Marvel: Playing Iron Man, Falling In and Out of Love with Jinx

"Hello! Would you be interested in some cutting-edge alchemical inventions?"

The young man clutching a strangely shaped canister looked visibly nervous, eyes darting uncertainly, his voice timid and full of hesitation. Mel gave a short scoff upon seeing him. "Another sewer rat hoping to gamble on Evolution Day glory?"

Duke glanced at the alchemy canister in his hands and found it somewhat familiar, especially the barely visible alchemy pump and turbine blades swirling inside the murky, tea-colored glass. External tubes and valve connectors hinted at a work-in-progress alchemical device.

"Alright, kid," Mel waved her hand dismissively. "Try your luck somewhere else. This is a booth for clockwork technology, not a place for the gutter's alchemy junk."

"My apologies for disturbing you," the young man murmured, disappointment flashing in his eyes, until Duke suddenly called out, "Wait."

Mel turned, eyebrows raised. "What is it, Duke? Are you actually interested in that half-baked thing? No offense, young man, but this isn't even a finished prototype, right?"

"You're right... I couldn't complete it due to lack of funds. But I swear, if I had proper financial support, I could make it work!"

"Let me have a closer look. This thing seems familiar to me, maybe it'll spark some ideas."

Duke returned to his chair, pulling over another one and gesturing to the young man. "Sit. What's your name?"

"I'm... Shelley. This is my invention, the Turbo Alchemy Canister. It's not finished yet, but I know I can complete it if I just had the funding!"

"What's its main function?"

As Duke eyed the canister on the table, clarity dawned on him. No wonder it looked familiar, it was clearly the precursor to the mythical item Turbo Alchemy Canister. And Shelley's words only confirmed it.

The two young men and the blonde girl from Demacia gathered around curiously, eager to see what Duke would do next.

"Duke is asking. That means you've got a shot, kid," one of them whispered.

"But I..." Shelley hesitated again.

Mel cut in coolly, "This young man here passed the Blue Rose Manor evaluation, acknowledged by both the council and jury. He may be only sixteen or seventeen, but you do understand what the title master craftsman means, don't you?"

Her words stunned Shelley. This teenage boy... a certified master craftsman?

Is this what they call a genius?

Duke inspected the canister, rotating it carefully in his hands. There was potential in this, he felt a flicker of inspiration he couldn't quite grasp. But it was close. Very close.

"What exactly is the purpose of your alchemy canister?"

"Wow, he's got serious presence!" the blonde girl whispered. Her older brother frowned slightly. "Lux, be polite."

"Okay, okay..."

Duke repeated his question calmly, but the intensity in his eyes made Shelley straighten up instinctively. "It's... an engine!"

"An engine?"

Duke tapped his fingers against the table, his eyes narrowing in thought. In the game, the Turbo Alchemy Canister boosted movement speed and slowed enemies upon approach. But in the real world? It served as an engine.

"What would you install this engine on?"

"A minecart. With my canister, it would have stronger propulsion and haul more cargo," Shelley said, eyes gleaming with passion. Duke recognized that look, the fire of a dreamer. Too bad reality was rarely so kind.

"Your idea's solid, but your design has problems."

Duke disassembled the canister expertly and pointed to its alchemical pump and turbine blades. "You haven't done a field test yet, have you? If it overloads, it could explode. Also, your valves are too narrow, they can't handle high-speed alchemical circulation. Without a cooling system, it'll overheat and blow. Just like overloading."

"Not to mention, it's still conceptual. The current size is far too small to generate the power you're aiming for. You'd need to triple its size to get stable output."

"But that would also triple the cost!" Shelley blurted out.

Duke reassembled the device and pushed it back toward him. "The idea's good, but the craftsmanship is garbage."

"Whoa, that was incredible!" Lux clapped her hands, eyes wide in admiration.

Nearby, the older youth whispered to his companion, "Now I understand why Father sent me to Piltover. For Demacia to evolve, we can't remain stuck in our ways."

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," Shelley muttered, crestfallen as he gathered up his canister. But Duke wiped his oil-stained hands and called out, "Wait. Did I say you could leave?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shelley froze, suddenly on edge. "I-I have rights, you know. There are Enforcers out there, don't try anything!"

Duke rolled his eyes. "Who's trying anything? I want to buy it. Name your price."

"What?!"

"I'll buy it outright, blueprints, prototype, concept, and patent. Full rights, one price."

"But I..." Shelley stammered, completely overwhelmed by the sudden turn.

"Are you selling or not?" Duke tossed the towel aside.

"I'm selling!"

"Mel, could I ask you to handle this?" Duke turned to the councilor.

Mel caught the look in his eyes and smiled. "Of course. But take care of my guests, alright?"

"No problem."

"Come with me, lucky boy," she said, leading Shelley away.

Duke let out a long breath, eyes falling on the prototype canister Shelley left behind. That flicker of inspiration, he had it now. He finally knew what to do.

But first...

He looked at the three Demacians beside him, then extended a hand to the leading youth. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No worries. What we just saw was worth the time."

"Duke Sanchez," Duke introduced himself.

"Jarvan. Sorry, I can't reveal my full surname for... personal reasons."

"No big deal," Duke nodded. Of course. The prince of Demacia. In a foreign land, discretion mattered.

"Garen."

"Luxanna."

The remaining two gave their names without hesitation. Duke nodded to the siblings. At this age, Garen, Jarvan, and Lux were still young, but Lux already showed signs of the beauty that would one day captivate nations.

"Duke, your engineering is incredible. Ever thought about working in Demacia?" Jarvan offered candidly. "We've got things Piltover doesn't, Runesteel, anti-magic stone, rich minerals. I think you'd be very interested."

"Thanks, Jarvan." Duke smiled, then shook his head. "But if I go to Demacia, I probably wouldn't make it past your anti-magic forests before someone chops off my head."

"What?! We're not savages like Noxians!" Lux protested.

Duke chuckled, then walked over and tossed a powered gearboard to Garen. At eighteen or nineteen, Garen was already tall and broad-shouldered, his heroic bearing unmistakable.

"You mean...?" Jarvan caught the hint in Duke's words. He exchanged glances with Garen, both surprised.

Duke shrugged, picked up a power drill, and infused it with mana. Blue energy surged through the device.

Bzzzzzz! The drill roared to life.

"Grab me some screws, or nails will do!"

He cut the mana and handed the drill to Jarvan. "As you can see, I'm a mage."

"Demacia doesn't exactly welcome mages..."

Jarvan's expression faltered. Everyone knew Demacia's stance. But Duke's honesty struck him.

"We don't welcome evil mages," Jarvan said quietly. "But someone like you... maybe we could make an exception."

He toyed with the gearboard's wheels. Duke grinned. "Sure, but that's the king's call, right?"

He walked over, plucked the board from Jarvan's hands. "Want to learn how to use it?"

"Can I?"

"Leave it to me."

Duke set the board down and pushed off lightly. "It runs on kinetic wind-up power. Once you build momentum, it glides on its own. Just takes a little practice."

Turning to Lux, he grinned. "This might be better suited for guys. Want to try a gear-powered unicycle instead?"

He rolled out a prototype. It looked like a stylish steampunk e-bike, with pedals that activated its inner clockwork mechanism.

After a lively and friendly conversation, Duke saw the three future champions off and stood at the entrance of Corin's tent, watching the bustling crowds.

"Those three have potential."

His eyes caught a familiar face, a scruffy blond boy staring longingly at Lux's retreating back like a pig ogling a head of cabbage.

"Even at that age, you've got simp potential, Ezreal. I don't even know what to say about you."

Chuckling, Duke turned and headed back into the tent. From his inventory, he pulled out an old design blueprint.

A machine capable of transforming between a vehicle and a humanoid robot,

Mech Pegasus.

He'd once scorned the idea. But now?

"Maybe this is the key."

He slapped the blueprint on the table and glanced at the Turbo Alchemy Canister Shelley had left behind.

His mind began spinning.

"If I take the Mech Pegasus design and rebuild it using clockwork, Hextech, and alchemical technology... maybe, just maybe, I can build something that passes the mission requirements."

"But how exactly?"

He spread the blueprint wide, picking up pen and paper to draft new schematics.

"Hex Crystals provide tremendous energy. I already saw their potential in Wally. Combined with rune arrays, they're basically a universal power source."

"Clockwork tech transforms tiny movements into massive force through gear linkage. My specialty."

"Alchemy, Zaun's signature. Highly adaptable. Can integrate with the human body. The effects change depending on the reagents used. Some can even channel mana."

"Viktor survived thanks to rune-protected potions and Hex Core upgrades. But poor Sky... she was obliterated."

"There's no reason all three can't be fused!"

His fingers tapped the table rhythmically as his mind raced.

"Time to test it."

"But I'll need a better core. Regular synthetic crystals won't cut it. I need something stronger, purer, "

"The Original Hex Crystal."

Duke squinted thoughtfully.

"Guess it's time to pay a little respect to Camille's ancestors."

"Maybe drop by her family tomb and say hello..."

"Take a little souvenir while I'm at it."

(End of chapter)