Chapter 216: The Gift Prepared for Kalolin

【Inside the Steam Furnace】

Having just undergone another 'reforging,' the metal inner walls of the Steam Furnace still glowed with a blinding white heat, wreathed in smoldering vapor. Woven through the haze were countless fine, spiderweb-like quantum data patterns—seemingly chaotic at first glance—yet under the gaze of Tian Dao’s Star-Eclipse Eye, they revealed an intricate, hidden order.

To help the Dimensional Audience clearly perceive what Tian Dao was seeing, the screen abruptly switched to his first-person perspective.

Through the heat-shimmering air, Chen Xing watched as countless pale green quantum data streams surged like rivers returning to the sea, pouring into the toothed grooves of the Brass Gear at the furnace’s peak.

Dannika, her quill-like hair standing on end like a tiny antenna, blinked in confusion. “Mr. Tian Dao… I feel like I’ve been here before. This place… it’s familiar.”

Tian Dao smiled, gazing up at the Brass Gear seamlessly fused with the ceiling of the furnace. “Because these things… were born from the same origin as you.”

Dannika blinked again, a little question mark instantly forming above her head—she didn’t understand. But she quickly shook her head, brushing the confusion aside.

It didn’t matter if she didn’t get it. As long as she followed Mr. Tian Dao, he’d take care of everything—just as he always did.

In the meantime, the Brass Gear above them began to slow, as if detaching itself from the furnace, ready to return to its rightful place now that the forging was complete.

Yet Tian Dao slowly raised his hand, halting the process.

And then, with a playful tone, he stepped into the role of the Starlight Production Team’s unofficial spokesperson.

“Dannika… do you know that in the early days of the Stellar Era, humans once discovered a stone tablet inscribed with ancient script in a ruined temple?”

“The tablet had twelve slots, four of which held stones imbued with extraordinary Strength.”

“Thanks to the deciphering of that tablet, humanity first learned of the existence of the Miracle Stones—and the immense power they contained.”

He paused, then let a glowing Quantum Cube appear in his palm.

“And among those four stones? One was the very Miracle Stone — Law, now held by the Ironcrown Family—the same family that leads one of the Four Great Houses of the New Federation.”

As he spoke, the Quantum Key within the Cube emitted a deep, resonant hum.

In an instant, the Brass Gear at the furnace’s peak screeched violently, sparks of golden fire erupting from its teeth.

Boom!

The entire furnace trembled. The massive Brass Gear visibly shrank before their eyes—its size diminishing at a pace impossible to perceive with the naked eye.

A ripple of invisible force surged outward from the Steam Furnace, instantly spreading across the entire Quantum Space.

What was happening?

Chen Xing slashed through three Steam Branch Captain-class adversaries in one fluid motion, then lifted her gaze toward the ceiling.

Within this warped space, artificially reshaped by Tian Dao using the Quantum Cube and Quantum Key, she could see everything above her—clear as day.

Though Chen Kong and Yu Chen were locked in battle with the emotionless Vivian, and the Twelve Gear Guardians were locked in a chaotic melee, Chen Xing paid them no mind.

Her instincts told her the real force behind it all was the furnace above—now reactivated, trembling with power.

Or rather, the one at its heart: Tian Dao.

So… was this it? Was Tian Dao about to finish what he’d started?

A soft, gentle smile curled at the corner of her lips.

For her, nothing mattered more than helping Tian Dao. That was her greatest joy.

Because it meant she wasn’t just a bystander—she was needed.

The consequences? The impact on Steam Capital? She didn’t care.

All that mattered was that she was here, by his side.

As for that green-haired troublemaker?

Chen Xing gave a quiet scoff, then swung her blade to repel another Steam Branch Captain-class Stellar Envoy.

Let him keep obsessing over his “gift to humanity”—Lingjing—while she focused on what truly mattered.

“Mr. Tian Dao,” Dannika’s voice trembled with rising anxiety as the furnace shook harder. Her hair stood rigid, and she clutched tightly to the hem of Tian Dao’s pants to keep from falling.

Tian Dao didn’t respond.

Not yet.

For he was now in a strange, transcendent state.

His pale blue Star-Eclipse Eye pulsed with a luminous glow reminiscent of the Eclipse Star Liberation, and waves of Stellar Energy poured from him like a rising tide, flooding into the Quantum Cube in his hand.

Soon, the cube broke free from his palm, floating midair. It slowly approached the shrinking Brass Gear, merging with it inch by inch.

Ding!

A clear, crystalline chime rang out.

The surface of the Quantum Cube began to ripple with arcane patterns. Then, like a living thing, it swallowed the entire Brass Gear whole.

When the fusion was complete, Tian Dao flicked his finger—just once—across the cube’s surface.

A jagged fissure split open in the air.

He looked down at Dannika.

“Come on, Dannika. Your time has come.”

“Yes!” She snapped to attention, her small hands rubbing with excitement.

After all this time… finally, her moment.

Inside the Quantum Cube, Tian Dao watched as the Brass Gear continued to dissolve, its form fading into light.

For the first time, a rare spark of genuine excitement lit his expression.

To complete the Perfection Art: Purgatory Roshanmen, Tian Dao needed to fulfill three conditions.

He’d already achieved one and a half.

The remaining half? One was ensuring Dannika left behind a permanent, unique law within the Roshanmen.

The final half? Complete fusion between the Quantum Cube and the Brass Gear.

And both could be done at once.

As the radiant light of fusion swirled between the two, Tian Dao smirked.

By timing, when the final perfection was complete, the Ironcrown Family’s elite Mechanical Stellar Envoy should be arriving at Steam Capital.

And what better target for the full power of his Perfection Art than an elite Mechanical Stellar Envoy?

Moreover, a fully equipped, cutting-edge mechanical body—packed with advanced technology—would make the perfect gift when he finally met Kalolin.

After all, who could resist the temptation of studying a high-tier mechanical body from the Ironcrown Family?

With such a peace offering in hand, even if Kalolin was still angry over the past… she’d likely forgive him.

Tian Dao stroked his chin, his mind already calculating the perfect payoff.

Only someone as mischievous as him could think of using another person’s body as a gift… and actually pull it off.

As the Brass Gear vanished by about half, Tian Dao turned to Dannika.

“Go on, Dannika. Just do as I told you.”

“Yes, Mr. Tian Dao!”

PS: The remaining two chapters will be uploaded at 6 PM today.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end