Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

"Jayce! You're my lucky star!"

Li Lin's gaze burned with enthusiasm as he stared at Jayce, making his scalp tingle.

Jayce calmly took two steps back, distancing himself from Li Lin. "Do you... have any leads with these incomplete runes?"

"Of course..." Li Lin began to speak, but he quickly realized he wasn't a mage and that his initial statement was unrealistic. He promptly changed his tone. "It's not just that."

Jayce raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

"In fact, your design plans have helped me save some time. Combining these runes, I have some ideas... I just need to verify them."

The method of crafting Hextech Gemstone wasn't simple. It involved continuously infusing a natural, flawless crystal with magic during the production process to engrave the runes. Li Lin's mere 50 points of mana wouldn't suffice, so he needed a more scientific and efficient approach, using Hex Crystals as raw materials.

According to the system's attributes, while the Hextech Gemstone couldn't compare to the Primordial Crystal as an energy core, it could at least solve their immediate problem.

Jayce had mentioned that a certain shop owner in the Zaun black market could acquire intact Hextech technology crystals.

With this information, they now had an alternative material for making energy crystals. The next step would be to consider the exoskeleton power armor.

However, the first priority was to quickly produce the energy crystal.

Maybe a trip to Zaun was in order...

Li Lin thought to himself. But visiting a place like Zaun, where there was hardly any law or security, and only the Chem-Barons maintained order, required adequate means of self-defense.

His gaze shifted to the crystal fragments in Jayce's device. "By the way, Jayce, which district in Zaun did you buy this crystal fragment from?"

"The Lanes, I think the shop was called Benso's Emporium? The layout of the Undercity is so complex; I can't describe the exact location," Jayce replied, somewhat puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

"Of course, it's for your... I mean, our research!" Li Lin quickly grabbed the crystal fragment. "Let me study this for a while."

"But I only have this one piece. What am I going to research if you take it away? Can't we study it together?"

Jayce wanted to reach out and take back his crystal fragment but Li Lin who had anticipated his move was agile enough to dodge.

"Come on, we're practically family. Can't you spare me this little thing? I'll give it back when we have some results."

Li Lin smiled at Jayce and didn't linger, rushing out in three steps, leaving a bewildered Jayce behind.

"Wait! You! My crystal fragment..."

...

...

In the end, Jayce, persuaded by Li Lin, couldn't reclaim his Hex crystal fragment. To venture into Zaun, Li Lin believed he needed proper means of self-defense, as he felt his current stature wouldn't be enough to handle the rough crowd of Zaun.

So, he had to rely on external tools, such as the Hextech technology combined with magic, like the Hextech Revolver, Hextech Gunblade, Rocket Belt, and Ice Gun, which hadn't been invented yet due to the instability of Hex crystals in the current timeline.

Li Lin carefully considered and decided to create a relatively simple Hextech revolver, with the crystal fragment as its power source. As a descendant of a family of artisans, the Kiramman house had no shortage of blueprints for firearms and other devices.

During these days, aside from crafting the designs he had brought with him, Li Lin spent his free time learning a vast amount of mechanical knowledge through "Data Mind". Consequently, his "Basic Crafting" skill had upgraded to "Proficient Crafting", increasing his mechanical crafting speed by about half.

The problem lay in the realm of technology: how to transform a kinetic weapon into an energy weapon.

This was not a problem that could be solved by simply replacing a rotor; it required comprehensive improvements on all fronts.

The pistol's inherent resistance to energy, the stability of the crystal shards, and the overall safety of the finished product all needed to be considered.

However, with the combination of "Skilled Crafting" and "Data Mind" and the system's guidance, these were all well within reach.

Li Lin gathered the materials from the warehouse and began his work once everything was prepared.

Over the course of several hours, with intermittent breaks, his mana gradually recovered, allowing him to continue working.

Finally, after the clock in the underground vault of Kiramman Estate had chimed twelve times, a silvery-white body Hextech revolver, roughly the size of a palm, was completed.

[Hextech Revolver (Inferior): A weapon that combines technological and magical elements, powered by Hex crystal (shards), capable of firing energy bullets.]

[Attributes: 5 Combat Power]

[Ability Effects]

[Passive·Inferior Core: The power core can only provide three charges.]

[Active·Energy Bullet: After a brief 1-second charge, it fires an energy bullet forward, dealing damage to the target and generating a shockwave within a 3-meter radius, causing a brief stun effect on the target.]

The fact that a single energy bullet could produce a ranged crowd control effect exceeded Li Lin's expectations.

The limitation of the crystal shard to only three uses was regrettable, but it was sufficient for his needs.

After all, he only intended to use it for self-defense, not to take lives.

Even if someone did attempt to rob him, the gun would serve as a deterrent, and he might not even need to fire it in reality.

Suppressing his weariness, Li Lin caressed the gun he had crafted with his own hands, much like a proud father looking at his child.

"My system panel combat power has increased to 10. I'm finally not a 5 combat power scrub anymore..."

He staggered to his feet, picked up the black coffee on the table that had been brewed last night but had cooled completely, and downed it in one gulp.

The bitterness filled his mouth instantly, providing a somewhat stimulating sensation that helped dispel some of his fatigue from a sleepless night and excessive mana consumption.

"Geez, this stuff is even more bitter than the black coffee on Earth."

Li Lin tucked the gun into his waistband and covered it with his upper garment, inspecting himself in the mirror from top to bottom; nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Well, with this, I should be safe in Zaun." Li Lin stroked his chin. "The only thing left is money..."

Yesterday, when Jayce came to request the crystal shard, he mentioned that it had cost him a hefty 50 silver cogs, equivalent to half a gold hex.

Piltover's cost of living was not cheap. One gold hex could be exchanged for 100 silver cogs or 10,000 bronze washers, enough to sustain an ordinary working-class citizen's life for about a month.

Before coming to Kiramman's family, Li Lin had worked as a miscellaneous laborer at a compass repair shop that provided room and board, and his daily wage was even lower, just a few dozen bronze washers. He couldn't even afford the sweet pastries sold by street vendors.

He couldn't help but think that the owner of that grocery store had probably seen through Jayce's lack of experience and had taken advantage of him.

After all, Hextech cubes that could be powered by crystal shards and were available on the market were worth only 5 silver wheels...

Li Lin returned to his room and changed out of Kiramman's family's uniform, opting for a more modest outfit.

Next, he retrieved a money pouch containing 50 silver wheels from the drawer beside his bed and placed it in his somewhat worn messenger bag.

Based on his current appearance, no one would suspect that he was carrying such a significant sum of money in his bag.

Jayce hadn't even managed to buy a complete crystal, so Li Lin didn't have high hopes. He just wanted to talk to the shop owner and, if possible, pay a partial deposit to see if he could obtain the complete crystal earlier.

Piltover and Zaun might seem peaceful, but there were plenty of hidden troubles.

The sooner he resolved this matter, the better, to avoid any unexpected complications that might delay his progress in making the exoskeleton power armor.

"I should be fine like this..."

It would take about half an hour to travel to Zaun's Lanes via the Hextech Pressure Transporter.

Assuming he didn't get lost, he should be able to return to Kiramman estate before sunset.

As Li Lin contemplated his plan, he opened the door to his room.

However, a graceful silhouette at the door blocked his path. "Li Lin? Why are you dressed like this?"