"Li Lin!" Salo, who already had a short temper, could no longer hold back. He slammed his palm on the table and stood up angrily. "Don't think just because you're hailed as the 'Future Pioneer,' you can be so arrogant! This is the Council, the highest authority in the Upper City, not some other place!"
Bolbok followed closely, adding, "We respect you because of your genius and your contributions to the Upper City, but that doesn't mean you can act so brazenly."
"The Council is a place for the assembly of lawmakers, a place where the future of Piltover may be decided. As a member of the Kiramman family, you should understand this well," Shoola spoke with a tone equally harsh, bringing Karina into the conversation.
Only Hoskel, who had been preempted by them, was unsure of what to say. He simply glared at Li Lin with a menacing look, remaining silent.
Heimerdinger and Mel seemed somewhat troubled, unsure of his intentions. Cassandra's expression was also dark, but she did not reprimand him.
She merely thought Li Lin's approach—acting without consulting others—was a bit inappropriate, much like when he stubbornly defended the Undercity two years ago and set a "five-year agreement" with the other Council members.
However, they all conveniently ignored the fact that Li Lin had just mentioned discussing the lawmakers' crimes.
"Don't get too worked up. I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to discuss some legal matters concerning Piltover," Li Lin said, deliberately sounding indifferent.
With that, he casually raised his right hand, and once again, his sleeve transformed into the same shape as before, with the material separating to form a drone.
The room fell silent. Hoskel and Shoola sat up straight, while Bolbok's mechanical face showed a change in tempo, indicating a shift in his emotions.
Even Salo, now touching his shiny "Mediterranean," sat back down, his brow furrowed. He was curious to see what Li Lin was going to do.
"A city can only prosper for the long term with a fair and progressive legal system. Piltover has been established for 218 years, and our laws have been revised more than once."
"By the way, Representative Kiramman, do you know how many revisions the criminal law has gone through?" Li Lin asked.
Cassandra hesitated for a moment. "Uh… it's been revised up to the 17th edition. The Civil Code, the Commercial Code, and other codes have all been revised more than ten times, and the code regarding artisan protection and patent ownership has been revised 25 times."
"That's right. Piltover has a fairly well-developed legal system after over 200 years. Citizens, regardless of whether they are from the lower class or a noble family, must follow these laws, including lawmakers," Li Lin added.
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into a brief silence once again.
Hoskel glanced around and, eager to make up for not speaking earlier, was the first to retort, "Of course, we follow the law. What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Yeah, exactly!" Salo's confidence was now less than before. "We're lawmakers, leaders of the Upper City. The laws are revised by us, so we naturally follow them!"
Shoola furrowed his brows slightly, throwing an irritated glance at Salo.
Cassandra and Mel exchanged a glance, and a brief, subtle flash of something passed between their eyes.
Heimerdinger, on the other hand, simply stroked his mustache, still unclear about what they were getting at—crime, lawmaking, and revisions all seemed to blend together in confusion.
Of course, Li Lin was observant, noticing every subtle change in the lawmakers' expressions.
Among those present, Cassandra was one of the more upright figures, essentially a moderate conservative.
Though she had previously made decisions that squeezed the Undercity in order to appease other members, it was a move born of necessity. After all, the Council made decisions through voting, and even with her, Mel, and Heimerdinger combined, they couldn't change much on their own.
Mel, a "disowned" member of the Medarda family in Noxus, had earned the sponsorship of the Ferros family after arriving in Piltover, and she maintained good relations with the Salo family.
With Camille representing the Ferros family's interests, Mel's role in the Council was to serve as the family's "eyes and ears." She had not done anything out of line recently.
As for Heimerdinger, he cared nothing for anything other than scientific research and exploring new technologies.
From the information Li Lin had gathered, it was clear that Salo, Hoskel, Bolbok, and Shoola's families had committed the most crimes.
"Ahem…" Salo seemed to realize the inappropriateness of his words and paused for two to three seconds. He cleared his throat before continuing, "So, what exactly are you trying to say? Why bring up the law?"
"Oh, nothing much," Li Lin said, shaking his head and keeping his smile, though it was devoid of warmth. "I just think it's a bit inappropriate for criminals to be the ones managing the nation's affairs."
The room fell into stunned silence. Cassandra, Mel, and Heimerdinger were left speechless, while Salo, Hoskel, and Shoola's faces grew darker, clearly enraged by Li Lin's words.
"What do you mean by that?" Bolbok asked in a mechanical, gravelly voice. "Are you calling us criminals?"
"Oh no, no, no. You misunderstood," Li Lin interlocked his hands and leaned forward across the table. "I didn't say everyone—I'm just referring to those with something to hide."
As he spoke, he glanced across the table at Cassandra, Shoola, Bolbok, Salo, and Hoskel, one by one.
"Who are you talking about?" Salo shouted, pointing at Li Lin angrily.
"Well, anyone who reacts to my words probably has something to hide, don't they?" Li Lin indicated to Cassandra, Mel, and Heimerdinger, who had remained calm and unperturbed. "Haven't you noticed that none of them reacted?"
"—You!"
"Salo, calm down. Calm down… We can't let this little brat lead us astray," Hoskel, unusually, intervened to comfort Salo.
Seeing Li Lin's firmness, Voslaton and Bolbok gradually realized something was amiss, though they only exchanged silent glances and kept quiet.
"Child, when you speak or act, you must have evidence, especially when accusing others," Heimerdinger didn't want things to get too tense between Li Lin and the four councilors. He wasn't sure what else to say, so he simply offered what he believed was a fair statement.
"If I dare speak, it's because I have my reasons," Li Lin snapped his fingers. The drone that had been hovering ever since it was separated from the group activated its projection system, casting a holographic image from different angles to suit each person's perspective.
The screen displayed evidence of illegal activities tied to the Saro, Hoskell, Bolbok, and Voslaton families, including, but not limited to, smuggling contraband, exploiting Zaun laborers, nepotism, and colluding with Noxian nobility.
It was the Bolbok and Woslaton families who had been smuggling Hextech devices and weapons alongside Noxus. This latest push by Plank to raise the tax on Hexgates was yet another small act against the Kiramman family that they were secretly behind.
The most heinous of all was the human trafficking ring that the Saro and Hoskell families had been part of for the past decade. Only when the Chen-Barons was overthrown did it finally cease.
As for where those kidnapped people went…
Some were used as test subjects for alchemical experiments, handed over to the Alchemists. Others were sold to Noxus, becoming slaves or gladiators for the entertainment of the arena.
Saro clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. "This... This is slander! It's defamation!"
"How could we possibly do such a thing?!" Hoskell also stood up, shouting angrily, the scraping sound of his chair on the floor echoing through the council hall.
In contrast to the two somewhat dim-witted councilors, Woslaton and Bolbok remained calm and composed.
Woslaton stopped tapping his fingers on the table. "Since you mention the law, you must know the penalties for defamation and fabricating evidence here in Piltover, right?"
"Moreover, this is defamation of a councilor. Even if you are the son-in-law of councilor Kiramman, just that alone is enough to get you thrown into prison for years... Oh, and make sure it's the most chaotic and tightly guarded Silent Water Prison in the Upper City," Bolbok added.
"Li Lin..."
Caitlyn, who had been watching from the sidelines, looked deeply worried, her pale hands tightly clasped together as she considered stepping in to help him.
She believed that with the right evidence, breaking through the mental defenses of these councilors would be an easy task.
However, Li Lin merely glanced at her, his gaze unmistakably saying: "Don't worry, leave it to me."
"With this solid evidence, are you really going to deny it?" Li Lin turned back to face the councilors, leaning back in his chair with no hint of tension in his tone.
"If you're willing to admit your crimes, considering your status as councilors and your contributions to Piltover, you might get a lighter sentence... perhaps only a few decades of imprisonment?"
"Outrageous! Truly outrageous!" Saro's fury increased, saliva spraying from his mouth. "Seems you really have no remorse, do you?!"
"Someone, where is Sheriff Grayson? Get this man out of here!"
"Hold on!" Cassandra suddenly stood, her voice cold, "Saro, Hoskell, we haven't even finished reviewing the evidence yet. How can you be so certain that Li Lin is slandering you?"
"Kiramman, do you really need to look at it?" Saro snapped, his expression and tone as if he had truly been wronged. "Do you think we could do something so vile?"
"Li Lin is a member of your family. He defames us, and you still speak for him? Could it be that his actions today were directed by you?"
"Hoskell, you can't say such things!" Mel's face also showed displeasure. "We all know how the Kiramman councilor is. There's no way she would do what you're accusing her of."
"So how do you explain today's situation?" Woslaton finally spoke, sneering, "I know you're close to the Kiramman councilor, but you've always been rational. I don't want your friendship clouding your judgment."
"Mel, you know me. Could you really believe that I would allow my family to do such things?"
Saro also deliberately put on a sorrowful expression. Though his acting was a bit stiff, it was still useful in the current situation.
"This..." Mel's gaze unconsciously shifted toward Li Lin, her eyes filled with uncertainty.
"Child, it seems no one wants to admit these data-based pieces of evidence. Do you have any actual proof?" Heimerdinger said with concern. He didn't want such a promising young talent to be thrown into prison just because of a 'defamation' charge.
Li Lin merely smiled and shook his head, offering no answer to the question.
"Hmph, just empty threats," Hoskell finally showed some backbone, slamming his hand on the table. "Where is Sheriff Grayson? Where has she gone? Does she not want to retire in her position as sheriff anymore?"
At that moment, a voice—one that left everyone in the hall silent—echoed through the chamber. "Sheriff Grayson isn't here. Would you consider me instead?"
With a gust of air and the sound of metal grinding, the noise of metallic ropes echoed.
Then, a woman clad in a custom-tailored, somewhat feminine-tailored tailcoat, her body fully encased in a metallic exoskeleton, her legs made from a special material that formed sharp blades, descended from the ceiling on a hook-and-cable mechanism.
"Lady Gray!"
(End of chapter)
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