Perturabo pushed open the wooden door and ducked into the house, which felt rather cramped to him.
Liu Zhipeng had grown very old. The limits of a mortal lifespan had left deep marks on him. His hair had turned completely white, and his skin was as wrinkled as dead tree bark. Even with Olympia's finest medical technology sustaining him, his already overtaxed vitality was like a candle guttering in the wind, about to burn out.
But the old man remained in good spirits. He sat in a reclining chair with his reading glasses on, holding a piece of wood and slowly carving it with a knife.
"You're back early today." Liu Zhipeng looked up, a kindly smile blooming across his wrinkled face.
Perturabo walked over to the old man and dropped to one knee with perfect ease. This giant, who could silence an army of millions with a single glance, now looked like an obedient child. With practiced hands, he lifted the kettle from the stove beside them and poured the old man a steaming cup of black tea.
"The Academy of Sciences submitted a new atmospheric purification plan today. I looked it over, thought it was good, and approved it ahead of schedule." As Perturabo spoke, he picked up a piece of wood and a small carving knife from beside him. "I'll carve with you."
One old, one young; one large, one small. In the workshop filled with the scents of pine resin and rust, they quietly carved the little toys in their hands.
Just as they had decades ago, when they first made that Mechanical Music Box.
Sunlight streamed through the wooden window and fell across Perturabo's face.
Liu Zhipeng set down his carving knife, picked up his teacup, and quietly studied his adopted son.
What he saw