104: Newbie period over

Shen Xiaochuan opened the communication channel, finished arranging the work, and went to the top floor of the high tower with his binoculars in hand.

The binoculars were still in his grip. The last streetlight pole had been erected, and the steam tractor had run three trips on the light rail without any issues.

He walked into the control room and slid his fingers across the panel.

Data for the entire city popped up: 8,117 Believers, an average combat power of 32.7, enough food for forty-two days, and building material inventory met the standard.

The System notification chime sounded.

[Countdown to the end of the Novice Period: 8 hours]

[A total of 2.0571 million deities were deployed during this Novice Period]

[1.55 million killed in action, 507,100 survived]

[Choice of stay or leave: Continue the campaign / Return to reality]

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the screen, motionless.

He knew what these numbers meant. Two out of every three people had already died.

Some died in the mouths of alien beasts, some died under the blades of others, and some died from exhaustion.

He opened the internal communication channel.

"All department heads, listen up."

"Check combat readiness, take inventory of supplies, and register those who can fight."

"Wait for further instructions."

The other side of the channel responded quickly.

"Construction team lead Zhou Mingrui reporting. The main road and light rail line are completely finished. The construction team has been disbanded, and the workers are starting to register for new positions."

"Industrial Zone, Lolia reporting. The first steam engine is operating normally, and the second batch is currently being assembled."

"Guard team, Yang Lie confirming. There is no large-scale enemy activity within thirty kilometers outside the city."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and turned off the channel.

He walked out of the control room and followed the stairs down. The wind blew in from outside, carrying the scent of iron furnaces and cement.

The city gate opened.

A steam car modified by dwarves drove in, its wheels making a muffled sound as they pressed onto the cement road. A wooden sign hung on the front of the car, reading "Freight Team One."

People on the side of the road gathered to watch.

"Can this thing really move on its own?"

"Without horses or people pushing it?"

"I heard it burns black stone powder and can run just by adding water."

A child chased after the car, laughing happily.

Shen Xiaochuan passed through the crowd and walked to the market street intersection. The bulletin board was crowded with people.

Three new notices had been posted:

[Recruitment: steam engine maintenance technicians (10 people), daily wage 80 faith points, room and board included]

[Urgent Hiring: Track inspection workers (20 people), must be literate, daily wage 60 faith points]

[Power furnace operators (5 people), mechanical background preferred, daily wage 100 faith points]

Below were rows of signatures.

The old blacksmith stood on the side, holding an application form in his hand, without writing his name. His son pushed into the crowd and signed in the "Mechanical Apprentice" column.

The old man sighed.

"I've been blacksmithing my whole life, and my hammer hasn't even broken."

"Now they say change, and just like that, they don't even use the furnace anymore."

The person beside him laughed at him.

"Your grandson is already driving a steam car, and you're still guarding that broken hammer?"

"The Lord said that within three months, all workshops must switch to steam power."

The old man shook his head, but still stuffed the application form into his pocket.

Shen Xiaochuan heard this sentence as he passed by.

He stopped.

"It's not that we don't need hammers," he said, "it's about making the hammer faster, heavier, and strike deeper."

The man turned around, saw it was him, and hurriedly lowered his head.

"My Lord... I didn't mean it that way."

"I know," Shen Xiaochuan said. "I've used a hammer too. But my father said that machines aren't here to steal our jobs; they are here to carry the things we can't carry."

The surroundings went quiet for a few seconds.

Someone asked in a low voice: "My Lord, are we going to stay here forever?"

"What do you mean?"

"The System says we can go back." The man lowered his head and rubbed his hands. "Back to the real world. Some people say the disaster there has stopped, and life is easier now."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at him.

"You can leave."

The man looked up.

"Really?"

"Really," Shen Xiaochuan said. "No one is forcing you to stay. Those who want to leave can quit now. The System will send you back, along with the faith points you've earned, and you can even exchange them for a resettlement fee."

The crowd began to stir.

"What about the fighting? Will we still have to fight later?"

"If we leave, can we still enter the Divine Domain if we come back?"

"Is the combat zone more dangerous?"

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand.

Everyone immediately went quiet.

"I don't know how hard it will be in the future."

"But I know that this road right now was paved by me, inch by inch."

"The cement was exchanged with my faith points, the workers were pulled out of the ruins by me, and every track has your names engraved on it."

"I could tell you it's safe, but I won't."

He paused.

"Staying might mean death."

"Going back definitely means living."

"But the one who survives might not be you."

Someone whispered: "Then if we stay and achieve great feats, can our descendants enjoy the benefits too?"

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "Yes. But great feats are fought for, not imagined. If you only want to enjoy life, going back might be stable, but what is needed here are people who dare to fight."

After speaking, he turned and left.

No one asked anymore.

He returned to the Main Hall and sat in front of the sand table. He tapped his fingers on the table, the rhythm steady.

On the screen, the System interface was still flashing.

[Exit the Divine Domain?]

[Options: Yes / No]

He reached out and clicked "No."

His movements were crisp, without hesitation.

Outside the window, the sunset had fallen halfway. The chimney of the newly built steam engine factory emitted the first puff of white smoke, rising straight up and slowly dissipating.

He touched the copper gear pendant on his cuff. This thing had been with him for ten years and was still here. Just like him, he was still here too.

The System announcement sounded again.

[Final selection statistics complete]

[Continue the campaign: 406,200 people]

[Return to reality: 100,900 people]

[The Novice Zone and the Combat Zone will merge in 8 hours]

[All survivors will uniformly enter the core area of the Myriad Races Battlefield]

[After the Fusion is complete, a Novice Termination Gift Pack will be distributed. Please be prepared]

Shen Xiaochuan turned off the public channel.

The room became quiet.

He checked his faith points balance: 1,582,700.

+3 points per second, growing steadily.

He opened the summoning array to check the Believers' generation progress. Thirty-five basic warriors were already on standby in the array, ready to be summoned at any time.

He looked at the sand table again.

Skydome City was no longer that camp surrounded by dirt walls from the beginning. The cement road network extended outward, connecting to three resource fields. steam engines turned in the workshops, and there were five stops along the light rail line. The city walls had been reinforced, and the watchtowers were equipped with signal lights.

This was not a temporary stronghold.

This was home.

He stood up and walked to the highest point of the city wall.

The night wind blew the hem of his work clothes. The city was brightly lit, machines hummed low, and people were walking on the streets.

Someone below saw him, didn't kneel, and didn't shout.

They just nodded.

He also nodded.

In the distance, the last construction vehicle dragged equipment away from the light rail line. Workers carried their tools home, laughing as they walked.

Zhou Mingrui stood at the street intersection checking the list.

"Zhang San, registered as a track worker."

"Li Si, registered as a mechanical apprentice."

"Wang Wu... didn't you quit? Why are you back?"

The man scratched his head.

"I thought about it, and decided to stay."

"My wife and kids have all left, but these hands of mine were made for building roads."

"I'm not leaving; the road isn't finished yet."

Zhou Mingrui smiled and wrote his name back on the list.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the city wall, watching all of this.

The eight-hour countdown ticked in the corner of the System.

7:59:23... 7:59:22... 7:59:21

He did not move.

The faith points number continued to rise.

1,582,703... 1,582,704... 1,582,705

He closed his eyes and opened them again.

The eastern horizon was pitch black.

There was nothing there.

But he knew that after dawn, everything would be different.

He put his hand into his work pants pocket, his fingertips touching a piece of parchment.

It was something that dropped last time he opened a treasure chest, made of the same material as Lolia's steam engine blueprints.

He didn't open it to look.

Now was not the time.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

The stars were very bright.

A shooting star streaked across and disappeared in the north.

He stood still.

The wind blew from behind him.

The steam engine below the city let out a short whistle.

Whoo—