Arcane: Winds of Change

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Chapter One: Welcome to League of Legends

"Where am I?" Phil struggled to open his eyes, feeling his body sore. He wrinkled his nose at the acrid smell surrounding him. The smell of smoke and flames made him uncomfortable, and his body remained tense. He tried to stand up and took a couple of steps forward. The wound on his leg throbbed with pain. He found himself in the body of about a ten-year-old. Was this... a different world?

In the midst of the firelight, a shadowed figure with gauntlets was pounding fiercely on a masked person. Hearing the noise, the man turned his head, and Phil caught the glint of tears in his eyes. The man released his grip on his enemy and looked deeply across the bridge. Two girls caught Phil's attention — the older one with fiery red hair was protectively holding a girl with short blue hair in her arms.

"They look familiar," Phil thought to himself. But he didn't make a sound; he needed time to figure out where he was. He wasn't sure calling out would make that man take him away. Meanwhile, he also needed to sort out the system that had just appeared in his mind.

Vander felt heavy-hearted, his eyes apologetic as he looked at the two little ones and picked them up. On the bridge, there was smoke and blood; on one side, prosperity and peace, and on the other, chaos and poverty. The battle was over, and the injured slowly followed Vander away, while more lay by the roadside, never to stand again. There was no pursuit from the other side.

Eventually, Phil was noticed by someone — a lean figure whose eyes shone with an indomitable spirit despite the defeat. "Poor child, where are your parents? Who brought you here?" Phil shook his head and remained silent. "I am Silco. Since that's the case, come with me," Silco said, taking Phil's hand and leading him towards the undercity.

Silco brought Phil to an abandoned factory. Phil asked, "Why are you fighting?" Not knowing where he was, Phil used his surroundings as clues to gather more information. The environment was noticeably worse than where he had lived before.

Hearing Phil's question, Silco felt a pang of sadness for his fallen comrades but a spark of hope ignited in his eyes. "Zaunites are born inferior; surviving in the undercity is a blessing. Piltovians are born superior; they treat Zaun as their sewer and Zaunites as garbage. All we want is to live with dignity. Even if there's a power gap, even when there's bloodshed and sacrifice, as soon as he commands, we charge forward without hesitation. Because it's a fight for dignity, a fight for the future of Zaun. The Piltovians learned this time that Zaun is not to be bullied. Only resistance brings dignity."

"Little Phil, your parents' sacrifice wasn't in vain. This is a revolution. I will raise you to adulthood," Silco said passionately, his eyes gleaming. Phil gathered a lot of information from Silco's words — "Piltover" and "Zaun." These words lingered in Phil's mind. Is this the land of Valoran?

Seeing Phil's silence, Silco knew he'd said too much. He tidied up a room and let Phil rest. Watching Silco leave, Phil stared at the ceiling, contemplating the system's functions in his mind. The system was called the "Skin Master."

The name "Skin Master" was straightforward, just like its function. Phil could see the skins of all League of Legends heroes and their crafting methods. Yes, crafting methods. Skins were categorized into two types: equipment-type, such as the Galaxy Slayer and Kingdom Mecha series. Once unlocked, the crafting methods required personal effort to create them.

The other type were state-type skins, like the Dragon Trainer series. These gave experience cards upon creation, allowing direct access to powerful skins without crafting. Their drawback was limited use and a higher acquisition cost. The acquisition of skin creation methods was simple — trade with money. The system was a lottery wheel, with each ten standard gold coins granting a draw. A ten-draw offered an extra chance.

Interestingly, the wheel could also grant tokens, which could be exchanged for specific hero skins. The system provided a beginner's ten-draw. Phil, undecided, quickly started a ten-draw.

[Graves' Fury Shotgun Fragment (Blueprint for a Shotgun)] x1 [Tokens x2] [Tokens x3]... [Thank You for Your Patronage] In ten draws, Phil received a shotgun blueprint, twenty tokens, and two thank-you notes. The shotgun blueprint was simple and understandable, giving Phil confidence. The Mobster's Shotgun... Phil hoped it packed a punch.

"So, I've really arrived in the world of League of Legends," Phil muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. League of Legends had always been his favorite game. Yet, Phil was not wholly familiar with its world, given the storyline's inherent complexity and ambiguity.

Though a tragic world, power was everything in League of Legends. Phil didn't want to merely survive in another world; he wanted to live vibrantly, even if briefly, like fireworks.

Next, he thought of the two girls on the bridge. The red-haired one should be Vi, and the blue-haired one, Jinx. So cute in their childhood. Although Phil couldn't be sure, he felt a pang of emotion. How did these sisters turn against each other?

Soon, Silco returned with food and some bedding. After leaving the food for Phil and simple instructions, Silco departed.

Three months later...

"Phil, hurry and pack, we're leaving," Silco said, entering Phil's room. Phil was doing physical training, his bare upper body lean yet defined.

"Where are we going? I don't want to leave. I'm really fed up with Zaun's environment."

"To Piltover!"

"Vander probably wouldn't want to hear you say that, but I'd like to see Piltover too," Phil said, having had enough of Zaun's gloom, even after three months.

Zaun consisted of three levels: the upper layer paralleled Piltover's lower layer, their architectural styles markedly different, impossible to confuse. Zaun's elite gathered to shop, dine, and trade goods and supplies. The middle layer bustled with merchants and vendors, essential for Zaun's city operations but also the region most plagued by Zaun grey smog.

Zaun's depths were the filthiest yet most vibrant areas, the source of the grey smog wafting from foul open sewers or rusted vents. Phil and his group resided in Zaun's middle layer. Despite his surroundings, Phil had adapted reasonably well.

"Vander? Don't mention that bastard to me! I really don't know what he's thinking. Did we just sacrifice ourselves for nothing?" 

"Another argument? I remember you used to praise him for his courage, calling him the hope of the lanes." 

"I don't know what's got into him. He's scared of the people from the upper city." 

"Alright, so why are we going to Piltover? To blow up their council building?" Phil asked, feigning excitement. 

"Don't think I don't know you're teasing me, kid," Silco glanced at Phil. "We've got a deal. We're going to acquire their research components." 

"Outdated ones?" Hearing Phil's question, Silco was silent for a moment. Just as Phil was about to change the subject, Silco finally spoke. "Yes." 

Seeing Silco's somber mood, Phil tugged on his arm. "Let's go. Who says Zaunites are inferior to Piltovians? I'll make weapons from their discarded materials that they couldn't dream of making, to show those upper city folks what equality really means!" 

Silco knew that Phil had been fiddling with making a shotgun lately, but he considered it child's play. He took a deep breath, "Let's go, Phil." 

The journey from Zaun to Piltover wasn't far. Truth be told, the two cities were essentially twin cities, or rather, one city. Yet that bridge isolated the two like a chasm. After some bouncing around, the vehicle slowed down. 

"We're here, get off," Silco called from outside the vehicle. 

"It's breathtaking. This is Piltover," Phil took a deep breath. 

"One day, Zaun will also..." Silco murmured to himself, then cut himself off, "Let's go to Piltover's marketplace." 

Piltover could be considered the transportation hub of this world. Trade was the lifeblood of Piltover, and the city's control of maritime routes across east and west seas allowed it to profit handsomely. While Noxus transported resources worldwide for its invasions, Piltover collected a tidy fee for it. 

The trade halls were resplendent, but they were clearly not places Phil and the others could enter. They even had to avoid pedestrians, as the attire and demeanor of Piltover's citizens were markedly different from Zaun's. Soon, they reached the marketplace. Amidst the crowd, Silco and Phil made their way to an inconspicuous little shop on the corner. 

Watching the two converse, Phil felt a bit bored. "I'll go take a look around outside." 

"Don't wander off, remember to come back," Silco said while discussing prices with the shopkeeper, not even turning his head. 

Zaunites arriving in Piltover were like a tiger among sheep. Phil's deft stealing skills, along with his youthful appearance, made him appear harmless. People caught in their sights were destined to lose their possessions. Yet Phil was very cautious, sticking to places with large crowds. He quickly executed a successful theft. 

Fiddling with the wallet he had snagged while pretending to fall, Phil straightened his collar. He had been tricked a few times in Zaun over the past months, and learning to steal wasn't difficult there. Moreover, Phil was somewhat fastidious and lacked the wildness of Zaunites, though his clothes were worn out, making him resemble a lower-tier child from Piltover. 

Briefly looking through the cash in the wallet, it amounted to roughly three gold coins—a significant sum. In Zaun, earning three gold coins would require a month of honest work. Marveling at the wealth of Piltover citizens, Phil began perusing the surrounding goods. His eyes dazzled at the array of fresh produce, tools, and technological products, both familiar and unfamiliar. 

"Catch her! She's a thief!" an exasperated woman's voice rang from nearby. "Oh no!" Phil quickly looked in the direction of the commotion. 

He saw a blue-haired girl lying on the ground, grabbed by the woman, who held a wallet in her other hand. Loose copper coins scattered on the ground. It was that blue-haired girl from before. Instead of directly helping her, Phil followed the flow of people towards the scene. 

Passing a vendor selling stone beetles, Phil tossed a wad of cash and pushed a beetle the same size as him. "Keep the change." 

Seeing a red-haired girl rushing over, Phil was even more certain of their identities. Powder and the woman were surrounded, and Phil squeezed his way in from the outside. 

"This kid, really," people around grumbled, making way for Phil. 

Powder also noticed Phil coming. Phil pretended to trip, opening the cage on purpose, and stabbing the stone beetle with a small knife. 

The beetle, which was about Phil's size, landed on the ground and split into many smaller ones. The onlookers scattered to avoid the frenzied beetles. 

"My stone beetles!" Phil saw the woman still holding Powder by the collar and ran toward the nearest beetle. Bumping into the woman on purpose, Powder finally broke free, and Vi dragged her away by the hand. As they left, Phil heard the blue-haired girl whisper in his ear, "Thank you." 

The woman he had bumped into shouted curses at him as she fell to the ground. "Are you blind or in cahoots with her?" 

"Apologies, dear lady," Phil picked up a nearby beetle, sounding apologetic and tense. "It was so crowded just now, I don't know who damaged the beetle. I'm really sorry, I can compensate for your loss," Phil said, retreating to advance. 

Seeing many pointing and whispering around, the woman cursed under her breath but didn't linger and left directly. 

Phil didn't go straight to Silco but continued browsing the market, buying some mechanical parts. Filling his backpack, he also purchased some lamb meat and sauce, carrying them toward the general store. 

Upon arrival, Silco had just finished his negotiations with the shopkeeper, acquiring a cart full of parts. Judging by Silco's expression, he wasn't pleased. 

"Honestly, after visiting Piltover, I really don't want to return to Zaun," Phil said on the way back. 

"No one truly loves Zaun's environment. No one," Silco replied. "I truly hope to change Zaun's environment. I must talk to Vander again."