Anomaly

In the old house located in Spark Alley, Viktor was organizing the things his research institute would need.

After glancing at the time, Yuan Chen estimated his plans, then nodded thoughtfully and said:

"Then I'll get ready to go... Don't forget to go to the middle square the day after tomorrow; the convoy heading to Ixialia will be waiting for you there."

Upon hearing this, Viktor, who had just finished welding his arm, calmly nodded and said:

"I see."

Because he is wanted by the authorities, Viktor cannot enter Piltover. However, due to the unique nature of the Twin Cities, they can meet at the middle square just before departure.

Before leaving, Yuan Chen glanced at the newspaper pasted on the wall, which was about Viktor's attack on Jayce's weapons workshop.

Upon seeing the eye-catching title and message, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise and said:

"Are you still concerned about public opinion?"

"You're overthinking it," Viktor said calmly.

That was just an attempt... unfortunately, the result was disappointing.

According to Jayce and many college administrators at Piltover University, Viktor, whose body has yet to be found, is bound to cause an even more terrifying crisis sooner or later.

In fact, there's nothing wrong with the way Piltover University's administrators and Jayce think.

Because Viktor did indeed send thugs, enhanced by alchemy, to attack Jayce's laboratory.

However, they ultimately failed, and in doing so, they revealed that Viktor was still alive.

This further enhanced Viktor's notoriety, and even now, Viktor's wanted poster remains the highest level in Piltover.

Even providing reliable information can earn a substantial bounty. And if the arrest is successfully completed, that person could potentially become the new Piltover hero at an astonishing speed, another hero of Piltover.

Unfortunately, in Viktor's eyes, all of this turmoil was already a thing of the past.

"Glory and praise are meaningless," Viktor said indifferently.

"Like those guys in Zaun, they only heard a few words about the Glorious Evolution and saw some of my success, and then they regarded me as a savior in a religion... This kind of irrational worship is simply incomprehensible."

In the past, Viktor would never have bothered to explain. Because explaining things only makes things worse, allowing the listener to hear what they want to hear. And Viktor didn't believe others could fully understand him...

At least, Viktor doesn't need the understanding of mediocre people.

However, considering that Yuan Chen might be his future financial backer, and that Ionia's Spirit Theory and Ixialia's Yuan Chu Axiom axioms might supplement and complete his own theories.

So Viktor patiently explained, "I hired those thugs to launch the attack in order to find out if there are any more Shurima Crystal Shards available for the Glorious Evolution."

"The result was disappointing."

"Even for Piltover as a whole, such high-purity crystals are extremely rare. So I've been looking for alternatives, but unfortunately, I've found very few."

Upon hearing about Viktor's predicament, Yuan Chen nodded thoughtfully, and then said:

"Regarding energy... the Vidalion Loom sacred relic of Ixialia, can reweave the properties of magic, thereby forming a stable physical form."

"It's not just crystal; it can even be woven into Threads, fabrics, and other softer materials."

Hearing this, he fell silent.

With Viktor's intelligence, it's not hard to guess that the creation of Hex Crystal might be directly related to the Vidalion Loom.

After all, Piltover's strong demand for exploration south of the Kumungu Mountains stems from the fact that the closer one gets to the Ixialia region, the higher the purity and concentration of Hex Crystal rough.

Thinking it over, Viktor didn't hide anything and asked directly, "Then how should I obtain this physical magic woven by the Vidalion Loom?"

"That depends on what you say."

Seeing Viktor take the bait, Yuan Chen slightly raised the corners of his mouth and then said:

"The Ixialia revere knowledge and truth. Even King Yuen does not have direct authority over the Vidalion Loom. Instead, they share control with the Yuentar hierarchy—you can think of them as the masters of the Yuan Chu Axiom."

"In other words, you need to gain the approval of the Yuentar class and the King Yuen for your knowledge and theories."

"Of course, so-called recognition doesn't mean everyone agrees with your ideas," Yuan Chen said with a smile.

"You just need to pique their curiosity and get them thinking about how far your theory can go given enough pure energy..."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen clasped his hands together and said with a sincere smile:

"I believe they are willing to sacrifice something that is not so precious to them for the sake of practicing and trying to achieve the truth."

Upon hearing this, after a brief silence, Viktor calmly nodded.

"I know you've come here to accomplish certain goals... I hope we can work together successfully."

"I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Yuan Chen didn't linger and instead leisurely walked to the door.

"Then I'll be going now."

No need to see me out.

"... How about we deliver it?"

"I don't want to waste my precious time on meaningless social niceties..."

"You welded the door shut."

"Oh, I'm coming right now."

Holding pliers, Viktor wielded his third hand, which emitted lasers, as he went to fix the door.

After leaving Viktor's house with a look of disgust, Yuan Chen tidied himself up a bit and then took the Hextech Pressure Lift to Upper City.

During the process, several kids from Zaun, wanting to prove themselves, climbed to the top of the elevator and stopped for a bit. For a moment, Yuan Chen even wondered if Zaun was a source of inspiration for the League of Legends writers from India...

Regardless of race, the abundance of resources in Zaun Valley should be comparable to that of the Ganges.

Yes, the wealth gap between the Twin Cities is also a factor.

With his thoughts spreading, Yuan Chen quickly ascended to the Upper City. He returned to the hotel entrance in his Hextech- powered motorcycle. As he entered the hotel, Yuan Chen keenly sensed many strange auras around him.

As he walked, Yuan Chen's expression remained unchanged; he simply glanced around casually.

At the hotel entrance alone, there were two-thirds more visible sentry posts, and the number of hidden sentries was countless.

Not from Piltover.

Yuan Chen thought to himself--

Even if the people of the Upper City weren't that wealthy, they wouldn't try to glue silver foil onto their bodies to disguise themselves as high-end prosthetics.