The girls cautiously stepped over the threshold of Iron's office and stopped near the door, anxiously taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Iron gestured toward the sofa and leaned back against the edge of his desk.
"I understand that you have no idea where you wandered in from or how you ended up here," Iron began, studying their faces closely. "But do any of these names ring a bell: Kren, Vadya, Kane, and Nastya?"
The girls immediately exchanged glances. Confusion flickered in their eyes. One of them nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress and said hesitantly:
"The names... I vaguely remember something like that. But I can't say for sure... that I know them."
"I see. Let's at least introduce ourselves then. My name is Iron. And you are?"
The first girl, looking at him a bit more boldly now, replied quietly:
"I'm Sylphi."
The second stood beside her and added somewhat shyly:
"And I'm Selena."
"Great. Selena, Sylphi," Iron straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Since you don't remember anything from your past, you'll work for the camp. Just like those four."
Sylphi frowned in confusion and tilted her head slightly:
"What does that mean?"
"Just do what the others do, that's all."
The girls exchanged another quick, hushed whisper before Selena nodded:
"Well... Alright. Let's give it a try."
"For now, just head outside, find Eliza, and tell her I sent you."
Iron turned around, walked over to his workstation, and sat down in his chair. Sylphi and Selena gave another brief nod, got up, and slowly left the office, quietly closing the door behind them.
Once they were gone, Iron stared thoughtfully at the closed door.
"Lumon, what could this be?"
"Analysis of available precedents indicates a wide spectrum of possibilities," he replied in a flat, emotionless voice. "Among the highest-priority hypotheses: acute psychological stress, exposure to prohibited chemicals, or direct magical interference with the brain's mental processes..."
"Stop," Iron winced, holding up a hand. "Can you just give me one concrete answer?"
“At present, providing a definitive conclusion is impossible. The available data is insufficient.”
Meanwhile, Sylphi and Selena stepped out of the Main Building. They looked around: neat stacks of processed logs, the fresh scent of wood shavings, and timber houses.
The girls walked slowly past the structures, gently tracing their fingers along the smooth log walls. Looking for Eliza, they peeked into practically every residential house one by one, but found no one inside.
As they stepped out of another wooden house and back into the square, Selena spotted a girl gathering branches near a fire pit.
"Excuse me, is your name Eliza by any chance?" Selena asked softly as they approached.
Eliza straightened up, dusted off her hands, and stared curiously at the strangers:
"Yeah, that's me. And who are you guys?"
"Iron sent us," Sylphi spoke up. "He told us to find you and tell you he sent us."
"Ah, from Iron? Alright then," Eliza nodded with an understanding smile. "In that case, could you set everything up for the campfire? You know how to do that, right?"
Sylphi gave a quick nod, confirming she could handle it.
"Great. Get the fire started and stack the logs for now. I'll finish up here and join you."
Having finished giving the girls their first tasks, Iron called Noah into his office. He walked in unhurriedly, scanned the workspace, and sat on the sofa to the right of the desk:
"So, what did you call me in for?"
"You're tired of just sitting around in this forest, aren't you?" Iron asked with a faint smirk, leaning back in his chair.
"Well yeah, a bit. So what?"
"Then I'm giving you permission to leave the forest," Iron replied calmly. "I need to visit the neighboring kingdoms anyway. I want to assess their situation firsthand, check out their setup, and figure out in advance which ones might pose a threat to us in the future. Or just see how they run things—maybe pick up a few useful ideas for camp development. Plus... as you know, intel on them wouldn't hurt us..."
"And?" Noah muttered.
"I wasn't finished," Iron cut him off. "As I recall, you wanted to go somewhere yourself."
Noah frowned slightly, then asked:
"What about Elyria? Who's going to watch the camp?"
"Elyria will," Iron snorted. "I haven't talked it over with her yet, but let's be honest: she watches over the territory way better than you do."
Noah opened his mouth to reply, but caught himself mid-word.
"I'm leaving camp tomorrow morning. So keep watch with Elyria tonight, and starting tomorrow, you're free."
Noah stood up from the sofa and said dryly:
"Fine. Is that all?"
"Yeah, you can go."
Noah nodded silently, turned around, and left the office.
Thirty minutes later, night settled over the camp. A large campfire blazed in the center of the square, illuminating the people gathered around it. The appetizing scent of roasted meat hung in the air, blended with pine and woodsmoke.
Iron stepped out of his office, breathing in the cool night air, and headed toward the fire. Everyone was already sitting around, chatting animatedly and passing plates to one another.
Walking up, Iron looked around the gathered circle and immediately noticed someone missing.
"Where's Noah?" he asked, taking an empty seat.
Elyria, hovering nearby, answered immediately:
"He went deeper into the woods to train again."
Iron gave an understanding grunt and joined the meal. While everyone chatted, he chewed his meat thoughtfully, lost in his own thoughts:
It’s a shame, of course… Even if there’s no guarantee they accept the same currency in those lands, losing capital is foolish...
Finishing his portion, Iron got up, said his goodbyes to the others, and returned to his office. A blank sheet of heavy paper lay before him, right next to a completed schematic. He set to work on a new project, intensely focused as he drafted the lines of a mechanism.
It was a design consisting of a system of lever presses, guides for metal plates, and tiny slots. Iron meticulously drew out the mounting points for interchangeable dies meant to be stamped into the blanks. The mechanism relied on internal pressure to precisely replicate even the most complex patterns and raised symbols.
When the final touches were applied, he set his pencil aside, feeling the tension in his hands turn into exhaustion.
Iron took a deep breath, reclined his chair all the way back into a makeshift couch, and laced his hands behind his head.
He closed his eyes and spoke:
"Lumon, pull up the coordinates for me."
Lumon instantly provided the requested data, and Iron quickly memorized it.
Meanwhile, the chatter around the dying campfire gradually faded. Dinner was coming to an end, and it was time to tidy up. Eliza, along with Sylphi and Selena—and the other girls: Lera, Helda, and Nastya—were gathering the empty pots and utensils.
Once the cleanup was done, Eliza stopped next to Sylphi and Selena, looking at them closely.
"So, how was your day? Not too exhausting for your first time?" she asked with warmth in her voice.
Sylphi and Selena exchanged glances. There wasn't a trace of their earlier fear or confusion left in their demeanor—only genuine interest.
"We really liked it," Sylphi answered with a smile. "Here... everything is so organized, everyone's busy with something, and nobody yells. We like it a lot."
Selena nodded in agreement:
"Yeah, it's true. The food was delicious, and the people here are nice. We feel really comfortable here."
Eliza smiled:
“I'm glad you're comfortable here. But keep in mind—tomorrow is going to be a very tough and demanding day. There's a lot of work ahead. So you'd better get a proper rest tonight.”
The girls nodded together, wished everyone good night, and headed toward the residential quarters to gather their strength for the coming day.
Meanwhile, silence still hung in the office. Iron lay in his chair with his hands behind his head, going over tomorrow's plan in his mind with his eyes closed. Suddenly, it hit him.
"Damn it..." he snapped his eyes open and sat bolt upright in his chair. "I completely forgot about the beds."
He got to his feet and briskly walked out of the office toward the supplies, once again calculating how much material he would need and working out the frame designs in his head so the new beds would be sturdy, comfortable, and quick to assemble.
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