The situation in the Undercity was neither trivial nor insignificant. Li Lin had an inkling of what the workers were talking about.
Malphite, the genius from the original timeline, had arrived in Zaun. Malphite, the Shard of the Monolith, was the only uncorrupted fragment of a monolith created by the Ascended Horok in Ixtal, which fell after being corrupted by the Void.
Typically, Malphite resided on the border between Ixtal and Icathia, severing the Void-tendrils penetrating the earth and extending across Runeterra. Occasionally, he would venture elsewhere.
Some nomadic tribes in the Shuriman desert spoke of him in legends, and the Solari in Mount Targon also recorded sightings of the lava beast.
Today's situation was one of those rare occurrences.
Li Lin quickly donned his armor and flew towards the mine, as reported by the AI. It took only a few minutes for him to land on the other side of the Undercity and remove his mask.
Given Zaun's current environment and his large air filtration system enhanced by Janna's Wind Cleansing, the air in the Undercity, while still somewhat polluted, was fresher than the air in the Lanes a year ago.
This mine, purchased from Adrien, was originally used to collect Hex Crystals, essential for Hextech energy synthesis. Recently, Li Lin's hired professional prospectors had discovered traces of oil there and immediately sent him a phonogram detailing the find.
The mine, now fully under Li Lin's ownership, had all necessary acquisition documents filed with Piltover's law enforcement office, and he had already paid Adrien in gold.
Under the bright spotlights outside the mine, dozens of dusty-faced workers sat in groups, their hex drills, pneumatic picks, a few power suits for heavy lifting, and stacks of Hextech time bombs for mining nearby. They were discussing the "monster" in the mine, each with their own theories.
On the other side, dozens of mechanical engineers stood neatly in a corner of the fenced area.
Li Lin had equipped each of his mines with smart robots to reduce the miners' stress and handle emergencies.
Seeing Li Lin in his armor, the female foreman, whose limbs had been replaced with Chemtech prosthetics, approached him with a beaming smile.
She was Hewlett, an Ionian around forty years old, who had fled to Zaun to escape the war, much like Li Lin, and had been there for five years. Her outstanding abilities had caught Adrien's eye three years ago, and she was assigned as the foreman of this mine.
Due to her thick accent, Li Lin barely understood her in common Piltoverian, so he had her speak Ionian to him instead. Even then, he had to focus intently and guess at her peculiar dialect from Kashuri Plateau in Zhuyun Province.
"Mr. Li Lin!" Hewlett warmly called out to her new boss. "You finally arrived!"
Compared to Adrien, who was notorious for exploiting workers, Li Lin had improved their conditions with an eight-hour workday, higher wages, better injury compensation, and overtime pay. This had significantly boosted their morale and their opinion of Li Lin and the Kiramman family.
Li Lin mentally translated Hewlett's strange dialect into understandable words and asked, "What's going on?"
"A strange stone, a massive one!"
Hewlett spread her arms wide to demonstrate. "This afternoon, it wasn't there. But when the workers returned after lunch to continue working, the mine suddenly shook. We thought it was a collapse and rushed out under the protection of the mechanical engineers.
"But after waiting for over half an hour with no further tremors, a mechanical engineer went in to investigate and reported that a massive, peculiar stone had blocked the deepest part of the mine.
"We waited another half an hour and then, along with a prospector and a few strong workers, went back in under the protection of the mechanical engineers. To our surprise, the stone moved!"
As Hewlett animatedly recounted the story, her gestures and expressions grew increasingly dramatic, akin to an Oscar-worthy performance.
Li Lin scanned the faces of the workers, noting their mix of amusement and curiosity, before his gaze settled on a woman dressed distinctly differently from the others, resembling a technician.
Noticing his attention, Hewlett quickly explained, "That's Shulai, an excellent prospector and geologist."
Shulai, the composed, slightly dark-skinned woman, approached Li Lin with a gentle smile.
"You must be Mr. Li Lin of the Kiramman family," she said, extending her right hand. "May the winds of change guide you... Is that the current saying?"
"May the winds of change guide you," Li Lin replied, smiling as he extended his armored hand to shake hers. "It's quite fitting for the times, isn't it?"
Shulai, evidently familiar with Li Lin's recent accomplishments, added, "Your wisdom precedes you."
She paused briefly before continuing, "I came as soon as I received Hewlett's message."
"I hear great things about Shulai," Hewlett interjected in her peculiar accent. "You'll need a prospector."
"You don't need to doubt my expertise, Mr. Li Lin. I've been in every mine from Shurima to Zaun," Shulai said confidently.
Although Li Lin knew it was Malphite, he appreciated the workers' efficiency in finding a professional gemologist, highlighting Hewlett's competence.
"Well done," Li Lin praised Hewlett, then had the AI control several mechanical workers to join him. "Let's go see what's happening."
"Before we go, Mr. Li Lin, that big fellow seems to be alive and can speak... Shuriman," Shulai said, still shaken. "I tried to communicate with it, but its movements affected the entire mine, so we had to leave."
Her detailed observations puzzled Li Lin, but he quickly realized that as someone who had seen gods, he wouldn't be surprised by a unique life form.
Li Lin maintained a polite smile. "I understand. Thank you for the warning."
Under the miners' watchful eyes, Li Lin, Hewlett, and Shulai, followed by five mechanical workers, ventured into the brightly lit underground.
The only sounds were the hum of Hextech batteries, the mechanical flow and gear movements of Li Lin's armor and the mechanical workers, and their echoing footsteps.
Occasionally, the whistling of wind through rock crevices could be heard, but they knew it wasn't the wind causing the noise; the Undercity's poor ventilation had always been the main reason for its polluted air.
To break the tense silence, Shulai spoke, "Zaun's underground is typically compressed limestone, but that thing... I can't determine what it is."
"When I investigated, I found quartz, salt crystals, and granite on it. These materials aren't found in Zaun.
"I suggested using Hextech explosives to blast through it, but it spoke."
"Yes!" Hewlett added. "It told us not to destroy it and nearly collapsed the mine!"
Li Lin's interest was piqued. "Did it say anything else besides asking not to be blasted?"
"It mentioned something about being corrupted... But we were already terrified and fled with your robots," Shulai explained.
Corruption... Just as in the original timeline, the Void from Icathia had already penetrated Zaun, though much earlier than expected.
Li Lin's heart sank as he pondered this. Noticing his expression, Hewlett and Shulai remained silent, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.
They reached the end of the mine, where a stone wall of a different color blocked their path. The wall, about 20 meters high and 40 meters wide, completely sealed the tunnel.
"This... This is it," Hewlett said, trembling as she pointed at the granite boulder.
Li Lin silently nodded and activated "Data Mind" to inspect the "stone's" attributes.
[Name: Malphite]
[Species: Shard of the Monolith]
It really was Malphite...
Li Lin sighed and stepped forward.
"Mr. Li Lin!" Hewlett called, concerned. "You shouldn't get too close to that thing..."
Shulai also urged, "It's too dangerous, even in your armor."
As Li Lin was about to reassure them, a powerful gust nearly knocked Hewlett and Shulai off balance.
Then, a deep, resonant voice echoed through the mine:
"Humans, I am not a thing, nor a rock... You may call me, Malphite."
(End of the Chapter)
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