"This… teleportation?!"
Ivankov's large face was filled with delight. He realized that he and Ginny had struck gold. With this device, their chances of escaping would increase exponentially.
"That's right, teleportation. This is a prototype. I don't know whether to call it good luck or bad, but this ship happens to be carrying the components needed to build this device.
Slow-moving airships and boats can't get out, but they can't stop this kind of teleportation."
In Oran's hand was a model of the Hextech Teleportation Gate. In his dreams, Oran had experienced various dimensions of time and space, but in his everyday life, he resided in Piltover, where Hextech was the foundation of everything.
Piltover already had Hextech Teleportation Gates, which worked by using the energy burst from a Hextech Core to accelerate airships, reducing travel time.
Oran, however, had taken this technology a step further with his own research.
Hextech was extraordinarily unique. Its energy was limited only by the imagination of its user, containing infinite possibilities.
From powering machines to generating beams capable of cutting through the hardest steel, Hextech played a role in countless fields.
Moreover, due to the nature of the technology, even Hextech craftsmen trained under the same master would have differences in their techniques. Every Hextech creation could be considered one-of-a-kind.
Compared to the original Teleportation Gate, Oran's version aimed for direct teleportation, more akin to the way heroes in the game could be transported to specific locations.
His trip to Bilgewater had been to negotiate business related to this technology. Confident in its potential, he had brought along the finished components.
Teleporting goods directly to a warehouse was far faster than unloading them from a ship.
"That's fantastic! In that case…"
Ivankov seemed to see a bright future ahead, but Oran quickly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Don't get too excited yet. I haven't finished. While my research focuses on direct human teleportation and has already achieved experimental success, stable teleportation requires two endpoints.
As it stands, we have no way to send the other endpoint out. That means we can only perform random teleportation. I can ensure people are sent to a general area.
But which island within that area they end up on? That's up to luck."
Shrugging, Oran showed a hint of helplessness. After all, this technology wasn't developed for emergency escapes. Without proper preparation, it was bound to have limitations.
"That's not a big problem. I think, given the current situation, no island could be worse than this one."
Ginny didn't see this as an issue. Staying here meant a 100% death rate. As long as they could get out, anywhere would be better than this place.
Excluding places like the Red Line or Marine Headquarters, their survival odds would be significantly higher.
"The second problem: I need time."
Compared to the instability of random teleportation, this issue worried Oran more.
At least with unstable teleportation, the issue of horizontal positioning had been resolved. It wouldn't inexplicably send someone into the sky or inside a building. As long as their luck wasn't abysmally bad, they could land safely.
However, Ivankov and Ginny didn't seem to understand why Oran found this aspect so challenging.
"Don't you have all the parts ready on your ship? We can help with the assembly."
Raising his arm, Ivankov seemed to want to show that he was strong enough to serve as manual labor.
"Do you think this technology is as simple as assembling a toy? This device was originally designed for transporting cargo. Teleporting humans requires modifications.
In particular, the Hextech Core that powers this device is the energy source. Its output needs to be adjusted for human teleportation, and I'm the only one who can do that."
Oran picked up the model from the table and skillfully disassembled it, revealing a blue crystal the size of a bottle cap floating inside.
"This is the core of the device. Just this small piece is enough to drive this fantastical technology. The real thing, though, is much larger than this."
Oran put away the miniature Hextech Core and gestured for the two to follow him. He soon led them to the ship's storage area, where the components for the Hextech Teleportation Gate were kept.
Dozens of massive crates were neatly arranged inside. Even the smallest one was taller than Ivankov.
"The parts outside the core can be handled by ordinary people, but just the two of you won't be much help."
Oran pulled off a dust cover and opened one of the crates, showing Ivankov and Ginny the enormous metal components inside.
The device, designed to connect two different city-states, was far larger than Oran's model. These Teleportation Gate parts took up most of the ship's space.
Looking at the gear components taller than himself, Ivankov fell silent. Ginny, on the other hand, remained optimistic.
"So, besides time, you also need more hands, right?"
"Exactly. Preferably skilled workers—shipwrights, blacksmiths, carpenters, anything. There should still be plenty of them on this island.
My standards aren't high. They just need to be able to read blueprints."
With some basic knowledge, teaching them to assemble the parts wouldn't be too complicated. Oran was starting to miss the other crew members on his ship. If they were here, things would be much easier.
Last night, during a break, he had sent them all to a tavern at the docks, leaving only himself on the ship to conduct experiments. As a result, Oran was now alone.
"Keep working on your plan as well. Pursuing both approaches increases our odds. But no matter what, recruiting more people is necessary.
No one wants to die here. There should still be plenty of people willing to take a chance."
Grabbing some potentially useful items from the side, Oran began further arming himself. He had a slight case of firepower deficiency syndrome, perhaps a trait inherited from his people.
"That's how it should be, but those guys are Celestial Dragons. There probably aren't many with the courage to resist."
Ivankov voiced his concerns. Since the founding of the World Government, centuries of rule had deeply entrenched the Celestial Dragons' authority.
Moreover, according to Ivankov's information, the Celestial Dragons used the false promise of freedom after surviving three weeks to make their "prey" desperately flee, adding to their amusement.
"The false hope offered by the Celestial Dragons will likely make many give up resistance and choose to hide…"
"The fate of those people has nothing to do with us. What, do you want to save everyone?"
Oran never considered himself selfless. He wouldn't sacrifice himself for a group of strangers.
If he had the ability, Oran wouldn't mind lending a hand to those who shared his goals and were willing to fight for them.
For example, Ivankov and Ginny were planning an escape, aiming to leave this place, and they could provide valuable information about the island. Naturally, they could form a temporary alliance.
Those who willingly gave up resistance, leaving their fate in the hands of their enemies and praying for mercy, had, in Oran's view, abandoned their own hope of survival. He would "respect" their choice. As long as they didn't hinder him, Oran wouldn't care about them.
Ivankov understood this logic. Among the slaves, there were those like him and Ginny, who refused to accept their fate and seized the chance to resist, but there were also those who had long given up, living like walking corpses.
The situation was already dire, with time practically counting down to their deaths. They couldn't afford to waste effort on those who had resigned themselves to their fate.
"If I had that ability, I'd actually want to try, but that's not realistic. In fact… I think if even one of us escapes, that's a huge victory."
Sighing slightly, Ivankov chose to face reality.
"Then there's no problem. People who won't fight for themselves aren't worth saving. But your goal is too small. I don't plan to just slink away like that."
"What do you want to do?"
"This world gave me such a special welcome gift as a newcomer. Naturally, I have to return the favor with something substantial."
Oran's blue eyes grew deeper, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
"What do you mean by 'return the favor'?"
No matter how you looked at it, the term "return the favor" was bizarre in this context.
In Ivankov's ears, "this world" sounded like an odd quirk of speech. There were plenty of eccentric people on the high seas, Ivankov himself being one of them, but "return the favor" just didn't fit.
Even Ivankov himself didn't realize that, soon after, the term "return the favor" would take on a new meaning in his mind. A gift could bring joy, but it could also be deadly.