As the night descended, a silver full moon hung high in the sky, casting a delicate veil of translucent mist over Piltover, tinted with a faint gray haze.
Following the conclusion of the Kiramman's household banquet, guests from various noble families bid farewell, boarding their carriages guided by the hospitality of the Kiramman couple and their servants.
At the entrance of the courtyard, with the support of Li Lin and Mel, Jayce, who seemed a bit intoxicated and muttered incomprehensible words, also boarded his carriage.
After exchanging greetings with Li Lin, Caitlyn, Viktor, and Skye, Mel joined Jayce in the carriage, and the driver set off.
Later, the group gathered near the entrance of the courtyard, engaging in casual conversation.
Li Lin discussed progress in Zaun's cellular organization and the Shimmer formula with Viktor. Caitlyn and Skye, on the other hand, delved into topics more typical of young women.
Given Viktor's expertise in mechanical engineering, much like Jayce, his previous research focused on the physical aspects of chemtech. However, his knowledge of chemistry and genetics was limited, causing a stall in the research on the "gene enhancement" serum.
Despite the assistance of the system, the city of Piltover, with its lack of emphasis on chemistry, offered few relevant books on such research. Moreover, alchemical technology was often inhumane, requiring extensive human experimentation, leaving Li Lin with little room for contribution.
Victor mentioned having devised a solution, but Li Lin refrained from further inquiry.
After a while, Professor Heimerdinger and Lady Cassandra emerged from the house, concluding their conversation with laughter.
Tonight, Viktor had been personally selected by the head of the academy to attend Caitlyn's coming-of-age ceremony, accompanying Skye.
"Professor Heimerdinger."
As Heimerdinger approached, Viktor opened the carriage door for him.
"Oh-ho-ho, what a delightful evening it has been, Councilor Kiramman! Thank you so much for your hospitality."
Heimerdinger, supported by Viktor and assisted by Skye, ascended the carriage.
Subsequently, he leaned out, blowing his white beard in the wind and addressed Cassandra, who had just joined them.
"It has been my honor, Councilor Heimerdinger." Cassandra responded with a polite smile.
Then, Heimerdinger withdrew his head and waved to Viktor and Skye under the carriage.
"All right, children, it's getting late. Get on the carriage; we're heading back to the academy. We have more work to do tomorrow."
Once Li Lin, Caitlyn, and Cassandra bid farewell and boarded the carriage, Heimerdinger, having recalled something, peered out again, looking at Li Lin.
"Oh, my child! I almost forgot an important fact regarding your research on 'artificial intelligence.' With the auxiliary chip you provided, I seem to have some insights... but there are still some minor issues. Come to the academy tomorrow morning, and we'll discuss it further."
"Sure, Professor Heimerdinger. I'll come to your office tomorrow morning."
"All right, then," Heimerdinger withdrew his head, "See you tomorrow, my child. I wish you sweet dreams tonight."
Sweet dreams...
more like tonight might be a sleepless night.
Li Lin glanced at Councilor Cassandra, standing beside him with a smile that concealed any traces of amusement. However, her bitter expression flashed across his face.
As they watched Heimerdinger's carriage depart, Cassandra turned her head slightly, casting a quick glance at Li Lin and Caitlyn. Subconsciously, Caitlyn moved closer to Li Lin.
Yet, this gesture only intensified Cassandra's dangerous gaze.
The atmosphere in the air gradually shifted into a delicate and awkward state.
After a moment, Cassandra averted her gaze, turned around, and walked toward the guest reception hall in the side mansion.
There were still a few guests there, entertained by her husband, Tobias.
As she walked, without looking back, Cassandra said to the two, "You two, wait for me in the main reception hall. We need to have a serious talk."
Her voice revealed no emotions, leaving Caitlyn uncertain about what to expect.
"What should we do? Mom seems upset..." Caitlyn whispered.
She gently tugged at Li Lin's garment, her expression slightly resentful. "Why did you do that at the ball? Now that Mom knows, we're both in trouble."
Li Lin, looking at the figure that had already disappeared through the distant door, turned back to Caitlyn with a teasing tone, saying, "I didn't see our mom angry. Maybe she approves of us?"
"!!?"
Hearing Li Lin's words, Caitlyn's expression turned bewildered, staring at the man in front of her with a dumbfounded look.
"I, I haven't settled things with our mom! Who said anything about our mom?"
Realizing what she said, her face turned red, and she pinched Li Lin's waist, causing him to wince.
What woman has a special skill for attacking men like this...
Li Lin quickly caught her small hand, stepping back, "Ouch, that hurts. I was just joking. You took my first kiss, don't you plan to take responsibility?"
Caitlyn widened her eyes, a surprised expression on her face. "It was you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her face turned black, and she thought of attacking Li Lin again.
"Oh, you're already abusing me, and we're not even married yet..."
Li Lin said in a mournful tone, his comical appearance making Caitlyn burst into laughter.
"Get lost..."
She poked Li Lin's cheek, "You said that to me just now. We can joke around, but don't let Mom hear it. She'll be angry."
Caitlyn withdrew her hand with a snort, her delicately flushed face turned away, and her voice was not as stern as before.
She paused for a moment, as if thinking of something, then turned back to face Li Lin. With a pretend angry expression, she added, "Maybe, she'll kick you out and never let us meet again."
"If it really comes to that, won't you be sad?"
Li Lin saw through Caitlyn's attempt to scare him and laughed, reaching out to scrape her nose. This made her wrinkle her nose, exhaling heavily twice.
"What are you doing!"
Caitlyn slapped Li Lin's hand away, pouting, with a girlish look as if she hadn't grown up.
"Just you? Why would I be sad?"
She looked a bit hypocritical.
"Then I'll be sad."
Li Lin pretended to sigh in disappointment. "You were not so distant from me before tonight, Cait."
"That's, that's different..."
Caitlyn lowered her head, and her face, like a ripe red apple, blushed. She stammered for a while before finally squeezing out a sentence.
Her hands, wearing white semi-transparent lace gloves, pressed against her flushed cheeks, trying to use the slight coolness of the gloves to cool down her hot face.
Caitlyn, still in her teenage years, looked really cute~~
Li Lin stared at her with a smile, enjoying teasing this girl who had not yet become the mature sheriff in the future, always wanting to play with her.
After a while, Caitlyn's blank mind finally recovered slightly.
"Humph~~ Instead of worrying about love affairs right now, it's better to think about how to deal with my mom... Oh, and my dad."
She tried to pretend to be calm, lifting her watery eyes to meet Li Lin's gaze.
"Mr. Tobias won't be a problem; I think he might even support me." Li Lin waved his hand. "The key is Mrs. Cassandra here."
"My mom loves me; she won't let me suffer. I don't think she'll be impressed by just a dozen or so invention designs from you."
Caitlyn frowned, also thinking about how to deal with her mom.
"You don't really understand the value of my dozen or so design drawings, Cait..."
Mrs. Cassandra will definitely not refuse this gift, ah no... should I say dowry.
Li Lin smiled without saying a word, just beckoning to Caitlyn to follow him and then turning to walk towards the main house.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Preparing for your dowry."
(End of this chapter)
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