In times of peace, time was like a slippery loach, darting out of your grasp before you even noticed. Ling Ying had been at Hextech Academy for several weeks now, and it felt as if she'd returned to her college days. Aside from the fact that she couldn't understand a single word of the pile of textbooks that looked like they were written in the heavens, things weren't bad at all. Ling Ying even found herself wishing she could live like this forever.
"Knock, knock."
Someone knocked on the dorm room door. Ling Ying looked up from The Great Explorer and the Alien Princess, which she'd been reading, and glanced toward the wooden door. Who could it be, so early on a day off? She couldn't help feeling curious. But curiosity was one thing. It was only just past eight, and as someone who loved sleeping in, Ling Ying absolutely would not get out of bed. Absolutely not!
"Cecilia, why aren't you answering the door?"
Orianna came out of the washroom. Seeing that Ling Ying had no intention of getting out of bed to open the door, she sighed helplessly, then went over and turned the doorknob.
"Huh? No one's there?"
Orianna's puzzled voice came from the doorway, followed by a string of bell-like laughter.
"Cecilia."
Orianna came back inside, carrying a very fancy-looking envelope and... a rose dusted with glitter.
"Same as always. It's for you."
"Oh, damn it."
Ling Ying sat up in bed with an annoyed look, took the envelope and rose from Orianna, then tossed them straight into the trash outside the door without even looking at them.
"Orianna, remember this: men are all pigs. Don't let them fool you, got it?"
Ling Ying placed a hand on Orianna's shoulder with a solemn air, speaking as if imparting some hard-won wisdom.
"Uh... okay..."
"Good. Just making sure."
Ling Ying relaxed, then continued in her usual tone.
"Didn't Senior Jayce and Senior Viktor ask us to stop by today? Since we're up, let's go now."
"How are the Flexible Lining and Elastic Structure Armguard working?"
"Pretty well in actual tests."
As he answered Jayce, Viktor climbed out of a metal canister taller than a person, then turned his gaze to Orianna, who was standing nearby.
"Although these minor improvements barely enhance the Deep Dive Suit's performance, the Academy's requirements for our design also include improving... human ergonomics. Junior Orianna's expertise in ergonomics is truly impressive."
"Hehehe, it's not easy to earn praise from you, Senior Viktor."
"Well, Zaunites aren't exactly known for complimenting people. I told you that from the start. The Hextech Dolls and Prosthetic Limbs made by Orianna's family are famous. When it comes to understanding the human body, there are probably few people in the whole Academy who can match her."
"Mm, that's true."
Viktor ignored the first half of Jayce's rather cutting remark, as he usually did, and continued.
"However, there's a problem. Installing these two features in the Deep Dive Suit will take up interior space, forcing us to reduce the armor's thickness. That will limit the depth it can reach. If we sacrifice the suit's original performance for comfort, we'll end up worse off."
"Then why not just build a bigger diving suit?"
Ling Ying, who'd been quietly standing off to the side, suddenly said something astonishing. Jayce turned to look at her. Judging by his expression, Ling Ying could practically hear him thinking, Is she an idiot or something?
"The Deep Dive Suit's structure needs to fit the diver's body. Making it bigger won't help; it'll only make it harder for the diver to operate."
Viktor patiently explained, but Ling Ying shook her head.
"No, that's exactly what I mean. Why does the Deep Dive Suit have to fit the human body? You've already thought of things like the Elastic Structure Armguard and Flexible Lining, so why not design a Mechanical Transmission Structure to help the operator control the suit's external limbs? Then the diving suit wouldn't have to be limited by the size of a human body."
Everyone fell silent. Even Jayce looked as if he were thinking, Holy crap! What is this? After a long moment, Viktor spoke first.
"In that case, the Deep Dive Suit wouldn't be something a person could operate. As for the power..."
"Hextech Crystal!"
Jayce suddenly brightened.
"If we're already adding a mechanical transmission system, we might as well install a Power Module, too. A Hextech Crystal should easily be enough to power the entire Deep Dive Suit."
"Mm, a Hextech Crystal is a good idea."
Ling Ying nodded.
"And we can take the idea further. Since we've decided to make the Deep Dive Suit bigger, and a Hextech Crystal has plenty of excess energy, we can not only thicken the armor but also integrate some existing systems, like a Hextech Energy Shield, Breeze Filtration System, and Power Jet System. If there are dangers in the deep sea, we could even equip it with a large-caliber cannon."
Ling Ying stunned everyone again. This time, they didn't just fall silent; they all sucked in a sharp breath.
"Cecilia, I thought you weren't... very interested in mechanical engineering."
Orianna looked somewhat amused and exasperated.
"You're right. I'm really not. I was just making a suggestion..."
Ling Ying shrugged with complete honesty. There was no point pretending otherwise. In this world, she really was a bona fide academic disaster—the kind who needed Orianna to do her homework for her.
"Junior Cecilia, you're too modest. You may have said it casually, but your words gave us plenty to think about. This can no longer be called a Deep Dive Suit. It's an entirely new, integrated platform. Looks like we seniors sometimes let our own knowledge constrain our thinking."
Jayce smiled approvingly, while Viktor immediately grabbed some paper and a pen and began scribbling.
"If we do this, we'll have to start the design from scratch. I can find some people from our department to work on the basic frame. The subsystems shouldn't be too difficult either, but the Hextech Crystal for the power system..."
Before Viktor could finish, everyone turned to look at Jayce. A chill ran down his spine.
"Why are you all looking at me? I don't have a Hextech Crystal."
"But you can submit an application. Given your relationship with Professor Stanwick and the others, it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Tch. A relationship's one thing, but those old fogies guard this kind of thing like their lives depend on it. On that score, they're just like the Piltover merchant houses—utterly self-serving. Besides, even if we apply, we'll first need a prototype and a complete set of technical documents. At this stage, when we've only just come up with the idea, we'll have to rely on ourselves."
Jayce's complaints dampened everyone's spirits. It was common knowledge who held the most influence in Piltover: after the great families came the academic cliques in every field. Piltover was a city of science, and the importance the entire city placed on technology allowed talented people to rise to positions of power. Most of Piltover's academic cliques had earned their fame and prestige with one or two signature technological inventions. Having made their fortunes through technology, they were as sensitive to new technologies and talented young scientists as cats to the smell of fish. They scoured all of Piltover for every kind of scientific advancement and every talented scientist, then claimed them as their own. Growing older hadn't broadened their horizons; it had only made them narrower-minded and more self-serving. They held the power of life and death in the scientific community and stubbornly refused to give it up. Young scientists either joined an academic clique as an apprentice or remained obscure for their entire lives. Unfortunately, many professors at Hextech Academy were just like that. They monopolized the fruits of technological progress while resenting and opposing any technology beyond their understanding.
Ling Ying glanced around at everyone, then broke the silence.
"If Hextech Crystals are hard to get, why not settle for Drained Crystals? You can buy those on the market. Besides, using a fully charged Hextech Crystal to power a suit of Power Armor would be wasteful, but using several Drained Crystals for the job would make a lot more sense."
"That should work."
Viktor quickly replied, then bowed his head and began calculating again.
"If we can design a power supply system that links several Drained Crystals and uses an energy circuit to provide power..."
Viktor was interrupted by Jayce, whose eyes were shining.
"Junior, what was that thing you mentioned just now... Power Armor? Oh! Right! That name is absolutely brilliant! Perfect!"
"Oh? Senior Jayce understands, too? Ha! The violent beauty of machinery really is the height of romance..."
Just as Ling Ying was excitedly about to say more, the laboratory door suddenly swung open. A middle-aged man with gray-white hair poked his head inside, his gaze sweeping over everyone before settling on Ling Ying.
"Cecilia, please come to my office. I need to discuss something with you in person."
"Me?"
Ling Ying pointed to herself, looking bewildered. She knew the man; he was one of the Academy's instructors. What she didn't understand was why a teacher wanted to see her. Since arriving at the Academy, she'd been completely invisible. Aside from getting a zero on an exam a few days ago, she hadn't done anything to attract attention.
"Junior, go ahead if you need to. But come back soon, okay? We still have a lot to discuss."
Jayce gave Ling Ying a playful wink. She nodded in understanding.
"Then I'm calling it now: I get to design the outer shell."
Before you continue