Blackpine Fief Discovers a Grayblood Lesion

After the final research project was settled, Shien tossed the stub of charcoal pencil onto the table.

It landed with a sharp crack that rang through the hall.

Nearly a hundred people followed his gaze to the blackboard, now almost covered in writing.

Half an hour earlier, the first mention of a Grayblood Lesion had made their scalps prickle and cold sweat break out.

Now the blackboard was packed with plans to counter it. Each listed materials, steps, a lead researcher, and a testing order.

The monster that had seemed to crush the breath from their lungs had been taken apart layer by layer on that blackboard and laid out before them.

For artisans, the worst thing was never difficulty or a challenge. It was not knowing where to start. Shien had marked out a path to every answer, and the top artisans' confusion gave way to fighting spirit.

Shien planted both hands on the table and swept his gaze from the front row to the back. "We don't have much time before Blood Moon Season. I want you to turn all of these into working equipment as fast as you can."

He paused.

"For the Eternal Night Wall, for the Tear Knight Defense Line, and above all, for our own lives—get moving."

The silence in the hall shattered.

Chair legs scraped across the floor one after another. At this hour, deep in the night, nobody wanted to go back to sleep. They headed straight for their own battlefields, eager to finish the tasks they had been given.

Shien watched the artisans stream toward their workshops, but he did not leave right away.

Deep in his eyes, the phantom of the Canon of Grace and Righteousness trembled faintly.

The Grace Values above nearly a hundred High-Tier Artisans were rising rapidly