In Piltover and throughout Runeterra, most areas use the Noxian calendar to express the year.
Time always flows unknowingly. Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was May 1989, and it was time for graduation defense.
This is also the graduation season for the entire University of Piltover, and the campus is bustling.
At 8:40 in the morning, the lecture theater belonging to Hex Institute of Technology was already filled with more than half of the students. Most of them had nervousness and anticipation on their faces, and they were clearly divided into two parts, left and right.
There are only a dozen students on the left side, all wearing starched white clothes, but there are forty or fifty people on the right side. The boys are luxuriously dressed, and the girls are gorgeous. The simple aisle in the middle separates the two.
world.
When the sound of opening the door sounded, both parties looked back, but when they saw the person coming, they both showed some surprise.
Having been classmates for three years, they naturally know everyone in the college, especially Sewell, who is somewhat famous. But they are just busy with graduation projects and haven't seen much in two or three months. This guy seems to have become
Different?
The first is the clothing. Although it can be seen that it is a relatively cheap brand, it is still a brand-name product and is the daily choice of ordinary Piltover people. It is already very expensive for Zaun people.
Next is the figure. The last time I saw this guy, he was still very thin. Even the outline of his cheekbones was vaguely visible, but now he has become fuller. He is not fat, but strong. His exposed forearms can even be seen faintly.
You can see the outline of the muscles, which is full of strength and exudes a strong smell of male hormones.
It's only two months, not two years. Even if you hire a professional fitness coach for guidance, it won't be so fast, right? Has he taken Hex Crystal?!
The final difference is naturally their temperament. Unlike other Zaun people, the eyebrows seem to be naturally twisted together, and the waist and back are unnaturally slumped downwards.
It seems that he is the examiner of this graduation project defense.
‘I seem to have heard that... he chose to improve the Hex Flying Gate for his graduation project? He couldn’t really succeed, right?!’ Many Piltover students looked surprised.
You must know that the Hex Flying Gate is one of the greatest inventions since Professor Jesse created Hex Technology. It connects Piltover to different regions, greatly shortening the distance between regions, and further highlighting the
Piltover's characteristics as a transportation hub have brought greater prosperity to Piltover.
Such high-end design is a miracle for students, at least it allows them to improve, because they have no ideas at all.
There was also a small commotion among Zu An's students. After a few seconds, Ji Xing's roommate Wu Bin waved.
"Sevier, here!"
Ji Xing nodded, walked to sit among the students in Zaun, and suddenly heard an awkward and sour murmur from behind him: "New clothes... I haven't passed the graduation defense yet, and Master Xavier used the standards of Piltover people to ask for it"
Did you do it yourself?"
"Don't say that, Arian." Another hoarse female voice came: "Sewell, that graduation topic you chose... was successful?"
Ji Xing looked back and saw that the young man from Zu'an who was eating lemons was named Arrian. He was tall and strong, with a scar on his right cheek from childhood. He looked very fierce, but people should not be judged by their appearance. He was actually the ancestor of these ancestors.
The one with the best grades among the An students, a strong contender for first place in the department.
The girl's name is Alyssa. She is petite, has a cute face, and has big and smart eyes. Unfortunately, because she drank too much unclean alchemical wastewater when she was young, her throat was severely damaged. When she speaks, it feels like fingernails scratching glass.
Harsh and harsh.
"It's considered a success." Ji Xing replied.
What? Arian looked shocked, and Alyssa was stunned for a moment before smiling and blessing her sincerely: "That's great, congratulations."
The fat face of Wu Bin, who is sitting next to Ji Xing, also seemed to be unnaturally flushed with excitement: "Really? I can't see you in the dormitory during this period, and I can't see you in the library. You weren't even here this morning.
Dormitory, I thought you gave up!"
His voice was slightly louder, instantly making Ji Xing become the focus of the classroom again.
The surrounding Zaan students understood what he meant, some were envious, some were jealous, and the students in Piltover couldn't help but start a discussion among themselves.
"Really or not?"
"That kind of guy can improve Professor Jace's Hex Flying Door? This is unscientific!"
"But the guy's changes..."
"I thought I saw him running on the court a month ago, but I didn't pay attention at all... How did he train to be like this?"
"Hey, I don't believe it anyway. By the way, I seemed to have seen him more than a month ago, outside the dirty Zaun community. Maybe...hehe, he was after those stinky Zaun women.
The person doing the exercise is no longer a young child, so naturally things are a little different."
"Kevin! It's so ungentlemanly for you to speak like this, you look like a Zaun!"
"Asshole, you are from Zaun!"
Amidst the bursts of noise, a young man sitting in the center gradually looked impatient. He knocked on the table lightly and said, "Don't you need to prepare the content of the defense?"
The Piltover students were silent for a moment, and finally they went about their business, their eyes meeting each other only in the dark.
Because the people of Piltover are also divided into three, six, and nine grades, the young man who spoke is the nephew of one of the six highest councilors in Piltover. His grades are among the best in the college, and he has a strong say among Piltover students.
In such an environment, time passed by minute by second. Near nine o'clock, the lecture theater was almost full. The door opened again. When they saw someone coming, all the students stood up and offered longing and even fanatical greetings.
look.
It was a tall and handsome man in a suit and tie, his name was Jace Tallis, the inventor of Hex Technology, the man who led Piltover into a new era!
Of course, he is also the dean of Hex Technology Academy, but it is difficult for students to see this busy man. In the three years since he enrolled, he has only attended three open classes from him, but this does not delay the students' admiration for him.
The man following him was skinny, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, leaning on a cane, walking with a limp, and had a weak sense of presence.
The students did not dare to underestimate him. Although this man was not well-known outside and rarely appeared in the college, students who had attended a few of his classes knew that Professor Victor was extremely capable, far exceeding the average lecturers in the college.
Professors.
"Professor Jess!"
"Professor Victor!" Following these two people, five more permanent professors from the college came in, and the students also greeted them one by one.
The seven people sat down in the seats prepared in front of the lecture theater, and heavy pressure suddenly enveloped every student.
Seeing this appearance, Jess smiled softly and said: "Although I rarely meet you, I have an impression of everyone's appearance, and I often pay attention to everyone's achievements and growth.
Today, seven of us will form a defense committee that will review the students' three-year study results. Students, don't be nervous. As long as you perfectly state the topic you chose, design it, and have a complete idea, we will not prevent you from graduating normally.
Moreover, we will give appropriate rewards to those who perform exceptionally well, and the three best among them can even join Victor and I’s research team and become our assistants.”
There was a slight silence among the students.
The next moment, even Loren Samio, the nephew of the congressman, was surprised. He could become Professor Jace's assistant? Even he didn't know about this, and it was worth working hard for!
You must know that Jess has been a popular figure in Piltover in recent years. Although he is not a parliamentarian, he already has the influence of a parliamentarian.
Assistant? That’s a student too!
Students are secretly encouraging each other, and good friends are secretly competing with each other... Only three people are included!
"Then let's start directly, Professor Jess." A middle-aged man on Jess's left opened the roster: "75 students, even if each student only takes five minutes, it will be evening, and your time is
Very precious.”
"Okay, Professor Tov."
"The first one, Hash Yebuda."
A Piltover student stood up nervously with the paper he had prepared.
"Good morning, professors, I am...the topic I prepared is..."
One after another, some are well prepared, some are stumbling, some are talking nonsense, some are imaginative, some are down-to-earth, some are creating physical demonstrations, and some are composing and describing things out of thin air.
The professors sometimes frowned, sometimes nodded, and occasionally made a few comments that made the students pale or feel complacent. The scores of each person on the roster were not directly announced, making the students who had completed their graduation defense sit back in their seats uneasily.
However, students can clearly see which performances are particularly superior. For example, Loren Samio's "Improved Design of Steam Robots" and Arrian's "Alchemical Limb Nerve Construction" have won praises from several professors.
These two people will probably occupy two of the spots, so the last one...
"Next, Sevier."
When this name echoed, the air in the lecture theater became particularly strange and quiet.
It's finally his turn. Has he really improved Professor Jace's Hex Flying Gate? I'm afraid it's just an idea on paper and will be refuted on the spot by the professors?
This strange atmosphere even made Jace feel that something was wrong. He put down the pen he was reviewing on the previous student and looked up.
Facing everyone's gaze, Ji Xing walked up to the podium. He did not hold large or small manuscripts in his hands like most students. He did not take out something from his trouser pocket until he had greeted the professors and introduced himself.
.
It was a very light capsule that was held by Ji Xing's two fingers. It was about three centimeters in length and only one centimeter in diameter.
Under everyone's puzzled gaze, Ji Xing showed the capsule to everyone.
"This is my topic today, the finished product - a universal capsule."
He stepped aside and threw the capsule on the ground. With a bang, one capsule was missing from the ground and one was added...
Tin bucket?!
The bucket was nearly half a meter high and over 30 centimeters in diameter, but it appeared in everyone's sight as if it had grown out of thin air from the ground!
Everyone's eyes were blank.
What is this? Magic? Magic?!
Only Victor, who had always been sick and seemed to have no interest in anything, sat up straight in an instant, stared closely at the bucket, and suddenly said: "Classmate Sewell, can it turn back into that capsule?
"
"Okay, Professor Victor."
Ji Xing stepped forward and pressed lightly on a mechanism beside the bucket. Again, in full view of everyone, the bucket suddenly turned back into the capsule, which Ji Xing held at his fingertips.
"Due to limitations of funds and materials, the service life of this universal capsule should only be five to eight times. It was used once during the test and again during the demonstration. If professors are interested, you can test it yourself."
"Ahem...let me do it."
Victor coughed twice in excitement, stood up with a cane, walked to the podium and took the capsule from Ji Xing's hand: "How to use it?"
Ji Xing explained briefly, and Jace also reacted at this time. He was originally a scientist of the same level and keenness as Victor. However, after becoming famous, he participated in too many social events, and gradually couldn't keep up with Victor in experiments, but he has not lost it yet.
Acumen as a scientist.
So he stood up excitedly, and Victor nodded to him and said only two key words: "Very lightly."
Then just like Ji Xing demonstrated, he gently threw the universal capsule to the ground.
There was a bang and the bucket appeared!
Jess quickly walked over and picked up the bucket, weighed it, and said to Victor: "About eight pounds."
The two top scientists looked at each other, their eyes full of surprise and shock. They both understood the epoch-making performance and strategic significance of the universal capsule - we are just here to host a graduation defense, and you actually made such a thing for us?!
The students below didn't understand much, but they could tell from the interaction between the two professors that Sewell might have come up with something not simple.
Professor Victor has done it himself, so it is definitely not magic, but... such a small capsule can switch back and forth between a large bucket, how on earth is it possible to do this?!
And... just Sewell?
A Zaunite?!
Among the restless students, only Ji Xing's roommate Wu Bin had a different expression. There was not much surprise in it, only jealousy and nervousness.
Among the astonished professors, there was also a middle-aged female professor who looked a little uncomfortable and broke the silence and said: "Student Sewell, can you explain to everyone your idea of designing this 'universal capsule'? It does not need to involve core secrets.
."
With the help of Ji Xing, Jace also restored the bucket into a capsule. He held the lightweight capsule and looked at Ji Xing: "That's right, Classmate Sewell..."
Ji Xing nodded slightly and said: "The principle of designing it comes from Professor Jace's Hex Flying Gate. As we all know, the Hex Flying Gate shortens the distance between spaces and infinitely brings the distance between regions closer.
distance between.
Passing through the Hexgate, one second we are in Piltover, and the next second we may appear on the land of Noxus.
This leads us to a conclusion - space is not a straight line, but an intricate curve. As long as we accurately grasp both ends, we can span the gap in space.
By extension, by pinching the two ends of the space together, we have a universal capsule, a technology that can flexibly store and store space. Now I only have a fixed bucket, but I think in the near future, everyone will be able to carry it with them.
You can carry it with your suitcase, car, house, or even a building! Pick it up and put it away, it’s extremely convenient!”
Everyone had learned about the curvature of space, but at this time they all suspected that what they had learned and what Ji Xing had learned were not the same thing.
As for the image of carrying a building with you, everyone has lost the ability to speak!
Victor coughed slightly and wanted to ask again, but the female professor's voice suddenly boomed again: "I asked you to explain your ideas, not to let you imagine the future!"
"Can't you explain the idea? Do you want me to explain it to you? How dare you steal my team's research results?! Sewell!"
...What?! The atmosphere in the lecture theater suddenly changed again.