The 'information' from the barkeeper made Ezreal and Lux look at each other a little. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Although this possibility is not impossible, because compared with the other two powers on the continent that call themselves kingdoms, the independent city-state located in the northeastern corner of the continent, which has only risen for less than a hundred years, is much weaker in terms of economic strength and military capabilities, and at first glance seems to be a good target.

However, the development of things has a deep background hidden behind it: the peninsula in the northeast corner of the continent did not rise a powerful country early, and the fundamental reason is that the peninsula does not have enough resources to support a huge force!

At the time of the collapse of the Shurima dynasty, the city of Piltover was now built as a small fishing village. He was trying to take advantage of the North Continental Strait, and the other small fishing village on the other side of the strait, the predecessor of Zu'an City, was desperately competing to hug the thick thighs of Ionia, a powerful magical kingdom outside the land at that time.

Both fishing villages have the potential to become deep-water harbors, and the North Continental Strait, which runs deep into the mainland, is the most natural haven in the vicinity, so when the storm season in the Guardian Sea arrives, a large amount of resources exported from Ionia will be diverted to the two small fishing villages, where they will be unloaded and transported overland across the Iron Ridge Pass to the Empire and the Commonwealth.

Zuan, which naturally has the advantage of geographical advantages, is more likely to rely on transportation and transit to develop than Piltover, which also has no special resources and has to make a lot of detours.

For hundreds of years after the Shurima dynasty, the Lady Piltworth had nothing but their ingenuity and industriousness to compete with their neighbors across the Channel.

When enough young people had come to study in the Magic Kingdom, returned and actively participated in the development and construction of the city-state, the industrious Lady Piltworth finally won the opportunity to reverse the two sides.

After nearly a hundred years of innovation and development, Mrs. Piltworth, who did not have any advantages in time and place, continued to sweat and youth, and amazingly built a beautiful city on the slopes and marshes outside the fishing village, which was not inferior in scale and momentum to other national capitals and royal cities.

That's why Mrs. Piltworth, with a great sense of pride in her breast, called the city they had built: the City of Progress.

If the Noxians really want to take Piltover first, then the city of progress with a strong accumulation of magic and Hextech for the Empire is a hard bone to gnaw without much nutrition.

By the time they risk having their teeth shattered, they have painstakingly cracked open the shell protected by the Piltover city-state army, and it is likely that they will find that the 'Fearless Vanguard Legion' from the Federation of Demacia has planted its banner on the devastated Imperial City.

Even the most crazy Imperial commander would not rush to send troops to Piltover without solving the great problem of Demacia; On the other hand, the young progressive city, which only has the power to protect itself, does not want to attract too much attention from the warlike empire in the south.

These complex geographical factors are also the root cause of the problem that the Federation, isolated by Noxus on the rich western plains of the continent, has never been able to truly open up the diplomatic situation.

There are no city-states or kingdoms on the continent of Valoran, willing to risk offending the Empire and easily form an alliance with a federation that has no bordering relationship to resist the expansion from Noxus; But they also wanted to befriend Demacia so that the Federation could contain the rapid expansion of the warlike empire as much as possible.

Intellectually, Ezreal still didn't quite believe that Noxus would launch an offensive against the progressive city first, but the barkeeper's assertion that the Imperial army was stationed on the southern outskirts of the city and was constantly acquiring a large number of weapons and equipment made him feel uneasy.

The 'explorer', who had thought that war was still far away, suddenly had the anxious feeling that Lux had when he was an envoy.

It is a pity that the empire took advantage of its unrivaled national strength to launch a tight intelligence blockade from both land and sea at the same time, hiding most of the secrets of its military operations.

The countries and city-states of the continent that do not have enough sources think that they are the targets of the invasion, and they are anxious to go all over the continent to find helpers; And those who thought that they could stand by and watch again had time to beat all kinds of pushers against the federal envoys.

Ezreal, who was a little distracted, paid a gold coin for two glasses of cider, and walked with Lux to a corner of the relatively quiet bar with it in his hand, and discussed in a whisper.

After a whisper, both of them thought that they had to go to the Noxus military camp in the southern suburbs to confirm it with their own eyes in order to more accurately interpret the true strategic objectives of the empire, so without further ado, Ezreal and Lux, who were also in mixed moods, quietly left the bar that was crowded with idle adventurers because they were secretly locked up by the army.

Exiting the bustling bar, Ezreal followed the road to the southern outskirts of Zaun, and when the two turned another corner, he whispered to Lux, "Follow me." ”

"Understood!"

Lux, who had some experience with anti-tracking, immediately understood the answer.

Ezreal spotted the adventurer behind him, followed them around the corner, and led Lux through the ubiquitous lanes of Zaun City, and the two of them once again posed to catch turtles in urns to see who was trying to follow them.

"The two of you~ just want to talk about a business, why are you so nervous?"

Unexpectedly, a rough voice suddenly came from the inside of the path.

Ezreal, who was not surprised, quickly turned around, and the gauntlet swirled with the glow of a spell that remained active at any time, and he and Lux were on guard in exchange for the adventurous who had secretly spun out from behind him with his hands raised in the air.

"Don't get me wrong~~ I don't have anything with me, and I'm not a mage of any kind!"

This short adventurer with a full beard even took the initiative to untie the cloak that could hide a lot of small movements under the gaze of the two.

Ezreal motioned for Lux to be ready to take cover, and then slowly stepped forward to inspect the alley from which the stocky adventurer had detoured, and asked in a wary voice, "Who are you?" Why are you following us? ”

"Well, I'm just a little clever local poor guy, and my friends call me a lot, but I prefer the name 'Madman Gray'." The stocky middle-aged adventurer introduced himself as he motioned to the young battle mage who had finished exploring, "Can I put my hand down?" ”

"Of course, don't let me find out you're playing any tricks, madman Mr. Grey." Ezreal motioned for the other to put his hand down, and then approached to talk.

The stocky Gray took a few steps forward without hesitation, completely placed himself in the attack range of the two mages, and continued to say calmly: "I'm very sorry, I accidentally learned when I was drinking just now that the two mages seem to be interested in going to the Noxian camp to explore?" It's very, very, very tight. ”

"Maybe you heard me wrong, Mr. Gray."

"No, no, don't worry, Mr. Mage, the Zaun don't like Noxus as much as we hate Leather Citykees, so I mean...... I can lead the way for both of you, just a little pay~"

The face of the short madman Gray was welled up with a philistine expression that did not match his appearance.

.