Perhaps it was the enormous threat Marcus posed that caused Piltover to fall silent. The explosion incident seemed to have resolved itself without consequence.
But everyone in the undercity understood the truth—Piltover's silence didn't mean they'd severed ties or forgotten the insult. They were simply preparing to completely destroy the undercity threat in one overwhelming strike.
Knowing this, Vander and the others accelerated their crystal collection efforts with desperate urgency.
Currently sitting before Marcus was a small bag of pure crystals—the fruits of days of intensive searching and spending.
These crystals were extraordinarily expensive. Vander had invested nearly half his accumulated fortune acquiring them. In recent days, even Benzo—the undercity's most reliable black market merchant—had been avoiding Vander.
Benzo was a businessman who dealt in valuable contraband, not a junk collector. If he didn't know what Vander was planning with Marcus's backing, he never would have accepted so many requests for crystals.
"These crystals..." Vander started hesitantly.
"How are they?" Marcus examined the collection with a critical eye. "The quality honestly isn't great—barely usable, if I'm being generous. But it should be sufficient for your immediate needs."
These weren't high-quality crystals by any standard, which made perfect sense. After all, this was the undercity. Even with an active black market, not many people brought such high-purity crystals to this impoverished place. And Vander's finances couldn't support purchasing truly exceptional crystals—those commanded prices beyond any undercity resident's imagination.
"I'll show you the finished products tomorrow," Marcus said. Then, as if remembering something, he added: "By the way, make sure Silco is present. Once you have working prototypes, you can begin mass production."
These crystals could be fashioned into various small weapons and equipment. Marcus believed that after Vander and his people obtained such gear, they'd face Piltover with far greater confidence.
Taking the crystals back to his room, Marcus selected one and began reconstructing Protoss crystal technology from memory.
Protoss engineering was remarkably sophisticated. Despite both being advanced interstellar civilizations, the Protoss's crystal utilization far exceeded even the Kree Empire's capabilities.
The crystal rotated in Marcus's hands as he worked, combining it with various metals through precise manipulation. Soon it had transformed into a psionic warp blade—the signature weapon of Protoss Zealots.
"Hmm, not as powerful as a genuine psionic blade, but still far superior to anything they currently possess," Marcus muttered, studying the weapon critically. "Though Hextech crystal magic energy is obviously better suited for equipment applications."
Perhaps because the crystal quality was poor, the psionic blade didn't achieve Marcus's expected performance. The equipment suffered from crystal-imposed restrictions—energy conduction was severely limited, allowing less than thirty percent efficiency.
"Well, these crystals are what they are. When they find higher quality materials, we can upgrade the equipment."
Setting aside the inferior psionic blade prototype, Marcus began crafting the next piece of equipment.
Marcus knew countless weapons utilizing crystal technology—all energy-based weapons that represented the Khaydarin Crystal's most important function. These crystals could continuously release energy outward, providing power support for all energy weapons within range. As long as weapons received Khaydarin crystal energy, they could easily face most opponents.
One weapon after another took shape in his hands. The equipment looked diverse—beyond the psionic blade, there were various other weapons and tools.
For example, a mechanical gauntlet with an industrial aesthetic had been specifically designed for Vi. Her future Hextech gauntlets from the original timeline were genuinely unreasonable—better to arm her with something more practical that would grant greater battlefield flexibility.
Beside that were a sword, shield, and collapsible staff. These were weapons for Claggor and Mylo, specially prepared to match their individual development trajectories.
Vi possessed strong natural combat ability—she could learn advanced fighting techniques. Mylo was obviously flexible and quick—he'd achieve better results learning staff combat. As for Claggor, he was honest with high responsibility—best to teach him sword and shield techniques that offered both offense and defense.
While Marcus methodically crafted various equipment in his room, Vi was running breathlessly through the Lanes with her younger siblings.
They were all nearly exhausted, but no one stopped. Even the youngest, Powder, pushed herself to keep up despite her smaller size and lower endurance.
The Lanes residents had grown accustomed to the sight. Every day, these children ran circuits around the district—an impressive feat considering the Lanes was the largest area in the undercity. Completing even one circuit was difficult. Yet these kids insisted on running ten laps daily, with young Powder managing five.
This seemed incredibly wasteful to many Lanes residents—just burning energy for no practical purpose.
"Everyone hang on! We're almost there!" Vi called out encouragingly.
Seeing the Last Drop's entrance in the distance, her reminder snapped the others from their exhausted stupor. Though they were still battling physical fatigue, knowing the finish line was close provided a final burst of motivation.
Their speed actually increased slightly as they used their last reserves of strength to rush toward the tavern door.
"I've watched you run for a week now," said a white-haired boy about Powder's age. He was Benzo's adopted son and apprentice. "Did that stranger really order you to do this?"
"Hah... our... physical strength... doesn't meet... his requirements... little one," Mylo gasped, leaning heavily against the wall.
He felt like his lungs might explode. Every time they finished running, recovery took extensive time. Even Vi, who had better conditioning than the rest, wasn't much better off.
But none of them gave up. On the first day of learning basic techniques, they'd witnessed something unforgettable.
Marcus had casually swung his fist—just a simple punch—and generated a powerful gust of wind. And that was while deliberately restraining his strength. If they could meet Marcus's requirements, their futures would be limitless.
After recovering slightly while leaning against the wall, Vi led the group into the tavern. Their legs continued shaking with each step, clearly demonstrating how hard they'd worked.
The children pressed against walls and moved step by step toward Marcus's room. Their basic training was complete for the day—now it was time for Marcus's instruction.
Knock knock knock—
Hearing the door being knocked, Marcus mentally triggered the mechanism. The door swung open by itself.
"Come in. Drink what's on the table."
He'd prepared nutrient solution specifically for them—a formula that would promote physical recovery and prevent any hidden injuries from accumulating during their intense training.
Hearing the instruction, the children grabbed cups from the table and drank eagerly. They'd stopped resisting the nutrient solution—the taste was actually quite pleasant, nothing like the medicinal bitterness they'd initially expected.
After they finished drinking, Marcus stopped his equipment crafting and addressed them.
"You three, come try your new equipment. Powder, go learn with the mechanical hound."
Following Marcus's directions, the older children approached the gear while Powder settled beside the mechanical hound to continue her technical education.
"This equipment is custom-designed for each of you," Marcus explained. "Vi, yours are these mechanical gauntlets. Mylo, this collapsible staff. Claggor, you get sword and shield."
"This isn't fair!" Mylo protested immediately. "Vi and Claggor both got two pieces of equipment, but I only have one!"
Vi's gauntlets were a matched pair, and Claggor's weapon consisted of both sword and shield. Meanwhile, Mylo just had a stick. He felt undervalued.
"Twist the staff and you'll understand," Marcus suggested with amusement.
Mylo tentatively twisted the long staff with force. The apparently solid weapon instantly separated into three sections connected by flexible joints—transforming from a simple staff into a three-section staff capable of far more versatile techniques.
"These aren't simple weapons," Marcus continued mysteriously. "Once you master the proper techniques, this equipment can unleash unimaginable power."
The truth was, none of their weapons were in final form yet. Vi's gauntlets, Claggor's sword and shield, Mylo's staff—all remained restricted. Once they mastered their respective weapons, Marcus would remove the limitations and show them what truly powerful equipment looked like.
The children were captivated as expected. They examined their gear carefully, searching for hidden features without success.
"Alright, set down your weapons," Marcus instructed. "Today I'm teaching you the most fundamental combat techniques. This foundation will determine how far you can progress in the future. Don't slack off."
He began their instruction while Powder continued her technical studies, occasionally glancing at the combat training with obvious interest.
The Next Day
Silco returned to the Last Drop at Vander's invitation. If he didn't know Marcus had requested his presence, he wouldn't have bothered acknowledging Vander at all.
The tavern stood empty. It was still morning and the establishment hadn't opened yet, naturally leaving it deserted.
"You said Marcus was going to show us crystal weapons?" Silco asked skeptically, his damaged eye scanning the room. "Where are they?"
The tavern appeared completely normal—he saw nothing suggesting weaponry had been prepared.
"Wait. I don't know what Marcus is bringing out," Vander replied.
As they spoke, Marcus emerged from his room dragging a large crate.
"Come help me," Marcus called. "The weapons and equipment in here represent your future arsenal. Though the crystals Vander found were poor quality, so the performance isn't ideal."
Hearing Marcus's words, both men forgot their antagonism and rushed to his side, helping drag additional boxes from the room.
"Wait! Don't touch that box!" Vander shouted urgently.
Seeing Silco grab a particular crate about to leave the room, Vander panicked. The other boxes had been brought in by Marcus recently, but this particular container had been in the room previously and hadn't been moved in quite some time. Something might be wrong with it.
Before Vander finished his warning, there was a cracking sound. Silco found himself holding a piece of wood. Looking down, he realized the box had simply fallen apart in his hands.
"How long since you cleaned this place?" Silco asked dryly, examining the rotted wood. "The boxes have been gnawed by rats."
He discarded the broken board and left the room without further comment.
Vander smiled sheepishly and brought the final box to Marcus.
"These crates contain the basic weapons you'll use going forward," Marcus explained, beginning to open them. "Though the power falls short of expectations due to crystal quality, they're more than sufficient for dealing with Piltover."
The weapons inside varied dramatically, but all shared one conspicuous feature—prominent crystal cores integrated into their designs.
"This is called a Prismatic Beam Rifle," Marcus said, lifting one weapon. "It continuously intensifies as the beam fires. Currently it can melt stone with sustained fire."
Marcus picked up the rifle and pulled the trigger, aiming at a stone on the floor. A light blue scorching beam erupted from the crystal and struck the target.
Initially, the stone showed no change. But as the beam continued, the stone gradually heated to red-hot temperatures, then finally melted under the sustained energy assault.
"This... this is incredibly powerful!" Vander breathed, unable to contain his amazement.
Though the weapon required time to reach maximum output, its ultimate power exceeded anything he'd ever witnessed.
"Powerful? This is actually quite weak," Marcus said, withdrawing a weapon nearly half a person's height.
"This is called a Focused Beam Cannon. Unlike the rifle, when you pull the trigger, nothing fires immediately. Only when the energy indicator begins flashing can it release an energy beam. I calculated approximately two seconds of charge time per shot. But the power definitely compensates for the charging limitation."
After Marcus's explanation, Vander lifted the cannon. The crystal core was prominently visible, with a protruding energy indicator positioned in front of it.
Using this weapon would require monitoring both the enemy and the energy indicator simultaneously—wasteful of attention, but Vander remained eager to test its power. Unfortunately, experimenting inside the tavern would be disastrous—destroying the building would leave them all homeless.
"And this pistol," Marcus continued, producing a much smaller weapon. "Though compact, its power remains formidable. It's called a Beam Pistol and fires standard energy rays. You can test it properly later."
After discussing the various firearms, Marcus withdrew several different melee weapons—including those he'd crafted for Vi and the others yesterday.
"As for these weapons, I think they should match your specialties better."
Marcus installed a crystal core into the mechanical gauntlet and removed the weapon's restrictions.
Before Vander and Silco's astonished eyes, the gauntlet began transforming. A row of nozzles spraying blue energy appeared. Driven by the energy thrust, the gauntlet shot through the air and delivered a devastating punch.
The strike created a sonic boom. Even though it connected only with empty air, both Silco and Vander could feel the tremendous impact radiating outward.
"This is the future of the undercity," Marcus said with quiet satisfaction, watching their awed expressions.
The weapons he'd created would change everything. Zaun was about to become something far more than Piltover's dumping ground.