Undercurrents Stir

Aolai City, a normally quiet and leisurely small town by the East Sea, felt as though a depth charge had been dropped into its waters following that earth-shattering hammer strike from Tang Wulin; the surface remained calm, but beneath it, the currents were already surging.

The first to be alarmed were the blacksmiths. In an extremely short time, images and data of the soul-forged Heavy Silver left at Mang Tian Memorial Hall were spread through every possible channel by those present. One-hammer soul forging! It was practically a miracle that overturned everything blacksmiths believed! In particular, the golden patterns naturally born within the metal, flowing like bloodlines, along with the faint yet undeniably real sense of pressure, all proclaimed the forger's peerless skill and near-creative command over the material's essence.

"Divine craftsman! This must be the work of a divine craftsman!"

"How could Aolai City possibly be hiding a divine craftsman? Could it be some reclusive senior?"

"Those patterns... I've never seen them in any records. And that pressure—it feels like my soul is trembling!"

Astonishment, fanaticism, and disbelief rapidly spread throughout blacksmithing circles. Countless low- and mid-level blacksmiths flocked to Aolai City from all directions like pilgrims, gathering outside Mang Tian Memorial Hall for a glimpse of the legendary metal. They surrounded the heavily protected Heavy Silver, observing, recording, and discussing it in a trance, trying to comprehend even a trace of the divine craftsman's intent. Some even began asking around the city, hoping to uncover clues about the mysterious master blacksmith.

News could not be contained. Before long, the commotion drew attention from higher levels.

Ten thousand years later, "divine craftsmen" remained among the rarest and most revered figures on Douluo Star. The significance of a divine craftsman went far beyond forging a few powerful weapons. In this era, when humanity was advancing toward the stars and higher levels of soul-guided technology, divine craftsmen were crucial to constructing the keels of powerful spacecraft, crafting top-tier soul-guided cores, and completing the final fusion of god-grade mechas and four-word battle armor! Any force possessing a divine craftsman would hold an absolute advantage in future struggles for resources and influence in interstellar affairs. The current Federation still lacked top-tier combat power when it came to outward expansion.

At present, throughout the entire Federation, the number of peak experts capable of perfectly fusing god-grade mechas with four-word battle armor and unleashing world-destroying power could be counted on one hand. Every one of them was a cornerstone of the nation. Without exception, the equipment they wore had either passed through the hands of one of the few remaining divine craftsmen of the era or was closely tied to their legacy.

A piece of soul-forged metal containing unknown dragon might, crafted with skill akin to divine workmanship and even carrying a trace of a divine craftsman's aura, had suddenly appeared in a remote little city. The implications behind it were enough to move any major power.

However, among the blacksmiths drawn by its reputation, figures with obscure auras and low-key movements began to mingle in. They might have worn ordinary clothes, but their sharp gazes, steady bearing, and the powerful Soul Power fluctuations they occasionally revealed showed that they were no ordinary Soul Masters or blacksmiths. They were scouts and experts dispatched by various factions, sent to verify whether the divine craftsman was real and, if possible, recruit them. At the very least, they had to determine the origin of the technique represented by this metal.

For a time, the small city of Aolai became a convergence point for gathering forces, with hidden currents lurking everywhere.

This sudden undercurrent naturally drew the attention of Aolai City's true overseer—the expert who had silently guarded Tang Wulin's former home. Standing before her office window, she watched the conspicuous increase in unfamiliar faces with extraordinary auras throughout the city, her delicate brows tightly furrowed.

"What is going on? Since when has Aolai City become so appealing that it can attract this many hidden experts?" Her heart was filled with doubt and vigilance. This small city, peaceful for far too long, seemed to be getting drawn into an unknown vortex.

Before long, her subordinates delivered a top-secret report and a piece of metal sealed within a special force field. The instant that dark silver Heavy Silver, threaded with flowing golden patterns and emitting faint dragon might, appeared before her, her entire body jolted!

An indescribable sense of familiarity, mixed with an unfamiliar pressure originating from a higher level of life, assaulted her senses at once. This metal... she seemed to have felt a similar aura somewhere before, yet it was completely different—purer, nobler, and even more... unsettling.

She immediately retrieved the soul-guided surveillance footage from Mang Tian Memorial Hall that day. Onscreen, the black-haired, black-eyed young man with an ordinary face gave her an unfathomable feeling through his movements and the aura he displayed when raising his hammer, as though he had merged with the laws of heaven and earth. The woman beside him, likewise disguised and possessing a cool temperament, was clearly no ordinary person either.

"Investigate! Use every resource available and find out who these two are!" she ordered in a low voice, her expression grave. Her instincts told her that the appearance of these two people, along with the turmoil caused by that metal, could not possibly be a coincidence. Yet no matter how she searched her memories or compared them against the database, she could not match those two faces to any known expert or faction. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, only to vanish into thin air.

While the outside world was thrown into turmoil over a piece of soul-forged metal, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena, at the center of the storm, were enjoying the last calm before the tempest in that little home filled with memories.

Their divine senses were incredibly powerful. The sudden arrival of those "uninvited guests" in Aolai City, along with the probing intentions and various motives they carried, were as clear to them as lights in the darkness.

"Looks like leaving that metal behind caused quite a bit of trouble." Tang Wulin stood by the window, his gaze seeming to pass through the walls and see the figures concealed among the distant crowd. His tone was calm, carrying a hint of helplessness.

Gu Yuena sat at the edge of the bed, gently combing her silver hair. There was not a ripple in her purple eyes. "They are merely ants. If it were before..." She did not continue, but the indifference and majesty belonging to the Silver Dragon King slipped out all the same. With their current strength, even without using their full power, sweeping away every visitor in Aolai City would not have been difficult.

Tang Wulin returned to her side, took her hand, and shook his head. "Our purpose is to recover our memories, not to stir up bloodshed. Too much entanglement and exposure will only bring more trouble and disrupt our journey."

He paused, and a trace of reminiscence flashed through his eyes. "Besides, this is Aolai City. It is our home. I don't want to bring conflict here."

Feeling the warmth of his palm and the value he placed on this land through his words, the chill in Gu Yuena's eyes quietly melted away. She nodded. "Mm. I'll listen to you."

Strength could crush all opposition, but wisdom lay in choosing otherwise. They chose the simplest method, and the one least likely to affect the little city—leaving.

That night, the two slept in each other's embrace on the old bed that carried countless memories, ignoring the unrest brewing in the darkness outside the window. To them, it was little more than a minor interruption in a farce.

Early the next morning, when the sky was only beginning to brighten, they disguised themselves again and quietly left their home like the most ordinary travelers, arriving at Aolai City's soul-guided train station.

Tang Wulin directly bought two first-class tickets to Eastsea City. The first-class cabins were private and well serviced, minimizing their contact with the outside world as much as possible.

Sitting in the comfortable, spacious waiting room, Gu Yuena looked at the words "Eastsea City" on the ticket, and a complicated, indescribable emotion appeared in her purple eyes. According to what Di Tian had provided, as well as the fragments of memory beginning to awaken within her, after she left Aolai City back then, she had split into two people. The place her primary personality had gone to was Eastsea Academy. It was the point of entry she had chosen in order to approach Tang Wulin, who had still been studying there at the time.

That place buried more intersections from their youth. It was where the story of "Gu Yue" and "Tang Wulin" had continued.

"Let's go." Gu Yuena took his hand, while Tang Wulin picked up their simple luggage.

"Let's go to Eastsea City and take a look at the place where we once studied."

The train slowly started, accelerated, and left the small city that had begun to stir uneasily far behind.

The scenery outside sped backward as Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena leaned together in their soft seats, their fingers still tightly interlocked.

The bustle and undercurrents of Aolai City had been shut outside, but they both understood that the waves stirred up by that soul-forged metal would not settle so easily. Like a stone dropped into the heart of a lake, its ripples were continually expanding and would eventually stir deeper currents.

Ahead of them, Eastsea City—a larger stage—awaited them with clearer traces of the past, as well as inevitable direct contact with the world of today.

Their journey to seek their memories had officially departed from the warm starting point of Aolai City toward a far broader world.