Jayce didn't know how he got home.
It wasn't until his mother started persuading him to give up his unrealistic research into magic that he reluctantly accepted reality.
"There will always be a chance," Jayce still refused to give up. "You've seen magic, I've seen it, we both know what a great power it is!"
"You were almost exiled from Piltover by the Council—are you still going to conduct your research in Zaun?"
"It won't come to that, it won't," Jayce shook his head. "I'll go to the Kiramman family for help; they've always been my sponsors, and they'll understand me!"
Jayce's mother wanted to say something.
But she looked at Jayce, who had regained his confidence, and finally just shook her head.
And so, a confident Jayce tidied up his attire and went to the Kiramman family.
But the result was that he couldn't even get through the door—only Miss Caitlyn, who had always had a good relationship with him, brought him bad news.
the Kiramman family would no longer support Jayce's research.
"My father says you're an anomaly," Caitlyn said with a disheartened tone through the large door. "He told me to stay away from you and wouldn't let me leave the house."
Jayce forced a bitter smile: "At least you still came."
"Perhaps... I'm also an anomaly," Caitlyn said.
Finally, after much effort, Jayce painfully realized that he seemed to have lost everything, even the chance to turn things around—in his anguish, he thought of Lux, and the outsider who had once said she would sponsor him.
Should he go to The Last Drop to see her?
No, no, no, that's too crazy. To find an outsider to be his sponsor, to do research in Zaun, that's simply a joke!
But... if he didn't go to Lux, where else could he go?
Even after repeated setbacks, Jayce still refused to give up his ideals. He was caught between his ideals and reality, suffering immensely—his sponsors had abandoned him, and his family didn't support his research. Was he really going to be a hammer craftsman like his father, spending his life dealing with all sorts of hammers?
If Jayce had never seen the brilliant radiance of magic, perhaps he would have been willing to accept this, but with research already showing promise, having to give up was something Jayce could never accept!
Under these circumstances, he gritted his teeth and made an astonishing decision.
To go to Zaun and see—if Lux was truly willing to be his sponsor, then... perhaps he could persuade her to purchase a laboratory in Piltover in her name?
He could give up all economic benefits!
No sooner said than done.
However, before going to The Last Drop, Jayce still needed to prepare his relevant materials.
Jayce hoped to retrieve as much experimental data as possible—that valuable data represented the early results of Jayce's experiments.
As for the assistant who was responsible for handling those at the time... Jayce asked Grayson about him when he went to the prison to retrieve his personal belongings.
His name was Viktor.
As for whether Viktor would be willing to lend a hand and help, Jayce was no longer worried.
Anyway, the situation couldn't get any worse than it was now.
Even if he was ridiculed, it wouldn't be a problem.
After all, he was already an out-and-out anomaly.
........
When Jayce found Viktor, Viktor seemed quite surprised.
"Jayce—Jayce Talis, I was just about to look for you." The thin, limping assistant showed a surprised expression the moment he saw Jayce. "I didn't expect you to come to me!"
"You were looking for me?" Jayce was taken aback, clearly not expecting to hear such words. "What for?"
"To talk about your Hextech theory, the one you wrote in your notes." Viktor showed a subtle expression. "Both the content of the notes and your speech to the Council were very insightful—except for that 'who but I' confidence that was a bit blinding."
"I don't even know if you're complimenting me or mocking me." Viktor's words made Jayce look bitter. "No one thinks well of it; they all believe I'm fantasizing, or simply had my brain frozen by magic..."
"I didn't believe it at first either," Viktor said calmly. "But science is sometimes counter-intuitive."
"..."
"I've deduced every formula and found no problems," Viktor said with immense praise. "And your reasoning is logically impeccable, so, if you're willing, perhaps I can help you complete the research together."
"You help me?" Jayce looked at the thin man in front of him with some disbelief. "Are you... are you serious?"
"Of course, I'm serious." Viktor still looked sickly, but his tone was unusually firm. "Because I've seen a power capable of changing this world."
"But my research might have to be conducted in Zaun," Jayce gritted his teeth, deciding to be completely honest. "I've lost my sponsors, and the experiment may still need several more stages—someone said they're willing to sponsor me, but the laboratory she can provide is in Zaun..."
"What's the problem with that?" Viktor smiled for the first time, though there was a hint of intriguing bitterness in his smile. "Didn't you hear? I'm also from Zaun, a person from the lower strata."
"You're also from Zaun?!" Jayce was dumbfounded by this news. "You understood my formulas and my hypotheses—"
"Precisely because I am from Zaun, even if I understand everything about you, I am still an assistant," Viktor said, feigning ease. "But now it seems that in this coming great revolution, I might adapt faster than you, after all, I am originally from Zaun..."
"Then let's go to The Last Drop together and meet our sponsor!" Jayce was incredibly excited. "Then, right there in Zaun, let's start a revolution!"
"We'd better hurry," Viktor nodded. "Your experimental equipment will be destroyed by the day after tomorrow at the latest..."
"What?" Jayce's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why isn't the Council usually this efficient?"
"Perhaps because... creation is always harder than destruction?" Viktor shook his head, then pulled a string of keys from his pocket. "However, we have plenty of time. Let's go meet your new sponsor now, and perhaps tonight we can transport the equipment to the new laboratory."
"Are you really just Professor Heimerdinger's assistant?"
"At the academy, I also double as the general manager."
Klein's small class · Zaun student's work-study program:
This is a policy insisted upon by the academy's dean, Professor Heimerdinger. He hopes to provide people from humble backgrounds with some extra income so they don't go hungry—however, to others at the academy, this seems like a good way to save costs.