Heart Transplant Surgery

After bidding farewell to the two councilors, Corin walked with heavy steps towards his workshop.

The southern district of Piltover, adjacent to the coastline and close to Zaun, was filled with workshops of all sizes, and the Academy was also located there.

This area thrived because of Zaun's factories. Artisans from Zaun and around the world processed the semi-finished products from Zaun into goods. Piltover's most bustling workshop street used to be located here.

But now, it was much quieter.

The relationship between Zaun and Piltover had broken down, and artisans couldn't get raw materials. Many goods couldn't be manufactured, and they had to scrape by on their meager inventories.

Corin knew that most of the artisans here were from Zaun, mostly people who had left their dark homeland to seek a better life in the Golden City.

Those people were now the most hesitant and conflicted, wondering whether to return to their hometowns.

However, none of this concerned him; he was born in Piltover. His extensive conversation with Jayce today wasn't just because he loved this city, but because he hoped he could leave something behind for his daughter, something that would allow her to live a better life here.

He actually detested Zaun, not because of its squalor, but because he had nearly lost his beloved daughter there.

Orianna, due to her kind heart, had inhaled an unknown chemical gas during an ill-fated aid mission to Zaun, which led to lung necrosis.

Fortunately, he had crafted a pair of mechanical lungs, and by a stroke of luck, he managed to replace her lungs, allowing Orianna to live to this day.

But there was a drawback: while normal people breathed with intact lungs, his daughter could only inhale and exhale by winding up the mechanical lungs.

To prevent his daughter from running off to Zaun again like last time, he had specifically locked the special winding key at home.

It would soon be time to wind Orianna up again.

Corin quickened his pace towards his workshop. Whenever he thought about his impending death, he felt a deep anxiety about Orianna's future.

"Welcome back!"

As soon as he entered his workshop, a largely emotionless female voice came from inside.

"Orianna, do we have a guest today?"

He looked into the room, his expression somewhat surprised.

A noble man in pure white robes sat at the wooden table for guests. He had noticed the elegant, upright posture of the man's back the moment he walked in.

This was a high-ranking noble.

Having seen many Piltover nobles, Corin quickly made his judgment.

Behind this noble stood a female guard dressed in leather. If not for the two daggers on her back, he wouldn't have recognized her as a guard. Her figure, appearance, and burgundy hair were simply too eye-catching.

Corin felt a little strange. Why would the other party come to the workshop street at this time? The person had all their limbs intact, not at all like someone who would come to buy prosthetics.

Although he had many useful inventions, the only things nobles would seek him out to buy were his most adeptly crafted prosthetics; they were even better than real ones.

"Father, the Academy sent a batch of purchase orders this afternoon. The requests are in the bag by the door. Please take a trip yourself. I'll entertain this guest."

Corin felt very strange. He keenly sensed that Orianna wanted him to leave quickly, and this was the first time.

He couldn't help but glance towards Orianna, and what he saw made his eyes narrow.

A Hex Crystal!

How could he not recognize such a dangerous yet alluring item? He had seen the first man to introduce it to the Piltover public just this afternoon.

However, this crystal was a bit odd; it wasn't the common multifaceted gemstone structure, but more like a glass sphere.

"Alright, alright, which professor from the Academy needs it?"

Corin took a quick look and then paid no more attention, his hand resting on the cart holding the paper bag.

Orianna's business deal wouldn't work out.

He did want a Hex Crystal, but even if the workshop street were as prosperous as before, they couldn't afford one Hex Crystal if they worked for five years without eating or drinking.

"Professor Heimerdinger, the Academy needs a batch of weapon testing dummies," Orianna replied softly.

"Sigh, even Professor Heimerdinger supports the war, does he?" Corin muttered to himself a few times, then pulled the small cart and left the door again.

After Corin left, Orianna's gaze returned to the front, her delicate face showing an apologetic expression:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ryan. I think we can continue our discussion now. I really need this Hex Crystal. If you're willing to let me pay in installments, I can offer our workshop as collateral."

Ryan sat in front of Orianna, a gentle smile on his lips:

"From what I understand, Miss Orianna has been spreading news about seeking to purchase Hex Gemstones, and very few people know about Hex Gemstones."

Hex Gemstones were different from Hex Crystals. Crystals were Primal Crystals naturally occurring from the Chitin People, while Gemstones were stable energy sources artificially created by Jayce and Viktor.

His gaze inadvertently swept over Orianna's chest. He could sense that it wasn't flesh and blood, but a mass of mechanical components.

How interesting. Besides Camille, someone else in Piltover was actually ahead of Viktor.

Thinking of Viktor's path of Machine Ascension, Ryan couldn't help but become intrigued by the girl in front of him.

He had occasionally heard that there was an artisan in Piltover seeking to purchase Hex Gemstones. By coincidence, he had come out of curiosity and hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.

"Mr. Ryan… I have a reason why I must have it…"

Orianna's expression dimmed as she revealed the truth:

"My father's heart isn't well; he has at most two months left to live. I haven't had a chance to repay his love. I heard that Councilor Camille underwent Augmentation Technology heart surgery."

"I don't seem to have a reason to refuse you, but what can you offer me?" Ryan asked leisurely.

He had no intention of refusing the offer. If the other party truly possessed the ability to perform Augmentation Technology surgeries, he would be very happy to recruit such a promising scientist for the Empire.

"Money."

Orianna pursed her lips, knowing her family couldn't afford it, which left her feeling a little disheartened.

The most despairing thing isn't seeing no hope from the very beginning.

It's when hope is clearly within reach, yet she lacks the ability to grasp it.

Her gaze fell on Katarina, who stood behind Ryan, and an idea suddenly sparked in her mind. A glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes:

"As long as you can save my father, I will be your servant, your slave."

Hearing Orianna's words, like those of a drowning person, Ryan couldn't help but chuckle. He neither refused nor agreed:

"May I ask how you plan to perform the heart transplant? I can tell that Mr. Li Weike cannot withstand the energy surge released by the Hex Gemstone during a heart replacement. I've always believed in equivalent exchange. If you have the ability to deal with Mr. Li Weike's predicament, that would be worth far more than a single gem to me."

"Mr. Ryan, you overestimate me." Orianna's face was bitter. "I have no solution. I've thought about creating a mechanical carrier for the Hex Crystal to prevent its energy from becoming violent, thereby producing Hex Gemstones. But they interact with each other and would require a lot of time. I can't wait; that would take at least one or two years."

Pain flickered in her eyes as she pointed to a device buried among a pile of prosthetics not far away.

Ryan turned his head, his brow slightly furrowed, surprise in his eyes.

He could tell at a glance that the metal-encased mechanical sphere could already be considered the prototype of a Hex weapon. If a Hex Gemstone were placed inside, a Hex weapon could be immediately created.

However, Orianna seemed to want to use it to convert the crystal into a stable gem. In terms of this function, the mechanical sphere could only be considered a crude semi-finished product.

Even so, Orianna was undoubtedly a genius in his eyes, no less talented than Viktor and Jayce.

"A genius design, but fate has played a trick on you all," Ryan sighed, shaking his head. "I'm a bit curious: if I were to give you the gem, how would you perform the heart transplant? Even with a gentler Hex Gemstone, ordinary people might not be able to withstand it."

Camille was a miracle created by integrating all of Piltover's core technologies.

He didn't think the other party could obtain the Ferros Clan's technology, but he also didn't believe they had no backup plan. Given Orianna's recent desperate efforts to acquire a Hex Gemstone, it was clear she must have made ample preparations.

"Mr. Ryan… I know you are a powerful and insightful mage. I'd like to hear your thoughts…"

"Tell me your idea."

Ryan's eyes showed interest, hoping the other party could bring him some surprises.

Orianna suddenly raised her head, her usually placid eyes now filled with determination:

"If it's just an ordinary heart, after my father undergoes the heart transplant, will he be able to survive…?"

Perceiving the 500 reward from "Tianya Buluo" (Edge of the World Never Falls), thank you to "Book Friend 20211103" for the 500 reward!