Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

"I don't think this is a good idea."

Duke slowly shook his head, clearly against the proposal.

After all, Ixtal might look deceptively peaceful, but the moment you take a few steps into its jungle, there's a good chance a Rengar will leap from the bushes and claim your head.

Even if you're lucky enough to avoid a Rengar ambush, Nidalee will make sure you learn the true meaning of a perfectly timed Q.

And if those two don't get you, what about Zyra?

Don't be fooled by her roles as a support or mid-laner in the game. In reality, this woman is an absolute menace. Compared to her, even Poison Ivy from DC looks downright benevolent.

Zyra constantly expands her territory, and anyone who dares trespass ends up as fertilizer.

Deep within Ixtal lies the secluded kingdom of Ixaocan, hidden away since the Void era. It holds a vast magical heritage and is the homeland of the pint-sized, prideful Elemental Empress, Qiyana.

Duke was worried that if Dakora really launched development in Ixtal, she'd end up losing far more than she'd gain.

"But this decision's already been approved by Great-Aunt."

Dakora rubbed her forehead in frustration. Her once-shimmering silver hair now looked noticeably dull and lifeless.

"You didn't try to talk her out of it?"

"No... right now, every family in Piltover is just waiting for the Hexgate experiment to succeed. Once it does, they'll pour in resources for expansion."

"To gain the upper hand, Great-Aunt decided to strike south and tap into Ixtal's resources to prepare for what comes next."

"Sigh... so it all comes back to the Hexgate again!"

Now Duke understood. The importance of the Hexgate wasn't just in his eyes, it had already become the central focus of every family in Piltover.

The Hexgate was bound to usher in a new era.

So to seize the advantage, the Ferros family was going all-in on its development. And where would the necessary resources come from?

Well... development, of course.

Piltover's rear borders Noxus, but due to the chaos from Mordekaiser's era, that region is basically barren. The Noxians, desperate for resources, are always expanding outward.

They're even more resource-starved than Piltover, so developing northward is out of the question.

Only the southern lands of Ixtal are rich in natural resources, timber, ore, even rare materials. If they want resources, developing Ixtal is their only real option.

"Alright, I get it. We'll discuss this again when I'm back. But for now, try to stall. Don't let Camille send out any scouting teams just yet."

Rubbing his temples, Duke sighed. He wanted to reposition Bilgewater's identity, but even that pivot hinged on resources.

While he could requisition materials from the Ferros family, he couldn't just keep taking without offering anything in return.

"When I get back, I'll speak with Camille personally. Ixtal may not be as technologically advanced as Piltover and Zaun, but it's brimming with raw magical power. Rushing in recklessly? You're guaranteed to get beaten to a pulp."

"I know, that's why I came to you. I wanted your opinion!"

"As for Bilgewater," Duke continued, "I've got a plan. I want to turn it into a Mercenary City using the Hexgate, build it into a strong, reliable ally for Piltover. But for that, I'll need Camille's blessing and the family's resource support."

"Yet right now, everyone's pushing for Ixtal... so I'll have to convince her."

"There's no need to rush Bilgewater's transformation," Dakora replied seriously. "Everyone's just waiting on the Hexgate experiment anyway."

"If it works, Piltover and Zaun will enter a new era."

"And when that happens," she added, "the Ferros family must lead the way."

Hearing her words, Duke nodded with a headache. Of course he knew all this. But none of it could be rushed, not when Night of the Soul-Eater was just around the corner, and he still needed to display his strength to solidify Miss Fortune's position.

It all had to be taken one step at a time.

"I'll draft two proposals. Have Janna meet me tomorrow at 10 a.m. to pick them up. Then we'll schedule a comms meeting for 5 p.m. to follow up."

"Alright. That's all we can do for now." Dakora nodded. "Great-Aunt values your opinion more than mine anyway."

"Camille has given everything to the family. Please try to be understanding with her."

"I know. You don't need to worry about things here. Just focus on maintaining stability. I'll handle the rest."

"Got it. See you tomorrow, then."

"See you."

Duke shut off the communicator, pulled out a square-headed cigar, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Finally caught a break, and now this?"

"Looks like the chain reaction triggered by the Hexgate is more serious than I thought. Its value to this world far exceeds my expectations. I have to safeguard the core technology and make sure it stays in my hands."

Muttering to himself, Duke couldn't help but envy Tony Stark's carefree lifestyle.

"No wonder Stark got Pepper, who wouldn't want a partner like that?"

"...Headache."

Puffing on the cigar, Duke began to think through the next steps. He had to transform Bilgewater, but he couldn't conjure resources out of thin air.

Ixtal was the only realistic path.

"I need a foolproof plan..."

He slumped into his chair, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things on his plate.

Thud-thud-thud-thud...

Hurried footsteps echoed outside. Miss Fortune burst into the room, breathless and babbling, "We caught him! We caught him!"

"What?"

Duke shoved aside all his cluttered thoughts and followed her straight to the kitchen.

As soon as he entered, he saw, no joke, two blue-skinned fishlings locked in a wrestling match.

One was flailing and chattering incomprehensibly, the other yelling with a heavy accent.

"Fishy-fishy, stop wriggling! Neeko's gonna catch you!!"

It was obvious who was who. One of them clutched a Seastone Trident, the real Fizz.

Neeko, on the other hand, held no such weapon.

So Duke had no problem telling them apart.

"What do we do now?"

Miss Fortune had drawn her Hextech twin pistols, but with the two of them tangled together, she didn't dare fire.

"Leave it to me!"

Duke pulled out a small orb. "Since we can't separate them, let's just catch them both."

"Catch both?"

"Uh-huh."

He tossed the metallic sphere, which exploded midair into a fine mesh net that enveloped both Neeko and Fizz.

Neither escaped.

"There, that settles it."

Duke dusted off his hands. He had built a lot of gadgets ahead of time, this was just one of many.

"Neeko, stop fighting. Calm down and explain the situation. We won't hurt him. If he understands, I'll let you both out."

"Okay!"

Neeko nodded earnestly, then turned and began chattering away in Fizz's tongue.

Fizz, initially panicked under the net, slowly calmed down.

As the two began to converse, Fizz became visibly excited, speaking even faster.

The two blue-skinned fishlings chatted endlessly while Miss Fortune watched, completely lost.

"Ugh... I'm getting dizzy. What are they even saying?"

She held her head, overwhelmed by the incomprehensible babble. The language Fizz used wasn't compatible with Runeterra's common tongue, and his speech was so fast and erratic that it made people's skin crawl.

Duke, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm, waiting patiently.

Soon, Fizz turned his big round fish-eyes toward Duke and, with great excitement, shouted his first words of Runeterra's common language:

"Shark!!!"

"Shark? Where?!"

Startled, Miss Fortune looked around in panic. Her jumpy reaction earned her a good smack from Duke.

"Relax. That's just how Fizz says hello."

"...Huh?"

She blinked, clearly baffled by Fizz's logic.

Duke stepped forward and released the net. Fizz poked at it curiously with his Seastone Trident, then shouted again, "Shark!!!"

Duke crouched down and mimicked his tone: "Shark!!!"

"Shark, shark!!!"

Fizz lit up with joy, thrilled at the response. He looked around eagerly, wanting to offer his new friend a gift, only to realize he had nothing.

The word "Shark" was something Fizz had learned from the people of Bilgewater.

Whenever he rode his dragon-shark companion into town, people would panic and scream:

"Run! A shark!!"

"Shark incoming!!"

"Help! There's a shark!!"

Over time, Fizz began to associate "Shark" with warmth and friendliness. Whenever someone said it, he'd ride his dragon-shark closer and cheerfully greet them.

Which, of course, only added to his infamy.

And so, Fizz became one of Bilgewater's most feared legends.

In his mind, though, "Shark" simply meant "Hello."

Duke studied the little fishling. Compared to his in-game splash art, Fizz looked far more lively in person.

Blue skin, webbed hands and feet, that ever-present Seastone Trident, and huge round eyes matched with a pint-sized body, he was undeniably adorable.

Unfortunately, he also loved playing pranks, had an off-the-walls personality, and couldn't speak the local language, earning him a reputation as a terrifying urban legend.

End of chapter...

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