Miss Lux was meticulously going through the funeral rites, and while she was somewhat distracted, anyone who saw this scene would only assume it was due to heartbreak.
And Klein, in order to bind this rechargeable battery, was diligently formulating a teaching plan—he recalled the content of basic magic education while silently planning an entire curriculum for Lux.
Seriously, everyone says transmigrators have systems... why is it that when it comes to me, the "transmigrator becomes the system"?
Although there was no direct magical infusion, Klein, in standby mode, had no five senses, but this did not prevent him from thinking.
The first step Klein needed to do was to solidify Lux's foundation.
On this point, Klein, who had served as the Headmaster of Shurima University, felt no pressure—while light magic talent was indeed rare, as one of the first Ascended, what hadn't Klein seen?
Have you heard of Ne'Zuk?
He is the Great Elementalist of Ixtal, the creator of the Monolith, and the ancestor of the current Ixtal Kingdom!
Didn't he also graduate under Klein's tutelage?
Ne'Zuk's outstanding graduate medal was personally awarded by Klein!
Although Klein himself had almost no spellcasting talent and relied entirely on resources to ascend, making him Shurima's top resource-hoarder, what did that matter?
With Klein's ability, teaching Lux... wasn't it a piece of cake?
In the time it took for a mere funeral, Klein had already thought of over twenty must-read books for Lux—unfortunately, Lux couldn't find a single one of them.
On Runeterra now, perhaps only Nasus, still wandering in the Shurima Desert, knew where to find these books.
But no books, no problem, Klein could memorize them!
It's hard for ordinary human to imagine how bored an old human who was generally untalented (or rather, had no talent at all) but Ascended through merit and accumulating resources, and lived for thousands of years, could be—Setaka didn't allow Ascended to engage in romantic entanglements, and Shurima also forbade Ascended from participating in political struggles, so the daily routine of most Ascended was office work and training, each of them competing fiercely.
But the problem was, Klein couldn't train!
Back then, Klein transmigrated with his original body; you can't expect the physical quality and combat talent of an ordinary human from Blue Star to compare with those of Runeterra!
Can you imagine, after Aatrox became an Ascended, he immediately surpassed Klein, who had been an Ascended for over five hundred years, by a large margin!
In this situation, to maintain his Senpai's dignity and to strengthen Shurima's national power, Klein chose to develop in the direction of profound knowledge—in layman's terms, to become a theoretical master with extensive knowledge.
Anyway, after ascending, Klein's memory became exceptionally good.
At first, Klein just liked to read.
Then, as he read, he memorized them.
Then, as he memorized, he found that memorizing was also meaningless, and it was better to record others' interesting stories.
Thus, Klein meticulously remembered every Ascended's dark history, such as wetting the bed as a child, how old they were when they were weaned, their first love and heartbreak...
Ordinary human wouldn't dare to inquire about these random gossips, but Klein knew them all too well—plus, he managed Shurima University, so it could be said that all Ascended, upon seeing him, would tremble and wish to flee.
Setaka commanded respect.
And Klein would instill Fear.
If Klein's consciousness hadn't later been corrupted by the Void, gradually losing his sanity, the Darkborn War would never have started—if these little rascals dared to cause trouble, Klein would spread their dark histories for everyone to know.
What, you ask what if some Darkin went crazy and wanted to attack Klein?
Heh heh.
Although Klein was not strong, he was absolutely cunning, because Klein's Ascended form was an eagle.
That's right, Klein could fly, and even after becoming a Darkin, he could still fly high and low; although his combat power was trash, it was impossible for other Darkin to lay a hand on him.
(An eagle living in the Desert... naturally called a Sandhawk, after all, in shurima language, Desert is called "Sai"—the previous Ascended who drunkenly said Klein's Ascended form should be called a "sand sculpture" was named Kallikan, and the day after that party, the entire Shurima City knew about Kallikan's crush on his big-chested governess when he was ten, and then poor Kallikan voluntarily applied to be stationed in Vazuan for a hundred years, outliving everyone who knew about this news before returning to Shurima City.)
(By the way, the traitor who tattled was named Rhaast; during that hundred years, he took over the lucrative position Kallikan left behind in Shurima City, and the official explanation for this was "selecting the virtuous and capable, unrelated to other factors"; anyway, after that, "sand sculpture" became a forbidden word among the Ascended, and even Aatrox, with the foulest mouth and shortest temper, dared not say that word.)
In short, Klein was not a talent-type player, but he had taught many talent-type players, and he was full of confidence in teaching Lux.
The foundational material could be taught directly; he would explain, and Lux would write it down, and when the lesson was over, the notes would be complete, and it wouldn't be long before Lux would have an incredibly thorough theoretical foundation.
After laying a solid foundation, the second step should be physical training.
That's right, not starting to cast spells, but physical training.
Klein knew very well that, at least before transcending, a Spellcasters's magic power was almost entirely proportional to their physical fitness; strong physical fitness could increase the magic power limit and allow the Spellcasters to practice freely without easily injuring themselves.
Moreover, spells can be considered a part of the body for a Spellcasters; those who can control their bodies well also have a unique advantage when casting spells, an advantage that is particularly noticeable during adolescence.
Therefore, until Lux comes of age, she must continue to exercise; it's not expected for her swordsmanship to reach divine levels and make her a grandmaster, but she must at least have a healthy body.
Although Klein's martial arts were not as good as the Weapon Master, he was a theoretical master...
Klein was well-versed in all schools of swordsmanship in Shurima; teaching Lux swordsmanship would not only reduce her resistance to him but also allow her to gain a higher status and more freedom of movement in Demacia, which was killing two birds with one stone.
In the third step, Lux could begin to use spells; at this stage, rote theoretical knowledge and abundant magic power would combine, allowing her to quickly cross the threshold of transcendence; at this stage, in Ancient Shurima, she would already be qualified to become an Ascended.
Runeterra has never had clear-cut power levels since ancient times; Summoner's Rift can level up, but Runeterra cannot—however, vague tiers like human, hero, transcendent, demigod, and deity can still be distinguished.
human are ordinary people without special training and with average talent, and those with average talent and normal training often cannot exceed this range.
Heroes are extraordinary beings with exceptional talent, either naturally gifted or skilled through practice, but they are still in the stage of understanding and applying techniques.
Transcendent means breaking free from mortal shackles and glimpsing the laws and truths of Runeterra, but it is only a glimpse.
As for demigods and deities, those involve factors of faith and are not suitable for discussion here.
And Lux's talent and Klein's guidance would allow her to cross the threshold of transcendence within ten years, which was undoubtedly an astonishing speed.
As for the fourth step...
Klein intended to use Lux as a starting point to lay out plans in this era; he would also transmit his thoughts to Lux, allowing her to become his agent; subsequently, whether it was to deal with those annoying Celestials or to resist the restless Void, more and more united power would be needed.
Of course, that would be a very, very long time from now.
For now, all Klein had to do was lay the foundation for Lux—and for a child, the best way to lay a foundation was through rote learning.
While it's good to know both the 'what' and the 'why,' unfortunately, many 'whys' are beyond a child's comprehension. To give Lux an incredibly solid foundation in casting, Klein decided to put her through a special training program called [Three Years of Casting, Five Years of Simulation]!
May Miss Lux achieve great success in her studies!
Just as Klein was completing the preliminary planning of his curriculum, the funeral of Lux's uncle finally concluded on the other side.
As the guests departed, Lux finally gripped her sword hilt once more.
"Mr. Klein." Watching the coffin being sealed, Lux suddenly realized a serious problem and asked urgently, "You said Uncle's soul was dragged into the Shadow Realm, but what about his body? If I retrieve his soul, but his body has decayed, won't it be too late?"
"Very good, little girl, you haven't been completely overwhelmed by grief." Klein responded with satisfaction, "His body wasn't injured, but a body does decay quickly after losing its soul. To prevent this, you'll need to prepare an anti-corrosion magic array for him."
"I don't know how?" Lux was a bit confused. She could barely understand what anti-corrosion meant, but she didn't know what a magic array was. "How do I do it?"
"Do you have a custom where family members bury precious items with the deceased?" Klein had already prepared a plan. "We can prepare a doll or something similar. As long as it's placed in his arms, his body will absolutely not decay for at least ten years."
"I think so..." Lux thought for a moment and gave an affirmative answer. "Uncle wasn't married, and I don't have an aunt, so my brother and I should be able to leave a memento in his coffin."
"Then it's settled." Klein's tone was certain. "Prepare it tonight. Just follow my method to prepare a doll."
"A doll?" Lux blinked. "I have one in my bedroom. Uncle gave it to me..."
"With just a little modification, it'll be perfect!"
........
The burial ceremony was scheduled for the next day, so Lux would have to work hard tonight.
For ordinary human, preserving a body from decay is no simple feat, but for Klein, it was effortlessly achieved.
Just a tiny bit of Darkin flesh was enough to prevent Lux's uncle from decaying for ten years.
As for what happens after ten years...
If, with Lux's talent, ten years isn't enough for her to grow to the point where she can freely enter and exit the Shadow Realm, then Klein, as her mentor and the system, might as well end himself!
Upon returning to her bedroom, Lux immediately found her doll—a lifelike Poro, with a soft pink heart on its belly. The doll was sewn from soft velvet and filled with Dragonhawk feathers, making it incredibly soft and warm to the touch, and very springy when hugged.
It was a gift from her uncle on Lux's fifth birthday. At that time, he promised Lux that when she turned fifteen, he would take her to hug a real Dragonhawk.
"If you can master Crownguard swordsmanship by then, I'll give you a Dragonhawk egg."
Looking at the Poro doll with its tongue sticking out on her bedside table, Lux's eyes reddened once more.
Although Klein said her uncle wasn't dead, Lux was still incredibly sad. For a nine-year-old girl, ten years was simply too long.
The little girl pursed her lips, picked up the doll, and then gripped her sword hilt again.
"Is this the doll? Good, the size is right—now, find a small knife or scissors and scrape off some Void Chitin from the Staff of the Void."
"You mean, from your body?" Lux was stunned. "Using your body?"
...Otherwise, what other materials in Demacia could support an anti-corrosion magic array?" Klein calmly retorted, "Hurry up, you'd best finish all of this before someone urges you to go to bed."
"But, Mr. Klein, won't it hurt?" Lux asked timidly. "It must hurt a lot for your body to be scraped, right?"
"Your focus is a bit strange, little girl." Klein sounded like he was scolding her, but his tone was somewhat cheerful. "But rest assured, I won't feel any pain—if I had to make an analogy, Void Chitin is to me what your hair is to you. Scraping a bit won't hurt."
"Oh."
Since Klein seemed unwilling to elaborate, Lux politely didn't press the issue. She quickly jumped off the bed, put on her small slippers, and pattered away, quickly finding a pair of scissors.
Then, following Klein's instructions, she easily cut off a small piece of Void Chitin.
"Mr. Klein, are you that soft?" Lux looked at the Void Chitin in her palm, very puzzled. "But I don't feel like you are..."
"I can control myself." Klein was not impatient with Lux's question and quickly gave an answer. "Alright, now follow my instructions and sew the Void Chitin into the doll..."
A nine-year-old girl's craftsmanship naturally couldn't be overly criticized. Fortunately, the anti-corrosion magic array created in this way only needed to utilize the inherent function of the Void Chitin itself—Lux successfully completed the task before bedtime.
Then, just as she was about to turn off the lights, her mother, Ogessa, knocked on the door.
"Lux, are you asleep?"
"Not yet!" Lux subconsciously clutched the doll she had just sewn, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Is something wrong?"
"Of course, I came to see my little princess." Ogessa replied with a tired yet still gentle voice, "Today... my dear, you've worked hard."
Under Klein's reassurance, Lux relaxed a little. She let go of the Poro doll, then put on her small slippers again and opened her bedroom door.
"Mom." Lux threw herself into her mother's arms. "Mom, you've worked hard too!"
...
Feeling the concern of her little darling, Ogessa's fatigue seemed to lessen considerably—even for a Crownguard Matron accustomed to trials and tribulations, everything she had experienced today had been far too tumultuous.
First, her younger daughter had awakened with magic that morning, then the terrible news arrived that the family had lost an important pillar. After hearing the news, that rascal Garen had clamored to join the army, even attempting to run away from home...
One trouble after another had left Ogessa physically and mentally exhausted, but even so, she still made time to check on her younger daughter, wanting to see how she was doing.
She had expected to have to spend time comforting her, but instead, she herself had been healed by Lux.
"It seems Tiana's method really works." Confirming that Lux's hands were no longer glowing, and stroking the soft golden hair of the thoughtful little darling in her arms, a weary Ogessa finally found some solace. "Daughters are truly wonderful, unlike that little rascal Garen, who even wanted to leave without saying goodbye—it's just late tonight, but if he still insists on joining the army tomorrow, I'll definitely have to give him a beating. Is this really the time to join the army!"
Lux apparently had no idea that her mother, who was smiling at that moment, was already contemplating what handy object she would use to beat her brother tomorrow.
The little girl had also experienced a series of ups and downs today and now had her own little secret, so she felt a bit uneasy.
Mother and daughter embraced in silence, enjoying this rare tranquility.
A moment later, Lux pulled her small head from her mother's arms and then pointed to the Poro doll on the bedside table.
"Mom, can I send it to accompany Uncle tomorrow?"
Ogessa glanced at the doll, then nodded: "Mhm!"
Because Klein traveled back in time so early, the Runeterra he is in can be considered a parallel world—if anything is different, it's due to the butterfly effect he brought, and I'm not afraid of designers stirring things up anymore!