Reborn in the Survival Adventure Game-Chapter 55: Voice of Stone

The town hall smelled like sweat, sawdust, and burning copper.

Caelen sat at the long table, surrounded by parts. Wire coils, wood frames, tiny gears, and tools were scattered everywhere. Borin hammered a round wooden box into shape while Dorgrim held up a small glass disk.

"This is the speaker?" Dorgrim asked, frowning.

"Kind of," Caelen said, rubbing his forehead. "It'll carry sound through the wire when someone talks into it."

Zira leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Still sounds like magic to me."

Caelen smiled. "It's science. Which is just magic you can explain."

Zira rolled her eyes. "Well, explain why this wire keeps bending wrong."

She held up a long copper string—twisted and useless.

Caelen chuckled. "Because you're holding it like a sword."

Borin added, "More like a club."

The group laughed lightly. But the work was slow. They had finished only one part—the base of the telephone. It looked simple, but it took hours of shaping, measuring, and fixing mistakes.

"This is harder than I thought," Caelen muttered.

"We need smaller tools," Dorgrim said. "And steadier hands."

"Or more patience," Borin added.

Elira, sitting by the herbs, raised her hand. "Or magic hands."

Caelen smiled. "We're getting there. One piece at a time."

After a few more tries, Caelen called for a break. Everyone stretched, stepping outside into the cool air. Zira walked beside him, tossing a rock up and down in her hand.

"So," she said, "your voice box machine isn't as easy as your little drawings make it look."

"It's not a voice box," Caelen said, grinning. "It's a telephone."

Zira poked his arm with the rock. "Phone. Like bones? Sounds painful."

"No," he laughed. "You talk into it, and the sound travels through a wire. Comes out the other side."

"Hmm. I'd rather just yell."

Caelen looked at her. "But what if someone's a mile away?"

She shrugged. "Then I yell louder."

He shook his head. "You're hopeless."

She smirked. "But still cute, right?"

He froze.

Zira walked ahead, hiding her smile.

Inside the town hall, Dorgrim and Borin were already back at it, shaping the next piece. They followed Caelen's sketch, trying to make the round microphone shell. Borin squinted at the design.

"This part's too small."

"We can use goblin fingers," Dorgrim said.

"No thanks," Elira called from the side. "We like our fingers where they are."

Caelen stepped in. "Try using that small chisel, the one we made from the old nail. It might help shape the edge."

They got back to work.

Caelen wiped his hands on a cloth, walked over to a corner of the hall, and crouched beside a stone box.

Inside it was something new.

A golem—but not like the big ones outside.

This one was small, thin, about the size of a goblin child. Its arms were long and jointed, and its eyes were two flat stones that glowed faintly.

Caelen whispered, "System, name golem: Rock."

[Golem named: Rock.]

"Command: Become training bot. Assist kids with basic combat. Set difficulty to normal."

[Rock: Combat trainer mode enabled. Difficulty – Normal.]

The little golem stood up, creaking softly.

Zira walked over, raising a brow. "You made a kid-sized one?"

"I figured the young goblins needed someone to train with."

"And it won't hurt them?"

"It's smart enough to pull punches," Caelen said.

Rock stepped outside, its joints clicking quietly. A few young goblins near the edge of the field ran over, eyes wide.

"Whoa! A new golem!"

"What does it do?"

"Can it fly?"

"It's our new trainer," Caelen said. "Line up. One at a time."

Rock raised its fists and bowed. The first goblin stepped forward. Rock dodged his punch and gently tapped his shoulder.

"Ow!"

"See?" Caelen said. "Teaches you when you make a mistake."

The kids lined up fast.

Zira chuckled. "You're spoiling them."

Caelen crossed his arms. "They're the future guards. Gotta teach them right."

Back inside, Borin held up the first complete piece.

"Speaker part's done," he said proudly. "Took half a day."

"Only... five more pieces to go," Dorgrim said with a groan.

"We'll get faster," Caelen said. "Now we know what works."

He sat again, looking at the blueprint. This crazy idea—talking across wires—was finally turning real.

Step by step.

And somehow, even with all the chaos, it felt worth it.