Exposed by Cithria, Li Lin showed no signs of nervousness. Instead, he smiled and retorted, "I don't recall ever saying I was from Demacia, do I?"
"Uh..." The young girl was momentarily speechless. "But, but..."
"Besides, Demacians are very accepting of other races. I heard there are even Minotaur Stonehorns in the Dauntless Vanguard."
As soon as he said this, Cithria, who had always dreamed of joining the Dauntless Vanguard and knew a lot about them, was immediately diverted to another topic.
"Yes, yes! I've heard of him! His name is Kriel, he's in the first regiment's first shield formation!"
Suddenly, Cithria noticed the teasing smile on Li Lin's face. Her excitement froze, and she quickly shifted to a serious expression.
"You almost fooled me." She said, "You still haven't answered my question!"
"But I don't think you asked one, did you?"
Cithria was stunned for a couple of seconds, then blushed slightly, clearing her throat to ease the awkwardness. "Ahem... Since you're not from Demacia, why are you in the Demacian plains?"
I can't exactly say I came to see you and get to know you better, can I?
Li Lin subtly shook his head without speaking.
"If you're looking for a dragon, you don't need to go deep into the border. Plus, sneaking out in the middle of the night..."
As she spoke, her eyes widened, and her expression changed drastically. She quickly drew the wooden training sword from her waist. "You... you're not a Noxian war mason, are you?!"
"Pfft..." Li Lin couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing him laugh made Cithria's cheeks burn even more. "Hmph! What's so funny?"
She stomped her foot twice, her tone quite anxious.
"I just remembered something funny... ahem, I didn't expect you to know about war masons." Li Lin shook his head and said seriously, "If I were a spy, do you think you'd still be alive to talk to me?"
"That's true." Cithria pondered for a moment. "So where are you from? You look like an Ionian my mother told me about, but your Demacian is so good..."
"I am from Ionia, but I went to Piltover during the war." Li Lin explained with a smile.
"What?! Piltover, the city of progress?" Cithria exclaimed. "It must be tough to get from there to Cloud village, right? You'd have to cross the Shimmering Mountains."
"That may be true for others, but not for me."
As Li Lin willed it, his Demacian-style equipment quickly morphed into a sleek, blue-black armor with a subtle blue-white glow, encasing his entire body.
Cithria gripped her wooden sword tighter, gasping, "This... is?!"
Before she could utter the word "magic," Li Lin quickly explained, "Project Genesis: Infinite Gen VI Nano Armor, Piltover technology, designed and built by me."
Cithria clutched her chest, taking several deep breaths to calm herself, her mind flashing a single term: "Hextech?!"
"If you insist on a term, you could call it that... I can't believe you know about Hextech."
"A merchant from Piltover once came to Cloud village. I heard about it from him." Cithria's shock turned to excitement and joy. "I never expected you to be a Hextech craftsman!"
She stepped closer, circling Li Lin a few times, then asked in a pleading tone, "Can... can I touch it?"
With his consent, Cithria extended a trembling finger, first poking Li Lin's arm, then pressing down to feel the cold, metallic texture of the nano armor.
It feels just like regular plate armor... she thought.
After a while, Cithria looked up at the visor of the armor, a spark of light flashing in her eyes. "Didn't you say you were going to kill a dragon? With this armor, can you do it easily?"
Li Lin hesitated, "In a way, yes."
The Gen VI Infinite Armor, made from star iron and equipped with a "matter disintegration cannon," surpassed Gaboga in both defense and weapon strength. Although its weapon power wasn't unlimited, it could still kill a dragon, albeit with more effort.
In the next second, Cithria asked a question that startled Li Lin, "Can... can I go with you to slay the dragon? Please~~"
"You're just a kid! What nonsense is that?!"
Li Lin lightly flicked her forehead, causing her to immediately cover her head and cry out, "Ouch... it hurts! Why did you do that?"
"Why? Is your head filled with mush? How could you ask such a silly question?" Li Lin opened his visor and glared at her. "No wonder your parents worry about you. You're such a handful."
"I'm a person, not a bear cub," Cithria pouted. "With you protecting me, I'll be fine."
"Do you know how big a fire dragon is?"
"Uh... a few meters long?" She hesitated and cautiously guessed a number.
"You're thinking of common drakes. Though they're also dragons, they can't compare to elemental dragons.
"That fire dragon is nearly twenty meters long, stands at least seven or eight meters tall, and could swallow four or five of you in one bite. Not to mention, its flames can easily melt rune steel."
Li Lin glanced at the dumbfounded Cithria. "In a battle with a dragon, I can't protect anyone. You'd likely get caught in the fight.
"You're the only heir of the Cloudfield family. If something happened to you, what would your parents do?"
Cithria bit her lip, her expression pained and conflicted.
Li Lin stared at the young girl for a long time before finally sighing and crouching down, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.
"You're not strong enough yet, but one day, when you join the Dauntless Vanguard, you'll have the power to slay dragons on your own."
"Re-really?"
"Of course. So you need to work hard."
Cithria's eyes lit up, a new determination igniting within her. "I will. I will join the Dauntless Vanguard!"
Li Lin stood up and ruffled her hair. "Alright, staying up late is bad for your health. If you want to enlist, you can't be weak."
Cithria's expression shifted to one of surprise, and she quickly turned and ran back towards the village.
As she ran, she didn't forget to turn back and wave at Li Lin. "Thank you, warrior!"
(End of Chapter)
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