章 316: CHAPTER 316 - I Just Need a Spark!
[Your level has increased to 70!]
[Remaining skill points: 46]
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[...]
"Li Lin!"
Powder's exclamation jolted Li Lin back to reality.
Immediately after, a petite girl, dressed in the academy's uniform and with hair that cascaded past her shoulders into two neatly braided pigtails, dashed over to him and leapt into the air.
Reacting swiftly, Li Lin stepped forward and crouched, opening his arms to catch her.
"Powder! What if I hadn't caught you and you got hurt?"
"Hehe~~ I knew you'd catch me, so getting hurt was never going to happen."
After two years of growth, perhaps aided by Li Lin's support, and the improvements in Zaun's environment and citizen income, the business at the Last Drop had improved.
Powder's current appearance was quite similar to how Jinx looked in Li Lin's memories, though she had matured earlier than in the original timeline, minus Jinx's madness and with eyes not of the purplish-red hue typical of Shimmer.
Her small face nestled slightly into Li Lin's chest before she looked up with sapphire-like, glistening eyes squinting into a crescent, displaying a radiant smile.
Though her expression was one of excitement, her words carried a hint of reproach: "Big shot, you finally have time to see me?"
Li Lin, usually thick-skinned, felt a tinge of embarrassment as he scratched his head awkwardly.
He had promised Powder when he sent her to the academy that he would visit often, but his busy schedule had kept him from fulfilling that promise.
"Big Brother Li Lin is always so busy, staying up all night developing new technologies, and I barely get to see him…"
Before Ekko could finish, Powder cut him off with a sharp retort: "Little squirt, this isn't your place to talk!"
"What's going on? Why do you have such a grudge against Ekko?"
Li Lin's gaze briefly swept over the three children before focusing on a girl with yellow-green hair styled into two thick braids reminiscent of Pikachu's ears. She seemed to be about the same age as Powder, dressed in popular Zaunite tight pants and a jacket that was two sizes too large, beneath which she wore a yellow tank top, giving her a more mature appearance than her actual age.
Li Lin activated "Data Mind," and a series of faintly visible numbers flashed in his deep brown eyes.
[Name: Zaun Fireworks · Zeri (Champion)]
[Race: Zaunite]
[Occupation: Student]
[Ability: Electric Manipulation (Not fully mastered; further abilities not unlocked)]
Another new Champion…
Li Lin was mildly surprised.
He had thought that, within Piltover and Zaun, the only new heroes he hadn't yet met were Singed and Ezreal.
He hadn't received any new hero notifications when encountering Blitz, possibly because the system hadn't fully bypassed its programming constraints or awakened its intelligence.
Now, a new hero, a young girl with electric powers, had appeared.
As Li Lin observed Zeri, the girl showed no sign of shyness and was curiously studying him, the beloved big brother of Powder.
"Powder knew about Zeri's talent, so she wanted to introduce her to the professor and get her into the academy," Ekko explained awkwardly. "But we ran into some trouble on our way to the professor's office…"
Milo added, "We passed by a professor's office while he was working on a Hextech energy crystal. Zeri's powers went out of control, breaking the hallway lights and causing a blackout throughout the entire office building!"
"That wasn't Zeri's fault!" Powder immediately defended Zeri.
"...Zeri?"
Li Lin glanced at Powder, then turned his attention to Ekko and Milo.
"She's Zeri, a new friend I met at the Mid-City Plaza!"
With a smile, Powder lifted herself from Li Lin's embrace and quickly ran to Zeri, attempting to hold her hand, but Zeri withdrew her arm and declined.
"Powder… I might hurt you."
"Don't worry! The professor gave you insulated gloves, so you won't hurt me."
"Hmph, as if someone wasn't crying out from the shock just now…" Milo remarked, adding an unhelpful comment that annoyed Powder and made Zeri retreat slightly.
"That was because I touched her clothes!" Powder shot a dangerous look at Milo. "You're really annoying, Milo. When will you learn to control that big mouth of yours?"
"Powder, no more bad language. We're all friends here, so stop arguing."
"Hmph!" ×2
Li Lin felt somewhat helpless, unsure if separating this four-person team and putting these two bickering "rivals" together at the academy had been the right decision.
However, he had to admit that despite their verbal spats, when it came to collaborating on inventions, Powder and Milo were always efficient.
The "Chew Fire Grenade," originally invented by Powder, had been further developed with the professional knowledge of the two, receiving approval from the Piltover Guard and securing a patent.
Like the hoverboard Ekko invented years ahead of its time.
This was one of the good news updates Heimerdinger had previously shared with Li Lin.
Li Lin then walked over to Powder and Zeri, crouched down to be at eye level with Zeri.
"May the winds of change guide you, Zeri. My name is Li Lin."
Zeri's lips curved into a smile. "May the winds of change guide you as well. Since I met Powder, I've often heard her speak of you."
"Is that so…"
Li Lin looked slightly surprised at Powder, who also wore a delighted smile.
"Of course, even more often than she mentions Vi," Milo muttered from the side.
"Oh, damn it, Milo! If you can't control your mouth, I wouldn't mind stitching it shut next time!"
"I'm so scared~~" Milo pretended to tremble, wrapping his arms around himself in mock fear. "Do you think Vi would let you do that?"
"You!"
"Alright, alright, enough arguing…"
Without Vi's restraint, it seemed these two children's tempers were completely unleashed, almost ready to come to blows.
Li Lin couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead, wondering how their usual tutors managed to tolerate them.
At that moment, Heimerdinger, who had been furiously typing on his mini computer keyboard at his desk, finally finished his work and waved Li Lin over.
"Oh, child, come over here and take a look at this!"
Hearing this, Li Lin temporarily abandoned his curiosity about Zeri's abilities and walked over to Heimerdinger. He crouched down and leaned closer to the mini computer screen specially customized for him.
The screen displayed a clutter of numbers and formulas, mostly calculations done by Heimerdinger.
Though not labeled, Li Lin was familiar with the special formulas.
These were formulas for the Static Electric Principle Heimerdinger had proposed before, which was more efficient than regular electricity.
Previously, Li Lin had used these formulas to invent the Static Electric Blade, a cheaper and more practical alternative to the high-frequency vibration blade for Piltover's guard.
"According to my calculations, Zeri possesses an astonishing magical talent! Higher than any student at our university's magic academy!"
Heimerdinger exclaimed, stroking his beard. "I've just collected the electric sparks she emitted and discovered that her energy is even purer than Static Electric!"
"In other words, if Zeri is willing to contribute to scientific research, we could develop a new type of electric energy that is not only more practical than basic electricity but also safe and can provide double the energy!"
"Uh…"
Li Lin hesitated, feeling reluctant to interrupt Heimerdinger. He wanted to mention that he already had complete control over nuclear fusion technology, capable of extracting elements from the sea to produce nearly limitless energy.
He paused, glanced at Powder and Zeri who were oblivious to the discussion, and then said to Heimerdinger, "Such things should at least have her consent."
As soon as he finished, Zeri excitedly raised her hand and responded, "The professor already asked me, and I agreed!"
In her excitement, an orange-yellow electric spark suddenly flickered around her.
Fortunately, Zeri's jacket was specially made by her parents with excellent conductivity. As long as her abilities didn't spiral out of control, and if others didn't touch her jacket, they wouldn't be burned by the occasional uncontrolled electricity she might generate.
"It's just a little bit of electricity. If I can master my abilities, all I need is a spark!"
(End of Chapter)
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