Chapter 627: Iron Discipline (2)

As the man’s calm voice echoed, an immense flood of information surged into Boyan’s memory.

It was an overwhelming totality of information that Boyan’s own mind and heart could not properly receive or comprehend.

Click, whoosh!!

Creak, clatter!!

Sounds forgotten from the other side of the world, incomprehensible to human senses and intellect, pierced his hearing and filled his mind.

Unseen and intangible, yet it was undeniably opening slowly before Boyan’s eyes.

Creak…!!

“Ah, ahh…!!”

Even with his eyes covered, Boyan’s vision spun as if he were going blind, tears streaming down his face.

Though visual information was forcibly restricted and he only received the ripple of the Gate through sound, Boyan’s consciousness was already eroding, on the verge of being swept away and vanishing.

The man gripped Boyan’s wrist and gently pulled, pushing his bound hands forward.

The moment he instinctively knew his hands were pushed into the Gate, the sensation in both hands vanished completely.

A hollow sense of loss, as if the bones, muscles, and flesh below his forearms had all been left in a place not of this world.

Swoosh…

He felt a sensation like wind flowing through a chilling abyss.

Fragments of oblivion, like something crawling up his fingertips, searching for direction, wandering here and there.

“Incorrect.”

Boyan, who had already completely lost consciousness, twitched his body, tears and drool streaming, but the man did not seem satisfied.

“H-huh, ugh?”

“You grasped something, but it lacked the rationality to pull it out.”

“Haha, hahahaha!!”

The man muttered, unconcerned by Boyan who, after crying and screaming, suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“The Iron Rule. Decades have passed since the Vow of Silence faded, but its legacy still remains here.”

“…Huh?”

“With Artemeyer, the designer of the Ascension Gate, gone, this is all the consideration I can offer you.”

No further answer came from Boyan.

Instead, there was a light push from behind him, and Boyan’s body plunged beyond the Gate.

“Go. If you’re lucky, you might encounter something that can save your soul.”

With a chilling memory of his entire body’s sensations being covered by a strange, unknown mist.

Lennok regained consciousness from the depths of Boyan’s memory.

Flash!!

“Ugh…!!”

Perhaps it was the consequence of forcibly sifting through Boyan’s memories to confirm the truth.

Boyan, collapsed on the ground, was frothing at the mouth and convulsing, his eyes rolled back.

But Lennok was too preoccupied with replaying the memory he had just glimpsed to even pay attention to Boyan’s reaction.

“…”

The ‘Gate’ mentioned in the Machine City, Machina.

It was undoubtedly referring to the Ascension Gate project, which had been treated as the city’s supreme plan.

But what was even more surprising was that the legacy of the Ascension Gate still remained in this city, and they were still experimenting with its failure.

In the memory he had just glimpsed, Lennok was able to grasp what the Ascension Gate was to some extent.

And why the knowledge and legacies of the Old World were so often seen in this Machine City.

‘A gate to the next world… I think I know why the Ascension Gate failed.’

The Machine City had opened the Ascension Gate, dreaming of a path to the next, but what lay beyond the Gate was not the Fourth World.

Rather, what existed within was closer to traces of failure and destruction, which they had never desired.

‘Did they become burdened with specific penalties and conditions as the price for opening the Gate? If so, then parallel experiments like this make sense….’

If that was the case, then why hadn’t Boyan’s memories vanished, still lingering in his mind?

Considering the ability and prestige of the Ascension Gate, it was unrealistic that it couldn’t take away the memories of a single ordinary artisan.

It would be more accurate to attribute the cause to the outcome Boyan obtained beyond the Ascension Gate.

“Was it because he was a spirit…?”

A spirit is a being that is both life and not life. It is created to reside in the spirit realm before manifesting in the material world.

Perhaps, in the instant Boyan brought out the Salamander from inside the Ascension Gate, the Gate’s information became cross-connected with the spirit realm, causing interference.

It would not be an incomprehensible matter if some of Boyan’s memories, which should have been lost, remained in that process.

‘Memories from before entering the Gate remained, and memories from after entering vanished. In fact, nearly half of his memories remained intact without being lost….’

That the memory loss did not properly function because a spirit from the Old World was brought out was surely proof that the legacy of the Ascension Gate remained in an unstable form.

That, in turn, meant that if Lennok could find the location of the Ascension Gate, he could undoubtedly intervene.

‘Artemeyer, the designer. The Ascension Gate that retrieves legacies from the Old World, and the idol that trades knowledge as a database…’

Perhaps the ability of the idol that the Doctor created was made by borrowing a part of the Ascension Gate’s power.

Lennok thought that far and slowly gathered his mana, rising to his feet.

“…”

He suitably lifted the fainted Boyan with mana threads, carried him on his back, and turned away, staggering slightly.

He had been confident that checking Boyan’s memories would provide the clue he sought, and he had reached out, but the possibilities and information stemming from that series of images were far greater than he expected.

Rather than organizing it right here, he would have to deal with the immediate situation and then think about it.

The fire that swept through Cyberd’s workshop was extinguished, and Boyan, an apprentice at the workshop, was identified as the culprit behind the recent events.

Cyberd watched silently for a long time as Boyan was led away by the police.

Boyan, head bowed weakly, disappearing without even glancing back at the workshop.

Cyberd sighed deeply, as if the ground itself had collapsed, then slowly turned his head, meeting Lennok’s gaze.

“I don’t know how to thank you for what happened today.”

Cyberd mumbled, avoiding Lennok’s gaze.

“I apologize for doubting you and speaking carelessly. To think one of my own apprentices was the culprit…”

“If I hadn’t learned a thing or two about spirits by observation, it would have been difficult for me to figure out as well.”

Lennok replied without batting an eye.

“I was lucky.”

An older apprentice standing next to Cyberd asked, “What was that powder you threw into the furnace earlier?”

“Ultimately, if it wasn’t for that, Boyan wouldn’t have stepped forward. I don’t know what kind of powder it was that made him react so excessively.”

“Ah, it’s a snack set that spirits love.”

“…A snack set?”

The artisans’ expressions twisted strangely at Lennok’s casual reply.

“Is there a reason to carry such a thing in the Machine City?”

“I happened to get my hands on some by chance.”

In truth, it was one of the spirit snacks that the undergraduate students had brought to express their gratitude to Davi after Lennok resolved the Ghost God Palace incident at Rebatenon University.

Davi was very proud of the fact that the students offered her food, but there were few snacks that satisfied Davi’s picky palate, so most of them remained untouched in Lennok’s possession.

Lennok had scattered those spirit snacks to draw out the spirit hidden in the furnace, and Boyan had tried to somehow hide the spirit that crawled out, pretending to pick a fight with Lennok.

“Oh, I see… So Narcissa’s judgment wasn’t wrong after all.”

Cyberd mumbled with a wry expression, then composed himself and cleared his throat.

“At any rate, it’s clear that your diagnosis was most effective. It hasn’t even been half a day, and the workshop temperature is already returning to normal.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“As promised, I will not only introduce you to other artisans I know, but I will also do my best to help your consulting business get established.”

Cyberd nodded, his face resolute.

“Bring any contact information or flyers for your workshop and leave them in ours. Within three days, I’ll make sure everyone in this Workshop District knows your workshop has opened for business!”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, but…”

Lennok said that, then made arrangements to meet Cyberd separately later and prepared to leave.

While the other apprentices got ready to reopen the workshop and work, Cyberd alone came to see Lennok off.

Just as Lennok was about to return to his own workshop, he suddenly remembered something, turned back to Cyberd, and spoke.

“Ah, and may I offer one piece of advice regarding workshop management in the future?”

“By all means.”

At Cyberd’s reply, filled with solid trust, Lennok lowered his voice slightly and whispered.

“It would be best not to show too much favoritism toward one apprentice over another in front of them.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“All of your apprentices’ shoes were uniformly scorched black.”

Lennok said.

“Normally, if you sit and work in one place by the furnace, that doesn’t happen. The direction you sit at the workbench and furnace is usually a fixed habit.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying at all…”

“Didn’t you frequently change which furnace they sat at based on their performance?”

Cyberd fell silent.

“Since the furnaces face different directions, if you frequently change positions due to the flames, all of your shoes would get scorched, regardless of the furnace’s direction.”

“…”

“It seems you deliberately encouraged competition by making superior artisans switch seats among the five furnaces based on their performance.”

Lennok continued, leaving Cyberd speechless.

“Boyan likely noticed this and was convinced he had fallen in the workshop hierarchy. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to use the workshop’s furnace as food for a spirit for his own safety, without much guilt.”

“Lyman, I…”

Cyberd, who opened his mouth as if to make an excuse, soon gave up and slumped his shoulders weakly.

“…Your intuition truly is remarkable. Sharper than any artisan or superhuman I’ve ever seen. No, it’s almost unsettling.”

“…”

“You’re right. I set it so that the apprentices with good performance would sit at the well-conditioned furnaces, and I encouraged them to switch seats every quarter to boost their motivation….”

Perhaps Cyberd’s thoughts had intensified even more after the workshop’s internal temperature began fluctuating.

Since the furnace conditions varied slightly with the workshop temperature, he must have thought it essential to assign the better furnaces to apprentices who achieved even slightly superior results.

Lennok looked at Cyberd and quietly said,

“It’s not just Boyan. Other apprentices probably vaguely perceive their position in the workshop as well.”

“…”

“I’m not trying to interfere with Master Cyberd’s educational philosophy. You understand?”

Lennok nodded.

“You shouldn’t hide it completely, but displaying it too overtly will inevitably create resentment.”

That’s why moderation is so difficult.

But ultimately, because it’s a matter of dealing with people, perhaps one cannot ever lean too far to one extreme.

They say there are no right answers in life, but at least, the events unfolding in Cyberd’s workshop, as Lennok perceived them, were precisely that.

“Yes, you’re right…”

As if something had struck him, the focus returned to Cyberd’s eyes.

He looked at Lennok and bowed slightly.

“I’ve learned something today. Thank you. I’ll strive to remember those words for a long, long time.”

Beyond the street of the Workshop District, where the sun was setting.

There was one person watching two shadows emerge from a workshop, from which dense smoke billowed.

What was unusual was that he was located at the very edge of the District Barriers, thousands of meters away.

Sitting leisurely, observing with the naked eye from a distance where an ordinary person would barely be able to focus even with a telescope, was a man.

A mechanical voice echoed from within the man’s arms.

“Is that man Lyman?”

“He initially introduced himself as Van,” the man replied.

“Lyman is an identity Isabella arbitrarily created for him to participate in the Selection Ceremony. He’s continued to use that name for convenience even after the ceremony ended.”

“Van, you say…”

The voice repeated the name with a peculiar resonance, then laughed.

“Neither of them is his real name, are they?”

“Considering his actions so far, I’d say no.”

As he spoke, the focus in the man’s right eye sharply magnified, then began to roll, tracing a bizarre curve.

He watched the young man diligently cleaning inside the workshop with his strangely rotating right eye, as if adjusting a camera lens.

“Considering Adamant Thunder’s known disposition, he’s a wizard who is cruel, explosive, and arrogant itself. It’s completely different from Lyman’s actions so far.”

“…”

“I’ve observed him steadily for several days, and I agree with Isabella, Hermes. He’s from somewhere else. And he’s intimately connected to the Old World.”

“Hmm…”

The voice seemed to ponder for a long time, then let out a light sigh.

“Understood. If the two leading Enforcers have reached the same conclusion, there’s no longer any room to argue.”

As Lennok had suspected, he had come too far to avoid attention simply by using the name Lyman, and the leadership of the Machine City was aware of this.

Lennok’s workshop being relocated to the Upper Workshop District was not Narcissa Solmer’s decision alone.

“On another note, it’s been a while since we spoke. How are things on your end these days?”

The man, who had returned his focus to normal, chuckled playfully.

“Hasn’t Ex Machina been quite noisy for a long time about the Governor-General’s son?”

“The Machine Head faction is holding onto evidence and refusing to release it at all,” the committee member called Hermes replied flatly.

“Since the Governor-General is from that faction, Machine Head believes it’s strategically advantageous for the Governor-General to retain his position.”

“Well, that’s natural, but…”

Each district of the Machine City has an administrator, but the Governor-General does not refer to a position responsible for administrative duties in one specific sector or district.

It refers to the entity that manages the deepest core of Machina, where the Underwater Barrier is located, and oversees other administrators.

Thus, it was only natural for Ex Machina to engage in fierce power struggles over which faction the Governor-General would be selected from.

And as the man feared, the current Governor-General was a person whose background was not entirely clean, irrespective of public or private matters.

“Just one more thing. It seems Committee Member Brahms caused unnecessary trouble at the Meister Selection Ceremony. Was he desperate for results because his term was nearing its end?”

“Ah, that? Isabella didn’t say anything special, so I don’t think there’s much to worry about…”

“By now, he’s probably regretting his mistakes in the flames of the incinerator.”

“…”

The man fell silent at Hermes’s casual remark.

“There’s a possibility that the assassination attempt on Narcissa Solmer is connected to the Governor-General. Sooner or later, he won’t be able to hold that position for long.”

“…So you plan to shake up Machine Head and observe their reaction?”

“All preparations are complete. We wounded what he loves and cherishes most, and we’ve acquired that flaw.”

Hermes said with a delighted voice.

“All that’s left is to wait until the failure of the Ascension Gate overflows onto this city.”

“…”

Instead of responding, the man silently stared at the cloudy sky of the Machine City, then rose from his seat.

For decades since Machina tightly closed its District Barriers and minimized external interaction.

On the contrary, the number of those who secretly infiltrated Machina to uncover its hidden secrets had significantly increased.

In that process, many powerful individuals, whom even the Enforcers could not afford to be complacent about, invaded Machina, and some were even captured and detained.

Even at this moment, other Enforcers were rushing around the colossal District Barriers, striving to endure the Iron Rule.

The man, too, shouldn’t idle away for too long.

The moment the man thought that and glanced away.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know if I saw it wrong…”

The man tilted his head slightly and quietly mumbled.

“Just now, he seemed to look this way.”

There was no movement indicating he had turned his gaze, nor any sign that he had detected him, yet the man’s intuition felt a faint sense of déjà vu.

Was it just a lingering thought that arose while recalling what he had to do next?

After that, the man watched Lennok carefully for a while longer, eventually finding nothing unusual and disappearing.

“…”

Lennok, without turning his gaze, tracked the faint presence of the disappearing shadow in the distance until the very end.

“Van, what are you doing there?”

“…It’s nothing.”

He had felt the surveillance, but the very act of them retreating at this point surely meant nothing more than a deterrent.

If so, Lennok could still confidently focus on his original objectives.

His two initial goals when he first entered this city:

To find the blueprints left in Kaiser’s research log, and to investigate the secret of the Ascension Gate.

Those two things were both memories left between different spaces and times, yet they were identical in the fact that they were hidden from everyone.

The legacy of the Old World seen through Boyan’s memory, and the power of the Gate controlled by the rule called the Iron Rule.

To what extent do the memories and traces of a destroyed world extend within this city? Are they recorded beyond that Gate?

If he had no choice but to pursue the closer objective for now, Lennok had only one task.

“If the Ascension Gate still remains in this city in the form of a Gate…”

He couldn’t be sure of anything without going inside it himself.