-45- Harmless?
Linwin led the way, taking a few sharp turns from Piltover. Behind him, Jayce was assisting Viktor down the stairs.
"Why did you come along?" Viktor asked, glancing at Jayce, with Mr. Talis focusing on supporting him.
Jayce replied, "My partner is no longer there, so what would I do alone in the lab?"
He helped Viktor down the stairs and continued, "Besides, we already promoted Hextech at the Kiramman family's event, but as you've seen, those people clearly didn't believe us."
"Of course not, to them, Hextech is still an abstract concept," Viktor said.
"Merchants won't invest in something abstract; they lack the kind of vision that powerful families have," Viktor added, with a faint smile. They walked down a silent dance corridor, and beneath the bridge was the deep heart of Zaun, his home.
However, breathing the air rising from below, Viktor felt a burning sensation in his lungs, causing him to cough several times.
Hearing Viktor's cough, Linwin turned back and asked, "Why are you stopping?"
Viktor, covering his mouth, looked at Linwin. Linwin handed him a cloak woven from the feathers of some unknown creature. Jayce looked at the cloak with a disgusted expression.
"Where did you pull this from, a chicken pen? Is this to keep Viktor warm? Is this even useful?"
"If you have nothing good to say, then don't say anything. No one sees you as a mute."
The cloak given to Viktor was, of course, the Raptor Cloak that Linwin had drawn. This was a strange turn of events, to say the least.
Like the Rejuvenation Bead, this item had limited effect on Linwin, with its only real benefit being an additional ten health points.
Originally providing thirty points of armor, it now turned into ten health points. As for the Raptor Cloak's passive, it granted acceleration when moving towards turrets and the Void Gate, but honestly, what use was this passive? Searching for turrets and the Void Gate? Let alone turrets, it was hard to imagine rushing towards the Void in acceleration; that seemed like a death wish.
Different from Jayce's disdain, Viktor, who had put on the cloak, had a momentary blank look, and then his lips moved slightly as he looked at Linwin.
The shoulder pad was warm, and the discomfort in his body was greatly reduced. The burning sensation in his lungs lessened considerably. What was the effect of this cloak?
However, in the end, Viktor didn't say anything. He just used his hands to secure the purple short cloak on his shoulders, and the coughing gradually subsided.
Linwin paused for a moment, then continued to walk forward.
Ding: The Favorability of the Machine Herald towards you has increased significantly.
This was another effect of the Raptor Cloak. It had double the recovery effect of the Rejuvenation Bead, restoring 1 health point per hour to the wearer (compared to the Rejuvenation Bead's 0.5).
As they descended in the lift to the depths of Zaun, Viktor appeared noticeably nervous. Unlike the places above, as soon as they arrived at the trench, upon opening the lift, there were quite a few eyes focused on them.
These stares made Viktor tense up.
He was familiar with this place, and he knew what they were doing here.
"Does Zoran still... Does he still live here?"
Linwin didn't immediately understand Viktor's meaning, but he soon smiled and said, "I've also advised him to move to Piltover, but he said he didn't want to live with the people from Piltover and didn't want to live on the Boundry Markets either."
"He's gotten used to living here; Old Zoran can't leave Zaun anymore. But you don't have to worry; Old Zoran is still in good health."
Linwin glanced at the weakened Viktor and felt like making a joke. After all, Old Zoran's health must be better than Viktor's right now.
The effect of the Rejuvenation Bead was really excellent. While it didn't increase attributes or have any combat utility, it was a kind of super artifact for people with various illnesses. Honestly, Linwin felt that the Rejuvenation Bead could extend a person's lifespan and maintain their health.
If someone had a dozen of these beads on them, their recovery rate would be amazing.
How many health points did it add per hour?
Linwin led Viktor and Jayce toward the dark alley. Along the way, Jayce was getting anxious due to the people staring at them, and everyone around them seemed to be constantly watching them. Viktor was also feeling uncomfortable.
This was related to the clothing they were wearing.
Linwin, too, was dressed in a way that made them stand out significantly from the people around them.
Especially Jayce, who was wearing a thick coat, a luxurious and extravagant piece with golden trim and black patterns. It was the kind of coat that immediately marked him as an Upper City resident in the eyes of the Zaunites.
And for someone like him to be in Zaun during Progress Day instead of staying in Piltover, who would believe that it wasn't for some mischief?
As they approached the border of the dark alley, Viktor grew even more nervous. He looked at some Zaunites in the distance smoking and carrying weapons by their sides. He reached out and placed his hand on Linwin's shoulder, whispering, "Linwin, let's take a different route. We need to keep our distance from them."
Jayce interjected, "Viktor, they're a gang, right?"
Viktor nodded. The reason he didn't stay in Zaun had several aspects: his health issues, the culture of Zaun, and finally, the academic atmosphere in Piltover that attracted him.
You see, when the Zaunite gang members go wild, public murders are a possibility. In Zaun, there's no rule of law to speak of.
In response, Viktor merely saw Linwin smile.
"It's okay, just follow me."
"Don't worry, he's good at fighting." Jayce patted Viktor on the back, indicating that he shouldn't be concerned.
Linwin was a beast, with speed and strength far beyond that of an ordinary person. If it came down to a fight, Linwin could easily take down anyone.
Furthermore, Jayce didn't believe the Zaunites would dare to lay a hand on him.
But only Viktor knew that today was different from the usual. It was Progress Day in Zaun. He and Linwin had revealed their identities, so the Zaunites wouldn't make trouble for their own people today. However, Jayce shouldn't try to follow them inside.
Being killed was impossible, but being caught, beaten, and thrown back to the Upper City was a real possibility.
But what happened next left Viktor feeling quite strange. As they continued walking closer to the intimidating gang members, who had now noticed the situation and were standing up or holding weapons, Linwin kept walking forward with his hands in his pockets.
Viktor saw two of them put down their weapons and then nervously gestured to the others, as if they were saying something.
The group of men jogged over, and as they got closer, one of them bowed to Linwin and said, "You're back."
Viktor: ...
Linwin patted the man's shoulder and looked at him, recognizing his face. Linwin then asked, "I remember you. You're the one who always follows Sevika, right?"
The man immediately stood up straight and replied, "Yes, it's me, Boss Linwin. Sevika is currently guarding the tavern; she asked us to watch over the black alley."
"What about Vander?"
"Boss Vander took the men to the mines, but he should be back soon."
"Boss Linwin, are these two from Piltover?"
"No, they're also from Zaun," Linwin said, in order to avoid any trouble, including Jayce as a Zaunite.
But when Linwin mentioned Jayce, he seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, take them to Old Zoran's place for me."
"Sure."
Jayce immediately asked, "Aren't we going together?"
"You and Viktor go to Old Zoran's first," Linwin smiled, patting Viktor's shoulder. "Old Zoran must miss you a lot; he often talks about you to me. He'll be very happy to see you."
"Don't worry; Zaun is different from before now."
As he spoke, Linwin raised his hand and, as he separated from them, gave orders to the seven Zaunite gang members, "Protect them for me."
"Yes."
They armed themselves and surrounded Viktor and Jayce.
"Let's go; Old Zoran's house is this way."
Jayce and Viktor: ...
What is he up to? Is he the "harmless" guy that Piltover University girls talk about?
Is this what they call "harmless"?