After leaving the Church of the Wind Goddess in Zaun, Li Lin directly teleported to a satellite base just south of the Twin Cities.
It had been a long time since the first Heaven's Eye satellite was launched, and the second communication satellite was already built and set to launch tonight.
Li Lin named this satellite "Morning Star."
With this communication satellite, it would be much easier for Li Lin to contact the AI core across thousands of kilometers. The "part-time job" of the Heaven's Eye satellite was now over, and it would fully dedicate itself to its primary function: surveying resources and terrain.
For instance, the terrain of Belveth, a town consumed by the Void, would be mapped by this satellite.
These tasks were all managed by Viktor, which is why he hadn't been seen around the Academy recently.
Meanwhile, Jayce, at Li Lin's request, was busy alongside Heimerdinger, working on upgrading the mech weaponry and defense systems of the Gaboga.
Li Lin's pace in developing new technology far exceeded Heimerdinger's expectations.
Advanced materials like "Zero-Element Synthesized Armor," capable of withstanding the high pressure of nuclear fusion reactions, and new energy weapons like the "Matter Disintegration Cannon" would elevate the power of the Gaboga to a new level.
Not to mention, Li Lin still hadn't revealed the "Nuclear Fusion Missile."
This weapon was too dangerous, and he had no intention of sharing such strategic technology with anyone.
After witnessing the launch of the second satellite and conducting various data calculations with Viktor, Li Lin confirmed that his armor could connect to it flawlessly.
At the break of dawn the next day, he teleported to the outskirts of Wrenwall, transformed his armor into clothing that aligned with the Demacian style, and headed towards the heavily guarded fortress town.
As soon as Li Lin reached the checkpoint, he was stopped by two soldiers clad in mithril armor.
Behind them, atop the low, three-to-four-meter-high wall, several fully armed soldiers glared down at him.
After all, the prince of Demacia had narrowly escaped a trap set by the Noxians at the border. Having barely survived the ordeal, King Jarvan III would certainly not allow his only son to be in danger again.
Whereas normally only two soldiers would guard the town's entrance, now nearly ten stood watch.
Additionally, within the town, an entire unit of Dauntless Vanguard protected the Crown Prince.
Even if Noxus sent a 2,000-strong warband, they might not be able to take Wrenwall.
One of the guards, a soldier armed with a spear and shield, took a step forward and leveled his spear at Li Lin, warning, "Halt! Wrenwall is currently closed to outsiders!"
"My name is Li Lin, a friend of His Highness. I've been invited to treat his personal guards."
The guard, wearing a winged helmet, looked Li Lin up and down in surprise. "You're Li Lin? His Highness has mentioned you."
At that moment, the other guard, a woman, approached. "But His Highness said Li Lin had a suit of Hextech armor. You..."
Before she could finish, Li Lin sighed, and within less than a second, his clothes transformed into a sophisticated mechanical suit.
Not only the two guards in front of him but even those on the low wall were astonished.
"I thought our Demacian forging techniques were unrivaled in Valoran, but it turns out Piltover's technology is superior..."
"This... This was clothing?! Is this Hextech?"
"By the Winged Protector, that armor looks incredible!"
"I wonder if we could..."
"Don't even think about it. We never trade with Piltover, and we wouldn't be able to master this technology anyway."
Amid the guards' hushed conversations, Li Lin returned his armor to clothing, offering a polite smile to the now-dumbfounded guards.
"Now, may I enter?"
Before the two could respond, a voice from the wall, likely the squad leader, called out, "Cotten, Ovia, maintain your posts. Sybern, go inform His Highness."
After speaking, he descended the stone steps from behind the wall, walked up to Li Lin, and crossed his hands over his chest in salute.
"May the Winged Protector bless you. I am Gal Randon, captain of the Wrenwall guard. You may call me Gal."
Li Lin returned the salute in kind, "May the Winged Protector bless you, Captain Gal."
Gal nodded at Li Lin and gestured for him to follow, taking the lead by one step.
After walking a few dozen paces, he apologized without turning his head, "You are an honored guest of His Highness. Please forgive our rudeness... The border situation is tense, and we must closely guard Wrenwall, allowing no suspicious persons to enter."
"That's understandable," Li Lin replied without the slightest resentment. "Since our last meeting on the Silent Lake Plains, it's been three weeks since I've seen His Highness. How is he?"
Although he said this, the reality was quite the opposite.
Throughout the journey, the AI had continuously monitored Jarvan IV's movements via the Storm Combat Mech.
But Li Lin didn't consider this "surveillance."
After all, to reach Wrenwall, one had to pass through the frontline where the Demacian army faced off against the Noxian warbands. Ensuring Jarvan IV's safety was paramount.
Should a few blood magic-wielding "vampires" appear, the Storm Mech alone wouldn't be enough to handle them.
"Thanks to you, His Highness is in good health. However, six members of the Crown Prince's personal guard..."
Gal glanced back, hesitating to continue. Li Lin knew exactly what he was about to say.
They were questioning whether he could restore their vision.
These soldiers' eyes had been burned blind by blood magic, and with Runeterra's current medical technology, even Piltover's Hextech and Chemtech couldn't restore their sight.
Unless they undergo Hextech augmentation surgery and replace their eyes with synthetic ones, there's no other way. Only the most advanced magic could fully restore their sight. But Demacia forbids the use of magic... Gal couldn't fathom why Li Lin was so confident that he could restore the eyes of the prince's guards without using Hextech.
"This is a new technology I've been developing, and it's already showing promising results. Don't worry," Li Lin reassured, though he didn't delve into the details. After all, explaining genetic concepts to Gal would have been pointless—he wouldn't understand.
Gal silently nodded, leading Li Lin through the streets and past the townspeople's houses until they reached the central fortress, all the while saying nothing more.
Before the fortress, two rows of sixteen soldiers, dressed very differently from the guards at the town's edge, stood at attention, encircling Jarvan IV, who had been informed of Li Lin's arrival and was waiting in the center.
The storm robots that Li Lin had deployed to protect Jarvan IV, except for those patrolling the town day and night, mostly remained stationed within the castle where the prince resided. Since they knew the visitor was Li Lin, and with the prince being guarded by the Dauntless Vanguard, they didn't follow him outside.
Jarvan IV still wore the same golden armor as before, though this time, the Dragon Lance was absent from his hand. The only difference now was that Shyvana stood beside him, her curious gaze fixed on Li Lin, as if wondering who could command such respect that Demacia's prince would personally welcome him.
Upon seeing Li Lin, Jarvan IV laughed heartily and approached him with open arms. He warmly shook Li Lin's hand, then patted him on the shoulder. "We meet again at last, Li Lin!"
It was a significant gesture for Jarvan IV to greet Li Lin with a Piltover-style salute within Demacia, highlighting just how much he valued Li Lin.
"Judging by your appearance, you've been well lately?"
"Hahaha... Of course, of course! And it's all thanks to you!"
Jarvan IV turned slightly, gesturing for Li Lin to follow. "Come in, come in! Now that you're in Demacia, you must let me show you some proper hospitality!"
The extra chapter featuring Li Lin and Caitlyn has been released.
(End of Chapter)
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