CHAPTER 17 - Return to the Lanes

"I'm preparing to create an entire set of exoskeleton-powered armor; this prosthetic arm is just a part of it," Li Lin announced.

Upon hearing Li Lin's statement, Jayce contemplated for a moment. "A complete set of powered mechs. Relying solely on Hextech technology batteries as a power source isn't enough. Cost is a significant issue, and Hextech crystal is so unstable... How do you plan to apply it?"

He objectively evaluated Li Lin's idea.

"Its primary function is to protect the wearer and enhance human capabilities. In fact, it can be applied in various fields, such as dockworkers at the Gates of Day or miners working underground—jobs that require physical labor," Li Lin explained.

Pausing briefly, Li Lin continued, "However, I personally lean towards applying it in the military sector."

"You've experienced war, so I understand your perspective," Jayce shook his head, disagreeing with Li Lin's point of view. "But as a scientist, shouldn't we be creating an era of progress and peace? Why develop weaponry?"

"Peace? No, Jayce, your vision is too narrow," Li Lin responded solemnly. "A crisis is approaching, you just haven't realized it yet. If we want a better future, we must be prepared from now."

Jayce sighed, his expression complex. When it came to crises, he recalled the uprising in the Undercity against the oppression from the Upper City a few years ago.

Back then, Jayce had just come of age, and he could never forget the scenes he witnessed.

Crimson smoke covered the sky, the entire Piltover canal almost turned red with blood, countless lifeless bodies floated on the river, carried into the Guardian's Sea to the east, becoming food for underwater creatures.

That day was called the "Day of Ashes" by people from both city-states, and it was also the merciless slaughter by Upper City enforcers against the rebels from the Undercity.

Although relations between Upper and Under City had improved over the years, Jayce knew deep down that it was just surface-level peace.

The accumulated conflicts between the two city-states would inevitably erupt again, it was only a matter of time.

And this time, it would be more severe.

A crisis?

Perhaps...

Maybe Li Lin was right.

Jayce took a deep breath, slightly shifting his heavy mood. "Alright, let's not discuss this for now. Just focus on the current issues. How do you plan to solve the energy problem?"

Li Lin took out a fragment of a Hextech crystal from the power arm and waved it in front of Jayce. "Actually, I've made some progress. If I have a complete crystal, I'm about... well, 90% sure I can stabilize it."

He didn't make his statement too absolute, avoiding the risk of embarrassing himself if something went wrong during the first attempt to create a Hextech energy crystal.

"Huh?" Jayce expressed disbelief, "Are you sure you're not joking?!"

I spent almost half a month researching and made almost negligible progress! And you, you claim to have a 90% chance of stabilizing a complete crystal after just a few days with fragments?

I suspect you're playing with my feelings...

Frowning, Jayce looked at Li Lin with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

Li Lin patted his shoulder and chuckled, "Why would I deceive you? It's not beneficial to me...

"Oh, by the way, I suddenly remembered that the Hextech crystals I ordered should have arrived. Do you want to come with me to Zaun?"

Jayce: "???"

...

...

About an hour had passed.

Li Lin and Jayce descended to the middle plaza of Zaun on a Hextech Whirlybird, once again entering the heart of the lanes.

The industrial exhaust and the hazy mist produced by alchemical toxins still enveloped this district, corroding the lives of every Undercity dweller.

As they disembarked from the Whirlybird, Jayce immediately donned his Hextech breathing filter, looking at Li Lin with a serious tone, "Who did you commission to find the crystal for you?"

"An old acquaintance of yours." Li Lin, with prior experience, also equipped a breathing filter, "The place where you buy crystal shards."

"You mean Benso?" Jayce pondered for a moment, a realization dawning on him, "Didn't he say it would take until next year to get the crystal?"

"That's because the money you provided wasn't enough."

"Tsk, he's quite the shrewd merchant." Jayce clicked his tongue, "He sold me a single crystal shard for 50 silver wheels last time. To get a complete crystal earlier, you probably need a lot of gold wheels, right?"

"Three gold wheels for a complete crystal. If not obtained before Progress Day, it drops to one gold wheel." Li Lin glanced at Jayce in surprise, "You know he's a shrewd merchant, right? Why didn't you haggle last time?"

"No need for that. This amount of money is nothing to the Kiramman family."

Li Lin silently mocked in his mind, 'Your words are quite boastful. People who don't know might think you're spending your own money...'

"Where are we heading? Benso's Emporium isn't in this direction, is it?" Jayce suddenly noticed that Li Lin was going the wrong way, asking in confusion.

"First, let's go to The Last Drop tavern. I have a favor to repay."

"The incident where you and Caitlyn were attacked last time?"

Recalling the days when he was helping to find Caitlyn, Jayce, combined with Li Lin's recent words, furrowed his brows.

"I heard you didn't escape on your own? How did you get involved with Undercity people?"

Jayce, a true-born citizen of Piltover, had been instilled with the three fundamental laws of the Progress City since childhood:

Invention, Discovery, and Keep as far away from Zaun as possible.

So, upon hearing Li Lin saying he had to repay a favor to Undercity people, his first reaction was "trouble."

Noticing Jayce's expression, Li Lin commented, "From your tone, it seems you have a significant bias against Zaun?"

"I don't think this can be called bias, because it's not just me. The majority of Upper City residents also think Zaun is troublesome, right?"

"I feel like this can't be called bias, because not just me, but the vast majority of Upper City residents also find Zaun troublesome, right?"

Jayce stealthily surveyed the surroundings, making sure that no Undercity residents were within earshot, then lowered his voice.

"Have you ever known that Piltover was once a part of Zaun?"

"How is that possible?! Piltover has been built for 216 years this year..."

"What about before Piltover was founded? Did this place not exist?"

Li Lin chuckled, not giving Jayce a chance to speak, and immediately added:

"Oshra Va'Zaun, formerly a northern trade station of the Shuriman Empire, became a part of the underground due to a failed canal excavation, with one part of the city sinking into the underground, and the other part towering on cliffs.

"The rich and powerful families moved to a more stable Upper City, taking advantage of geographical and environmental advantages to build the current Sun Gates Dam. They named this newly risen city 'Piltover.'"

"The so-called Upper and Under Cities were originally 'sisters' intertwined like milk and water. The fates of the people in both cities were the same. Everyone knew it, but no one was willing to openly admit it."

Li Lin's words left Jayce speechless, unsure where to begin refuting.

After a long silence, he weakly uttered, "But there is no record of these things in the history books of the Piltover Library..."

"I think, with your intelligence, you should be able to tell that what I said is indeed true."

Jayce fell silent again.

His mother had told him many bedtime stories when he was a child, one of which was the legend of over two hundred years ago when the Wind Goddess Janna appeared, saving the people from the raging floods.

Saving the people of Zaun...

At that time, there was no Piltover.

"Like I said before, Jayce, your perspective is too limited to one place."

Li Lin spoke with a deep tone, but there was no hint of sarcasm in his words.

"We are all frogs at the bottom of the well, but whether we stay in the well, only looking up at the limited area above our heads, or jump out of the well to embrace a broader world, that's our own choice.

"Since you have chosen to risk and pioneer a new era, it proves that you are not a person who sticks to old ways and seals their own fate. You should understand the profound impact such deep-seated biases can have on your thinking..."

Li Lin didn't finish his words. He wanted to give Jayce some time for self-reflection, and he believed that Jayce could understand the meaning behind his words.

Silence prevailed.

After more than ten minutes passed, the two of them finally stopped at the entrance of a bar on the outskirts of the lanes.

"The Last Drop" was engraved on the signboard above the door, and the bar was already open for business, with a few people scattered inside, drinking or enjoying themselves.

Li Lin looked up for a moment, then turned his gaze to the still "existential-crisis" Jayce, smiling, "Are you coming in? Or are you waiting here?"

"..." Jayce hesitated for a moment, looked at Li Lin, and then said, "I'll go in with you."