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"Is it true that Demacia's city walls are made entirely of anti-magic stone?"
"Demacia's dragon-riding knights are said to be famous across the continent. Have you ever seen them?"
"What about the rest of Demacia…"
Vi's two companions had never been to Demacia, so their curiosity was natural. As they walked, they bombarded George with questions.
George, however, only gave vague and half-hearted replies. After all, he had never actually been to Demacia himself.
He didn't care much, though. Making up a false background was merely a way to make himself appear more convincing. Even if he were exposed, it wouldn't matter.
Strength was strength, and he had nothing to fear.
"Chaotic as it is, it's still pretty lively."
Walking through the undercity alleys, George casually humored Vi's companions while attentively observing his surroundings.
The entire alley resembled a deep canyon, lined on both sides with crooked, jumbled buildings, connected by rickety wooden walkways overhead.
The travelers within the alley were dressed in all kinds of bizarre clothing, representing many different races.
Of course, the majority were still human.
Merchandise for sale varied wildly. George even spotted rock beetles and poros—creatures that often appeared in the games of his past life—being kept as pets.
Every passerby carried some kind of weapon, and their wary eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings.
"The bookstore is in that direction. About three hundred meters and we'll be there."
In front of the Fogen Tavern, Vi pointed down a side street as she explained to George.
George nodded, then gestured toward the backpack slung over her shoulder.
"I can sense something inside your pack that carries a unique energy.
If you're planning to sell it, I'd be willing to buy. I have a strong interest in strange and unusual items."
The Hextech crystals created by Jayce were mainly derived from rune crystals obtained from the future Viktor. They contained a considerable amount of rune energy.
Runes were the essence of this world's magic—the basic building blocks of creation itself. George intended to use these Hextech crystals as material to study the nature of magic in this world.
"How much are you willing to pay?"
Vi's eyes lit up instantly.
She and her friends had snuck into the upper district precisely to steal something that could be sold for pocket money.
George pretended to reach into his pocket, but instead used shapeshifting to conjure up a massive chunk of gold.
"Will this do?"
Gold was a universal currency in most worlds, and the world of League of Legends was no exception.
"It's enough! More than enough!"
The moment George pulled out that large block of gold, Vi, her companions, and even Powder all nodded vigorously in unison.
Such a huge piece of gold, if exchanged for local currency, would last them a very, very long time.
"George, be careful in the undercity. Don't trust others too easily, and don't pull out such a large piece of gold in public again."
After handing him a bag of Hextech crystals and pocketing the heavy gold bar, Vi offered him a friendly reminder before entering the tavern.
A child of eleven or twelve carrying gold was an easy target.
Here in the undercity, things were relatively safer under Vander's protection. But beyond the alleys, in Silco's territory, both his money and his life could easily be lost.
"Thanks."
George responded with a smile before heading toward the bookstore, three hundred meters away.
Once inside, he tossed a few copper coins to the shopkeeper and immediately began scanning through the shelves.
With his current mastery of shapeshifting, he could turn objects into gold, gemstones, or any kind of currency.
Even magical items could be forged, provided they weren't overly complex.
More importantly, his transformations were now permanent, no longer reverting once the magic energy was depleted.
Permanent transformation meant altering the very structure of matter itself. It was essentially the act of creating objects from nothing.
To create his own miniature world one day, George would not only need the ability to create life but also the ability to create matter.
At present, he was only at the early stages. Being able to form mountains and rivers in the future would mark the bare minimum level of competence.
It would take considerable time and research to reach that point.
But he wasn't worried. He had already planned for this.
Once he grew stronger and more confident, his Middle-earth incarnation could lead the elves to defeat Morgoth and then seek out the gods to learn magic of creation.
"Too little. Looks like I'll still need to visit the bookstores in the upper district, as well as the private libraries of old noble families, if I want to find more information about this world."
In less than half an hour, George had finished browsing the store's collection, leaving with a deeper understanding of this world.
"What if… I simply take all of Piltover?"
Setting down the last book, a bold thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
From his perspective, even if all of Piltover's enforcers gathered together, they still wouldn't be his match. So why not seize control of the entire city?
That way, he would not only establish a stronghold in this world but also harness Piltover's trade networks to acquire intelligence and rare items from across the globe.
Far more efficient than searching the world himself.
"Then it's settled. Within one week, I'll take both Piltover and the undercity, seizing the greatest trade hub—the City of Progress—into my own hands."
Rising to his feet and leaving the bookstore, he began refining his next steps.
But just as he pushed open the door, a towering figure suddenly blocked his path.
"Hello. You're George, right?"
George looked up at the burly man, then shifted his gaze to Vi and her friends standing behind him, their faces filled with helplessness and regret. Instantly, a new plan formed in his mind.
Perhaps he could use the tensions between the upper and lower districts to achieve his goal swiftly and without suspicion.
If he resorted to brute force, not only would it risk rebellion later, but it might also draw unwanted attention from nearby nations and factions.
Worse still, it could even alarm the celestials.
But if it were framed as an internal conflict between Piltover and Zaun, no one would be surprised. Such clashes had always been common.
"I'm George. And you are?"
"My name is Vander. I run the Fogen Tavern over there, and I'm also Vi's father.
Those blue crystals she sold you are problematic. Could I trouble you to return them? Here's the gold you paid."
The large man handed him the chunk of gold with a warm smile.
"If this caused you any inconvenience, I apologize. As compensation, your expenses at the Fogen Tavern for the next week—drinks, meals, even lodging—will be entirely free."
"Was the price too low? I can pay more. How about ten pieces instead?"
George reached into his pocket again and produced nine more identical gold bars.
This time, not only Vi and her companions, but even Vander himself stared in shock, eyes wide with disbelief.
He never expected a boy so young to possess such staggering wealth.
(End of Chapter)