Under the guidance of Huck, Li Lin explored several coastlines in the upper layer of the Undercity, some of which were already harboring ports dedicated to transporting raw ore.
In the end, he discovered a suitable location along the northeast coast of the Undercity to establish a tidal hydroelectric station.
Beyond his expectations, Li Lin stumbled upon an unexpected finding—a chem-baron's refinery under construction.
This revelation excited Li Lin, as it could prove the existence of petroleum in Runeterra!
On Earth, oil and gas were premium energy sources and chemical materials, and the same applied to this otherworldly realm. Piltover's Hex technology heavily relied on the costly Hex crystals, even after Li Lin improved them into stable and powerful energy sources. The price remained high, and crucially, the development of Hextech required collaboration with the Ferros family.
This meant the top-tier families monopolized Piltover's means of production, severely limiting productivity. However, with access to petroleum resources combined with electricity, it could ignite a dual-city revolution—transforming power, production, transportation, and more.
Ordinary individuals, with entrepreneurial minds, could prosper, not necessarily as skilled artisans but by driving the development of productivity.
In other words, bringing Piltover and Zaun's technology to modern Earth's level was entirely feasible. The obstacle, however, was the decaying upper-class families hindering progress.
Such matters couldn't be rushed; they required careful planning.
"Huck, do you know which chem-baron is funding the construction of this new refinery?" Li Lin asked Huck, snapping out of his contemplation, standing about a hundred meters from the construction site's gate.
"Well, hehe, even though I come from the Undercity, I'm not very familiar with the chem-barons' power dynamics here, hehe. For that, you'd need to ask Vander..." Huck's expression turned somewhat awkward. "But, you know, from what the residents around here say, hehe, Lady Glasc is providing jobs for them."
Providing jobs for the impoverished of the Undercity...
Were there "philanthropists" in Zaun generous enough to do such a thing?
Or did she have ulterior motives?
Li Lin raised an eyebrow slightly. "Is Lady Glasc a Chem-baron?"
Huck shook his head. He only knew the name; anything beyond that exceeded his knowledge.
Forget it; it's better to ask Vander.
Li Lin sighed inwardly.
Even he didn't know much about this "Lady Glasc," but there must be someone under her with relevant information.
If he could strike a deal with Lady Glasc...
No, it's not feasible.
Strategic resources like this had to be in his hands. People in this world weren't aware of the importance of petroleum resources. As new technologies developed in the future, more and more people would realize its significance, wanting a share of it.
If he lacked a say in this resource, development in the future would face constant setbacks.
Li Lin felt a weight in his heart.
Even in the future, the situation remained challenging...
He withdrew his gaze from the oil refinery and said to Huck, "Let's go back."
...
...
Upon returning to the central plaza using the elevator, Li Lin didn't give Huck a chance to refuse; he firmly handed him a gold coin as his guide fee.
Afterward, he fulfilled his appointment with Powder at The Last Drop, also taking the opportunity to inquire about Lady Glasc from Vander.
From Vander, Li Lin learned that Lady Glasc's full name was Renata Glasc, a recently emerged entrepreneur.
He had limited information, and the rest was supplemented by Sevika, who happened to be drinking at the tavern at the time.
The Glasc family prospered through alchemical technology, mainly developing alchemical potions to treat patients.
Sevika had also been rescued for free by the Glasc couple when she was a child, so her impression of them was very profound.
At that time, the Glasc couple helped any patients in need, earning them titles such as philanthropists, angels, and gods of medicine among the Undercity people.
However, all of this vanished with a massive fire 20 years ago.
The Glasc couple perished in the flames along with their research, leaving behind only their daughter, Renata, who lost an arm in the fire.
According to rumors among the Undercity residents, the Glasc family's fire was secretly set by enforcers disguised as Zaunites, taking advantage of the night.
This happened because the Glasc couple's superb medical skills touched the interests of the powerful families monopolizing the medical industry in the Upper City.
Later, Renata, using less honorable means, formed alliances with several chem-barons and successfully rebuilt her family's fortune.
With her excellent business acumen, she acquired the first factory within a few years, ultimately developing it into the Glasc Industries, a chain of dozens of factories producing high-end chemicals.
In addition, Renata expanded Glasc Industries' business into various sectors throughout all of Zaun, even establishing a dance hall in the lanes.
Renata's comprehensive strength now surpassed that of several chem-barons by a significant margin.
If it weren't for conflicts arising with some industry tycoons in the past two years, she would probably have become a chem-baron already, but she was currently tied up negotiating with them.
Upon learning this information, Li Lin fell silent for a long time.
Investing in talented individuals among the impoverished, supporting the destitute, providing jobs, giving out loans...
According to Sevika, Renata seemed to care little about monetary rewards.
If one could repay the money, they should, but if they couldn't, loyalty would be accepted as payment.
In short, she used money to win people over.
If Renata truly harbored such deep enmity toward the Upper City, her motives wouldn't be so straightforward.
However, for now, she hadn't shown any signs of hostility toward the Upper City.
But Li Lin was still uneasy about it.
Not because he didn't believe in people's hearts.
It's just that, in the environment of Zaun, having someone like Ekko, a "son of Zaun" who could maintain his original character, was already quite rare.
Moreover, Ekko had both parents, without direct conflicts or hatred toward Piltover.
Renata's actions made it difficult for Li Lin not to suspect that she was accumulating her strength and preparing to go to war with Piltover at some point.
He had to find a time to visit Mrs. Glasc and see her attitude toward Piltover.
There was no room for any mistakes in the development of the twin cities.
The time had come for the dusk.
Li Lin bid farewell to Vander and Powder, and also visited Benso's store to check in on Ekko.
During this period, Li Lin had sent him many books on mechanical engineering for study.
The recent events had put immense pressure on Li Lin, so he planned to resolve the chem-barons' issue, and once the twin cities stabilized, he would bring Ekko to Piltover.
Fearing that this little guy might be taken away by Renata, Li Lin gave him a bag of silver wheels, and incidentally, he informed Benso about Ekko's recent instability, asking him to pay more attention.
Today's events progressed quite smoothly, completing tasks that were supposed to take two or three days in just one.
In the coming days, besides helping Jayce and Viktor at Piltover University, all that was left was to wait for the materials for the power armor to be ready for the upgrade.
(End of this chapter)
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