Piltover, Hextech Academy. The electronic clock in the Bell Tower had already chimed six times. It was lunchtime, and the spacious, brightly lit dining hall was packed with people. Students gathered in twos and threes around the tables, chatting as they enjoyed food that would have counted as high-end even in Piltover. Among them, a group of five or six male students seated in the most prominent spot at the center of the dining hall stood out in particular. They talked loudly about something as their brazen gazes swept over every girl in the hall. Every so often, they burst into laughter that no one else could understand.
"Phew!"
Just then, a flaxen-haired man casually draped in his uniform jacket sat down among them with a slap, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Well, well! The young master of the Anderson Family. Skipping class again today?"
A boy with a middle part immediately leaned in beside him. His voice sounded rather shrill for a boy.
"Professor Martell is furious. He said he'd treat you to your favorite Kog'Maw seeds."
"Hey, give it a rest."
Before the middle-parted boy could finish, one of his companions pulled him aside.
"That old geezer Martell wouldn't dare touch a hair on Oliver's head, even if you gave him ten chances. His family's one of the academy's major shareholders. The old man would have to be out of his mind to risk his job."
Like a loyal suck-up, one of the boys went on about Raddak Oliver's status, then shot him a curious look, too.
"But I'm pretty curious about what you were up to, too. You've been missing since last night. The rest of us couldn't even make it to the bar."
"What else? Oliver just won over those twin campus beauties yesterday. He must've spent the whole night having a threesome. No wonder he was too exhausted to get up for class this morning."
The remark immediately drew a chorus of jeers. Oliver, the person they were talking about, merely scoffed, unconcerned. He loosened his tie with one hand, then grabbed the drink in front of another boy and downed it in one go. His handsome, delicate face looked a little tired, and boredom was written all over it.
"What a letdown. I put so much effort into pursuing them, and once I got them, well, it was no big deal."
"Damn, man, those are the twin sisters every guy in the academy is dying to get close to. If even they can't interest you, I guess only angels will do."
"Hey, that might not be true."
The shrill-voiced boy with the middle part popped up again, grinning mysteriously at everyone.
"I heard the Mechanical Engineering Department just got a new junior. She's a real stunner, the kind that—"
The middle-parted boy suddenly stopped talking. He stared blankly at the dining hall entrance, as if his soul had left his body. The people listening to him grew annoyed.
"Hey!"
The boys called out to him, but their eyes followed his gaze all the same. Then they, too, froze in place.
Two breathtaking beauties were walking slowly toward them with trays in hand. One had dazzling golden hair, as if it were glowing; the other had silvery hair, bright as moonlit frost.
"Clatter!"
Ling Ying glanced helplessly at the spoon that had fallen by her feet. She was about to get up and find another when a fair, slender hand held one out to her.
"Here, I picked up an extra one just in case."
"Thanks."
Ling Ying took the spoon and thanked the blonde girl in front of her. The girl responded with a sweet smile.
"You don't have to be so polite with your roommate, Cecilia. By the way, from the look on your face just now, you still haven't gotten used to it, have you?"
"Ah, no matter how you look at it, having people stare at me even while I'm eating is just too much."
Ling Ying shoved a piece of clam meat into her mouth, then subtly pointed behind her with the handle of her spoon.
"Especially that group. They look like they're about to devour me."
"Ahaha, that's an amusing way to put it, Cecilia. But it's true. My father said boys sometimes look at girls with such greed and lust. That's why he never let me play with the boys on the street when I was little."
"Oh? So the Master Craftsman's a doting father?"
Ling Ying looked at the girl she was getting along so well with and gave her an interested smile. She was Ling Ying's roommate at the academy, named Orianna Revok. The name had seemed strangely familiar to Ling Ying, but she couldn't place it. Then, a couple of days ago, Orianna had happened to tell her about her family, and Ling Ying learned that her father was Colin Revok, Piltover's renowned Master Craftsman. That was when she remembered. Orianna Revok was the name of the League of Legends heroine who had no heart, yet was kinder than countless others: the Lady of Clockwork.
Of course, Zaun hadn't suffered a massive toxic gas leak yet, and Orianna had never left Piltover. She was still a girl who laughed easily and was curious about the world.
"Cecilia?"
"Hm? Oh, sorry. I got a little distracted."
"Oh, it's fine. If anything, you look rather lovely when you're lost in thought."
"Ahaha..."
Ling Ying laughed awkwardly, then stuffed a couple more bites into her mouth.
"By the way, we don't have any classes scheduled this afternoon, do we?"
"No, we don't... Oh, right! Speaking of that, Cecilia, would you like to come with me to explore the experimental area? It's a place completely open to students for experiments. People come up with all kinds of strange inventions there."
"Me? I don't think—"
"Don't be so shy. The upperclassmen will be happy to have you there."
"..."
Ling Ying had planned to use the free afternoon to explore more of the campus and see if there was anything worth paying attention to. After all, she hadn't forgotten the task Caitlyn had given her. But...
It should be fine to slack off for half a day, right? No, this isn't slacking off. The experimental area? A place like that must be a top priority. I have to check it out.
"All right. I'll go with you."
An hour later, Ling Ying and Orianna stood in front of a building. It wasn't the least bit as attractive as the academy's other buildings. Half of it was an eyesore of charred black, while the other half was covered in visible patchwork. Ling Ying could make out at least seven or eight different colors of building material at a glance.
"Boom!"
Just as Ling Ying was taking it all in, an explosion and flash of fire erupted on the second floor. A charred object was blasted into the air in an arc, then rolled onto the grass not far in front of Ling Ying. The next second, a human-shaped lump of charcoal sprang up and ran wildly toward the building, waving its arms and shouting things like, "Yikes! An explosion! An explosion!" A moment later, a group of similarly charred figures rushed out of the building. They huddled together, wailing like banshees, as though they were celebrating something.
"Um, looks like the people in the Arcane Weaponry Department have come up with an even bigger firecracker."
Orianna looked as if she'd seen it all before. She took Ling Ying's hand and said,
"Come on. The Mechanical Engineering Department's building is this way."
"I told you! Your energy circuit is pure fantasy! You're going to blow up the whole device!"
Ling Ying and Orianna had just entered the cluttered hallway when an agitated male voice rang out from a lab up ahead. It sounded like he was arguing with someone.
"But the experimental data shows that this configuration reduces energy loss in the energy amplifier's core by 37%. I also built in an automated maintenance program. If anything goes wrong, it can immediately cut off the circuit depending on the situation."
The response came in a slightly low voice. It sounded calm and steady, seemingly unaffected by the other man's agitation, but it clearly wasn't enough to calm him down.
"Oh, damn it! Does that Zaunite brain of yours not understand that all your energy-saving measures are meaningless if the device blows up?! Wait... What?! You put that reckless automated program of yours in here again? Damn it, I told you—"
"Creak."
Just then, Ling Ying and Orianna pushed open the door, and the two men the voices belonged to finally came into view. They were about the same height and wore the academy's blue uniforms. The one closer to the door was scrutinizing the visitors in surprise. He had slick black hair, a square, sharply defined face, thick brows, and bright eyes. He looked like a handsome, dashing young man. The other was rather less impressive by comparison: unremarkable features, dull gray eyes, and unkempt, tousled brownish-yellow hair.
"Good afternoon, Senior Jayce, Senior Viktor."
Orianna gave the two men a slight nod, accompanied by a calm, polite smile. She quickly rescued everyone from the awkward silence.
"Oh, it's Junior Orianna! Welcome, welcome."
Jayce greeted Orianna with a sunny smile, while Viktor simply nodded at her before turning back to study the data sheets on the table.
"Ahaha, he's a rude, stubborn Zaunite. They're all like that, so don't mind him."
Jayce explained casually, then turned his attention to Ling Ying, who stood beside Orianna.
"And who's this?"
"Oh, this is Cecilia Iliana. She transferred here a couple of days ago. Cecilia, this is Senior Jayce. The one working over there is Senior Viktor, a special admissions student from Zaun. Don't listen to Senior Jayce. Senior Viktor's a good person; he just doesn't like talking much."
"I..."
"And Cecilia, don't let their constant bickering fool you. The seniors are quite close. They work together all the time. Senior Jayce has his own lab, but he still keeps coming to the experimental area to see Senior Viktor."
"Tch. That's because this guy turned down a lab of his own and insisted on squeezing into this dump. I have to waste time on the road every day because of him."
Jayce pursed his lips in annoyance, prompting Viktor to speak without turning around.
"If those so-called researchers spent less time running their mouths and more time getting things done, I might be willing to go over there."
"See what I mean?"
Jayce shrugged.
"Still, I have to agree with him on that point. Anyway, you've come at just the right time, Junior Orianna. We have a project that could use your help."
"Me?"
Orianna pointed at herself, her eyes full of confusion.
"What could I possibly do to help you two seniors?"
"Well, it might actually take your help, Junior. Hey, Zaunite, pack up and take us to Warehouse Two."
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