In the 62nd year of the Star Dome Calendar, the portholes of the Forgefire Embryo Starship were stained the color of rust by a scarlet mist. A burning pain shot through Chen Feng’s hand as he clutched the Ancestral Forge Hammer; the star-pulse patterns on the hammerhead were being eroded by a viscous substance. It was "cosmic rust," unique to the Large Magellanic Cloud, capable of transmuting the forge-fire energy of stars into decaying, dark red powder.
"Chen Feng! The stellar gears in the rust zone are disintegrating," Su Yuhan said, her monitor showing the gear icons representing stars losing their teeth. "The molecular structure of this rust... it’s identical to the rusted gears Old Zhou salvaged from the Cold Pool years ago, yet it contains the reverse-forging energy of the String Breakers!"
A hoarse vibration wave cut through, establishing communication with Liu Ruyan. A humanoid manifestation of rust appeared within the ship, its body composed of oxidized metal particles, with a "Rust-Trace Core"—dented yet sharing the same origin as the Forge-Fire Origin Sacred Scripture—embedded in its chest. "We are the Rust-Trace Menders. We once guarded the galaxy using forge-fire rust-melting technology, but now... even the forges are rusting." It pointed outside the porthole, where twelve collapsed forges were oozing dark red rust-sap. "The remnants of the String Breakers are deep within the stellar core... cultivating Rust-Death Apostles."
Chapter 46