The Church of the Wind Goddess had been established for quite some time, though it had only a few hundred followers. Their place of worship was a modest house, provided by a devout follower from a relatively affluent border market, which could accommodate a few dozen people for gatherings and prayers. This simple place didn't even have a proper statue of Janna, only a wooden carving of a bluebird to represent her.
Despite their small numbers, the followers of the Wind Goddess were devout. With Janna directly conveying her new proclamation to them, they would undoubtedly spread the word. However, after the recent explosion in Zaun, the number of Janna's believers increased exponentially. Inevitably, among them were those with questionable motives and dubious character.
This is where the importance of doctrines and tenets became apparent.
The AI had already scanned and entered almost all types of texts from the Twin Cities into its database, including the ancient beliefs of Demacia regarding the "Winged Sisters," Freljord's original demigods, Ionia's nature spirits, and the celestial beings worshipped on Targon. The AI could easily draft some guidelines for the Wind Goddess's faith, mirroring these traditions, without being overly strict.
Li Lin didn't have to worry much about this part. Once the guidelines were drafted, he would just need to discuss them with Janna.
In the meantime, they also discussed the location of the new church. In Zaun, finding a place was easy. There were plenty of vacant and abandoned areas with no ownership. With the Chem-Barons disbanded by Li Lin, he could choose any spot without needing to spend money on property, only on renovations.
However, selecting a location for the church in Piltover required more consideration. The northern district had no vacant lots, and purchasing land would be expensive. Additionally, traveling from the southern district to the northern district required crossing Piltover Canyon Bridge and paying a toll, which might deter some of the poorer followers from attending services.
Thus, the church had to be situated in the southern district. Given the density of Piltover, even in the southern district, any available space would likely be near the southern edge, close to the Sun Gate. Although it was farther from the northern district, the larger population and higher foot traffic in the southern district made it a suitable location.
Wealthier families and influential clans in the northern district typically had less fervent faith in gods compared to the poorer, more devout populace of the southern district. This fit Li Lin's purpose for building the church.
After detailing his plans for the Wind Goddess's faith, Janna expressed her deep gratitude and promised him any assistance he needed. Li Lin's only immediate requirement was for her to aid in powering a wind farm, but that could wait until the church was established and she had gathered more followers.
Time flew by, and more than two weeks had passed since the explosion and the release of toxic chemtech in Zaun. Thanks to Li Lin's report and the joint investigation by Sheriff Grayson and Detective Caitlyn, Renata was found guilty of orchestrating the explosion.
Although Piltover's laws did not include the death penalty, the council members felt that Renata's execution was necessary to satisfy public outrage. They initiated a public vote on her fate, which, due to Li Lin's influence, also included the citizens of Zaun. All citizens over 18, who had completed their coming-of-age ceremony and registered with Piltover's law enforcement, could vote on whether Renata should be sent to the "Deepmine" or executed by firing squad.
As expected, 83.79% of Piltover's citizens and 96.5% of Zaun's citizens voted for her execution. A small minority opposed it, fearing the establishment of a precedent for the death penalty in Piltover. An even smaller group, dubbed "saints," publicly condemned the council and opposed the death penalty on principle.
With the overwhelming majority supporting execution, the council decided to carry it out publicly a month later.
During these two weeks, Li Lin had also mastered the foundational theories of runic technology, enchanting his War Armor with "Energy Amplification," "Enhanced Defense," and "Self-Repair" runes. This was the limit of his current enchanting capabilities.
In the northern district, as the clock struck eight in the Zaun Undercity, Li Lin was ready to construct the "War Machine: Kog'Maw" to level up to 55, unlocking new technologies.
Just then, a maid from the Kiramman household knocked on his workshop door. Li Lin instructed the AI to open the door, and the maid handed him a standard-sized communication tube.
"Mr. Li Lin, there is a message for you."
Li Lin had recently upgraded his landline phone to no longer require manual switching—simply inputting a number was enough, making things much more convenient.
Generally, unless it was a crucial matter between powerful families, people rarely used communication tubes to send messages. Even in the past, major families would send representatives for discussions rather than relying on communication tubes, which were used merely for notifications. Consequently, the use of these tubes had become quite rare.
Li Lin eyed the communication tube in his hand with a slight raise of his eyebrow, then smiled politely at the maid, "Thank you."
"It's my pleasure."
The maid bowed to him, then left the workshop, closing the door behind her.
Leaning back in his chair, Li Lin broke the seal of the communication tube. The tube only displayed the recipient's name and address; to know the sender, one had to open it. This was a form of confidentiality, though Li Lin found it somewhat redundant.
He pulled out the letter and casually tossed the small metallic tube onto his workbench before focusing on the envelope. Noticing the family crest, Li Lin was slightly taken aback. "The Ferros family?"
"Master, your memo indicates an appointment with Lady Gray to visit the Ferros family after Progress Day."
"—Ah! How could I forget that!"
"I reminded you after Progress Day, but you were preoccupied with the Gaboga project, so this plan was postponed."
"Then the explosion in Zaun further delayed it."
"I intended to remind you again in a few days, but it seems the Ferros family has already sent you an invitation."
"Apologies, Master. This was my oversight."
"It's not your fault, AI, don't blame yourself."
With the "Artificial Intelligence Self-Evolution Logic" in place, the AI's behavior was increasingly human-like. Sometimes, Li Lin felt as though he was conversing with an old friend rather than an AI.
Perhaps true sentient machines, like the Transformers, weren't far from reality.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Li Lin opened the envelope and pulled out a letter adorned with the Ferros family seal. The neatly written letter invited him to visit Blue Mist Mannor, reminding him of his agreement with Lady Gray before Progress Day.
At the bottom of the letter was the signature of "Stevan Ferros."
"Stevan, huh..." Li Lin smirked. "It seems the old viper is getting restless."
(End of the Chapter)
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