Changing Faces

On the other side, Viktor brought Lina's notebook and Caitlyn's thesis back to the lab together.

Though the night was deepening, scientists were never creatures bound by day and night.

When Viktor returned, most members of their Hextech Applied Mechanical Research Group were still there. Jayce was among them.

"What is it, Viktor?"

"You want to secure an additional spot in our group for that student Lina?"

Viktor stated his purpose right away, which left Jayce puzzled: "Why?"

"Didn't we all confirm the evaluation results together before? The selected student was Caitlyn. Having one student in our group is already enough—why bring in another?"

Lina's performance, though arguably genius, was only so when compared to her peers.

In the eyes of a true, unparalleled genius like Jayce, both Lina and Caitlyn were merely juniors with decent potential, worth some nurturing.

Losing a student of this caliber wouldn't be a loss, but taking on more would only be a hassle.

The professors in the group were all top-tier researchers focused on their work; they usually couldn't even be bothered to mentor their own graduate students. How could they spare the energy to guide another rookie in the group?

"Viktor, our group's main work is cutting-edge scientific research, not teaching."

"Bringing in another student would likely slow down our research progress."

Viktor: "..."

Truth be told, he wanted to say that if Jayce would cut down on his social engagements, their research progress would have picked up long ago.

But after a moment's deliberation, he spoke calmly instead:

"I just think the judgment we made earlier might have been a bit off."

"Jayce, you should also know that the quality of Lina's and Caitlyn's thesis designs is hard to distinguish. To hastily declare one of them the winner—isn't that a disrespect to scientific truth?"

"Well..." Jayce was genuinely swayed.

He had felt before that it was difficult to decide between Lina's and Caitlyn's theses.

In the end, because there was only one spot and a choice had to be made, the scales in his mind had unconsciously tipped toward Caitlyn, eliminating Lina.

Now that Viktor had brought up "scientific truth," Jayce had to reconsider whether his decision had truly been a fair scientific evaluation.

"Hmm, Viktor, the issue you've raised does exist. The judgment I made back then was indeed a bit forced."

"But our group is, after all, a place for everyone to do research. I can't decide alone whether to take on another student."

"How about this: since you've brought Lina's and Caitlyn's thesis outlines..." Jayce hesitated for a moment before making a decision. "Let everyone in the group take a look at their thesis designs. Then we'll vote on it."

"If everyone agrees that Lina and Caitlyn are truly hard to separate, then for the sake of fairness, we'll add an extra spot for her."

"No problem." Viktor nodded in agreement.

Whenever disagreements arose during research, the group members often resolved them through voting.

He had specifically brought Lina's notebook this time because he anticipated this situation.

So, under Jayce and Viktor's lead, the group members gathered around.

There were eleven people in total.

They circled a large office desk, some curious, some impatient, some indifferent, waiting to review Lina's and Caitlyn's thesis designs.

And Lina's notebook was finally opened.

But as Jayce, Viktor, and the others flipped through it, their brows furrowed subtly:

"Zaun—where did it come from?"

They hadn't noticed this during the earlier review: why was there an essay at the front of the notebook?

And a historical thesis at that?

"It must be one of Lina's extracurricular notes."

"A historical article about Zaun? That's rather unusual..."

No one paid it much mind at first, but as they casually glanced over it, reading on...

Soon, no one was thinking about the theses anymore; they were all absorbed in the article.

"The author can actually recount the history before the establishment of ancient Shurima with such clarity?"

What first caught their attention was the ancient historical material Li Wei had heard from Janna.

These records had long been lost in the river of time, beyond even the restoration efforts of Piltover's historians.

Naturally, everyone was drawn to this richly detailed, novel "popular history article."

But as they read on...

They gradually began to sense the article's extraordinary nature.

It was far more than just a simple popular science piece.

The ancient Shuriman royal secrets, the Darkin Wars, the Rune Wars, and the legendary tales of heroes from Demacia and Noxus—topics that Piltover's historians loved to dwell on—were only briefly touched upon in this article.

Instead, the article shifted its focus away from kings and generals, zeroing in on something never before examined: the lives of the common people over thousands of years, social systems, state laws, agriculture and industry, and the development and evolution of productive forces and relations of production.

"Productivity and relations of production."

"Brilliant—summed up too brilliantly!"

Everyone present clapped and marveled.

Because they were all scientists, believing they could change the world with the creations of science.

Yet for the past millennia, Runeterra had always been ruled by magic and martial might. Even with Hextech now in play, the dominance of mages and warriors over the world remained unshaken.

But Li Wei's article clearly and precisely revealed how scientific creations had shaped human society and influenced historical change over those thousands of years.

No matter how powerful mages and warriors were, their strength was merely personal. They contributed almost nothing to the progress of human civilization.

It was the scientists' efforts and achievements that were the true engine driving the times forward and advancing civilization!

These theories naturally invigorated the scientists.

They suddenly realized that their current work wasn't just about scientific invention—it was about leading human civilization into a brand-new era.

"Interpreting history through the lens of science."

"This author is a genius!"

The scientists were all electrified.

Even Jayce and Viktor couldn't help but be captivated.

Then, unable to resist, they continued reading.

The article's historical thread gradually traced the last thousand years: the collapse of the kingdom system, the birth of merchant council city-states, and the split between Zaun and Piltover.

Especially the rise of Piltover's merchant consortium and the bloody colonial history they had initiated.

As they read on, everyone's expressions slowly shifted.

"This article..."

Viktor was the most absorbed.

Every word and sentence of that article clung to him like an unforgettable curse, endlessly swirling before his eyes and in his heart.

Viktor was born in Zaun, naturally frail from the severe alchemical pollution there, and his legs were also crippled.

He had once hated—hated Zaun, hated himself.

He didn't know why he suffered, so he blamed it all on this weak, wretched body.

It was all the flesh and blood's fault—frail and bitter—blaming his innate misfortune!

But now, this article appeared.

It was as if a door to a new world had burst open before him.

This earth-shattering upheaval felt like the first time he encountered Hextech theory—no, it was even more stunning than that.

"This article..."

Viktor choked up, dazed and speechless.

"This article is utterly sinister!!"

His colleagues, however, all wore subtle expressions.

One of them even slammed the table in anger:

"Fabrication, distortion of history, slander of Piltover, inciting hatred—"

"This is nothing but the words of a demon!!"