Jayce and Viktor

Upon arriving at the hotel, the parking lot was already packed with cars from various Hextech workshops.

In Piltover, there are many Hextech workshops, but few scholars of Ixialia.

Given the limited number of workshops and the high demand, Yuan Chen arranged different access orders for each workshop based on Hextech ranking and functionality.

Of course, this order only applies to ordinary scholars; Yuan Chen and Qiyana have other plans.

"First, let's finalize the standard Hextech Workshop kits, and then we'll build our own workshop here."

Sitting in the car, Yuan Chen looked at the brochure on the car and said:

"Leaving aside other aspects of Hextech, its energy stability is certainly commendable. Proper utilization of it can help us understand our gains over this period more quickly."

Qiyana knew what Yuan Chen meant by the harvest— Dark Descendant Crystal, Uroa's Elixir, and even the Darkin Harp she was about to acquire.

It is impossible to activate these weapons normally.

Because both the Dark Descendant Crystal and the Darkin Harp were sealed, their original Dark Descendant hosts did not die, but only lost their physical bodies. Once physical contact is made, they can immediately possess the Darkin.

Ordinary people are powerless to resist such possession, because Ascended far surpass mortals in both strength and spirit. And the Uroa's Elixir goes without saying.

Although the Uroa are not well-known in history, they are essentially life forms modified by the World Rune. In terms of threat level, they are no less than the Dark Descendant.

To truly understand them, well-developed areas and facilities are essential.

After getting into the car, Yuan Chen and Qiyana arrived at Jayce's weapons workshop a short while later.

As the name suggests, this Hextech workshop primarily produces high-tech weapons. And, under normal circumstances, Jayce, as the owner of the workshop, should have taken the initiative to greet distinguished guests like Yuan Chen and Qiyana.

But when Yuan Chen got off the bus, he didn't see Jayce. Instead, a woman with tanned skin was standing in front of the gate.

The woman was wearing a sleeveless vest; while she wasn't exactly broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, she was definitely not thin either. For one thing, the muscles in her arms alone were comparable to those of the Sea Beast priestess Illaoi.

He wore durable work pants with a measuring tape on his lower body, and had a lot of battery-like things hanging from his waist.

His hair was shaved on one side, just like Gwyn in the Spider-Man parallel universe. He carried an engineering backpack, and a magnifying glass-like device was clipped to his mechanical arm.

Upon seeing Yuan Chen and the others, the woman waved and stepped forward to greet them:

"Ha! Hello! My name is Rosa! Although I'm not from this workshop, I've always been a close friend and close collaborator with Jayce."

Rosa appeared very talkative and cheerful, and said with a smile:

"I saw you all in the meeting hall yesterday. I must say, your speech was truly impressive. I guarantee that Jayce is now thinking of giving you a taste of your own medicine and letting you know that Piltover's Hextech isn't something to be trifled with!"

Upon seeing Rosa's image, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow, extending his arm to shake hers as he said:

"Forge of Tomorrow?"

"You know us?" Rosa's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Yuan Chen's words.

"Has Forge of Tomorrow become so famous that even the ancient Ixialia has heard of it?"

"I overheard someone talking about it while I was taking a walk yesterday."

Yuan Chen said while sizing up Rosa in front of him:

"If Piltover is a city driven by invention, then Forge of Tomorrow is the engine of Piltover. As the best forge in Piltover, Forge of Tomorrow's reputation is far beyond that of any other forge."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Rosa burst into laughter, and then said:

"You flatter me! While I have great confidence in my forge, the idea of an engine for the entire city is indeed a bit of an exaggeration. It's probably just something some passersby casually mentioned."

Yuan Chen wasn't talking nonsense.

In Legends of Runeterra (LoR), Rosa is arguably one of Jayce's closest allies.

According to Jayce, for an inventor to truly create a groundbreaking work, in addition to being able to produce sufficiently precise and accurate blueprints, a good forge is also essential.

From materials, standards, and processes to whether the forging master can understand the maker's design intent, this is a significant test for every Hextech inventor.

A good forge cannot directly provide an inventor with their technical skills, but it can enable the inventor's designs on paper to appear in the most perfect form before people.

This isn't just a matter of whether it looks good or works well; it also directly impacts the ability to attract substantial investors.

In this context, almost every Hextech Workshop will partner with a specialized forge. Among them, Jayce and Forge of Tomorrow are mutually beneficial.

Simply put, Jayce's hammer is a classic product of Forge of Tomorrow.

"I also plan to establish a dedicated Hextech Workshop in Piltover to study the commonalities between Hextech and the Yuan Chu Axiom."

Looking at Rosa, Yuan Chen said gently, "We may have many more collaborations in the future, and I hope we can lay a solid foundation for future transactions in the process."

Upon hearing that Yuan Chen was planning to collaborate with Forge of Tomorrow, Rosa, as the forging factory's supervisor, showed a hint of surprise on her face.

This is not just a simple way to advertise or increase revenue for Forge of Tomorrow.

It's important to understand that Ixialia now has a direct connection to the Hextech Gemstone Mine on the other side of the Sun Gate. If they can acquire Hextech Ore resources through this trade, Forge of Tomorrow's status in Piltover will rise significantly.

Even more so, the possibility of having a seat in the Piltover Council?!

Thinking about it, Rosa nodded excitedly, extending her strong arm to shake hands with Yuan Chen:

"Then I can assure you, as the supervisor, that I will ensure the forging plant provides your workshop with the most advanced technology and materials to support your needs!"

However, I hope you can understand that these materials are far too valuable, so with my limited authority...

"A 20% discount is the maximum I can offer; to go higher, you'd have to ask other managers... But I can guarantee that both the quality and after-sales service will be of the highest standard!"

As she said this, Rosa's eyes also showed a hint of heartache.

Although she is the forging supervisor, Rosa is just one of many supervisors in the entire Forge of Tomorrow. Other supervisors also communicate and coordinate with Hextech engineers with different personalities.

However, no matter how much communication and collaboration there is, few people can create Hextech artifacts more outstanding than Jayce's.

In this situation, although everything is uncertain for Ixialia, the political leverage he can gain is enough to allow him to rise to a higher level!

Having received Rosa's assurance, Yuan Chen smiled and said, "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."

I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration!

With the status of a collaborator, Rosa became much more enthusiastic. Leading Yuan Chen toward Jayce's weapons workshop, Rosa introduced some of Jayce's achievements as they walked.

"This hammer is the prototype of Jayce's Mercury Hammer, but at this time the Mercury Hammer still had some obvious shortcomings, such as the front end being too heavy in cannon mode."

Rosa explained, "Although it may look like an ordinary tool, the Mercury Hammer actually incorporates many new concepts for Hextech."

"For example, this dynamic forming technology."

Rosa pointed to a small laboratory nearby, where a Hextech mechanic with a modified right arm was using a small Mercury Hammer to fire at a distant target in cannon form.

"By solidifying energy in a special way, although it is only a stable form for a short period of time, it allows Hextech weapons to break free from the concept of 'kinetic weapons powered by magic'."

Upon hearing Rosa's words, Yuan Chen nodded thoughtfully.

Simply put, previous Hextech Guns used Hex Crystal as firing pins to launch bullets. Jayce's modifications and developments, however, allowed Hex Crystal, or rather, the energy within them, to directly become the bullets.

Although they may seem similar, they represent greater possibilities, much like the difference between a bow and arrow and a firearm.

When it was first invented, firearms were far inferior to bows and arrows in terms of both loading and aiming. However, with the advent of later technological eras, no one thought that way anymore.

After thinking for a moment, Yuan Chen said, "The way these power supply suppressors are connected together is amazing."

"Yes, I think so too." Rosa nodded in agreement with Yuan Chen's assessment.

"Jayce truly possesses a genius mind; when he presented this design, I initially thought he had gone mad."

"I initially wanted to refuse because I felt the idea was wrong. But Jayce persisted... He proved him right, and he opened a new door for Hextech."

As she said this, Rosa was also somewhat moved. But after speaking and remaining silent for a moment, Rosa quickly turned her surprised and uncertain gaze to Yuan Chen beside her.

"You... I mean, sir, you know about power supply suppressors?"

No wonder Rosa was so surprised, because knowledge about power supply suppressors is a relatively niche category, even within Piltover.

In this situation, apart from those who have studied Hextech energy, it would be difficult for others to ascertain the intricacies of the power supply suppressor's connection method... let alone point it out directly.

After glancing at the verification data provided by the Monolith Core, Yuan Chen said calmly:

"Perhaps there are still aspects that can be optimized... We will have plenty of time to discuss them in detail."

Hearing this, and seeing Yuan Chen's calm expression, Rosa was somewhat surprised and uncertain. But after a moment of silence, Rosa shook her head helplessly.

"You scholars... well, forget it. I, a forging supervisor, won't show myself in your world of geniuses! Let Jayce handle it! But let me make this clear first, Jayce isn't someone you can just talk to."

"You have no idea how many times I rolled my eyes when those people outside who didn't know Jayce excitedly called him the 'Guardian of the Future' and started worshipping him!"

Almost every Jayce admirer is severely shocked after meeting Jayce... because some of the qualities Jayce displays are completely different from what is rumored.

Similarly...

Upon hearing Rosa's words, Yuan Chen simply said indifferently, "Jayce isn't the greatest genius."

"Ha, Jayce doesn't think so~" Faced with Yuan Chen's evaluation, Rosa initially didn't take it seriously, but instead laughed and echoed:

"He's always been arrogant! Of course, his talent is undeniable, but his personality can be quite annoying at times. What's that saying again? Right, he's a show-off."

"No, you're mistaken." Hearing Rosa's words, Yuan Chen shook his head and said, "What I mean is, there are some people who are more worthy of respect than Jayce."

"More respectable than me? I'd like to hear who that is!"

A strong, resonant voice came from the side.

Wearing a blue shirt over a Hextech half-body armor that resembled armor but was actually capable of providing additional power, Jayce looked at Yuan Chen with a defiant gaze.

Standing at the door, arms crossed, he said, "Tell me! See if you think any Hextech Craftsman is greater than me!"

"Viktor."

Yuan Chen casually uttered a name that Jayce recognized.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, not only Jayce but also Rosa was standing nearby, were completely baffled.

"What are you talking about?! Viktor? That guy who committed crimes against humanity?"

"You probably just heard it from some tabloid reporter, right?" Jayce said, looking annoyed.

"I'm telling you, Viktor is dead! His evil plan has been thwarted! I know you hate me, that's fine, because I hate you too! But Viktor is different. Even if he were alive, he would only be spending the rest of his life in Stillwater Hold!"

"It's you who should be serving your sentence in Stillwater Hold."

Yuan Chen glanced at Jayce and said, "You smashed a lot of robots the night you became the 'Guardian of the Future,' didn't you?"

"That's just a killing machine modified by Viktor! It doesn't even have free will!"

"You may not know this, but a highly toxic leak occurred in the Sump at that time," Yuan Chen said.

"Viktor could only remove their brains and then slowly filter the toxins from their blood using a mechanical device... You should know better than me what you did in that process."