By the time the bustle was over, noon had arrived.
Two hot pots had been set up in the middle of the shop. As the flames rolled beneath them, the aromas of the different broths spread in every direction.
With this many people in the shop, crowding around one pot would have been too cramped, so two pots were just right.
Luke had also prepared four different broths and put some extra effort into the ingredients.
He skewered different ingredients on bamboo sticks one by one, so anyone could just pick what they wanted and swish it in the broth. Eating it on skewers made things a little more convenient.
Of course, they could also toss the ingredients directly into the pot. Different choices meant different ways to eat.
Caitlyn, Orianna, Jinx, and Seraphine had never seen this way of eating before. While they found it fresh and interesting, they were also drawn in by the rich spread of ingredients.
"That should do it. If you want something, grab it yourselves. The sauces are over there, mix them however you like."
Luke preferred the spicy broth. Standing beside that pot with a bowl of dipping sauce in hand, he spoke as he fished out a slice of lamb he had already cooked ahead of time.
He dipped it in sauce, blew on it, then stuffed it into his mouth. In an instant, the fragrance and numbing spice hit him.
This was it. This was exactly right!
Seeing the blissful look on his face, everyone's hunger doubled on the spot, and they all got moving.
Lux and the others were already used to eating hot pot, so naturally, they were extremely skilled at mixing their sauces.
Meanwhile, the Piltover girls and Zaun girl stared at the dozen or so sauces and fell into deep difficulty.
Seraphine's choice was simple. Whatever Sona mixed, she mixed.
In the end, the other three also chose the same mixing style as Lux and the others.
"Is this the spicy pot?"
Looking at the hot pot bubbling like blood, Jinx leaned over and asked curiously.
There was no other reason. Lux was on this side too.
Lux had originally wanted to eat from the tomato broth beside the spicy one, but when she saw this, she immediately changed her mind. With great ease, she put a few slices of beef into the spicy pot. "Yeah. What about it?"
Jinx sniffed it. It did not seem especially spicy, but she still asked cautiously, "Is this really spicy?"
"Heh. If you're afraid of spice, go eat the tomato pot over there. That one's for kids."
Lux smiled in disdain.
"Quit trying to bait me." Jinx did not bite at all. She glanced over, then really did shift her steps to the tomato pot. "Then I'll eat this."
Lux curled her lip in contempt and ignored her, picking up a large slice of beef on her own. Once it looked about cooked, she dipped it in her bowl and stuffed it into her mouth.
She narrowed her eyes, chewing with obvious enjoyment. Just looking at it was enough to make it feel like a direct assault on the taste buds.
The sight alone made saliva gather in one's mouth.
There was no denying it, Jinx swallowed on reflex. She had absolutely no resistance when it came to meat.
And after knowing this little blondie for so many days, the one thing she could be certain of was that this girl really knew how to eat!
When it came to food, even Jinx had no choice but to admit defeat.
Was it really not spicy?
She began to waver. Seeing Lux swallow that huge slice of beef, then pick up another piece, dip it in sauce, and prepare to take another bite, Jinx could not hold back anymore.
If this little blondie could eat it, why couldn't she?
So Jinx decisively moved back from the tomato pot to the spicy pot and directly picked up two slices of the beef Lux had cooked earlier, dropping them into her dipping sauce bowl.
To be fair, the cooked beef looked appetizing enough to make anyone hungry.
After rolling it through the sauce, she impatiently brought it to her mouth.
Good beef could conquer your taste buds the instant it entered your mouth, especially when paired with rich dipping sauce and broth. The deliciousness had already gone beyond everything.
Just as Jinx felt that everything was normal, her tongue and lips suddenly started to go numb. That all-sweeping spiciness instantly filled her entire mouth.
The spicy broth Luke had prepared this time was not the kind that slowly built up later. Its impact was fierce right from the start.
It was definitely a favorite for spicy food lovers.
"Hss, ha!"
Jinx's little face turned red at a visible speed. She opened her mouth and sucked in a breath of cold air, then blew it out again.
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Lux finally could not keep acting anymore. She immediately went "hss, ha, hss, ha" as she poured herself a glass of ice water.
She had eaten one more bite than this little blue-haired brat, so enduring until now had been no easy task.
When Jinx saw that this girl had also been reduced to a mess by the spice, her eyes widened, her gaze looking as if it could spit fire.
How despicable!
The two of them kept going "hss, ha, hss, ha," searching the whole room for ice water.
Luke shook his head helplessly at the sight.
What a perfect case of hurting the enemy by a thousand and hurting yourself by a thousand.
On the other side, Seraphine, Orianna, and Caitlyn all secretly let out a breath of relief.
To be honest, after seeing how Luke and Lux ate, they had also been full of curiosity and longing toward the spicy pot.
But now, they no longer thought that way.
There was another mildly spicy broth on the other side.
The girls who had been scared off by the extra spicy broth on Luke's side all chose to gather around the mild spicy pot.
They rarely ate spicy food, but they had a special fondness for mild spice.
Because even they did not know why, the spicier it got, the more they wanted to eat. Their mouths simply could not stop.
Before long, everyone had started sweating from the food. Their delicate faces looked rosy now, and every pair of eyes was fixed tightly on the pot, waiting for the right moment.
Hot pot was absolutely an incredible invention.
Eating it alone was one kind of experience.
Eating it with three to five people gathered together was another.
And when even more people gathered to eat it, it became a different and entirely new experience.
Warm and lively.
Seraphine held her little bowl of dipping sauce and stared dazedly at the bubbling hot pot. Laughter and chatter reached her ears.
For a moment, it made her wonder if she had stepped into another world.
"Who cooked these meatballs? I'll gladly accept them!"
Jinx was a little devil of chaos. This girl did not cook things herself. She just carried a little bowl around and picked up whatever others had already finished cooking.
Now she had set her eyes on the meatballs Seraphine had cooked and snatched them away without the slightest politeness.
That brought Seraphine back to her senses, and she hurriedly chased after her. "Those were mine."
But she had only just started moving when she watched the meatballs she had been thinking about get swallowed whole by Jinx without any sense of justice, followed by a smug, delighted laugh.
"You should've kept your own eyes on them!"
Jinx turned and slipped away, continuing to look for her next target.
Seraphine's gaze instantly grew a little resentful, and she helplessly returned.
Sona smiled and scooped up her own meatballs, placing them in Seraphine's bowl. The joy of losing something and getting it back made a sweet smile appear on Seraphine's face. "Thank you."
At that moment, Sona's status in her heart had climbed to an unmatched height.
She really was so gentle!
It was clear that Seraphine liked eating meatballs. Caitlyn, meanwhile, was a carnivore and did not touch even a single vegetable.
Orianna, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was more herbivorous and did not eat much meat. Instead, she picked out handful after handful of vegetables, eating them more happily than anyone.
Since her family's prosthetics shop was right next to Luke's shop, it only took a few steps to get there.
So Orianna had gradually grown familiar with everyone, and after Luke invited her over for lunch once, her journey of "freeloading meals" became unstoppable.
At first, when she had interacted with everyone, she had still been a little nervous and awkward.
But soon, she discovered that everyone was very gentle and easy to get along with. They were also interesting. They played fresh new games and told stories about Demacia.
So from the bottom of her heart, she also loved the time she spent with everyone.
At this moment, the little devil of chaos had set her eyes on several pieces of meat Miss Crownguard had put in. What followed was nothing less than a battle of stealing food from a tiger's mouth.
The result of the battle ended in Jinx's defeat.
Against Lux, whose defenses were maxed out, she was still a little lacking in skill.
As half of noon passed, this hot pot meal came to a perfect end.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they divided the work clearly and began cleaning up. Once the place had been cleaned and they sat down to rest, everyone had the illusion that their stomachs had grown rounder.
It could be said that they were thoroughly satisfied.
Even Jinx had obediently quieted down by now. She was a little too full and could not move at all.
Noon passed, and afternoon arrived.
With Lux organizing the game, the seven-player Monopoly competition began.
To Seraphine, the way Monopoly was played was also very fresh and interesting. She soon threw herself into it and gradually loosened up, no longer as timid as before.
They were girls around the same age to begin with, so naturally, they could have fun together very easily.
Time slowly flowed by like this. Before they knew it, dusk had arrived outside, and the red evening clouds scattered down from the horizon.
The door was slowly pushed open, and two figures appeared at the entrance.
"Jayce, Viktor."
Seeing the two of them, Luke was slightly surprised. He had been lying down while reading a novel, and now he sat up. "Come in."
This was Jayce and Viktor's first time visiting Luke's place. They could not help looking around the shop, then quickly withdrew their gazes.
"I hope we are not disturbing Your Highness."
Jayce bowed slightly as he spoke.
Luke waved a hand. "Of course not. Sit. What would you like to drink? I have juice, soft drinks, and alcohol here."
Viktor coughed, then raised a hand politely. "Water is fine for me."
"Same here."
Jayce did not have any demands either.
Luke nodded and signaled Yurna to prepare it. At the same time, he asked, "Since the two of you came here, there must be something on your minds, right?"
"Yes." Jayce's eyes flickered. Looking at Luke, he said seriously, "I would like to speak with Your Highness alone."
Hearing Jayce's request, Luke did not think too much about it and nodded in agreement. "Of course. Come with me to the private room."
This shop had originally been designed as a tavern, so naturally, it had private rooms.
Soon, the two of them walked into one.
After Luke turned on the light, he sat down and smiled. "Please, sit."
Jayce politely sat across from him. After taking a deep breath, he said, "I came this time because I wanted to talk with Your Highness about the Hexgates."
"I can tell." Luke was not surprised. "You must be very conflicted right now."
"Yes. Very conflicted." A bitter smile appeared on Jayce's face, and he sighed softly. "The old me used to imagine that sooner or later, my inventions would change the world."
Hearing that, Luke smiled. "You've already taken the first step. The Hexgates are an invention that can change the world."
"That is exactly why, when it became involved with too many things, I suddenly felt as if lead weights had been wrapped around both my feet."
A few traces of worry could be seen between Jayce's brows. These days, he had spent no small amount of time worrying over this matter.
At that moment, the door was gently knocked.
"Come in."
As Luke's voice fell, Yurna pushed the door open and walked in, holding a tray. On the tray were a bottle of wine and two clean glasses.
After setting the tray down, Yurna left the private room.
Luke opened the cork, poured himself a glass of clear wine first, then poured Jayce a glass as well. "Try it. This is some fruit wine I brewed myself. You could consider it a Demacian specialty. It's not strong. Some people like drinking it as if it were juice."
Jayce noticed that the wine was a faint pink. When Luke poured it, he had already smelled a hint of fragrance.
He actually had not drunk much alcohol in the past, but as his status rose and social events became more frequent, he gradually came to understand that at certain negotiation tables, alcohol was unavoidable.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After speaking respectfully, Jayce picked up the wine glass and took a small sip.
As soon as it entered his mouth, there was a burst of fruit fragrance. It did not have the sharp sting of the wines he usually drank, but he could still taste the mellow note of alcohol. The flavor was indeed quite good.
He had drunk many fine wines in Piltover, but this casual cup before him had a quality no weaker than those good vintages.
Luke lightly sipped the fruit wine in his glass and said, "Actually, sometimes, people like you and me always have things we have no choice but to carry."
He could see the pressure in Jayce's heart right now.
Jayce had once been a pure inventor with a simple ideal of benefiting the world.
However, when he truly took this step, he discovered that he could not simply protect his ideal.
Because at this point, every decision he made would affect countless people.
Right now, what weighed on Jayce's heart was the entirety of Piltover.
Under this kind of pressure, he could never truly make up his mind.
Luke smiled faintly. "Actually, you and I share the same ideal."
Jayce raised his head and looked at him.
"And that is to change the world." Luke's gaze flickered slightly, carrying an unshakable determination. Then he said calmly, "There are some things we are born to bear. This world absolutely cannot remain unchanged forever. If we want to make it better, then the only choice is to take the initiative and change it."
These words, spoken by such a young face, made Jayce feel a surge of ambition.
"That is why I firmly believe that the Hexgates are absolutely an invention capable of changing the world. Just like the Secret Key, the development they can bring to humanity is beyond imagination."
Luke's tone was certain, his eyes shining. After a moment, he smiled again. "Have you ever imagined the day when our technology can bring true peace to Runeterra?"
Jayce was slightly moved. He had indeed imagined it.
In fact, he often imagined it.
He had once dreamed of Hexgates all across the world, of people everywhere living together in harmony.
Yet every time he woke from that dream, he saw the real Runeterra again.
Division, war, conflict, never ending, never peaceful.
Whenever that happened, a deep sense of helplessness rose in Jayce's heart.
Just like that evening when he learned Demacia was about to visit, he clenched his fist under the sunset, only to loosen it powerlessly again.
Jayce knew that with his strength alone, he could not change Runeterra.
He hated that he could not be stronger, hated that he could not be more useful.
Seeing him fall somewhat into thought, Luke continued speaking on his own. "I have imagined it."
Those words pulled Jayce back. He looked at Luke in a daze.
"I have imagined bringing true peace to Runeterra through myself."
When Luke said this, his expression became more solemn, his gaze carrying determination. "And I am doing exactly that. Runeterra is covered in devastation, scarred everywhere. Human conflict never ends, but I believe that one day, I can change all of it!"
When those words fell, in Jayce's eyes, Luke seemed to shine.
For some reason, his heart was touched. Perhaps he had drunk too much of that fruit wine. Slightly tipsy, his whole body felt as though his blood was surging.
Looking into Luke's bright eyes, Jayce unconsciously chose to believe him.
This was a man far younger than him, yet already changing Runeterra through action.
Jayce could not help thinking that changing Runeterra, to the him of before, might have been nothing more than overly grand empty talk.
But if he followed this man, perhaps it really could be done.
"So I need the Hexgates." Luke drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and let out a long breath. "Humanity will never stop moving forward. Even without Demacia, the Hexgates will sooner or later spread across the globe. Jayce, the choice has always been in your hands. But from the bottom of my heart, I hope you will be willing to change Runeterra together with me."
"Change Runeterra."
Jayce could not help murmuring to himself.
Runeterra was too vast. Could they really change it with just the two of them?
Yet for some reason, when that question arose, a strange motivation also emerged, making Jayce willing to believe.
The prince before him really could accomplish it.
Actually, before coming here, the issue he had truly been worried about was something else.
If the two sides formed an alliance, and Demacia used the Hexgates to launch a war, then when smoke and flames rose everywhere, he would probably truly become a sinner for the ages.
He hoped to use technology to benefit humanity, not harm it.
Only now did he realize that he was becoming more and more like the professor, or rather, that he was no longer young.
He lacked the courage and determination he had possessed back then, when he had decided to defy everyone and research a fusion of technology and magic.
He had started worrying about everything, hesitating at every step, no longer pure.
Now, he hoped he could make the right choice.
Yet the future was not like a test paper with answers already written down somewhere.
No matter what choice one made, it led toward a brand-new unknown direction.
But Jayce believed that the future had to be grasped with his own hands.
He drained the wine in his glass in one gulp and stood up. His face was slightly flushed, but his eyes no longer carried the hesitation they had when he first entered. "Tomorrow, no matter what, I will give you an answer."
Luke also stood and nodded slightly. "I'll be waiting."
Watching Jayce turn and leave the private room, Luke sat back down, his gaze flickering slightly.
Although those words just now did seem somewhat like painting a grand picture, he truly had not been fooling Jayce.
Hextech was very important. It would definitely become a key to changing Runeterra.
Luke had indeed already begun doing exactly that.
He would not be as lost as Jayce, because he knew.
If he did not do something now, then when the world-ending crisis arrived in the future, it would be too late to do anything.
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