore." Lina unknowingly became the "class representative": "They just extended the blood-sucking tubes from Piltover to Zaun, to overseas, to places that the people of Piltover can't see!"
"That's why they can avoid getting blood on their hands, and shamelessly claim to be civilized and elegant!"
"That's right!" Victor looked at Lina with appreciation and added: "Especially with the invention of the Hexgate in recent years, it is foreseeable that Runeterra will become more and more connected as an economic whole in the future."
"The goods produced in Piltover can be sent to Noxus and Demacia within a day; the minerals and raw materials mined in Shurima and Ixtal can also be transported to the processing factories in Zaun overnight."
"I personally call this the 'globalization' of Runeterra."
“So a strange situation will become more and more obvious as globalization advances:”
"That is, the poorest people in a country may not even be in the country itself - but in another country thousands of miles away!"
Victor's words were like a revelation, making everyone wake up.
We are all from Zaun, so this is very easy to understand.
There is no need to think about future globalization, because the rich people in Piltover have been doing this to Zaun 200 years ago.
Zaun is Piltover’s mine and factory, providing Piltover with minerals, chemical raw materials and mechanical parts at the lowest prices all year round.
The bulk of the profits were taken away by Piltover business owners, while the garbage, sewage, alchemical gases, and the brutal drain on manpower were all left in Zaun.
The chem-barons who rule Zaun have never concealed their cooperation with Piltover business owners.
They even openly show off the big families in Piltover standing behind them as their competitive advantage.
There are also a group of chem-barons represented by Renata. After they made their fortunes by exploiting the people of Zaun, they simply expanded their business to the other side of the canal, and even moved their corporate headquarters to Piltover.
It is clear that it wants to integrate with the wealthy people of Piltover, develop an "internationalization strategy", and become a "Martian enterprise".
In the final analysis, Piltover has been carrying out invisible colonial plunder of Zaun for the past two hundred years, and those Zaun alchemist barons...
Rather than ruling Zaun, they are more like dogs for the rich in Piltover.
No, dogs are somewhat emotional.
Everyone thought of the new word mentioned in that article: "comprador?"
"That's right. Outside, there is the economic colonization and plunder of Piltover, and inside, there is the comprador rule and oppression of Zaun. This is the current situation of the people of Zaun!"
"You can acknowledge the progress and civilization of Piltover, but you must not ignore that this so-called prosperity is built on their plunder of Zaun, Shurima, and many other poor areas!"
Victor's words were so powerful that they made all the students present ponder.
And now he continued:
"Actually, what the classmate just said is correct in one respect."
"You are all students of Piltover University now - you don't have to change anything, just work hard to fit in here."
Piltover University is the top university in Piltover and the best scientific school in Runeterra.
The Zaun students who are able to study here are all top talents selected from thousands of Zaun people. They are the high-quality fresh blood that Piltover will always need.
In other words, when these students set foot here, they are already the vested interests of the future.
They don't have to overturn anything.
All you need to do is to study hard and find a job here, just like Viktor did in the past, obtain legal identity in Piltover, and then as a new Piltover citizen, enjoy the wonderful benefits that this identity brings.
"So, are you willing to continue listening?"
Now that we have explained the what and why, the next step is to talk about the how.
This is not something that can be said casually.
"If you don't want to, you can leave now," Victor advised kindly.
I'm afraid the road ahead will be difficult.
These students all have a bright future and there is no need for them to go any further.
But students are always the most progressive and enthusiastic.
They are like the rising sun and the blazing fire, forever radiating light and heat, and cannot be extinguished by water.
"We do!"
Some people at the scene are still questioning and thinking.
But no one left.
