-39- Good relationships

Piltover University had an extremely strong academic atmosphere, and this was perhaps the only place in Piltover without power struggles, thanks to the leadership of Heimerdinger.

Under his wise guidance, Piltover University became a sanctuary for Piltover scientists before they embarked on their careers. Regardless of whether you were an investor from any family, and no matter whom you had invested in, you couldn't interfere in a student's inventions while they were at the university. In the school, everything revolved around the students' ideas.

In this environment, Linwin quickly lost track of time while diligently exploring the possibility of the Hextech phone. Soon, he had been living in the upper city for a month.

He had known Zevi Reta for a month as well, and during this period, his relationship with Zevi had grown closer. The Chief Mechanist of Piltover University was actually quite easy to get along with, provided you followed the rules she had established.

"Um, Professor, can you hear me?"

"My goodness, Linwin, you've done an outstanding job!"

"Professor, I just explained the principles; the real credit goes to Zevi."

Heimerdinger nodded without a doubt, "You both have done an outstanding job."

In Zevi's laboratory at this moment, Heimerdinger was listening to the sound coming from the table. Although it was somewhat distorted, he could recognize the voice as Zevi's.

With his hands crossed, Heimerdinger said, "Zevi, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Professor, but your voice sounds a bit distorted, quite unnatural."

Both Linwin and Heimerdinger exchanged a glance and looked at the small device on the table. It was a blue and white rectangular box with a size that fit comfortably in one's hand. It featured various numeric buttons and combined shades of sky blue and silver, making it appealing to both men and women.

"I can't believe it. It's only been a month, a very short time, but you have achieved so much," Heimerdinger praised.

"We haven't really achieved it, Professor," Zevi remarked. She continued, "What Linwin wants is not a pair of simple communication boxes. He's looking for something more advanced. The current communication range of these 'phones' is too short, Professor. They can only operate within a 15-meter range, which is not what we're aiming for."

"Yes, Zevi is right, Professor. The current 'phones' don't even have the capability for broadcasting. They can only make one-to-one calls."

One-to-one, single-directional... isn't that like a walkie-talkie?

Heimerdinger had been following Linwin and Zevi's inventions, but he hadn't been there throughout the process, so he was not fully aware of the details. In his eyes, the real invention of the telephone had only just begun.

"However, making a real telephone shouldn't take much longer," Zevi said confidently. Being a true genius, she could easily grasp the concepts Linwin was discussing. 

Addressing Heimerdinger on the other end of the line, she continued, "All we need to do is to improve the clarity of the inscriptions and, as Linwin suggested, set up a Hextech station in the academy using several Hextech gems to receive the information from each phone and inscribe it. This would give us the basic functionality of a telephone."

"And it won't take long to accomplish this."

Heimerdinger tilted his head, blinked his large eyes, and asked, "Do you need my help?"

Linwin replied with a smile, "No, Professor. Just as Zevi mentioned, this work won't take much longer. At most, it will require six more months, and we'll have our first functional telephone."

The power of Hextech was astounding, so much so that Linwin found it challenging to explain. Telephones traditionally relied on the conversion of electric and sound energy, using electricity to transmit information. However, with the inclusion of Hextech gems, the magic involved far surpassed scientific capabilities.

Hextech gems could accomplish a wide range of tasks on their own. Initially, Linwin had been contemplating the issue of usage range. If the telephone couldn't function over long distances, its purpose would be significantly limited. However, Zevi provided a solution right away.

Zevi's solution was inspired by Linwin's casual mention of "base station." Hextech gems had the capacity to store information and retain "memory." 

By loading different Hextech telephone models into designated Hextech gems and configuring them accordingly as base stations, the following scenario would occur:

Suppose A initiates a call to B, and they are within the appropriate range. The two phones would directly establish a connection. 

However, if A's Hextech gem's energy range couldn't reach B's location, the magical energy from A's phone would pass through the nearest Hextech base station. A group of advanced Hextech gems, interconnected in a network, would accept A's magical energy, assess A's dialing capabilities, and actively search for B's energy to establish a link between the two phones.

This way, B can receive A's phone call.

Zevi's approach not only solved the distance issue but also eliminated the possibility of counterfeiting. Even though Piltover had copyrights, in reality, telephones weren't very complex devices. The only real challenges were the availability of Hextech gems and microfabrication skills.

The first point, the availability of Hextech gems, would no longer be a valuable commodity in the future. As Hextech technology became widespread in just a few years, these gems would be common.

The second point, Zevi's exceptional craftsmanship as a mechanist in Piltover, was undeniable. However, it was important to note that on the other side of Runeterra, in Shurima, there were numerous skilled crystal fabricators who excelled in microfabrication. They were certainly capable of working with Hextech gems.

As a result, Zevi's method effectively eliminated the possibility of counterfeit Hextech telephones. Linwin was incredibly thankful that Heimerdinger introduced him to Zevi.

Initially, the telephone had only been an idea in Linwin's mind, and he had never imagined that he could potentially create it within a year. Just then, the door swung open, and Zevi entered holding another pink telephone. She had an irritated expression on her face. Her reason for being upset? 

"Linwin, please take Jayce and leave my lab."

She directed her words at Linwin. Heimerdinger curiously peeked in, only to see a tall and handsome young man who was a head taller than Zevi, squeezing his way through the door.

He had his arms open, and he exclaimed, "Zevi, please return Linwin to me; he's mine."

Linwin's response? "."

Heimerdinger slapped himself on the face.

Jayce is here again. This is the third time this month that Heimerdinger witnessed such a scene. Although he had met with Linwin and Zevi a maximum of ten times in this month, he had seen this scenario three times, showing just how frequent Jayce's visits were.

"Enough, Jayce. I've told you countless times," Zevi said with a stern tone.

"It's not Linwin following me to do research; it's me following Linwin to conduct research. He's the founder of the Hextech telephone!"

Upon hearing this, Jayce stood upright, and he spoke very seriously to Zevi, "Do you think that just by saying this, I will believe you? Given Linwin's brain, he couldn't have come up with something like this."

Before Jace could finish his sentence, Linwin covered Jayce's mouth. 

Jayce turned to look at Linwin, saying, "Mmm-mmm? (Are you coming back with me?)"

Linwin responded, "Shut up."

Linwin picked Jayce up, slung him over his shoulder, and gave Zevi an apologetic look. Then, he walked away, ignoring Jayce's protests.

This left Heimerdinger in an amused state and Zevi feeling somewhat angry.

"Professor, please stop laughing. Jayce has disrupted my plans so many times, and it's really annoying!"

Zevi expressed her frustration to Heimerdinger.

But Heimerdinger chuckled and said, "Could this possibly be a bad thing, my dear? I've always been worried that you were too focused on your inventions and forgot about the people around you. You've never really had any friends. But look at you now, calling him 'Mr Talis' and now addressing him as Jayce."

"What does that prove? It doesn't mean I like him," Zevi replied, exasperated.

But Heimerdinger shook his head, and as the Yordle hopped off his stool, he walked away, hands behind his back, making sharp remarks as he reached the door, "My child, social interaction is also an essential skill. Look, Linwin and Jayce, they have such a good relationship."

"You still have much to learn, my child."

With that, Heimerdinger's figure disappeared.

Leaving Zevi to look at the blue phone on the desk and the pink phone in her hand. The genius young mechanic fell silent for a while, then rubbed her head vigorously.

"Damn it."

"You've really messed up my plans," Zevi muttered quietly in the room.