Worthy of a Place in the History Books!

Shien led Emon up the steep slope to the observation platform at the northernmost edge of Blackpine Fief, the highest point along the entire wall.

A windbreak had been hastily erected in the middle of the platform.

There were no cannons or repeating crossbows inside. Only a strange-looking machine stood at its center.

A rough Black Iron ring was fixed to a stone slab. Several Crystal Boards covered in Runes meshed together, with a Rune core resembling a miniature Sacred Flame base set in the middle. Up close, a thread of dim light could be seen creeping along its grooves.

Victor was absent. The old Alchemical Artificer was watching the furnace on the lowest level and could not get away.

Only two key members and a group of apprentices were in the windbreak now.

Eli stood beside the stone platform, head lowered as he adjusted the angle of a Crystal Board. Both backs of the mute artificer's hands were covered in dark red Rune burns, but his fingers were steady.

Beside him, Garrick huddled in a thick padded coat before a graduated dial, rubbing his hands together.

The moment he looked up and saw Shien and Emon enter, he hurried over and bowed low. "My lord. Lord Cleric."

Emon paused at the entrance and surveyed the place. For a moment, he could not tell what they meant to test here.

Shien went straight to the Black Iron platform and touched the machine's still-warm casing. "Lord Cleric, messages across the Defense Zone used to rely on signal lamps, Alchemical Birds, and riders. Once Blood Moon Season descended, none of the three was reliable. Lamps couldn't be seen from far away, birds couldn't fly out, and it wasn't unusual for riders to die halfway there. Delivery was slow, too."

His finger traced