Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

Obtaining a legendary blueprint after defeating Mordekaiser was beyond Li Lin's expectations. 

The "Imperial Throne Platform," a legendary item, resembled Azir's Sun Disc throne—a mechanical floating platform powered by anti-gravity technology. It boasted energy barrier defenses and enhanced the combat capabilities of mechanical armies within its range when Li Lin was present. Aside from its hidden abilities, for outsiders, its most apparent function seemed to be for "showing off." 

After briefly examining the item's stats, Li Lin uploaded the blueprint to the AI terminal, delegating the task of crafting one to it. He then refocused on the world before him. 

The Realm of the Dead had boundaries; beyond them lay an endless void. Passing through these dangerous areas would lead to other unknown regions of the spiritual domain. 

To play it safe, countless mechanical workers and drones scanned every inch of Mitna Rachnun. Without Mordekaiser's control, most undead warriors perished within a short time. Many of them had been enslaved in life, their souls manipulated through dark magic rather than willingly serving him. With Mordekaiser's defeat, their souls naturally ceased to fight for him. 

Li Lin was unsure if souls truly existed in Runeterra. In the Realm of the Dead, however, souls were merely fleeting presences, soon vanishing into an unknown fate. 

Nowadays, fewer people in Runeterra worship gods like Mordekaiser or the barbaric death deities tied to the Hall of Bones. This "underworld" would likely fade in the near future, much like the forgotten deities buried by the sands of time. 

With Mordekaiser's threat neutralized and Black Rose agents purged from the Immortal Bastion, Swain was actively assigning new personnel to key positions, steadily restoring order to the nation. 

As it stood, the primary threats to Runeterra had been resolved—aside from the isolated continent in the Far East that had severed contact centuries ago, the internal matters of the Solari and Lunari of Mount Targon, and Ionia's Kinkou Order. What remained now was preparing for the inevitable arrival of the Void Watchers at the end of days. 

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Six months passed in the blink of an eye. 

During this time, beyond Piltover and Zaun's expansion efforts and matters concerning the League of Legends, Li Lin's primary focus was on advancing his career and devising strategies against the Void. 

The twin cities expanded their urban boundaries north and south, and a significant portion of land was transformed into factories for mechanical production under the AI's direction. 

In addition to the steady output of combat units, Li Lin designed a fleet of starships with formidable firepower and the capacity to carry thousands of passengers. 

Relying solely on orbital bastions to house all of Runeterra's refugees seemed impractical. Li Lin had no idea when the Void would finally break its seal, nor whether there would be enough time to continue expanding the space stations. Starships capable of long-term deep-space travel became an indispensable backup plan. 

That said, Li Lin wasn't preparing purely for "escape." 

At the recent Second League of Legends Summit, attended by leaders from various nations and numerous newly-inducted "heroes," Li Lin emphasized the League's role as humanity's final line of defense. He tirelessly reiterated the looming threat of the Void to awaken everyone to the imminent crisis. 

Though he refrained from publicizing his resolution of the Shadow Isles' Ruinous Curse or Mordekaiser's downfall in Noxus, Azir's deliberate promotion of these achievements ensured many were aware of them and felt grateful toward Li Lin. 

As a result, his proposed "Great Wall Project" received unanimous approval, without a single abstention. 

This initiative, formulated by Li Lin and the AI and later refined with input from global leaders, aimed to safeguard Runeterra, their shared homeland, from becoming a feast for the Void. 

The "Great Wall Project" consisted of two main objectives: 

1. First Defense Line: Construct defensive fortifications at potential Void incursion sites to prevent the creatures from spreading to habitable areas. Though the Void could devour everything, their physical manifestations in the real world still required "nutrients."

In regions like Icathia, already desolate and lifeless, Void entities roamed aimlessly in salt flats, dormant without sufficient sustenance. 

Satellite data pinpointed three high-risk locations for Void Watcher emergence: 

Icathia (already consumed by the Void) 

Howling Abyss(where the Void Watchers' physical forms remain frozen in True Ice in the Freljord) 

The Conqueror's Sea (specifically the underwater rift that devastated the Vashtaya Sharkfolk's territory). 

Establishing fortifications in these areas was crucial to prevent the Void from directly invading Runeterra's heartlands. 

2. Second Defense Line: Construct secondary fortifications across nations or regions. 

Given the Void's overwhelming power, the first line of defense would likely fall. Battling the Void Empress Bel'Veth alone had required multiple Ascended beings, Li Lin's mechanical army, and two nearly intact World Runes. 

Void Watchers, embodying the Void's will and existing since the dawn of the universe, were expected to be exponentially stronger. 

The second defense line would serve as humanity's last stand. Should all nations fall, the ultimate contingency—abandoning Runeterra for "Voidless Wandering" aboard space bastions and starships—would be enacted. 

While the project had been approved, Li Lin faced numerous challenges. 

Building defenses in Icathia was relatively straightforward since the mindless Void creatures posed no immediate threat to construction efforts. Wall fortifications, floating turrets, fixed heavy laser cannons, and recycling factories for damaged machinery were all manageable tasks. 

However, the Howling Abyss and the Sharkfolk's territory presented significant hurdles. 

The Howling Abyss remained under Ice Witch Lissandra's control, as she worked tirelessly to maintain the Void Watchers' slumber within their True Ice prison. Constructing defenses here required negotiations with Lissandra, a notorious "traitorous crone" who had unleashed the Void eons ago. Although her regret seemed genuine, her unpredictable nature and possible resentment toward Ashe's rise to power posed significant risks. 

The Sharkfolk's domain was even trickier. The Sharkfolk inhabited the deep ocean, typically 200–2,000 meters below sea level, while the Void Rift itself lay in an abyss over 9,000 meters deep—the Conqueror's Sea's deepest trench. 

Their cultural tradition of selecting champions to dive into the depths and retrieve luminous pearls for the Lunari in exchange for "Moonstones" to suppress the Void confirmed the Rift's terrifying depth. 

Building defenses in such an extreme underwater environment was a colossal challenge. 

On top of these issues, no nation could reveal the impending global threat to its citizens. Panic and chaos would erupt long before the Void's arrival, undoing hard-won stability—especially in regions with low literacy and education rates. 

Thus, constructing the second defense line had to be done covertly, inevitably slowing progress. Fortunately, the Void's full emergence was still years away, providing some breathing room. 

(End of Chapter)

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