Panic was spreading, but the Rock Guard had already been maintaining order and calming the public in various places, as Lind had ordered, and claimed that it was "the Lord's mysterious creation" conducting nighttime testing.
Despite the weak explanations, Lind's long-established prestige and the cold armor of his guards managed to suppress the large-scale riot.
The immense shadow of the steel sky finally covered the silhouette of the northern mountains, which resembled the spine of a behemoth. It began to descend, and its speed further decreased.
The Bokou Ruins are hidden at the bottom of a huge circular valley deep within this mountain range.
By this time, the valley had already been activated.
The mountain surface, which was originally covered with vegetation and rocks, cracked open with huge fissures, as if a sleeping beast had awakened.
From the gap, countless massive mechanical arms, thick and gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, emerged! These mechanical arms, like the arms of an ancient Titan, had complex docking clamps and energy interfaces at their ends. They moved slowly in the air, adjusting their posture to form a vast and precise docking matrix!
The ground in the center of the valley had long since sunk, revealing a bottomless, smooth-edged, enormous crater. At the bottom of the crater, countless eerie blue energy nodes and complex arrays of Zedo runes shimmered, forming a massive energy guiding and receiving platform.
"Dock-in process initiated."
Linde's voice was clearly transmitted to the central core of the Steel Sky through the mental link.
"Command confirmed. Main engines shut down. Attitude engines maintain minimum power. Core energy output redirected to docking guidance system. External armor unlocked, preparing to receive berthing traction field."
The massive hull of the Steel Sky, like a precise dancer, slowly sank within a matrix of countless giant mechanical arms.
At the berth's belly, corresponding to the berth opening, the armor plate silently slid open, revealing a huge interface inside, which also shimmered with complex runes.
Buzz—!
The energy platform of the Bokou Ruins erupted with a dazzling blue-white light! Thick arcs of energy, like wildly dancing electric snakes, shot out from the center of the platform and precisely connected to the interface on the belly of the Steel Sky!
At the same time, the giant mechanical arms around the valley suddenly extended, and the huge metal pincers, like the embrace of lovers, with immense force, yet with perfect precision, gripped the pre-set reinforced anchor points on the steel sky ship's hull!
Screech—Boom!
A deafening cacophony of metallic friction and impact, mixed with the violent roar of energy docking, suddenly exploded in the valley! The violent shockwave, like a tangible shock wave, spread wildly in all directions, whipping up clouds of dust and debris!
The entire mountain range seemed to tremble for a moment!
On the tower of Blackrock Fortress, Alice and the others felt the ground beneath their feet tremble slightly, and the enormous sound could be clearly heard even from a great distance! Their hearts were in their throats.
Inside the valley, smoke and dust filled the air, and electric arcs flickered wildly, making the massive hull of the Steel Sky ship appear like a colossus in a thunderstorm!
"Peak structural stress! Exceeding expectations by 15%!"
"Energy interface oscillation! Stabilizing force field overload!"
"The hydraulic systems of robotic arms No. 7 and No. 9 are in critical condition!"
A chilling alarm blared in Lind's mind. That 2% uncertainty had finally kicked in at the last moment! Even after so many years, the strength of the Bokou Ruins had faltered under the impact of this colossus!
Linde's eyes flashed, and he didn't hesitate at all!
"【Deconstructing the Halo】—Maximum Power! Objective: Connecting Key Nodes of the Matrix! Energy Flow: Guiding and Diverting!"
"Mechanical maintenance unit! Emergency reinforcement gel! Target: stress concentration point on the hull! Immediately!"
boom!
Linde's mental power, like an invisible storm, instantly traversed space and descended upon Bokou Valley! A dazzling golden light erupted from his body, and through the magic network, it transformed into two mighty torrents of data!
A torrent of energy precisely poured into the docking matrix of the Bokou Ruins! The power of the [Deconstruction Aura] forcefully intervened, instantly dissecting the overloaded hydraulic systems and collapsing energy circuits within those giant robotic arms! Like the most skilled surgeon, it precisely severed redundant energy flows amidst the chaos, guided pressure, repaired minute structural cracks, and forcibly maintained the stability of the robotic arms!
Another torrent of energy poured directly into several stress-concentrated points on the Steel Sky's hull, where the intense impact had caused the armor to groan and begin to twist and deform! An invisible force, like the toughest patch, forcibly solidified the metal structure, delaying its collapse! Simultaneously, mechs already on standby nearby sprayed high-strength emergency reinforcement gel like cannonballs onto those areas. The gel solidified instantly upon cooling, forming a tough, temporary layer of armor!
Creak...creak...
A sickening metallic scraping sound echoed through the valley, each tremor gripping everyone's nerves. Arcs of energy leaped and lashed wildly, ionizing the air and releasing a pungent ozone odor.
Time seemed to stretch out.
Every second felt like an eternity.
finally!
After several tens of breathtaking seconds, the intense friction and roaring began to subside!
The smoke and dust slowly settled, and the violent energy arcs, like a tamed dragon, gradually became stable and orderly, eventually transforming into streams of dark blue energy light that flowed smoothly between the steel sky and the Bokou ruins.
The giant mechanical arms around the valley, resembling the arms of a Titan, were firmly and completely locked in place!
The massive, despair-inducing hull of the Steel Sky, as if having found a long-lost nest, firmly and deeply embedded itself into the enormous receiving platform of the Bokou Ruins!
The massive interface on the ship's belly perfectly matched the energy core of the berth, and a deep blue light steadily shone, forming a huge, ever-changing energy halo that seemed to breathe.
"Docking...complete."
A cold voice rang out from the central core, carrying a barely perceptible hint of relief.
"Energy core connection stable. Structural stress returned to safe threshold. Bokou Ruins... Energy input restored to 37%... System self-check initiated..."
It was a success!
Atop the Blackrock Fortress tower, a violent panting followed a deathly silence!
Alice leaned against the railing, almost collapsing, her palms clammy with cold sweat. Nazra and Leonis held their child tightly, relieved smiles on their faces. Lila Ryan clutched her chest, feeling her heart still pounding wildly.
Linde slowly withdrew his outward-projected spiritual energy, the dazzling golden light in his eyes fading and returning to a deep purple. He let out a long, silent breath, his nerves, which had been tense for half a month, finally relaxing at this moment.
He looked towards the northern mountains, a barely suppressed, triumphant smile playing on his lips.
Under the cover of night, deep within that circular valley, an enormous steel structure, like a sleeping star, finally nestled peacefully into the embrace of Mother Earth.
A deep blue light pulsed steadily at its base, like a newborn heart, beginning to infuse this ancient land with a cold yet powerful force from a lost civilization.
Steel Star, return to your rightful place!
The foundation of Blackrock Territory is now unbreakable! The era of Lind Truk begins with the landing of this colossal ship, ushering in a new and even more magnificent chapter!
Deep within the steel sky, in the enormous pool of Sector G-7, which had been transformed into a mini aquarium, Sirona trembled, clutching her bald tail, her face pale as she listened to the earth-shattering crashes and roars outside.
"Ugh... even landing is terrifying... Captain Arya! Can we really get back alive?"
With a sob in her voice, she looked at the captain of the Raging Waves Guard, who was also looking solemn and gripping his long fork tightly.
Arya looked at the slightly trembling cabin walls, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice:
"Stay calm, Sirona. The storm is upon us, and we... have no other choice."
Her gaze, however, was directed toward the hatch, as if trying to pierce through layers of steel to see the lord who controlled everything.
A new life began in an extremely impactful way.
The warm glow of the fireplace in Blackrock Castle, and the pulsating blue stars deep in the northern mountains, shone brightly in the night.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com