Night settled quietly over Elarion.

Snow-covered rooftops reflected pale moonlight while furnace smoke drifted upward into the cold northern sky like dark clouds rising from the valley itself.

Even this late—

The western workshops still burned bright.

Workers moved constantly between forge halls carrying steel, coal, tools, and unfinished rifle components while distant hammering echoed through the settlement without pause.

The successful rifled weapon test had spread through Elarion faster than wildfire.

Some called it a thunder rifle.

Others called it the spiral gun.

One drunk worker had apparently called it "the armor hater."

The name unfortunately gained support.

Inside the upper fortress chamber overlooking the valley, Lucien stood silently beside the window watching the lights below.

For the first time in weeks—

Things felt stable.

Dangerous.

Complicated.

But stable.

Then suddenly—

A familiar blue light appeared before his eyes.

[Hidden Quest Completed]

[Quest: Develop a successful rifled firearm prototype]

[Evaluation: Exceptional]

[Rewards Calculating...]

Lucien’s expression sharpened slightly.

The system screen flickered again.

[Reward Granted]

[Blueprint Acquired: Early Industrial Steam Engine]

For several seconds, Lucien simply stared at the notification.

Then slowly closed his eyes.

Steam engine.

Not a weapon.

Not armor.

Infrastructure.

Industry.

Transportation.

Power.

The implications struck almost immediately.

The rifles could strengthen armies.

But steam?

Steam could reshape civilizations.

The system information flowed directly into his mind afterward.

Complex designs.

Pressure chambers.

Pistons.

Heat conversion principles.

Mechanical movement systems.

Even with his previous life’s knowledge, the sheer engineering depth overwhelmed him briefly.

This wasn’t a toy design.

It was a foundational machine.

Lucien exhaled slowly.

"...You really want to industrialize this world."

The system naturally gave no answer.

Behind him, Aurethar lazily lifted one golden eye from where the dragon occupied nearly half the chamber floor beside the massive fireplace.

"You look troubled."

Lucien glanced back.

"I received another blueprint."

The dragon stretched slightly.

"A weapon?"

"Worse."

That finally interested Aurethar.

"How does one become worse than weapons?"

Lucien looked toward the valley again.

"Machines."

Aurethar stared for a moment.

Then unexpectedly snorted.

"Oh."

The dragon actually sounded understanding now.

"That expression again."

"What expression?"

"The one intelligent races make before changing the world."

Lucien frowned slightly.

"You’ve seen this before?"

"Many times."

Aurethar rested his massive head against folded claws afterward.

"Kingdoms rise. Discoveries appear. Mortals become excited."

Then after a pause:

"Eventually someone invents something that makes older powers nervous."

The dragon’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"I suspect your machines may become one of those things."

Lucien stayed silent.

Because Aurethar wasn’t wrong.

The rifles already threatened noble military supremacy.

But steam engines?

Steam meant scalable industry.

Mining expansion.

Mass production.

Transportation.

Factories.

Once humanity reached that stage—

Nothing would remain the same.

A loud knock interrupted the room moments later.

Lucas entered carrying several reports before immediately stopping mid-step.

"...Why does the room feel ominous?"

Lucien looked toward him calmly.

"I had an idea."

The administrator closed his eyes briefly.

"That sentence has become one of my greatest fears."

Aurethar nodded from beside the fireplace.

"Wise instinct."

Lucas sighed before placing the reports onto the nearby table.

"The rifle demonstration caused problems already."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"That was fast."

"Merchants started spreading stories before sunset."

The administrator rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"Half the territory now believes we invented thunder magic."

"That sounds beneficial," Aurethar commented.

"No," Lucas answered immediately. "That sounds expensive."

Fair point.

Lucien walked toward the central table afterward while considering the new blueprint carefully.

Steam technology remained impossible to introduce immediately.

Not without preparation.

The current workshops barely handled rifle precision manufacturing consistently.

Still—

The foundation now existed.

And foundations mattered.

Far below the fortress meanwhile, the western workshop district remained active despite the late hour.

Especially because the dwarves had refused sleep entirely after the successful rifle test.

One dwarf currently stood beside the firing range while aggressively arguing with Cedric.

"I’m telling you the range is wasted!"

Cedric crossed his arms.

"The weapon hit the target."

"Barely!"

"You punched through reinforced steel!"

"And if the target was smaller?"

Another dwarf nearby grunted in agreement.

"The eye struggles beyond that distance."

Cedric frowned.

"You want soldiers shooting farther than that?"

The first dwarf pointed toward the distant target field.

"If humans are going to make thunder rifles, then make proper thunder rifles!"

Nearby workers quietly watched the argument with growing amusement.

Then Lucien arrived alongside Lucas and Malen.

The dwarves immediately turned toward him.

The lead smith crossed his arms stubbornly.

"The rifle works."

Lucien nodded.

"But?"

"But accurate sighting becomes difficult at long range."

Another dwarf grabbed the rifle from the workbench before aiming awkwardly toward the distant targets.

"The projectile flies correctly now. Better than smoothbores."

Then he lowered the weapon irritably.

"But aiming remains terrible."

Lucien paused slightly afterward.

Because he understood the problem immediately.

Primitive sights.

Limited visibility.

Distance targeting.

Modern solutions existed naturally in his previous world.

Here though—

Even basic optical engineering barely existed yet.

Then suddenly an idea formed.

Not full modern scopes.

Too advanced.

But simple magnified optics?

Possible.

Potentially.

Lucien looked toward the dwarves again.

"What if you could see farther?"

The workshop quieted slightly.

The lead dwarf frowned.

"...That sounds like wizard nonsense."

Gandalf immediately looked offended from nearby.

"Why does everyone blame magic for impossible ideas?"

"Because magic exists!"

"That is fair."

Lucien picked up a piece of charcoal before sketching quickly across a metal plate resting nearby.

Simple tube design.

Lens placement.

Basic magnification principle.

The dwarves gathered closer gradually.

At first confused.

Then increasingly focused.

One dwarf blinked slowly.

"...Glass?"

"Curved glass," Lucien corrected.

Another leaned closer toward the sketch.

"You’re trying to magnify vision."

Lucas stared at the drawing afterward.

"...Absolutely not."

Everyone ignored him.

The lead dwarf scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"Theoretically..."

Then another interrupted:

"No. The glass alignment would fail."

"Not if mounted properly."

"Precision grinding would take forever."

Gandalf suddenly stepped forward excitedly.

"I know crystal shaping spells."

The entire workshop became quiet.

Then Lucien slowly looked toward him.

"You never mentioned that."

The old mage shrugged proudly.

"Nobody asked."

Lucas looked genuinely exhausted now.

"Every conversation somehow creates more work."

Aurethar’s laughter rumbled from outside the workshop entrance.

"You mortals truly cannot stop yourselves."

No one disagreed.

Because standing there beneath furnace light and drifting smoke—

Even Lucien could feel it now.

Elarion was no longer simply surviving.

It was evolving.