Chapter 212
Earth-shattering changes!
After a long while, Lou Gao's imposing figure swayed very slightly, as if he had just broken free from a long and bizarre dream.
He took a long, deep breath, a breath so heavy it seemed to inhale the hustle and bustle and changes of the entire city.
Lou Gao didn't ask any more questions about the city lord's order or the balance of power. He simply stared intently at Lin Xia's face, which was too young yet as steady as a rock, with eyes that had been tempered by divine fire and had seen through the texture of metal.
"You've grown up..."
Lou Gao's voice was deep and hoarse, carrying the感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of deep emotion or reflection) of someone who had experienced many hardships. Every word seemed to have been pulled from the depths of a furnace, scalding and heavy, yet brimming with an indescribable sense of relief and pride.
"You've grown up!"
He slapped his hard, iron-like thigh hard, making a crisp "smack" sound, as if he had made a heavy decision, or as if he had shaken off the last trace of doubt in his heart.
"Since that's the case, the teacher won't say anything else!"
Without any hesitation, his tone was resolute, and the bold spirit of the King of Steel once again took over.
"Let's go back to the blacksmiths' guild! I want to see for myself what kind of mess you've turned this blacksmiths' hut into!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xia's lips curled into a smile that was both expected and sly.
He gently patted Bangiras beside him, who was somewhat uneasy due to the shaking of the carriage, winked at the tall building, and spoke in a relaxed but cryptic tone.
"Then teacher, you'd better be prepared."
He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Don't be scared by what you see later!"
Lou Gao raised a thick eyebrow, his golden pupils burning with an indomitable spirit, and patted his chest with a heroic air, producing a deep, metallic clang.
"Scared? I've seen it all! I survived the Phoenix Divine Fire Body Tempering back then, what's a few new houses to me? Bring it on!"
The wheels rolled along, speeding along the wide, flat alloy road adorned with flowing, soul-guided light patterns.
The scene in the core area of Gengjin City is becoming more and more magnificent. Huge billboards with soul guidance projections are telling stories about alloys, soul guidance devices and the future in the night sky. Streamlined soul guidance vehicles shuttle back and forth, and the air is filled with efficient energy and vigorous vitality.
Lou Gao's gaze greedily swept over everything outside the window, his inner tremor growing stronger with each passing moment.
Finally, the carriage smoothly turned around a huge circular square and stopped in front of an unprecedentedly magnificent complex of buildings.
When Lou Gao lifted the carriage curtain and stepped onto the ground paved with warm, smooth, yet incredibly hard soul-guided stone, and looked up at the scene before him, he felt as if he had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly freezing on the spot!
That...that really is the Blacksmiths' Association?!
What stood before him was not "a few new houses" at all, but a colossal steel city that could be described as a miracle!
Its entire body is constructed from a special alloy that shimmers with a deep blue hue, as if containing fragments of stars. Its lines are smooth and full of power, like a huge mountain rising from the depths of the earth, or a lurking metal behemoth.
Its height far surpasses any surrounding building, standing majestically in the center of Gengjin City, like the steel heart of the entire city.
The main building features a futuristic geometric design, with countless massive floor-to-ceiling crystal curtain walls resembling dazzling gems embedded in a metal mountain, radiating a bright, soft, and layered light from within.
The building's surface is not smooth; instead, it is covered with complex, massive soul-guiding patterns that resemble living circuits. A deep blue energy flows and pulsates slowly within these patterns, emitting a heart-pounding energy fluctuation.
The top is not a spire, but several huge, floating structures resembling some kind of energy matrix platform, with the outlines of massive soul-guided turrets and flashing signal beacons faintly visible on them.
Where is this the rough workshop that Lou Gao remembered as associated with "blacksmithing" and "forging furnaces"? This is clearly an immortal fortress that combines majesty, technology, and power!
It is the embodiment of alchemy and forging techniques at their pinnacle!
It was a magnificent palace that blacksmiths of the old days could never have dreamed of!
"This...this..."
Lou Gao opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously a few times, but he couldn't utter a complete syllable.
His eyes, which could have seen through the secrets of divine weapons, were now only filled with a blank stare, overwhelmed by the immense visual impact.
His imposing figure appeared somewhat small in the shadow of the massive building.
Looking back now, Lin Xia's reminder of being "frightened" seems ridiculously insignificant!
"Welcome home, teacher."
Lin Xia's voice, tinged with laughter, rang out beside him, and he gestured for him to enter.
Lou Gao seemed to awaken from a dream. He took a deep breath, suppressed the raging storm in his heart, and with heavy steps, followed Lin Xia toward the giant gate that resembled the entrance to an interstellar fortress.
The heavy alloy doors, shimmering with energy patterns, slid silently open to both sides, revealing the interior.
The moment you step inside the "fortress," the towering building feels like you've traveled through time!
The anticipated heatwave, deafening hammering, and the pervasive smell of rust and sweat... all vanished!
The lobby on the first floor is as vast as a giant's palace, with a high dome made of countless rhomboid soul-guiding crystals that casts down a soft and bright light like natural sunlight.
Underfoot is a special stone floor that is as smooth as a mirror and can clearly reflect one's image.
What left Lou Gao's mind completely blank was the scene that came into view—this didn't look like a "blacksmith's workshop" at all!
The hall is not empty; instead, it is cleverly divided into several highly designed exhibition areas.
A massive, transparent soul-guiding crystal pillar stood there, radiating a soft, guiding glow.
Inside each pillar, there are quietly suspended objects that emit powerful energy fluctuations!
Some areas display dazzling, uniquely shaped soul guides engraved with complex circuits.
A small and exquisite communicator, a finely structured energy core, a soul-guided ray gun gleaming with a cold light, and even a sleek model of a flight wing covered with an energy shield...
They are displayed like works of art in crystal pillars, with holographic projections below clearly indicating their names, uses, and core parameters.
The adjacent area is filled with dazzling arrays of armor and weapons!
No longer heavy, hammer-marked armor, but masterpieces that combine aesthetics and practicality.
There are close-fitting light nails with smooth lines, light as a wing, and a surface with an energy-like shimmering effect like water ripples.
It has heavy plate armor that is as thick as a mountain, covered with menacing rams and energy channels, and its defensive capabilities are obviously amazing.
There are longswords and giant axes with a chilling gleam and blades that seem capable of slicing through space.
These equipment are not only made of materials never seen before, but their design concept also incorporates the ultimate pursuit of human biomechanics, soul power transmission efficiency, and powerful defensive/offensive soul guidance arrays.
They hovered there silently, a testament to the Blacksmiths' Guild's absolute dominance in the field of equipment manufacturing! (End of Chapter)