"Hello, do you need any novel Alchemy products here?"
The young man held a strangely styled tube in his arms, his eyes flickering, his face showing timidity and lack of confidence. When Mel saw him, she sneered, "Another gutter rat trying to make a name for himself on Evolution Day!"
Duke looked at the Chem-Tank in the other's hand and found it somewhat familiar, especially through the opaque brown glass, he vaguely saw the Chem-Pump and turbine blades inside the tank.
At the same time, there were conduits and connecting valves on the outside of the tank, but it looked like an unfinished Alchemy creation.
"Alright, young man!"
Mel impatiently waved her hand to shoo him away: "Go look elsewhere. This place focuses on Clockwork Technology, not the kind of Alchemy prevalent in your underground gutters!"
"Sorry for disturbing you!"
A hint of disappointment flashed across the young man's face, but Duke called out to him, "Wait a moment!"
"What's wrong, Duke?" Mel looked at Duke, her eyes filled with inquiry: "Are you interested in his work? With all due respect, this is just an unfinished product, right, young man?"
"That's right, I'm limited by funds and can't complete it, but as long as there's funding, I can succeed, I swear!"
"Let me take a look first. I always feel like this thing is a bit familiar, maybe it can give me some inspiration!"
Duke walked towards the chair he had just sat on, and at the same time picked up another one, placing it opposite the table, "Sit down, what's your name?"
"My name is.... Shelley. My work is the Turbo Chem-Tank. Although it's not finished yet, as long as you give me new funds, I can definitely complete it!"
"What's its main purpose?"
Looking at the Chem-Tank the young man placed on the table, a hint of realization appeared in Duke's eyes. He wondered why it seemed so familiar; this was clearly the predecessor of the mythical item Turbo Chem-Tank, and this young man also confirmed his idea.
The two young men and the little girl from Demacia gathered around with interest, intending to see what Duke was going to do.
"Duke is asking you, young man, this is your chance!"
"But...."
Shelley hesitated, but Mel said directly, "This one has passed the Blue Lavender Manor's evaluation and has been recognized as a Craftsman Master by both the Jury and the council. Although he is only sixteen or seventeen, you understand the meaning of the words Craftsman Master!"
Mel's words filled Shelley's eyes with disbelief. This sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy in front of him was already a Craftsman Master?
And he looked much younger than him!
Is this what they call a genius?
Duke examined the alchemical jar repeatedly. This thing had great prospects, and a flash of inspiration seemed to surge in his mind when he saw it, but he just couldn't grasp it.
"What is the main purpose of the alchemical jar you created?"
"Wow, his aura is so strong!" The blonde little girl looked at Duke and stuck out her tongue, while the older youth beside her frowned and said, "Lux, don't forget your manners!"
"Oh, I know, brother."
Duke repeated himself, his tone calm, but his gaze made Shelley feel a sense of oppression. Shelley sat up straight and hurriedly said, "Eng...engine!"
"Engine..."
Duke tapped the table, deep in thought. In the game, the Turbo Chemtank was suitable for heroes who didn't initiate team fights, and its active effect also provided movement speed and slowed enemies when approaching them.
However, in the real World, this thing served as an engine.
"Serving as an engine, what do you plan to apply it to?"
"On mining carts. With my Turbo Chemtank, mining carts can have more powerful propulsion and carry more cargo."
As Shelley spoke of his vision, light sparkled in his eyes. Duke knew exactly what it was: the passion that arises when one yearns for an ideal. But unfortunately, reality is often cruel.
"Your idea is very good, but your design has some problems you haven't discovered!"
Duke disassembled the surface of the alchemical jar, pointing to the internal alchemical pump and turbine blades, and said, "You probably haven't done field tests yet. Once your alchemical jar goes into Overdrive, there's a high risk of explosion. Also, the valve you set is too narrow to withstand the high-speed operation of the alchemical solution. There's no cooling system, so overheating cannot be contained. Once it overheats, the outcome is the same as Overdrive!"
"Furthermore, your alchemical jar is currently only an unfinished concept. Its volume is too small. To provide sufficient power, its overall volume needs to increase by two to three times; otherwise, it cannot provide more stable power!"
"But if the volume is too large, it will also increase the cost!"
Duke reassembled the alchemical jar, pushed it to the young man, and said indifferently, "Good idea, but the technology is too shoddy!"
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Lux silently watched Duke disassemble and reassemble the alchemical jar from start to finish, then covered her mouth in amazement. The slightly older youth beside her whispered to the other young man, "This is also why Father sent me to Piltover. Demacia wants to develop further and cannot be stuck in old ways!"
"Excuse me, sir, I'm sorry to have bothered you!"
Shelley picked up the alchemical jar with a dejected expression, preparing to leave. Duke took out a towel and wiped the oil stains from his hands, which he had gotten from disassembling the alchemical jar. "Wait a moment, did I tell you to leave?"
"You...what do you mean?"
Shelley's steps halted, his face a little flustered. "There's an Enforcer outside, don't try anything!"
"Who's trying anything!"
Duke rolled his White eyes, tapped the table, "I want your stuff. Name your price!"
"What?"
"A one-time buyout. From the blueprints to the finished product, including the design concept and your patent, I want a one-time buyout!"
"But..." Shelley was incoherent, after all, such a dramatic rise and fall was too stimulating for his heart. Duke threw away the towel, "Are you selling or not!"
"Selling!"
"Can I entrust this matter to you, Councilor Mel?"
Mel noticed Duke's gaze and smiled slightly, "Of course, but please take good care of my guest!"
"No problem!"
"Come with me, lucky boy!" Mel led Shelley out of the tent. Duke looked at the alchemy jar Shelley left on the table and let out a sigh of relief.
This thing had given him a glimmer of inspiration, but he could never quite grasp it. However, when the other party uttered the word 'engine,' Duke seized that fleeting spark. He knew what he had to do.
But for now, the most urgent matter was...
Duke looked at the three Demacians beside him, his gaze sweeping over them. He extended his hand towards the young man at the forefront, "Sorry for keeping you waiting so long!"
"It's nothing, we also saw something very interesting!"
"Duke Sanchez!"
Duke, who had introduced himself, also heard the other's reply, "Jarvan. I'm very sorry, but due to some special reasons, I cannot reveal my surname!"
"It's fine!"
Duke shook his head. He was a Demacian Prince, and in a foreign land, of course, he had more concerns.
"Garen!"
"Luxanna!"
The remaining two, noticing Duke's gaze, also introduced themselves straightforwardly. Duke nodded to the siblings. At this point, Garen, the Prince, and Lux were all relatively young, but even though Lux's appearance hadn't fully developed, she already possessed the charm that would later captivate nations.
"Duke, your skills are truly excellent. Are you interested in developing them in Demacia?"
Jarvan straightforwardly invited Duke, "We have many specialties there that you don't have in Piltover, such as rune steel, Petricite, and various minerals!"
"I think you'll be interested!"
"Thank you for your kindness, Jarvan!" Duke smiled and shook his head, "But I think if I went to your Demacia, I probably wouldn't even make it past the Anti-Magic Stone Forest before you cut off my head!"
"How could that be? We Demacians are not as barbaric as Noxians!"
Lux was a bit indignant. Duke walked to the side, picked up the clockwork-powered skateboard he made, and tossed it to Garen. At this time, Garen was eighteen or nineteen years old, already possessing a strong physique, and his heroic and extraordinary face looked righteous and awe-inspiring.
"You mean..."
Jarvan understood Duke's implied meaning. He and Garen exchanged glances, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Duke shrugged, blew on a clockwork-powered drill in his hand, and blue light surged into the drill.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..." The drill started on its own, then let out a noisy scream, "Get me some screws, nails will do too!"
"I can't wait to get to work!"
Withdrawing the magic attached to the drill, Duke handed the drill to Jarvan, "As you can see, I am a mage!"
"Demacians don't seem to welcome mages!"
"This..." Jarvan's expression was a bit grim. It was common knowledge that Demacians disliked mages, but Duke's frank disclosure of his mage identity also made him feel the other's sincerity.
"We don't welcome evil dark mages, but if it's you, perhaps you could visit Demacia!"
Jarvan spun the wheels of the skateboard in his hand. Duke chuckled, "That would still require the King's approval, wouldn't it?"
With a meaningful look, Duke approached Jarvan, picked up the skateboard in his hand, "Want to learn how to play?"
"Can I?"
"I'll teach you!"
Duke threw the skateboard on the ground, stepped on it, and glided gently: "Clockwork Technology powered skateboards only need a small push to carry the user automatically, but it requires a little skill!"
"This is more suitable for boys. As for girls, do you want to try a Clockwork Technology powered bicycle?"
Duke, who had extended an invitation to Lux, pushed out the Clockwork Technology powered bicycle. Similar to an electric bike, it only required pedaling on the movable stand to keep going.
After a pleasant conversation and interaction, Duke watched the three future heroes depart. He himself stood outside the Colin Workshop tent, looking at the bustling crowd.
"These three are quite good!"
Watching the backs of Lux, Garen, and Jarvan, Duke suddenly noticed a small blonde boy staring intently at Lux's back, like a pig seeing cabbage.
"He has the potential to be a simp at such a young age. I really don't know what to say about EZ!"
Noticing EZ's expression, Duke shook his head slightly, turned and went back to his tent. He took out a blueprint from his inventory and looked at the design.
The blueprint showed a motorcycle that could transform between vehicle and robot modes.
Mobile Pegasus!
A blueprint Duke had once utterly despised!
"Although it seemed useless before, perhaps it can be the key to my breakthrough!"
Duke slapped the blueprint on the table, looking at the prototype of the Turbo Chem-Tank placed in the corner of the table. Shelley's work and ideas had given him inspiration.
"Using the Mobile Pegasus blueprint as a prototype, modifying it, and combining Clockwork Technology, Hextech, and Alchemy, I might be able to create a work that passes the task!"
"But how do I do it?"
Duke spread out the blueprint, took out paper and pen, and began to ponder slowly.
"Hextech Gems can provide powerful propulsion. I've already seen its outstanding qualities as an energy source in Vali; combined with rune sets, it's an all-purpose energy source!"
"Clockwork Technology can transform small forces into powerful kinetic energy through interlocking gears. This is what I'm best at!"
"Alchemy, Zaun's exclusive technology, has strong adaptability in the background and perfect compatibility with the human body. The effect varies with different Shimmer, and special Shimmer can even circulate magic!"
"In the original work, Viktor was protected by runes from Shimmer and received enhancement from the Hextech Rune Core, but Skye, who had a crush on him, was directly annihilated!"
"Clockwork Technology, Hextech, and Alchemy might not be unable to fuse!"
"In that case..."
Duke's fingers tapped on the table, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
"Perhaps I can give it a try!"
"But as the heart's power source, ordinary artificial Hextech Gems definitely won't do. I need something of better quality and more abundant energy!"
"That leaves only the hextech original crystal. So..." Duke put away the blueprint, his eyes narrowing slightly: "Go burn some newspapers at Camille's ancestral grave?"
"And while I'm at it, open her ancestor's coffin for a friendly greeting?"
"And grab some parting gifts!"
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