Having bid farewell to the steel shadow, Li Lin felt a sense of having narrowly escaped a calamity.
His mind wandered, and he sat on the couch for a good ten minutes before gradually regaining his senses.
"Camille unexpectedly spared me, truly incredible," Li Lin sighed, leaning back on the soft couch, relaxing his stiff body from the earlier tension.
"Now that she has given me permission to continue researching Hextech crystals, I am relatively safe in Piltover and Zaun. I can confidently pursue technological advancements."
"Next, I should refine my exoskeleton power armor and develop some weapons to equip onto it."
"Jayce's Mercury Hammer's electric shock, Viktor's Death Ray, and the Robot's static field can all be used as references and seamlessly integrated."
"As for the issue of insufficient energy core functionality, I can simply add more energy crystals and separate the power supply for the weapon systems."
"Maybe I should even transform the power armor into a variable form, similar to Mercury Hammer, one for close combat and one for ranged..."
Li Lin lightly stroked his chin, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
However, soon, he delved into contemplation.
"But in that case, the power armor might appear bulky and less maneuverable. It could be more cumbersome in combat, especially against agile mages or opponents with longer reach than me."
After careful consideration, Li Lin temporarily abandoned this idea.
For now, his primary research focus remained on lightening the burden as much as possible.
For single-operator combat armor, agility should be prioritized. Similar to the cybernetic enhancements in the "Project" universe, fusing machinery and the human body.
Yet, Li Lin didn't quite fancy the idea of replacing his flesh and blood with mechanics, similar to Viktor's modifications in the main universe.
If he could incorporate Demacia's anti-magic stone materials into the armor, wreaking havoc on medieval-era armies would be feasible.
The issue lay in Li Lin not having developed the auxiliary chips yet. When wearing power armor, he still needed to rely on his naked eyes to observe the surroundings.
Moreover, the armor lacked essential devices such as radar and detectors, let alone advanced features like holographic projection assistance panels or intelligent AI systems that could further enhance combat capabilities.
These were indispensable components for the future development of single-operator combat armor and large mechs.
The road ahead was long for Li Lin...
He sighed, got up from the couch, and stretched, feeling the sweat from Camille's encounter now dry on his body, making his clothes sticky.
With the cold wind blowing in through the window, he shivered, sensing a chill.
Li Lin closed the window, tidied up the tea set, then entered the bathroom to prepare hot water.
Enjoying a soothing hot bath, he wrapped himself in a towel, lay down on his two-meter-wide bed, and burrowed into the covers, ready to rest and conclude this mentally and physically exhausting day.
Just then, a gentle knock sounded on his door.
Li Lin: "..."
Judging from the rhythm and sound of the knock, it could only be Caitlyn.
Helplessly climbing out of bed, Li Lin picked up the towel he had thrown on the chair, draped it over himself, and walked to the living room to open the door.
As expected, Caitlyn stood outside, wearing the purple summer nightgown she often wore, her wet purple hair scattered over her shoulders.
The pleated skirt with white-bordered patterns reached her knees, showcasing perfectly sculpted muscular legs, clad in fluffy cotton slippers.
As soon as Caitlyn saw Li Lin, she was about to say something. However, upon glimpsing him, her azure eyes involuntarily swept over his figure. Soon after, a faint blush colored her petite face, and she quickly averted her gaze.
"Ah! Why aren't you wearing clothes?" she scolded.
"Well, I have a towel. What's the point of wearing it?" Li Lin shrugged.
"I was about to sleep, and then you knocked on the door. I had to come and open it for you. Putting on clothes would have wasted time," he added.
Caitlyn gave him a disdainful look, "You and your forked tongue."
However, beneath her expression, she was secretly pleased.
"That's the truth," Li Lin said.
Li Lin couldn't fathom Caitlyn's thoughts, but he noticed the fatigue on her face.
As the daughter of the Kiramman family, she had a more exhausting day than him. Not only did she have to attend events since early morning for Progress Day, but she also had to deal with the unexpected situation in the evening.
Even though they had rescued the Kiramman couple, Caitlyn still had to entertain the cunning council members, keeping her busy until now.
"Did you manage to see off those council members?" Li Lin gestured for her to come in and closed the door behind her.
"Oh, don't even mention it... Except for Professor Heimerdinger, the other five weren't genuinely here to greet my parents."
Caitlyn nodded, sitting wearily on the sofa, "You can't imagine what they were subtly asking tonight."
Without much thought, Li Lin blurted out, "Its about my Hextech Armor and Jayce's hammer, right?"
"You seem well aware," Caitlyn sighed, "They inquired about my parents briefly, but mostly, they were prying into your and Jayce's affairs."
"Well, it seems I do have foresight," Li Lin chuckled.
Yet, ease for one was trouble for another.
As the tea kettle boiled, Li Lin poured a cup of hot tea for Caitlyn.
Taking the cup, she blew a few breaths over the tea, saying, "I've saved you from quite a bit of trouble. You should thank me."
"Don't forget, you avoided me for a few days before. Ignored me," Li Lin glanced at her, who was sipping her tea, "I was quite upset. Maybe you should balance things out."
Hearing this, Caitlyn accidentally burned her lips with the hot tea, letting out a soft cry of pain.
Then, she placed the cup on the table, rubbed her cherry-colored upper lip, and her cheeks visibly reddened.
"Why are you so petty!" she raised her tone, though not very convincingly, "That... That was a special case. You can't count it like this..."
Li Lin raised an eyebrow, got up, and sat next to her, causing Caitlyn to be slightly shaken off the sofa.
"You, what are you doing..." She turned her shy face away, hastily moving to the side. Her delicate face resembled a ripe red apple.
At this moment, Caitlyn suddenly realized that Li Lin was a passionate young man.
And now, it was late at night, with a young man and a woman alone in a room...
However, before she could imagine too much inappropriate content, Li Lin's slightly deep voice entered her ears, "Can you tell me what the special reason is?"
Caitlyn pursed her lips, avoiding his eyes with moist eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Cough, if you don't want to say, then don't..." Sensing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Li Lin scratched his head in embarrassment.
"What do you want me to do to thank you?" he paused for a moment, "How about a mechanical watch? I can specially make one for you."
As the daughter of the Kiramman family, Caitlyn certainly didn't lack necklaces or jewelry.
And she had shown clear aversion to such accessories, as wearing them would only mean more social obligations.
Li Lin knew Caitlyn liked some novel mechanical gadgets, and the mechanical watch was not yet in production, not available in the market.
If he made one for her himself, she might be happy.
Apart from that, Caitlyn also liked firearms and hunting.
But her Billgewater Mouser rifle, although foldable for convenience, could only fire one bullet at a time, making it inconvenient in emergencies.
Li Lin had an idea—to craft an energy rifle for her, like the ones in the Pulsefire universe, the futuristic weapons of a warrior.
Thinking of this, he added, "Or I can give you an energy rifle powered by a core energy crystal..."
Caitlyn suddenly looked back, staring into Li Lin's eyes, "Really!?"
"Sure, when did I ever lie to you?"
"Alright!" Her lips curled into a smile, "Since you said so... I want them all!"
(End of this chapter)