-38- Friend

October 7th, at 8:00 in the morning. 

Linwin got up from his bed, prepared himself, and headed towards Jayce's laboratory. 

Today, he needed to get a few Hextech gems from Jayce, but he wasn't sure if Jayce would give them to him, as these items were currently in high demand.

In recent times, traveling merchants from outside Piltover had also set their eyes on Mr. Talis's inventions. Just as Professor Heimerdinger had mentioned, Jayce had become the rising star of Piltover, and everyone from the Council to the residents knew that a young man was trying to blend magic and technology to create a new era.

As a result, the importance of Hextech gems... Well, Linwin wasn't entirely sure.

He reached the laboratory door, composed his expression, smiled, and gently pushed the door open. It was not yet 8:30 in the morning, but Jayce was already in the lab. Viktor was also nearby, and the two were silently going about their work.

However, this silence only referred to the absence of spoken words, but there were the sounds of heavy objects being struck.

"Boom! Thud!"

Jayce held a massive hammer in his hand and raised it high, then struck down with force onto a Hextech gem embedded in a stone slab. Linwin's eyes involuntarily twitched. If that thing exploded, Jayce, who was closest, would be sent flying by the shockwave. A light impact could result in fractures, and a severe one could turn him into a bloody pulp.

"Hey, Jayce."

Linwin approached Jayce and patted his broad back.

"Linwin, you came at the right time. Quick, you're strong, help me with this."

Upon hearing Linwin's voice, Jayce showed a hint of delight and handed the hammer to Linwin. He said, "Help me strike it real hard."

"Uh, how should I strike it?"

Linwin rolled up his sleeves and held the hammer while looking at Jayce.

"Smash the Hextech gem on the top. This is a large-sized Hextech gem that Viktor and I developed recently. It contains three times the energy of a regular gem! I need this stone slab to use as a base."

"Are you sure it won't explode?" Linwin hesitated.

Hextech crystals breaking could lift Linwin off the ground, and Hextech gems breaking could potentially result in two out of the three people in the room meeting an unfortunate fate.

"Don't worry, it won't shatter. The latest gem's internal structure is stable enough, and gravity won't alter its internal composition. So go ahead and hit it with confidence."

Scientists always said things like.... it won't go wrong, it won't explode, trust us, it's safe. 

Of course, Linwin felt relieved, but in case of any mishap in research at this level, it's practically synonymous with death!

Jayce gave Linwin a big thumbs up and urged him, "Alright, I'm counting on you."

"Got it."

Linwin took a deep breath, then followed Jayce's instructions and swung the hammer with all his might. He arched his back, used all his strength, and struck the massive metal hammerhead onto the gem. It emitted a brilliant blue light.

"Boom!"

Viktor, who was working on his research, turned in surprise. He had just felt the ground shake, and even the table trembled.

"That's it, Linwin, give it to me!" Jayce exclaimed excitedly.

Linwin's single swing felt like the work of a heavy-duty machine. Jayce originally thought that if he couldn't do it, he would have to wait until the afternoon and ask for help from the mechanics in another area. But now, Linwin had made it look easy!

What an excellent assistant!

A few minutes later, when Linwin had successfully embedded the Hextech gem into the metallic plate, penetrating it by over ten centimeters, Jayce finally instructed him to stop.

Jayce touched the smooth surface of the stone plate and displayed a satisfied expression. "Great, no need to wait until the afternoon, no need for a long trip back and forth, and no need to ask for help."

He then turned to Linwin and asked, "By the way, Linwin, what did you need me for?"

"Uh, I have a small invention that requires Hextech gems, so I came to ask for some from you," Linwin replied to Jayce.

Then, considering Jayce's arrogant and self-assured personality, Linwin quickly added, "Of course, I know they're very valuable. I can start with an IOU."

Before Linwin could finish his sentence, Jayce looked at him strangely, saying, "What are you talking about?"

"We're friends, after all. Hextech is my invention, but you've also helped me. Well, even if you were just assisting me, as I mentioned to you before, you saved me. So, I'll consider the Hextech as my way of repaying you."

"Of course, Viktor has a share too, and he's in charge of the Hextech gems now."

Jayce displayed his pearly white teeth and laughed heartily.

Despite having faced life and death, Jayce remained the same Jayce, the incredibly brilliant yet arrogantly self-confident individual. But he was no longer the Jayce driven solely by fame, fortune, and power.

Jayce's current desire was singular: to join forces with Viktor and genuinely advance Hextech technology for the betterment of everyone in Piltover.

This was their common goal.

Science is progress.

Progress is beauty.

This was their shared vision.

"Viktor!"

Jayce waved and called out loudly.

"Jayce, could you keep it down a bit? I can hear you talking. I'm just cripple, not deaf," Viktor, who was generally mild-tempered, turned around, and in a rather displeased tone, he said, "I've been working for three nights straight, three nights! And now, I am seriously warning you, Jayce Talis!"

Viktor leaned on his cane and walked over to a large blue box. He placed his finger on a button, and with a "click," the box opened, revealing a large number of Hextech gems inside.

Viktor picked up a few and continued, "Please, in the future, keep the same schedule as I do. Don't forge hammers when I'm trying to sleep because I can't sleep in a noisy environment like you!"

"Can you blame me? Linwin, why don't you be the judge? I told him to go back to the dorm and sleep, but he decided not to," Jayce argued.

"I'm doing this for Hextech," Viktor scolded Jayce, but when he turned to Linwin, his expression softened, and his tone became gentle and soothing instead of irate. "Are these enough for you?"

"Enough," Linwin accepted them, receiving a total of four Hextech gems. His initial plan was for two because he wanted to create a system for voice communication. However, Viktor provided him with four.

"If it's not enough, come find me, or you can take it yourself. The password is the first letter of Jayce's name," Viktor said, letting out a yawn, clearly fatigued.

"By the way, would you and Jayce like to participate in my invention? How about getting credit for it?" Linwin asked.

Viktor smiled and responded, "Of course, we can."

However, Jayce, not far away, protested, "No way, my name can't be slapped on any random invention."

"Are you sure you don't want to?" Linwin added. He wanted to repay Viktor and Jayce, even though he was currently penniless. Luckily, he still had a great idea to share.

Linwin was convinced that if the Hextech phone were successfully developed, its impact would be significant. Having their names attached would be a beneficial gesture.

"Of course, I don't want to. Your brain simply can't keep up. You're the first person whose brain couldn't keep pace with mine yet I still considered a friend," Jayce chuckled.

Linwin felt his fist getting itchy...

"Alright, alright, if you don't have anything else, don't bother me and Viktor. Go sit over there, have some food and tea, and wait for me to call you, okay?" Jayce said.

"No way," Linwin responded with a mischievous smile, holding the Hextech gems. He dashed to the door, calling out to Jayce and Viktor, "I'm going to work on my invention. I won't have time to help you with odd jobs anymore!"

After saying that, Linwin turned and ran. There was a stagger in his footsteps. Jayce scrambled to the door, watching Linwin disappear into the distance. He wasn't surprised at all. Because that guy was not only strong but also incredibly fast.

However, without Linwin, how would they manage all the miscellaneous tasks? Despite being a bit of a dimwit, Linwin was a useful one!

Then, within the early hours at Piltover University, a mournful scream echoed:

"No!"

"Linwin, come back!"

"I need you!"

Inside the room, Viktor was pressing his cane against his head, his head bobbing up and down. It appeared that Viktor had fallen asleep while standing and was startled by the scream.

"Jayce!" Viktor unusually raised his voice.

"Linwin ran away! Viktor, without Linwin's help, moving all those heavy objects will require a lot of manpower."

"Wait, Viktor, don't be angry!"

"Stay away, don't come any closer!"

"Alright, alright, it's my fault. I won't make any noise when you're sleeping, okay?"

Viktor approached Jayce, and Jayce begged, "Really?"

"Uh....Really?"

"Bonk!"

That was the sound of a cane hitting someone's head.