In the top compartment of the Pressure Transporter, Jayce, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to recruit that kid as a student worker?"
Li Lin and his gaze met, and he raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
"But... why?" Jayce inquired.
"You'll know later. Explaining it to you now won't make you understand," Li Lin replied.
"Jokes aside, can there be something I would understand?!" Jayce widened his eyes. "I've noticed you always like to speak in half-sentences."
"Instead of dwelling on that, you better save your energy for studying that Hex crystals tonight," Li Lin shifted the topic forcefully.
"Well... alright. Speaking of which, you mentioned this afternoon that you could stabilize the Hextech crystal. What's the principle behind it?"
That was, of course, the principle of the "system panel."
Li Lin turned his face away, relying on the knowledge in his mind. After a moment of contemplation, he gave a rough explanation:
"The Hex crystal is very unstable. Initially, I thought of using a resonance device to reduce its oscillation, but it didn't work.
"Later, I had a moment of inspiration. Since reducing the resonance frequency didn't work, why not..."
"Increase the energy!" Jayce's eyes suddenly lit up. "Try to stabilize the crystal in a high-frequency environment!"
Alright, he had learned to interrupt now.
Li Lin nodded, affirming his statement. "I tested it with crystal shards, and it works perfectly."
"Damn! Why didn't I think of that..."
Finally understanding where he went wrong, Jayce clenched his right fist and pounded his left palm. "You're truly a genius, Li Lin!"
If I can't become a genius even with a golden finger, How should I, a transmigrator, navigate this world?
Li Lin smiled helplessly and shifted his gaze to the window.
Elevators usually stopped in large areas for about 10 minutes, while in small areas, they only stopped for two or three minutes.
It was almost time now. He could hear the sound of the iron cabin door closing on the lowest level.
Not long after, the rough and hoarse voice of the administrator echoed from the loudspeaker: "Elevator going up! Next stop, Border Market, Arcane Academy, Plant Cultivation Center."
With a whistling sound and a deafening buzzing noise, three thick vertical tracks supported its large body as it rose slowly, emitting circles of steam from the top exhaust vent.
After about 20 minutes, the elevator emerged from the dark tunnel, gradually decelerating and finally stopping at Piltover's Airdrop Street.
Li Lin and Jayce followed other few passengers and stepped out of the cabin door.
Soon after, more workers waiting outside the diamond-shaped iron fence rushed in to take the elevator home.
The two walked on the winding cobblestone path.
Just a few steps in, Li Lin suddenly stopped and looked back.
But all he saw was a group of noisy citizens.
"What's wrong?" Jayce noticed Li Lin's anomaly and followed his line of sight.
Everything seemed normal.
"Nothing, I must have been mistaken." Li Lin shook his head. "It's getting late; let's hurry back."
At the same time, behind a wall at the street corner.
"See, I told you not to bring Powder. We almost got discovered by them," the skinny Milo complained to Vi.
"I was far away from him, and I was hiding in the crowd. Why do you think he almost found me?" Powder retorted defiantly.
"Because of your conspicuous blue hair! Even if you blend into the crowd, you're still easy to spot..."
"But he doesn't know me! Even if he sees me, what can he do?"
Powder and Milo argued more and more fiercely.
"Alright, enough of that. Both of you, be quiet. Milo, this is not Powder's fault," Vi pointed to the two figures about to disappear into the crowd in the distance. "We still have a mission. Don't lose them."
"Fine, let's focus on the task. I won't argue with you anymore."
"Hmph!" Powder snorted, turned her small face away, and ignored Milo.
After resolving the minor friction between the team members, Vi continued to lead the three, avoiding the enforcers, discreetly trailing behind Li Lin and Jayce.
Finally, they arrived at the top of Piltover's Grand Canyon.
From here, the entire city seemed to have a crack, covered in haze, dividing the city into two parts, north and south, with the bottom of the large canyon obscured.
The four ran to the edge of the bridge, looked down, and couldn't help but inhale sharply.
Built within Zaun, the towering spires of the Techmaturgical Institute emerged from the thick haze, their tops tethered to the upper reaches of the canyon by sturdy ropes swaying in the gusty sea breeze.
This was a scene unseen in the entirety of Zaun.
Aware that the enforcers on the bridge had taken notice of them, the group didn't linger and swiftly moved northward.
In an almost deserted alley, Vi, Powder, and Milo rapidly ascended rooftops using drainage pipes and metal frameworks, while Claggor provided ground support, guiding them from below.
Vi crouched at the edge of a rooftop, peering down at the densely packed street below. "Milo, do you see where Claggor is?"
"Let me check... There!" Powder's excited shout drew their attention. "At the end of this street."
"Good job, Powder. Let's head over," Vi instructed.
Before Vi's words settled, she leaped effortlessly across the gap to the opposite rooftop. Powder and Milo quickly followed.
Three slender figures weaved through the twilight.
Before long, they reunited with Claggor, who had climbed onto the roof from the other side. "How did you get up here? Where are they?" Milo anxiously asked. "They didn't get lost, did they?"
Claggor looked at him somewhat helplessly. "How could they get lost? They've already reached their destination."
With that, Claggor pointed towards a lavishly decorated mansion at the end of the road. "They've entered that house."
"As expected. Living in such a house, they're dripping with wealth!" Vi smirked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
She pointed to the top floor of the mansion. "There, we enter from the balcony."
"Vi, are you sure about this? There are many enforcers outside the house..." Claggor hesitated.
"Are you going to back out now that we're here?" Vi glared at him. "Anyway, I'm going. Are you coming or not?"
Claggor and Milo exchanged glances.
Seeing Milo raise an indifferent eyebrow, Claggor sighed. "Fine, fine, but let's be quick."
A satisfied smile appeared on Vi's face. "Of course, we need to be back before sunset. Vander will worry if he can't find us."
The four of them spent considerable effort climbing along the mansion's roofline, eventually landing on the balcony of the top floor.
"No lights inside, and no one there. Hurry in," Vi instructed.
Vi tried turning the balcony's doorknob. The door, made of bronze bars and glass, was unlocked and swung open effortlessly.
Inside the room, their attention was immediately drawn to a metal arm crafted entirely from mechanical parts resting on a shelf.
"Wow! I know this!" Powder rushed to the metal arm, excitedly running her fingers over it. "It's the same as the ones installed on the people in the Undercity. It's called... yes, Atlas Gauntlet! This one's worth a fortune!"
"Uh, I don't think we should consider it. It's so big; we can't carry it with us," Milo scratched his head, casually opening the nearest drawer. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "Hey, guys, look at this!"
"A pistol?!" Vi and Claggor's expressions changed, while Powder seemed unusually thrilled.
"Let me see!" she urged.
"This is a real deal! Not a toy for kids like you," Milo held the pistol high above his head, unwilling to share his "spoils."
"Hey, I've grown up! Besides, I just want to take a look. Why are you so stingy..." Powder was about to protest when Vi interrupted.
"Don't argue here!" Vi scolded them with a glare. "Forget about the pistol. Find valuable things quickly. The owner of this house could show up any moment..."
Her words were cut off as the sound of rotating gears and collision reached them from the doorway.
Though small, the noise resembled the roaring waves in their ears.
The four halted their actions instantly, directing their gaze unanimously toward the source of the sound.
It was the sound of a key unlocking.
Vi's mind went blank for a moment.
Then, a hint of terror flashed in her eyes. "Run!"