Chapter 370: Miss Carter Falls
The taxi carrying Garen and Katarina passed through city roads that still smelled of fresh asphalt and drove to the Zaun Cinema in the coastal new city area.
The two sat side by side in the back seat, very close to each other, and the atmosphere was quite warm. It was a pity that the city scenery outside the car window was still not very good.
Especially the coastal new city area they were going to, which was a new land city built in recent months at great expense of the Leader in order to enable the people of Zaun to move out of the dark underground alleys and the bottom sewers in the future.
Of course, the completion of the urban area is still a matter of the future.
At this moment, this is still a large dusty construction site.
If the construction teams were not equipped with special "dust removalists" who used magic to guide the wind direction, the flying construction dust alone would probably be enough for everyone passing by to experience the authentic Shurima desert style.
"Isn't the environment here much worse than Ionia?" Garen couldn't help but care about Katarina beside him: "I wonder if you have adapted to living here for the past month."
The Ionians, who grew up in the "large magic garden" of the First Land, are the most sensitive to environmental quality.
Almost every Ionian immigrant who comes to Zaun to settle down will initially suffer from acclimatization and become sick due to the poor environment here.
Smog, dust, mineral chips, and alchemical exhaust gas are almost everywhere... This is simply a torture for the Ionians who are used to the fragrance of flowers and plants in their hometown.
"Fortunately, I adapted quickly," said Catalina.
Her body had been trained by being soaked in poison since she was a child, so drinking alchemical wastewater as a drink was no problem for her. Of course she could adapt to it.
"That's good." Garen smiled: "I thought you wouldn't like Zaun, Kana."
"Don't like it? No..." Catalina seemed to have forgotten that she was on a mission. She chatted with Galen naturally: "I like it here very much."
As she spoke, she looked out the car window at the gloomy sky: "In my eyes, even the alchemical exhaust here is so pleasing."
"Huh?" Galen was a little confused.
How could you taste any exotic, luxurious, sweet smell from this air that would cost you two health points just by sniffing it ?
It really works.
"Do you see that?" Catalina introduced the alchemy factories standing in the distance one by one, "Those are factories that produce sugar and margarine."
"The poor people in Ionia, Noxus, and Demacia may never be able to eat creamy ice cream filled with sucrose in their entire lives."
"But with industrially produced cane sugar and margarine, the poorest and most destitute citizens of Zaun, and even war refugees like me who have only moved here for a month, can easily afford this 'luxurious aristocratic dessert.'"
"..."Galen was silent.
He couldn't help but think of the maids in his own home, who would always quietly collect the leftover desserts from the masters and ladies, take them home and eat them in small bites as if they were treasures.
The manor maids of the Crownguard family, even the lowest-level sweeping servants, are already in the top 10% of the living standards in the Kingdom of Demacia.
"And there..." Catalina looked at another factory in the distance: "That's an alchemy company that produces fertilizers and pesticides."
"The fertilizers and pesticides exported by Zaun alone each year can allow Noxus to feed at least 10 million more people."
This is the best example of how advanced productivity promotes the progress of civilization. However, apart from the former Shuangcheng Seed Benz family and the current leader, almost no one in the entire Rune Land is interested in this.
Everyone is thinking about developing "advanced military force" rather than advanced productivity, and no one is idle enough to care about whether the lives of civilians can get better.
This is still the case in Noxus today.
Although compared with Demacia, Noxus is already a relatively progressive, semi-feudal and semi-socialist modern empire.
But the problem is that part of the feudal Noxus, the land nobles, are still immersed in the stable high returns of land annexation and usury, and have no intention of investing in industry;
As for the Noxus Seed Benzene part, the budding City Seed Benzene Group, its attention was almost entirely attracted by another highly profitable business - the military industry.
After all, the Noxian Empire is just a large military camp disguised as a country.
Is there any business that can make more money than selling weapons, armaments and military supplies in military camps?
Therefore, the city's seedlings had no intention of investing in the people's livelihood industries. Instead, they joined forces with the warlords and aristocrats to form a military-industrial complex that was powerful enough to undermine this great empire.
As a result, there is a strange phenomenon that Noxus can manufacture the most advanced steam ironclad ships independently, but has to import even a small home speaker from the Twin Cities at a high price.
"If this continues, the empire will be destroyed sooner or later..."
Catalina looked out the window at the bustling scene of Zuan with its many factories, and her heart was filled with sorrow.
After one month here, she has learned not only theories from books, but also a set of tools to understand and analyze the world.
After mastering this set of tools, she saw the various shortcomings of the Noxian Empire more clearly, and became more painful and desperate.
Because it was only then that she realized that the Noxian Empire, which had been so glorious in her eyes, was now just a terminally ill patient with tumors all over his body and necrosis.
Just to help alleviate its symptoms, it requires a sage king who is dedicated to the country, a great man who appears once in a thousand years , and a reform that is destined to be accompanied by blood and gore.
And if you want to cure the root of its disease, then... I'm afraid you can only rely on the leader.
Only the leader can save Noxus.
"No, that's not right!" As she thought about it, Catalina broke out in a cold sweat again: "The Leader is the enemy of the Empire, the enemy!"
She warned herself nervously, and carefully called the name of Goddess Gana in her heart.
The goddess did not respond, and no string was pulled out.
"It's okay..." Catalina breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she hasn't rebelled yet.
She had to complete the mission as soon as possible. If she didn't complete the mission and leave here, she would be completely defeated.
Katarina turned to look at Galen, the big man who shared the same suffering as her.
"Galen." She hardened her heart and invited him, "After watching the movie, do you have any plans?"
"No." Galen said, "I want to hear your opinion and then make a decision."
That's perfect. A sharp look flashed in Catalina's eyes.
"In that case, Mr. Galen... after the movie, you can come to my house and sit down." She made a fatal invitation.
If Galen dared to go to the appointment alone, he would be dead.
"What?" Garen blushed and refused shyly: "This, this is not good, right? This is our first date..."
"What are you thinking about?" Catalina rolled her eyes at him. "I live in a refugee apartment. My brother and sister are at home."
"Ah..." Garen breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought about it, and finally answered: "Let's not go to your house, Kana. After watching the movie, I will take you to other places in Zaun. I heard from my sister that you girls like to go shopping in Zaun Commercial Street..."
"You?!" Catalina's face darkened.
This bastard, he doesn't dare to come when no one is at home, and he doesn't want to come when someone is at home. Tam is really hard to please!
Still shopping? There are "Bluebird cameras" everywhere on the streets of Zaun. How can they start?
She still had to trick him back home. As for this big fool, she could just add some alchemical potion to the water when she got home, and she would probably be able to knock him down silently.
"Mr. Galen..." Catalina gritted her teeth and said, "I just lied to you because I was afraid you would feel embarrassed. Actually, my brother and sister are out working, and there is no one at home now..."
"Huh?" Galen tangled in delight.
Katarina said, "Come to my house after the movie, Mr. Galen. I have learned a lot of cooking in Zaun these days, and I want to cook a meal for you myself."
"I..." Galen was silent for a long time.
Damn it! What kind of man is he if he is so timid?
Katerina added inwardly, "It's just a dinner."
"But this is still a bit too much, Kana." Garen said tangledly: "In Demacia, being alone in a room with an unmarried lady is already very rude."
"This is not in line with the ethics of chivalry."
Yes. Although many noble ladies in Debon are more open than the ladies of Piltover in private, this does not prevent the knights from having such moral principles.
It does not prevent a true knight from truly practicing these moral principles.
"This..." Catalina felt a headache.
She just didn't understand why this big fool had so many rules.
She didn't even want it for free. Did she have to use those shameful tricks that Leblanc taught her?
Helplessly, Katarina complained: "This is not Demacia, and I am not a lady."
"But I am a knight of Demacia, and you..." Garen turned his head seriously and looked into her eyes: "In my opinion, you are more noble than any lady I have ever seen before."
"I want to take you seriously, Miss Kana."
"When our relationship reaches that point, I...will be happy to come to your house."
Katrina: “…”
She wanted to curse in her heart.
After being in Zuan for a month, she has already developed this habit.
However, looking at Galen's face so close to her, she...
"Forget it." Catalina turned her head away from his gaze and muttered angrily in her heart: "I'll kill you later."
