Arcane: Twin Cities Mechanic

The sudden awakening of the giant statue really startled Sona.

Of course, she was not like the famous story of "Jarim loves dragons," where someone says they want a dragon to awaken, but when it actually happens, they are terrified.

In fact, Sona was only startled by the sudden voice from Galio.

"Oh my heavens, little man, the energy you transmitted to me is far stronger than that of the other little woman I've encountered!"

Galio suddenly moved, and some of the weathered stone fragments from his body fell from the air. Li Lin reacted swiftly, instantly teleporting to Sona's side and activating an energy shield to protect her from the falling debris.

Then, he quickly scooped Sona into his arms and flew backward, creating distance between them and Galio.

It was better to be safe than sorry, in case Galio wasn't paying attention and accidentally stepped on both of them.

"Hey, hey! Big guy, watch it, you almost hurt us!" Li Lin shouted toward Galio.

"Oh, sorry, sorry! It's just that I haven't felt this good in so long... Actually, I've never felt like this before!" Galio laughed heartily, his deep voice spreading like waves.

He scratched his foot first, then stretched his arms and wings, as if stretching his muscles like a normal person. Sona watched, dumbfounded.

So, even a stone statue could have human-like sensations?

Her worldview was shaken, and she didn't even notice that Li Lin had pulled her into his embrace.

Li Lin, on the other hand, looked towards the distant walls of Demacia's capital where the guards were patrolling.

It wouldn't be long before they discovered the commotion caused by Galio and came to investigate.

"Oh~~ I feel so full of power!" Galio flexed his arms, striking a pose like he was showing off his biceps.

Then, he leaned down, his stone eyes rolling as they focused on Li Lin. "Hey, little man, how did you do it? You gave me more energy than the other little woman!"

"Other... little woman?"

Sona froze for a moment, then confusion surfaced in her heart.

Galio couldn't possibly be referring to her. Could there be another magic user in Demacia who visited the Justice Golem?

She looked at Li Lin and sent a telepathic message, "Can you ask him who he's talking about?"

Of course, it was likely referring to Lux Crownguard...

Li Lin had already figured out the answer in his mind but, respecting Sona's request, he shouted, "Who is the other little woman you're talking about?"

"Little woman... just a little woman?" Galio stood up straight again, scratching his head.

Right, he had forgotten that Lux had not yet moved from the city of High Silvermere to settle in Demacia, and because of her magic troubles, she had taken out her frustration on Galio, awakening him.

Right now, Galio had no idea what Lux's name even was, despite meeting her every year.

"She... uh, how should I say it? Very special? She has this warm aura around her, it seems like some kind of light?" Galio continued.

"That little woman comes to visit me from time to time, always with other little ones... Every time, her aura and warmth stir something inside me.

"At first, it was just my toes, then my ankles, and then my whole leg. Just recently, when she visited, I could feel her from nearly two kilometers away!"

Sona's lips parted in shock, and her hand lightly covered her face as the surprise continued to show on her expression.

From Galio's description, she could basically confirm that the "little woman" he spoke of was likely the daughter of some noble family.

And these visits every year were probably tied to Demacia's grandest event, the Golden Spring Festival.

From what he said, it seemed this noble girl also had some impressive magical talent?

Sona didn't know how to respond.

Galio, however, didn't pay much attention to Sona's reaction. To him, it was perfectly normal for little people to have magical abilities, just as he could easily harness the magic he absorbed into his body.

"By the way, you still haven't answered my question," the giant statue looked back at Li Lin, its voice heavy. "How did you do it? I feel like I could stay awake for days now!"

"Well, it's quite simple, actually."

Li Lin controlled the armor on his chest to quickly retract to the sides, revealing the energy core.

"This is... magic energy!" Galio suddenly shouted, making both of them flinch from the volume. "You're a mage too!"

"Magic?" Sona's shock slowly turned into fear as she whispered to Li Lin, "No! Quickly, make him lower his voice, others might hear!"

Li Lin glanced at the rising dust in the distance. The mounted guards would likely arrive in two or three minutes.

"We don't need to be this excited," he said to Galio. "I'm not a mage. I'm just a mechanic, a craftsman."

Though, he silently added, 'I do use rune magic, but I'm definitely not a mage.'

"Oh! A craftsman!" Galio's tone grew more surprised. "Are you also a sculptor?"

"Uh, kind of," Li Lin nodded. "But I make machines. Like I said, I'm a mechanic."

"A mechanic, a mechanic..." Galio had some understanding of machines, considering various pulleys and mechanisms were used every time he was moved from his base. "Can you make a machine as big as me?"

If we include Gaboga, it would be twice your size, no problem. But Li Lin only considered the warlord he had built himself, "I do have a robot about your size."

"Heavens! Can I fight it? Every time I wake up, I feel like smashing something..."

Galio swung his fists, creating a sharp sound of air breaking. Some weathered stone fragments fell off due to his intense movements, only to be blocked by the energy shield Li Lin had raised.

"Calm down, big guy. The machines I've created are also for fighting enemies. We're friends, we shouldn't be fighting, right?" Li Lin said.

"Hmm… you're right," Galio lowered his arms. "I almost forgot. You still haven't told me how I can stay active, and about your machines. Can they run non-stop as well?"

If you hadn't interrupted me, I would've been done by now.

Li Lin couldn't help but mutter this in his mind.

Galio was just like Malphite, a bit hard to communicate with.

Or perhaps it's more that they have enough intelligence to communicate normally with people… 

Li Lin paused for a moment, organizing his thoughts before he said, "For something inanimate to move, it must have an energy source to drive it. For example, my suit of armor requires a nano-energy core. I showed it to you earlier, and it's the energy from that core that brought you back to life."

Galio scratched his head, nodding as if he understood but not quite. Sona, still in Li Lin's arms, looked just as confused.

They could understand the words individually, but once Li Lin connected them, they didn't understand a thing.

Li Lin could tell Galio didn't understand what he meant, so he tried a different explanation: "Basically, all the machines I create have a continuous energy supply. If you want to stay awake, you'll need something like that too."

"So, if I have some mages nearby supplying me with energy, I can stay active?" Galio asked.

"Uh… sort of," Li Lin replied.

Li Lin had originally wanted to tell Galio about the energy core that could be used to keep him going. But then, he realized that the Justice Golem was Demacia's property and symbol.

If he wanted to do something to it, he would at least need the king's permission.

At that moment, soldiers from the capital arrived after noticing Galio's sudden movement.

"Hey, little folks, how are you!" Galio waved at them, causing the soldiers who had just arrived to nearly fall off their horses in shock.

"By the protector's blessing, am I seeing this right? Galio is really alive again?!"

"The legend is true!"

"Blessed Demacia! With the Justice Golem here, we don't need to worry about Noxus invading!"

"..."

All the soldiers were fixated on Galio, hardly noticing Li Lin and Sona, who were standing not far from his feet.

Perhaps worried that the truth about Li Lin using magic to "revive" Galio would be discovered, Sona kept urging him to leave quickly. But Li Lin reassured her with a "don't worry."

He had planned from the start to let the royal family and the high nobles know that it was he who had "revived" Galio. This would serve as leverage for building a strong alliance in the future.

Besides, even if he ran now, they were in an open field, so the soldiers would still find them. Not to mention, there was a "stone giant" here who couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Soon, the captain of the guard noticed Li Lin and Sona, whose clothes had returned to normal. He instructed the others to secure the area to prevent civilians from crowding in, then dismounted and walked over with his lieutenant, giving a military salute.

"Lord Li, Miss Sona, my name is Joseph, and I'm the captain of the Northeastern City Gate's guard."

Joseph recognized them and spoke with a respectful tone, even a bit cautious.

After all, the two young people in front of him were someone who had saved the prince and was highly favored by the king, and the other was the young daughter of the Buvelle family.

As a mere city guard captain, he couldn't afford to offend such noble figures.

"May I ask about Galio...?"

"Don't worry, I woke him up," Li Lin answered.

Upon hearing this, Joseph, his lieutenant, and even Sona's faces changed.

"You shouldn't be saying that, Lord Li…" Joseph quickly interrupted.

"Don't panic, I know the legend in Demacia says Galio absorbs magic, but the way I woke him up isn't through magic," Li Lin waved his hand casually.

"We'll leave the specifics for when the king arrives. I believe I have a way to keep Galio conscious for a long time."

(End of Chapter)