Piltover, Blue Hyacinth Manor.
Camille's room.
Splash!
From the swirling eddies of the river, Tahm Kench leapt forth and opened his massive maw. He spat out Duke, who barely managed to steady himself upon landing, wobbling as he tried to find his balance.
Camille, who had been reviewing financial reports and recent intelligence, set the documents aside and glanced over.
"Young man," she said dryly, "you really need to learn some self-restraint."
Duke groaned, rubbing his back.
"If you hadn't set me up, would I even be in this mess?"
Dragging himself over, he dropped into a nearby chair. Camille gave a faint snort.
"You were supposed to return two days ago. Instead, you're late. Care to explain?"
Duke's face froze. His eyes darted away, clearly avoiding her gaze.
"Well… about that…"
"Exactly. You need to learn restraint." Camille nodded toward Tahm, who lifted his hat in a gesture of farewell, flashing a smile wide enough to silence a crying child before vanishing back into the waters.
"That was a bit too far, don't you think?"
"I only gave you a little nudge. If I hadn't, do you really think anything more than polite conversation would have happened between you and Sarah?"
Camille's voice softened into seriousness.
"You need to understand the weight of your position."
"I'm just a scientist. An inventor. A craftsman," Duke said, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"Darling," Camille sighed and shook her head, "you really do sell yourself short."
"You're one of the three core figures of House Ferros. The resources and wealth you command are practically limitless."
"You're the guiding light of Piltover and Zaun's younger generation."
"You're the hope of the Twin Cities."
"You, Duke, have the potential to become the uncrowned king of these lands."
"You just don't realize it yet."
"I'd much rather lock myself in the workshop and bury myself in research," Duke muttered, sulking. His childish defiance made Camille shake her head with a wry smile.
"Then go," she said, ringing a small bell. The butler opened the door. "The expedition to Ixtal leaves in one month. That gives you exactly thirty days to do whatever you want."
"Even if that includes returning to Bilgewater—after all, you've got Tahm."
"Kill me first. I'm never setting foot in Bilgewater again."
Duke groaned, hand on his aching waist as he stood.
"I need a few days to recover, then I'll get to work on repairing Vali and Pride."
"Suit yourself."
After Duke left, Dakal entered the room. Even as she stepped inside, she glanced back over her shoulder.
"What happened to Duke?" she asked before even sitting down.
"Nothing much. Just a boy growing into a man," Camille said nonchalantly. "No need to make a fuss."
"No wonder he looked like that…"
Dakal shook her head, handing over a file.
"Here are the candidates I've selected."
"Lemire?" Camille raised an eyebrow. Dakal explained,
"Mr. Lemire is the curator of a private museum. His sister and brother-in-law are both explorers—though they're currently off in Shurima. For now, it's just him and his nephew, Ezreal."
"He's knowledgeable about Ixtal?"
"He's considered a well-known scholar."
"Then he'll do. As for the rest of the team, finalize it at your own pace." Camille handed the file back. "Just make sure Duke gets enough time to rest."
"Hehe, young men…"
Two days later.
Duke's Private Workshop.
"Finally feel alive again!"
Unlike his usual workwear, Duke now sported a crisp white lab coat. He stretched dramatically, eyes settling on the battle-worn armor spread out across his workbench.
It was Vali—badly damaged and still dormant.
Pride, too, remained in a deep sleep, with no sign of waking anytime soon.
"Armor's heavily compromised, propulsion unit destroyed, runic circuits burnt out, energy conduits completely shot, and the arcane engine is total scrap. What a mess."
Duke examined the damage with a grim expression, arms crossed.
"My recklessness back then really did a number on him. No point repairing this—it'll need to be completely rebuilt and upgraded."
With that thought, Duke exhaled a glowing blue breath toward the armor. The breath was infused with light, and as it merged with Vali's shell, the entire suit began to glow faintly in response.
Moments later, a small blue orb separated itself from the chassis. The armor's last glimmer of life faded.
This orb was Vali's true core.
Removing the core from a construct had only become possible after Duke absorbed Hecarim's soul—a newfound ability he had awakened.
He gazed at the glowing sphere, then swallowed it whole, allowing it to nest within his soul for protection and nourishment.
"If this shell's done for, I'll give Vali an even stronger body," he murmured.
He reached into his coat, pulled out a silver flask, took a swig, then leaned against the workbench in thought.
"The materials I have now just won't cut it… I'll need better components. Guess that means another lottery pull. But I already used up a ton of luck last time—will I even get anything good?"
Determined, he strode to a drawer, revealing a trove of gems, gold, and rare trinkets.
"Screw it. Let's spin the wheel—no other way."
Duke drained 30,000 wealth points—equivalent to 300,000 Gold Seals.
"Man, I miss those newbie perks…"
Taking another swig from the bottle, he began the lottery draw. A golden, mist-shrouded gacha pool shimmered into view. Blue-glowing question mark orbs leapt out one after another and burst open.
[You received: Rainbow Unicorn Pickaxe]
"…What the hell is this?"
He stared at the garish weapon now sitting in his inventory—a long pole with a rainbow unicorn head at the top. He coughed violently.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
[You received: Inventory Slot Expansion ×10]
His 10x10 grid ballooned into a 10x100 mega inventory.
"Well, I guess that's actually useful. I was running out of space anyway."
[You received: Spider-Man's Web Formula]
[You received: Wonder Woman's Tiara]
[You received: Penguin's Socks]
[You received: Quicksilver's Worn-Out Sneakers]
"…What kind of clown raffle is this?"
Duke twitched. Useless item after useless item… all that money down the drain.
[You received: Holographic Projection Device]
[You received: Virtual Reality Technology]
[You received: Echo of Fate]
[You received: Vibranium (Grade 10)]
[You received: Doctor Strange's Enchantment Handbook]
[You received: Universal Detonator]
[You received: 1,000 Colorless Crystals]
[You received: Hulk's Blood Sample]
[You received: Deadpool's Razor]
[You received: Silent Running Shoes]
[You received: Peacock Mantis Shrimp Bionic Gauntlet Blueprint]
[You received: Tracking Stickers]
[You received: Beast-Repellent Spray]
[You received: Mecha Deity – Cicada]
After 30 draws, Duke sifted through his loot, quickly discarding the garbage—Wonder Woman's tiara, Deadpool's razor, Penguin's socks, Quicksilver's worn sneakers, and other joke items.
Still, several prizes held real value.
First and foremost: the Vibranium. Perfect for rebuilding Vali's frame.
Then, there was the Spider-Man web formula. He had long wanted this—even if it was late, it was still a win.
The Peacock Mantis Shrimp Bionic Gauntlet also piqued his interest. Despite its small size, the creature's smashing limbs could generate forces up to 60 kilograms, accelerating like a bullet in 1/50th of a second and creating cavitation sparks underwater. Impressive potential for a bionic weapon.
The Holographic Projection Device resembled Tony Stark's tech—capable of full 3D modeling, holographic projection, and even physical interference at version 5.0.
The VR Technology prompted just four words from Duke:
"Sword Art Online."
While it wasn't useful to him directly, Camille could probably use it to train her spies.
Echo of Fate came as a solid gold Zippo lighter. Every flick altered the fortune of those nearby—boosting or cursing their luck.
"Bit superstitious... but I'll keep it. Good for lighting cigarettes."
The Universal Detonator was pretty basic—handheld, remote-triggered, linked to anything explosive. Not bad in a pinch.
And Doctor Strange's Handbook? That, Duke found genuinely intriguing. It filled gaps left by the fragmented Sorcerer Supreme notes he had already studied.
He figured once he reached Ixtal, he'd get a closer look at their arcane heritage as well.
Still, none of it compared to the final prize…
Mecha Deity – Cicada.
(End of chapter)
We're still in the early chapters fam! and to everyone who's joined the Patreon, thank you so much! 🙏Your support truly means the world. You're the reason this story keeps growing, chapter by chapter, world by world. I promise to give it my all! more content, more depth, more epic moments, to make sure your support is always worth it. You're part of the foundation that keeps this universe alive.
🔹 Hexcore Initiate – 15 chapters ahead
🔸 Arc Reactor Elite – 35 chapters
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