Academy Chronicle (1)

Piltover, Hextech Academy. The electronic clock on the bell tower had just struck six. It was lunchtime, and the spacious, brightly lit grand cafeteria was bustling with people. Students gathered in twos and threes around tables, enjoying food that could be considered high-class even in Piltover, while chatting animatedly. Among them, a small group of five or six boys, seated in the most conspicuous central area of the cafeteria, were particularly noticeable. They were talking loudly about something, casting unrestrained glances at every girl in the cafeteria. Occasionally, they let out laughter that others couldn't quite understand.

"Hoo!"

Just then, a young man with flaxen hair, casually draping his uniform jacket over his shoulders, sat down among them with a thump, immediately drawing the attention of the others.

"Yo! The eldest son of the Anderson Family. Didn't come to class again today?"

A boy with a middle-parted hairstyle next to him immediately leaned in. He spoke in a voice that was somewhat sharp for a boy.

"Professor Mattier is very angry. He said he wants to treat you to your favorite sunflower seeds."

"Hah, forget it."

The middle-parted boy was pulled aside by a companion before he could finish.

"With that old geezer Mattier, he wouldn't dare touch Oliver even if he had ten times the guts. His family is one of the major shareholders of the academy. That old man wouldn't want to lose his job, would he?"

One of the boys, like a loyal lapdog, boasted about the identity of Raddak Oliver, then cast a curious glance.

"But I'm also quite curious about where you went. You haven't been seen since last night. We couldn't even go to the bar, guys."

"Do I even need to say? Oliver just won the hearts of those twin campus beauties yesterday. He must have been busy with some 'multiplayer' activities all night. Look, he doesn't even have the energy to get up for class this morning."

As soon as this was said, it drew a sigh of admiration from everyone. Oliver, the person in question, let out a dismissive "Tch" with indifference. He reached out and loosened his tie, then grabbed a drink from in front of a boy and downed it in one gulp. His somewhat tired, delicate face was filled with boredom.

"Boring. I went to so much trouble chasing them before. After I got them, sigh, it's just boring."

"Whoa, brother, those are the twin sisters that every boy in the academy is crazy about. If that's still boring to you, I think only angels could interest you."

"Ah, that's not necessarily true."

It was that same high-pitched, middle-parted boy again. He emerged with a mysterious smile and said to everyone, "I heard the Mechanical Engineering Department has a new transfer student, really amazing, good heavens..."

The middle-parted boy suddenly stopped talking. His eyes were fixed blankly on the entrance of the cafeteria, looking completely spaced out, which greatly annoyed the person he was talking to.

"Hey!"

The boys cursed verbally, but their gazes were involuntarily drawn in the direction of the middle-parted boy's stare. Then, they too froze.

Two peerless beauties were slowly walking in, holding their meal trays. One had brilliant blonde hair that seemed to shimmer with light, while the other had pure silver hair, like frost on the moon.

"Clang!"

Ling Ying glanced helplessly at the spoon that had fallen to her feet. Just as she was about to get up to find a new one, a fair, slender hand offered the spoon to her.

"Here, I grabbed an extra one just in case."

"Thanks."

Ling Ying took the spoon and thanked the blonde girl in front of her, receiving a sweet smile in return.

"No need to be so polite with your roommate, Cecilia. Speaking of which, judging by your expression just now, you're still not used to it, are you?"

"Ah, no matter what, even eating meals draws so much attention. It's too torturous."

Ling Ying haphazardly shoved a piece of sea clam meat into her mouth, then subtly pointed behind her with the handle of her spoon.

"Especially that group over there, their eyes look like they want to devour me."

"Ahaha, Cecilia, your description is quite amusing. But it's true, my father said that the way boys look at girls can sometimes seem greedy and lustful. That's why he never let me play with the boys on the street when I was little."

"Oh? So that master craftsman is also a doting father?"

Ling Ying looked at the girl she was chatting happily with, a look of interest on her face. She was her roommate at the academy, named Orianna Revok. The name had once felt familiar to Ling Ying, but she couldn't recall anything specific. It wasn't until two days ago, when she casually spoke about her family, that Ling Ying learned her father was the renowned master craftsman Colin Revok of Piltover. Only then did she remember. Orianna Revok, the name of the emotionless yet kinder-than-many hero from League of Legends – Orianna.

Of course, Zaun hadn't experienced any gas leaks yet, and Orianna hadn't left Piltover. She was still a girl full of curiosity about the world, who loved to laugh.

"Cecilia?"

"Ah? Oh, sorry, I was spacing out for a bit."

"Ah, it's alright. If anything, the way you space out is quite pleasing to the eye."

"Ahaha..."

Ling Ying chuckled awkwardly a couple of times, then took a few more bites of food.

"By the way, we don't have any classes this afternoon, do we?"

"Mhm, we don't... Ah, right, speaking of which, Cecilia, do you want to come with me to the experimental district? It's an area completely open for students to conduct experiments. Students often come up with all sorts of strange and wonderful inventions there."

"Ah, me? I don't think..."

"Ah, don't be so reserved. The senior students will be very welcoming to you."

"..."

Ling Ying had originally planned to use this half-day to explore the campus more and look for anything noteworthy, as she hadn't forgotten the mission Caitlyn had assigned her. But...

"It shouldn't be a problem to slack off for a bit, right? No, this isn't slacking off. The experimental district? A place like that is definitely a top priority, I have to see it."

"Alright, I'll go with you."

An hour later, Ling Ying and Orianna stood in front of a building. This building was far from the aesthetic beauty of the academy's architecture. Half of the structure was a jarring, scorched black, while the other half showed visible signs of patching and repair everywhere. Ling Ying could immediately identify at least seven or eight different colored building materials.

"Boom!"

Just as Ling Ying was sighing, a sudden explosion and flash of fire erupted from the second floor. A dark object was blasted into a parabolic arc through the air, then rolled onto the grass not far in front of Ling Ying. The next second, a humanoid charcoal figure jumped up, waving its limbs and sprinting madly towards the building, shouting, "Whoa! An explosion!! An explosion!!" and other nonsensical things. Soon, a group of similar humanoid charcoal figures rushed out of the building. They hugged each other, wailing and howling, as if celebrating something.

"Uh, looks like the Arcane Weaponry Department guys have tinkered with an even bigger firecracker again."

Orianna seemed unfazed. She then took Ling Ying's hand and said, "Come on, our Mechanical Engineering Department building is this way."

"I told you! Your energy circuit is pure fantasy! You'll blow up the entire device!"

As Ling Ying and Orianna stepped into the somewhat messy corridor of the building, they heard an agitated male voice from the laboratory ahead, seemingly arguing with someone.

"But the experimental data shows that this arrangement can reduce the energy loss of the core of the energy amplifier by 37%. Plus, I've embedded an automated maintenance program. If something goes wrong, it can emergency cut off the circuit based on the situation."

The response came from a slightly deep voice, which sounded calm and collected, seemingly unaffected by the emotions. However, it was clear that it couldn't calm down the person he was talking to.

"Oh, damn it, does your brain from Zaun not understand that if the device explodes, all low-consumption measures are meaningless?! Wait... what?! You've brought in your chaotic automated program again, damn it, I told you..."

"Creak."

Just as Ling Ying and Orianna pushed the door open, the owners of the two voices finally appeared before Ling Ying. They were two men of similar height, wearing blue academy uniforms. The one closer to the door, who was scrutinizing the visitors with surprised eyes, had shiny black hair, sharp features on a square face, and erect sword-like eyebrows. His eyes were bright, giving him the appearance of a dashing young talent. The one inside, by comparison, was much less striking, with an ordinary face, dull gray eyes, and unkempt, messy brown-yellow hair that significantly detracted from his image.

"Good day, Senior Jayce, Senior Viktor."

Orianna nodded slightly at the two men, accompanied by a serene and proper smile, quickly rescuing everyone from the awkward silence.

"Ah, it's Junior Orianna, welcome, welcome."

Jayce responded to Orianna with a beaming smile. Viktor simply nodded at Orianna. Then he turned back to study the data tables on the desk.

"Aha, he's a rude stubborn old man, a Zaunite. They're all like that, don't mind him."

Jayce explained casually, then shifted his gaze to Ling Ying beside Orianna.

"And who is this?"

"Ah, this is our new transfer student, Cecilia Iliana. Cecilia, this is Senior Jayce, and busy over there is Senior Viktor, a special recruit from Zaun. Don't listen to Senior Jayce's nonsense, Senior Viktor is a very good person, he just doesn't like to communicate much."

"I..."

"Also, Cecilia, don't let their constant bickering fool you. The seniors are actually very close. They often collaborate. Even though Senior Jayce has his own laboratory, he still runs over to the experimental area to find Senior Viktor all the time."

"Tch, isn't that because this guy refused a spot in the laboratory and insisted on crowding into this broken building, forcing me to waste time on the road every day?"

Jayce pouted with some dissatisfaction, prompting Viktor to say without turning his head.

"If those so-called researchers spent less time talking and more time doing, I might be willing to go over."

"Here, look."

Jayce spread his hands.

"But I agree with you on that point. Speaking of which, you've come at just the right time, Orianna junior. We have a project that needs your help."

"Huh? Me?"

Orianna pointed at herself, her eyes full of confusion.

"How can I possibly help two senior students?"

"Ah, this might indeed require your help, junior. Hey! Zaunite, clean up and take us to Warehouse Two."