Chapter 2: Hextech Gate
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"This... teleportation?!"
Ivankov's face was full of surprise. He quickly realized that he and Ginny were lucky. With this device, their chances of escape would increase exponentially.
"Yes, it's teleportation," Oran confirmed. "This is a model. I don't know whether to call it good luck or bad luck, but the parts installed on my ship are exactly the components needed to build this device.
The slow airships and boats can't get out, but they won't be able to stop this kind of teleportation."
What Oran held in his hand was a model of the Hextech gate. In his dreams, Oran had experienced various realms of time and space, but the area where he lived daily was Piltover, where Hextech technology formed the foundation of progress.
Piltover originally had a Hexgate, the principle of which was to accelerate airships using energy released by the Hexcore, allowing them to significantly reduce travel time.
Building on this, Oran embarked on a new round of research and development.
Hextech was unique. Its power was only limited by the imagination of its user, offering infinite possibilities.
From powering machines to creating beams capable of cutting through the hardest steel, Hextech had applications in countless fields.
Due to technical intricacies, even Hextech craftsmen trained at the same school often had differences in their techniques. It could be said that every Hextech creation was unique.
Compared to the original gate, the gate studied by Oran was aimed at direct teleportation, more like the method used to teleport heroes to designated locations in the game.
Originally, Oran had traveled to Bilgewater to discuss business opportunities involving this technology. Confident in his invention, he brought the finished parts with him.
Delivering goods directly to a warehouse via teleportation was far faster than transporting them by ship.
"Great, in that case..."
Ivankov seemed to see a bright future ahead, but Oran immediately poured a bucket of cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Don't get too happy just yet. I haven't finished. While my research focuses on directly teleporting the human body, and I've achieved experimental success, stable transmission requires two interfaces.
At the moment, it seems we have no way to deploy a second port, so we can only teleport randomly. I can guarantee that the person will be sent to a general area, but the specific island they land on will be a matter of luck."
Spreading his hands, Oran looked a little helpless. After all, this technology wasn't designed for emergency escapes. Without proper preparation, it naturally came with certain limitations.
"It's not a big problem. I don't think any island could be worse than this one at the moment."
Ginny didn't view this as a significant issue. The mortality rate for staying here was 100%. As long as she could escape, anywhere would be better than this place.
After excluding places like the Red line Continent and the Marine Headquarters, the survival rate on other islands would be significantly higher.
"Second question, I need time," Oran added.
This problem worried him more than the instability of the transmission.
At least with unstable transmission, the problem of horizontal positioning had been resolved. People wouldn't be randomly teleported to high altitudes or inside buildings. As long as they didn't have particularly bad luck, they would land safely.
However, Ivankov and Ginny didn't seem to understand why Oran found this so problematic.
"Don't you already have the necessary parts on your ship? We can help you assemble it."
Raising his arms, Ivankov appeared eager to show that he was strong enough to help with manual labor.
"Do you think this technology is as simple as assembling a toy? This device was originally designed to transport goods, and modifications are necessary to make it capable of transporting human bodies.
In particular, the Hex core that powers this device is crucial. Its output power must be adjusted to handle the complexity of teleporting a human body, and that's something only I can do."
Oran picked up the model from the table and skillfully disassembled it. Inside, a blue crystal the size of a bottle cap floated in mid-air.
"This is the core of the device. Just this small piece is powerful enough to drive this incredible technology, but the real core is much larger than this."
Oran carefully put away the miniature Hextech core and gestured for the two to follow him. He led them to the ship's warehouse, where the parts for the Hextech gate were stored.
Inside, dozens of massive boxes were neatly arranged. Even the smallest of them was taller than Ivankov.
"Some aspects of the assembly can be handled by ordinary people, but you two alone won't be enough to get the job done," Oran explained.
He pulled off a dust sheet covering one of the boxes, opened it, and revealed enormous metal components.
The large device, designed to connect two different city-states, was far more complex than the model Oran had shown them. The parts of the gate occupied most of the available space on the ship.
Looking at gear components that towered over him, Ivankov fell silent. Ginny, however, remained optimistic.
"So besides time, you'll also need some manpower, right?" she asked.
"Yes. It would be ideal to have skilled workers, such as shipwrights, blacksmiths, or carpenters. There should be a few on this island.
I don't have high standards. As long as they can understand basic blueprints, I can teach them what to do," Oran replied.
If they had some foundational knowledge, assembling the device wouldn't be too complicated. Oran even found himself missing the crew from his ship. Their presence would have made things much easier.
Unfortunately, the night before, he had sent all his employees to rest at the hotel near the dock while he stayed aboard to continue his experiments. As a result, he was now alone.
"You should proceed with your plan. Combining it with this technology will increase our chances of success. But no matter what, it's essential to recruit more people.
No one here wants to die, and I'm sure there are plenty who'd be willing to try their luck," Oran said.
After pulling out some potentially useful equipment from a nearby shelf, Oran began to further arm himself. His concern about insufficient firepower was evident—something of a deeply ingrained instinct.
"That's true, but we're up against the Celestial Dragons. I'm afraid not many will have the courage to resist," Ivankov expressed hesitantly.
He elaborated on his concern: centuries of rule under the World Government had made the Celestial Dragons' authority deeply entrenched.
Moreover, according to Ivankov's information, the Celestial Dragons often spread lies, promising freedom to any prey who survived three weeks. This false hope pushed people to attempt to escape, increasing the Celestial Dragons' entertainment.
"The false hope they dangle may cause many people to give up resistance and focus solely on escape..." Ivankov continued.
"The life or death of those people has nothing to do with us. Why, do you plan on saving everyone?" Oran shot back coldly.
Oran had never seen himself as selfless. He wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for a group of strangers.
As long as he had the ability, Oran didn't mind helping others, provided they shared his goals and objectives.
For example, Ivankov and Ginny were planning an escape. Their goal was to leave this place, and since Ginny and the others could provide relevant information about the area, they naturally formed a temporary alliance.
However, from a subjective perspective, those who gave up resistance, left their fate in the hands of the enemy, and prayed for mercy were, in Oran's view, people who had already abandoned the hope of escape.
Oran would "respect" their decision—as long as they didn't interfere with his plans, he wouldn't concern himself with their fate.
Ivankov also understood this reality. While they were all slaves, there was a significant difference among them. Some, like him and Ginny, refused to accept their fate and sought opportunities to resist. Others, however, had resigned themselves to their situation, living like the walking dead.
The current situation was dire, a ticking countdown to death. They couldn't afford to waste all their time on people who had given up on themselves.
"If I had the ability, I'd really like to save everyone, but that's not realistic. In fact... I think even if just one of us escapes, it would be a great victory."
After a brief sigh, Ivankov chose to face reality.
"That's no problem. Someone who won't even fight for their own survival isn't worth saving. But your goal is too small. I have no intention of escaping in disgrace."
"What do you mean by that?"
"This world has given me such a grand 'welcome gift' as a newcomer, so it's only fitting I return the favor with something of equal value," Orlan replied.
His blue eyes darkened slightly, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
"What do you mean by 'return the favor'?"
The phrase felt odd in this situation, and Ivankov couldn't help but feel unsettled.
"This world" was an unusual way to phrase things, but Ivankov had encountered many eccentric people on the sea, and he considered himself one of them. However, the concept of a "return gift" still felt out of place.
What Ivankov didn't realize at the time was that soon after, the term "return gift" would take on a whole new meaning for him. Gifts, after all, could bring joy—but they could also be deadly.