Chapter 17 - Back Downtown

"I'm going to build a whole set of exoskeleton power armor, this arm is just a part."

Upon hearing Lilin's remark, Jayce pondered for a long time, "For a complete set of the exoskeleton, it's not enough to rely on hex batteries as an energy source, cost alone is a problem, and hex crystals are so unstable. ...what do you want to apply it to?"

He made an objective evaluation of Lilin's idea.

"The main function is to protect the wearer and enhance human capability. In fact, it can be applied to many aspects, such as porters at the Sun Gate, miners, and other workers who specialize in manual labor."

Lilin paused for a while and continued: "But my personal bias is to apply it to the military."

"You've been through war, so I can understand where you're coming from." Jayce shook his head, disagreeing with his point of view, "But as scientists, don't we want to usher in a better and peaceful era of progress? Why develop weapons of war?"

"Peace? No, Jayce." Lilin replied in a muffled voice, "The crisis is approaching, but you haven't noticed it yet. If we want to have a bright future, we must start preparing. Now."

Jayce opened his mouth with a complicated expression, and in the end all the words were turned into a sigh.

Speaking of a crisis, he recalled a rebellion a few years ago when the undercity resisted the oppression of the uppercity.

Jayce was a bit younger at the time, and he will never forget what he saw.

The scarlet smoke covered the sky, and the entire Piltover Canal stained red with blood. Countless dead bodies floated on the river surface and rushed into the sea of ​​​​watchers in the east along the current, becoming food for underwater creatures.

That day was dubbed the "Day of Ashes" by the people of the two cities, and it was also the merciless massacre of the rebels of the bottom city by the uptown enforcers.

Although he said that the relationship between the upper city and the under city has tended to ease in the past few years, he knows deep in his heart that this is only a superficial peace.

Sooner or later, the accumulated grievance between the two will break out again, but it is only a matter of time.

And this time it will be more serious.

Maybe...

Maybe Lilin is right.

Jayce took a deep breath.

"Okay, let's not talk about this, just talk about its current problems... How do you plan to solve it in terms of energy?"

Lilin took out the hex crystal shard from the power arm and shook it in front of Jayce, "Actually, I have already researched some results, if there is a complete crystal, I have... um… 90% certainty to stabilize it."

He didn't say anything too firmly, so as not to slap himself in the face when he failed.

After all, it would be the first time making a Hextech gemstone, it is completely reasonable to have an accident and fail.

"...Huh?" Jayce showed an expression of disbelief, "Are… are you sure you're not kidding?!"

I studied for half a month before I made negligible progress!

You only studied the fragments for a few days and said that there is a 90% certainty that a complete crystal can be stabilized?

Jayce frowned, and there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes when he looked at Lilin.

Lilin patted his shoulder and smiled, "Why would I lie to you? It's doesn't do me any good...

"Oh, by the way, I remembered that the hex crystal I ordered should have arrived. Do you want to go to Zaun with me?"

Jayce: "???"

...

...

An hour passed.

Lilin and Jayce took the Rising Howl down to Zaun's mid-level plaza and returned to the Lanes again.

The smog from industrial waste and chemicals still shroud this area, corroding every Zaunite who lives here.

As soon as he got off the screaming machine, Jayce immediately put on the breathing filter, looked at Lilin and asked, "Who did you entrust to help you find the crystal?"

"Your old acquaintance." Lilin, learning from the last experience, also put on a breathing filter, "Where you bought your crystal fragment."

"You mean Benzo?" Jayce pondered for a moment, then a stunned expression appeared, "Didn't he say he wouldn't be able to get the crystal until next year?"

"That's because you don't have enough money."

"Tsk, the swindler." Jayce smacked his lips. "He sold me a single crystal fragment for 50 silver cogs. A complete crystal would cost quite some gold no?"

"Three gold hexes for a complete crystal, before Progress Day. After Progress Day, it'll be one gold hex." Lilin glanced at Jayce in surprise, "If you know he's going to scam you why didn't you make a counter-offer?"

"It's not necessary, this is nothing to the Kiramman Clan."

"Where are we going? Benzo's pawn shop isn't in this direction, right?" Jayce noticed that Lilin was walking in the wrong direction, and asked in confusion.

"We're going to The Last Drop first, I have a favor to pay back."

"When you and Caitlyn were attacked?"

Jayce remembered that he was helping to find Caitlyn the other day, and combined with what Lilin said just now, he couldn't help but frown.

"I heard that you two got out of trouble by yourself. How do you have a favor to repay?"

Jayce is born and raised in Piltover, and there's three basic principles instilled into the children of the city of progress:

Invent, discover, and keep as far away from Zaun as possible.

Therefore, when Lilin said that he wanted to repay the favor of the people of the undercity, his first thought was "trouble".

Lilin noticed the expression on Jayce's face, "From your tone, you seem to have prejudice against Zaun?"

"I don't think this can be called prejudice, because it's not just me, most people in Uptown think Zaun is a problem, okay?"

Jayce secretly looked around, making sure that the people around couldn't hear their conversation, so he lowered his voice.

"Did you know that Piltover was once part of Zaun?"

"!? Piltover has been built 216 years this year..."

"What about Piltover before the city was built? Doesn't this place exist?"

Lilin chuckled, and without giving Jayce a chance to speak, he immediately added:

"Osha Va'zaun was once a trading post in the north of the Shurima Empire. Due to the failure of the waterway infrastructure, the sea back flowed, and part of the city fell into the ground, while the other part stood on the cliff.

"The wealthy and powerful family moved to the more stable upper city, built the current Sun Gate with the advantages of geography and environment, and renamed this emerging city 'Piltover'.

"The so-called upper city and the bottom city were originally united as one, and the fate of the people in the two cities is even more so. The families and Chem-barons know it well, but they are reluctant to admit it publicly."

Lilin's explanation left Jayce speechless.

A long silence, he reluctantly said: "This is not recorded in the history books in the Piltover Library..."

"With your ingenuity, you should be able to realize what I said is the truth."

Jayce was silent again.

His mother told him many bedtime stories when he was a child, one of which was the legend that the goddess of the wind, Janna, appeared more than 200 years ago and rescued the people from the monstrous torrent.

Saving the people of Zaun...

Back then, there was no Piltover.

"Like I said before, Jayce, your vision is too limited."

Lilin's tone was dark, but there was no satire in his words.

"We are all frogs at the bottom of the well, but it is our own choice whether to stay at the bottom of the well and only look up at the sky above our heads, or to jump out and meet the vast world.

"Since you've chosen to take risks to bring forth a new era, you are not a person who sticks to the old ways. You should understand how this deep-rooted prejudice will affect your thinking..."

Lilin didn't finish his words, he wanted to give Jayce some time to think for himself, and he believed that Jayce could understand what he meant.

…

After a long silent walk, the two of them finally stopped in front of a bar.

"The Last Drop" was engraved on a plaque at the front of the door. The bar was open for business, and there were a few people sitting in the store drinking and entertaining.

Lilin glanced up, then turned to Jayce who was still "contemplating life", and said with a smile, "Are you coming in? Or waiting here?"

"..." Jayce looked at him hesitantly, "I'll go with you."