The next day.
Colin Workshop, attic.
"It's still tough. The parallel gear set lacks energy for series connection, making self-inspection difficult. If I had artificial intelligence for calculations right now, it would be much simpler, but I don't. At this stage, I can only rely on manual calculations!"
Duke, who hadn't slept all night, had two large dark circles under his eyes. He looked at the pile of draft drawings in front of him. There were over thirty drafts of the Clockwork Armor he had conceived, and the scratch paper for various calculations was piled high on the floor.
"Manual calculation is still too troublesome, but I can't hand over these calculation data to others. Once it leaks out, it will be detrimental to my plan!"
"Perhaps I can set up a small power generation device inside the armor for series connection and also include a corresponding warning device. Once a current connection is broken somewhere, the battle damage can be easily assessed."
Duke meticulously organized his manuscripts, gathering all the drafts. He tore up all the unused ones and bound the useful ones, putting them into a drawer. As for the calculation drafts, he disposed of all of them.
Knock knock knock...
"Duke, are you awake?"
Orianna knocked on the door, speaking with a hint of impatience, "Father wants me to call you here; it's time to go to the Council!"
"I know, I'll be right out. You and Mr. Colin wait for me outside!"
"Coming right up!"
Duke responded loudly, his hands not stopping as he picked up his money pouch, straightened his messy clothes, and left the attic.
When he descended the stairs to the first-floor hall, he found that Mr. Colin and Orianna were already prepared, both dressed in formal attire. Mr. Colin held a clockwork device cane in one hand and a pocket watch in the other.
"You didn't sleep last night?"
Noticing the dark circles under Duke's eyes, Mr. Colin was a little emotional and a little displeased. "Your body is your capital; don't overdraw it recklessly. Young people need to learn moderation and self-discipline!"
"I was just too excited. After receiving Mr. Colin's notes last night, I got a bit carried away for a while."
Duke rubbed his head, showing an embarrassed smile. Orianna, hearing this, stuck out her tongue in surprise. Only now did she understand why her father told her last night to get closer to Duke.
He was planning to train Duke as a true successor; he had even given away his precious notes. One must know that for a craftsman, their notes are the foundation of their livelihood. Once leaked, the technology would also be exposed, and the consequences, even ruin, would be the lightest outcome.
And if Duke was being trained, wouldn't she also...
Orianna's smiling face suddenly turned crimson as she glanced at Duke, who was currently absorbed in calculations, still doing mental math.
Duke scratched his head and gave a silly grin in response to Orianna's gaze.
"Idiot!"
Orianna snorted, took her father's arm, and the three of them walked out of Colin Workshop.
After closing the shop door, the three walked along the street, leaving the wealthy district to go to a ready-to-wear clothing store, and then to the Council Building.
Before long, Duke, now in a well-fitting blue suit, tugged at his tie while observing his surroundings as he followed behind Mr. Colin and his daughter.
At the same time, a family of four walked past him: a couple, plus a big-bearded man. The man and the big-bearded man were talking behind, seemingly arguing about something, while the woman held a Little Cake, who looked at her mother with adoration and admiration, chattering nonstop.
"Ugh!"
The moment he saw Little Cake, Duke felt the sour milk taste begin to permeate his mouth again, making him want to vomit.
"Mother, you and father are going to Shurima next. Can you take me with you?"
"Sorry, my Little Cake, you're still too young; you still need to learn a lot!"
The woman stroked Little Cake's head with a doting expression. Noticing Duke's gaze, she smiled politely at him. Duke could only force a polite smile, suppressing the nauseating urge to vomit.
"Are you really going to explore Shurima next?"
"Don't worry, Lemyr, it's just a very normal field investigation. We'll come back as soon as we find what we're looking for!"
The brown-haired man patted his brother-in-law's shoulder, signaling him not to worry. The big-bearded man looked at Little Cake with worry in his eyes: "Alright, but when do you plan to leave?"
"Three days from now. We'll depart in three days. Before that, we'll spend more time with Ezreal!"
"That's for the best!"
The conversation between the two men drifted into Duke's ears. Although he had already guessed, he was still somewhat uncontrollably surprised when it was verified.
The young Ezreal looked only a few years younger than him, about the same age as the current Jinx!
However, seeing how lively and active he was, one could infer that he wouldn't be a quiet person in the future. Especially with his delicate but already clearly genetically superior face, he was bound to be a master of hair wax in the future.
After all, when that guy was trapped in a dangerous place with dwindling supplies, he would eat hair wax!
"That leech!"
Recalling the Terrify of being dragged down by EZ in the bottom lane when he was a jungler, Duke's eyes grew somewhat gloomy, and he was even grinding his teeth in frustration.
The agony of one god carrying three pits, plus one massive leech—those who know, know!
At this moment, the young Ezreal looked over, noticed Duke's gritted teeth, and far from being scared, he made a funny face, trying to Terrify Duke.
At the same time, the sour taste in Duke's mouth grew even stronger, making him wish he could drink Water and rinse his mouth right now.
Whack!
Orianna slapped him on the head, took his hand, and while offering an apologetic smile to Ezreal's mother, she also whispered, "Don't Terrify the child!"
"I just recalled some unpleasant memories!"
Duke, being led forward by Orianna, quietly explained, and after leaving Ezreal, he suddenly noticed the sour taste in his mouth had lessened.
Duke, deep in thought, looked back at Ezreal, and a guess formed in his mind.
"In the background story, Ezreal possesses unimaginable arcane talent, and people with arcane talent will naturally produce a reaction when they encounter strong magic fluctuations."
"And this reaction is the production of a sour taste of varying degrees in the mouth!"
"Could it be that the original body also possessed magic talent, and when I transmigrated, it just happened to activate it?" A guess appeared in Duke's mind, and as soon as it did, he trembled with excitement, "If it's truly as I suspect, then what will my talent be?"
"Ezreal possesses powerful arcane talent, and coupled with Ne'Zuk's Gauntlet, he became a famous hero. Although he is young now, his arcane talent has already begun to manifest, and the magic fluctuations emanating from him were perceived by me, hence the reaction."
"In that case, I still have to thank this guy. If it weren't for him, perhaps I wouldn't have noticed the anomaly in my own body for a while!"
Duke looked at Ezreal again, his feelings complicated. The painful lessons of being repeatedly screwed over by EZ in his previous life had made him feel a slight animosity towards the hero EZ, but now that he had met the Zhenren (Immortal), the other party had even given him some inspiration.
"One can truly only say that the ways of the world are wondrous!"
Duke sighed with emotion. Colin, noticing Duke's gaze, took the initiative to say, "Those four are a famous explorer family in Piltover. Although they are not from a craftsman background, they are honored guests of many families, after all, the hardship of exploring unknown territories is far from as simple as excavating past mysteries!"
"If you are interested in them, I can take you to visit them!"
"This…" Duke looked at his cheap boss, feeling a bit amused and touched. The other party was truly good to him. Perhaps he should delve deeper into Clockwork Technology!
"Then I'll trouble you, boss!"
"Alright, no more talking, the Council is here!"
A towering White building appeared before the group of three. All the families and craftsmen of Piltover, summoned by the Council, had rushed here.
At a glance, various formal dresses filled the view. At the entrance, Piltover Enforcers maintained order, and the carriages of many prominent families were also parked in front of the Council building.
"Looks like there's fun to be had today!"
Duke followed behind his boss and began to queue. At this moment, a commotion arose. A seemingly low-key carriage pulled up to the side of the road, and a tall woman stepped out.
"Don't stare, that's someone from the Ferros Family!"
Colin poked Duke's foot with his cane, "She is also one of the main controllers of Blue Lavender Manor. Although her reputation is not prominent now, her foundation is astonishingly deep!"
"Don't be so rude!"
"Yes, sir!"
Duke, retracting his gaze, obediently followed behind his boss. He didn't want to attract the other party's attention right now; Camille's Rising Howl from the brush was terrifying!