There was nothing wrong with calling the Kroot birdmen.
They had indeed evolved from avians.
And they were indeed savage enough.
But after those three-eyed demi-humans emerged from hiding,
they felt the whole world becoming increasingly unfamiliar.
Steel thorns had appeared everywhere, gradually taking over their former buildings and even spreading above their heads.
In the distance, bottomless "abysses" belched thick smoke. At the heart of the steel fortresses stood enormous red forging furnaces, as though a sun had been imprisoned within them.
The piercing sounds of forging from the nearby steel factories seemed to hammer the human body a thousand times over.
Vast quantities of exposed stone were being devoured with frenzied speed.
Inconceivable steel fortresses rose before their eyes.
Broader roads, more imposing buildings, grander technology, more stunning art.
Pale blue "stars" hung in the air, as if held aloft by something.
Projected dark green "phantoms" shifted constantly across the walls.
Huge giants emerged from the factories one after another.
Mining vessels were being built in the ports.
Mountains were cut through, bridges raised over water.
The city seemed to be under a pair of hands,
constantly expanding outward.
Beneath the stars, steel "cells" clung to the planet's surface, spreading and "corroding" without end until they forged it into a complete whole.
It truly merged the world into a city and forged a city into a world.
Research vessels and merchant ships were delivering vast quantities of resources, people, equipment, factories, and buildings to the ground.
These torrents pouring down like an inverted river of stars converged toward the heart of construction.
Technical experts and lawmakers also began joining the postwar reconstruction efforts.
Among them,
a man bearing a sacred radiance walked toward them.
He opened his arms.
"Salvation."
"Majesty."
"Sanctity."
Witnessing the holy light, they felt the