Rain reached the western wall before the tower’s forecast hour. It struck the relay roof hard enough to drown out the first bell, then ran in bright sheets along the copper gutter. The western barrier bowed inward. Two incomplete nodes flashed once and went dark.
Wei’s urgent flag pattern appeared on the wall. Qinghe read it from the console: crews had isolated the damaged nodes, but the central line was taking more pressure than the old furnace could carry.
“Are the local feeds still separate?” she asked.
Qiao checked the panel beneath the central map. “The west release is open. River station is still live.”
Yan stood at the furnace threshold with the complete Final Offering manuscript and the grounding rods. He had studied the sequence and knew what it asked of him, but the art had not started. Its personal cost would consume his body, soul, and lifespan. His System would reverse those effects when he practiced. The rain, failing machinery, and pressure outside remained dangerous.
Qinghe compared the first gauge with the mark on the stop card. The needle had climbed beyond the range they had used in the dry test. She asked Qiao for a second reading from the independent meter.
