Rumble led Li Lin back to the courtyard, arriving at a makeshift metal canopy.
Underneath, a humanoid "item" at least three meters tall was covered by a gray-white waterproof cloth.
"This is my meticulously researched large-scale mech, integrating various scientific concepts and advanced complex procedures..."
While introducing his great invention to Li Lin, Rumble reached out, pulling down the waterproof cloth and tossing it aside.
A small mech, assembled from various differently colored mechanical parts, and looking extremely rudimentary, was exposed to the air.
Its right arm had a focused flamethrower, with several heat-resistant pipes connecting to a metal tank beneath the mech, parallel to several metal harpoons for hunting sea monsters.
Its left arm was a freely rotating, sturdy metal frame, without Li Lin's familiar "giant nail hammer."
The mech's back was equipped with several dangerous-looking rockets, presumably Rumble's ultimate skill, "The Equalizer"
However...
The operating system of this mech was too rudimentary.
On the open cockpit's control panel, there were only two control levers for moving forward and backward, while the rest were buttons for controlling the arms and various functions.
Rumble continued to chatter on about his invention, not realizing that Li Lin hadn't heard a word.
After a while, Rumble, feeling a bit parched, finally stopped and took a breath, then turned to look at Li Lin.
"I named her Tristy, a great name, right?"
In Shuriman, Tristy and Tristana were pronounced almost the same, with only a subtle difference.
Knowing that Rumble liked "gun-form Poppy" Tristana, Li Lin deliberately murmured, "Trist... Tristana?"
"What Tristana! It's Tristy!" Rumble's fur immediately stood on end, shouting excitedly.
"Alright, alright, Tristy. Why get so worked up? The pronunciation isn't that different..."
"Not at all." Rumble looked at his mech, his eyes involuntarily softening.
But soon, he shook his head. "Forget it, let's not talk about this. What do you think of my invention?"
Uh...
If I have to be honest, I think it's pretty rubbish.
"It feels good, just needs some improvement in certain areas."
Li Lin didn't voice his thoughts, afraid of hurting the little guy's strong self-esteem.
"Uh..." Rumble scratched his head, awkwardly smiling. "That's indeed the problem bothering me now."
So, you want me to help you improve the mech...
Li Lin couldn't help but sarcastically think.
After considering for a moment, he said to Rumble, "But from the looks of it, you can't identify the issues just by appearance. How about you operate it?"
"Of course, no problem! Hehe, I am the most outstanding pilot in the entire Runeterra." Rumble pinched his waist, proudly boasting.
Then, following the ladder on the side of the mech, he climbed into the cockpit and pressed the circular button marked "Start."
Accompanied by the whirring sound of a turbine engine, the mechanical parts and gears of the mech emitted a "creak" and "whirr" sound.
Before long, the entire mech started trembling, as if it was about to fall apart.
The idea just flashed in Li Lin's mind when the mech's body began to emit a highly discordant "creak" sound.
Then, a strong, pungent white smoke rose, instantly obscuring the cockpit where Rumble was.
Li Lin quickly closed the armored visor, swiftly rushing forward.
He grabbed the edge of the cockpit with one hand and pulled Rumble out with the other, distancing themselves from the malfunctioning mech.
Fortunately, it only pitifully "cried" for a few seconds before ceasing to operate, and there was no explosion.
Li Lin sighed in relief, turning to look at the coughing Rumble on the ground. "Is this your so-called greatest invention?"
Rumble, with a face covered in soot, patted his chest a few times, finally stopping the cough.
After a short while, he spoke with a slightly hoarse voice, lacking confidence, "So, that's why I'm worried about it now!"
Rumble got up, patting the dust off his windbreaker and work pants.
He walked back to his mech, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and began to wipe it, looking somewhat distressed.
When Li Lin approached, he asked, "Did you figure out where it malfunctioned?"
Li Lin raised an eyebrow, "Hmm... maybe."
In the midst of urgency, he didn't have time to activate the [Data Mind]. But now, it wasn't too late.
Li Lin closed his eyes briefly, and when he reopened them, the world before him changed abruptly.
He focused on Rumble's mech, and various information and data displayed directly in his mind:
[Battle Mech "Tristy" (Subpar, Incomplete)] A combat mech powered by a miniature nuclear reactor.
Li Lin, upon seeing this name, was hit by a wave of shock, and he couldn't continue reading.
"Tristy" powered by a miniature nuclear reactor? How in the world did you navigate the tech tree? Controllable nuclear fusion, really?!
And to use it on this piece of junk?!
Feeling Li Lin's prolonged silence, Rumble turned and asked, "Have you figured out the issue?"
After taking a few deep breaths, Li Lin calmed his mind and cautiously said, "Is there a possibility... that your engine has a problem?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Rumble solemnly denied this viewpoint.
"I traveled across the entire Runeterra to find a metal that can generate immense energy, combined it with Bandle City's technology, and designed Tristy's engine."
Before he could finish, Li Lin interrupted, urgently asking, "Where did you find this metal?!"
Rumble, irritated by the interruption, rolled his eyes but still disclosed the location, "Of course, it was in Shurima. Why else would I be here?"
"Specific location?"
"Let me think." Rumble stroked his orange-yellow facial hair, pondering for a moment. "Oh, right! It seems to be a valley in the southeast. Locals called it..."
South Valley, could it be...
Li Lin's expression changed, and he tentatively mentioned a name, "Is it the Serenade Valley?"
Rumble clapped his hands, revealing a sudden realization. "Yes, yes, that's it! It seems to be called the Serenade Valley."
Upon receiving confirmation, Li Lin's heart sank.
If it was indeed the Serenade Valley... this would be difficult.
That place was Kassadin's village, now swallowed by the Void.
Perhaps because there was a metal capable of nuclear fusion and generating immense power, it attracted Malzahar, who opened a Void rift there, allowing it to devour energy...
Li Lin wasn't satisfied and continued to inquire, "When did you find this metal?"
"According to your human time, about a hundred years ago, or maybe two hundred years ago? Anyway, it was around the time when the Heimerdinger Academy was newly established."
At this point, Rumble, engrossed in his mech, grew impatient.
"I mined a lot of metal ore at that time, all stored in Bandle City. You don't need to scheme against me."
Rumble glanced at Li Lin, seemingly reading his thoughts.
"If you want this metal, go to Serenade Valley and check it out yourself."
(End of this chapter)
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