Chapter 32: Steel and Thunder

The industrial district of Elarion no longer slept.

Even before sunrise, the sound of hammers already echoed through the valley while furnace fires illuminated the snowy darkness beneath rising clouds of black smoke drifting endlessly into the northern skies.

Workers moved constantly between refining halls carrying glowing ingots with thick iron tongs while dwarves shouted insults at human blacksmiths for "committing crimes against metallurgy" every few minutes.

Surprisingly—

Productivity had increased dramatically because of it.

Lucien stood on the upper forge platform overlooking the central industrial hall while heat from the furnaces pushed back the freezing winter air surrounding the ruins.

Below him, the first true refined steel ingot rested upon the primary forging anvil surrounded by blacksmiths, dwarven craftsmen, and several knights observing carefully.

The atmosphere felt different today.

Anticipation.

Because after weeks of refining ore, building kilns, processing coke, and improving furnace temperatures—

The territory was finally about to forge its first true steel weapon.

Not crude frontier iron.

Not brittle low-grade alloy.

Steel.

Real steel.

Bromgar Ironheart stood closest to the anvil with thick muscular arms crossed over his chest while several dwarven craftsmen examined the glowing ingot critically beneath the forge light.

One younger dwarf nodded slowly afterward.

"Good carbon distribution."

Another grunted approvingly.

"Minimal impurity lines too."

Nearby, the human blacksmiths looked absurdly proud hearing that.

Apparently earning dwarf approval was becoming an achievement equal to military victory.

Lucien glanced toward Malen.

The Peak Knight leaned against one of the stone pillars nearby calmly observing the preparations.

"You ready?"

Malen smirked slightly.

"For testing?"

Lucien nodded once.

The knight’s smile widened.

"Always."

Meanwhile Aurethar rested atop the upper furnace supports lazily watching everything with open amusement while his gigantic golden tail occasionally shifted behind him causing workers below to panic unnecessarily.

The Dragon Lord sniffed once.

"Hm."

Lucien already knew.

"What now?"

Aurethar tilted his massive head toward the forging platform.

"You’ve spent weeks creating one sword."

"Industrial development takes time."

"Dragons simply steal treasure from weaker civilizations."

Bromgar immediately snorted loudly.

"Sounds like lazy craftsmanship."

Several nearby dwarves nodded seriously.

Aurethar looked offended.

"We conquered empires!"

"And still never learned proper forge discipline," Bromgar shot back instantly.

The Dragon Lord narrowed his golden eyes dramatically.

"You tiny mountain goblin."

"You oversized torch."

Malen immediately stepped away again.

Wise man.

Lucien ignored the argument entirely while the forging process finally began.

The refined steel ingot was reheated until it glowed bright orange beneath the furnace heat before Bromgar himself stepped forward and grabbed the forging hammer.

The old dwarf’s expression changed completely afterward.

No jokes.

No insults.

Pure focus.

CLANG.

The first hammer strike echoed through the industrial hall sharply.

Then another.

And another.

The steel slowly folded beneath precise controlled force while dwarven craftsmen rotated the heated metal repeatedly beneath practiced movements refined through generations of smithing.

Human blacksmiths assisted carefully beside them while Lucien observed the process closely.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Because this wasn’t merely forging anymore.

It was cooperation.

Dwarven craftsmanship.

Human manpower.

Industrial fuel systems.

System knowledge.

All merging together.

The foundation of something entirely new.

Hours passed steadily.

The blade slowly took shape beneath endless hammer strikes while workers continuously fed coke into the furnaces maintaining temperatures impossible for traditional charcoal forges.

Even the dwarves seemed impressed by the heat stability now.

Bromgar eventually lifted the unfinished blade carefully before examining the metal grain beneath forge light.

Then—

He smiled slightly.

"Good steel."

High praise again.

The final shaping continued until sunset before the completed blade finally rested atop the central forge table beneath flickering furnace light.

Silence spread across the hall.

Because it was beautiful.

Simple.

Functional.

Deadly.

The steel reflected orange forge light cleanly across its polished surface while the edge looked unnaturally sharp compared to ordinary frontier weapons.

One human blacksmith whispered quietly.

"...We made that."

Pride filled the hall instantly afterward.

Lucien looked toward Malen.

"Test it."

The Peak Knight stepped forward immediately.

Several workers hurriedly brought forward standard frontier knight weapons for comparison while everyone gathered around the testing grounds outside the forge halls beneath falling snow.

Malen lifted the refined steel sword experimentally.

Then swung once.

Smooth.

Balanced.

The knight’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"Good weight."

Bromgar folded his arms proudly.

"Obviously."

The first test began immediately.

A standard frontier iron sword was mounted against a reinforced block.

Malen struck once.

CLANG.

The ordinary sword shattered almost instantly.

Several workers gasped aloud.

The refined steel blade remained untouched.

Malen examined the edge afterward.

Still perfect.

No chips.

No visible damage.

A second test followed.

Armor plates.

Then reinforced shields.

Each strike ended similarly.

Clean cuts.

Minimal resistance.

Superior penetration.

The atmosphere around the testing grounds slowly transformed from excitement into stunned disbelief.

Because everyone present understood now.

This steel changed warfare.

One knight stared at the broken equipment scattered across the snow afterward.

"With weapons like these..."

Another whispered quietly.

"...even frontier soldiers could rival royal troops."

Lucien said nothing.

But yes.

That was exactly the point.

Meanwhile above them, Aurethar looked deeply unimpressed.

"Hm."

Lucien sighed internally.

"What now?"

"It’s still just metal."

Bromgar looked upward furiously.

"Good metal!"

The Dragon Lord shrugged lazily.

"I could bite through it."

Malen smirked slightly.

"You say that about everything."

"Because I can."

Fair enough.

Later that night—

Another experiment began.

Far more dangerous.

The main forge halls had mostly emptied while workers returned toward sleeping quarters across the valley, leaving only Lucien, Gandalf, Bromgar, Malen, and several trusted assistants inside one of the sealed upper chambers of Elarion.

A heavy wooden table stood in the center of the room covered with strange materials.

Sulfur.

Charcoal powder.

Saltpeter.

The atmosphere felt cautious now.

Even Bromgar looked uncertain.

Gandalf adjusted his massive beard thoughtfully while examining the ingredients.

"So this mixture creates explosive force?"

Lucien nodded once.

"If proportions remain correct."

Aurethar squeezed his gigantic head awkwardly through the chamber entrance curiously.

"You’re making explosions?"

The dragon immediately looked interested.

Excellent.

Now everyone was worried.

Lucien pointed toward the ingredients carefully.

"Charcoal for fuel."

Then sulfur.

"Combustion acceleration."

Then saltpeter.

"Oxygen source."

Bromgar frowned deeply.

"That combination sounds deeply irresponsible."

"It is," Lucien admitted calmly.

The dwarf stared at him.

"...I respect that honesty."

Gandalf finally began carefully grinding the materials together using enchanted precision tools while magical barriers reinforced the chamber walls around them.

The old mage looked deeply concentrated.

"Are you absolutely certain about the measurements?"

Lucien nodded.

"Mostly."

Everyone except Aurethar immediately looked alarmed.

The Dragon Lord grinned excitedly.

"This is becoming interesting."

Minutes passed slowly afterward while Gandalf completed the mixture carefully before finally placing a small amount into a reinforced metal container connected to a primitive fuse line.

Silence filled the chamber.

Malen crossed his arms.

"If this kills us, I blame the dragon."

"Accepted," Aurethar replied proudly.

Gandalf lit the fuse cautiously using magic.

Then everyone stepped backward.

The fuse burned slowly.

Sparks crackled across the chamber.

Then—

BOOM.

The explosion slammed through the room violently as smoke erupted outward while the reinforced container shattered apart and several workers stumbled backward in shock.

Dust filled the air.

Silence followed.

Then—

Aurethar burst into booming laughter so powerful the chamber shook.

"Oh, magnificent!"

Golden smoke poured from his nostrils.

"It’s tiny!"

Gandalf looked offended.

"That was controlled testing!"

"It sounded like an angry squirrel exploding."

Bromgar meanwhile stared at the shattered metal fragments with wide eyes.

"...Again."

Lucien looked toward him.

The dwarf slowly grinned beneath his beard.

"Make it bigger."

And deep beneath the frozen mountains of the north, the first sparks of gunpowder thunder echoed through the ancient ruins of Elarion.

End of Chapter 32