Torches burned dimly by the deep pit dug between the residential houses.
Iron, breathing heavily, made one last effort. With a quiet scrape, the wrench turned, tightening the final fixing bolt dead-tight on the top panel. The engineer slowly straightened up and leaned on his cane.
"That's it, it's ready," he said quietly, looking over the turret hidden in the ground.
Darwin, standing nearby at the very edge of the pit, tiredly wiped the sweat from his forehead with an oil-stained sleeve. Despite the exhausting workday, the young man was practically glowing.
"Well, Iron? Are we going to test how it works?" he asked, hope in his voice, shifting his gaze from the engineer to the turret.
Iron shot him a quick glance and gave a slight shake of his head.
"We have to test the system either way. This turret itself is, in essence, just an enlarged copy of my pistol. But thanks to the automation and the drives powered by the 'Chaos' core, it's capable of operating completely on its own, cyclically, and magnitudes faster."
The engineer fell silent, slowly turning toward the forest. Deep doubt reflected on Iron's face.
"But there's a huge risk here," he added grimly, narrowing his eyes. "The power of the volley is colossal. If we fire it right now, the residual energy of the beam will instantly pierce through the thicket and could spark a forest fire that'll make the last one look like a minor misunderstanding."
Iron slowly turned his head to Elyria, hovering nearby.
"Alright, Elyria," he said. "Clear all the grass over there, in front of the barrel."
The spirit's wings twitched indignantly, and she sharply flew closer, throwing her hands up actively:
"What?! Why on earth? I don't want to clear it! It's alive, green, and isn't bothering anyone anyway!"
Iron just tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose with stained fingers.
"It's a necessary measure for a couple of minutes. If we set a fire, a hundred times more of your beloved greenery will burn. So come on, get to work."
Reluctantly, grumbling loudly under her breath, Elyria waved her hand. Her magic swept across the ground in a wave. A couple of seconds later, the grass in front of the turret retracted back into the soil.
"Happy?" she grumbled.
"Halfway," Iron replied. "Now erect a dense, thick wall of interwoven vines and grown oak. About thirty meters from here."
The spirit dramatically rolled her eyes, but snapped her fingers. Tree trunks burst from the bare earth. They instantly intertwined with thick, flexible vines, forming a barrier.
"And lastly," Iron added. "When the turret fires, I'll give the command. Your task is to catch the energy cluster flying out from the other side of the wall and completely neutralize it."
"Are you out of your mind?!" she screamed in panic, flying right up to his ear. "How exactly am I supposed to stop it?! It'll burn right through me!"
"Well, figure something out."
Elyria, quietly muttering in some language only she understood, flew over the barrier. She hovered on the opposite side of the wall, stretching her arms forward. Dense emerald streams of mana instantly began swirling around her palms, weaving into a multi-layered protective barrier.
Iron, meanwhile, placed his palm on the main mechanism.
"Three... two... one..."
Crack!
The beam pierced the barrier in a fraction of a second, leaving behind a perfectly even, circular hole with charred, smoking edges.
The energy cluster shot out from the other side of the wall with a sharp whistle. Elyria poured all her strength into the shield. The barrier crackled, showering emerald sparks.
The moment the spirit managed to finally extinguish and neutralize the flying charge, the entire barrier shattered with a deafening crash into thousands of tiny splinters and smoking debris.
"Wow! The residual energy... That's awesome!" Darwin exclaimed in admiration.
"Yeah," Marek agreed with him.
Breathing heavily and raggedly, Elyria, whose hair was blown into a mess by the blast wave, flew over to the people standing by the turret. She hissed at the engineer, jabbing a finger at him:
"Well?! What if I had died?!"
Iron calmly gathered the laid-out tools, packing them into his toolbox. After that, he turned and headed toward the workshop, leaning on his cane.
"I thought you said you were immortal. So live up to your status. That's it, we're done for today, we'll continue tomorrow."
The men, however, were in no rush to leave. They lingered by the pit for a long time in the light of the dying torches, staring in awe at the cooling barrel of the turret and checking the blueprints for the tenth time. But gradually, exhaustion took its toll. The torches went out one by one, and the village finally fell asleep.
The sky was just beginning to lighten. It was half-dark in the workshop when Iron suddenly opened his eyes—his sleep was broken by a strange hum. The ground beneath his mattress was vibrating rhythmically.
Instantly getting his bearings, Iron grabbed the cane standing by the headboard and, pushing through the morning stiffness in his legs, quickly stepped outside.
In the cool air of Dornheim, Elyria was already darting about frantically. Spotting Iron, the spirit sharply dive-bombed down, nearly clipping his shoulder.
"Iron! Someone's coming!" she yelled, pointing toward the forest clearing.
Iron didn't answer, unhurriedly making his way to the village border. His right hand reached into his pocket to check his weapon—his fingers brushed against the familiar grip of his pistol.
The noise and the growing vibration of the ground woke the rest of the residents too. Clara, Marek, and Darwin ran out of the nearby houses, zipping up light jackets on the go and looking around in fright. Darwin, pale with fear and breathing heavily, ran right up to Iron. His thoughts were clearly tangled in a panic.
"Iron! Shoot them! Shoot them as soon as they show up!" the young man exclaimed, grabbing the engineer by the sleeve. "What if it's the punishers or bandits?!"
Iron jerked his shoulder, shaking off his hand:
"No. Not yet."
"But why?!" Darwin's eyes went wide in bewilderment, ready to dash for a weapon at any second.
"It doesn't sound like an army," Iron said calmly, not taking his eyes off the road. "Most likely it's..."
A luxurious, richly decorated carriage smoothly emerged from the morning mist, drawn by four purebred, well-groomed horses. The wheels, bound in dark metal, rustled softly against the damp earth of Dornheim. The procession came to a smooth stop just a few meters away from the frozen residents.
Iron finished his sentence mentally: "…another king."
The lacquered door swung open with a click. A man stepped out of the carriage unhurriedly, looking exceptionally neat, expensive, and majestic. His clothes were perfectly tailored, without a single stray crease or speck of morning dirt. He cast a glance at the buildings erected around them.
"Dornheim really is developing entirely too fast," he thought.
Iron took a step forward, limping and leaning heavier on his cane.
"Hello, my name i—"
"Iron," the guest cut him off mid-sentence, sharply but politely.
The engineer slowly raised his head, meeting his gaze directly. The king gave a barely noticeable smile:
"I've heard a lot about you. My name is Olgerd Wilhelm Rosencron. But you can just call me Olgerd."
"So this is the one Wayland was talking about?" Iron said mentally.
A faint smile appeared on the engineer's lips as well.
"And to what do I owe such an honor?" he asked in an even voice.
Olgerd shook his head:
"Let's skip the formalities."
"Alright," Iron agreed easily. "In that case, what brings you here?"
Iron narrowed his eyes, looking at the king, and added mentally: "Most likely, this conversation is going to be about our ore. Am I right?"
The king once again looked around the streets and the residents lined up nearby.
"I would like to discuss something with you one-on-one," he said calmly. "Shall we?"
"Yes, of course. After you," Iron nodded and gestured toward one of the small houses.
The engineer slowly walked forward, tapping his cane rhythmically on the ground. Right at the threshold, Iron slowed down slightly and said:
"Apologies for such modest hospitality, Olgerd. We are still in the process of settling in, after all."
Olgerd just waved a hand, stepping over the threshold first:
"It's quite alright, don't worry. Under the current circumstances, it's more than acceptable."
One of the king's high-ranking subordinates, judging by his expensive bearing and the heavy sword on his belt, confidently moved to follow him. However, Olgerd sharply threw up his hand, stopping him mid-step.
"Stay here. Stand guard outside the door," the king ordered.
The man gave a short bow and immediately stepped back, freezing at the entrance.
Inside the room, it smelled of fresh pine shavings, resin, and dry herbs. They sat down across from each other. Olgerd looked at Iron intently, resting his chin on his hand, and began from afar:
"I must admit, Dornheim genuinely surprises me. The way you are evolving in such a short amount of time—it is simply excellent. This kind of development speed is astounding."
"Evolving?" Iron said mentally, maintaining a calm expression. "What, does he think we used to be animals here?"
Olgerd was about to continue his speech, but Iron interrupted him gently:
"Let's get straight to the point, Olgerd. To what do we owe this visit?"
The king fell silent for a moment. His polite half-smile melted away, and his face instantly became focused. He placed his palms on the table and met Iron's gaze.
"I would like to acquire your ore."
"Just as I thought," Iron noted to himself.
At that very moment, there was a knock at the door. Clara crossed the threshold. Trying not to draw unnecessary attention to herself, she placed cups in front of them, from which rose the thick, aromatic steam of freshly brewed herbal tea. Giving a slight bow, she disappeared out the door just as quietly.
Iron and Olgerd simultaneously reached for their tea and took their first sips, without taking their eyes off each other.
And at that exact same time, on the other side of Dornheim, in a bedroom of a residential house, Noah, lying on his bed, took a deep breath. His eyelids fluttered, and he opened his eyes slightly.
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