The hall erupted into thunderous applause.
Li Lin—
A year ago, he improved the highly unstable Hextech crystal, upgrading it to a stable and highly energized form, capable of self-charging.
But that was just one of his many achievements.
In the following months, he introduced basic firepower and tidal power plants to benefit the people of the twin cities, along with safer and more convenient electrical sockets and plugs...
Even devices like landline telephones, which allowed people to speak across great distances through mechanical devices and a single wire, and various new Hextech energy weapons, all came from Li Lin's hands.
A native of Ionia, who fled to Piltover from Noxus's invasion, Li Lin discovered his extraordinary talents, surpassing Jayce, earning him the titles of "Piltover's Youngest Genius Craftsman" and "Future Pioneer."
Even the Piltover Gazette openly mocked and "thanked" Noxus for sending a "great man" who could change the world to Piltover.
Not to mention the aerial combat robots and flight resource transport devices, and his current ability to fly in single-person combat armor and transformable mini-mecha, which shocked all the people of the twin cities.
Li Lin scanned the audience, his eyes moving from Caitlyn, Kai'Sa, the Kiramman couple, Heimerdinger, the Councilors whose attitudes had completely changed, Colin and Orianna, father and daughter, and other strangers, feeling somewhat excited.
In just one year, he had already established a significant position in the twin cities...
Li Lin lifted the visor of his combat armor, took a deep breath, quickly calmed himself, waved his hand to signal everyone below to quiet down.
Then, he took Jayce's place, standing at the platform. "Hello, everyone. I'm Li Lin from Ionia, now a craftsman of the Kiramman family."
Maintaining a polite smile, Li Lin briefly introduced himself.
"Today, I'm honored to stand on the stage of Progress Day as the keynote speaker."
"Firstly, I want to thank my family, the Kiramman family. Without their support, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today, especially Councilor Kiramman. It was her who appreciated me and supported me when I was at my lowest."
Immediately, the Hextech spotlight on stage suddenly shifted, focusing on Cassandra in the front row of the audience.
She gracefully stood up, wearing a gentle smile, nodded to Li Lin on stage, then turned and waved to the people behind her before sitting back down.
The audience once again erupted into thunderous applause throughout the hall.
A few seconds later, as the applause gradually subsided, Li Lin chuckled lightly, then continued, "Otherwise, today I might be just a worker at the Sun Gate clock repair shop, thinking about whether to have burnt black bread or burnt black bread soaked in water for the next meal as an apprentice."
His self-deprecating humor amused the audience below.
"Furthermore, I want to thank my beloved, Miss Kiramman. It is her encouragement and companionship that have given me new goals and motivation... She is the one I must cherish and protect in this lifetime."
Under the spotlight, Caitlyn's delicate face revealed a blush, her sapphire-like eyes shining with a few brilliant rays, looking at the man in combat armor on stage with a radiant and happy expression.
"But to get back to the point, I know you don't like to hear scripted speeches, so I'll just speak freely today."
Behind Li Lin, Jayce was slightly stunned. He was about to poke him to remind him, but then noticed Cassandra, who seemed slightly raised her eyebrows below, not showing anger, as if she had anticipated this scene long ago, so he suppressed his thoughts.
"First, let's summarize the work of the past year."
He glanced around, motioned for the pre-arranged lighting engineer to turn off the spotlight on stage, leaving only the dim blue light from the ceiling lamps in the hall, casting a gloomy atmosphere.
Just as the Councilors and the crowd wondered what Li Lin was up to, they saw the previously motionless Colossus suddenly turning around, its eyes flickering with dazzling blue light.
Immediately after, the 3D holographic map of Piltover appeared in front of everyone.
Jayce and everyone in the audience, including Heimerdinger, widened their eyes, staring at the scene in front of them in astonishment, unable to utter a word.
"This is the holographic map of our Piltover. Last year, in the suburbs of the southern city, we built the first thermal power plant, supplying electricity to hundreds of thousands of households."
"In the following months, the second and third thermal power plants were put into operation, bringing cheap and convenient electricity to the entire city. This is not just my personal achievement, but also the investment of every family and the sweat of every worker!"
The hall rang with thunderous applause and cheers.
"Not only that, but Zaun has also undergone tremendous changes. The tidal power station, personally chosen and built by me, replaced many heavily polluted and highly hazardous alchemical power plants with thermal power plants, injecting new vitality into this long-dormant city-state."
"I believe that the construction of this short year has already made Zaun quite different from what you all originally imagined... If you don't believe it, you can go take a look, and remember to publicize my name."
Mentioning Zaun, most people were filled with disgust and aversion.
In Li Lin's powerful and slightly humorous speech, everyone couldn't help but smile.
The scattered applause from a few wealthy Zaunites in the corner of the auditorium once again stirred the crowd into cheers.
"In the future, the sewage treatment plant in the Undercity will be transformed into a biogas power plant, turning waste into treasure. The sea breeze in the Piltover Canyon is also a valuable resource. We can't let it go to waste. I will organize people to build wind turbines there. You better start praying to the Goddess of the Wind, Janna, now. Who knows, maybe the electricity your family uses in the future will be brought by her?"
Li Lin issued a preemptive warning to the crowd, but most people took it as a joke.
After all, the Goddess of the Wind, Janna, hasn't been seen for over two hundred years.
And the oral tradition among the people of Zaun, saying that she saved thousands of people, was just a legend. The vast majority of Piltover residents don't believe it.
Li Lin didn't pay attention to these thoughts in people's minds. Actions speak louder than words. When the Goddess of the Wind truly reappears and assists in wind power generation, a considerable number of them will definitely become the first believers.
"Next, regarding telephones and more daily household appliances..."
For the remaining time, Li Lin mainly introduced the upgrade of wired telephones, which would use "program-controlled switches" and adopt a dialing format instead of the previous manual transfer mode.
As for wireless phones and signal base stations, and electronic computers, they were no longer surprising devices. Because many conventional electric appliances like electric fans, televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, water dispensers, and induction cookers, which were considered ordinary on Earth, were inventions of technology and magic devices in Runeterra. This caused a sensation among the audience.
Even Cassandra and Heimerdinger didn't expect that Li Lin's previous development of sockets and plugs would pave the way for the current basic household appliances.
In fact, most people almost overlooked the shock brought by Li Lin's Infinite War Armor and Colossus Warrior Mecha, all captivated by the new electric mechanical devices that could elevate everyone's living standards.
Switching from Hextech batteries to basic electricity was beneficial to both cities. However, the Ferros family would be affected.
But Camille couldn't do anything about Li Lin anymore. Relying on Stevan, the old snake who was about to pass away, no matter what, couldn't compete with the rapidly rising Kiramman family with Li Lin's help.
Li Lin smiled as he stared at the people below discussing the Titan, waving his hand again to quiet them down.
"Next, it's about Piltover, our city of progress, and the great achievements of everyone in Runeterra."
Gasps of shock echoed from the audience. They didn't expect Li Lin to have something else to announce, especially something belonging to the achievements of all humanity.
Almost everyone held their breath, their excited eyes focused on the 3D holographic display of the Colossus Warrior projected on the stage.
As Li Lin's thoughts flickered, a huge carrier rocket and the appearance of the first artificial satellite were displayed in front of everyone.
"This is the first artificial satellite I designed. It will be launched into space by a carrier rocket to provide exploration functions. I named it—Heaven's eye.
"It will be our exploration of all of Runeterra, and even the first step in exploring the world beyond!"
Those who could attend Progress Day were all big shots. Li Lin's mention of the artificial satellite was just a test of the current situation among the major families.
Now, it seemed that everyone had no aversion to artificial satellites. Judging by their shocked expressions, the acceptance was quite high, and they even looked forward to it.
Li Lin was very satisfied with the outcome.
Amidst the lingering excitement in everyone's eyes, Li Lin controlled the Colossus Warrior to turn off the holographic display and then had the lighting technician turn the lights back on.
"That's the end of my speech and summary for today..."
Li Lin paused for a moment, then said in a more impassioned tone:
"Finally, what I want to say is, no matter what lies ahead, I will lead everyone onto the right path!"
...
...
(End of this chapter)