Viktor had conducted some research on the Void carapace previously extracted by Kai'Sa, giving him a certain level of understanding of the Void.
Jayce, on the other hand, had never paid much attention to such matters. Lacking professional expertise and given that Li Lin never tasked him with studying the Void, his knowledge in this area was minimal.
Naturally, since he was unaware of the ultimate threat posed by the Void, not to mention the curse of Ruination or the potential resurgence of Mordekaiser's undead army, Jayce and Viktor were completely clueless about Li Lin's statement: "Runeterra is saved."
From their perspective, the threats to Runeterra were limited to previously discussed dangers, such as the celestial beings' watchful gaze over the world and the uncertain possibility of the Darkin breaking their seals. Beyond that, what other threats could there possibly be?
But seeing Li Lin deep in heated discussion with Heimerdinger over theoretical concepts, Viktor decided not to interrupt and held Jayce back.
Ever since unlocking the secrets of quantum theory and applied quantum mechanics, Li Lin had granted Heimerdinger the highest access privileges to his AI database.
As one of the foremost researchers in Runeterra, aside from Li Lin himself, Heimerdinger's unique insights into quantum theory could potentially lead to groundbreaking inventions.
And indeed, Li Lin's choice was validated.
Building upon quantum theory, Heimerdinger proposed meticulous and unique interpretations that even Li Lin and his AI had overlooked. These insights allowed him to modify the hyperspace teleportation device, boosting its success rate by seven percentage points to an impressive 93%.
Furthermore, Heimerdinger managed to model subspace and analyze its potential phenomena: endless lightning storms, omnipresent spatial folds, temporal distortions, and even points where it connected to the antimatter plane—or perhaps even the Void itself.
In essence, subspace wasn't confined to a singular form. In the context of Runeterra, the spirit realm, distinct from the material plane, could be considered a variant of subspace.
Using this theoretical foundation, Heimerdinger refined the hyperspace teleportation device.
Time flowed swiftly, and the sun, now high in the sky, had dispelled the damp chill of the previous night.
Having undergone a recent phase of physical enhancement, Viktor felt energetic and was enjoying the theoretical discussion between Li Lin and Heimerdinger, even if he barely understood it.
Jayce, on the other hand, still hadn't fully recovered from the exhaustion of the previous night. Slouched in his chair with his head resting on his arm, he drifted off to sleep.
"Jayce! Jayce!"
"Huh… huh?!"
Startled awake by Viktor's voice, Jayce straightened up abruptly.
Rubbing his eyes, he saw that Li Lin and Heimerdinger were still immersed in their conversation, leaving him and Viktor with nothing to do for the moment.
Yawning and stretching, Jayce glanced out the window. Suddenly, as if remembering something important, he bolted upright, his sleepiness vanishing in an instant. Viktor was taken aback.
"What's with you? Why are you so jumpy?"
"What time is it?!"
Frantically looking around, Jayce's gaze landed on the clock hanging on the wall. Its hands showed 9:30, the minute hand already past the halfway mark.
"Dammit!" Jayce groaned, covering the lower half of his face with both hands. His exclamation startled Li Lin and Heimerdinger.
Viktor raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
Jayce's expression turned conflicted. Li Lin approached and asked, "Do you have something urgent to attend to today?"
"Technically, it's not my business," Jayce sighed. "It's Mel's."
"Councilor Medarda? Did something happen to her?"
Being the most politically savvy of the group, Heimerdinger was particularly fond of Mel among the councilors. Hearing her name mentioned, he immediately grew concerned.
"Last night, she received a message saying an important guest from Noxus would be visiting today and asked me to prepare for their arrival. I… kind of forgot."
"An important guest from Noxus?" Li Lin raised an eyebrow.
Piltover and Zaun were currently maintaining strict neutrality, even refraining from supplying Hextech weaponry to Noxus. For Mel to claim such a significant guest was arriving...
Could it possibly be Jericho Swain himself?
But Noxus was still dealing with internal conflicts, making that unlikely.
After some thought, Li Lin deduced that this so-called "guest" must have some personal connection to Mel, especially since Councilor Cassandra hadn't said a word about the matter.
It was highly likely someone from the Medarda family's Noxian branch.
Jayce slapped his forehead in frustration, then looked apologetically at Li Lin. "Sorry, I was supposed to help you with the experiments today."
"Priorities come first." Li Lin glanced at the time. "Judging by your panic, is the meeting scheduled for 10 o'clock?"
Jayce nodded sheepishly. "If I leave now and take my electric bike, I might just make it..."
"Electric bike? Why bother?"
Li Lin snapped his fingers. In a flash, a dense, fluid-like stream of nanomaterials poured through the open window. They quickly adhered to Jayce, forming a sleek, advanced battle suit in seconds.
Having rarely seen Project Genesis · Infinite transform from clothing to battle armor in person, and after developing nanotechnology, Li Lin had already gone to Demacia.
Additionally, with Piltover and Zaun being peaceful lately, Caitlyn and Kai'Sa hadn't showcased their armor either. Even Heimerdinger hadn't delved much into this technology, having spent the past two months engrossed in quantum theory.
Jayce stood with his eyes wide open, wearing an expression of utter astonishment. "...This, this is?"
"Nanotechnology, Jayce."
Li Lin ran his right hand across his body, and wherever he touched, the fabric of his clothing transformed into metal, only to revert back a moment later.
"Oh-ho-ho~~ This is incredible!" Heimerdinger exclaimed in his characteristically high-pitched voice.
Viktor, too, looked stunned, marveling at how far Li Lin's technology had advanced. Comparing Piltover's state from two years ago with Zaun's current transformation and his own improved physical condition, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe.
It wasn't Piltover and Zaun that had shaped Li Lin; it was Li Lin who had shaped Piltover and Zaun!
Li Lin, unaware of Viktor's thoughts, would have simply smiled and shrugged if he knew.
To be precise, it was Earth that had shaped him.
"I've already developed the next generation of Project Genesis · Infinite battle armor. What I'm wearing now is the outdated sixth generation, which I've retired."
Li Lin nodded slightly, and Jayce, whose face was hidden under the helmet, suddenly saw his field of vision change. A 3D holographic map of Piltover appeared before his eyes.
"You can give commands to the AI for where you want to go, and it can transport you there in just four seconds.
"Of course, if you prefer to fly there yourself, you can. While this armor is outdated for me, it can still take you around the perimeter of Piltover in no time."
For men, mechas and powered armor are the ultimate fantasy.
Wearing the Infinite armor, Jayce's face lit up with excitement. "Thank you so much, Li Lin. This feels amazing!"
"Don't get too excited—it's just a temporary loan. You'll have to return it once you're done," Li Lin teased.
The main reason he lent this armor to Jayce, besides wanting to help a friend, was to use the armor's recording and scanning functions to investigate the "distinguished guest" arriving from Noxus.
Since the end of the Noxian-Ionian War, Noxus had frequently sent war masons to Piltover, many of whom had been captured by Caitlyn and her enforcers.
Li Lin knew his actions in Demacia had put him on Noxus' radar. Not just LeBlanc, but also Swain, with his demon-powered ability to uncover secrets and foresee the future, likely had his eyes on him.
However, Swain's demon, Raum, wasn't one of the Ten Great Demons, and therefore probably couldn't pry too deeply into his secrets—after all, even Azir had failed to do so.
Still, Li Lin wasn't keen on letting the butterfly effect lead to Black Rose or the Grand General using Mel to infiltrate Piltover and uncover more of his secrets and cards.
Keeping his strength and a sense of mystery intact to instill fear and suspicion had its advantages, especially when dealing with Noxus.
"Mel said the guest will arrive via a Hex Gate. I'll head to the Hex Gate Tower now."
[End of Chapter]
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