Gengxin City's Gates Welcome an Honored Guest; a Divine Craftsman's Pledge Brings Him into Spirit Hall

At Gengxin City's gates, the clang of steel striking ore rang out all year round. The air carried the metallic tang of iron and the scorching heat of furnaces, mingled with the smell of coke-the unmistakable scent of the Metal Capital.

By the time the first ray of sunlight pierced the smoke above the eastern smithies, a group of people already stood solemnly at the gates.

Fasno wore the white, gold-trimmed robes of a Platinum Bishop, the six-pointed star badge on his chest gleaming in the sunlight. From time to time, he rose onto his toes to peer down the main road outside the city, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Spirit Hall token at his waist.

Beside him, the members of the Blacksmiths' Guild held their breath, their attention fixed ahead.

The old man at their head wore a dusty leather apron speckled with verdigris and iron filings. He was none other than the Divine Craftsman-Lou Gao.

At that moment, his hands, capable of melting gold and forging iron, tightly clutched a hammer-shaped jade pendant, his knuckles white with the force of his grip.

"Your Grace, do you think... the Great Enshrined will really come in person?" a one-eyed blacksmith behind him could not help asking quietly. His empty left sleeve fluttered in the wind, exposing the stump of an amputated arm-a mark Miles had left years ago.

Fasno turned to glare at him and lowered his voice:

"Quiet! Who are you to speculate about the Great Enshrined's itinerary?"

Despite his stern words, he discreetly smoothed the creases at the hem of his robe. For Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined to condescend to visit Gengxin City in person was an event worthy of the guild's historical records. How could he not be nervous?

Lou Gao suddenly snorted and spat out the