The Next Day
Colin's Workshop, Attic
"It's still a mess. The parallel gear system lacks an energy linkage, which makes self-diagnosis impossible. If I had AI assistance, this would be a breeze, but I don't. At this stage, I can only calculate everything manually."
After a sleepless night, Duke sat amid piles of rough sketches, dark circles under his eyes. He'd drafted over thirty iterations of the Clockwork Exosuit, and the floor was littered with crumpled math sheets.
"Manual computation is just too inefficient. But I can't hand these calculations over to someone else either. If any data leaks, it could sabotage my entire plan."
"Maybe I can install a miniature generator inside the exosuit to form a closed energy circuit. I could also integrate a damage detection system, if any current is disrupted, it'll trigger an alert. That could work."
Duke sorted through his drafts, carefully separating the usable ones and shredding the rest. He filed the best designs into a drawer and destroyed the rest of the calculation papers.
Knock knock knock...
"Duke, you up yet?"
Orianna's voice came through the door, eager and clear. "Father asked me to get you. We're heading to the council."
"I'm coming! Just a sec, tell Mr. Colin to wait outside with you!"
Duke shouted back while quickly grabbing his coin pouch and fixing his wrinkled clothes. He left the attic and headed downstairs.
By the time he reached the main hall, Colin and Orianna were already waiting. Both were dressed in formal wear, Colin with a clockwork cane in one hand and a pocket watch in the other.
"You didn't sleep last night?"
Colin caught sight of the bags under Duke's eyes and frowned. "Your body is your true capital, lad. Don't burn yourself out. Young people need discipline and restraint."
"I was just too excited, sir. After reading your notes last night, I couldn't help myself."
Duke rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. Orianna, surprised, stuck out her tongue. Now she understood why her father had told her to befriend Duke more closely.
He was grooming Duke as a true heir. Even his personal notes, the treasure of any craftsman, had been entrusted to him. For an inventor, those notes were life itself. If they leaked, it could mean ruin... or worse.
And if Duke was being trained as a successor, then wouldn't that mean she...
Orianna's cheeks flushed with the realization. She glanced at Duke. He, meanwhile, was still lost in a mental whirlwind of calculations, crunching numbers even now.
When he noticed her gaze, Duke scratched his head and smiled like an idiot.
"Dummy."
Orianna huffed, looping her arm through her father's. The three of them left the workshop together.
After locking the door, they strolled from the wealthy district toward a local tailor shop, where Duke changed into a well-fitted blue formal suit. Tugging at the tie around his neck, he followed the Colins down the cobbled streets, taking in his surroundings.
Just then, a family of four passed by, a couple, a large man with a bushy beard, and a small blond child. The men were deep in conversation, arguing about something, while the mother held the child's hand. The little boy was chattering away, worshipfully gazing up at his mom.
"Ugh."
At the sight of the blond kid, Duke instinctively gagged. That sour, spoiled milk taste flooded his mouth again, making him want to throw up.
"Mother, when you and father go to Shurima, can I come with you?"
"I'm sorry, my little cupcake. You're still too young. You need to keep studying."
The woman ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. Noticing Duke's gaze, she gave him a polite smile, which he returned despite his queasy stomach.
"You're really going to Shurima?"
"Don't worry, Remiel. It's just a field study. We'll be back as soon as we find what we're looking for."
The brown-haired man reassured the bearded man, giving his brother-in-law a pat on the shoulder. The bearded man glanced at the boy, concern in his eyes.
"All right... but when do you leave?"
"In three days. We'll spend the time we have left with Ezreal."
"That's probably for the best."
Their conversation drifted to Duke's ears, confirming what he had already guessed, and still, he couldn't help but be shocked.
That blond kid, Ezreal, looked just a few years younger than Duke. Around the same age as Jinx now. But his hyperactive personality was already evident, along with a face that had inherited the best features of his parents.
A future heartthrob, no doubt.
And he would eventually eat hair gel to survive in the wild.
"This little troll..."
Memories of past games where Ezreal had thrown Duke's jungle path into chaos filled him with dread. That one carry dragging three deadweights? The pain was real for those who knew.
Then Ezreal looked back and noticed Duke glaring at him. Rather than flinching, the kid made a face, sticking his tongue out to scare him.
Duke nearly gagged again. The sour taste got stronger.
Smack!
Orianna swatted the back of his head and tugged on his hand. She gave Ezreal's mother an apologetic smile and whispered, "Don't scare the kid!"
"Just... remembered something unpleasant," Duke muttered, letting Orianna pull him away. Once they were a few steps past Ezreal, the sour taste started to fade.
Duke paused, deep in thought.
"In the lore, Ezreal has incredible arcane talent. Those with latent magic ability often react to strong magical waves. That reaction... is a sour taste in the mouth."
"Could it be that my original body also had arcane potential, and my transmigration just happened to activate it?"
A tremor of excitement ran through Duke.
"If that's true, then what kind of talent do I have?"
"Ezreal's arcane affinity, plus his relic gauntlet, made him a renowned champion. Even now, as a child, he already emits faint magical waves... and I reacted to them."
"In that case, I owe him thanks. Without him, I might not have noticed the change in myself."
Duke looked at Ezreal again, emotions conflicted. In his past life, Ezreal had cost him match after match, but now, the real deal had given him a gift.
"Fate really is full of surprises."
Noticing Duke's expression, Colin spoke up. "That family belongs to one of Piltover's top explorer lineages. Not craftsmen like us, but well-respected nonetheless. After all, exploring the unknown is far more dangerous than digging up the past."
"If you're interested, I can arrange an introduction."
Duke looked at his kindly boss and couldn't help but smile. The man was truly good to him.
"Then I'll trouble you, sir."
"All right, enough talk, we're here."
Before them rose a towering white building, the Piltover Council Hall. Every family and craftsman summoned by the council was arriving in droves.
Colorful formalwear dazzled the eye. Council enforcers stood at the gates maintaining order, and the street was lined with carriages from the city's elite.
"Looks like today's going to be interesting."
Duke joined the line behind Colin and Orianna. Just then, a stir swept through the crowd as a modest-looking carriage pulled up.
A tall woman stepped out.
"Don't stare, that's someone from the Ferros family," Colin warned, tapping Duke's foot with his cane. "She's also one of the key figures behind Bluegarden Manor. They may not be well-known now, but their legacy is terrifying."
"Don't be rude."
"Yes, sir!"
Duke quickly lowered his gaze. The last thing he wanted was to get on her radar, getting ambushed by Camille was not on his to-do list.