This villain is too popular.

Chapter 204 The Fire of Tempering, the Soul of Forging

Without the shadow of light, even existence itself becomes a prolonged torment.

Inside the quantum space of the steam furnace, Tiandao looked at Caroline's lonely figure on the dimensional screen and the words that appeared at the end of the side story, and his emotions were very complicated.

distressed?

Guilt?

Or is it guilt?
Or perhaps it has both.

The sudden "knife" thrown by the production team of Qunxing Productions caught even him, the guy who wrote the script and directed it all, off guard.

Even if he believed that all of this was done with 'good intentions', given Caroline's personality, if he hadn't temporarily sealed that 'memory' back then...

Tiandao was genuinely afraid that when he woke up, Caroline would have already sought to have the Iron Dome family self-destruct.

But isn't leaving behind someone who can't even remember 'why they live' another kind of cruelty?
Even the Heavenly Dao could not provide a satisfactory answer to this question immediately.

Fortunately, this 'cruelty' won't last long.

Because once he completes everything that follows, he can appear openly in front of Caroline.

At that time, Tiandao believes that Caroline will understand him as she did when he was a child, and forgive his past little whims.

"Master Tiandao?"

Just as Tiandao was still lost in his thoughts, Danica pulled him back to reality.

When Tiandao came to his senses, he saw that they had already passed through the 'Brass Road' and arrived in front of a huge gear.

It was a brass gear as tall as a three-story building, with the luster of machine oil still remaining between its teeth after a century, making its extraordinary nature immediately apparent.

Around the brass gear stood twelve figures that looked like metal sculptures.

They are the prototypes of the Twelve Brass Nobles, the most loyal executors and guardians of the Gear Code, and were placed here at the very beginning of the Steam Furnace.

Unlike the steam guardians outside who only have simple thinking and logic, these gear guardians have pale golden energy flowing through them, and their cold eyes carry an inexplicable sense of oppression. Each of them has the strength of a mid-level third rank.

Looking at the twelve expressionless men guarding the brass gear, Danica nervously tugged at Tendou's trouser leg.

"Tian, ​​Mr. Tiandao, they look so fierce!"

Tiandao patted Danica on the head and said with a smile, "It's okay, let's go."

"Oh well."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tiandao led Danica and the pale-faced Vivian toward the brass gear.

As soon as the three stepped out of the Brass Road, the two nearest, statue-like gear guardians suddenly and strangely turned their necks.

Their gazes swept over the Heavenly Dao, past Danica, and finally settled precisely on Vivian.

"Information verification successful, furnace forging ceremony commences."

As soon as the words were spoken, the gear guardians, as if on cue, simultaneously stepped aside, clearing the path to the giant ship.

Upon seeing this, Danica's eyes widened and her mouth slightly agape.

"Don't just stand there, let's go."

"Huh? Oh."

Danica quickly jogged a few steps to catch up, her little hands gripping his trouser leg tightly again.

Although Tiandao said everything was fine, Danica still nervously glanced up at the group of guys as she passed by.

However, when they arrived at the brass gears, the gear guardians did not move at all, as if they had turned back into statues.

In response, Danica couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Tiandao, why don't they attack us?"

Upon hearing this, Tiandao was ostensibly explaining to Danica, but in reality, he was also informing the audience in the 13 stations of the reason.

"Because they appear to be alive, they are actually just mechanical puppets that obey the Gear Codex." "The codex stipulates that beings with Gear permissions will not act unless they endanger the central nervous system."

"But I don't have the kind of authority that Mr. Tiandao mentioned, and I don't even know what the Gear Codex is."

Danica scratched her head, looking puzzled.

But Heaven laughed and said, "No, you do, and your authority is higher than that of any bronze noble."

"what?"

Danica was completely bewildered, her eyes practically spinning with confusion, clearly not understanding the intricacies of the situation.

In fact, not only her, but even the viewers in the dimensional world were just as confused as Danica about this scene, and they were also very curious as to why Tendou insisted on bringing Vivian along.

If the previous plot is true, then after Tiandao collected all twelve quantum keys, he could have come here by himself. There was absolutely no need for him to specifically confirm Vivian's crime and bring her here as a prisoner. That would have been unnecessary.

As if speaking for the audience in another dimension, Danica tilted her head up, pointed to Vivian next to her, and said, "Mr. Tiandao, why is this older sister also alright?"

Just after Danica finished speaking, the ground beneath everyone's feet suddenly began to shake.

Before long, a huge furnace with a dark red furnace chamber slowly rose from the shadows beneath the brass.

Looking at the enormous furnace before them, Heaven calmly gave its answer.

"Because she is the sacrifice that the steam furnace needs this time, and the brass gear will only briefly reveal its true form after the sacrifice appears."

“I need her to help me bring out my real gear core so that I can get what I want.”

Danica blinked, seemingly understanding, then suddenly clapped her hands as if she had just realized something: "I know! This lady is bait; Mr. Tiandao is using her to fish!"

The Heavenly Dao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "In a sense, what you said is not wrong."

"Whee!"

Danica proudly raised her chin.

Unlike the relaxed demeanor of the two, Vivian's face visibly paled upon seeing the enormous steam furnace that appeared not far from her.

Seeing this, Tiandao suddenly said meaningfully, "Miss Knight, the tempering fire has appeared before you. It's time for you to make your appearance."

Vivian remained silent, head bowed, offering no response and making no move.

It seems that he is using this method to express his rebellion against the natural order.

In response, Heaven simply waved its hand calmly.

The next second, a powerful force was instantly applied to Vivian.

Then, like a small boat enveloped by an invisible wave, she was 'pushed' into the huge steam furnace.

As Vivian disappeared before her eyes, Danica said something that surprised the viewers of the anime.

"Mr. Tiandao, you're helping this young lady knight, aren't you?"

"Huh? Why do you say that suddenly?"

Little Danica blinked, then tilted her head and said, "Because I know Mr. Tendou is a very gentle person, and..."

Danica pointed to the steam furnace not far away, and the brass gears that were slowly descending into the groove at the top of the steam furnace.

"It just told me that the meaning of tempering is not replacement, but evolution."

“The people around us are products of failed evolution.”

At this point, little Danica said with great certainty, "Mr. Tiandao, you must think that this knight sister can definitely get through that so-called evolution, right?"

In response, Tiandao's lips curled into a smile, and he said, "That depends on her own fate."

(End of this chapter)