The ordeal with the Void Empress had finally come to an end. Before the true arrival of the Void, Li Lin had secured at least several years of development time.
After returning the World Rune beneath the Petricite Stone Forest, Li Lin headed back to Shurima, participating in several days of grand festivities. Together with Caitlyn, Kai'Sa, Zoe, and Sona, who had been brought along for the occasion, he fully immersed himself in the culture of a reborn Shurima.
Compared to the hardships of nearly two years prior, the Shuriman people now lived vastly improved lives under Azir's leadership. The Dawn Oasis, nurtured by the life-giving waters produced by the Sun Disc, had transformed their existence.
Meanwhile, as promised by Grand General Swain, Noxus had returned three northern port cities, even dismantling the Noxian Toll Gate—a stern symbol of their dominance—under orders from their war masons.
Runeterra had narrowly escaped a calamity capable of consuming the entire planet, and Li Lin's contributions were invaluable.
Upon his return to Piltover, a quick inventory by the AI revealed that the mechanical army had lost over 400,000 combat units in the battle, including numerous aerial carriers, battlecast Nasus-class mechs, and colossal Titans. Fortunately, advancements in technology allowed much of the material unaffected by the Void to be recycled. This would enable the reconstruction of at least 100,000 mechs, reducing the battle's effective losses to just over 200,000 units.
Still, even with Bel'Veth vanquished and part of the burden lifted from his shoulders, Li Lin dared not relax entirely.
From his understanding, Runeterra faced at least two more world-threatening crises before the final battle against the Void Watchers.
The first involved the Curse of Ruination, triggered by the ancient King Viego of Camavor on the once-idyllic and utopian Blessed Isles. After a millennium of silence, the Ruined King, who wielded the power of the Black Mist, was poised to awaken.
The second crisis involved Mordekaiser, an ancient warlord who, a thousand years ago, had massacred entire populations and terrorized Valoran with unparalleled brutality in pursuit of dark powers. After his initial death and rebirth, he had adopted a new name in the Ochnun tongue: Mordekaiser.
The legend of the Iron Revenant remained deeply ingrained in history. His black iron armor, imbued with magic, was impervious to all weapons and sorcery, while his colossal mace, Nightfall, had harvested countless souls.
After his rebirth, Mordekaiser's atrocities escalated, far exceeding the horrors of his mortal life. While others might view his rampages as acts of amusement, Li Lin knew better. The dark overlord of the Death Realm was amassing an undead army to invade the land of the living, seeking to bend all life to his will. His threat far surpassed Viego's obsessive quest to restore the fragmented soul of his wife, Isolde.
However, with his growing power, Li Lin believed he could attempt to prevent these crises at their roots.
Viego's spirit lay dormant on the Shadow Isles, bound to the Blade of the Ruined King. Meanwhile, Mordekaiser's black iron armor was sealed within the depths of Noxus' Immortal Bastion, in the Well of Death—a nexus linking to the Death Realm.
Li Lin's next objectives were clear:
First, establish the League of Legends. Beyond uniting nations to form a final line of defense, this initiative would involve nurturing individuals capable of contributing to the apocalyptic war.
Second, proactively address future crises. For example, he could travel to the Shadow Isles to reinforce the seals on Viego's blade or deploy Heimerdinger's invention—a device capable of traversing the material and spiritual planes—to send mechanical forces into the Death Realm and eradicate Mordekaiser's soul.
These ideas were preliminary, as Li Lin hadn't fully assessed their risks. For now, his focus remained on the League of Legends.
Runeterra was teeming with talent, but only a select few had transformed into heroes through extraordinary events or opportunities. Most lived unremarkable lives, their potential untapped.
Li Lin envisioned not just an intercontinental "United Nations" but also an institution to identify and cultivate individuals with magical or scientific gifts. He would call this institution "The Academy of War."
In his prior knowledge, this academy had served as both a mediator of international conflicts and the headquarters for the League of Legends.
Given his foundation in Piltover and Zaun, Li Lin decided to establish the academy there for ease of management. Hextech teleportation would eventually eliminate geographical barriers, enabling global access.
Additionally, the southern plains of Piltover were already under development for expansion by mechanical engineers, while the northern Piltover mountain range had been leveled with material-conversion technology, creating an area many times larger than Piltover's existing territory.
Li Lin planned to merge the Academy of War with Piltover University, separating its war-focused disciplines from the university's broader academic pursuits. Piltover University, renowned as the continent's premier institution, already attracted countless geniuses, which would save considerable effort.
The academy's primary campus would be on the southern plains of Piltover, with an auxiliary facility in space. As part of the third phase of the cosmic Stargate project, a portion of the orbital station would be dedicated to the academy's development.
The first phase of the orbital ring station had taken over a month, while the second phase—a space base—had required six months and was still incomplete. According to AI calculations, the third phase would take at least two more years, while the fourth phase—a celestial fortress—remained a distant dream.
For now, construction materials had been transported to the southern plains, and the mechanical engineers had begun laying the foundation for the Academy of War. Within a week, a massive, state-of-the-art institution would stand tall.
As Piltover's cultural center, this location would eventually become the heart of the world once the academy gained renown.
After completing his paperwork, Li Lin drained his slightly cooled cup of tea.
He turned his gaze to the window.
"It's time to negotiate the League of Legends with the regional leaders," he murmured.
But first…
The image of a red-haired girl surfaced in his mind, prompting him to take a deep breath.
Previously, Valeeva's search for an ancient weapon of the Darkin had instead uncovered Annie, a young girl tainted by demonic power. Annie's mother, spared from abduction by Noxian forces due to Valeeva's intervention, had likely avoided her daughter's tragic future.
But Li Lin couldn't allow an uncontrollable demon to roam freely—especially one linked to Mordekaiser.
"I need to deal with Annie's situation first."
(End of Chapter)
=========================================================
DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE
SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS
PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).