Jean Kerri stood before the machine draped in the worn-out sheet.

“Hot forging technology is like chipping stone to get an image—every part that’s produced comes at the cost of countless cuts from machine tools, with the raw material weighing nearly twice the finished product! “

He yanked the blanket and pulled it off, revealing a starkly different machine underneath, completely black and glistening, far more complex in structure than the other machines around here!

“But if there were a way to lower material consumption, simplify the process, and compress the working time, I believe only cold forging could achieve it. “

“Cold forging… “

Yang Zicang stared at the machine. Though ordinary and cold, it seemed to radiate an inexplicable aura—something not of this era.

Jean Kerri kicked at a basket by his feet, filled with small components.

“Cold forging in the past could only produce simple, small parts, and they lacked strength. Since metal is too hard and difficult to shape, it easily cracks and breaks—just like these. “

“What is it you intend to do?! “

The old researcher’s voice pulsed with heartfelt excitement: “I’ve spent half my life on materials, run countless minor experiments, and now I’m finally about to prove one thing: that large components, too, can be crafted through cold forging! And the key to it is right here—this very machine! “

Yang Zicang instinctively took a step forward. He raised a hand, nearly blurting out the word “No. “

But he held himself back.

“Very well, esteemed Researcher Mr. Kerry. I pledge to protect you. Begin verifying the results of all these years of research. “

Jean Kerry and his grandson both turned, nodding with deep emotion. The boy first ran to close the door, ensuring no outsiders could see, before returning to roll up his sleeves and, together with the researcher—whose burly arms were now exposed—lift a massive mold onto the center of the machine.

Jean Kerry fetched a piece of high-carbon alloy steel billet that had been pre-softened through treatment and placed it inside.

Grunting in unison, the two of them began clamping the fasteners with steady coordination.

“In your previous research, weren’t you afraid something might go wrong along the way—that it could led to… “

“We did consult the Fogfolk, but they found no issues. That’s why I felt confident enough to proceed until now. “

Jean Kerry’s voice brimmed with confidence. “The Fogfolk always talked about their world, but I never believed it. I never connected it to the ‘Demons Among the Planes’ incident in the Golden Shell Federation. But after I started following the Section Chief on these studies, I heard that researchers in other countries kept encountering demons during their work. “

Yang Zicang’s gaze was coldly fixed on the pitch-black machine.

“You see, because our land was provided for free with protection and assistance, I’ve come to realize the gravity of it all now. “

The young man strained to push the wrench down just past the slightest arc of resistance. Only when it could move no further did he step back.

The older man, his heart thumping with anxiety, stared at the mold and the soft, tinged red—the softened blank within.

“Th-then… I’ll begin now? ” He turned back to face Yang Zicang, looking like a child who couldn’t make up his mind.

The Fogfolk standing behind gave a slight nod.

A breath escaped from Jean Kerry, who was gazing ahead, and the whole space sank into a heavy silence.

The massive, pitch-black mold radiated an aura akin to a prophetic mandate.

“Drop the hammer! ” He shouted suddenly.

Yang Zicang’s eyes locked onto the machine. He could clearly read the nerves of the two people standing tense before him. This venerable old man, whose life’s work staked everything on a single strike…

The locking pin of the winch let out a sharp, crispclick, and the young man yanked it free!

The heavy flywheel paused in midair for a moment, then immediately descended with a deep, drawn-out howl, crashing down along the solid tracks under the pull of gravity.

Whoosh—

Boom!!!!!!

An earth-shattering sound of impact erupted in an instant, and the stone floor beneath their feet trembled with clear, violent vibrations because of it.

-｛Distributor May: Valkyrie says “I am giving birth to the prelude of new Glory. “｝

The entire frame of the unyieldingly solid forging press let out an ear-splitting, grating groan!

The air was violently compressed, generating a shockwave almost visible to the naked eye that slammed against their faces.

-｛Distributor Loki: Tatáming says “Silence. “｝

Dust swirled and scattered everywhere, falling down like scattered halos of light in the sunlight streaming through the cracked roof tiles.

The grinding sounds of the machine’s parts gradually faded and stopped.

The three of them stood frozen as if they had waited a century, not daring to move.

It was only after several breaths passed that the young boy finally managed to swallow, his throat bobbing with strain.

“No danger? C-Crack it open, let’s see! Did it work? “

Jean Kerry’s voice trembled slightly with excitement.

The old man’s grandson was about to step forward when Yang Zicang walked over, spreading his arm to block him. “I’ll do it. “

Following their example, Yang Zicang operated the massive mold-removal device.

As the heavy unlocking mechanism turned, the impact block slowly lifted. The moment the mold was fully opened, a special odor mixed with the high temperature of friction from the metal spread out first.

In the dim light, Yang Zicang saw a seamless block of steel revealing its smooth form amidst the mist.

He had seen plenty of steel products during this period, all bearing the distinctive technical traces of the old era. But what was before him now seemed like a relic from another age entirely.

“It worked! “

Jean Kerry let out an almost choking gasp, nearly reaching out to touch the metal directly. “A brilliant success! Just look at this shape, this density, and that luster! “

Hunched over, he lifted an old, poorly finished comparison part from a woven basket nearby.

“Look at the sizes—exactly the same component, but it uses over half less material! And look, we did it in just one blow—but this thing here? “

Clutching the antiquated part in his hands, Jean cried out, “Just to mill this old version needed the whole chopping kit blade set’s worth bit after bit! All this labor and tools, and we can just scrap them! “

Biting his lip with excitement, the youth nudged his grandpa and found his gaze on Yang Zicang instead.

Then, stuttering out his growing awe and veneration: “Master, this breakthrough alone can soar the purchase price if the Chief stocks—it’ll propel our Noble Industrial Arc under Duchy, by leaps beyond convention saker shield rotunda up plains are huge base that mounts with revolution rates must plan … Sir? Mr. “

“Yes haze traveller … such piece for land grown and that … “, Now another murmuring tenor replied ethereally lingering atmosphere making spirits damp heavy!

M‌r. Yang The fog man begins again.

Suddenly—

& shock burst from the stand creating deaf shift dread grasping all beings within tower’s scope so robust crushing morrowing tension.

Terrified by something visible only first etherean make leaps! Yet both—Youth. Was with his thrice quaking trembling grandfather standing flush-backed several sure-clads staggered away mind slowly bleeding such outburst from top suspect!

Sprung freely beams ablaze weaving the tempest arc field circle him shadow etther such weird word make seen known… so thick density illusion grow like wind songing hell-flame…

Throb beats continue; thumping– Beat grown sluggish & unstirred?

A faint heartbeat, not belonging to the three of them, echoed ethereally through the vast, sealed room.

Intangible wisps of energy began to converge onto the massive machine before them, emanating a sinister and eerie aura from the inside out as streaks of dark red energy materialized.

The corners of Yang Zicang’s eyes flushed as if seared by rage, on the verge of splitting apart.

{Uh-Ya Uh-Woo… }

Accompanied by the resurfacing of a long-lost phantom sound!

Crack! One of the mechanical arms suddenly shot up, its claws splaying wide as it lunged towards the nearest target, Yang Zicang.

A long spear materialized in Yang Zicang’s hand, instantly snapping taut as he thrust it out.

As if witnessing their worst nightmares come to life, the old man and his grandson were already screaming in an incomprehensible dialect as they fled, scrambling desperately for the door. In a panic, they yanked open the bolt and scrambled out, running on all fours.

No sooner had they left the house than a thunderous crash echoed out, as if a single fist had shattered some colossal steel construct.

The ground trembled repeatedly, and the explosion sent refugees huddling in the surrounding streets fleeing in panic, believing an enemy had breached their defenses.

The patrol squad came charging toward the scene, rifles raised.

……

The 47th Division’s patrol had the entrance surrounded. Jean Kerry seemed to have lost all his spirit, slumping limply to sit by the stone stepsーutterly unresponsive to the ring of black muzzles aimed his way.

Just as the patrol leader, having gotten no answers, was about to lead his men into the warehouse, a young figure stepped out from inside.

“What’s going on? ” the patrol leader asked.

Yang Zicang cast a glance at the crowd outside.

“The Fogfolk Settlement handled a demonic qi spread incident. “

“What? Demonic qi! “

The boy looked at the surprised members of the patrol in front of him. “We… we were researching and refining a technique, like the Jinbei Alliance… but someone fell to demonic possession after a failure. “

“What? ” Upon hearing this, the poor villagers around them immediately erupted, cursing like madmen.

“They’re researching demonic arts! ” — “Knew there was something shady about them all along! ” — “People like them should be driven out! ” — “Make them get out! “

The faint sound of a demonstration march drifted in from the distance, blending with the villagers’ terrified cries into a single, chaotic din.

Yang Zicang approached and patted his shoulder. “No. You succeeded. “

The boy looked up at him in bewilderment. Yang Zicang spoke with a hint of weariness, “Which is precisely why the demons showed up. “

He lifted his gaze toward the clear sky and the warm sun in the heavens.

Truly, there was no shooting star to be seen.

……

Together, staff from the division HQ and the Fogfolk Settlement sealed off the area, took Jean Kerry and Lenny away, and brought them into a private meeting room strictly off-limits to outsiders.

The old researcher, like a drenched rooster, sat limply in a chair and recounted his research process.

“…The flow of metal in cold forging… it’s like a stubborn donkey—the harder you push, the more it recoils in the opposite direction… “

“What was your solution? “

“Reduce the forging speed and divide the total deformation into two or three passes, with intermediate annealing… or lubrication treatment in between. “

His eyes were vacant; all his dreams had shattered.

The future and the present felt like falling into a nightmare where one could not control their own body.

What would become of his grandson’s future? He thought to himself, over and over.

The questioning continued. At the table, the knowledgeable, thirty-something woman in charge of recording immortalized Jean Kerry’s every word in a peculiar script, word for word without any omission.

……

The door opened. Yang Zicang, who had been waiting, saw the lady from the land rental office emerge holding a sealed document.

“So what exactly is going on? ” Yang Zicang asked, a hint of urgency in his voice.

“Why did nothing change when the machine was sitting there all that time, but the moment we used it once, it instantly turned into an ‘apparition’? “

Jean Kerry, slumped in the chair inside the room, finally lifted his head at this question. It was what he cared about, too—truth be told, this was the only technical riddle he had left to solve.

The woman cradled the document in her arms. “Because this technology has, in fact, already been invented before. “

The old man was taken aback by this answer. “Already… invented by someone else? “

The woman by the door nodded and spoke solemnly, not without regret:

“In some countries on the continent, people must have attempted cold forging techniques long ago, and results of those attempts turned out just like what you saw today—they all became those so-called apparitions. “

“Then… “

Jean Kerry started this half-finished sentence but could not complete it.

He had no idea how to piece together his turbulent thoughts; he felt his mind was in a mess.

With a soothing tone, the woman explained:

“It’s not your fault, Master Kerry. The machine has been sitting there for a long time without issue. Perhaps this era simply doesn’t yet grasp its purpose. After all, there are differences between cold forging machines. It could just be a decoration, or a metal rack for drying sheets. But when you struck that hammer, all this series of efforts finally bore fruit today. “

The few people in the room all turned to look at her calm, steady eyes.

“So the ‘Era’ understood. “

Jean Kerry felt that though he could still see and touch the things before him, an immeasurably deep and boundless darkness was slowly enveloping the entire world and the whole future.

“What will become of my grandson now… “

Some tangled, jumbled voices drifted into his ears.

“…Destroy all the finished and semi-finished products made by this forging machine. “

“…Conduct a full inventory of all blueprints for this cold forging machine. Ensure not even a single scrap of paper escapes the cordoned-off area. “

“…Seal off all technical details from today. Henceforth, it is forbidden to discuss anything related to it in any common language or writing… This path is already sealed off. “