Li Lin and Caitlyn escorted the mentally confused Valentina to the door of Heimerdinger's office.
The office door was slightly ajar, and before they entered, they heard noise coming from inside.
As soon as Li Lin pushed the door open, both he and Caitlyn were stunned by the scene before them.
Various types of books were piled up like small mountains, occupying every corner of the not-so-large office.
Heimerdinger, Viktor, his assistant Skye, and more than a dozen students Li Lin didn't recognize were all rapidly flipping through various books.
Li Lin quickly walked over to Heimerdinger, who was sitting in front of his own mini desk, "Professor..."
Heimerdinger was reading a very heavy, slightly yellowed ancient book with some age to it, without even looking up, he said, "Oh yes, yes, my child, have you found any clues?"
"Um, I'm Li Lin, Professor."
"Li Lin... Oh yes, Li Lin!"
It took Heimerdinger a few seconds to react, and then he immediately looked up, pushing the small glasses perched on his nose up, his face brightening.
"Child, you're finally back!"
"Professor, Caitlyn and I have brought Professor Zidelo with us."
Li Lin shifted his body slightly, allowing Heimerdinger to see Caitlyn and Valentina standing at the door.
"Professor Zidelo's condition is very serious," he said, "that Nightmare has already tracked her down."
"I noticed it when I visited Professor Zidelo this afternoon."
A touch of seriousness flashed in Heimerdinger's eyes, "So, I quickly had Viktor use the Hextech Gates technology to transfer relevant books from the library to my office."
"Have you found any relevant records? Like... how to deal with that Nightmare?"
"Unfortunately, most of the records of the Rune Wars have been deliberately erased, and many people even consider the cataclysmic war that almost wiped out humanity a thousand years ago to be a fabricated legend."
"The Shadow War is even less well-known, with only a few scant records."
"Perhaps the Shadow Mages of that era believed that demons should not be understood or remembered by people, and even the events and names of this Nightmare demon are not recorded in the scriptures."
With that, Heimerdinger turned around and flipped through the books placed on his desk for dozens of pages, then waved to Li Lin, motioning him to bend down and look at what he was pointing at.
"Look here, I spent the whole afternoon flipping through dozens of books, plus the books the students were looking at, and only this one line in this one book describes the Shadow Mages sealing a Nightmare spirit that devoured nightmares."
Heimerdinger sighed, "Without relevant records, it's difficult for us to take corresponding measures."
"But didn't you witness the Rune Wars?" Li Lin felt puzzled.
Heimerdinger blew his mustache and said impatiently, "That was a war that swept the world, child, we definitely returned to Bandle City when it first broke out."
Li Lin: "..."
Then why did you claim to have witnessed the Rune Wars? It seems like you experienced a beginning and then ran away...
He shook his head slightly, not intending to continue on this irrelevant topic.
After thinking for a while, Li Lin continued, "In Ionia, we have a kind of spirit called Azakana, they can parasitize hosts to feed on emotions and, when they mature, transform into different forms of demons."
"I have heard of such beings. Hundreds of years ago, when I was studying in Ionia, I encountered people who had been consumed by Azakana, and I also studied them a bit."
"Those monsters have no physical form and can only exist in the spiritual realm. They can hardly affect the material realm, unless they attach themselves to someone through their negative emotions..."
Heimerdinger frowned, and a faint light flashed in his emerald eyes, as if he had a clue.
This Shadow Magic-born Nightmare seemed to have similarities with Azakana?
"They are not invincible."
Li Lin continued, "As long as you know the true name of each Azakana, you can temporarily banish them...
"Of course, if you want to completely destroy them, you still need to use some special methods."
He raised his hand and looked down, a faint blue-white light appeared in his palm.
Summoning the true name of the demon will automatically reveal its weakness.
Just a little magic is needed to banish it from the material realm, or even "kill" it, which is not difficult.
Coincidentally, Hextech technology is used to control magic.
Moreover, his set of battle armor's power supply device is based on concentrated Primordial Crystal.
Heimerdinger stroked his white, furry mustache and nodded. "If that's the case, then rescuing Professor Zidelo from the Nightmare won't be difficult."
But with the solution came a problem.
"But the true name of the Nightmare is not recorded in the Piltover's archives."
"That's not a problem." Li Lin smiled confidently. "I know the true name of the Nightmare. If I can enter the spiritual realm wearing this armor, I can deal with it."
As far as he knew, Nocturne might not be the true name of the Nightmare. But that didn't matter because he had "Data Mind," which could display its true name.
Apart from the Primordial Demon, Fiddlesticks, born from the first scream of fear of all beings in Runeterra, Li Lin wasn't really afraid of other demons. Because apart from singing their true names, dealing with them only required controlling his emotions.
For the embodiment of greed, Tahm Kench, he just needed to suppress his own greed and not make deals with it. It couldn't even harm an ordinary sailor without any extraordinary abilities.
For the lust embodiment, Evelynn, he just needed to control his desires and not "enjoy" with it. It wouldn't target someone with pain unless they allowed it.
For the secret embodiment, Raum, he just needed to understand the secrets hidden in its heart. Even a mere mortal like Jericho Swain, the ruler of Noxus, could easily control it and gain its power.
And for Nocturne, who couldn't even descend into the material realm like these original demons, regardless of age or style.
Just don't fall into the nightmare it created, be dominated by fear, and it would be powerless.
"Oh?" Heimerdinger stared at Li Lin, who looked serious. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
After a pause of two or three seconds, he frowned and said seriously, "Child, this matter involves not only the fate of Professor Zidelo, but it's not something to joke about."
"I'm serious, Professor." Li Lin locked eyes with Heimerdinger. "This is the only way to save Professor Zidelo."
"I've always believed that science can reach the level of magic, achieving the impossible, but confronting a demon head-on... this is the first time."
Heimerdinger's voice was sharp and worried. "I can see that your powered armor has been upgraded, but this is facing a demon, it's risking your life."
"I'm confident."
"I need Valentina's miniature runeterra technology. I can't let her be devoured by Nocturne."
"And, if I defeat Nocturne, even if I can't kill it, I should still be able to gain valuable skill points and experience rewards."
Li Lin added in his mind.
"Although the boundary between the spiritual realm and the material realm in Piltover is not as fragile as in Ionia, with the equipment I've studied before, it's not a problem for you to bring your equipment into the spiritual realm with your physical body."
Heimerdinger hesitated for a moment. "But... are you really going to do this? To confront a demon?"
"Please trust me."
(End of this chapter)