Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

Peaceful days continued, and everything seemed to be moving toward a bright future. 

At 6:30 in the morning, Li Lin and Caitlyn had just woken up and were preparing for their daily training. Zoe had left the night before—she didn't enjoy sleeping and often dragged Li Lin off somewhere after the day's events. Most of the time, Caitlyn didn't interfere, but last night, Li Lin had promised her they'd train together in the morning, so he didn't follow Zoe. 

In truth, given their current physical capabilities, there was no need for such "pointless" activities. Yet, as a good habit from the past, Caitlyn would make sure they trained whenever Li Lin had free time at home. 

However, this morning, just as Caitlyn changed into her training gear, she received a call from the Piltover Enforcement Department's on-duty officer, requesting her to conduct an interrogation. When she tried to ask for more details, the call abruptly dropped. 

"Strange…" Caitlyn muttered. 

Li Lin wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and brushing his cheek against hers. "What's wrong?" 

"The on-duty officer called," Caitlyn replied. "He said there's an uncooperative suspect they need me to interrogate, but he didn't share any specifics… Even though I'm now the Sheriff and have the authority to oversee such matters, this isn't standard protocol." 

"Maybe it's an emergency?" Li Lin let go of her waist and gave her a playful pat, earning a sharp glare in return. 

"Cut it out," Caitlyn said with a huff before sighing. "I'm afraid we'll have to cancel our training this morning. I'm sorry…" 

"There's nothing to apologize for. Work comes first," Li Lin replied with a smirk. "Want me to come with you? If you're dealing with someone stubborn, my truth serum can work wonders." 

"I've always thought that stuff of yours was unethical," Caitlyn countered. 

"These are criminals. They don't care about the law, and you're worried about ethics?" Li Lin teased, giving her another pat, which left her cheeks flushed as she swatted his hand away. 

"Do that again, and I'll get mad!" she warned, taking a deep breath to steady her pounding heart. "Technically, until their guilt is proven, they're only suspects. This is your city now—you wouldn't want people accusing you of forced confessions, would you?" 

"I don't mind," Li Lin shrugged. "There's a saying in Ionia: 'If you've done nothing wrong, you won't fear the Azakana.' While it might not be entirely fair, I think most people would side with me on this." 

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "You and your silver tongue." 

"I'm just stating facts," Li Lin replied with a grin. "Since I have nothing planned today, I might as well accompany you to the Piltover Enforcement Department. It's been a while since I've been there." 

"Oh? Is this a leader's inspection visit?" Caitlyn quipped as her outfit shifted into her futuristic combat armor. 

"More like me seizing the chance to spend time with someone while she's off duty…" 

Before he could finish, Caitlyn's uncovered face turned dangerous, her sapphire eyes glinting with warning. 

"Hiss—don't pinch my waist!" 

... 

A short while later, the two of them teleported to Star Avenue, arriving at the entrance to the Piltover Enforcement Department. 

It was still early, and the main street was nearly empty. The department's doors were slightly ajar, and the clerk in the front desk's security booth was dozing off. The officer who had called earlier was nowhere to be seen, but when the other staff realized the Sheriff had arrived, they quickly led the pair to the interrogation room. 

Behind the one-way mirror sat a middle-aged man handcuffed to the interrogation chair. His short, graying hair was slightly disheveled, and his hands—bound by anti-magic shackles—covered his downturned face, hiding his expression. His clothes were outdated, likely from two years ago, suggesting he wasn't well-off. 

Caitlyn studied him briefly, forming an initial impression. Still, surface-level observations weren't admissible in an interrogation, especially since some criminals excelled at deception. 

"What's he charged with?" Caitlyn asked the officer beside her, keeping her gaze fixed on the man. 

"Well…" The officer scratched his head awkwardly before glancing at the man next to the Sheriff—Li Lin, the city's influential figure. "This suspect was brought in by one of Councilor Li's mech units. The AI didn't provide us with clear details about him." 

[This individual's records are not in our database, but his genetic profile has partial matches with a fugitive from Noxus' Black Rose.] 

As soon as the officer finished speaking, the AI materialized beside them, projecting a gender-neutral face onto its interface. 

"Partial matches? With Li Lin's genetic technology and your processing power, there shouldn't be such uncertainty," Caitlyn said skeptically. The AI fell silent instantly, its avatar vanishing. 

Her brows furrowed as she turned her puzzled gaze to Li Lin, who remained unbothered. A flicker of realization crossed her face. 

"What's going on here… Don't tell me you're using this to test something on me?" she asked. "I recall you've been spending a lot of time at the academy lately with Professor Heimerdinger, Jayce, and Viktor. What are you working on?" 

"Hey now, you're the Sheriff. You can't go around making baseless accusations! Otherwise, I might sue you for defamation," Li Lin quipped. 

"You…" Caitlyn shot him a glare. 

The officer standing nearby shrank further into himself, not daring to utter a word. Watching his boss and the city's most influential figure banter like this, he wisely kept his head down and acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. 

Caitlyn noticed the officer's unease and shot Li Lin a pointed look. "I'll deal with you later!" 

She then opened the door and entered the interrogation room, heading straight to the table opposite the suspect. Crossing her arms, she leaned casually against the edge. 

Hearing the sound of her boots on the floor, the man raised his face from his hands, revealing a weary, rugged appearance. His thick beard and weathered skin—etched by time and hardship—hinted at a Noxian heritage. Yet, his Piltover attire made him seem slightly out of place. 

"I'm Caitlyn Kiramman, Sheriff of Piltover. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used as evidence in court," Caitlyn began, pausing for two seconds to give him time to process. Then she continued, "I hear you were detained because you resemble a fugitive associated with Noxus' Black Rose?" 

"This is all a misunderstanding, Miss Kir—" 

"This is the precinct. Address me as Sheriff," Caitlyn interrupted firmly. 

"My apologies, Sheriff Kiramman…" The man's face was etched with panic as he stammered, "I'm not a criminal!" 

"Everyone who gets arrested says that. But for the past two years, our AI system has drastically reduced errors in cases like this," Caitlyn remarked. 

Seeing his growing agitation, she softened her tone slightly and added, "Alright, I was just joking. Everyone makes mistakes—robots included." 

Straightening up, she circled the man slowly, her boots clicking softly on the floor. "If you cooperate, I'll get to the bottom of this and clear your name… If you know me, you must have heard about my track record in solving cases." 

"Thank you, Sheriff Kiramman. Thank you so much!" the man exclaimed with palpable relief. 

Returning to the table, Caitlyn activated the holographic recorder and called up the AI's record-keeping system before looking at the man again. 

"Name, age?" 

"David. David Black. I'm 47, Officer." 

"Where do you live? What's your job?" 

"Well, I originally lived in the lower levels of the Mid-Town Plaza, Lower Alchemy Workshop Street, No. 121A. I started there as a handyman. Later, when Councilor Li advocated for the comprehensive replacement of chemtech with Hextech, I was reassigned to the southern part of Upper Town, working in a dockyard robotics manufacturing factory," David replied honestly. 

"How long have you worked?" 

"Hm..." David hesitated, pondering for a few seconds. "At the dockyard robotics factory, it's been a little over a year. Before that, at the alchemy workshop in Lower Town... if I recall correctly, about five years." 

"You're not originally from Piltover and Zaun, are you?" 

"How should I put this? You could say I fled to these cities," David sighed. "I used to live on the southern plains, east of the Grand Barrier in Noxus. Years ago, Emperor Darkwill launched wars on multiple fronts, conscripting across the nation. To avoid being drafted..." He didn't finish, but Caitlyn could piece the rest together without explanation. 

"I heard that Noxians believe in the supremacy of strength. If you joined the war, wouldn't you have had a chance to earn titles and recognition? Certainly better than working odd jobs like this." 

"Not all Noxians are mindlessly obsessed with war. Who would willingly fight and die for a useless emperor?" David's tone suddenly grew agitated. "Back then, when Noxus' iron heel conquered my homeland, my family was crushed to death by stones launched from their siege engines—and they didn't even say a word of apology! 

"Our king chose to resist them; we common folk had nothing to do with it! We didn't resist Noxus. In fact, we welcomed such a strong nation replacing our corrupt monarchy. But to pay such a price? I can't accept that!" His eyes turned red, tears threatening to fall as he choked on his words. 

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up," Caitlyn's tone softened, offering an apology. 

"It's been more than twenty years. It's all in the past now." David sniffed and forced a bitter smile. "I'm well past my prime. I just want to live out the rest of my days peacefully. I have no interest in being cannon fodder on some battlefield for Darkwill." 

Caitlyn fell silent for a moment, her gaze reflected on the projection screen in front of her. She shifted slightly in her seat, her eyes once again locking on David. 

"By your account, you've been in Piltover and Zaun for many years now. You should be familiar with how things work here." She paused before continuing. "Years before Councilor Li took office, Councilors Kiramman and Medarda were already promoting mandatory registration of personal data for all residents. 

"Since Councilor Li's term began, enforcement has become even stricter, with mechanical enforcers going door to door for registrations. Why, then, does your name not appear in the system? Or perhaps..." Caitlyn accessed restricted information beyond the authority of a standard Enforcer and projected it in front of David. 

The data clearly stated that the name "David Black" belonged to someone who had died two years prior in an alchemic explosion orchestrated by Renata Glasc in Zaun's sump zone. 

"What... what is this?" David's face froze in shock. 

"For non-residents, deceased individuals' data is purged from Piltover and Zaun's systems. However, with my clearance as Sheriff, I can retrieve some limited records of the dead." Caitlyn's tone turned colder. "There's only one 'David Black' from Noxus in all of Piltover and Zaun—yours. And according to the system, that man is already dead." 

She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. "The Black Rose is known to use a magic called 'Illusion Craft,' capable of mimicking others. Next time you disguise yourself as an ordinary person, could you at least pick an identity that still exists in the system?" 

"This... This is impossible!" David stammered, his voice rising. "I didn't die in that explosion! And later, I even went to register my data normally!" 

"I've reviewed the employee rosters of several dockyard robotics factories in the South District. Your name doesn't appear on any of them." 

"I'm... I'm with Councilor Li's factory! The one called Future Pioneers—it used to belong to the Wosradon family, who made steamship mechanical parts!" David blurted out. 

Caitlyn pulled up the roster for the factory he mentioned and projected it in front of him. As each name scrolled by, David's complexion turned increasingly pale. By the time the last name vanished, he was trembling. 

"No... no, this has to be a mistake!" 

Before Caitlyn could press further, the sound of the door to the observation room creaked. To her surprise, Councilor Li Lin entered the interrogation room. 

"What are you doing here? Get out!" Caitlyn shot to her feet, frowning in displeasure. "Even as a Councilor, you're not allowed to interrupt an interrogation. This is against protocol." 

David, however, seemed to see a lifeline. He immediately cried out, voice trembling, "Councilor Li, you must help me! I'm innocent!" 

Li Lin waved his hand dismissively, his eyes fixated on the middle-aged man's tear-streaked face. Then, unexpectedly, he asked, "Do you play Hexchess or regular chess?" 

Hexchess was a game popular in Noxus and Demacia, while regular chess was introduced by Li Lin himself, gaining popularity in Piltover. 

Both David and Caitlyn were dumbfounded by the question. 

"You're disrupting the process—" Caitlyn began, but Li Lin silenced her with a sharp glance. 

"Do you play Hexchess or regular chess?" he repeated, ignoring her protests. 

"Uh... I know how to play Hexchess from Noxus. As for chess, I've watched my coworkers play and know a little about it..." 

"Do you play Hexchess or regular chess?" 

"Councilor Li, I just answered that question..." 

Li Lin didn't respond, his eyes locked onto David's confused, grayed-blue ones as he repeated the question once more: "Do you play Hexchess or regular chess?" 

David exchanged an uneasy glance with Caitlyn. "I... I'm not sure what you're getting at..." 

Caitlyn threw her hands up in exasperation. "Enough, Li Lin! If you keep this up, I'm going to lose my patience!" 

But Li Lin remained unperturbed. He asked another question, even more baffling this time. "Are you human?" 

Caitlyn groaned, burying her face in her hands, while David looked thoroughly unnerved. He stammered, "Wh-what do you mean? Of course I'm human! Do you think I'm a Vastaya or a Minotaur?" 

"Are you human?" Li Lin asked again. 

"I... I am human. Why—why do you keep asking this?" 

"Are you human?" 

At this point, David had completely forgotten his dire situation and, concerned, asked, "Councilor Li... are you feeling alright?" 

Caitlyn had had enough. "That's it, Li Lin! Either explain yourself, or I'm leaving!" 

Ignoring her, Li Lin exhaled slowly, a smile spreading across his face. 

"Congratulations, Prototype Zero. You've passed our 'Turing Test.'" 

(End of Chapter)

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