Chapter 368 Katarina's Fear
Lux's in-depth explanation almost shattered Katarina's three views.
She suddenly doubted the significance of the mission she was currently carrying out.
It is obvious that if we just make the nobles of the empire suffer a little and make them temporarily give up this piece of fat, the people of Zaun will immediately stop working and go bankrupt.
Zaun has no money, so it cannot afford to squander Hextech gems, build Hextech gates , and transport such a large number of personnel and supplies under the Empire's comprehensive blockade by sea, land and air...
This war, , may not have been fought from the beginning.
Wouldn't this make more sense than having her come over to seduce men, steal identities, steal a few pieces of intelligence, and assassinate a few generals?
But the Empire didn't do that, because the Empire was full of...
"Termite!" Catalina cursed inwardly.
How can we win the battle with these insects?
"Who are they?" Catalina couldn't help but ask herself again.
She wished she knew the names of those corrupt nobles right now, and then used her blade to remove the rotten flesh for Noxus.
"Haha." At this time, Lux laughed and said, "Which of the big and famous families in Noxus has not received money from Zaun? Without their approval, how could Zaun's goods be so popular in the empire?"
"The Campbell family, the Tomily family, the Midalda family...Oh, right." Lux seemed to have thought of something funny.
She said to Katarina, "The General Du Kecao who is now besieging us at the foot of the mountain, the Kecao family behind him, usually makes extra money from Zaun's foreign trade business."
"If we dig deeper, he might be the behind-the-scenes shareholder of many companies in Zaun and an important business partner of Leader."
Katrina: “…”
The termite...is actually me?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Katerina didn't want to believe it.
Her father is as honest as water, and her family is full of loyal and brave people. She can swear to her beliefs that her father has never assisted the enemy!
"Alas..." At this time, Lux sighed again: "General Du Kecao himself may not be so greedy."
"After all, my father always said that General Du Coca-Cola was an honorable enemy and a pure soldier."
“But what does that change?”
"No matter how pure a soldier is, he is still a member of the imperial nobility. Everyone is trying to gain benefits, but you are honest and love the people, so you are an outlier in the eyes of the nobility. Besides, a family has never belonged to the head of the family alone. No matter how pure General Du Kecao is, he has to prioritize the interests of the family instead of the justice of the empire."
"Don't even mention the Noxians." Lux became more and more engaged as she spoke: "Even in Demacia, it's our Crownguard family..."
"Cough cough!" Garen coughed.
He promptly stopped his sister's rash behavior of exposing his family's past, and preserved the glorious image of the Mianwei family in front of his sweetheart.
Katarina was not interested in the dark history of the Demacia nobles. She wanted to know more about Noxus and why it became what it is now.
"I heard..." So she asked veiledly, "The Emperor Darkwill of Noxus seems to be a very powerful person."
"The nobles below are so disorderly, does His Majesty not do anything about it?"
Since the nobles could not punish her, Catalina subconsciously relied on wise rulers.
And if Darkwill is really a wise or holy ruler, he can play a role.
But the problem is...
"What emperor? Ha, that Emperor Darkwill has long been a puppet of the old nobles."
As soon as Lux opened her mouth, she revealed the shocking secret that even Katarina, a Noxian, didn't know.
Most Noxians don't know that it was never the emperor who controlled this great empire, but a mysterious wizard society representing the interests of the aristocratic families.
This information has been top secret for nearly 1,000 years.
In order to disrupt the morale of the Noxian army and support Swain's coup, the Leader has recently begun to publicly promote the conspiracy theory that there has always been a "deep state" and a "shadow government" in the Noxian Empire.
So now even the old security guard in the Zaun residential area knows this shocking secret of Noxus.
"The one who has always controlled the Noxus Empire is a mysterious organization called the 'Black Rose'."
"That Majesty Darkwill is nothing more than a puppet secretly controlled by the leader of the Black Rose, Leblanc."
"..." Leblanc's face didn't look very good.
She really didn't expect that she hadn't been aware of the information from Zaun for just a few days, and the Leader had already stripped her original skin.
Not only were they dug out, but they were also spread all over the streets like gossip.
But, fortunately...
Although this is indeed the truth, it is so ridiculous that it is hard to believe.
At least, now Miss Catalina does not believe that there is any "shadow government" in the empire where she has lived all her life - even though her mother and sister are members of the Black Rose.
The "simple" Catalina knew nothing yet. She only regarded this as malicious propaganda against the Empire by the Leader.
So she didn't care about the black rose, but just pretended to be curious and asked, "Lady Lacus."
"Since the Black Rose is so powerful that it can even control the emperor, why don't they care about the nobles?"
"Well..." Lux began to explain.
But in fact, Leblanc has the most say on this issue.
Why didn't she take care of those greedy nobles and make them less greedy? The answer is simple:
She can't control it.
I don’t have that ability, you know?
The Black Rose has always been known for its secrecy, and its core members rarely appear in public, let alone hold public office. They only select suitable agents from among the imperial nobility to indirectly control the entire Noxus.
The advantage of doing this is that core figures such as Leblanc can always remain mysterious and ensure their own absolute safety - and this is exactly what she, a thousand-year-old demon, needs most.
But the disadvantages of this indirect management are also obvious: that is, the Black Rose's control over the empire will be greatly weakened.
Their control over the empire depended on the cooperation of the nobles.
The mere threat of violence would only provoke resistance from the nobles; sophisticated illusion control would always have the possibility of being cracked.
These imperial nobles are not weaklings. Not only are they powerful and extraordinary warriors, but thanks to the independent chapter system of Noxus, they are also local lords who control huge resources.
If these people unite, the Black Rose will have a headache.
Therefore, the Black Rose must allow for the greed of the nobles and give them enough benefits while forcing them to cooperate.
"In short, Leblanc can't control these nobles." Lux mocked her in front of Leblanc: "If she can make the nobles stop making money and the bureaucrats stop being corrupt with just one order, and make the whole empire united, then wouldn't Noxus be more powerful than us, the leader?"
"If she could really control the selfishness of these people, how could the empire become what it is today?"
A very simple truth:
If the Black Rose had enough control over the Empire, how could Swain's "Future" coup succeed?
With such a holy king on the throne, Noxus probably won't even have the soil for a coup from the very beginning, right?
"Then..." Catalina asked herself in her heart:
Is there no solution? Can we just watch these termites crawling all over the body of the empire, and let the empire drag its seriously ill and decayed body to fight against young people like the Leader?
Of course there is a way.
Lux continued to sigh: "No matter how powerful Leblanc is, she is just a witch who plays with people's hearts."
"How can a mere witch accomplish the great feat that only a goddess believed in by millions of people can lead them to accomplish?"
"Ms. Kana, you will understand after you finish the ideological and cultural courses - there has always been only one person who can save Ionia, Noxus, Demacia, Shurima, and even the entire Runeterra:"
"That is faith, our faith!"
…
As the leader of the Mage Penal Army, Lux's military ability has not yet been developed, but with the tacit cooperation with Sona and through practical training with extremists such as Silas, her political and propaganda abilities have almost been maxed out.
Unknowingly, she had given Catalina a lesson in leadership thinking.
Until Lux was reluctantly dragged away by her brother and Sona, Katarina was still immersed in what she said and the principles she told.
"Wake up." Leblanc patted her shoulder from behind until Garen and the others were completely away.
"What?" Leblanc asked with a smile: "Katerina, do you think what that girl said is right?"
"I..." Catalina felt cold all over and couldn't help but hurriedly explain: "I, I didn't... Sir."
Kelefanlan just shook her head in disappointment: "She is still a young lady after all. She has been in the ivory tower for too long. When she sees some dark sides, her faith and spirit immediately collapse. She is being led by the nose."
"I guess you don't even know what you're fighting for?"
Catalina was so ashamed that she lowered her head and dared not look at him.
Leblanc did not reprimand him again. She turned to Talon and asked, as if she was giving a teaching demonstration:
"Talon, do you think what Lux just said is correct?"
"Yes." Tai Long actually agreed frankly.
Leblanc was not angry at all. She asked again: "Will this affect your loyalty to the Empire?"
"No," Tyrone said.
"Why?"
"Because I have never been loyal to the Empire." Tai Long replied calmly: "I have always been loyal to Master Du Kecao. If he needs me to be loyal to the Empire, I will fight for the Empire."
"Very good." Leblanc nodded with satisfaction.
She turned to look at Katerina again, "What about you, my lady? Tyrone knows what he's fighting for, do you?"
"I, I did it for..." Katarina replied with difficulty: "For Noxus."
For Noxus, for the empire, she is willing to give everything.
This is what her father taught her and what she has been holding on to for the past 18 years.
However, this simple slogan worked well in the past, but now it no longer works when facing the leaders.
Because, if the Noxians think carefully according to the leader's theory, they will find that...
The more they love Noxus and the more they hope Noxus will become better, the more they need Janna Thought and the Leader to bring about a thorough transformation of this corrupt empire.
For Noxus, the Empire must die.
"Ridiculous." Leblanc then laughed at Katarina, "For Noxus? Katarina, if you fight with such a simple thought in mind, you will be bewitched by the Leader sooner or later."
"You know what? The Leader said something that was very true." Leblanc also used the Leader's theory with ease: "The state is the product of irreconcilable class contradictions. It is a means for the ruling class to suppress and exploit the oppressed class."
"You say you're doing this for Noxus, then you have to figure out why you have to love it."
Ordinary people love Noxus because their fate is bound to the empire.
If the empire is good, they can get a piece of the pie; if the empire is bad, they will be the first to be sacrificed.
Rich people love Noxus because their businesses are tied to the Empire.
If the empire is good, they can get a big piece of the pie; if the empire is bad, even if they can successfully escape with the money, they will still have to suffer some losses.
"What about you? Katarina, why do you have to love it?" LeBlanc demanded.
"Because..." Catalina came to her senses.
Because she is the ruling class!
If the empire were to be destroyed, the Kekao family would lose their privileges and would no longer be able to happily exploit others.
"So, Katarina," Leblanc asked in a deep voice, getting to the point, "Are you willing to fight to the bitter end with the enemies of the Empire for your privileges?"
"I..." Catalina didn't know how to answer.
Does she really care about any privileges?
No. If she cared about this, she wouldn't have accepted the hellish assassin training since she was a child, training herself to be an assassination machine that could be sacrificed for the empire at any time.
What helped Katarina get through those difficult years was her loyalty to her father and her infinite love for Noxus.
But now, under the leader's theory... the belief that had supported her all the way here was destroyed in an instant.
"I, I..." Catalina woke up with horror: "Captain Lanfu, I won't go to class."
She was afraid. She was afraid that after she had a deeper understanding of the Leader's theory, she would really betray the Empire and become the Leader.
"It's okay." Leblanc, who had been aggressive before, smiled gently at this time.
That smile seemed like comfort, but also like a warning.
Katerina didn't dare to speak.
Leblanc smiled, gently held her cheek, and comforted her with a tone of infinite trust: "Go ahead, Katarina. I believe in you--"
"You will definitely not betray me."
