Lux's Magic Penetration Rod

Many years later, surrounded by raging flames, Baron Coopers finally recalled that distant morning when he followed his father into the factory to work as a child.

If time went back thirty years, maybe I would be one of those cheering people, right?

After confirming that the container had been set on fire, he found a relatively clean place and sat down cross-legged.

Thirty years ago Coopers was just a twelve-year-old boy.

On that rare evening with a full meal - Coopers still remembers eating stuffed bread that day, the purple berry filling was very sour, but always memorable - after a rare full meal. , the younger brother and sister went out to play a game of throwing stones, while Coopers was left at home by his father.

"You are already twelve years old." My father's voice was low, hoarse, but full of doubt. "Come to work in the factory with me tomorrow."

Coopers was reluctant.

But he had no choice - or rather, most Zaun people of this age had no choice.

So, after tossing and turning all night, the next morning, he wore his father's shirt with two buttons missing, stuffed two extra layers of cushions into a pair of worn-out leather shoes, and put on a filter. Once he passed through the iron gate, he came to the alchemy factory.

The little Coopers watched as his father gave a golden and shiny golden hex to the supervisor, changing his place to himself.

That was the first time he saw a factory, the first time he saw the roaring machinery, the first time he saw Kim Hex.

It was also the last time I saw my father.

Killing people is completely normal in Zaun's alchemy factory - there is a joke from hell...

"Why do the Zaun people's alchemy products, even paint, have a lot of impurities? Because the Zaun people have these impurities."

There was no pension or compensation. The only generosity of the "kind-hearted" Baron was that he did not take back Coopers, a relatively safe position, but as a price, his salary was cut in half.

The halved salary was not enough to support Coopers and his younger siblings, and he was unable to save another gold hex to give to the supervisor, so he sent his younger brother to the factory. He wanted to find his father's former friend. But unfortunately, those people sympathized with the child, but all they could do was give him some coupons from the bakery.

Using coupons, Coopers could buy bread at half price, but he could only buy what he didn't sell the day before - and because of Zaun's poor food safety, his brother also died from diarrhea that year. , he is fourteen years old.

He tried to argue with the bakery owner, but was thrown out. Not only that, he also lost the right to use the coupons and no longer had half-price bread.

His younger brother's body was eventually sold to a human laboratory for a gold hex. With this gold hex, Coopers sent his sister to a private workshop - his vision was far greater than that of his father. More broadly, he firmly believes that only by mastering a technology can one truly stand out.

There is no future for being a cow or horse like yourself.

Coopers' sister was very smart, and she was very popular with the workshop owner. She even followed the chubby aunt to Piltover several times to discuss business with people from another world.

Every time she came back from Piltover, she would excitedly tell Coopers what she had seen, her eyes shining like stars.

And looking at the longing in her eyes, Coopers would always say, "We will move to Piltover in the future, I promise."

In order to realize his sister's dream, Coopers began to try to make money through sideways--or in other words, for a Zaan of his origin, there was no way to make money that was not sideways.

At first, Coopers chose to forge coupons from the bakery and sell them to his co-workers at a fifth of the price.

This method allowed him to make his first money.

But soon, his trick was discovered by the owner of the bakery, who spent money to hire a few gangsters to teach Coopers a lesson.

Coopers, who was well prepared, used more gold hex to instigate these gangsters.

They all worked with money anyway, so they eventually followed Coopers, turned around and rushed into the bakery together, beating up the mean boss and taking away all the other's cash.

This was Coopers' first use of violence, and as the floodgates opened, things spiraled out of control.

Coopers discovered that it seems that in Zaun, fists are sometimes particularly useful - and you can use gold hex to hire more fists, and use more fists to earn more gold hex.

With this discovery, Coopers finally embarked on another path. He no longer had to work in the factory. Instead, he gathered a large group of gangsters and thugs and began to "rob the rich and give to the poor" and deal with the cunning small businessmen. hawker.

Coopers' "career" was prospering.

At this time, his sister met a young man from Piltover at a cooperative banquet.

He was a handsome guy, said to come from a down-and-out family.

Unlike the sloppy Zaans, he was always neat and tidy, and his cuffs always smelled of blue lavender. He admired Coopers sister's intelligence very much, and the two quickly fell in love.

When it comes to love, Zaun people are always passionate and unrestrained - when Coopers knew about this, he already had a nephew.

Although he gritted his teeth, Coopers still hoped to meet the Piltover guy. He didn't ask the other party to give him anything, he only hoped that he could take his sister out of Zaun. Even as long as he could marry his sister, Coopers could still get Even for ordinary Picheng people, the dowry is considered to be a large sum of money.

But unfortunately, the other party didn't mean this at all.

Even when he was with Coopers' sister, it was not for her as a person, but for some ingenious design solutions in her private workshop.

He registered the patent at the Piltover Patent Office, and then brought a law enforcement officer to visit the house with great force, condemning the "infringement" of Coopers's sister's workshop and claiming compensation on the spot.

A conflict broke out.

During the conflict, Coopers lost his nephew and his sister.

This time, he was completely and completely alone.

Coopers wanted to gather his fists to deal with that damn Piltover guy, but none of these thugs were willing to cross the canal and find trouble with a "big shot" who lived in Lanxun Manor.

Not only that, but there was also a "quick-minded" guy who betrayed the news - Coopers' most trusted brother exposed his safe house for the thirteen gold hexes.

The defenseless Coopers was picked out, beaten up, and finally thrown into a wastewater ditch. If he hadn't pretended to be dead in time and the wastewater ditch was still very smelly, he would have been completely killed. Beat to death.

That year, Coopers was twenty-three years old.

After escaping from death, Coopers no longer had any worries. With the will of revenge, he spent all his savings to find out and find the bastard's competitor, and became a vicious dog who brought his own dog food.

In this way, he followed a Pilgrim guy from front to back, watching him use various means to intimidate, induce, and divide, and squeeze the market step by step, so that the bastard who stole his sister's wisdom went from being very proud to having nothing.

When he had to sell off all his property, pay a fine from the council, and leave Blue Xun Manor in despair to make a comeback, Coopers blocked him in an alley.

"My sister and nephew, they miss you."

After killing the bastard, Coopers did not stay in Piltover, but returned to Zaun.

Coopers, who has returned again, is no longer a diligent worker or a low-class gangster. He has learned a lot from the Piltover guy. He now plans to use these in Zaun, which has brought him Among countless painful cities.

Unlike many alchemy barons who like to enjoy themselves and are extremely greedy, Coopers has always been known for his ruthlessness. Anyone who offends him will be retaliated by him regardless of the cost. The thugs under his command have always been like a group of evil villains who can't get enough to eat. Wolf.

Others say that Coopers will retaliate, but only he knows that it is because after losing everything, only revenge can bring him a small amount of happiness.

In order to support his huge group of thugs, Coopers had no choice but to start an industry, and because of this large group of thugs, his industry grew bigger and bigger.

No one dares to compete with Coopers in business, because it means that they are likely to be beaten up, or even lose their lives.

In this way, Coopers finally became an alchemist baron.

This time, Coopers drew his sword and looked around, but he was confused.

The former "kind" alchemist baron went bankrupt long before Coopers became famous. He didn't even leave a grave, and he no longer had a goal.

The confused Coopers finally caught up with the trend of the times this time and became more and more similar to other alchemy barons.

Open more factories, deal with the troublesome workers, find ways to deduct wages, and compete with peers without a bottom line.

The only difference between Coopers and them is that he will give his thugs better treatment, that's all.

……………………

The tongues of fire were licking Coopers' body, and beside him, several loyal thugs were moaning in pain.

But Coopers didn't seem to feel any pain.

Compared to the pain, what concerned him more was the ten years since he became the Alchemist Baron - when he recalled these ten years, there was nothing in his mind.

It seems like ten years have passed by in a flash, but nothing is left.

He must have eaten a lot of delicacies, but those delicacies were far less impressive than a piece of sandwich bread.

He should have many extremely loyal subordinates who would be willing to accompany him until the last moment even if they were in a sea of ​​fire, but he had never truly believed in them.

At the last moment of his life, Coopers unexpectedly discovered that his life had been blank for ten years, so that when he wanted to end his life with happy memories, he could recall, But there was only the sourness of that corner of bread.

At this moment, Coopers suddenly envied the workers outside.

I don't envy them for being alive, nor do I envy them for winning in the end.

Coopers envies that they have another goal, just like his own sisters - he envies that their eyes can be as kind as the stars.

The flames grew higher and higher, and the smoke grew larger and larger.

Coopers coughed quietly.

The hot air irritated his respiratory tract, making his coughing sound more urgent - but he waved his hand, took the filter off his face, and threw it into the flames.

This was the last moment of his life. According to Zaun folk custom, people should not wear filters at the last moment.

After doing this last thing, Coopers sat quietly, without confessing his sins or feeling any fear about the coming of death.

For him, his life may have ended long ago.

Or, in other words, on that morning, when the twelve-year-old entered the alchemy factory for the first time, his life had already been determined - this city that advocates the wind of freedom is actually not as free as it seems. .

On the contrary, now, when Coopers is about to die, this city, as dull as a can, has finally lifted a corner of its lid.

Closing his eyes, Coopers finally felt calm.

Suddenly, it seemed as if someone had put a new filter on him to isolate him from the irritating gas.

But what surprised Coopers was that the filter on this side was unexpectedly large, even covering his entire face.

"Let's go." A voice whispered in his ear, "Don't keep the wolf waiting."

Coopers didn't know whose voice it was.

But he didn't hesitate.

Stretching out his hand, Coopers adjusted the "filter" on his face, followed the guidance of the voice lightly, and embarked on a new journey.

Just like thirty years ago, the child wearing a filter, an unbuttoned shirt, and a pair of large leather shoes followed in his father's footsteps.

Kalya's Little Classroom·Death Folklore of Zaun:

In Zaun, the dead should not wear any filters or wrap bandages on their faces, because according to the ancient folk customs of Wazuan, death will put a mask on a person, and only the dead who wears the mask can go to another place. world.