Warm moments are always fleeting, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool; no matter how beautiful the ripples, they will eventually return to calm.
Linde quickly suppressed that tenderness and tenderness that belonged to family deep in his heart, and his purple eyes regained their usual calmness and profundity.
He gently settled the already sleeping Nazla on the bed, tucked her in, lingered his fingertips on her smooth cheek for a moment, and then resolutely turned away.
The cold alloy corridor once again became his domain. With steady and firm steps, he walked towards the place where he had agreed to meet with the dwarf king Muradin Bronzebeard.
Deep within Blackrock Fortress, in the heavy teleportation hall reserved exclusively for dwarves, the scorching air currents mingled with the rugged scent of engine oil and ore.
Huge steam pipes coiled and twisted along the walls, emitting a deep rumble.
The ground is engraved with an incredibly complex teleportation array deeply embedded with mithril threads. Its scale far exceeds that of ordinary civilian or military teleportation arrays. Its light is restrained, yet it contains a vast power capable of tearing through space.
Muradin Bronzebeard was already waiting there.
Today, the Dwarf King was not wearing his usual tin apron, but instead a solemn ceremonial armor inlaid with dark metal and fire gems. His red beard was meticulously braided into several thick braids, with heavy copper rings at the ends.
He gripped his legendary warhammer, "Skullcrusher," tightly in his enormous hands, his expression more solemn than ever before, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension and a pilgrimage-like devotion.
"Linde, you're here."
Muradin's voice was much lower than usual, and his molten lava-like gaze fell on Lind, less of his usual boldness and more solemn. "Is everything ready?"
Linde nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the enormous warp gate: "Anytime is fine."
"good!"
Muradin took a deep breath, as if to fill his lungs with the familiar air from beneath Red Mountain, air thick with the smell of sulfur and metal. "Then let's go. Let's go see... the true roots and soul of us dwarves!"
He said no more and strode into the leap gate.
Linde followed closely behind.
This teleportation process lasted much longer than usual, as if it were truly sinking deeper into the planet.
Finally, my feet touched solid ground again.
Lind quickly looked around.
This place... resembles a huge, naturally formed spherical cave, but its scale is beyond imagination, with a high dome that stretches to the horizon and disappears into the deep darkness.
The air was filled with unimaginable heat, and a kind of...an ancient, heavy "presence".
The ground beneath my feet was as smooth as a mirror, with a dark, glassy texture, clearly formed after being melted by extreme high temperatures and then cooled over a long period of time.
At the very center of the cave is a... "lake".
A "lake" composed of pure, viscous, intense liquid energy that emits a dazzling white light!
It rolled and surged silently, each surge bringing with it a heart-pounding wave of energy. The temperature and energy intensity at its core made Linde feel a sense of threat.
Just standing on its edge, you can feel your own insignificance, as if you were facing a miniature star trapped in the Earth's core!
"This is... the 'Eternal Forge'..."
Muradin's voice was filled with immense awe, even drowning out the deep, rumbling energy of the furnace.
He removed his helmet, bowed deeply towards the lake of light, and placed his right hand on his chest, performing the highest form of dwarf etiquette.
“And the Patriarch Kamran… he is inside.”
Linde's gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on the boiling ocean of light.
In his perception, this "lake" was not a mere accumulation of energy; it was more like the heart of a living, enormous, and unimaginably complex energy circulation system!
Countless "veins" of varying thickness, composed of pure energy and rule runes, extend outwards from this lake, disappearing into the surrounding rock walls, as if connected to the entire Red Mountain Range and even the wider earth veins!
Just then, the light in the center of the surging lake of light suddenly became even more intense!
A gigantic "face," composed of pure light energy and flowing runes, slowly emerged from beneath the lake's surface!
The face was blurred, its features indistinct, more like an outline drawn by leaping flames, flowing molten gold, and shimmering ancient runes, full of inhuman, ancient, and earth-like majesty and weight!
Two points of light, like stars burning deep within the earth, lit up in the "eye sockets" of their faces, moved slowly, and finally... settled on Lind and Muradin.
An indescribable, boundless will, like a mountain range awakening, slowly descended.
This will was not a mental shock, but it carried a heavy pressure that could make the soul tremble, as if the weight of the entire earth had pressed down on it.
Muradin's body trembled slightly, a tremor stemming from the awe and excitement deep within his blood.
Lin De narrowed his eyes slightly, and golden data streams surged wildly in his purple eyes at an unprecedented speed, as he tried his best to analyze the composition and essence of this will.
[An extremely high-intensity ley line energy aggregate consciousness has been detected... Energy reaction level: Unable to estimate (exceeds the current measurement limit)... Rule entanglement degree: Extremely high... Existence form: Deeply bound to the Earth's Core Furnace and the Red Mountain ley line network... Analysis: Suspected 'Soul Forger' Camran...]
A sound, not transmitted through air vibrations, resounded directly into the depths of Lind and Muradin's souls.
The sound was deep, slow, and booming; each syllable seemed to carry immense power, like the earth's crust shifting or magma flowing.
"Muraradin... Bronzebeard... a descendant of the bloodline..."
"And... a... stranger... spy..."
"You carry the scent of stars... and... an even deeper... darkness..."
"Tell me...why you've come..."
Muradin took a deep breath, stepped forward, and in the most devout tone, explained Lind's background, the alliance between the two sides, and Lind's interest in the "Secret of Soul Forging" as concisely as possible.
The enormous face of light listened silently, without any change in expression, only the starlight in its eyes flickered slightly.
After Muradin finished speaking, that heavy will once again focused on Lind.
"Steel...Sky...Zedo's legacy..."
"You want to...understand...the Way of Fusion?"
Linde met the overwhelming gaze of that unyielding will, and spoke calmly, his voice echoing clearly in the vast space:
"It's not a simple fusion. What I want to understand is how, after combining will with a vast energy source and even with the concept of rules, you maintain a balance between 'self' definition and 'control' authority. How did you manage to become a 'furnace' while still retaining the consciousness of 'Kamlan'?"
This is a core technical question that transcends simple awe and is full of researcher-style inquiry.
The Lake of Light rippled slightly, as if Linde's question had piqued its interest.
The enormous face remained silent for a moment, then the grand voice rang out again:
"An interesting...question..."
“Boundaries…are not drawn…but rather…grown out…”
"Like forging... it's not about forcibly stuffing iron ore into a mold... but about guiding... its inherent patterns... under the heat of fire and the hammering... to naturally extend... into... the form it was meant to be..."
“My will… is not ‘control’ the furnace… my will… is the furnace… itself…”
"What you are seeking is not a 'method'... but a... shift in 'cognition'..."
This is not a specific set of operational steps, but rather a philosophical guideline.
But a brilliant light flashed in Linde's eyes!
[Deconstructing the Halo] was running wildly, and combined with Camran's words, he instantly grasped the key!
"It's not about control, but about 'becoming' itself... Consciousness isn't the driver, but the 'soul of the car' that's deeply integrated with the engine? No, it's even more thorough... Consciousness defines the rules of the engine's operation, and the engine's operation, in turn, reinforces the form of consciousness... A perfect, self-consistent, cyclically ascending symbiotic relationship!"
What he saw was not a sacrifice, but an... evolution! An ultimate path of evolution that elevates one's own consciousness to the same level as the immense energy and rules, and merges with them!
This provides him with invaluable insights for his future endeavors, such as further integrating his consciousness with the core of the Steel Sky, and even dealing with larger beings (like... Shadow Abyss)!
"Thank you for your guidance, 'Soul Forger'."
Linde bowed slightly, this time with genuine respect for the pioneers.
The starlight in the eyes of that face of light seemed to soften slightly.
“Star…Ruler of the stars…your path…is extraordinary…”
“Treat...Muradin...Treat...Children of the Mountains...They...are the...furnace...of the future..."
"Perhaps... in the future... someday... when your 'furnace'... needs... to be lit... we... will... meet again..."
The grand voice gradually subsided, and the enormous face of light began to slowly sink into the boiling lake of energy, while the heavy will surrounding it receded like the tide.
In the end, everything returned to normal, leaving only the silent, rolling, unchanging ocean of light, and the awe-inspiring pressure lingering in the air.
Muradin let out a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, only to find that his back was soaked with sweat.
He glanced at Lind beside him, who was still lost in thought, his lava-like eyes filled with complex emotions.
Linde slowly raised his head and looked at the "eternal furnace," his purple eyes seeming to ignite a new flame.
The encounter with the legend has ended, but the revelations it brought are only just beginning to unfold.
This road leading to the "legend" seemed to be broader and more...interesting than he had imagined.
“Let’s go back, Your Majesty Muradin.”
Linde's voice was calm, yet contained a barely perceptible hint of excitement. "I think we need to re-evaluate... some of the designs in the plan."
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