The Key to the Future

The moment the blade flew out, the entire venue descended into chaos at an alarming speed. Citizens screamed and fled, while reporters excitedly left their seats. With the arrival of law enforcement officers, the situation deteriorated to the point where war seemed imminent.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

Heimerdinger's somewhat flustered voice came from the side. "What's going on? It's just a meeting, there's no need to make it like this! War is something we need to avoid at all costs, isn't it?"

Upon hearing Heimerdinger's words, Yuan Chen chuckled and then manipulated the Dragonfire Embers Flying Blade to pull it out of Camille's chest.

The sharp blade reflected a cold, gleaming light. In the sight of Heimerdinger and the others, the ivory-white knife, like a work of art, returned to the scabbard at Yuan Chen's waist.

"I can sense your pride, which is something I cannot comprehend." Yuan Chen turned his gaze to Camille: "The way you issue orders is exactly like a superior reprimanding a subordinate... But do you, or rather Piltover, have enough power?"

"No, let's put it another way... If this were Noxus, would you dare to speak to me like that?"

"You wouldn't dare." Yuan Chen stood straight, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked around at the law enforcement officers, citizens, businessmen, scholars, and reporters who had not yet left their seats.

This look sent a shiver of panic through the officers. Almost instinctively, they raised their muskets and aimed them at Yuan Chen, the dark muzzles radiating a silent pressure.

"Put it down! Put it all down!" Heimerdinger shouted from the side. The furry little man, assisted by a mechanical arm, moved between the podium and the audience seats, repeatedly pressing the muzzle of his gun and saying:

"What if we accidentally fire a gun?! Put everything down! Don't escalate the conflict!"

Having witnessed the brutality of the Rune Wars firsthand, Heimerdinger knew all too well the terrifying power of a magical civilization that had existed since ancient times. Even if Yuan Chen to strike first, and even if he did kill Camille, the matter would likely end inconclusively.

Yuan Chen understood this very well, and this was precisely the source of Yuan Chen confidence— Ixialia's power was something Piltover could not withstand.

Now, after all the preparations and hard work he'd put in Ixialia —not to mention the near-death experiences and almost becoming dragon food— Ixialia using his family's name as a shield?

The livestreaming sales host got his family members to spend money, and they trusted him so much. This guy, with his dragon and Spirit Theory, brought tangible benefits to Ixialia, taking a crucial step towards unlocking more possibilities for the Yuan Chu Axiom, and completing the theoretical construction from scratch...

After working so hard and putting in so much effort, it's time to enjoy the rewards and have some fun.

With his hands behind his back, Yuan Chen's face was full of ease. "If it were Noxus, you wouldn't dare. After all, Piltover's trade, which it relies on for survival, exists precisely because it aligns with Noxus's interests."

"You are well aware that Noxus needs a neutral trading port to facilitate the expansion of the empire. And the Medarda Family was founded by a collateral branch of the traditional Noxus nobility."

"Whether it's the completion of the Sun Gate, Piltover's prosperous trade, or Zaun's initial accumulation of wealth, Noxus has always been behind Piltover."

"But with the accumulation of wealth and the increased productivity and combat power brought by Hex Crystal, you inevitably develop genuine thoughts of independence... yet you still dare not."

"Because you can't beat Noxus... that's what I don't understand either."

Yuan Chen spread his hands, his face full of doubt, and asked, "Why do you think you can defeat Ixialia?"

"Because of Hextech?"

As he spoke, Yuan Chen raised his right hand and snapped his fingers under everyone's gaze.

The next moment, accompanied by a crisp sound, Camille, who was standing at the broken glass in the VIP room above the original entrance passage, suddenly gasped for breath.

A pale glint flashed across her cold face, and then she collapsed to her knees.

He was breathing heavily, as if all his strength had been drained. Not only his body, but even his chest was crackling with intense arcs of electricity. His eyes, filled with Shimmer of energy, flickered erratically. His Hextech core seemed to have short-circuited, unable to provide any effective output.

Seeing this, a servant tried to help Camille up, but before she could get close, Camille raised her hand to stop the servant from approaching.

After a long silence, Camille gritted her teeth and tried to prop herself up with the remaining energy within her body.

Yuan Chen simply shook his head listlessly, then gently lowered his hand.

Buzz...

Camille could hear the hum of the engine blades as it stopped from escaping.

Completely deprived of energy, Camille's face turned deathly pale, the glimmer of Shimmer in her eyes went out, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but only a series of hoarse sounds came out. In no time, she collapsed to the ground, like a doll that had lost its support.

In an instant, the VIP room was in chaos; they couldn't understand what was happening. Through the shadows behind the still intact window, Yuan Chen could clearly see several figures leaving in a panic, seemingly thinking there was something unclean in the VIP room.

There are indeed many unclean things in this world, but at least there aren't any here.

The reason why Yuan Chen was able to do this is quite simple.

Undeniably, the precision and potential of Hextech Heart are beyond imagination. Compared to the hammer in Jayce's hand, Yuan Chen couldn't even analyze it through the Monolith Network without direct contact.

But... weapons are an extension of the body.

The moment the Dragon Tooth Flying Dagger touched Camille, Yuan Chen obtained the data he wanted.

"Don't do this, my friend..." Heimerdinger's weary voice came from the side. His eyes looked at Yuan Chen, filled with helplessness, and he said, "Let's each take a step back..."

Hearing Heimerdinger's somewhat sorrowful voice, Yuan Chen remained silent for a moment before calmly nodding.

The next moment, Camille, whose functions had stopped due to the Hextech Heart, suddenly jolted awake, like a drowning person. Camille's eyes widened as she gasped for breath. After a moment, she stood up and looked at Yuan Chen, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You... have met Hakim?!"

"?"

Upon hearing Camille's words, Yuan Chen glanced at Camille, whose face was filled with disbelief, with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Hakim, whose full Hakim Nedri, is not Piltover, nor even from the Valoran Continent. He is a crystallologist from the coastal city of Bel'zhun in Shurima, a young and promising man.

After Camille's parents were killed in an attack by alchemical thugs, Camille's younger brother became the head of the family, while Camille became the chief spy.

But Camille was only a mortal, lacking the strength and ability to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the head of the secret service. So Camille asked Hakim to perform Hextech enhancement surgery on her, breaking the limits that humans could not overcome.

And Hakim? He fell in love with Camille at first sight during this time. The two worked together, shared stories of Shurima late at night, and their friendship deepened...

Finally, Camille reciprocated Hakim's feelings. Their relationship blossomed quickly, but they also knew that the surgery would mean separation.

After that, many things happened... and as a result, the couple eventually went their separate ways.

Hakim personally removed Camille's heart and replaced it with Hextech Heart. He then vanished without a trace in Piltover. Camille did not search for Hakim...

Because Camille knew that Hakim understood her. Even a determined search would ultimately be in vain.

A very long time has passed... Camille remains eternally young thanks to the Hextech Heart. But his younger brother, who is the same age, has aged to the point that he needs Hextech prosthetic to maintain essential physiological functions.

Now, it is clear that, in Camille's view, Yuan Chen's ability to remotely shut down and restart Hextech Heart stems from Hakim's knowledge.

"You're overthinking it. I've never met Hakim."

"You know him." Camille frowned. "Otherwise, how did you complete the heart reboot? Only he knows!"

"Is it possible..." Yuan Chen casually brushed non-existent dust off his shoulder, "That I can see parts of the future and the past? Or that my profound knowledge allows me to see the key at a glance?"

"..." Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, the venue fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, Camille said, "I feel like you're just fooling me."

"Think what you want." Yuan Chen was too lazy to prove himself on this matter, and instead simply looked around.

"Actually, you're also wondering, aren't you? How can I influence and control such a sophisticated magical engineering marvel as the Hextech Heart simply by snapping my fingers and waving my hand?"

"The reason is actually quite simple... because you don't understand how Hextech Gemstone Veins are formed."

Yuan Chen said, "Hextech Gemstone Veins are formed because of the convergence and accumulation of a large amount of magical energy. They are special creations produced by the global circulation and metabolism of magical energy."

"To put it more simply, Hextech Gemstone veins are byproducts of the Vidalion Loom of the Ixialia... There's no need to be surprised or confused. Hex Crystal are essentially the product of a large amount of spilled magical energy condensing."

"This composition of a product appeared once before, around 2000 AD in the Noxian Calendar. That is, the energy aftershocks of the Shurima Collapse."

Yuan Chen's face remained completely calm:

"But the Shurima Collapse cannot be replicated; Piltover merely extended the methods of utilizing the energy within the Hextech Gemstone Veins."

"And coincidentally, and perhaps it's an exaggeration to say all of these things, our on-site investigations over this period have shown that the main Hextech Gemstone producing areas in Piltover during this era, the gemstone veins in the eastern mountains of Shurima, all originate from the energy metabolism of the Ixialia relics."

"You are using Hex Crystal to create the future, but unfortunately, the key to the future is in Ixialia's hands."