-36- Fantastic!

"Ms. Reta."

"No need to be so formal; you can just call me Zevi. No need for surnames. I dislike all those formalities," Zevi opened the door and let Linwin and Heimerdinger in.

Once inside, Linwin, guided by Heimerdinger, gaped at the objects around him. The laboratory's size rivaled those used by Jayce and Viktor, which clearly indicated that this laboratory was reserved for professors.

And now, it is exclusively Zevi's. It's evident that Heimerdinger may not have been exaggerating. Among the students with such privileges, there are only four in total at Piltover University: two being Jayce and Viktor, and now, the one Linwin is facing, Zevi. The fourth student, a girl, is said to be personally inspecting geological research in Shurima.

And now, Linwin looked at the various items before him. What caught his eye the most was a large contraption that resembled a mechanized suit. 

It was suspended on a mannequin with various wires and components scattered around, giving it a slightly chaotic yet impressively high-tech appearance.

The outer shell was shaped like the letter "T," fitting onto the mannequin's chest, with a flexible tube connecting to the lower chest and wrapping around the waist like a waistguard. 

Finally, there was a backplate similar to armor, attached to the mannequin's spine.

[Zevi's Armor (Incomplete Equipment)]

Quality: ★★ (Incomplete)

Effect: An unfinished piece. When completed, it will enhance the user's strength by 70 points, agility by 50 points, and provide the wearer with a special armor attack effect.

Side Effects: Zevi's incomplete creation, highly malleable, but wearing it prematurely is extremely dangerous. Danger index: 91%. Prohibited to wear prematurely!

Linwin: Wait a minute, if Zevi manages to finish this thing, it could seriously boost a person's attributes.

If Vander were to wear that, he'd turn into a monster, wouldn't he? Like Mundo or Warwick?

Linwin's attitude toward Zevi, the woman with hair like Vi's, changed as he looked at her again. 

Professor Heimerdinger is such a good person! He didn't lie to me!

Yordles are truly honest!

This is the only two-star item Linwin has seen at his current level!

"You better not keep staring at that. It's an unfinished piece, and oh, by the way, you definitely shouldn't touch it; it's very dangerous because it's incomplete."

Seeing Linwin's eagerness, Zevi found it amusing. She shrugged and said, "Because it's an unfinished piece, it's prone to malfunctions, and I don't even know if I'll ever finish it."

"Oh, by the way, Professor, what brings you and Linwin here? I believe I've told you that during times like this in the afternoon, unless it's something significant, please refrain from coming to see me."

The room had several large tables, and Zevi walked up to one of the cluttered tables. She pushed aside a pile of papers to reveal three cups and a small jar, containing half a can of tea leaves. 

Then, she went over to a kettle on a shelf against the wall. Linwin noticed Zevi press something on the kettle, and it made a humming sound.

It was heating up.

"Would you like some black tea?"

"Of course, that's fine. Even though I had some earlier at Jayce's place, I can always have more," Heimerdinger said with crossed arms, jumping onto the stool Zevi had prepared for him, and he spoke with a cheerful smile.

Linwin nodded and said, "Thank you."

Zevi remained silent until the water had boiled and three cups of black tea were prepared. Then she said, "Go on."

Heimerdinger took a sip of tea and looked puzzled. "What?"

"Professor," Linwin called out, somewhat exasperated.

"Oh, right!" Heimerdinger exclaimed.

Setting down his teacup, Heimerdinger explained, "Zevi, Linwin has come up with a small invention that requires a someone highly skilled in mechanics. I originally thought of assisting him myself, but as a councilman, I have limited time. So I thought of you."

Zevi, sipping her tea elegantly and placing the cup back onto the saucer, began, "First, my time is quite limited as well, and I have plenty of work to do on my own."

"Secondly, I'm the kind of person who only works on things that are interesting and cutting-edge. Whether it's a weapon or a biological device, if it's not interesting enough, then don't come to me."

Heimerdinger opened his mouth to respond but hesitated.

Linwin watched this interaction and thought, "??? "

Well, I guess Heimerdinger is just too kind. 

His temperament is just incredibly good. As a councilman and the highest-ranking professor in the school, if he wanted to order Zevi to do something, could she refuse? That's clearly impossible. But Heimerdinger chose not to exercise his authority and instead sat there, struggling.

"Zevi, could you at least listen to my idea?" Linwin asked.

After seeing Zevi's inventions, Linwin was convinced that she was indeed a mechanical genius on par with Jayce and Viktor. Linwin believed that she had incredible talent, especially considering that she had crafted a two-star piece of equipment without relying on magic. It might be unfinished, but that already demonstrated her potential.

"I don't think so, Linwin. It's not that I look down on you, but very few things manage to pique my interest."

"What about Hextech technology?" Linwin asked.

Zevi hesitated and looked to Heimerdinger, who nodded. 

"You see, he has a good relationship with Jayce and Viktor. They were the ones who jointly invented Hextech technology. Though Linwin might be considered just an assistant."

"Sure, I'm willing to give it a try if it's Hextech technology," Zevi changed her mind.

"Um..." Now it was Linwin's turn to feel awkward. 

The inventer of hextech is Jayce, not him, and he couldn't just pull someone into the team. 

Besides, what he wanted to invent was his own idea, so he clarified to Zevi, "It's not something related to what Jayce and Viktor are developing now. It's my own concept. My idea requires the use of Hextech gemstones, which is why I mentioned Hextech technology."

Zevi responded, "That's alright, in any case, as long as you can get that thing. Oh, and you have a good relationship with Jayce, don't you?" Zevi seemed quite familiar with Jayce, and she nodded, saying, "Although Jayce can be an annoying guy, arrogant and self-centered, he values his friends a lot."

When it came to Hextech technology, Zevi immediately showed interest. 

Currently, in Piltover, the most prominent figure is Jayce Talis and his Hextech technology. Zevi is naturally interested in it too. She has attempted to develop Hextech independently, but the Hextech crystals available on the market are extremely unstable, categorized as dangerous goods. The art of processing crystals into gemstones that can be used in magic is only held by Jayce and Viktor.

Jayce and Viktor don't even have enough of it for themselves now. Of course, they won't sell Hextech gemstones to outsiders. Both of them are not in need of money at the moment. With Piltover's great families, Jayce already has investment from both the Ferros family and the Medarda family. Not to mention his connections with the Kiramman family.

Money? Well, it's just paper.

So, when Zevi heard that Linwin might have access to Hextech gemstones after multiple unsuccessful attempts, she was naturally intrigued. 

Linwin wasted no time and explained his idea to Zevi, saying, "Hextech gemstones possess not only the ability to accelerate time and momentarily stop it but also the magical ability to transmit and store sound. What I want you to do is to modify Hextech gemstones by altering their runic pathways. Different configurations and runes should allow Hextech gemstones to produce different effects. I want to create a Hextech gemstone that can distinguish various sounds."

Zevi, however, misunderstood him. "If you want a voice recorder, I have one here. You don't need to use Hextech for that." She blinked her purple eyes and retrieved a small box to hand it to Linwin.

Linwin accepted the box but was uncertain about Zevi's intentions.

"Speak to it," Zevi said, touching the top of the box.

"Speak to it about what?" Linwin didn't grasp it.

Zevi took the box back and drew a circle on top. 

"Speak to it." It was her voice.

"Speak about what?" It was Linwin's voice.

"Oh," it dawned on him. This box had a recording function!

Linwin stared at the box in disbelief and then returned it to Zevi. "No, no, no! You misunderstood my idea. I don't want a recording box. I want to create something that allows two people to communicate remotely. For example, someone standing on the bridge could communicate in real-time with us here."

"That's impossible. Real-time communication over such distances? You're talking about magic," Zevi scoffed.

But Heimerdinger, still seated, clapped his hands. "Wow, Linwin, your idea is fantastic! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Before Linwin could respond, Professor Heimerdinger continued to mutter to himself, "Hextech technology can transmit and accelerate things; it can even manipulate time. If we modify the runes, it might be possible to transmit sound. If we can establish certain rules... it might just work!"

Heimerdinger jumped off his chair, pacing back and forth, deep in thought.

Zevi, watching the pacing professor, turned to Linwin and said, "I think we need to have another conversation about this."