CHAPTER 29 - Heimerdinger - You're Quite a Genius

After a carriage ride from the Unknown Plaza the group had just arrived at Piltover University, near the Star Street. 

As they reached the entrance, Jayce was seen welcoming numerous visitors who had come to explore the school.

Caitlyn waved at him, "Jayce!"

"Happy Progress Day, Councilor Kiramman, Mr. Tobias, Li Lin, and Caitlyn. Professor Heimerdinger is waiting for you in his office," Jayce greeted them.

With a polite gesture, Jayce led the group, including Councilor Kiramman's couple, towards the professor's office.

Similar to other areas in the city, Piltover University campus was adorned with decorations to celebrate Progress Day.

Students, merchants, university staff from the southern district, craftsmen from Clockwork Street, and even citizens from the working class, along with wealthy individuals from Zaun, all chose to visit Piltover's renowned educational institution.

Everyone strolling through the campus was dressed in respectable, understated festive attire, equipped with various intricate mechanical devices.

However, Li Lin, being a skilled mechanic, easily recognized that most people's Hextech-enhanced prosthetics were, in fact, fake. They were merely showcasing their social status and wealth to the ordinary citizens and the people from the Undercity.

Unbeknownst to them, such behavior seemed foolish in the eyes of technicians and craftsmen who truly understood Hextech.

Jayce led the group through the maze-like Piltover University, making several turns.

Eventually, they took an elevator to the top floor of the academy.

Jayce gently knocked on an exquisitely crafted double door, "Professor Heimerdinger, Councilor Kiramman is here."

"The door's not locked, come in quickly," came a slightly sharp voice from inside.

Jayce opened the door, and the group entered the room with him.

Heimerdinger's office perfectly matched Li Lin's imagination of Yordle living spaces.

A table less than half a meter tall, miniature chairs of around twenty to thirty centimeters in height, and various proportionally scaled-down mechanical devices suitable for Yordles.

In the spacious room, apart from rows of shelves filled almost to the ceiling with books, everything else was miniaturized.

It felt as if Gragas had entered a land of little people, with a unique style.

Heimerdinger sat at the central desk in the room, focusing on something in front of him.

Under his chair, a fluffy Yordle with a single eyeglass on its face lay on the ground, happily snoring and sticking out its tongue while asleep.

Hearing the sound of the door, Heimerdinger looked up and smiled, "Happy Progress Day, Councilor Kiramman."

"Likewise, Professor Heimerdinger," replied Cassandra, smiling as well.

Jayce brought in a few chairs from another room, inviting them to sit.

Then, he took out a bottle of champagne and four large and one small metal goblets from the cabinet, filling them with wine.

"A few days ago, I received your message. You mentioned recommending a young man for this year's speech," Heimerdinger said.

Cassandra, holding her wine glass, gestured to Li Lin to stand beside her.

"I brought him, Professor Heimerdinger. I believe you should know him," she said.

Heimerdinger squinted at Li Lin for a moment, then blew a strand of his thick white beard from his mouth, "Oh, you're the young man who provided testimony at the council meeting that day, Li Lin, if I remember correctly?"

"That's correct, Professor Heimerdinger," Li Lin quickly scanned him, responding confidently.

Playing Yordle champions in the game was one thing, but encountering a real Yordle was a different experience altogether.

Heimerdinger's eyes showed curiosity, then he looked at Cassandra, "I wonder why Councilor Kiramman is recommending him for a speech?"

"I mentioned to you earlier that the Kiramman family has developed an invention that can usher in a new era."

"That's true, but you didn't reveal much to me," Heimerdinger said, hearing Cassandra's implicit message, suddenly becoming interested.

"Darling," Cassandra signaled to her husband sitting beside her.

Tobias understood and took out a small device composed of wheels, magnets, bearings, and copper wires from the bag he had been carrying all along. He handed it to Li Lin.

A spark of curiosity flickered in Heimerdinger's eyes.

"Professor Heimerdinger, I'll demonstrate for you now," Li Lin put down his wine glass, inserted the light bulb into the slot on the base, and grabbed the handle of the hand-cranked generator, gently turning it.

At the same time, the small light bulb lit up with an unstable glow.

Heimerdinger's eyes lit up, "Is this... a generator?"

"Exactly, a hand-cranked generator that doesn't require Hextech battery or crystal as an energy source."

Li Lin handed the hand-cranked generator to the excited Heimerdinger.

"This, this is remarkable! Councilor Kiramman, is this why you're recommending him for the speech?"

"I've mentioned it before; the Kiramman family has developed an invention that can usher in a new era."

"Mmm... Forming a magnetic field with magnets, causing the coil to generate an electromotive force in the rotating magnetic field..." Heimerdinger's eyes lit up. "Oh, hehehe! This is truly a great invention!"

"This is called the principle of electromagnetic induction," Li Lin added from the side.

"Electromagnetic induction... fascinating!" Heimerdinger widened his eyes. "If we make slight improvements to this generator, we can completely replace the devices that currently rely on Hextech crystals to provide energy!"

Lady Cassandra chuckled, "That's right. The generator can change our dependence on Hex crystals, and its cost is even lower compared to them... But there's no need for improvements."

Heimerdinger's pure white furry eyebrows raised, "Why?"

"I've already created its advanced versions. There are ones that utilize solar energy, wind energy, water energy, and even heat energy."

Li Lin pieced together these non-existent professional terms from Piltover's language, but Heimerdinger immediately understood his meaning.

"Converting solar radiation, the kinetic energy of wind and water, and the heat energy of combustion into electricity through mechanical devices..."

Heimerdinger jumped off the chair, moving it just enough to disturb the sleeping poro, awakening it as well.

He took small steps to approach Li Lin, looking up at this young "little giant."

"Child, your invention will be recorded in Piltover's history." Heimerdinger stroked his beard, his voice trembling with excitement. "No... not just that, they will erect a statue in your honor. You will be remembered as the pioneer of a new era, forever etched in the minds of future generations!"

In simple terms, you, kid, are truly a genius!

Li Lin scratched his head awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"Professor Heimerdinger, you're getting so excited now, it seems a bit premature," Lady Cassandra said with a hint of teasing in her words.

"Hmm? How so?" Heimerdinger took in a sharp breath. "Could there be an invention more important than a generator?"

"That's natural."

Lady Cassandra had Tobias take out a delicate metal code box from her bag.

She quickly opened the code box and took out a non-luminous blue crystal from it.

"Isn't this just an uncharged Hextech crystal? Just looks a bit different," Heimerdinger didn't understand Cassandra's intention.

"This is called a Hextech Energy Crystal, a new invention by Li Lin and Jayce."

The smile on Cassandra's face never disappeared. "It's an improved version of the Hex crystal, a technology that controls magic with science. It's highly stable, and the energy efficiency has been increased several times. It can be used on almost any device."

"Wait a moment!" Before Cassandra could finish, Heimerdinger's face suddenly changed, and he asked in a shocked tone, "Did you just say... control magic?!"

...

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(End of this chapter)