The spring festival finally ended three days later.

Mostly because the dwarves ran out of things they were legally allowed to explode.

Elarion slowly returned to normal afterward.

Factories resumed full production. Steam engines thundered through the industrial district. Rifle drills echoed across the training yards once more.

But despite the return to routine—

Lucien had been distracted ever since the system reward appeared.

The 10x uncommon lottery voucher remained unopened.

Waiting.

And somehow that felt more dangerous than beast tides.

Inside the upper fortress office, Lucas reviewed supply reports while occasionally glancing toward Lucien sitting silently near the balcony.

"You’ve been staring into space for ten minutes."

Lucien didn’t look up.

"I’m thinking."

"That sentence has historically damaged infrastructure."

Cedric lounged near the fireplace polishing one of the new Mauser prototypes while smirking faintly.

"He has the system look again."

Lucas groaned immediately.

"Oh no."

Aurethar occupied most of the southern balcony outside while sunlight reflected across his golden scales.

"The human seeks more forbidden knowledge."

"I seek progress."

"That is the same thing when YOU say it."

Fair point honestly.

Lucien finally stood afterward and walked toward the center table slowly.

The system interface appeared before his eyes immediately.

[10x Uncommon Lottery Voucher Available]

Would you like to begin spin sequence?

YES / NO

Lucien selected YES.

The room suddenly became colder.

Not physically.

But perceptually.

Even after all this time, the system still carried an unnatural presence whenever it activated fully.

Golden light spread across Lucien’s vision while rows of rotating rewards began appearing rapidly before him.

Blueprints. Machines. Weapons. Industrial systems. Unknown technologies.

The spin began.

[Reward Obtained]

Precision Lathe Blueprint

Information flooded into Lucien’s mind instantly.

Advanced machining tolerances. Rotational stability. Mass-production tooling.

Useful.

Extremely useful.

With proper lathes, Mauser production efficiency would nearly triple.

Cedric noticed Lucien suddenly blinking.

"That one good or bad?"

"Good."

Lucas sighed heavily.

"That is never comforting anymore."

The second reward appeared.

[Reward Obtained]

Improved Steel Alloy Formula

The formula entered Lucien’s memory almost violently. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Carbon ratios. Heat treatment adjustments. Pressure endurance improvements.

Better steel.

Stronger barrels.

Safer boilers.

And possibly stronger armor plating eventually.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The third reward spun into existence.

[Reward Obtained]

Smokeless Powder Refinement Manual

Lucien’s eyes narrowed immediately.

This was important.

Very important.

Grayfire Powder had been unstable.

Dangerously unstable.

This reward essentially completed the accidental discovery.

Stabilizers. Compression methods. Storage techniques. Pressure balancing.

Elarion’s firearms had just become significantly safer.

Unfortunately—

That also made them significantly deadlier.

Lucas noticed the expression immediately.

"...How bad is it?"

Lucien answered honestly.

"The rifles will stop exploding."

The administrator visibly relaxed.

"Oh thank gods."

A pause.

Lucien continued calmly:

"They’ll also become much stronger."

Lucas looked tired again instantly.

"Of course they will."

The fourth reward appeared.

[Reward Obtained]

Telegraph Prototype Blueprint

This time even Lucien looked surprised.

Instant long-distance communication.

Not magical.

Mechanical.

Electrical relay pulse systems using conductive crystal minerals from the north.

If developed successfully—

Elarion could coordinate armies faster than royal messengers could ride.

That alone could change kingdoms.

Aurethar slowly lifted his head.

"The human looks dangerous again."

Cedric glanced toward Lucien.

"He’s mentally restructuring civilization."

"Again?"

"Again."

The fifth reward appeared.

[Reward Obtained]

Industrial Chemical Processing Notes

Acids. Refinement compounds. Fertilizer concepts. Industrial solvents.

A foundation technology.

Not glamorous.

But civilization-changing.

Lucien silently realized something afterward.

The system wasn’t giving random rewards.

It was building industrial chains.

Every reward supported another.

The sixth reward spun forward.

[Reward Obtained]

Advanced Farming Equipment Blueprint

Lucas blinked once.

"...Agricultural tools?"

Lucien nodded slowly.

"Food production increase."

Cedric frowned slightly.

"That seems oddly normal."

"It’s probably one of the most important rewards so far."

Silence followed briefly.

Because it was true.

Rifles won wars.

But food sustained then.

The seventh reward appeared.

[Reward Obtained]

Mechanical Refrigeration Theory

Even Lucien paused slightly at that one.

Cold storage.

Food preservation.

Medical transport.

Industrial cooling systems.

Another foundational technology.

Elarion’s growth ceiling had just increased dramatically.

Lucas rubbed both hands across his face.

"I miss when problems involved grain taxes."

"No you don’t."

"...Fair."

The eighth reward appeared.

[Reward Obtained]

Water-Turbine Industrial System

Additional energy production.

River factories.

Expanded infrastructure capability.

The industrial district below Elarion could eventually spread far beyond the fortress itself.

Steam.

Water.

Steel.

Elarion was beginning to resemble a true industrial state.

Not merely a territory.

The ninth reward finally appeared.

And this time—

Lucien actually froze slightly.

[Reward Obtained]

Heavy Machine Gun Concept Fragment

Not complete.

Incomplete mechanisms flooded his mind rapidly.

Cooling jackets. Belt-fed systems. Sustained fire concepts. Recoil cycling principles.

Not enough to build one immediately.

But enough to glimpse the future.

Enough to understand what was coming eventually.

And suddenly—

Even Lucien felt slightly disturbed.

Because he knew exactly what machine guns would do to medieval armies.

Aurethar narrowed his eyes carefully.

"...That one was dangerous."

Lucien looked toward the dragon slowly.

"Yes."

The room grew quieter afterward.

Even Cedric looked uneasy now.

Because for the first time—

Lucien himself seemed cautious about a technology.

Then the final reward began spinning.

Golden light intensified across the system window while the fortress office itself seemed unnaturally silent.

The spin slowed gradually.

Then stopped.

[Jackpot Reward Obtained]

Steam Landship Prototype Blueprint

Classification:

First-Generation Armored Vehicle

Steam Powered

Heavy Assault Platform

Designation:

LANDSHIP MARK I

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then information hit Lucien all at once.

Armored plating layouts.

Steam-pressure drive systems.

Track assembly.

Rotational wheel concepts.

Internal troop compartments.

Side-mounted cannons.

Boiler stabilization mechanisms.

The sheer scale of it nearly made his head hurt.

It wasn’t a tank.

Not truly.

It was something older.

Cruder.

An armored industrial monster.

A moving fortress.

Lucien unconsciously whispered:

"...A landship."

Cedric frowned immediately.

"A what?"

Lucien slowly looked upward.

And for the first time in a very long while—

Even he looked slightly overwhelmed.

"It’s an armored vehicle."

Lucas blinked once.

"...Like a carriage?"

"No."

"A wagon?"

"No."

Cedric narrowed his eyes.

"How large?"

Lucien remained silent briefly.

Then answered:

"Large enough to cross battlefields through enemy formations."

Silence.

Then Lucas spoke carefully.

"...Absolutely not."

Aurethar looked deeply offended suddenly.

"The humans made a fake dragon."

"That is not the point."

"It is clearly trying to become me."

Cedric stepped closer.

"Wait."

His expression shifted slowly.

"...A moving armored fortress?"

Lucien nodded once.

Steam-powered. Steel-plated. Armed with artillery.

And horrifyingly—

Possible.

Not now perhaps.

Not immediately.

But possible.

The dragon stared toward Lucien suspiciously.

"You looked less insane when creating cannons."

"That was a simpler time."

Lucas pointed toward him immediately.

"NO. WE ARE NOT NORMALIZING THIS."

Outside the office windows, the factories of Elarion continued burning beneath the evening sky while steam rose endlessly into the air.

The industrial district suddenly looked different now.

Smaller somehow.

Like the beginning of something much larger.

Much more dangerous.

Lucien looked toward the distant smoke stacks silently.

Then toward the system window slowly fading before his eyes.

The future had arrived again.

And this time—

It came on tracks.