The second round continued.
Everyone had more or less familiarized themselves with the gameplay. Even though they had only just started playing, their performances were all quite impressive.
Around that small round table, schemes, deception, probing, and mind games were acted out to the fullest.
Just like that, the afternoon passed without anyone noticing.
By the time everyone came back to their senses, the sky outside was already nearing dusk. Red clouds spilled past the window, and at the end of that crimson glow, there seemed to be a curtain of night. The two blended together, forming quite a beautiful sight.
"I need to go home. See you tomorrow?"
Seraphine said goodbye reluctantly, not wanting her parents to worry too much.
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye-bye."
Everyone said goodbye one after another. After Seraphine left, they each settled down to rest.
Luke leaned back in his chair. At that moment, he looked around the shop's interior and could not help thinking for a bit.
Behind the bar, the shelves were filled with all kinds of alcohol. At the same time, as a winery, the shop also had no shortage of drinks and the like.
But aside from that, something still seemed to be missing.
After thinking it over, Luke felt the reason might be that the place was slightly too large, so beyond those things, it felt a bit empty.
It would be best to add some more things to the shop in the future, such as game tables, a record player, and the like.
He felt this idea was pretty good and decided to slowly start putting it into practice.
The next day.
After breakfast, Luke set out with Navis and Yurna.
Their destination was a research building located two streets away from the Horological Institute.
A group of Piltover inventors had gathered there. They all served the council and Piltover, working together for a better future for the city.
When Luke arrived, Heimerdinger, Jayce, Mel, Viktor, and Cassandra were already waiting there.
Only two days had passed, but Viktor's complexion already showed a little change.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting."
After getting off the carriage, Luke spoke.
"No, no. It's still early." Heimerdinger shook his head and smiled. "We only just arrived a short while ago ourselves. Please come in, Your Highness."
So the group chatted as they walked into the building, until they pushed open an iron door and arrived in a spacious hall.
Heimerdinger introduced the place to Luke. "We plan to set this place as Dreamnet's base station point. What does Your Highness think?"
Luke looked around at the environment and said, "There's no issue with where the Dreamnet base station is set up. After all, its main function is to connect to the spirit realm. To us, it is a key that opens the gate to the spirit realm. As long as we ensure it won't be damaged, that's enough."
"Good. Then we'll choose this place."
Heimerdinger nodded and continued, "Once the base station is established, we will arrange personnel to begin researching Secret Key devices."
Luke nodded slightly and stepped aside, revealing Navis behind him. "I believe you've all met her as well. Her name is Navis Durand, the descendant of a great Demacian inventor. She is also a genius girl. Next, she will cooperate with Piltover's work in establishing Dreamnet."
Hearing Luke praise her like this, Navis's face turned a little red. She bowed slightly and said, "I hope everyone will look after me from now on."
Mel stepped forward and extended her hand, smiling. "We'll also have to ask you to look after us."
Navis quickly reached out and shook her hand.
Naturally, the people on Piltover's side would not look down on Navis just because she was young. After all, she was someone Luke had brought with him.
And calling Navis a genius was definitely not Luke casually bragging.
Navis was not even twenty yet, but she was already an important figure in Demacia's research division. In the future, she would likewise become one of its pillars.
There would be no issue at all with letting her cooperate with Piltover in establishing Dreamnet's base station.
After that, they briefly discussed a few more things.
Luke left Navis there and prepared to leave.
"Allow me to see you out."
Jayce politely followed beside Luke as they walked outside.
On the way, Luke remembered the thought he had had last night and said, "Right, Jayce, do you have much free time lately?"
Hearing this, Jayce thought for a moment and replied, "It's not exactly little. Does Your Highness need something?"
So Luke explained his idea.
First, he wanted a record player, so that even when Sona was not practicing the etwahl, there would still be music to listen to.
Second, he wanted to add a few more entertainment games, such as game tables.
The first thing he thought of was foosball.
That kind of game table where players were controlled with rods, kicking the ball into the opponent's goal.
Aside from that, anything else would do.
Jayce was a smart man. After Luke briefly explained it, he immediately understood what he meant.
After listening, he nodded. "I understand. Leave this matter to me. It may take a few days. I'll give you an answer when the time comes."
"Mm, no rush. Take your time."
Luke smiled and said, "As thanks, I'll send you some Demacian specialty wine later."
Jayce immediately bowed slightly. "Thank you, Your Highness."
He did not especially love drinking, but because of social activities, it had become something of a required skill.
By now, he naturally also appreciated fine wine. The last time he had tasted some of Luke's self-brewed wine, he had felt that it was no worse than Piltover's finest.
"All right, this is far enough. See you another day."
Luke waved a hand, signaling that there was no need to see him off any farther.
Jayce stopped at the right moment. "Take care, Your Highness. See you another day."
After leaving the research building and boarding the carriage, Yurna, who had recently grown familiar with Piltover's streets, drove the carriage toward the shop.
By the time they arrived, Lux and the others had also just gotten there not long before.
They entered the shop.
Standing in front of the bluebird statue and looking at the empty spot where the offerings had been placed, Lux slowly turned a resentful gaze toward Luke.
Seeing that little look in her eyes, Luke nodded. "That's right. It was me again."
This time, Lux could not hold back. She said angrily, "Are you sick or something?"
"I get it. You're deliberately messing around behind my back to ruin my luck!"
She glared at Luke with an expression that said she had seen through the truth.
Luke looked very innocent. "I really didn't."
Lux did not believe him at all and snorted coldly. "I'm too lazy to deal with you!"
Luke was actually truly wronged.
But speaking of luck, Miss Crownguard had always had pretty decent luck, especially in games like Monopoly, where she had won more often than she lost at first.
But things like luck were conserved. When everyone's luck was decent, the wins and losses gradually balanced out.
That was why she had started thinking of currying favor with some local gods of Piltover and Zaun, trying to restore the peak luck she had enjoyed in Demacia.
In short, no one knew what went through this girl's head every day.
Luke leaned back in his chair, took a sip of the hot tea Yurna had brewed, and looked at the bluebird statue.
He felt there was no need to observe any further.
Clearly, something had manifested.
For two consecutive nights, the offerings had mysteriously vanished. Luke could no longer think of any other possibility.
So that afternoon.
Luke brought over several offerings again and placed them in front of the bluebird statue. The offerings were no different from those of the previous two days, except that there were more of them this time.
Seeing this, everyone did not think much of it and continued doing whatever they had been doing.
Without anyone noticing, the sky gradually darkened.
After Seraphine went home, everyone cleaned up the shop's interior and prepared to go home as well.
As night fell, and then deepened.
Inside the quiet shop, after the lights were turned off, everything was pitch-black, without the slightest bit of light.
Suddenly, the bluebird statue standing silently on the right side of the bar lit up with tiny specks of fluorescent light.
Like fireflies, they drifted around the bluebird statue, giving off a bluish-white glow.
Immediately afterward, more and more points of light appeared. They gradually floated together and condensed into a human shape. Then, with a hum, they transformed into a solid body.
A woman dressed in white, floating in midair like an elf, appeared there.
She waved her hand casually, and the surroundings lit up. Then her beautiful eyes looked toward the area in front of the statue, and she immediately floated over.
She casually picked something up, looked it over, and could not help muttering, "Why is it these again? I've eaten them for two days straight. I'm already tired of them."
However, when she saw that the quantity this time was quite generous, she immediately smiled in satisfaction.
"Forget it. Something is better than nothing."
With practiced and natural movements, she tore open the packaging and began tasting them one after another.
Candies, pastries, cookies, and fruit. Among them, she liked the taste of the pastries best. The soft, fluffy cake, combined with different flavors and the taste of cream, was truly quite delicious.
At least among the pastries she had tasted so far, these were the best.
So she always saved the pastries for last.
"Strawberry cake. Not bad, not bad."
Holding up the exquisitely shaped triangular cake, she opened her mouth in satisfaction and bit down.
Immediately, a bite mark appeared on the cake.
The sweet and tart strawberry flavor, combined with rich cream, soft cake, and the fruit jam spread through the middle layer, elevated the cake's taste to perfection.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression full of satisfaction.
Just then, the sound of a lock opening abruptly rang out. The next second, the door was opened.
She, who had been enjoying the cake, was startled. She suddenly grew nervous, even somewhat flustered. At the critical moment, she did not have time to think too much and quickly slipped back into the statue, but she forgot about the pile of "spoils" she had left outside after eating.
Luke turned on the lights and walked into the shop. At first glance, he saw a few snack wrappers in front of the bluebird statue.
There was also a cake with one bite taken out of it, along with two cakes that had not yet been eaten.
So he walked over, picked up the half-bitten cake, and revealed a thoughtful expression.
"So there really is a little thief here."
He muttered to himself, his eyes falling on the bluebird statue.
Then he stared at it without saying a word. One second, two seconds, three seconds… ten seconds, twenty seconds…
The bluebird statue: "…"
The air fell into a strange silence, even carrying a faint hint of awkwardness.
"They were offerings made to me in the first place! Am I not allowed to eat them?"
A pleasant, ethereal female voice with a bit of emotion in it came from behind him, arguing against what Luke had just said.
Luke turned around and saw a tall, elf-like woman in white standing in midair, her white hair drifting around her and her body giving off a faint glow.
A pair of smooth, delicate bare feet stood there naturally. Her toes were charming and jade-like, faint pale blue veins showed through the fair skin of her insteps, and her toenails were crystal clear like pearls. Judging by her appearance, no flaw could be found in her. She was beautiful beyond words.
Luke's gaze moved upward and landed on that flawless, stunning face. For a moment, he said nothing.
In his heart, however, he was not surprised.
This elf-like woman before him was Janna, the Storm's Fury.
She was also the mysterious guardian deity from Zaun's legends.
Noticing that Luke seemed a little stunned, Janna lifted her chin slightly and said proudly, "That's right! I am the storm goddess admired and loved by countless people, Janna! Being chosen by me to eat your offerings should be considered your honor!"
Luke showed an expression of sudden realization. "So you're that no-name minor god?"
Janna: "!!"
How to make a goddess break down with a single sentence.
At this moment, Janna's mentality instantly collapsed. She directly gritted her teeth and glared at him. "You're the no-name one! Your whole family is no-name!"
The proud posture she had carried earlier seemed to vanish as if it had never existed. At this moment, she looked somewhat flustered and furious.
Her white hair drifted in the wind, and her pale blue, crystal-like eyes glared angrily at this human who did not know what was good for him.
"I know you're upset, but don't be upset yet."
Luke said another sentence with a calm expression.
As soon as those words fell, Janna felt an unnamed rage surge wildly in her heart.
"From an objective point of view, your current recognition in Zaun is not even as high as mine, let alone the number of people who worship you."
Before feeling the storm of the Storm's Fury, Luke added another sentence.
And it was precisely this sentence that instantly made Janna sputter out.
Though she was very angry, this was indeed the truth.
These days, she had secretly observed things. The guy in front of her was a prince from another country, and his current fame was indeed quite great.
"So what?" Janna immediately brought up the old days and snorted. "You have no idea how glorious I once was. At that time, your country didn't even exist yet, but my name had already spread across Runeterra."
Luke nodded. "Oh, wow. Amazing."
Janna: "…"
No. She felt that after only a few short exchanges, all the generosity she should have as a goddess had completely disappeared.
The only thing she wanted to do now was beat this guy up.
What did he mean by oh, wow, amazing?
Who the hell was he trying to brush off?
If this had been her peak era, she would have made this irreverent guy experience what it meant to face the Storm's Fury.
However, at this moment, Luke was looking at her with a subtle gaze, as if he were looking at some pitiful person who could only bring up the old days and reminisce about the past.
"Stop looking at me like that."
Janna took a deep breath and confidently lifted her delicate chin. "One day, sooner or later, I will return to my peak!"
"Clap, clap, clap."
Luke cooperatively applauded, then handed over the unfinished cake. "Keep going. Eat while you talk."
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