บท 215: CHAPTER 215 - Unreliable Yordles
The moon hung high in the sky, and time had slipped away unnoticed into the early hours of the morning.
Several hours ago, Heimerdinger had dismissed all the students, leaving only Viktor and Skye behind.
It had been centuries since Heimerdinger last crafted a device capable of traversing the spiritual realm back in Ionia.
The original mechanical contraption had long turned into scrap metal and was now sitting in Heimerdinger's laboratory in Bandle City.
While there was a teleporter from Piltover to Bandle City, the difference in time flow between the two places meant that a visit to his hometown and back could take days or even weeks.
By then, Valentina would have long been gone...
However, Heimerdinger remembered every detail of the designs he had created, so creating a device to break through the barriers between the material and spiritual realms was no problem.
With Skye fetching the Hextech energy crystals from the warehouse, Li Lin and Viktor assisted Heimerdinger in the neighboring laboratory, constructing the mechanical device according to his blueprints.
Li Lin's skill and speed in crafting the machinery greatly exceeded Heimerdinger's and Viktor's expectations, even astonishing them.
Originally estimated to take at least 10 hours to complete and conduct preliminary feasibility tests, Li Lin managed to finish the machine in just over an hour.
This was partly because he deliberately slowed down a bit, waiting for Skye to bring back a few energy crystals before completing the work.
Otherwise, with the enhancements from the "Mechanical Heart," Li Lin could have finished crafting this relatively simple transport device in just half an hour.
Heimerdinger named the device "Realm Shuttle," divided into two parts.
One part was fixed in the material realm, using energy to break the barrier between the two realms and serving as an anchor to guide the user back from the spiritual realm.
The other part was worn by the user like armor for protection, and could also connect to the anchor in the material realm to prevent them from getting lost in the strange magical world.
Since Heimerdinger initially developed this device in Ionia, where the two realms merged and the barrier was weak, it didn't require much energy.
But after adjusting it for Piltover, it now required a total of 5 energy crystals.
Three of them were used in the ground base, and the other two were installed in the mechanical armor worn by the user.
After more than three hours of testing and debugging, Heimerdinger was finally sure that this device was exactly as he remembered it.
Although Li Lin had "Data Mind" and knew that there was no problem with this equipment, Heimerdinger believed in the importance of scientific rigor, and Caitlyn and Viktor were also somewhat concerned, so he chose to remain silent.
When everything was ready, Viktor looked at the device on the workbench with a worried expression, then glanced at Li Lin.
"Are you sure about this? I feel... we should have other options."
"Yeah, I agree. There's no need for such extreme measures," Skye nodded in agreement.
"The Nightmare cannot descend into the material realm. To solve it, we can only start from the source, which is the spiritual realm," Li Lin shook his head, looking at Valentina, who was sitting next to Caitlyn, dozing off. "Besides, Professor Zidelo's time is running out."
His gaze met Caitlyn's, and deep within her gem-blue eyes was a mixture of tension and worry. "Li Lin..."
Li Lin walked slowly to her side, one hand resting on her shoulder as he bent down, his gaze level with hers.
He gently brushed her nose with one hand, then lightly pinched her delicate cheek.
"Don't you believe in me yet?" Li Lin smiled gently, speaking in a calm tone.
"I..."
Caitlyn bit her lip, staring at Li Lin's brown-black eyes.
Even if she could detect a hint of fear in them, she wouldn't allow Li Lin to take this risk.
Unfortunately, Li Lin was determined to carry out this plan to defeat Nocturne, and Caitlyn only saw his confidence and determination.
In the end, she relented.
"Day by day, you keep doing things that worry me," Caitlyn sniffed twice, her eyes slightly reddened. "Can you really guarantee your safe return?"
"I think I shouldn't jinx it..."
"What's Jinx?"
"Nothing, just a saying from my hometown," Li Lin chuckled softly. "Before doing something, don't be too sure, otherwise the result may turn out exactly the opposite of what you expect."
"I also understand Ionian, how come I've never heard of this idiom?"
"Ionia is so vast, with dialects differing greatly from place to place. I don't even understand everything, so how could you possibly know everything?"
Li Lin gently pinched Caitlyn's nose, eliciting a slight pout of discontent from her.
Then, he glanced at Valentina, who could barely keep her eyes open, and whispered to Caitlyn, "Valentina is about to fall asleep. If we wait until she starts dreaming, it'll be too late."
As he straightened up, Caitlyn rose with him, taking a step forward.
A hint of violet fragrance wafted into Li Lin's nose, before he could react, Caitlyn's right hand had reached behind his head, forcing him to lower his head.
At the same time, she tiptoed, closing her eyes as she leaned toward his face.
With a rush of warmth and moisture, Li Lin's eyes widened slightly, surprised by Caitlyn's sudden, direct, and fervent advance.
However, Li Lin understood that this was her way of expressing concern for him and hoping for his safe return.
After a moment's hesitation, he began to respond passionately to Caitlyn's gesture.
On the other side, Heimerdinger's eyes held a hint of amusement, watching the young couple intently.
Viktor's expression was somewhat awkward, pretending not to have seen anything as he turned his head away.
Meanwhile, Skye's cheeks flushed faintly, casting occasional glances at Viktor beside her, then looking at Li Lin and Caitlyn with envy.
The air fell into a prolonged silence.
When Caitlyn's cheeks were as red as ripe apples, and she seemed slightly out of breath, Li Lin finally released her, gazing into her eyes, which shimmered with mist, a bit dazed.
"Wait for my return."
...
...
Under Heimerdinger's guidance, and with the assistance of Viktor and Skye, Li Lin put on the lower-body armor of the "Realm Shuttle," then stood on the ground base.
Caitlyn, Viktor, Heimerdinger, and Skye all wore goggles, staring intently at Li Lin, whose visor had already closed.
"Are you ready, lad?" Heimerdinger asked.
Li Lin nodded, "I'm ready."
As Viktor adjusted the parameters of the rapid instrument, his right hand eventually rested beside a red button on the console.
Then, he looked up at Li Lin. "The crystal's energy will resonate with the device on your body, and it might be a bit painful..."
"I understand. Begin charging," Li Lin interrupted.
Viktor glanced at Caitlyn, who was standing closest to Li Lin. Seeing her lack of response, he sighed inwardly with frustration, "Alright, countdown: 3, 2, 1..."
As the countdown ended, he pressed the button on the console without hesitation.
In an instant, a blinding blue-white light burst forth, flooding the entire room as if it were daylight again. Despite the protection of their goggles, they still felt unable to open their eyes.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, papers and documents flying everywhere, and everyone's hair and clothes fluttered in the air.
At this moment, Heimerdinger suddenly realized, his voice sharp and loud, "Oh! I almost forgot about something!"
"What?!" Caitlyn, Viktor, and Skye were all shocked.
But by then, Li Lin had been completely engulfed by the energy light and disappeared from the laboratory in just two seconds.
Heimerdinger stared blankly for a moment, "I forgot to tell him... teleportation might cause physiological reactions in the body. In simple terms, he might experience dizziness, nausea, and vomiting at first."
"Well, of course, the duration of these symptoms depends on the individual's constitution..."
Even in the face of Heimerdinger, hearing him say this, Caitlyn's anger flared up, unable to restrain herself from scolding sharply, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
(End of this chapter)
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