In the world where Paige Summers lived, the Summers Family had once been a sizable Artificer House.
In addition to the main house, there were over ten branch families.
Each branch had mastered a unique Artifact Making technique.
The main house, the largest of them all, specialized in crafting weapons.
Unlike mass-produced items, most of the artifacts created by the Summers Family were custom orders. A smaller portion were born from the Artifact Makers' own interests.
Artifact Making was no simple task.
It required talent, but even more so, it demanded patience and perseverance.
Regardless of the type of artifact, the process always began with the simplest designs and progressed toward the complex.
It often took a lifetime of dedication.
The Summers Family had known prosperity.
But as times changed, so did fortunes. For one, people began to prefer the convenience and speed of mass-produced goods, and the demand for custom work dwindled. For another, people grew increasingly restless, and fewer and fewer family members were willing to settle down and truly dedicate themselves to the study of Artifact Making.
Gradually, the Summers Family fell into decline.
By the time of Paige Summers' grandfather, his generation had only two sons.
Paige Summers' uncle had no interest in Artifact Making and left to strike out on his own early on. Contact with the branch families dwindled until it ceased altogether. Then, over a decade ago, after Paige's parents died in an accident, only the old and the young were left in the Summers Family's ancestral home, relying on each other to survive.
Paige Summers began her training at the age of three and started learning to craft weapons at four.
Due to national policies, the Summers Family had gradually abandoned the development of firearms, focusing their research on cold weapons instead. Paige first crafted wooden weapons, then metal ones, and later moved on to studying and experimenting with various composite materials.
Her main focus was weapons, but in her spare time, she also loved to tinker with other types of artifacts.
From small decorative items to massive factory machinery, she was interested in it all.
'Artifact Making is often a field where one skill informs another. To innovate from the old and outdated... that's what a true Artifact Maker is in my eyes.'
She had a natural aptitude and was willing to put in the hard work, even pulling all-nighters when she was busy.
In the past twenty years, it was said that her insights had already surpassed those of her grandfather.
But she still felt she wasn't good enough.
'Exploration is the essence of Artifact Making.'
For someone like her, the wood processor before her was a simple machine.
After getting the tools from the big man, she tested them one by one, getting a feel for the differences between these wrenches, pliers, awls, knives, and the ones she was used to.
Perhaps due to power shortages, Paige Summers noticed that most of the power tools here had been modified. Their energy source seemed to be a battery-like substitute. Fortunately, when she powered them on, their sharpness and speed actually surpassed the tools she was used to.
Once she was familiar with all the tools, she began disassembling the processor.
However, even though she understood its construction, the actual work was far from simple, especially with only one good hand.
She struggled for a while but couldn't even turn the screws on the processor with one hand. As the big man watched with a mocking grin, Paige tested her right arm. Deciding it wasn't as bad as she'd thought, she gritted her teeth, tore off the splint, and prepared to use both hands.
As the big man watched, his expression now touched with surprise, she applied force and immediately felt something was off.
'It was definitely broken... But now, not only can I use it, but it's strong. Stronger, even, than my good arm...'
She didn't have time to dwell on what was happening.
She could only feel a surge of relief as she quickly twisted off the first screw on the processor. Following the plan she'd mapped out from her earlier observations, she successfully removed the saw blade from the top.
Next was the engine. There was no way to cut a log that big by hand.
Her gaze shifted to a machine in the corner...
Just then, the big man, who had been stunned by the young girl's unexpected skill, snapped out of it. With a speed that defied his size, he lunged forward and planted himself firmly in front of the machine.
"You—you—you can't touch that!"
Paige Summers stared, then let out a snort of laughter.
"What's with the drama? It's not like it's your wife."
The big man glared at her. "It's more important than a wife!"
Paige Summers held up her hands. "But you said I could use anything I needed."
The big man opened his mouth, then closed it. His conflicted expression couldn't have been more obvious. Finally, he sighed. "All right, you can stay." He immediately added, "But let's get something straight. I was looking for someone from the Strength System, so you're completely unqualified. But... I'll take you on account of those nimble hands of yours. I can cover room and board, but don't even think about a salary! What do you say?"
The corner of her mouth twitched. Paige Summers gave a heavy nod. At least she wouldn't have to sleep on the streets tonight.
"Sir," she began, "I have to ask. You're just hiring someone to make furniture, right? Isn't hiring a Superpower User from the Strength System a bit of overkill...?"
The big man looked puzzled. "Kid, are you new to The Dead City? No, that can't be it. Even in other bases, you should've heard about this. Don't you ever go outside?"
The question made Paige Summers realize she'd made a rookie mistake. Still, this was clearly a good opportunity to learn more. She scratched her head and stammered, "I... rarely went outside. When my dad was alive, he always said it was too dangerous. But now... he's gone, so I..."
"I see."
The big man's expression was a mix of disapproval and reminiscence. "When the apocalypse first started, Original Superpower Users like those in the Strength System and Speed system were in high demand. Back then, mutated plants and animals—and zombie animals—were still rare. Our main enemy was the Zombies. When they were low-Level, those things weren't much of a threat. As long as you had the guts to fight, humans rarely died. But things changed. The Zombies became fewer, but their Levels got higher. On top of that, plants and animals started mutating left and right. The scariest of all are the zombie animals. If you get bitten or scratched by one, not even a Superpower User is guaranteed to escape infection! In a situation like that, Natural Ability Users, who have a relatively easy time leveling up, naturally became the main fighting force of every base. Even those with a Spiritual Ability, which is a bit harder to Promote, were better off than Original Superpower Users... They're hard to level up, weak in a fight, and not much stronger than a regular person. So how could they be treated well? Otherwise, when the City Lord chose to leave his base all those years ago, so many Original Superpower Users wouldn't have followed him out here. And over the years, more and more Original Superpower Users have trickled in to join us."
'So that's how it is,' she thought. 'My Speed Superpower is hard to level up. That's really not good news.'
"Does that mean the City Lord is an Original Superpower User, too?"
The big man raised an eyebrow, clearly rendered speechless by her ignorance. After a long moment, he said, "No, of course not. The City Lord is a Transformer. Leveling up as a Transformer is also incredibly difficult; back in the old bases, they were treated about the same as Original Superpower Users. But after all these years, he's probably the highest-level Transformer in all of Astoria now. That's why we've all gathered here."
'A Transformer?'
'Why does that sound so familiar?'
'Ah! The Transformers!'
'Could he be like the Autobots or Megatron?!' Paige Summers was shocked by her own imagination.
'Okay, that's obviously impossible.'
But she was too embarrassed to ask for details. This seemed to be the most basic of common knowledge, and she didn't want to test the big man's patience, lest he suddenly regret letting her stay.
'I'll find out sooner or later, anyway.'
She subtly pried some more 'less-basic' common knowledge from the big man. After learning that 'room' was provided starting immediately, but 'board' wouldn't start until tomorrow, Paige regretfully gnawed on a ration biscuit and returned to the small room she'd been assigned.
It was tiny, barely large enough for a single bed and a desk with a built-in wardrobe and storage cabinet.
But she was in no mood to be picky. She locked the door, lay down on the bed, and was fast asleep within two minutes.
'What an exhausting day!'