"You can't have your cake and eat it too." Soraka's message was crystal clear.
In moments of critical decision-making, sacrifices must sometimes be made to achieve better outcomes.
Li Lin couldn't shake the weight of Soraka's warning; her words seemed to carry an implicit meaning he couldn't yet grasp. Yet, the celestial being who descended from the heavens claimed she couldn't discern his fate through the stars.
Since she insisted her advice came from personal experience, and with others present, Li Lin refrained from prying further.
After exchanging a few words, Soraka transformed into a streaking comet and departed. The angelic sisters also took their leave, needing to continue their communion with the legacy of the Celestial Aspect of Justice.
Leona, not being particularly familiar with Li Lin, felt awkward lingering after the others had left. She too disappeared in a radiant beam of golden light, vanishing into the sky.
With the Gaboga mech completely wrecked and inoperable, Li Lin had no choice but to stay behind, repair the machine, and return it to the academy. He instructed Azir to withdraw his forces back to the capital of Shurima while he remained to handle the situation.
After all, as the saying goes, "A debt paid opens doors for future favors." Since the mech was the property of Piltover University and he had damaged it, it was only right to fix it.
Li Lin sent Xerath to a newly established hazardous materials lab near the satellite base in the southern part of the twin cities. Once the arcane containment device erased Xerath's consciousness, the plan was to repurpose him into a combat mech.
After bidding farewell to Azir, Li Lin summoned materials through the AI to repair the Gaboga, ensuring everything needed for its upgrades was also prepared.
The damage to the mech was so severe that regular repairs would be too challenging. Li Lin decided to use his [Mechanical Repair] skill, expending mana to manipulate the materials and restore the machine. Afterward, he would use [Mechanical Refinement] to upgrade it back to epic quality.
An entire night passed in the blink of an eye. The Gaboga was restored to its original condition, indistinguishable from before, and was sent back to the academy via AI transmission. Li Lin also forwarded all battle data collected during the mech's operation to Heimerdinger.
With this task completed, Li Lin returned briefly to the Sun Disc and met Azir, who had been awaiting updates.
The ancient Shuriman Empire, though once a magical powerhouse, had also boasted advanced technology—especially magitech, which far surpassed modern Hextech innovations.
While Azir understood technology to an extent, Li Lin's specific technological expertise was beyond his grasp. After a detailed explanation, Azir managed to grasp the general principles behind the Sun's energy and the distinction between the solar power emitted by the Sun Disc and that of the celestial body itself.
Soraka's appraisal of Li Lin had already left a deep impression on Azir, and their latest conversation further reinforced this.
After spending a few days in the Sun Disc's vicinity, Li Lin returned to Piltover. His first order of business was repairing his own [Titan: Beast]. Afterward, he visited the academy to check on recent developments.
Viktor shared some intriguing news: Professor Von Yip Andrej had submitted a proposal for a "soul transference" project. However, the academy was hesitant to grant substantial funding due to the unprecedented risks involved.
Upon hearing this, Li Lin immediately contacted Lady Cassandra to secure private funding for Von Yip.
Li Lin was somewhat familiar with the concept of soul transference. In an alternate timeline, Von Yip had swapped his soul with his cat's.
The experiment, however, could hardly be called a success, as Von Yip had been unable to return his soul to his original body. That had been a desperate act born out of limited resources, forcing him to use himself as a test subject.
Unlike the Bolbok family's complete "mechanical ascension," which involved modifying their own bodies into entirely mechanical forms—akin to Viktor's transformation in the alternate timeline—Von Yip's research targeted the soul, an area where Li Lin's own quantum theories had limitations.
If Von Yip could leverage Hextech to overcome those challenges, it could provide Li Lin with an edge in soul-related mechanics, a traditionally weak area for engineers.
While Li Lin wasn't fond of the idea of mechanical ascension, it might one day become a necessary measure. Should his physical form succumb to Void corruption, transferring his soul into a mechanical vessel might be the only way to continue resisting.
In addition to Von Yip's research, Professor Valentina Zidelo was nearing completion of her Incognium Runeterra project.
Currently, there's no evidence of any area in Runeterra exhibiting energy levels that exceed normal thresholds. Even deploying drones to search for individual Darkin would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
However, with the Miniature Runeterra project, he would be able to pinpoint those Darkin wandering across the land—especially the Darkin Blade, Aatrox.
When the time comes, with the combined forces of Battlecast Xerath, one Gaboga, two Battlefield Mechs, Ascended warriors, and orbital satellites, Li Lin might finally have some confidence in facing Bel'Veth.
…
…
Several more days passed, and major news came from Demacia.
King Jarvan III, mirroring Noxus' Swain and his reforms, such as the [Trifarix Proclamation], issued his own public statement: a [Confession of Guilt]. In it, he sincerely apologized to all citizens of Demacia—particularly the mages—acknowledging the nation's history of oppression and unjust treatment of them.
What surprised Li Lin even more was Jarvan III's announcement of an upcoming royal marriage between Crown Prince Jarvan IV and Shyvana, who bears the bloodline of a fire dragon.
Naturally, the king withheld certain details, such as the fact that many heirs of noble families loyal to the crown, including the prince himself, possess magical abilities. Revealing this information would likely cause a major uproar and plunge Demacia into further unrest.
The wedding of the Lightshield prince was scheduled for the coming summer, and Li Lin, along with the entire Kiramman family, received an invitation.
Additionally, Jarvan III sent over a detailed tax breakdown and a generous sum of royal funding to personally sponsor Li Lin's technological research.
With this, along with Emperor Azir's ongoing sponsorship, Li Lin's previously strained finances were no longer an issue. Production lines were expanded, and tasks were efficiently allocated for the manufacturing of mechanical devices.
Inside the workshop of the Kiramman estate, Li Lin was busy reviewing recent data from Piltover and Zaun.
With the fall of the Chem-Barons, a significant number of substandard chem-tech gadgets and unregulated chemical factories had been shut down. Thanks to the help of Janna, the Wind Goddess, Zaun's environment had greatly improved.
Even the notoriously toxic Sump District, where breathing without a filter mask was once lethal, had become tolerable enough to venture out into without one—though the air still didn't quite compare to Piltover's.
Leaning back in his comfortable office chair, Li Lin propped his feet up on the desk. With one arm resting on the chair's armrest, he supported his chin with his hand, staring blankly at the holographic projection screen before him.
Less than three years remained until the Five-Year Accord deadline. Aside from lingering resentment among certain Zaunites toward Piltover, he had fulfilled most of the council's demands.
With Seraphine, who could listen to the hearts of the people, mediating, conflicts between the citizens of the Twin Cities were no longer a major issue.
If he could find the right time to be honest with Caitlyn and arrange for Sona, another who could soothe people's hearts, to stay in Piltover for a while…
The thought made Li Lin run a hand through his slightly disheveled hair, feeling a bit frustrated. "AI, give me a summary of the latest public opinion surveys."
[According to last month's latest poll, your approval rating among Piltover citizens has reached 69.77%, while in Zaun, it has climbed to an impressive 94.56%.]
[These figures account for external interference from other families, filter out any influence from your reputation boost, and do not include the diplomatic support from Demacia or Shurima.]
[My precise calculations show that the margin of error is virtually zero.]
[Now is the time to unify the Twin Cities, Master.]
"Yes, it's time…"
Rubbing his chin, Li Lin's eyes glimmered with determination.
Coincidentally, Kassadin had sent word of his return to a nearby town, and there wasn't much else occupying his schedule recently.
The matters of the Twin Cities, dragged on for so long, needed to come to an end.
"Connect me to Lady Cassandra and arrange a time for a council meeting."
(End of Chapter)
=========================================================
DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE
SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS
PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).