Vera stepped forward. Her weathered hands examined the wood they had gathered. Despite her age, her movements were precise and confident. "Good quality," she pronounced. "It has not succumbed to damage. I can use this."
"How does this process work?" Marcus asked, out of personal curiosity.
"First, we prepare the wood." Vera explained, directing her assistants to unload specific pieces. "Observe."
She produced an object in the shape of a grinding stone, and the phenomena around it proved it was not mundane. The surface was a plasma, grinding the wood to powder so fine it floated like mist. "The powder must be exactly the right consistency. Too coarse and it won't bond properly. Too fine and it loses cohesion."
One of the penguin assistants waddled forward with a container of what looked like liquid ice. It was water that moved like mercury, yet it radiated bone deep cold. "True ice essence." Vera explained. "Harvested from glaciers. It serves as both binder and amplifier."
