In the world of the Iron Sovereign, entropy was no longer a philosophical dread; it was a manageable variable.
The Iron-Crag had undergone a metamorphosis. The jagged, soot-stained peaks that once housed a desperate monster army were now the gleaming spires of the Jura Institute of Technology. The black Miasma had been scrubbed from the atmosphere, replaced by a high-altitude network of mana-scrubbers that hummed with a low, comforting frequency.
Aris sat in the central observatory, a room of glass and silver that overlooked the sprawling city below. He was no longer the "Demon Lord" that mothers used to scare their children. He wore a simple, high-collared coat of charcoal wool, his silver hair tied back with a leather cord.
"Archivist," he thought, the familiar presence in his mind now feeling like an old friend sharing a cup of tea. "Status of the 'Bridge' project?"
< Answer: The Dimensional Aperture is stable at 0.004 microns. Synchronicity with Earth-Time is holding at a 1:1 ratio. >
"And Kenji?"
< Subject: Sato Kenji has successfully integrated into CE 2029 Tokyo. He is currently consuming a 'Salted Caramel Latte.' >
Aris smiled, a genuine expression that would have been impossible in the first loop. "Salted caramel. I haven't thought about that flavor in a century."
Aris looked down at his desk, which was littered with blueprints for the first Etheric Space Elevator. Without a "Goddess" to tell them that the heavens were forbidden, the inhabitants of this world had developed a sudden, voracious appetite for the stars.
"Master," a voice rumbled from the doorway.
Fenris stepped into the light. The wolf was larger than ever, but his fur was soft, and his eyes—once burning with the trauma of a thousand deaths—were calm. He wore a collar of woven Starmetal, not as a leash, but as a communication relay.
"The representatives from the Southern Kingdoms have arrived," Fenris pulsed. "They want to discuss the patent-sharing for the new water-purification lattices."
"Tell them I'll be down in a moment, Fenris," Aris said, standing up. He caught his reflection in the window. He looked like a man who had finally stopped running. "The era of Kings is over. It's time for the era of Engineers."