Adult?
Li Lin paused for a moment.
Since crossing over and joining the Kiramman family, he hadn't had many quiet days. Either he was busy researching new technology at the workshop or dealing with various situations.
Li Lin had heard from Caitlyn before that she was only 17, but that was before the New Year. Now it was the second year of summer, several months later. Moreover, it seemed that the Kiramman family was preparing for something big recently, but he hadn't paid much attention.
Li Lin quickly took off his work uniform and stood up. "Sorry, my oversight."
Caitlyn didn't mind. "It's okay. I probably didn't tell you my birthday."
Then she playfully smiled, hands behind her back, leaning forward, bringing her small face close to Li Lin's.
"But, you know, take a break today. Don't tinker with those gadgets. Accompany me for a walk, alright?"
Li Lin pushed his chair aside, tidied up his clothes, and performed a standard noble gentleman's gesture, wearing a faint smile.
"As you wish, Miss Kiramman."
Caitlyn was amused by his actions, giggling. "Alright, go take a shower and change your clothes. You're not planning to go out like this, are you?"
...
...
At Caitlyn's request, Li Lin quickly took a shower, changed into casual clothes, and packed two pouches filled with gold hexes and silver cogs into his bag.
Then, he hurried to the front gate. A beautifully dressed purple-haired girl was already waiting for him.
Caitlyn wore a waist-length, deep purple double-breasted jacket over a white shirt. Below, she had a reddish-brown knee-length skirt, showcasing her slim legs with white lace-trimmed short socks and black sneakers.
She carried a delicate and small shoulder bag, wore a sun hat matching her hair color, and on her left wrist, she had a mechanical watch specially made by Li Lin.
Seeing Li Lin coming out, Caitlyn immediately waved. "Over here!"
Li Lin walked quickly to her side, and the two headed outside.
He was about to ask about their plans for the afternoon when Caitlyn asked, "Since you came to our house, have you ever gone out for a stroll?"
"Well..."
Being asked like this, Li Lin suddenly realized that it was true. Not only that, but a significant part of his impression of Piltover also came from his memories. After crossing over, he hadn't visited many places...
"I know you like to research like Jayce, but staying at home every day is not a good thing. You need to come out and move around," Caitlyn said.
Caitlyn glanced at him helplessly. "During this time, you haven't exercised with me or gone hunting. Have you forgotten your marksmanship and combat skills?"
"I haven't neglected these. Haven't you noticed that I've been gaining muscle and getting stronger lately?"
Li Lin flexed his arm, and the bulging biceps pushed up the non-leisurely loose-fitting clothes.
Caitlyn raised her eyebrows and pinched his arm. "Oh, firm and tough. Not bad."
"Of course, I take time to exercise regularly."
With the blessing of the system panel, the two skills he learned, "Firearm Proficiency" and "Basic Combat," wouldn't rust or be forgotten even without daily training. However, they wouldn't improve either.
Although these learned skills could be upgraded with skill points, given the limited skill points, Li Lin considered it a waste.
While chatting and laughing, they entered the winding Blighted Lands Street from Gridwell Street, and a strong and fragrant scent of alcohol entered their nostrils.
This street was where some families in Piltover specialized in brewing various fine wines. While some wines were sold retail, most were exported worldwide.
Leaving this street, they headed uphill, entering Morning Star Avenue, a direct route to the Piltover Treasury.
Beyond the city-states, there is a widespread rumor about the Starfall Avenue, claiming its cobblestones are crafted from gold.
However, in reality, it's merely an exaggerated metaphor.
Simultaneously, the bank acclaimed as the safest in the twin cities, where Li Lin stores his assets, is also located on this street.
Leaving Starfall Avenue, Li Lin and Caitlyn arrived shoulder to shoulder at their first destination—the Incognia Plaza Square.
The square was now bustling with elegantly dressed citizens who had come here upon hearing about a great new invention that would be showcased today.
Caitlyn, curious about unusual events, persuaded Li Lin to join the excitement.
Being the only daughter of the Kiramman family, a prominent Council family, most citizens in the northern part of Piltover recognized her.
Li Lin, on the other hand, was even more well-known. His bicycle and mechanical watch were widely popular, and his photos had been appearing daily on the front page of the Piltover Daily for the past few months.
As this handsome and elegant duo appeared in the Incognia Plaza, they instantly became the focal point of discussions, with most voices speculating about their relationship.
As they walked past these discussions, some bits and pieces of gossip inevitably reached their ears.
Li Lin paid little attention to these rumors, but he didn't expect Caitlyn to ignore them as well. Her azure eyes gazed straight ahead, and her flawless cheeks blushed slightly in the setting sun.
Luckily, the citizens of the northern district had received good etiquette education, and no one approached to disturb them.
Navigating through the slightly crowded square, they finally reached the center.
Here stood a giant spherical globe model crafted entirely from steel and bronze.
About five to six meters in height, its predominant deep blue color rotated slowly on the gear-based platform on the ground.
Symmetrically distributed bronze gridding adorned the entire sphere, with a central zipper-like opening emitting the blue glow of Hextech crystals.
A diamond-shaped framework stood on top of the sphere, rotating counterclockwise to the direction of the sphere's movement.
Li Lin had heard of the craftsman who invented this device; she was Professor Valentina Zindelo from Piltover University, hailing from Zaun.
This celestial globe, named the "Microscopic Rune Land," was her lifelong work.
Li Lin had previously heard Heimerdinger praise this mechanical celestial globe.
Zindelo had explained the principles of this massive precision instrument to him.
If completed, it could make anyone in the world traceable.
In simple terms, the Microscopic Rune Land was like an artificial satellite on Earth, but it didn't need to be launched into space and operated based on magical principles.
Caitlyn stood in front of the device, looking up at the slowly rotating giant sphere. She couldn't help but exclaim, "I never thought our world was round."
Piltover, or the entire Runeterra, had not seen great navigators like Magellan.
Therefore, except for a few astronomers, most people, like ancient Earth dwellers, believed the world was flat and square, not considering the concept of a spherical shape.
Caitlyn's education during her childhood also followed this narrative. However, she was not narrow-minded or stubborn in her thinking and quickly accepted it when Piltover University released evidence that Runeterra was a sphere.
"Yeah, who would have thought," Li Lin responded, gazing at the celestial globe. Internally, he marveled at the half-finished Microscopic Rune Land, which already had artifact-level quality on his system panel. If completed successfully, reaching epic-level seemed not to be a problem.
It was Li Lin's first encounter with such a high-level item, and it was a Hextech device crafted by humans.
Just as they were admiring the invention, the voice of a middle-aged woman attracted their attention.
"Oh! May the gears turns. Are you Miss Kiramman and Mr. Li Lin?!"
(End of this chapter)
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