Night settled over Stone Dragon City slowly, like the empire was too stubborn to sleep all at once.
Inside Aurora's hall, the noise finally died.
Training ended. Interfaces closed. Even Cyberius shut up—mostly because Nyx looked like she'd actually stab him if he kept joking while everyone's stamina was drained.
One by one, they logged out.
NEO went first.
ART hesitated like he didn't want to leave the Realm yet, then vanished too.
KODA followed without ceremony.
Optimus logged out quietly.
Nyx disappeared last, only after checking the doors like habits didn't turn off just because this was "a game."
Blade stayed a moment longer, alone in the empty hall.
He opened his interface.
> [Guild Quest Active: Prove Presence]
[Objective: Claim Route Token]
[Time Remaining: 30 Hours]
Then his class panel.
> [Machine Monarch]
[Machine Storage: 10]
[Blueprints Ready: 8 Sword Knights]
[Hand-built Units: 2 Iron Knights]
[Instant Creation: Active]
Steel.
Materials.
A base that wouldn't fold.
A banner that wouldn't get mocked the first time someone tested it.
Aurora was official now, lowest tier and visible.
That meant the city would start treating them like a contender the moment they looked worth noticing.
Blade closed the panels.
Then he logged out.
Cold room. Real ceiling. Silence.
He didn't sleep long.
And when he logged back in before dawn, the guild hall was still empty—banner outside hanging in darkness like a promise.
He didn't wake anyone.
This wasn't a mission.
It was preparation.
Blade left the base alone.
Stone Dragon City at this hour was different—fewer players, fewer eyes, fewer guild scouts standing around pretending they weren't scouting. Lantern light reflected off wet stone. The empire looked older when it wasn't crowded.
He walked straight toward the one district that never truly slept.
The Forge District.
Molten glow of crucibles lit the paths. Sparks drifted above open workshops like fireflies made of metal. NPC smiths hammered in steady rhythm while Foreigners came and went, chasing sharper edges and louder names.
At the end of the street stood a broad stone shop marked with a familiar hanging sign:
"Garron Ironback — Master of True Steel."
Blade stepped inside.
The clang of metal slowed.
A huge figure turned, wiping sweat from his brow. Ash-grey beard. Thick leather apron. Arms like iron beams. Eyes like hammered steel.
Garron stared at Blade for a long moment.
Then he made a low sound that wasn't quite a laugh.
"Hm," Garron rumbled. "We're close now. I can tell by your eyes."
Blade didn't react. "I need work."
Garron stepped forward, gaze sweeping Blade's posture like he was reading stress points in steel.
"You didn't come for a blade," he said. "You came with builder shoulders. You've claimed a den."
Blade set a case on the counter and opened it.
Blueprints.
Clean lines. Exact measurements. Nodes and channels drawn with the kind of precision that wasn't artistry—it was intent.
Garron's expression shifted the moment he saw them.
"Machine frames," he murmured. "So the rumors are true. A Foreigner who forges servants instead of swinging until his arms break."
Blade's voice stayed even. "I need supply. Reinforcement. Workshop support."
Garron looked up. "You want your doors to stay doors."
Blade nodded.
Garron leaned on the counter, tone turning practical. "The city is restless. The air is heavier. Steel behaves differently lately. Foreigners pour in every day like a flood."
He tapped the blueprint case once. "And wherever Foreigners gather, trouble follows. That's not insult. That's pattern."
Garron reached behind the counter and brought out a shimmering ledger. He slapped it down and opened it to a marked page.
A system prompt rose in Blade's vision.
> [NPC Commission Available: Garron's Steel Package]
[Includes: True Steel Gate Frame | Banner Pole | Workshop Anvil Slot]
[Bonus: Machine-Grade Alloy Purchase Access]
[Cost: 12,000 Coins + 1 Core Material]
Blade's eyes narrowed at the last line.
"Core material?"
Garron opened a small black box and turned it so Blade could see.
Inside sat a dense fragment of metal that seemed heavier than it should be, faintly pulsing like it carried law.
"Banner-Anchor," Garron said. "Some call it a Road Seal. It makes a flag more than cloth. It makes a claim more than a shout."
Blade's gaze sharpened.
Garron's beard twitched like a grin. "These anchors are being fought over right now. Factions. banners. toll-keepers. Everyone wants to decide who gets to move."
Blade didn't mention the system quest.
He didn't need to.
The timing matched too perfectly.
Garron continued, voice lower. "Bring me one. Then bring me coin. I'll forge your gate frame, your banner pole, and a proper anvil so your den stops feeling like a rented room."
Blade's next question came immediately. "Machine alloy."
Garron pointed at the ledger. "Unlocked with the package. But listen, Foreigner."
Blade paused.
Garron's iron eyes hardened slightly. "If you buy machine-grade alloy in bulk, the market will smell it. Quartermasters watch. Guilds watch. Hungry people watch. They'll start guessing what you're building."
Blade's reply was calm. "Let them guess."
Garron laughed once, satisfied.
Then he leaned closer, voice heavy.
"One more thing. Don't worship shortcuts. If your class lets you snap machines into existence, you'll get numbers."
Blade didn't blink. "Hand-built gives monsters."
Garron's smile widened like he'd been waiting for that answer. "Good. You understand the difference between a tool and a guardian."
Blade closed the ledger.
> [New Commission Added]
[Garron's Steel Package]
[Requirement: Banner-Anchor Core | 12,000 Coins]
[Reward: Base Reinforcement + Workshop Upgrade + Alloy Access]
Blade slid the blueprint case back under his arm and turned to leave.
Garron's voice followed him, steady as a hammer stroke.
"Stone Dragon squeezes what it can't control," he said. "If your banner stands after the first squeeze, then your den becomes more than a den."
Blade stepped back into forge heat and sparks, already calculating paths.
Because now the Route Token wasn't just a system objective.
It was a Banner-Anchor.
And Aurora needed it before the empire decided Aurora was a mistake.